Blue Lake

I have some very vivid memories of hiking to Blue Lake with my father. It about a 7 mile hike through the Rawah Wilderness just off of Hwy 14. I must have been around 11 when we went the first time but I insisted on carrying my own backpack just like Dad's. I remember Dad & I walking around our neighborhood for weeks with textbooks and bricks in our backpacks to get used the heavy burden on our shoulders. We spent two nights camping near the lake just the two of us and had a blast. We had pancakes and hot-chocolate for breakfast and fished for cutthroat trout until we caught enough for diner. Dad took lots of pictures which I hope to find in his slide collection some day.

We did the hike again the summer before we moved back to Iowa when I was 13. During out stay this time we scurried up the scree field to Hang Lake, just above Blue. It was the middle of summer but there were still patches of snow around the far end. We chucked snowballs at each other in shorts and T-shirts until our hands were numb. I brought my own camera along this time but I was mostly into "scenery shots" at that age

Some of my greatest memories are there because Dad took the time to be with each one of us children, one on one. As I mentally prepare to scatter his ashes this June at that very lake, I wonder how I will feel when I see it again. Since leaving for college and starting a family of my own, my relationship with my father has been more of a spiritual connection than the daily companionship of childhood. In that way, my father is still just as much a part of my life as he was before March 10th. Still, the times I miss him most are often the ones I least suspect. My father's death has only stregthened my relationship with my Mom and sisters. No matter how many miles separate us, we will always be living right next door.

Relay for LIFE

Friends and family, its been 10 weeks today since Kent's collapse at the Capitol. My children and I are amazed at how his legacy continues, he will not be forgotten. To update you on our plans--we will be leaving June 4 for Colorado where we will scatter his ashes over his favorite Colorado spot--Blue Lake. Also, Bear Lake in Rocky MT. National Park, the top of Trailridge Road, and the Arkansas River in Buena Vista where Rebecca works as a whitewater raft guide for the summer. Many of you have asked about her company--Wilderness Aware--they have a great website and you can call them at 1-800-IN-A-RAFT. If you are heading out there give them a call and ask for Rebecca as your guide, you will have a rip-roaring time! She hardly ever has swimmers (guests overboard) and her jokes and stories are great--she got some of them from her dad ! WE look forward to the reunion with her in just a few weeks. WE will return on June 10 in time for the Indianola Relay for LIfe event on June 11 dedicated to Kent's memory this year. There will be an opening ceremony at noon on the town square, so I would like to invite any and all of you to join us for a lap around the square in memory of Kent. The relay continues until midnight, so you can join at anytime. The luminaries will be lit at 10 p.m. in memory of those that died this year, and in honor of those who survived cancer for another year. It is a beautiful experience and one that Kent enjoyed every year since his cancer diagnosis. He served on the central committee since coming to Indianola--handling the finances. There is hope for a cure for every kind of cancer and these relays are helping provide funds and awareness of this effort. Hope you can join us at NOON on June 11.

The Storyteller

I have been thinking about Kent this weekend and what a marvelous storyteller he was. He loved to tell humorous stories with just the right pauses to have his audience on the edge of their seats. I think storytelling is an ability inherited by most of the Brittens! I think I would have to say that his favorite story was the one about the Toothbrush salesmen. If I remember it correctly--3 guys head to the mall to work as toothbrush sales people. I heard him tell it hundreds of times, and the source was my sister Barb, who immediately identified it as a Britten boy story. The elaboration on the first part of the story escapes me, it changed from time to time, but the first two young men are unsuccessful.
The last guy sells everyone in just a few minutes!!
What in the world is your sales secret, they asked?
Everybody wants something free these days, so I set up a table in the mall, put a big ol' bowl of chips and another big ol' bowl of dip and a big sign that said, Free samples. People came along picked up a chip, a big gob of dip and pop it into their mouths, YUCK!!!! that tastes like shit, It is . . . . . . WANT TO BUY A TOOTHBRUSH ?