Ruminator

Photo by: Tim Bindner Day 3: June 15, 2023 I woke up early again. Still on Eastern Standard Time. I took a shower, took my medicine, and waited for Marcie to wake up. Our plan today was to drive a big loop and see what we could see. Today’s driving total was 92.6 miles. This trip to Colorado, I adjusted easily to the altitude change. In 2021, I got off the airplane in Denver and immediately had a headache for over a day. This time, not the case. I still struggled when walking or hiking to catch my breath, but no other side effects. I sat at the kitchen island and stared out at the Collegiate Mountains before me. The sun was touching the tips of the peaks and the snow glistened. There was a light cloud that covered the peaks, and the blue sky in the background enhanced the features of the mountain. I sat there in awe. I drove into Buena Vista, where we filled up on fuel and then filled up our tummies at Rooster Crow Café. We both ordered Early Bird Specials. Marcie had a biscuit and sau...

Photo by: Tim Bindner Day 2: June 14, 2023 I woke up early for Colorado time. 5am. 7am my time and an hour later than I usually wake. I ate a bowl of cereal and wandered around until Marcie got up. Today was going to be our favorite place we visited on this trip, but didn’t know it yet. We had a long drive ahead of us, so we headed into Buena Vista and stopped at Jan’s restaurant to grab a bite. Marcie had biscuit and sausage gravy, and I had a huge waffle. Both of us had water. We ate, paid and headed north on Highway 24, then over Independence Pass, then down to a tiny town of Marble, Colorado. More soon. As we drove up Highway 24, we drove through a small town named Granite, then turned west on Highway 82 (Independence Pass) where on the left we encountered Twin Lakes. We stopped to take breathtaking photos of the lakes with the mountain range as the backdrop. Continuing west on Highway 82, we drove the twisting and sometimes narrow road for mile after mile. Each turn brought forth ...

Photo by: Tim Bindner Day 1: 6.13.23 Marcie and I woke early and finished up packing the minor items for our trip. We turned up the AC to 80 degrees, locked the doors, turned off the lights, and packed phone chargers, snacks, and daily items like toothbrushes and deodorant. I loaded up the car with two suitcases, one backpack with my camera gear, one sling bag for Marcie, and her purse. We had stopped the mail, and the neighbor was watering our garden for us and watching the house. We would have to make memories. Our day began in Lanesville, Indiana. First stop was A Nice Restaurant (yes, that is what it is called). Marcie ordered biscuits and sausage gravy. I ordered eggs (scrambled), bacon (crisp) and biscuit and gravy. I finished mine and what Marcie had left of hers. As we were waiting for the check, we had been watching a service dog and her master sit at the table close to us. The owner of the dog finished eating and gave the check and his debit/credit card to the dog, who walked...

Photo by: Tim Bindner It’s that time of year again. It is VACATION TIME! Marcie, and I have been anxiously waiting for another long vacation. We are Colorado bound. I will describe my trip in future posts. Getting ready for these trips isn’t a lot of fun, but the anticipation makes up for it. There is packing, making lists, ensuring flights, rental car, airport parking, and accommodations are secure. We also must budget out money for meals, gas and whatever else may come our way. We have tentatively planned out locations to visit and routes to get there, but for now, only one spot is solidified (other than where we are staying). One location we are excited to see is outside Marble, CO . Accessible along a narrow dirt path at a location called Crystal Mill . As an amateur photographer, this location (and Colorado mountains) is my Valhalla. Crystal Mill is about 9.1 miles round trip, and you will gain over 1,000 feet of elevation. There are no amenities on the trail, and the route is des...

Old photo Sunday, I had my Orphan Call with my sister and two cousins. One topic that came up was the differences between generations for values, ideology and even thought process. During the conversation, my cousin said that the four of us are in “the last great generation left”. Do not confuse this with him saying we are the greatest generation, but the last great one. I agree with him. Generation X are people born from 1965 to 1981. My sister and two cousins were all born during that time. So, what makes us the last great generation? We played outside until the streetlight came on. Instead of receiving participation trophies, we had to drink from water hoses belonging to other people. We either placed in the top three or didn’t receive anything. We spoke our mind but had potential consequences for it. Never worried about being politically correct or offending others. We got offended but didn’t share that with the world. Conflicts (especially boys) might lead to a fistfight. Then it ...