Epilogue

Well folks, I gotta tell ya, there are times when a song lyric just seems to fit a given situation. There is a line in "Travelin' Man" by Bob Seger that kinda fits part of this trip we just took:

Sometimes at night, I see their faces,
I feel the traces they left on my soul.
Those are the memories that made me a wealthy soul.

I have a wealthy soul indeed as a result of the people I saw on the Extravaganza. Kathy, Autumn, Jayden, Kit, Chelsea, Brian, Maya, Xander, Holden, Peyton, Gracie, Kristen, TJ, Jack, Peggy, Ashleigh, Addy, Ernie, Mandie, Cahle, Robbie, Kelly, Rachael, Dusty, Bob, Karsyn, Presley, Reese, Gary, Susan, Winter, Jeff, Abby, Ian, Shelly, Brea, Nikki, Cammy, Mason, Sable, Bella, Marge, Bob, Linda, Chris, Steph, Tori, Kalie, Sophia, Austyn, Morgan, Laurie, Melodi, Darren & Madison, and especially Tricia and Izzy, you are all among those whose lives have intersected with my own, and I will always be a better man for it.

Also, while I do love my native New England, there were oh so many sights to see.  The Great Lakes, when viewed from above, are indeed "Great!"  The green farmlands of our country's middle section are eye-catching as well. If you have never seen first-hand the Rockies in Colorado, or the Black Hills and Mount Rushmore in South Dakota or the plains, mountains (Devil's Tower in particular) and lakes of Wyoming, you are missing out!  I have returned home with a greater appreciation of the people and experiences in my life, and I ask you all to take stock of the people, places and events in your own lives.  There will be more pictures added to this blog at some point, but until then, #beexcellenttoeachother

Day 14

Another work day for Kathy, and Autumn  was at a friend's house before heading to Wyoming for a cmping trip.  Tricia and I drove to Kit's house to pick up Izzy. We went back to Longmont to pick up Jayden, and then the four of us went to breakfast.  Then it was time for the final drive of the trip.  We drove down Interstate 25 to the home of Chelsea & Brian, on the outskirts of Denver.

We hung out with Brian & Chelsea and the kids. Chelsea's sister Melodi came by and we were also joined by Ashleigh, Addy, Laurie, Darren & Madison.   Brian had some  green chili cooking in the crock pot, and I hepled him make some sopapillas that we stuffed with some seasoned meat, beans and cheese before topping them with the green chili.  After  a night of stories and laughs it was time to retire so we could be rested for the trip home.  No one picture could capture everything and everyone that we saw on our extravaganza, but this shot of a bunch of us late Friday night is as good as any!

Day 13

Kathy had to work, and Autumn slept over a friend's house the night before, so Jayden came with us to pick Izzy up at Kit's place in Loveland.  We took the girls to breakfast then came back to Longmont.  We tried out an indoor amusement center, but that proved to be a bit much for Izzy.  After lunch at "Twisted Noodle," we came back to the house and relaxed.  The girls had some fun at the house and we got them some pizza, since it was adults night out! Kit met us to go to dinner at 2020 Food and Wine Bar.  See below for pics Tricia took of the food, and when she writes her Yelp  review, I'll add it to this blog!

Dinner was quite good, as was the conversation.  We said goodbye to Kit, as she would be at work when we leave for Denver in the morning...

Day 12

Chris n Steph met us in Deadwood Wednesday morning for a stroll up and down Main Street.  It was good to have some time to visit with them.  After that, it was on to the longest road portion of the trip.  From green-covered Black Hillswestern South Dakota, through the sage covered plains of Wyoming, and into mountain views of northern Colorado, we covered nearly 400 miles.  We made a few stops, some for food, some for switching drivers, some for scenery, and finally got back to my sister-in-law Kathy's house in Longmont around 5:30.  

I put some pork chops on the grill and Tricia made mashed potatoes and a bacon/ mushroom/ beer gravy.  We added some salad, and had a nice dinner.  Kathy and her girls, Autumn & Jayden sat around the table with Izzy Tricia and yours truly for a peaceful meal to cap off our long day.  We had one final bit of driving in order to get Izzy up to Loveland so she could spend the night with grandma Kit and her animals...

Here's the view from one of our breaks along Rt 85 in Wyoming...

Day 11

With Mt. Rushmore (shown below) in the vicinity, we decided to go 2 for 2 on historic places.  Chris met us at the hotel and we were off!  It was a little over an hour's ride to the mountain, and just like the approach to Devil's , as we got closer to Mt. Rushmore, the views got better & better.  Since Chris and Izzy both have long legs, and cover distance faster than Tricia and I do, they actually took the Presidential Trail around the mountain after we all went through the exhibit halls. On the way back toward Spearfish, we stopped in Keystone for some shopping and snacks.  Then we found Prairie Berry Winery, the home of "Red A$$ Rhubarb" wine, and went in to do a tasting, while Izzy relaxed in the air conditioned car.  When we got back to the house in Spearfish, it was time to get ready for a birthday dinner.  Stephanie's younger daughter Kalie turned 21, so Tricia and I took over the kitchen to prepare chicken kabobs, accompanied by corn on the cob.  We picked up some potato salad and cole slaw to round things out, and finished with a cake and presents.  Chris topped it off by taking Kalie out in the ATV.  Her shirt may never be as white as it was when they left, but they had fun!

After we got Izzy settled in the hotel room, Tricia and I had some fun at the casino in the hotel.  We didn't win any money, but we had some fun!

Day 10

After our final "Susan" breakfast, we left Gillette for Spearfish, South Dakota.  Our plans included a visit to Devil's Tower (below) before we left Wyoming, and it was kinda on the way so off we went!  The drive to Devil's took about an hour, and as we approached, the views got better and better.  There are geologic reasons for the vertical  markings on the tower, but tha Native Americans of the area have myths about how the Tower came to be.  After parking, we hiked around the tower then decided to have ice cream for lunch!  

The landscape changed from the flatness of Wyoming to the rolling hills of South Dakota as we made our way to the town of Spearfish.  We arrived at the home of Tricia's brother Chris and his fiancée, Stephanie.  Steph's daughter Tori was there with her infant daughter Sophia.  Chris treated Izzy, Tricia and me to rides in a side-by-side ATV in the wooded areas near their home.  After some "four wheeling," it was time for Chris to make his "famous" fish tacos.  I'm not allowed to divulge his secret recipe, but this was some real good stuff!  Chris and Izzy managed to turn the end of dinner into a small-scale food fight 😄, and we had some marshmallow wars around backyard fire pit while making s'mores after dinner!

Day 9

I've never golfed, but before we left Wakefield, Gary called and asked if I ever played.  I hadn't, but given how much he likes to golf, I thought it would be a good time, and it was! After another one of Susan's breakfasts, we were off to the Gillette country club where we met up with a couple of Gary's golfing buddies.  We played nine holes and had a drink.  While we were doing this, Tricia and Izzy went back to Winter & Jeff's house for brunch with Winter's family.  Since they were still there when Gary and I got back from golfing, he decided to show me around Gillette, including the Wyodak coal mine and power plants. After another short visit with Shelly and her family, we started prepping for a grilled dinner with Marge, Bob & Linda, who live near Gary and Susan.  Tricia and her family have known them for years, and we shared many stories both old and new.  After our guests left, we sat outside talking with Gary and Susan for quite a while before turning in for the night.

Tricia has grown to love the timer feature on our camera, so here is a shot she took at Winter's brunch...

Day 8

Started the day with a nice hearty breakfast prepared by Susan.  After that, we set out for Rozet, which is just outside Gillette.  Winter and Jeff recently built a home there and we visited with them before heading out to the "Family BBQ portion of Tricia & Winter's reunion. After a huge taco dinner at Gary & Susan's, we went to see Shelly Pellman and her girls Brea, Nikki & Cammy.  They have been like family to Tricia since she was a young girl.  That turned into a late night of chatting and revisiting old times :). We got back to Gary & Susan's for some sleep, as I had a golfing adventure planned with Gary the next day...

Here's a picture that Izzy took of me and Tricia, with Susan and Gary.

Day 7

After another great Kelly Hicks breakfast, we had about a two hour drive up to Gillette.  This is the place Tricia spent most of her time before moving to the east coast.  As soon as we got into the city, Tricia noted how many things had changed.  New buildings, houses and even roads seemed to dominate her speech as she pointed things out to me.  We got to the home of her dad and his wife Susan just around lunch time, and after we brought our bags from the car, we had lunch and soon got into some Scrabble.  Susan loves her Scrabble, and we played a couple of games before Tricia and I had to get ready for part one of her High school reunion!  The event was held at Pizza Carrello, which is owned by one of her classmates.  The pizza was yummy, the drinks were good, and we got to spend some time with Tricia's long-time friend Winter, and her husband Jeff.  After the obligatory group photo, we went out for drinks and snacks with Winter and Jeff before calling it a night.

Day 6

Woke up to Kelly's famous grits & eggs, with bacon and toast.  Then I helped Robbie get the boat ready, as we were to be treated with a day out on Alcova Lake!  We packed lunches, got the fishing gear, and drove maybe 45 minutes out to the lake, put the boat in the water, and we were off!  Although the lake is a popular attraction, there are plenty of natural wonders, from ducks and geese and gulls, to deer and fish.  The rock formations are unlike any I've seen in my native New England, with numerous and multicolored layers that provide a sense of the geologic age of this place.  Robbie and I got our fishing lines wet, but didn't catch any.  Still, it was a beautiful day on the lake!

I had an afternoon treat when Robbie brought me to his friend Sam's place, and I got to see some of his project cars.  You can see some of what saw on Sam's YouTube.  We finished our visit to Casper with a family spaghetti dinner at Kelly & Robbie's before heading off to Gillette the next morning.

Until the next post (from Gillette, Wyoming,) here's a picture Tricia took from the boat in Alcova Lake:

Day 5

Picked Izzy up at Grandma Kit's around 7 AM and started the drive up to Casper Wyoming.  Just over the state line into Wyoming, we stopped for breakfast.  Around 1 in the afternoon we got to Casper, and the home of Kelly & Robbie Hicks, Tricia's aunt and uncle.  Between their family dinners with their kids and grandkids, and the toys they keep there for the grandchildren, it's easy to see the importance that family plays in their lives.  They took us up to Casper Mountain, where we feasted on a meal of fried walleye, salads & coleslaw.  Hard to believe, but I didn't even have room for dessert!  The scenery from the mountain was just outstanding, and honestly,  if you haven't been out to see the wonders of this area, you really should!

Day 4

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Busy, busy day, but we knew it would be!  Our niece Jayden volunteered to go to Loveland to help us set up for Izzy's birthday party.  There was a tent to raise, tables and chairs to set up, food... LOTS of food!  #billatthegrill was in full force, with burgers, dogs, Italian sausages and bratwurst going on the gas grill, while ears of corn and tins of mixed veggies cooked on the charcoal.

Temps got into the 90's, but that didn't deter us!  There was plenty of water, soda and "adult beverages" to help keep people cooled down.  Grandma Kit wanted to make sure we stayed cool, though, so we even had a slip n slide set up!  My sister in law Kathy then announced that she and Grandma Kit were going to be trend setters, then the two of them went down the slip n slide!!  Brian and I also went down the slide, but only after Tricia and Chelsea!

Day 3
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Started the day by making breakfast for Kathy & the girls in Longmont, then Tricia and I went up to Loveland to get Grandma Kit and Izzy.  We walked through the downtown area and took in the very artsy vibe that defines the spirit of Loveland. I'll be attaching some pics later... After a little shopping, we were getting pretty hungry!  Lunch at Door 222 included Margherita pizza, quinoa cakes, shrimp tacos and fish & chips.

Kit and I went to pick up the canopy tent and chairs, but just as we were loading her brother in law's truck (Thanks, Jack Albrecht!!) thunder started rolling in so we decided to wait til the morning of the 4th to actually set up the tent.  Kathy, Jayden & Autumn joined us for dinner at Kit's, then back to Longmont for the much needed good night's sleep before the party!

On the ride back to Longmont, Tricia and I had to pull over to so she could catch a picture of the sunset.  Until I post about the party, I'll leave you with that picture!

Day 2

Flight into Denver was good. Our friend Brian picked us up, and brought us to the home he shares with his wife Chelsea, and their three great kids, Maya, Xander & Holden.  We chilled out on their patio from the time we got there, until Tricia and I crashed before 9:00 pm.  In that time, Tricia and Chelsea ran and picked a few things at the store, another friend came over, and Brian cooked up a grill full of food that led to some Happy tummies!! Brian and Chelsea are loaning us a vehicle for our upcoming road trip, so a big huge THANK YOU to Brian & Chelsea for EVERYTHING!!

Bit of an early rise today to drive up to Loveland, where Izzy starts her "Grandma Kit" time.  They headed over to Mt Estes, and had lunch.  They met us at my sister in law Kathy's house where we grilled up some steaks and veggies for dinner.  After dinner we had a photo shoot, with Izzy, Tricia and I, some of Izzy's cousins and Kathy & Grandma Kit in some pictures.  Thanks Kristen & TJ!  Now it's relax time for Tricia, Kathy, Autumn and I with some games!

In the air!

At 37514 ft, just passed Toronto, heading for Detroit.  Flight's a little bumpy, but not too bad!  All three of us are online, with headphones or earbuds...stay tuned!

Leg 1 of the Journey

To 

Alrighty kids!  4:41 AM and we are all ready for our 5:10 pickup for the airport!  We'll post more from Denver!

"Two Sleeps Away!"

This is the last day at work for Tricia and I until July 18!  I know she and I both have been busy getting our work ducks in a row!  Wrapping things up today, then tomorrow is packing for all of us and haircuts for Tricia and Izzy.  We get picked up around 5:00 AM Saturday for the ride to the airport, then around 4 hours in the air and we land in Denver!  Unless Tricia has anything to add, your next update will be from Colorado! #summerextravaganza2017 #beexcellenttoeachother

The Countdown is on!

"Stuff,"  as they say, is gettin' real!  A week from today will be my last day in the office until July 18!