2007 July 14-21: Beaver Creek with Woolleys and Blacks

How we appreciate an easy two-day trip from Wisconsin to Colorado...no more counting vacation days and driving all night. Retirement does have its benefits. This week was a true Rocky Mountain High, spent with good friends from my CU days, Mimi and Virg Black. We are now related by way of the marriage of their son, Eric, and our daughter, Jennifer. The days were warm but not hot and the nights were cool. The few thundershowers in the afternoons didn't interfere with our fun as we walked and hiked in Beaver Creek, Vail, and Leadville.

We hosted a reunion for CU friends in the Denver area. The picture shows Marilu Duty, Donna Conroy, Mary Alice McDougal, Nancye Nelson, Joni Snodgrass, Jean Woolley, and Mimi Black. Bill Woolley, Virg Black, Don Snodgrass, and Tom McDougal were there, too.

We had a "cousins' night" where we introduced our cousins, Michelle, Brent, and Jasper, to Blacks' cousins, Brad, Cary, and Emma. It turns out they are practically neighbors in Eagle! From the picture you can see that Jasper and Emma became instant friends. We enjoyed seeing homes in the mountain community of Cordillera that architect Brent designed and custom homes under construction at the Village Walk in Beaver Creek for which Brad is a project manager.

Virg and I went wild playing with our digital cameras, while Mimi hunted wild flowers for us to photograph.


Since we have taken lifts often as skiers, the rides on the gondola at Vail and chair lift at Beaver Creek were a chance for Bill, Virg, and me to enjoy the wonderful scenery. For Mimi, who hasn't skied since the T-bar days of college and who isn't fond of heights, the rides were a major accomplishment. It took a lot of courage to laugh off the fear, make jokes, have fun, and come back for a second trip.