Last month we mixed business with leisure in yet another of our “bleisure” outings. Sometimes called “bizcations”, but either way it has become our regular practice as we squeeze in downtime in between meetings. No surprises here, but as we continue to build our client base, as sole proprietors, there is no official downtime for the team at Pyalla Technologies, LLC. Then again, the flexibility this affords us with all the plans we make, we wouldn’t have it any other way.
You may recall in last month’s post that the focus of
our downtime was the fall colors of north eastern America. Starting in Canada
and then tracking down the coast all the way to Florida was considered the best
way to see the deep reds of maples contrasted with greens and golds of adjacent
forests. However, it was hard to become excited by the vista as a wet summer
delayed the onset of fall. Only patches of red were on display and for the most
part, they were anything but spectacular.
On our return to Colorado it was a different story.
Long known for the colorful display of Aspens as they blanket the mountains in
gold, it was the new neighborhoods surrounding us where the reds burst through.
Landscapers have gone to great pains to ensure a mixed variety of foliage is
nurtured and now, we have a spectacular array of maples of all types that lend
an entirely new color to the traditional fall palate we know so well. Neighbors
who have become recent Coloradans are surprised to find that there are numerous
varieties native to the state.
With temperatures dropping daily and the first snowfall
reminding us that winter is not far away, we still make the trek to our local
golf course café for breakfast. More often than not, we drive but even so it
allows us to take in the full scope of fall. Or perhaps, better said the fall
scope in full! No matter, after sailing down the east coast of America, we are
bearing witness of more color combinations than we were fortunate to view just
a month earlier.
This may be our front yard but its clear red has become
our favorite color. The car that Margo fell in love with essentially, falling head
over heels, just happens to be red with a slightly different shade of red for
the ragtop. As the fall colors begin to fade it stands out and becomes just
another element in the predominantly red landscape– after trading our beloved
red Corvette a couple of years ago we thought we were done with red cars, but
that turned out not to be the case.
However, there simply isn’t anything quite as enjoyable
as carving up a canyon road in a convertible that emanates a distinctive V8
rumble. Did we mention that in this
configuration our beloved Jaguar all-wheel-drive and all is only a couple of
horsepower down on our former mighty Dodge Viper? Amazing how tech continues to
advance to provide creature comfort in a vehicle with extraordinary
capabilities. Against a backdrop of fall colors it was tempting to forget that
others would take in our Jaguar as we passed by and consider it as just one
more shade or red to be enjoyed.
There are still traditions to be honored even at this
time of year when you can still tour with the top down. One of those traditions just happens to be the photo opportunity
that we exploit whenever we drive Colorado’s Peak-to-Peak highway. A small
roadside Catholic church – once visited by Pope John Paul II when he last
visited Denver – always provides a great backdrop for any car we happen to be
driving tempting us, as it so often does, to pull over for a snapshot.
Fall is not just a reminder to us of traditions to be
maintained but rather, a timely intrusion into daily routines. There is
Halloween to be celebrated followed by Thanksgiving. In no time at all we are
planning our Christmas celebrations. Suddenly it isn’t just about the red so
much as it is about the green as well and with the foliage always providing a
green backdrop, this temporary splash of red is welcomed.
From a splash of red across the vista to a splash of
red in a glass! Nothing could be more inviting than to spend an early evening
with a sip of wine. The days have shortened rapidly to where they are ending in
total darkness. It’s not surprising to see this happen as we are well north of
the equator. While not as far north as our travels to Alaska and Quebec have
taken us this past summer into early fall, nevertheless for a young lad from
Sydney, it still takes a while to adjust.
There is a line in a popular song celebrating birthdays
that we like. It goes something like “Just one more candle and a trip around the sun.” We don’t
necessarily have to wait for birthdays to be reminded of this perennial journey
but then again, having lit sparkles at Christmas follows a similar line. A
reminder of that constant voyage around the sun! With age may come wisdom but also
increased frailties. While Margo and I have nothing too serious to be concerned
about, every now and then we are reminded of where our true strengths lie and coordination
may no longer be one of those strengths we have relied upon for so long.
And then there was a splash across the floor. You would think that unboxing a wine shipment from one
of our favorite vineyards would be something that gives us both a lot of
pleasure. However, the latest shipment left us dismayed. Yes, our wine cellar
isn’t as big as the one in our former home in Niwot, but it still provides us
with ample storage for a reasonable stock of good wines. Unfortunately, the
builders never designed it for bottles of red wine – they need just a little
more space to properly accommodate that supply of good red wine.
Disaster struck unexpectedly as bottles already put down
in a partially filled cubicle suddenly let go as I added that one last bottle
to the top of the cubicle. All told a number of bottles from Justin Vineyard met their demise on the
floor below. Two were broken beyond redemption but amazingly enough, one
bounced and remained intact. It was a Merlot and given that our good friends
and neighbors happened to like Merlot, it seemed appropriate to hand-deliver
that salvaged bottle and gift as an omen of good things yet to come.
Look no further than you backyard? Well, how about
across the street as yet one more new home takes shape. Unfortunately, fall is
now giving way to winter. The reds are now a memento of past lazy days spent on
our deck. Snow has fallen but fortunately, not to the point of being snowed in
like the folks back in Buffalo, New York. I just read of how, in Biblical
references, colors are used to convey messages. For instance, red is one of the
most powerful colors as it addresses everything from life, blood, sin,
flesh, to earthiness.
Life, it would seem, continues to challenge us all and
if red is of such importance, then taking in the colors of fall is just a
reminder that the trip around the sun represents little more than pulling pages
from the calendar. When you are very young you look forward to counting up as
you will the world to pass and for you to become older. Later in life it seems
as though you are not enjoying the count down quite as much. And with that,
let’s light that calendar, put the shortening days behind us and celebrate the
arrival of perhaps the best of holidays any year has to offer.
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