As most of you know my Mom passed away last Saturday evening, twenty days short of her 90th birthday. For her it was a release from tremendous pain. I know that this evening she's either playing pinocle, dancing to Glenn Miller, or flyfishing, and not alone-- she's back with her husband of 54 years, my Dad, and both are pain free, eternally young, and full of joy again.

I wish to thank all of you for your prayers for safe travel. They were heard. Due to circumstances beyond my control we had to drive straight through from Longmont, CO to Rogers, AR, 872 miles essentially non-stop. We could have tried it in our Piper Super Cub but that would have increased the possibility of bringing about three more funerals with the weather en route, so we chose to drive.

We left at noon Monday and arrived a little after 0400 Tuesday, so we got about three hours of sleep before the funeral at 1100 a.m. local.

The service was a wonderful celebration of her life.

Everyone urged us to leave Tuesday evening to avoid the approaching snowstorm, but we were far too tired to attempt it. Besides, Coloradoans can handle a little snowstorm, right?

We awoke Wednesday morning to find we'd brought Colorado with us, and not the wimpy stuff of the high plains, either-- it looked like Vail out the window. Champagne powder snow was halfway up the doors of our van, and a semi rig was stuck in the hotel parking lot. 22" was an all-time record for Rogers. People there aren't the world's champions with snowplows, and watching them attempt to drive on packed powder was amusing and simultaneously terrifying.; we settled down to wait it out for a day in our hotel room.

Got going Thursday morning in sunlight and bitter cold, driving on icy and snowpacked roads, right to the Arkansas/Missouri border.

Folks, I've driven a Zamboni ice rink machine. I never had as clean a line between ice and dry pavement as that border. We had dry conditions and light traffic all the way home from there on.

So, as I said before, thanks for your prayers for good travel. They worked.

Shalom,

John



Author: Mayan Solstice: A Novel of 2012 (http://www.createspace.com/3420054)

If you would know a man, observe how he treats a cat.-
from "The Door into Summer" (1957), chapter 1 (Robert Anson Heinlein)

Love is the condition in which the happiness of another person is essential to your own. (again, RAH)