Friday was a pretty sad day for me so I decided to drown my sorrows in a good hike on Saturday. Saturday I woke up early like usual. I started the day off by watching a Western called Lone Rider with Lou Diamond Phillips while eating a bowl of plain cheerios with fresh blueberries and strawberries. I then did an hour workout called Zumba Cardio Party. My neighbor and I went to brunch at a fairly new restaurant named Diane's. I came home and got the dog. We decided that we had better take our annual hike through Ute Valley Park before the rattle snakes come out of hibernation. We weren't sure if the grizzly bears were out of hibernation yet or not because it is starting to get warm. We went up trails and down trails, back and forth through ravine's, and climbed up and down rocks. Almost two hours later we took the above picture looking from Ute Valley Park towards Pikes Peak. By the time we walked out of Ute Valley I was absolutely exhausted so we decided to top our hike off with another 3/4 mile around Pinon Valley Park. We finally called it a solid three hour workout including Zumba and went home. That is certainly a good way to drown out any sorrows. I'm trying to prepare to do a 14er (hike up to 14,000 feet high). I'm going to start with an easy one this summer. We will see how it goes. The dog is now 13 years old but thinks he is a young pup when we go hiking. I think that I will end the day by watching Comanche Moon.
I met Vivian three years ago when my work transferred me to Colorado Springs. I had never been here before then. One of my boys was living in Hawaii and the other one was in College, so I left my family and friends behind and moved out here alone. At church, the sweetest lady introduced herself to me. Her name was Vivian Olsen. She asked me to come and live with her for a few months while I looked for a house. I moved in and payed her rent. She introduced me to Colorado Springs, she showed me around this beautiful city, introduced me to many of her friends, and made me feel at home when I was in a new place all alone. Our journey's through life crossed and she has been a friend ever since that day we met at church. Today, she passed away. She was a vibrant, active, and independent 85 year old woman that mostly lived alone unless she was taking in strangers like me. Unfortunately, the last couple of months of her life were difficult and the last couple of weeks found her suffering. Fortunately, the last couple of days of her life were peaceful, spent with family and close friends. She loved being outdoors. They transferred her from Memorial to another hospital. Vivian's daughter asked the ambulance driver if he could let her see the sunshine before putting her in the ambulance. There wasn't much sunshine in the parking area of the hospital, so he drove out of the parking area and took her back out of the ambulance to let her enjoy the sunshine one last time. At the new hospital, there were picturesque windows in her room where she could look out and see Pikes Peak. She commented during her last day of life that she felt like she was in Hawaii with that beautiful view. What a sweet, sweet lady. I thought that it would be fitting to hike through Red Rocks Canyon as a tribute to Ms. Vivian where I could gaze upon Pikes Peak and Garden of the Gods to relive fond memories of this beautiful, kind lady. I took some pictures of my hike and posted them on this blog. I was a stranger and she took me in. I was hungry and she fed me. I was alone and she loved me, and she made me feel welcome. Vivian, may you rest in peace. We love you. We will never forget you or the legacy you left behind.
