Denver

We’re back in Denver after a trip of a lifetime. As Erin mentioned, we spent a few days touring Avon and the surrounding towns. After a night of movies and star gazing, we packed our bags and headed east to a nice house in Frisco (thanks Bob!). Our days were planned around naps and wheelchair walks, of which we did plenty. Craig particularly enjoyed our walk around the far end of Dillon Lake. It’s hard to remember a more beautiful site. It was as if the mountains and cloudy sky had formed just for us. Craig lasted a quarter mile around the lake before becoming too cold. Still, it was enough. Later that night, we debated the virtues of hunting; owning expensive cars; the merits of gender testing in the Olympics; and the innate tendency for humans to judge. A trapped Craig sat nearby, listening to the various arguments. It was reminiscent of our frequent dinner debates with the family, especially C and Dad, where we’d square off on the inexactness of law, the dominance of male perspectives in philosophy, and the sketchy purpose of pornography. The next day we awoke to our last morning in Frisco. Emily went back the night before in order to start work, leaving the five of us to enjoy some family time together. Craig said he wanted to see the lake one more time, so around noon, we rolled Craig and Oxy the Oxygen down to the marina. We left the pier after an hour and headed towards Main Street to show Craig a bit of Frisco’s downtown life. One hour later, we were on the road heading for Denver.

Our entire stay was a trip of a lifetime. We created memories that will sustain us for years to come. C had to dig deep to make the trip happen, and has been recuperating ever since. Still, it was worth it. Craig’s indicated that he’d like to visit Boulder soon. We’re taking today easy for him to recover before we make the trip either later today or tomorrow. Hospice mentioned that the more he does, the tired he’ll get, as his energy reserves are low. His heart is also beating at a faster rate than normal, which is the equivalent of walking on a treadmill all day. We’re trying to reduce the load of his normal activities, so that he doesn’t tire out from mundane tasks (e.g. dressing, walking to the bathroom, etc.). We also ordered a hospital bed (looks exactly like Mom’s old bed) in order to improve his sleeping position. So far, it seems to be working.

Craig’s best friend and surrogate brother, Steve, flew in Friday to spend the weekend with him. Steve has a way of brightening Craig’s spirits, and at the very least, making him smile. I’ve enjoyed hearing Craig’s voice in the next room as he chit chats with Steve. They’ve been friends since childhood, which is rare these days. It’s good for Steve to be here. If all goes well, we’ll head to Boulder sometime this weekend to make some more memories. It’s funny the tendency to wait for life to begin, like staring at a sunset and watching for it to seem beautiful when it already was. We’re not waiting for sunsets. Being with Craig has been beauty enough. -- J