So that’s it, from final long-haired moments in front of the mirror, through Lizzie’s snipping and clipping, all the way to the finished results. The girl loved every bit of the adventure, and she seems delighted with her new style.

And me? I knew you’d ask. I love her in her sweet little bouncy bob…but secretly, I really miss those pigtail braids. I miss doing our hair just alike, then skipping down sidewalks and through parking lots, a matching set of Big and Little.

But I know it won’t be long till those short curls are hitting her shoulders again, ready for brand-new braids!

Till then, we’ll just keep skipping.

Here she is, in her brand-new haircut. She did it all by herself, alone in front of the mirror in Dadda’s office. Then she ran to me.

“Mamma, do you like my pretty new haircut?” I was making hummus in the kitchen. My heart skipped a beat. I turned to see her, but it took a minute to really see, and then I saw everything at once.

Crayola baby scissors in her hand. 3/4″ snips of  red half-moon curls on the floor. They were so tiny, the very first cutting of her baby curls. I had to save them.

I got down and started to gather them up, and then I reached up to her head and a whole big swathe of hair came off in my hand. Like, almost the whole side.

“Do you like it?” She was brave and afraid all at once. Proud that she dared to do it but not sure if it was the right thing to do.

I choked and smiled at her. “Of course I do. I think it’s beautiful.”

It’s beautiful to be brave when you’re afraid, to trust yourself when you don’t know how others will react. To be daring and try something new. To make a change in yourself and stick to your decision (not that you can undo a haircut).

Ok, I know, all that is ridiculous. It’s probably just the inevitable response a 3-year old has to standing in front of a mirror with a pair of scissors in her hand and a halo of red curls around her face. Just the next curious exploration of life. I’m still happy with her. I’m not sure why. I guess I’m just happy she’s still a baby and gets to do silly things like that.

So she has decided to become a hair stylist, and what better place to practice than one’s very own head? (Better than my head.) As you can see, she went for a dramatic look rather than subtle…and she seems quite happy with the outcome.

But…there just may be a second first haircut coming up soon.

Yeah, I know…I’m really dragging this mountain thing out. I just can’t help it. I’m still stuck somewhere in the mountains of Colorado.

C’mon, let’s go there…just for a minute. Take in the view, and let it take your breath away. Feel the cool mountain breeze on your face, smell the sweet mountain air. Pick a wildflower, and look it in the face, right up close. Have you ever seen anything so perfect? Listen to the birds, to all the sounds of the mountain.

Hmm. It’s just not the same, I guess. Well, that does it. I think it may be time for me to pack up and head for the hills. To a cabin in the woods! I guess that would be reverse cabin fever, or something like that.

So here’s what I think: Pike’s Peak or Bust.

Or at least, somewhere close to Pike’s Peak.

Actually, I think a view of Pike’s Peak would do.

Zia and I prayed together that Mr. Lion would somehow be brought back to us. She didn’t mention him much for the remaining days of the trip.

In fact, it wasn’t until we were almost home that her little voice piped up happily from the back seat: “Mr. Lion will be SO happy to see them coming home!” And then I realized she was comforting herself with the thought that he would be there waiting for us.

My heart sank to the bottom of my shoes as I explained he might take a little longer to come home. Take a little longer he did, O faithless mamma.

But just a little.

After we got home, Dadda made some phone calls to Durango, and finally contacted a hotel clerk who said our lion had been found…along with a “little pair of blue shorts.”  About a week later a package arrived at our door.

Blue shorts, yes. Little? I’m not so sure!

And the lion? It was Mr. Lion, all right. Noseless face, hairless tail, and matted mane.

And now, the little scoundrel has his own personal I.D. patch…just to make sure he doesn’t run off and hide again.

Welcome home, Mr. Lion!

Durango, Colorado is one of the sweetest little wild-west towns in southwest Colorado. It’s very much a tourist town, with lots of outdoor adventure sports kinds of things to do. It’s all about the outdoors, and you can see why.

If you’re ever out there, it’s really worth your time to do a little sight-seeing. And if you’ve got a day to spare, why not hop aboard the train? We did just that, and it was a wildly cool way to see a wildly beautiful country!

We started out early, and you really need to, since it’s an all-day excursion. We rode in an open car, and the view was incredible. I would definitely choose that again over the enclosed coaches! It was so sweet to ride on the very rim of cliffs and bluffs, and look down to the river waaaaay below.

Whooaaaaaa. It was a very Spiderman-ish feeling. I dig that.

The Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad came to town in 1879,  and it’s still running strong. Originally, it was built to carry gold and silver mined from the San Juan mountains; now it carries tourists, as well as workers.

See the lone yellow brick building peeking through the trees? That’s a factory, way out in the middle of nowhere, and the only way to get to it is by this vintage coal-powered locomotive. So every day, the factory workers ride out, and every night they ride back.

By train from Durango to Silverton, it takes over 3 hours, but it’s only a 45-minute drive by car.By the time we pulled into Silverton, it was pouring rain.  And freeeezing. If you visit Silverton, bring a jacket, and bring lunch. The place is downright cold,  and quite honestly, the food isn’t so hot, either. Maybe you shouldn’t go by just my experience, but I did hear stories of snowstorms in July. And you might like the food, but only if you like hamburgers.

We unashamedly did the tourist thing and bought long-sleeve shirts and a nice warm blanket for the trip home. All with Silverton emblazoned across them. And a D&SNG Railroad travel mug for Pa Lucero, just to complete the touristy feeling.

And I bought a warm pair of socks for my baby girl. Who loved every minute of her choo-choo ride, by the way. Especially hanging out to look waaaay down over those cliffs.

That’s enough to knock anybody’s socks off.

I so love the variety of mountains on the drive between southern Colorado and northern New Mexico. From forest-clad heights surrounding sparkling lakes and rushing rivers, to rocky bluffs and red and yellow mesas, I think there must be something for the mountain lover in everyone.

What are your favorite mountains?

I know I’m sadly behind the times on this post, since we got back to Kansas City more than a full week ago…but I guess part of me is still dreaming in a bed of wildflowers on top of some mountain in Colorado.

Our trip was so full I scarcely know where to begin, so I guess I’ll start in Santa Fe, rehash a moot point and say have I told you I think my in-laws are among the world’s greatest. They are so easy, so relaxed, and just plain so nice.

It seems every time we visit, we pull in their driveway at an unearthly hour suspended somewhere between dark and dawn, and there they are to welcome us, pulling out pillows, blankets, air mattresses. And then they just let us sleep. And after we sleep , they take us to eat something yummy: enchiladas, tamales, blue corn tortillas, sopaipillas, and lots of other things with names that are just so fun to say.

And amidst all the meat and masa, dripping with cheese and chile, if I just feel like a crispy crunchy green salad, that’s ok with them.

And they don’t even mind too much when I censor all their treats for Zia to make sure there’s no high fructose corn syrup or FD&C red or blue or yellow in it. Yes, they are truly great in-laws, and I’m thankful for them!

We got to hang out with Zia’s cousin Makayla for a few days. Makayla turned Zia into a beauty queen, complete with Grandma’s pearls and earrings.

Makayla’s dad is David’s brother Rich, whom we also got to hang with.

Peace out, brothah.

David and Rich are very different, but they’re definitely cut from the same cloth. Rich came along with us  on some of our adventures, and with the two of them, it made for a totally hilarious time.

If they didn’t look so very nice and friendly, they might pass for a couple of thugs.

Stay tuned for more travel tales!

]]> http://www.pocoleon.com/little-redhead-girl/the-best-family-in-the-west/feed/ 2 http://www.pocoleon.com/arty/happy-birthday-mimi/ http://www.pocoleon.com/arty/happy-birthday-mimi/#comments Wed, 21 Jul 2010 05:23:15 +0000 mountain girl http://www.pocoleon.com/?p=6494

Zia painted this watercolor for Mimi’s birthday. It’s a pink dinosaur with a large dark pink eye and dark pink legs. Actually, she drew a blob that I thought looked like a dinosaur, so she added the eye and legs. She also gave it some green grass to eat and a couple of green tree branches to munch.

It’s so much fun to see her drawings progressing to actually look like something, yet at the same time I’m cherishing the fact that they still don’t have to look like anything, that she loves drawing and painting for the joy of it, and drawing something representational is only one kind of many happy ways to paint and draw. I would be happy if she always felt that way.

Happy Birthday, Mimi. I hope you love this picture as much as I do!

This weekend finds us roaming in places where beauty abounds…places where there’s no need to remind ourselves to stop and smell the flowers!

When you are convinced that all the exits are blocked, either you take to believing in miracles or you stand still like the hummingbird. The miracle is that the honey is always there, right under your nose, only you were too busy searching elsewhere to realize it. The worst is not death but being blind, blind to the fact that everything about life is in the nature of the miraculous. -Henry Miller

Here’s a little inked watercolor I did the other day. I am having a lot of fun deckling the edges of my art (it works great with watercolor paper!) and framing them in transparent frames. There is something wonderfully risky about tearing away part of your artwork. I added some pink flower petal paper behind the frame to give it an added dimension.

Ruby-throated hummingbirds and purple coneflowers are two of my favorite things about July. Besides my baby’s birthday.