Dear Steamboat,

Now that the sunshine has come to stay, the river is flowing perfectly for tubing, the bikes are out, the farmers market is bustling, and the live music is outdoors...

I'm going to leave for a couple weeks. As much as I enjoy summer here, I've got some really important people to see & some very special places to go. I'll just be gone two weeks, but I anticipate it will feel like an entire mini-summer.

I'm just going to hop on a plane and end up in Vermont.
There, I will catch up with some of my lifelong friends, enjoy the company of my parents, peruse the farmer's market (which really beats yours, Steamboat), spend some time in the garden, maybe rent a sailboat (we miss you, daydream) and catch some live music on the shores of Lake Champlain.
I will also smell the sweet pines, swim in Lake Morey, sing songs, have the scent of campfire in my hair, see former campers working as counselors, catch up with friends i haven't seen in far too long & spend a couple of days at the place that is my definition of "summer."
And then! I'll head to Cape Cod (collecting Brett in Boston!) for a few days on the ocean with the Groves clan. I'm eager to spend some time with my Gran, as well as whale watch, kayak & perhaps eat a decedent lobster.
Then we'll all scoot over to Connecticut for a couple days with the Dodd fam, enjoying Grandmommy's delicious cooking, cousin time & doing a few helpful chores.
I'll hop on a plane there and end up back in Denver. And it will still be July!

I promise I'll be back soon. And when I return, I'll tube the river & camp in the mountains & ride my bike. And it will still be summer, and it will still be marvelous.

Love,
Eliza