Moving to the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains

The last four months have been pretty extraordinary for my husband and I as we made the decision to pack up twelve years of life in the deserts and mountains surrounding Tucson for Boulder, Colorado surrounded by evergreen forests, the Flat Irons of the Rocky Mountain Front Range, and the rolling fields of shoulder-high grass and wildflowers. We also exchanged the stable weather of Tucson with its continuous clear blue skies (except for the monsoons which offered some excitement in the summer storms) for the hourly changing weather of Boulder, so close to mountains that every day provides spectacular cloud formations, storm clouds, and clear skies, rumbling and then soft nights. And yes, the occasional summer hail! The car has already been baptized with small round dents.

We moved from 2,100 square feet to 1,100 square feet. We did our best to lighten our loads, get rid of things that long ago should have been passed on, and pared down to be able to squeeze ourselves into two bedrooms -- one reserved as a shared offer. A kitchen that while functional, is a too small for more than one occupant at a time to work in. On the plus side, after years of stone gardens and prickly plants -- we now have a small backyard with a flower garden, tomato plants, zucchini, cucumbers, basil and other herbs.

Our reason for coming was to join up our part of the clan with my daughter, her husband, and two beautiful grandchildren. It is so lovely to live a mere five-minute walk from them, and we do spend a good deal of time together having fun. My daughter has an even smaller apartment, so we say "two small kitchens, one big meal." She's a baker, and her pies are quite legendary. I babysit a lot right now to help my daughter have the time to finish her dissertation this year in Spanish and Portuguese medieval literature. Our son in law is otherwise known as "Mr. Boulder" because he has a dynamic and fun job in management of Boulder's tourism. He knows everything about the city and is always sending us off to see/eat/drive through/visit/enjoy some new aspect of Boulder. And in this small mountain town (whose growth is constrained by strict laws protecting open space -- and the mountains) everything is roughly 8 minutes away from anywhere.

We are adjusting -- to a summertime evening that stays light until 10 o'clock, to Boulder's crowded streets, but also expansive street malls with buskers, splash pools for children, a river walk alongside the fast flowing Boulder Creek through the city, miles and miles of bike paths throughout the city, and amaaazing grocery stores. We are still looking for a martial arts home to train in and a lap pool to swim in.

But the best, is the ten minute drive to a one of 800 mountain hikes up in the mountains. Those views, those wild flowers, the calming effect of the tree shaded trails and the sudden burst of sunlight on a summer snow-capped mountain.