roundtrip

We drove into Crested Butte at about ten last night. Too tired to pay attention to much besides the white and yellow lines until we got out of the car and took a look at the sky. Infinity seems tangible when looking into the clear nights out here. The Milkyway is painted across the sky and accentuated by the darkness of space and light from glowing stars. Still, too tired to do much more than drop my jaw and stumble into the house and soon after, bed.

New England forests and coast, homes and stonewalls seem to be in my soul. Time spent with my family and friends in the place that shaped me through my early years always soothes an itch that lay deep within. The bugs, humidity, rain, and attitude are all part of it. Breathing deep breathes of wet, rich-air tastes like a glass of cool water to a parched mouth. I have been missing New England more and more and was grateful for some time to commune. Katie stayed in CB for the first week, so I had time to ride my bike around and daydream, trace the steps I plodded through childhood, and visit old friends. I got the chance to race through Haley Farm and Bluff Point as well. The requisite slashes of blood on my biceps from arching a turn through the densest of New England briar patches. Spider webs wrapped across my face and torso as I navigated the maze of trails criss-crossing the forests. Gross, yet comforting. Dark brown earth and verdant canopies bluring into a living screen of vision.

Friendships are so sweet. Matt and CC Curtiss just moved back to Mystic. Tim and Jen DeBell are established there. Fudge is still holding down GLP. Jimmy Hewitt, Maury Polk and their lovely daughter Josephine came back to visit and attend Alli and Ben's wedding. Being surrounded by friends and family sweetens the visit so much. Taking the time to sit and eat, laugh, share thoughts, and enjoy each others company, to carry these relationships forward, fills me. Sharing Ben and Alli's wedding in Western MA was amazing. Set on a farm on the side of a rolling valley, careful details attended to and more friends piled into the mix; Nathan and Jipala, Brooks Townsend, Shelly Lawrence, Andy and Danielle Helbig, and more. Ben and Alli, two of the best spirited people I know, looked so beautiful and happy. This is just gushing, I know, but being a part of all this sharing, loving, friendship stuff is what makes me tick.

Family: Katie and I are about to start our own. We will share our wedding ceremony with a heep of friends and family members from AK to New England. Speaking for both of us, we are really pretty giddy with excitement about the gathering/celebration. New families are being added and intertwined in my life. Andrew and MK Curtiss are expecting their first in late July and have had a lot of complications along the way. Right now MK is on mandated bed rest, but mom and baby are doing ok. I'm thinking good thoughts for them all. Nathan and Jipala are three months into their first pregnancy - the idea of these two having a baby makes me so happy. Jimmy and Maury asked me to be Josie's Godfather! I am blown away and honored. This is a profound shift in the lives of my friends, Katie and me. I am grateful to be a part of all this.

After two weeks on the road I am glad to be back in Crested Butte. Christian called me last night while I was sitting on the plane in Denver waiting to fly to Gunnison. He was inviting me on a ride to Doctor's Park - the infamous trail where I broke my collar bone and ended up with 15 stitches above my eye. I was all for going on the ride, but like life, there are always twists. None of the four bags Katie and I checked in at T.F. Green in Providence made it to Gunnison. No bags, no bike, no worries. Katie and I are going to plant some flowers for the wedding. It's a beautiful day and time to engage it.