I have just returned from an enjoyable visit with my daughter Sara and her family in Fort Collins, Colorado. It is always great to see them and interesting to spend time in an environment that is quite different from ours. Fort Collins is a pleasant city, about half the size of Pittsburgh, located at the edge of the foothills, the boundary between the Great Plains and the Rocky Mountains. Jim and Sara moved there in 1993 when she enrolled at Colorado State University to pursue her Doctorate in Wildlife Ecology. After graduating in 1999 she joined the United States Geological Survey (USGS), working in a laboratory at Denver University. A dozen years ago she was reassigned to USGS’ Fort Collins Science Center where she is director of their Molecular Ecology Lab.
Fortunately, I arrived early enough to catch Ian’s final performance in the play “Little Shop of Horrors”, produced by a theater group in Estes Park. Driving up Big Thompson Canyon is always a treat and a remarkable change from the flat lands to the East. The narrow canyon cutting through the high mountains with their steep folded strata presents a breathtaking view each time you round a bend. It is easy to wonder how a tiny stream like Big Thompson could cut a gorge a quarter of a mile deep in these massive blocks of granite. Big Thompson has an average flow of seventy-five cubic feet per second (cfs); by comparison, Chartiers Creek averages four times that. However, Big Thompson’s peak flow, when the snow melts, is 35,000 cfs, three times that of Chartiers Creek. Coupled with the fact that the Big Thompson slope is much greater that Chartiers’ (one hundred feet per mile versus one foot), its erosion rate is several orders of magnitude higher.
“Little Shop” isn’t Shakespeare, but it was fun to watch. Ian played the part of the mad dentist, the Steve Martin role in the movie version, and consequently disappeared halfway through the show when he was the first person to be eaten by
Audrey II, the man-eating plant. This freed him to play three other roles — NBC television producer, Life Magazine reporter, and commercial botanist — requiring several quick costume changes. We were especially pleased that he handled the singing quite well. Having inherited his grandfather’s difficulty carrying a tune, he has been apprehensive about auditioning for musicals. This experience has convinced him that he can comfortably handle the challenge of vocal roles in contemporary productions. He is not ready for “The Impossible Dream” or “Some Enchanted Evening”, but he certainly handled “Dentist” and the ensemble numbers quite capably.
Had I visited a week earlier I would have been able to see Claire perform in the Rocky Mountain High production of “Newsies”. Fortunately, the school was able to film it and provide copies for families of all the performers. We spent a pleasant evening watching it, a treat for me as I was unfamiliar with the show. It began as a Disney movie that flopped, but then was successfully adapted as a Broadway show. Since then, it has become a popular subject for high school theater groups. The fact that it has a large cast and complicated sets makes it particularly appropriate for large high schools like Rocky.
Although Claire isn’t as passionate as Ian about the theater, she has had several positive experiences performing in plays. Before she was a teenager, she (and Ian) appeared in a community theater production of “Fiddler on the Roof”. Several summers ago, she was in an excellent version of “Singing in the Rain”. In “Newsies” she was one of the children selling newspapers for publisher Joseph Pulitzer, who went on strike when their wages were cut. The dozen or so “newsies” had numerous ensemble songs where they sang and danced. I continue to be impressed with the quality of high school musicals today. I envy her the opportunity to be part of such a production. Claire has decided to enroll at Denver University next Fall, has a minor interest in psychology. I’m sure she will prosper in a college environment.
I have lived alone for nearly ten years since my wife died. I get glimpses of family life when I visit Beth and Mike, but I had forgotten how hectic life can be for a family of four or five. Sara’s home is reminiscent of Grand Central Station, with people continually arriving and leaving, going off to work or school. It reminds me of 92 Youngwood in the early 1980s. Sara obviously had a great mentor in her mother and is well adapted to handle all the comings and goings. In addition to the four of them, of course, she is also responsible for Nora in Corvallis, Oregon, where she is finishing her Junior year in an Environmental Sciences program at Oregon State University. Between prepping Ian for auditions, advising Nora on applications for summer internships, and steering Claire through the college selection process, it is a wonder that Sara is still so effective at work. In addition to her major contribution to the Bison Conservation Initiative, she currently is also working on projects involving genetic diversity in wild horse herds and on controlling the potential invasive brown tree snake currently devastating Guam.
Life in Fort Collins has been good for Sara’s family. The city is big enough to offer all the amenities of a metropolis, including an excellent university (Colorado State). It is tantalizingly close to some of the most glorious country in our nation (Rocky Mountain National Park is ninety minutes away). It is small enough to avoid the problems of bigger cities, but close enough to Denver to be able to take advantage of its cultural and entertainment venues. I always enjoy visiting there, but am happy to return home to southwestern Pennsylvania. I felt a warm feeling when our plane broke through the clouds right over Canonsburg.