Colorado in May is a magical place. (Colorado in any month is a magical place, but don't get me started because I won't stop. Ever.)
In May, the scent of pines is at it's sweetest. Little bits of cotton drift aimlessly through the air from cottonwoods heavy with it's crop. The storms tease you while putting on shows of magnificent proportions in the skies above. (And there is nothing like watching a storm roll in over the Rockies.) The color of Colorado sky challenges your brain to redefine the word "blue". The new growth of playful aspens brings metaphorical and literal hope to the world. The power of a rushing mountain creek at once overwhelms you then seduces you with the voices living within. Perhaps the most memorable is the peace and depth of breath that only comes in the middle of a hike in the Rocky mountains.
This most recent trip to Colorado did something permanent to my heart. I treasure the years I lived there, but my heart has decided it needs more. It has begun reminding me daily (hourly) that either we need to find ourselves in Colorado again soon or that the hope of heaven is that it looks a whole lot like the Rockies.
As I expected, my camera failed to capture the nuances and majesty of this magical place. But we did our best to document a few of the moments I treasure most - stolen hours in my favorite place with the uncle who taught me to appreciate adventure, notice beauty in the details, savor a bite of good European chocolate, and to not take lightly the fragility of the world we live in.
