Days Seven to Eighteen, Pagosa Springs
Jerry and Sally have one of two flat-roof adobes in the immediate area. As I turned off the highway, then onto Meadows, and then onto Moccasin Court, I saw their pretty home. I saw them smiling and walking down the driveway to greet me. I felt very welcome. Brandy leapt from the car and proceeded into the sniff and dance dogs perform to get to know one another. Gibson had no problem with her proceeding into his home. He is a gentle, sweet dog of some seven years and over time, he and Brandy became friends. My brother is a talented guitarist, favoring Gibsons, hence Gibson’s name.
I got the guest room, usually claimed by Adaline on the days she spends with Jerry and Sally, but she had agreed to let me use it while I was visiting. I was looking forward to meeting her. After driving for so many days, it was terrific to relax and chat and snack with Jerry and Sally. Sally is a talented weaver. Her looms live in various rooms. Jerry’s office upstairs houses a large two-screen computer center along with a library and a big leather couch where he and Gibson watch football games together.
Jerry and I and the dogs took a hike the next day at Veterans Memorial Field. There is a pond in the field with a bench or two affording views of the fields and beyond. This hike became my favorite. Easy to reach, and easy to stretch the 2-mile loop around the pond into something more expansive into the nearby fields. The countryside around here is primarily large ranch lands. The San Juan Mountains range shapes the horizon–some tops already snow-covered. Pagosa Peak tops out at 12,600 ft.
We had dinner together with Hannah and Coleman and Rachel, Hannah’s sister, and of course Adaline. Great fun. Great food. This was the first time I had met Coleman’s family. Hannah is a beautiful woman–as tall as Coleman–who is tall. She is a warm and loving mother. Her younger sister, Rachel, is a sweet young woman with plans for college after she graduates from high school.
One event of significant importance was the transfer of Buc Trimmer to the next generation. Buc Trimmer was awarded to my father, Troy James Smith, at his retirement party. The finance department of North American Rockwell must have had some Hollywood contacts and a great sense of humor. Apollo 13–the flight that aborted its scheduled moon landing and made it back home–with all three astronauts alive–was made while my father was head of the finance department. Thus, he helped get Apollo off the ground–and back home. At his retirement party, he was presented with the Buc Trimmer Award.
When Dad was ill–the last time I saw him alive–I visited my parents in their California retreat. As I was preparing to go back home, Dad said he wanted me to have his cherished green MG MGB. He and I drove to work at North American Rockwell in the MG during my summers while I was in college at UCSB. I was thrilled to have this wonderful little car, which ultimately cost me more money than a third-grade teacher could afford! As I drove home in the MG, I found Buc Trimmer wrapped in a blanket in the back seat. I’ve had Buc Trimmer all these years. I have taken it with me every time I moved.
But as I planned for this trip to Pagosa Springs, I realized that Buc needed to be passed to the next male Smith in our family, and that person is Coleman James Smith. I feel Coleman is a man my father would be proud of. Here’s Coleman receiving the Buc Trimmer award. Go well!
We all took a drive to Durango–Jerry had a doctor’s appointment. I met with the congregational president of Har Shalom, the only synagogue in the area. The Jewish community is small but growing. There is one congregant who lives in Pagosa Springs. He drives to Saturday morning services every week. Promising news.
I had a wonderful time visiting with my family and getting to know Pagosa Springs. It is a beautiful and peaceful area. Little traffic. Just open land and great fields where Brandy ran great looping, swooping circuits. Clearly happy to stretch out and run at full bore!
I had a feeling that I had settled into peace. I could breathe. I could think. I could imagine.