On the Road Again.....

I have just spent the last five days in Colorado. I realized from my schedule that there was little likelihood of much time to explore art galleries and museums. I will be back here in May for the SAQA Visioning Conference so I knew I would have another chance. I did pick up a guide to Denver which lists many intriguing neighborhoods, art galleries and museums to see. I was able to get over to the Denver Art Museum for a quick look. I had a description of the museum that mentioned it was filled with paintings by Monet, Picasso, and Matisse, but I never found them. I will just have to go back and search some more! The floor plan of the museum that you get with your ticket is not very elaborate. I did find a number of exhibits that intrigued me and I will be sharing them in the next week or so. Also, some tips on downtown Denver that might be of interest for May.

While I was in Denver, I flew over to Aspen for about five hours. I still can't quite believe that I did that but I have worked for about twenty-five years with a really great couple who live there. They couldn't come to me, so we decided I should come to them if weather allowed. and Friday dawned sunny and clear. My flight was almost on time. As our plane approached Roaring Fork Valley where Aspen is located, I felt my spirit smile. The view of the mountains is breath-taking. I started making some quick sketches for future quilts as my camera was not handy. On the way back, despite dirty plane windows, I was able to snap a few shots to help me remember the scene.

I have to mention that my book of choice for this trip was another by Alain de Botton. (In a previous post I reported on another of Alain's books, A Week at the Airport) This time I am reading The Art of Travel. It was an excellent choice. In the opening chapters, Alain so correctly observes that the problem that often happens when we are traveling is that we bring along ourselves. Get that? If, for example, we are looking at a brochure of a wonderful vacation spot, we leave out in fantasizing that when we take the trip, we are likely to not leave our cares, worries, relationship troubles, at home. They will accompany us and color our experience. It might not live up to the brochure!

What a great thought to read as I glided into Aspen - a place of great beauty. My challenge to myself was to be self aware of my weak points and leave my 'baggage' behind as I deplaned and to present the best version of myself possible. A few deep breaths helped me to center and as a result, I had a wonderful visit with my friends.