Little but good cheer to report on this fine morning.  The porch is white from a dusting of snow.  It is cold and breezy.  I made a "Sunday breakfast" of scrambled eggs, toast, and scrapple.  The kids enjoy the last item, a Pennsylvania specialty.  Alex reported calling out "scrapple" at a demonstration in Facebook where a program was analyzing activity on their server.  The map on the screen showed where the word was being used and lit up this commonwealth  very nicely.  Ah, yes, Pennsylvania, scrapple and pretzels.

There are many phases in life, even separate lives in every lifetime.  Mom has been in the final phase of life for a few years, but that has scarcely been a constant thing.  She and Dad at about 90 years of age each had diagnosed cancers and the constant nagging of disabilities and pain.  Still, they had each other and the joys of children and grandchildren engaged in active lives. 

The First Amendment does not permit laws that force speakers to retain a campaign finance attorney, conduct demographic marketing research, or seek declaratory rulings before discussing the most salient political issues of our day.

— U.S. Supreme Court,?Citizens United (2010)

We have indeed settled in.  So much so that Anne has already plotted a trip to Brooklyn in a couple of weeks.  Autumn has arrived and the forest is lovely.  We do chores, make weekly trips to York to visit my mother, go to church, and join neighbors and friends in social activities.  Great fun.

Anne and I walked out of the great Eastern forest and completed our hike of all of the Appalachian Trail on Sunday, September 22nd near the town of Groseclose, VA.  It was raining lightly but we were very happy if slightly trail worn after a 15 day and 150 mile walk across eastern Tennessee and western Virginia. 

Whew!  I have made no recent posts despite enjoying a fabulous tour of the Black Hills, Badlands, Yellowstone, and Teton Mountains area.  Mostly that was because many of our stops were in remote areas without such amenities as cell phone, Internet, or even electric service.  Internet service, where we had it was sketchy.  At Yellowstone we could read e-mails but not send them.  At the Tetons the server cut us off after 30 minutes and would allow access again only after 12 hours.  Then we were hiking or sleeping.  So, I didn’t prepare much.  Now,

The wedding was a great success.  Our daughter gladly walked barefoot from the barn to the ceremony.  A few pebbles between the steps and the lush grass stung her feet, but she grinned (or grimaced) as we strode forth.  Just one of many images from the grand event.  Much work and treasure were cast to provide the desired program.  I smiled looking at the interior of the barn after the tables were set and thought perhaps it was worth it.  Certainly the setting was lovely.  So too was the outdoor “chapel” assembled from lashed branches and cut ye

Colorado is a well regarded state and certainly a popular one attracting many newcomers.  It’s charms include some vibrant cities and fabulous recreational activities in the dramatic Rocky Mountains that cross its north-south central region.  Often we forget that Colorado has three regions, High Plains, Rocky Mountains, and Plateau.  We also forget that although precipitation in parts of the mountains are significant, and provide a rich supply of of water, Colorado is largely a desert state.  The high plains are and were historically considered desert.  Today

Arrived here at 8,050 feet elevation this afternoon to find greening willows and snow banks.  The forecast is good and the Front Range is fabulous and completely snow covered across the eastern skyline. 

It is late-afternoon and we sit in the RV after laundering.  It is 41 degrees and remarkably raining lightly on this sagebrush desert at 7,700 feet.  We returned from a morning of touring to grocery shop in Gunnison and do chores here before moving to Montrose tomorrow.