The most important item on our agenda in Denver was visiting our college friends. You say Janet and Tom to us, and rafts of memories come flooding in. When I wrote their names, I remembered the choir tour to Mobile about 1963. We stayed in Tom’s home that night. Janet and I had his parents’ bed. I nearly froze to death and kept turning up the heat of the electric blanket. Janet was sweltering and turned her dial down as low as it would go. You guessed it. The controls were mixed up.

We had a long lunch to catch up. I asked for a refresher account of their moving to Colorado. They had been in New Orleans and camped in the mountains on vacation. The lure of the area was so great that they ditched their plans and moved to Denver. They had three children and worked through various jobs to a place of peace and happiness. It was marvelous to see them still thriving since the last time we were here three years ago.

On the way out of town, we drew closer to the snow-capped mountains. Here is the scenery that excited John. I’m sure he explained what railroad line it was, when it was founded, who owns it now, what the freight would have been. My brain-sieve did not retain that.

I wildly snapped a second shot from the moving car. I remember John’s comment then. He said, “David will enjoy seeing the train.” That’s your assignment, David.

We stayed in the small town of Idaho Springs. John did not expect there to be restaurants or a supermarket, since those amenities were missing at several of our stops. What a surprise to find a Safeway adjacent to our motel! We walked there, looking for a dessert, which is what we often do instead of eating supper. John let me pick, and I couldn’t resist Unicorn Cake. Have you ever heard of Unicorn Cake? If you like very sweet things, this is a dessert for you. If you don’t like sweets, I’ll be glad to help you dispose of it.