Close To Home

I am a senior citizen with a very small income which leaves me very little extra cash to spend on entertainment. So, I have to use my funds, hopefully, very wisely. Of course, I do have some costly habits but, I consider those my own personal forms of entertainment. Fortunately, I have a very dear lady friend, Kam, who shares experiences and costs with me for fun stuff other than personal things.

Mostly, what I find almost anywhere I look to find entertaining things to do, I find suggestions as to where to eat out, movies, plays, concerts, bars, meetings for singles--seems like anything that points to some sort of partying. Those are not things that really interest me as far as entertainment is concerned.

Granted, there are good resaurants around, but they simply serve food mostly of mediocre quality. For me, eating is not entertainment--it is a neccessity. Once in a while a "good" movie comes out but most of them are aimed at the younger generations with a lot of gorriness. Can't afford to socialize in my favorite bars anymore, and I am perfectly happy with my present marital situation which is single. As far as plays and concerts go, a good funny play at the community center here in Greeley, CO is something I love to take in once in a while. I am not too fond of long hair music or modern rock and pop. And--I am way to old to party.

So, my entertainment consists mostly of(God forbid), using my computer(for various things), checking out movies at the local libraries to watch at home, reading(mysteries, westerns, history novels), and what I am trying to get accross here--local week-end excursions to "close to home" sites and points of interest. These little excursions can be an hour or so, two, three, four hours, or maybe most of the day, or sometimes a whole week-end. My dear friend has sponsored even longer trips, my thanks to Her.

Gasoline is the biggest expense here. Food is probably the cheapest thing for a short trip and a picnic lunch, even we have to eat in the car because it is raining or the wind is blowing hard enough to knock one down which is frequent out on the prarie or in the mountains.

One half day trip, about five hours total, was to Ft. Morgan, Colorado. We went espcially in search of "The Rainbow Bridge" which was played up in one the Colorado tourist guides. The guide tells us that this particular bridge is one of it's kind in the entire US. The construction is unique, it spans--oh, a long ways across the South Platte River, and is 1100 feet above the river. Ahem! That is somewhat exagerated--I would guess that it is 1100 feet long and about 100 feet above the river. However, it is very unique indeed and very beautiful. This bridge is no longer used for regular traffic, but is preserved as a local land-mark, having been refurbished in the 1990's.

Beside the bridge, is one of the most wonderful town parks we have ever seen. It boasts a swimming pool, sports complex and miles of walking trails along the South Platte. There, also, we found a little comedy. This park seems to be host to a variety of ducks and geese. The geese are of the domesticated variety and are--I cannot stress this enough--the hugest geese I have ever seen. Don't want to tangle with one of those "puppies"!!

Some people, looked like a family, with several children, started to feed the "indigenous fowl" and got more than they bargained for! Shortly after they started tossing bread to the few "fowl" nearby, those that were way far away caught the scent and waddled over at a remarkable speed to join in capturing the bounty. Weren't long before the whole family was scrambling to the highest perches of the picnic tables to avoid the massive onslaught of huge honkers and little bitty quakers. Man, what a site to behold!!

Where ever we go we always find something new and/or different. These things of curiosity, wonder and sometimes awe, are part of our world and taking the time to enjoy them is very heart warming and inspiring. It behooves us, I think, to realize what man has accomplished and what nature furnishes free of charge. I think also that it behooves us to realize that the power of man to discover, build and advance in his thinking is the same power that moves and builds and gives nature it's continuity.

Nature and the good works of man can provide, if we look just a little ways from home, a vast amount of entertainment, relaxation and knowledge along with the romoval of stress. One can retain the images of sight and sound and the feelings aquired thereof, in one's mind, for future use.