Westminster, Colorado

Westminster, Colorado, has become my fourth 'home' over the past six years or so. By some stroke of luck, when I first started sojourning out to 'Colorful Colorado', I happened to find the most wonderful Marriott Springhill Suites just off Hwy 36, and I do believe that I have rented space there a minimum of 40 nights during that time span. Maybe more.

And why is that you might ask? Is it the skiing? the Rockies? the Mile-High City? Pearl Street? No, no, no and no. It is, in three proper nouns; 'Sarah', 'Andy' and the 'Barclays'.

Westminster is situated almost exactly halfway between Denver and Boulder, Sarah and Andy's cities respectively. It is the first town out of Denver's city limits, close to all the amenities (within walking distance you will find a full-service Target, Macaroni Grill and Qdoba....oh, and the Butterfly Pavilion!), but also surrounded by fields of little picas (they're like gophers but cuter), and miles of walking trails.

In 20 minutes I can get in my rental car, (or our truck), head east, and be at Sarah's door in the exact center of Denver; and in 20 minutes, going west, I can be in Andy's parking lot right next to his Yellow Cab (yes, he's a Boulder cab driver, and a damn good one too!) :) In 45 minutes, I can head further west and exit off of I70 onto the Evergreen Parkway ramp, in the middle of the foothills, and visit with our best friends, the Barclays!

Some of my visits have revolved around family 'emergencies' (eg, Andy needing the protruding staples in his knee to be extracted, and another time for another extraction, his wisdom teeth! Then there was the time Sarah had an unexpected hospital visit; and another when she just needed some mom-care.) And for Barb and me, sometimes our emails just don't cut it, we have to figure in some face-to-face time. But mostly it's just that.....TIME......time well-spent to have a few meals together, shop (yeah, lots of shopping)....gabbing, sharing, catching up.

TIME....to be together, to laugh, maybe cry, to make some memories together.

This, to me, is pretty close to a nirvanal experience. Within a three-day time period, I can visit with distant loved ones, enjoy the beauty that is Colorado, navigate my way around now-familiar territory, and, increasingly, feel 'at home' there. Over the past couple of years Carlton has accompanied me on these trips west, and I do believe he, too, is feeling more like a now-and-then resident rather than a foreign visitor. Even the dogs have their place at Camp Bow-Wow in Boulder and have traveled through the area enough times now that the aromas and odors have made their way into their scental memories.

Yes, Westminster, Colorado..........'our place' west of the Mississippi, east of the Rockies, our base of operations for staying in touch and staying close to people we love.