You Call This a Vacation?

I like to take pictures, I like to have pictures. There is something missing in my brain.  It seems to be the part that remembers events that I haven't taken pictures of.  It doesn't. 

So, what happens if I forget my camera.  Or what if I remember my camera but photos don't get taken?  What if whatever else happens is SO startling that there isn't time to take pictures.  I think I will remember that.  Especially, the events that actually DID happen.  There won't be any forgetting this vacation, no way, no how. 

Part 2 of the of the Unending, Very Long, Too Exciting, Unbelievable Week.

Monday we left for Salida, Colorado to ski/snowboard at Monarch Mountain for a couple of days.  We were planning to meet my brother's family and some of their friends. The trip went well considering, nine hours isn't much fun to sit in a vehicle and go up and down and around mountains, and get sickish in the stomach.  There was no yelling, complaining, and etc., ....after the first 100 miles or so, when my daughter decided she COULD live without her computer after all. 

I didn't ski this year.  I haven't exercised consistently for two years.  I figured it would be safer for me and more enjoyable for everyone else if I didn't.  I thought it would be fun to hang out at the lodge and crochet and read and have lunch ready for everyone else.  Which it was...sort of.  It was also boring.  And I didn't see anybody for a very long time, since the room for people who bring lunch in is separated from the places where you can buy food. 

The big-kid part of the party found me at lunch time, and  my older nephew's friend was acting strangely, so strangely in fact, that I sent them to find my brother.  He had hit his head.  So, that was the end of any more skiing on my brother's part as they took the boy down to ER with a concussion. 

Anytime there is an injury it spoils every one's fun.  But, we thought everyone else would be able to enjoy the second day.  However, in the evening the other mom of the party wasn't feeling well, so my sister in law took HER to the ER and they kept her overnight, with altitude sickness. 

The party heading out to the slopes the next day, was much diminished.  I stayed, the injured ones stayed, and the younger boys stayed. So, Jim and my brother took just the three cousins up the mountain, agreeing all to meet again for a photo session. 

But, it didn't happen.  My brother was watching when Nathan took a jump and it didn't go well.  He landed on his face, and when he came up, his arm was broken.  So, down to get first aid, and on to Salida to the ER, where my sister in law and I met them.  And then as everyone gathered and left and gathered again, we settled down to a very long wait in the ER.  We were fairly high on the list, with Nathan's injury. There were others that waited a lot longer.  But, still it is waiting.

Nathan found ways to entertain himself. 

Eventually, after we found that Nathan had broken the large bone in his arm just above the wrist, we waited some more before Nathan was sent up for a very short surgery.  They put three pins in and after going home and getting settled in again.  Lynette and Nathan asked for a steak dinner.

We had a long ride home, but Nathan did fine with the high powered painkiller he was taking. I was glad to be home.  It was Thursday again, and the week was over.

Thank goodness.

We stopped on the way home to look at the Royal Gorge Bridge.  It was neat, but for the amount of money we spent the the very short time we spent there, I'm not sure we did the right thing.