A Special Visit

In 1982 our little family moved to Clovis, New Mexico, my husband stationed as an F-111 pilot at Cannon AFB.  Clovis is a tiny little place, and for some strange reason I remember very little about it.  I do remember driving to Lubbock Texas meant getting to "go somewhere" and years before when we had been stationed at Lubbock's Reese AFB for pilot training, we thought we were in the middle of nowhere. :-)  The one thing that we would have LOVED about Clovis, a museum with displays of the famous "Clovis Point," was closed for repairs the entire time we were there.  But I did make a wonderful friend, Kathy Choate.  Her husband Paul was the pediatrician on base, and they had a small son about the same age as our daughter.  We were there a year, moving on to Hurlburt Field in Florida, and once in 1986 (while they were still at Clovis) we stopped there on our way west on vacation.  That was the last time I had seen Kathy.

Over the years we wrote lots of letters, sometimes with greater faithfulness than at others.  But, 1986 was the last time we had seen each other...until this past week!  Kathy and her family of three grown children and five grandchildren live in Colorado Springs, CO and she flew down for a visit that was amazing!

We had an amazing dinner at Union Public House and started getting caught up.

Of course the Chef (my son-in-law Jack for those who don't know!) came by the table to say hello

Kathy didn't want to do any sight-seeing really so we mostly stayed close to home and had a wonderful visit!  Here we are in my front yard.

We did go to tea at Chantilly Tea Room...ooh, what a great place!  We met my daughter there, and all of us loved it!

A view of the interior.

The waitress took a picture of the three of us.

There was a marvelous Artisan show at St. Phillip's Plaza and we found some great copper jewelry!  Souvenir time!  :-)

I picked up several of the artists' cards for future reference.  There were many amazing things!

Our visit ended all too soon and it was time to say goodbye.  After thirty years it had just seemed like we had seen each other a few weeks ago, and we had picked up right where we left off.  Friends are so important to our lives, and too often we don't make the lasting kind, and that is sad.  I look forward to our next visit, maybe in Colorado Springs!