Outing At Land's End

More August Adventures

The view from our great room windows looks out onto the Grand Mesa north of us.  It's about a forty-five minute drive from here, through vast fields of corn and through the tiny town of Delta (where I need to go take you on a walking tour with my camera because Delta is known as the mural town -- and it's the sweetest little spot just about anywhere...).  Anyway, the Grand Mesa fills the northern landscape of this valley; it's  the largest mesa in the world and  is covered with lakes and deer-filled forests of pine and aspen.  It's a sportsman's paradise and a hiker's dream. 

Michelle and I spent most of our day together last Wednesday shopping.  (Well, of course!)  She's taking her sophomore year, boarding at Catholic school in Omaha -- where her three older brothers have also gone -- and a girl can't go off to school for a year and without starting off with some serious shopping.  But we had to get a little hike in, too.  So, after a little coffee at Mocha Joe's, we made our way north to Grand Mesa, getting only a little side-tracked by a thrift store and antique mall in Cedaredge (a cute little town half way up the mesa)...  Before we got going the rest of the way up the hill to the top of Grand Mesa.  And then we wound our way over to the northwestern side of the flat top mountain to an area known as Land's End. 

Here's what it looks like at Land's End: 

Here's sweet Shelly, hiking and shopping buddy par excellence.

And here I am.

We ended the day with more shopping in "town" (Grand Junction), dinner at Red Robin, and a movie over by the mall.  (We saw The Sorceror's Apprentice again because Shell hadn't seen it.)  It was a perfect day.  I'm going to miss my big little girl. 

These outings with my big kids always bring home to me the amazing and wonderful fact of their individual personhood.  You know what I mean?  As a homeschool mother, I know pretty much what all the influences have been in my children's lives up until they sidle (or burst!) out into the world when we send them forward into their high school education with the priests and Sisters.  No questioning the fact that most of the influences of their lives have been mine -- and resources of my choosing.  But their agile young brains and their God given talents and personalities combine in different ways, such that each of the children turns out to be completely unique and sometimes delightfully surprising.  The facts they combine for novel thoughts and goofy jokes, a different shade in an outlook,  a novel form of expression, a twinkle in an eye, a bow of the head...  They are all so different.  It's one of the greatest pleasures of my life being re-introduced to my children as they grow bit by bit into adulthood.  What a trip.