I do not have a winter home. I do not have a summer home. That means that my time is spent in the same house year round. That also means that I get to experience the extremes offered by Arkansas and the Southern United States and do not have the opportunity to “summer” where it is cool and “winter” were it is warm. That does not mean I am opposed to taking a break from the extremes. That is exactly what I did last week.
The Annual Meeting of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers was held last weekend, and the incoming president happens to be from Denver. Denver, as you may know, is a great place to be in the summer. The humidity is low, the temperatures are reasonable, and the mountains are close enough for a day trip, should the temperature get too high. Not a bad place to be when the temps at home were 110 degrees and the air was thick with humidity.
While location is important, timing is not far behind. Denver is going to be good in the summer just about anytime, but the fact that I got to go last week was like winning the “Daily Double” at the horse track. As I left Denver, the temps were expected to rise over the next few days and the temps at home were expected to fall. It seems that my trip was taken at the perfect time.
As I left Denver, I began to consider the idea of moving to Colorado and how it would be to live and practice in Denver. As I pondered the idea, I began to notice these fence time structures running at an angle to the interstate. I also noticed that they were not connected but actually offset. I took time from my moving plans to ask the cab driver what they were. He said “snow.” I asked him to repeat his answer and he told me that they were used to keep the snow off the highway. I knew we were in Denver, but somehow I forgot what being there means in the winter.
As we traveled to the airport, about 30 minutes from downtown Denver, I became fixated on the snow barriers one after another and mile after mile. Suddenly, the desire to live in the Mile High City had dissolved and I decided that maybe it was just a nice place to visit in the summer. My trip home was uneventful and I actually managed to pick up a book on management and finish it before I arrived in Little Rock. I only make note of that because I usually buy a book and only read a couple chapters. Then when I get home, the book ends up at the office or on a shelf at home, never to be looked at again. I usually regret my airport book purchases.
As I came out of the terminal and entered the baggage area, Patti and Blair were there to greet me. The baggage claim area was hotter than it had been the entire time I was in Denver. I immediately complained to Patti, who informed me that it was cooler than it had been since I left, and I should quit whining. I immediately realized she was right and gave her a big kiss. It was good to be home, hot or not. They say that home is where the heart is. Believing that to be true, I knew I was home standing there waiting for my baggage, because my heart was standing right there in front of me. It is great to get away once in a while, but hot or not, it is always good to go home. That is true for everyone, even those of us way up in the CHEAP SEATS!