HAPPY FATHER'S DAY, DAN KRAM

Today was a beautiful, bitter sweet day. Steve and I took Dan on a bike ride that we attempted last year.  We were unable to complete it last year because we got lost.  This year, we got lost, but not as bad and we were able to finish it!  It ended up being a 46 mile loop.  

We started down by Confluence Park.  I think Dan would have loved the architecture of downtown. They have changed and built so much since he last visited Denver.  I got to see it with different eyes today and I must say I enjoyed the views of downtown immensely!  

The river is so high that part of the trail is closed and we had to detour around to get on the South Platte trail.  We took that for a few miles before getting on the Sand Creek Trail, which really was lovely!  It alternates between paved and sandy, but all in all it is beautiful and we get to see a part of Colorado we don't normally see.  

From the Sand Creek Trail, we hopped on the High Line Canal Trail.  This was our crux move!  We took Sand Creek to the end . . .  Colfax, which we took up to a Conoco Station.  From there, we kept going west, and boom, we found the High Line Canal, west of Airport Road and east of Chambers. We hopped on it happily and biked for about 13 miles to the Cherry Creek Trail.  We took Cherry Creek Trail 10 miles back to Confluence Park and the car.  

My heart aches today, not only for me, but for Steve, Debbie, Barbara and Diana.  It aches for Joan. Dan was the father we all wanted, but he was her love, her passion, her devotion. It aches for Debbie, Barbara and Diana because this year, both of their fathers passed on.  It aches for Steve because he is lost this first Father's Day.  I am grateful to love enough to ache.  I am grateful for Dan.   

A Yoga Retreat At Seven Hearts

Today was a special day.  I took Dan on a drive to South Park, CO, but not the one in cartoon.  I can honestly say that while Dan was extremely well read, informed, and cultured, he failed to see the modern cultural significance, and brilliance, of South Park.  Ah well, next lifetime! 

We went on a retreat with my teachers, Cynthia and Lorraine. What a BEAUTIFUL drive!  We went south on 285, over Kenosha Pass, which I think has the most beautiful view from a road in Colorado.  I could hear Dan say, "Will you look at that?  This is TERRIFIC!" And it is!  The Collegiate Range of the Rockies is laid out before you, with a huge valley leading up to the base of the mountains.  We dropped into the valley and turned left at Jefferson towards Tarryall Reservoir.  Wow, what a beautiful drive.  We wound our way through to Seven Hearts Retreat Center.  

The class was very interesting.  It was day 1 of a three day retreat.  I learned a lot of information about the human cells -- stem cells before exposed to a growth environment.  I did not know that DNA was not responsible for cellular life; it is just a blue print.  It's proteins that are responsible for cellular life, and proteins are created by a reaction of environmental factors.  Will this stem cell be a bone, a pancreas, skin?  It is all about the cellular receptors and effectors and what proteins are created.  Interesting.  Now equate human health to our environment, and our receptors and effectors? What are our perceptions and how do they effect our health?  What are we receptive to and effected by?  Fascinating lecture.  I loved it.  I believe Dan would have preferred to sit outdoors in the shade. 

After the class, we had some fabulous food and drove home.  It was a special day for me because I learned so much about things I didn't know about.  And, in my heart, I was sharing it with someone who loved to learn new things and see new things.  

Bike Ride Along High Line Canal Trail to Cherry Creek Trail

Steve, Dan and I went for a bike ride.  We drove to Mamie Dowd Eisenhower Rec Center, parked, and rode on the High Line Canal Trail to the Cherry Creek Trail.  Truly a lovely ride.  A beautiful and warm day.  We rode for a total of 27.5 miles in 2 hours 20 minutes (approximately).

It was nice to go for this ride because it was completely spontaneous.  I think too much, I plan too much.

Whenever Steve and I would do a bike ride, we would call Dan and tell him about it.  Sometimes, we would send pictures.  So we know Dan would have liked the High Line Canal.  It goes through mostly residential areas, golf courses and parks. From the Canal we got on the Cherry Creek Trail going south, towards a dam.  It was not until this ride that I noticed that the Cherry Creek flows north.  And, neither Steve nor I knew the source, so when we got back, I looked it up.  It starts between Castle Rock and Denver, and flows north through Castlewood Canyon.  It flows 48 miles to the South Platte.

After a short stint going south, we turned around and rode north along the Cherry Creek Trail.  Steve realized he wanted to go south, so we turned around and rode to Cherry Street, with a brief stop at the Cook Rec Center.  We turned around, but not before getting a couple of pictures:

Today, Dan and I went for a bike ride down the Mary Carter Greenway, along the South Platte River. What a BEAUTIFUL DAY!  I could hear Dan say, "Gee, will you look at that?"  when I would see a duck surfing the waves in the middle of the river.  Or, "Gee, look at those flowers over there." when we would pass a field of achillea, daisies, flax, and other flowers I cannot name.  Truly, a lovely day.

We left the house around 9:30 in the morning, and rode down to the Bear Creek Trail, or BCT.  The Creek was flowing like MAD.  I have never seen it so full and fast.  Scary and awe inspiring all at the same time.  From the BCT we hopped on the Mary Carter Greenway Trail, which is really a beautiful trail.  It follows the South Platte River and I must say, the river was running HIGH!  Wow was it awesome.  I could hear Dan say, "Look at that river!"  All in all, we rode 23.5 miles, from my house to Chatfield and back to my house.  I found thinking about Dan while riding to be a new experience because I really looked at the scenery as though he were with me, with his fantastic camera and even better eye!

I found this great picture of Dan . . . he looks like Clark Gable to me, and I had to ask Steve to make sure it really was Dan!  What a handsome guy!  I will get it scanned for a better view on the next post.

My father-in-law, Dan Kram, passed away on June 8, 2015.  He was an amazing man and inspired me to really live my life with thought . . . to take the time to look around me and see "what's what" with deliberate observation.  He loved his family and friends and was loved in return.  He was such a warm and friendly person, in business and in life -- he was beloved by his dry cleaner!  He lived a good life until the very end -- he wanted to be there for his beloved wife Joan.  Eventually, his body just stopped -- it had had enough.

Dan found his soul mate when he was in his 50s . . . Joan Mirin.  Without a doubt in my mind, Joan was the greatest love of his life.  Nothing else before or after meant as much to Dan as Joan. They were married for 32 years.  In that 32 years, I witnessed love, passion, friendship and respect all bundled into one relationship.  I wanted that and learned to have that -- partially by observing Dan and Joan.  Mainly because I married Dan's son Steve, who is so much like his father.

Dan loved to travel and had so many great stories to share.  He loved all things Italian, and he loved to hike in the beautiful places of the world.  When he started dialysis seven years earlier, his travelling days were limited to short jaunts.  Over time, they stopped completely.  He and Joan missed the mountains and trees, the wild flowers and wild life. . . but they never stopped watching travel shows and enjoying hearing about their family and friend's adventures.

That's when I started emailing pictures of my adventures to Dan and Joan . . . when they could no longer go where I was going.  I knew in my heart that I was going where I was going because I had been inspired by Dan and Joan's adventures, Dan's pictures, Joan's books and maps.

Dan had such a zest for living that he inspired it in others.  I want to make sure I honor all that he brought to my life by spending the next year sharing my adventures with him through my thoughts and memories.  As I take Dan with me on my adventures, I will find out for myself just how incredibly inspiring this man was in my life.

I miss him.