The Mountains…..

When I was young my father always talked about how the air in Colorado was different. It smelled different. Well it doesn’t really smell different unless you count when it snows. Then it smells like snow lol. But I now know what he means when he says it feels different here. It does. We are staying in Manitou Springs and I love it here. The small town feel with Pikes Peak for the backdrop. It is beautiful here. There is a feeling in this place that makes it special, sure it is a tourists town, but it is different.

This is our second trip here, we came during the summer when it was hot. But the winter is a different game as well. First of all we were not even able to see the Peak the entire time here. The cold and snow kept the peak steeped in fog. Yet you can feel it there. The crowd is much smaller during the winter and voices are quieter and the pace is slower. This is a good time to stay in town and hit the shops. Going into as many as you wish and while we have been in many, there are even more that we haven’t been in. We were able to do old time photos, for a very reasonable price. Also we got Henna tattoos for the first time. Both were fun to do and because it is winter there really was not any lines to wait in nor appointments to have to make and keep. The flow of our days here was exactly what a vacation should be, easy. Even keeping with our English tradition of an afternoon nap. We stayed at a lovely hotel. No not your fancy name brand place, but one that has been ran by a local family for a while. The cost was very reasonable and the service here amazing. No, no big breakfast served but you wouldn’t want that with all the little coffee/breakfast shops that are here. Eat in those shops!! The food is amazing, fresh and the service always comes with a thank you.

Winter must be their off season and the proprietors are more relaxed less busy and more able to visit with you. Be ready to say where you are from many times because you will be asked. What is neat is we have met a few who actually know where we are from. No they haven’t actually been there, but they know our area. Traveling with five kids, my daughters boy friend joined us for this trip, isn’t always easy. Everyone wants to do something different or is hungry at different times of the day. But we seem to have done well taking turns and getting at least one thing in each of them wanted to do. Thus, for this mom, the trip has been very successful.

Usually I have some kind of spiritual experience on my trips, but this one has been a different kind of awakening. So at this time we are dealing with “the virus”. We are so tired of hearing “the Cronovirus” bla bla bla. Here is what we as a family have learned. You can’t let fear rule your life. In our state there has been three, yes three confirmed cases. In the entire state! Yet if you looked at the map that the press keep showing, you would think half the state was closed down because of it. We think how silly. We have washed our hands just like we always do, and the only real adjustment we have made was we have eaten our meals at later or earlier times so as to avoid the usual crowd. So far it has worked since most of the time we have been the only ones in the restaurant when we’ve gone in. Which kind of makes us feel special. After all if you’re the only family there you get really good service!

So this family has completely disconnected from the problems of the world and have truly relaxed and enjoyed our time. For once it truly feels like vacation. The long drive home begins at six in the morning. We are ready for that. Ready to be home and place our beautiful trinkets in their special places. And we have learned that life cannot stop out of fear. But the fear must be put into its proper place and life still be lived.

Dee