I love the children’s book Stone Soup–how it starts with nothing but stone and water and ends with everyone joining together to share what they have, resulting in a delicious soup for everyone. I’ve been thinking about stone a lot lately. We’ve received the parts of our cast stone mantel, one of our final settling-in projects. I was assured that anyone could put this together, but it is HEAVY, and both David and I would strongly prefer that it not fall off the wall onto anyone. Therefore, I’m delighted to report that it will be assembled tomorrow by Actual Professionals. So far, it looks great. Here’s a detail shot of one of the legs . . .↓

It’s just what I was hoping for as a reminder of the beauty of La Rochelle . . .

If you look closely, you can see almost the exact same detail on the two vertical pieces on either side of the center crest. I didn’t even notice until I put this photo in the post. How cool is that?

We’ve seen a lot of other stone as well this past weekend, on another Harley trip with our friends . . . . . . okay, obviously NOT the official posed photo we all lined up for. Sorry. The rain was threatening, urging us to get back on the road, and I didn’t want to annoy everyone after they’d already posed for Janet.

Aside from that pause, there was not a lot of stopping for photos. We had a lot of ground to cover. Mostly we went over . . .↓

. . . between . . .↓

. . . around . . .↓

. . . and even through various portions of the Rockies . . . ↓

. . . At the top of a mountain in Glenwood Springs, a few of us even went inside . . .↓

It turns out that huge swathes of southwestern Colorado are absolutely gorgeous. I had no idea. Definitely want to go back.

David and I started and ended the trip on our own, to have time for business responsibilities, which had the added bonus of allowing us to ride those days at our own preferred pace. We love easy cruising, savoring the full sensory experience, the warmth of the air, the smell of the evergreens, the beauty of the wildflowers, the majesty of the mountains, the unexpected thrill of a wildlife sighting. And since we were on our own the last day, I even got to stop to get a decent photo of the Nokhu Crags . . . ↓

Of course, our pace is not everyone’s preference. Others love the adrenaline rush of quick curves and speeding straightaways. We can’t keep up and don’t want to. But here’s the Stone Soup part. At the end of the day, we’re together, eating and/or drinking something fabulous, and usually laughing. We all have something to contribute to help each other enjoy the experience.

In the sweetness of friendship let there be laughter, and sharing of pleasures. ∼Khalil Gibran

Today you are you! That is truer than true! There is no one alive who is you-er than you! ∼Dr. Suess

Whether you prefer the speed or the savor or a bit of both, may your friendships be strong as stone and broad and beautiful as the Rockies.