"It ain't over till it's over."

Yogi Berra

From my last post, http://jeffsambur.blogspot.com/2015/09/life-and-nature-simplified-at.html one would guess that I'm back to running solo again. Wrong! Jenny read and enjoyed that post. (She said it was beautiful). We schmoozed (talked) a bit and decided this Hebrew pair warranted a second chance. 

After kissing and making up, we climbed 13,069" Mount Chiquita in RMNP. 

Why name a peak after a banana? I have no idea. It was too frigid and blustery to grow winter wheat let alone a tropical fruit. The U.S. Geological Survey named it in 1932. Maybe the dude was wishful thinking while he was on the summit getting whiplashed by the cold breeze. 

Yesterday, a wonderful time was had by all. Here are the photos to prove it. I believe  my last post was the best blog I ever wrote. At least, I know it impressed one fan! Ahh, the power of the pen or in my case the Mini I-Pad. 

Speaking of which, The Wandering, Wondering Jew blog has now quietly surpassed 20,000 pageviews. I'm still not sure what that means, but it sounds like a lot. 

Thanks for looking in and supporting my musings. As usual feel free to pass http://jeffsambur.blogspot.com/ along to your billions of Facebook friends, family members and your favorite foreign hackers. 

Cheers!

Jeff

Life and Nature Simplified at...

Great Sand Dunes National Park.

It's thirty square miles of slippery sand, 750' dunes and a landscape that is in constant flux. If you arrive early enough like Jenny and I did, the canvas is devoid of footprints. Late arriving fellow travelers appear as mere dots in its vastness. 

The park lies in a corner of the San Luis Valley, where you can wrestle an alligator on a nearby ranch or view UFO's from a specially designed platform. They grow a tasty red potato there too. Far away from the glitzy mountain towns of Colorado, it's off the must-see lists of most intrastate and out of state visitors. The area is sparsely populated with a few drive by in less than a minute burgs. Even though half of Colorado's ten poorest counties can be found in the Valley, I love the place. It keeps drawing me back. 

Last photo, just me and my shadow.

Sadly, Jenny and I have parted ways. 

Thank you Jenny for being my Colorado highlight in this too short summer season. It brought me great joy to see this state's wild wonders through a new set of eyes. I hope you keep on exploring. You are good at it. 

The Jewish High Holy Days are...

approaching. Every so often, someone will ask me if I'll attend a Temple service. 

This will send my thoughts way back to the times I was under the care and feeding of Sid and Clara Sambur. For those two Old World Jews, High Holy Days Temple service was mandatory, not optional. 

My brothers and I would sit (in uncomfortable suits) watching and listening as the adults prayed and swayed in a display of humility before God. Every so often, the Rabbi would present a sermon to the Congregation. To be honest, I never got the message. I fidgeted and wanted to be outside in the open air. The one part of the Service I loved was the blowing of the Shofar. (A musical instrument contrived from a ram's horn). The shrill notes were  the sound of Jewish blues to me. 

When my Mom passed at an early age for the two of us, I was unleashed to pursue or not to pursue Organized Religions. I chose not to. Don't get me wrong. I feel and associate with being Jewish as much as a Hassidic Rabbi does. 

I just happen to attend a Temple without four walls and a roof. Please gaze at these photos from the Ice Lakes Basin in the San Juan Mountains of Colorado. If this isn't getting closer to God, then I'm clueless to the concept. 

I can't speak for everyone, but this kind of religion works for me. A lot less guilt too! 

BTW: Those baggy black shorts and cut-off cotton shirt feel much better than wearing a suit and tie. 

Cheers from Ouray, Colorado.

Jeff