So, we decided to make the trip this past week, in spite of the summer heat. I drove to Utah on Monday, spent the night with Bob and Maryanne, and we drove to Colorado on Tuesday. Originally our plan was for just us two girls to go, but soon Bob joined us and then their grandson, Reese. For the muscle power. Layne stayed home. So the four of us, Bob, Reese, Maryanne and I headed for the Ranch and arrived in good time on Tuesday.
It was a bit melancholy to walk through Mother's house and see nothing of her left inside. Except for a few pieces of furniture. We organized the needed beds and bought a little food and settled in. The house looks so empty! I felt like Mom was truly gone, yet a sweet spirit lingers in the house. The recent renters felt it and loved the place. I can see why they might. Even though the house is old and in bad need of various repairs, it feels good. Here is a last snapshot of the entrance.
The Ranch is located on a beautiful piece of land in Cedaredge, Colorado. The land has water running through it all the time, which keeps the pasture green and ensures that it will be there, to provide life to those who live there. It is a special blessing right now, as the whole area is experiencing one of the worst droughts in memory. Some wells have dried up and most of the local lawns are brown. But the Ranch has water!
After over a hundred years of family in Cedaredge, there is no one left. It is with sadness that we will tell this lovely place goodbye. But it must be as no one is left in the family that is able to live here. Here are several scenes from the 20 acres that make up the Kiser Ranch.
The old pig pen. It hasn't been used since my Grandfather was on the Ranch.
Grandpa Kiser occasionally kept a bull in this area. It now has become a pond. The green you see is moss.
This is a view of the Ranch from the pasture. The house is behind the trees on the left.
Our goal for this trip was to select just one of the spaces that hold Kiser stuff on the Ranch. This time we sorted the room behind the garage. Here is a picture of it so you can see the challenge that stood before us. Do you think it is possible to sort through all of this in just three days? We gave it a go. Actually, this picture was taken just before we left for home and after we sorted out about half of the stuff. In spite of all you see here, I feel like we accomplished quite a lot, in spite of interruptions by various visitors.
One of our good buddies, who visited with us for awhile, is Elaine Conlon. Here you see her squeezed in with Maryanne and me in our sorting room. I don't do selfies very well--my arms are too short I suppose. But you can get the idea.
We had several other visitors too. One of them was our Aunt Geraldine--step sister to Daddy. She has not been too fond of our Church membership in the past and so not especially friendly with us. But Maryanne won her heart by using her DNA to establish the identity of her real father. It was a shocker for her, but it warmed her heart to Maryanne and the Church by extension. She visited with us with great warmth and affection, and shared some family stories with us that we hadn't heard before. We had a lovely time with her. She came with her daughter, Donna, and Donna's son Matthew...who happens to be LDS! So she is surrounded by gospel influences in spite of herself!
Here is Donna, Matthew and Aunt Geraldine.
It is funny how the human condition works. I went with Maryanne with no desires for anything we would find, except for copies of stories that my Grandmother Tracy has written. But when I saw stuff, desires emerged. The same was true for Maryanne. We don't need another thing, but, suddenly, we do! It is difficult to have to go through so many things--some garbage, but some that are lovely and valuable to the memory and even, potentially, to the pocket book. We divided, shedded and accumulated boxes of things to bring home. I managed to fill the car with treasures in spite of my determination not to do it.
Friday morning was our scheduled departure time. Bob and Maryanne rented a truck, which stood in the driveway, now filled with furniture and various other treasures. Bob and Reese drove the truck away about 9 AM. Maryanne and I stayed behind for a couple of hours, getting the last of things organized. We shut down and locked up everything, took a last look around and settled into the car, ready to go. I turned the ignition with the usual expectation of hearing the smooth purr of the motor. But there was nothing. It was absolutely dead. There we sat in the driveway, completely stuck!
We planned to meet up with our good friends, Steve and Sharon Palmer, on our way out and enjoy a brief visit with them. Now it was Steve that I called for rescue. He came and did his best to charge up our totally dead battery. No good. So we took out the battery and took it to the local mechanic to buy a new one. We did and Steve installed it. The engine came to life! But the lights, radio, and windows inside were dead. Hum. Steve couldn't figure it out. We decided to ponder it over lunch. After a delicious lunch and visit, we headed back to the mechanic, and, together, we discovered that the "ground" was disconnected. After screwing it in, everything inside the car lit up! What a happy thing! I paid for the battery, thanked the mechanic, hugged and thanked Steve and Sharon and we were off--at about 2 PM. We finally arrived at Bob and Maryanne's at 7 PM. Wow, what an adventure. But, happily, we girls managed to resolve the problem, with the help of some very good friends. Thank heaven for good people! Here are Steve and Sharon, just before we left for Utah.
Maryanne and I were both exhausted by the time we got to Draper. We hadn't been home very long when I got a phone call from Audrey. "We are in Provo visiting Chase and Morgan. How about meeting us in the morning and shopping?" Whoa. That was unexpected. I was planning on leaving early Saturday morning for home. But how could I miss seeing Audrey and Cliff, Chase and Morgan? I decided to decide in the morning. I determined to awaken early Saturday morning not just to drive home, but to attempt to see the "red moon" that was supposed to be on display early that morning, due to it falling in the shadow of the earth in just the right way as to cause the redness.
So I awoke at 5 AM and went in search of the moon. It was a full moon and easy to find in the darkness. But, sadly, it wasn't red. Perhaps in another part of the world there was a red moon, but not in Draper, Utah. Still, it was lovely.
Getting up that early gave me plenty of time to get organized for the drive home. I was good to go by 6 AM. I texted Audrey to see if she was up. No answer, so I went shopping for some travel snacks and headed to Provo. By the time I got to Chase and Morgan's home, Audrey responded and assured me that they were up. So, between 7 and 8 AM I had a sweet visit with all but Hunter, who stayed asleep. Here are Chase and Cliff, on their way to go shooting. Cliff looks so much better now that he is making a good recovery from his recent health issues. Look how skinny he is! He's the little guy on the left!
The drive home was very pleasant, as it always is. The car behaved itself and the road was pleasant with just enough cars not to feel alone but not so many as to crowd up the road. The skies were smoky however. The West burns every summer it seems and this one reflects the new normal. I was home by 2 PM and so happy to be. Layne was glad to see me and patiently sat while I showed him all of my treasures. He showed me my little sports car, complete with a new fender and paint job; red and shiny and perfect! How could life be any better?!
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