~It's been a lesson in geography....Mr. McMurray would be proud~

Wishing for you that all have had a good Tuesday, July 9th and sending greetings from way out here in the 38th state admitted to the Union, Colorado. The weather this morning was actually a bit on the "chilly" side, well at least chilly by this flatlander's standards.  The wind was out of the east when we arose, blowing in off of Cerro Summit.  According to the thermometer it was 66 degrees outside at 7 a.m. but to me it felt cool enough that I wished I had a sweatshirt on over the top of the short sleeved t-shirt that I was wearing.  Yesterday was dry and very hot here and although a few places saw some much needed moisture Sunday evening, Montrose was not one of them.  Still we wait and hope that somehow or another something will fall from the heavens for us. By the looks of the weather forecast for the remainder of this week, we may indeed have a decent chance for precipitation from Thursday-Monday as this part of the country enters the monsoon season.  It might well turn out to be a good illustration of the age-old adage and the motto of Morton Salt back home in South Hutchinson, Kansas, "When it rains, it pours."

I rode along with Mike yesterday to Grand Junction, a city to the north west of us.  His job takes him that way 3 days a week and I needed to go there to do some extra training for my CNA job here in Montrose.  You know as you travel along Highway 50 on the journey there, a person can't help but to notice the stark contrast in the surroundings the closer you get to Grand Junction as you enter Mesa County.  The area is marked by an assortment of geographical features including the desert and arid-like appearance of the land around it.  Instead of the Rocky Mountains they have the "Book Cliffs", a nearly 200-mile long range of desert mountains and cliffs.  They get their name from the manner in which the rock formation appears as you travel along, like giants books lined up along a row on Gladys Gilmore's library shelves were way back in high school in the land of "long ago and so very far away."  

I was reminded of just how close we were to the border of Utah when I noticed that the streets running east/west were numbered.  To get to where I needed to be in Grand Junction yesterday, I had to turn on 25 1/2 Street and I remember thinking "that's a weird name for a street".  When I finally found where I was going, I asked the lady at the desk why the streets were named liked that.  She then explained that going from the Utah border, each mile marker is designated as such, so when I was on 25 1/2 Street, well that's how far I was from the Colorado-Utah border.  Another good lesson learned.

You know I have kinda decided that living here for nigh onto two months has been like one giant geography lesson and now that I've experienced it, I sure do wish I had paid more attention to my old social studies teacher back at Haven Grade School, Mr. Rex McMurray.  I'm sure he talked about all of the things that I now am coming to know of, but I'm equally positive that I was way too busy thinking about what I would do at recess time instead of listening to everything he had to say.  I liked him as a teacher and what I wouldn't give to sit down and talk to him right now about life and everything I have learned while in it.  And actually, if I could, then it might sound a bit like the letter below:

Dear Mr. McMurray,
It's me, Peggy Scott, you know that shy little girl who used to sit quietly at her desk back in your old classroom at Haven Grade School?  Well I'm not in Haven any longer and heck, I'm not even in Kansas any more.  In fact, I'm 600 miles west of there clean across in the mountainous state of Colorado.  Mr. McMurray, my home is not on the Great Plains of the midwest any longer~I'm on the other side of the Continental Divide now. 

You taught us a lot in social studies/geography class and I'm sure you must have mentioned a time or two about things such as I have seen here.  Kinda regret not paying more attention and remembering all that you had taught us.  I'm learning it "first-hand", "on the job" now as I live in the city of Montrose.  All around me are geographical features that I had never even considered before.  Every morning as I look out the kitchen window, I see a huge part of the San Juan mountain range.  Shoot, there are mountains all around me now and the weird thing is, they have all their own names.  Old Silver Jack Mountain lies to the south east and there's a mountain called Mount Sniffles that my husband Mike scaled a few years back.  The Uncompahgre Range stretches all around us, one giant rock almost as I look at it from my front porch.  Once, a couple of weeks back,  I saw the "top of the world" from the highest point of the Grand Mesa here, God's handiwork at its finest.  Strange, you were one of the first people I thought of  Mr. McMurray as I gazed down at it.  That vision of the earth below from over 10,000 feet high in the air, reminded me of the maps that you used to always have in your classroom back at Haven Grade School and you know, I kinda missed you being around then.  

I'm pretty sure I didn't thank you enough for all you taught us kids back then.  And dang, it's too late to tell you now.  But when I get to where I'm going, after this life, I'll be catching up with you there in Heaven.  Save me a desk in your classroom sir....I still have some learning to do and THIS time, I promise to pay a whole lot more attention!

Most respectfully,
Peggy

Mr. McMurray's topographical map of the world, in full living colour for all to see~the view from up top at over 10,000 feet on the Grand Mesa, Mesa County, Colorado.

See that girl?  She learns something new every day and actually kinda likes it that way.  Till my last breath~