I told you about Sunday, and on Monday we had some nice visiting. In the afternoon, we decided to go for a drive on Grand Mesa. It’s funny that this glorious place is literally in my Dad’s backyard. (He actually lives on the side of the Mesa.) Lloyd had fun driving – he likes the winding roads, and that gave Dad and me some time to enjoy the views.
We drove all the way to the top. It’s funny, but since it’s a tabletop mountain, once you’re all the way up – it just looks like fields and alpine meadows. I don’t have a good photo of that, but we did get one on the way back of Lloyd by the snowpack.
My Dad gave me a pair of binoculars, so of course we needed to pull over so I could use them. Here’s Island Lake, a place that is legendary in my brother’s adventures after a night of having someone stuck on the island in a rainstorm. (I forget the details…..)
(Dad, when we drove by on Thursday, most of this ice was already gone.)
Every time we went somewhere during this trip, we traveled on back roads that I didn’t know. That was super-fun, and Lloyd really liked it. I would highly recommend ditching a regular route once in a while. (Just make sure you have a cell phone along.)
Back at the house, we tried to make ourselves useful when we could. Our outside work was moving a little bit of fence around some trees, and raising some steps that have settled over time. The step to the deck had sunk a couple of inches, but Dad’s neighbor just happened to have a big ol’ pile of gravel.
Lloyd and I, with minimal arguing and name-calling, put down several loads of gravel and got it all leveled and nice. It’s good thing Dad suggested using gravel to do this job. I was going to hack apart one of his deck benches to make a new step. His house does not need me to ‘Lauren’ it up. 🙂
The next step is by a sweet little gardening room – my mom’s own playhouse (with running water!). See, the love of tiny places runs deep in my genes. The step had also sunk, and I thought that some concrete blocks (that Dad already had) would make for a wider/deeper step. Lloyd agreed, and proved that he would have made a fine Egyptian – he got those blocks so close together, they could have been part of a pyramid.
One of our excursions was to drive by a place outside Delta that builds…. wait for it……. tiny houses! I just wanted to drive by, but the owner was actually there and let us go inside! It is killing me that we don’t have any photos of our wandering, but such is life. He had three in production, and it was pretty cool. If you know anyone in the Western Colorado area – or any states near there – that is interested, steer them toward WesternColoradoTinyHouse.com, ok?
Dad, when I was trying to explain an EnviHeater, there was one in the tiny house!
All in all, it was a wonderful trip. The very best part was that last week my Dad had some scans done to see what was going on with his hip/leg, and they also found a small mass on his kidney. I was able to go along on a couple of doctor appointments, and the mass is a benign cyst. THANK YOU, JESUS!!! It was a huge relief to hear that he was not going to have to deal with a new issue. If you would still pray for his leg to continue to heal, I would be very grateful.
Lauren's dad says
Thank you, Lloyd and Lauren, for all the improvements you made! About Phil being left on the island and rain started — Mark and the other two went back to the boat launch to get tent, sleeping bags, etc., and someone not to be named, forgot to open the vent on the fuel tank, and rowed over half a mile in rain. Yes, as a family we “grew up” on Grand Mesa.
Thanks, Lauren, for good summary!
Lauren says
Thank you for helping me remember! 🙂
Mark says
I’ll name “He who shall not be named.”
It was I. Mark.
The worst part of that trip was that the temperature dropped significantly and Phil, who was on the island without rain gear, had to seek shelter at the base of a tree. By the time two of us got back to him with the tent and sleeping bags, he was soaked to the bone. That must have been like Hell Week for Navy SEALs. It demonstrated just how mentally and physically tough he was (and still is).
All I demonstrated was a complete ignorance of how machines work, and being oblivious to the signs that weather is changing.
Lauren's dad says
Lloyd, it looks like the $40.00 Ace Hardware kneeling pad paid for itself!
Kristi says
What a great time with your dad! We will continue to pray for God’s good will to be done.
I noticed the kneeling pad and was admiring it; that might have to be a purchase in the future.
Great family story!