Colorado Reunion ~ Final Daze

My apologies for being so delinquent with my blog ... I've vowed to post daily 'til I get you guys caught up in my journals. So THERE it is! Let's get started ...

This is my final full day from the Telluride Reunion, September 2012, and it's one rich in memories. I'm up early to attend the Flora-Dora's "Trivia Quiz" from the 70s and I end up actually participating on a team. YIKES - since dates and names are not my forte'!! But we finish in the middle of the groups and I leave smiling. I patter off to change clothes for a final ride up the Gondola with my friends to lunch at the "Peaks" (wow - what a view!). I sketched this fabulous view back down into Telluride from a camera shot.

Once back from lunch my sadness and I trek back to my room to finalize packing up me and my paintings. As a final farewell treat, I've decided to go to the "Steamin' Bean" for a sunset cup of Chai. This image has ended up as one of my very favorite ... so much emotion there in the steam of the Chai and the sunsetting shadows. I love this place but my reality is elsewhere.

My next wake-up is bitter sweet. I'm all packed and my friend comes to drive me and my things over to Hether's, where the "Telluride Transfer" airport shuttle will pick me up. We have some extra time and we all opt for one last saunter along the picturesque river walk. It makes me blue.

Once I'm off in the shuttle, we swipe past numerous houses and even up to the Mountain Village to pick up passengers. The day is sunny - blue sparkling from the sky and the San Miguel River. I'm snapping photos longingly trying to maybe bring some of this county back with me. But soon we are dropping down into Ridgeway and finally Montrose. I'm the last to get off the shuttle.

At the Days Inn,  I'm poised to meet my previous sister-in-law for a catch up and dinner before I fly out in the early morning. The lodging is refreshingly clean and painted in glowing yellow (helping to brighten my mood too) and to my sheer delight . . . I find this darling lil' yellow rubber duckie sitting adjacent to the bath tub. Smiles!!! Soon Aunt Karen, as I still call her, arrives and we wander off into Montrose, chattering like lil' magpies. What a sweet relief from my leaving Telluride ... to spend this time with a precious friend. AHHhhh!

Friday's Fun & Farewells at the Retreat

Another glittering, gorgeous day blossoms for us. In brisk mornin' air we weave our way to the "Yoga Rocks", as we've renamed them, to do our yoga. The sun warms us as we stretch and shortly we are back to the cabin, to feast on Izzy's (freshly made Apple-Pecan Turnovers with Steamy Coffee).

Tis' our last morn to dig into delightful creative time together. We indulge in traveling thru everyone's creations during the previous days ~ and are in wonder at the amount and variety and quality! It's almost sacred paging thru these images that flood us all with the memories of our hours in merriment.

The final process we have invented is explained as I hand out the hand-made accordion books I've crafted for each individual. On the front we will use the stamp we carved previously to denote it being "our" book. Then we pass the books around to everyone who's mission is to invent a page in the book for the specific individual to whom the book belongs.

It's mesmerizing . . . hours pass with laughter, wows and purrrrrrs of delight. We became so involved that even our Izzy (who'd pulled herself away from the kitchen to participant) had to remind us of lunch.

Lunch is special too ~ it's our first "Alumni Lunch"! A previous participant from last year's retreat was coming to visit and it was rich with news and getting-to-know conversations. We actually got a photo with ALL of us in the image (well, save for me with the camera)! We convinced our Alum to get a shot of all the riotous participants from this year before the retreat closes just after lunch. The silliness continued as you can see!

After lunch we all (save for one - who needs to return home that evening) return to finish up our accordion book page entries. Just before sunset Jean and I have to scurry the artists out of the "creative" cabin, so that we may put away all the art supplies, books and tables. With the retreat over, we want tomorrow completely free for all of us to do just as we want.

Our
evening is spent reveling in our treasured journals and savoring new ideas hoping to tuck them in our minds for later.

Our Izzy prepares us a yummy re-heated leftover dinner - and I manage to sneak outside for a quick and chilly shot of the surreal night sky and parking lot. There's an air of melancholy as we all realize our days dwindle that will be spent here in the company of our new-found friends and the rejuvenating mountain surroundings.