Wow, Hoover Dam, what a sight to behold...... a demonstration of man's industrial abilities in the
1930's, during the Great Depression! This was when our technical skills were still embryonic, but our ingenuity and desire were second to none! And get this, it was completed ahead of schedule and under budget. When was the last time the Feds did that on a project? The conditions for the workers and families was atrocious... 110 plus degrees most every day, no running water, outhouses, no electricity, living in tent structures near the river. Imagine the wives raising children and preparing a meal for the husband worker when he came in from work. The result.......water for seven states provided by damming up the Colorado river after it leaves the Grand Canyon and forming Lake Mead with a beach and campground where we stayed. As I let lake water run through my hands while cooling off, I wondered if those few drops had ever been snowflakes on my ski jacket in the Rockies, the river's origin.
The last time water went over the spillway at the damn was in the 1980's. Since then the water level has fallen as evidenced by the "bathtub ring" in the photos. Conserve!!!!!!!!!!!
MEMORIAL DAY
We attended a Memorial Day service at a beautiful Veterans Cemetery in Boulder City, Nevada. The speakers list included two US Senators including Harry Reid, four Congressmen, the Governor, and the Mayor. Pretty impressive dignitary list! A bagpipe unit and an Air Force fly over followed by taps were part of the ceremony, along with a saddening display of flags on every grave.... but brightened by the Cub Scouts who collected them at the end.....youth demonstrating that life goes on thanks to the veterans!
The weekend included a BBQ cook off and a car show in town. We had strawberry shortcake with our neighbors Danny and his son Anthony, a Boyscout.
There was a herd of big horn sheep in the area and every evening they came down from the mountains to a shaded park in the town. They mostly grazed on the grasses but the males put on a show of strength and prowess in their competition for the females complete with the sound of head ramming horns as they reared back on hind legs.
This stop also included the Celine Dion show and the Titanic Artifact Exhibition in Las Vegas!!!!!
New friends from Jamaica and L.A. who is a photographer!
New friends from campground! Danny and son Anthony, oh Buddy the doggie!
Our Veterans!
People we have met......Three fun people from Jamaica stopped us on the beach to look at Silver. They were so friendly and easy to be around, we laughed together as though old friends! The Jamaican ladies thought Ty looked like Crocodile Dundee!!!! the way he was dressed. Then they said that I looked like Sarah Palin, What? Maybe I will have to return these glasses?
Janet introduced herself to a retired Marine veteran and a woman who had been a Navy Captain and still teaches ROTC. She had just visited the grave of one of her students, died at age 21! We shook hands and thanked them for their service! She told us "they are my sons and daughters!"
Thoughts and poem by Janet:
We have seen so many beautiful cottonwood trees over the last few months! I wanted to share my thoughts and I also found a web site by Shirley Two Feathers. She writes that the Comanche Indians believed the cottonwood tree was sacred--a tree of life with its heart-shaped leaves---a gift from Grandfather Peyote. The Hidatsu Indians of North America---'shade' (tree spirit) of the cottonwood tree, if approached with reverence, would provide answers to questions and is a place to solve deep personal problems. Also the sacred pole of the Omaha Indians, an object of greatest veneration, was made of cottonwood. The cottonwood was used to roast the clays used in making the paints for heraldic and symbolic painting of the body too! The sap of the trees was used to make a healing ointment too!
When we first moved to our new home in Lafayette, CO. on Cottonwood Drive, we planted a cottonwood tree in our back yard. Ty and I have watched this magnificent tree flourish from a spindly start to a massive height over our l7 years in the western United States. One day a few years ago, on a summer's day, I stood on the deck in our back yard and marveled at this special tree with all of its beauty of green! I realized at that moment that this tree's growth actually represented our life here in Colorado! I started at the base and thought of our lives back to l996, when we first moved into our new home.
I traced back in my mind from 1996; that's when Matt lived in our basement; those were some memories ha.... I was so overwhelmed with emotions while pondering all of the memories Ty and I and our family have experienced here! New friends, new grandchildren, other kids who feel like our own grandchildren too, new neighbors, then losing three of our parents and Leigh too, all of the suffering for at least ten years and all of the celebrations.....Baptisms, marriages, Anthony's football games, Zofia's gymnastics meets, Miah's dance recitals, traveling to visit Megan and Emily, and then Cosmas appears! Two granddaughters will enter high school next year. Ty and I traveled overseas several times and spent 4 weeks in Australia with Jane and Danny. Uncle Ed officially becomes a Chaplain for the American Legion and will become Jr. Vice Commander in July! We celebrated our 25th in the mountains; then this Oct.celebrated our 36th Wedding Anniversary 3 days after Inessa and Chris were married! Ty's Mother turned 88 and her sister, Aunt Roberta turned 90!! Now we are taking this trip around the U.S. to celebrate Ty's 42 years of working and also to celebrate the freedom and to be able to thank some of our veterans who made our freedom possible.
It's amazing to look back and see all of the blessings! What more could we ask for?
OUR TREE OF LIFE
Our sacred tree, our Cottonwood,
upwards from those hallowed roots,
a living statue of the life.....
of a husband and a wife.
The wonder of our life before our eyes.....
a splendid magnificence of God's creation!
Oh, her layered canopy of heart-shaped,
glass leaves glistening back at the sun,
while she reflects her spirit to each of us!
She sways her majestic arms reaching for our dreams,
providing a home for the wild and shade for us!
A wonderful scheme!
Then those broken branches.....
which come with every storm,
the endured trials and tribulations.....
twisting, bending, splitting our souls,
tossing those consecrated dreams,
then showing us a greater strength
to keep us keepin' on......
the wisdom of our tree,
which grows past every storm!
The fall brings the waves of death,
though golden and bright....
.....that's life!
Winter she's bare and exposed,
but stands tall with pride.....
awaiting her dress in spring,
but always displaying strength in the cold!
Her sweet-smelling sap,
so fresh and sticky,
drips of a celestial force!
We wait and watch the miracle,
from the core of this giant.....
fill our backyard with a field of
a warm, healing calm!
She is our statue of hopes and dreams,
in her shade our grandchildren play,
she catches our tears with her leaves,
reveals the shadows of our blessings,
of all the good.... so wonderful years!
Thanks be to God!
FUNNIES
I guess you can tell that I'd rather look at the cottonwood trees rather than a dam!!!!ha My funny is: I am still laughing to myself thinking of Ty's face when we heard a big crash while I was helping him back the van up in our spot at campground. We were actually pushing the picnic table!!! Fortunately with the tire. Well I thought it was funny!
A T-shirt at the BBQ cook off said "Praise the Lard" and seeing the dam reminded us of someone who said "life is just one damn thing after another!"
We wanted to experience all kinds of weather this trip, over 100 degrees most days did not let us down!!
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