HUGHES
AND JUDY LOOK BACK
Highlights and Lowlights of
2009
The past year will be remembered for the best friend
we lost and the new member of our family; for the places we explored;
for races won and races not run; for old friends we visited; and for
overcoming the expected and unanticipated changes in our growing older.
TRAVEL
Retirement,
for the past 19 years, has given us time for travel. We have relished
each opportunity that has come our way. We spent four weeks this winter
learning about parts of Arizona that were
new to us. We were surprised how much we liked Wickenburg and the dry
desert that sprawls quietly and sparsely populated westward to the
California border with its ghosts of mining towns past, like Swansea
and Vulture. Arizona sunsets are magnificent.
Judy’s family held a mid-year reunion in the
Washington, DC area. We renewed our friendships with family from
both coasts, some we hadn’t seen in over 40 years, some never before.
On the way to the gathering, we stopped for several days in the Toledo
area and visited with former neighbors and colleagues we’d not seen in
many years. We made our way to the Boston area for a visit with Debra’s
family in suburban Milton. Grandson Griffin made the return trip with
us and stayed long enough to help Hughes put a new roof on the garage,
as well as learn to drive a stick shift and hike in the nearby high
country.
Our four-week trip to Utah in the early fall
did not go as intended. A week into the trip, Sophie died suddenly. We
spent several days dealing with the tragedy and, in the end, decided to
continue the trip believing that home would feel even emptier without
her. We spent our planned week at Best
Friends Animal Sanctuary in Kanab, and the rest of the time camping
in Utah’s beautiful high desert landscapes. Judy competed in two of the
three races she’d planned in advance.
A shorter trip took us camping in Pagosa Springs for
three days of great music at the Four
Corners Folk Festival over Labor Day weekend. Our Puerto Vallarta
“vacation” this year included an overnight tour of distilleries in the
town of Tequila.
MEET LUCY
It’s said that when a door closes look for
another to open. Sophie’s death came out of left field, such that not
one of the three of us (Bella included) knew what had hit us. For days
we seemed removed from the realities around us, lost in a state of
denial, anger, grief, what-ifs, and what-nows. Bella had lost her
lifetime companion; Sophie and Bella were unrelated and had been best
friends for over nine years—all of Bella’s life. She clearly grieved as
much as we did. With the help of good people at Best Friends with whom
we spoke, Sophie’s body was cremated by a caring woman who provided
solace as well as Sophie’s ashes that we brought home to her familiar
woods and a spot next to Gordie’s grave. (Michael and Cindy have
memorials for their former dogs in the same area).
The question of when to seek a new family member was
settled after Judy talked with a friend who pointed out that Bella
needed a companion at least as much as we wanted a second dog. Several
internet searches and visits to shelters in the region led us, quite
unexpectedly, to find Lucy, a lively and loving young dog (age 3–4?)
who had been given up by a family that had, at least for much of her
life, treated her well and taught her to like other people and other
dogs. (Judy and Lucy will begin a formal obedience class just after
Christmas to smooth out some of her “rough edges.”) She has most all of
Sophie’s best qualities and will, within a short time, become a
friendly and effective therapy dog for patients at Boulder Community
Hospital where Sophie was beloved. (We were reminded of Sophie’s wide
circle of friends at BCH by the outpouring of condolences and fond
memories from patients and staff.) Best of all, Lucy and Bella already
act like good friends and she has firmly found a place in Judy’s heart
to fill part of the hole left by Sophie’s passing.
THE
RUNNING SEASON THAT WASN’T
Judy’s first injury came in Quartzite
on our Arizona trip when she injured her knee in a bike fall. Nothing
was broken we were glad to learn, but the swelling and pain did not
permit her to run comfortably for about six weeks. (She said she did
feel well enough to run the challenging Sedona
5K on our way home; though she won
her age group in a respectable time, she probably should have skipped
it.) Can you pick her out in the photo coming to the finish line?
Shortly after we returned home, she began training with the
Boulder Striders for the Memorial Day Bolder-Boulder 10K. However, her
hopes of a 16th medal dimmed as she developed pain in her pelvis:
x-rays and an MRI confirmed a stress fracture. Bummer! (Shopping for a
new refrigerator and HDTV provided some distraction.) She didn’t run
again until early summer, and then not at the level of training she had
planned. She set her sights on competing in the Neder-Nederland
5K, our
local running event that she has always supported, even directed for
three years. She ran it well and won her age group. On our trip to
Utah, she ran in local races in Green River (fourth woman, first
masters) and in Santa
Clara (first 55+).
Hughes gave up running several years ago when his
knees told him he had run one race too many. That situation has caused
him little anguish because never felt the rush and the high that
runners with Judy’s spirit experience. As some of you know—and many
people can’t understand—running is something Judy has to do; she has
little choice, and when she can’t run because of injury, something
valuable has been taken away from her and it hurts in many ways. (Three
years ago, she ran and won a high altitude race with severe heel pain
and just a few days after being diagnosed with cancer!) This year,
being able to return after two significant injuries has lifted her
emotional level back to where she feels good about herself and other
parts of her life.
ODDS
AND ENDS OF MOUNTAIN LIVING
Volunteering. We’ve never believed that
retirement meant to stop working, only giving up a job. Especially in a
small town, retirement involves volunteering: Judy (with Sophie and,
soon, Lucy) at Boulder Community Hospital, Hughes at the Visitors
Center in Nederland. We also seem to find other opportunities from time
to time: When
they needed people to cook turkeys for the community Thanksgiving
dinner, Judy raised her hand. Need a speaker on Nederland history at
the high school? Hughes said “Sure.” He also demonstrated the fine art
of water witching for kids at the local outdoor education school.
Together we periodically volunteered at the local movie theater
(selling snacks and cleaning up afterwards). We even volunteered as
one-shot llama wranglers for a trail restoration project in the nearby
Indian Peaks Wilderness Area.
Visitors. In addition to Griffin’s
two-week working/recreational/educational visit, Tom and Loretta
Williamson from LA spent a night catching us up on their world travels
(yes, they’re retired also); Hedy Bressler from Florida spent a night
in the mountains with us; Ken Andrews came from Georgia for dinner but
didn’t sleep over. (We met Ken and Hedy when the four of us were in
college together and have stayed in touch for nearly fifty years, a
connection we continue to value.)
Entertainment. We have found that even in our
pursuit of privacy and lack of a “neighborhood,” we enjoy the company
of people around us. After eighteen years we’ve met a lot of folks we
like and find stimulating. Judy gave up her book club a few years ago,
but Hughes’s Mystery Book Club continues to hold his interest after ten
years. McGinty’s Wake, who produced their first CD this year, still
gets invited to local and out of town gigs: contra dances and well as
entertainment performances. Summer and holiday picnics and parties are
excuses to keep in touch with those who live “close by” (i.e., within a
few miles) but whose houses we can’t see. Thanksgiving includes a free
community dinner at the fire station for any and all who wish to
attend; this is held the Sunday before Thanksgiving Day, when we
gathered with our close-by family—cousins Carol and Ken along with
Michael and Cindy (with their dog, Gidget, and Lucy and Bella). This
year we were introduced to “Trick or Drink,” a local adult Halloween
tradition here in the mountains that takes the place of never having
children knock on our door for treats.
Two new avenues of delight have opened up this
past year: duplicate bridge
and house concerts.
On the bridge front, we not only have found a
handful of folks who enjoy playing bridge as much (and as often) as we
do, but we managed to gather together eight players at the same time
for the inauguration of a Nederland duplicate bridge group. (We need to
come up with an official name.) We’ve
bought the boards, had two evenings without fussing or arguments, and
will try to set a regular schedule that works around the frequent
travel plans that many of us have.
Also, we “discovered” that a couple living in the
area have been hosting performances by traveling musicians for the past
ten years! We’ve known about their house concerts, but hadn’t taken
advantage of the opportunities to hear good music in an intimate
setting (preceded by a superb potluck dinner). Now that we’ve gone a
couple of times and really enjoyed the whole experience, we now
consider ourselves “regulars” at these events held two or three times a
month.
A confession on the subject of entertainment: We
really love watching TV in high definition. It hit home last year when
we watched the Super Bowl with friends in Arizona who had just
installed HDTV. Watching the game was more fascinating than the game
itself. The difference between digital and high-def is remarkable; it
reminded us both of moving from black and white TV to color in the
1970s. We thought, “What had we been missing all these years?” We’re
willing to pay a little bit more for the secret pleasure, but as our
friend
Jack Ahern would say, “It’s not a mortal sin; it's only a venial sin.”
END
OF THE YEAR THOUGHTS
We are grateful for all the good that
has come into our lives this past year. Lucy has eased some of the pain
and grief that followed Sophie’s passing. Judy’s semi-annual scans
continue to confirm no signs of cancer. We have been able to live
comfortably within our means during this tough economic period.
We are grateful for the strength of good friends who
in their various ways, directly or distantly, help to sustain us. And
we remain optimistic about whatever tomorrow may lay at our doorstep.
We wish for you in the year ahead continued good
health, the capacity to hope, and an ever-widening circle of friends to
provide the lift and support when you need it most.
Best Wishes
to you
and your family
for the New Year,
Hughes,
Judy,
Bella, and Lucy
