Kirk gets blessed during today's worship service

After finishing the Race for the Cure event this morning, Sharon headed home to pick up Kirk and get him over to Genesis Presbyterian for the animal blessing service. It was fun - lots of dogs and they all got along pretty well.

Sharon walks 5K in the Susan G. Komen Denver Race for the Cure!

Julie Weisz, Judy Richardson and Sharon pose for a picture after completing the race on Sunday. The Denver Komen Race for the Cure (breast cancer) is the largest in the nation - 65,000+ participants.

Fall - Rocky Mountain National Park

We took a day trip to Estes Park and into Rocky Mountain National Park today. Kirk rode along and was a big hit while we were sitting outside at Starbucks. It's like having a movie star in the family, the way people stop to meet, greet and pet him! But the fall colors were the real stars today. It was a perfect Colorado fall weekend and the aspen were glowing. What a difference a week makes! Last week the trees were still pretty green and dusted with snow. This week was glorious. Wish you were here!

Mountain Trip to See "Colors" Turns Into Snow Adventure!

Dwight, Sharon and Kirk headed for Dillon, Breckenridge and Fairplay, Colorado on Friday & Saturday. We left Denver Friday night around 8:30pm and battled a blinding snowstorm, taking 2 hours to get to Dillon (normally an hour drive), and were relieved to get to our hotel! Saturday morning we headed for the Starbucks in Frasier, then a leisurely drive to Breckenridge, and over Hoosier Pass to Fairplay. Lunchtime found us at the Bucksnort Saloon, south of Shaffer's Crossing - a must-have experience for every Coloradoan! It was a cloudy day and actually a little early for the fall colors, but we enjoyed the time away! Kirk couldn't quite figure out what we were doing, but he travels well and loves going wherever we go. We used our time in the car to listen to a book on CD, "Marley and Me" about a yellow Lab and his family. If you have a chance to read or hear this book, and you're a dog lover, you should take the opportunity. You will laugh and cry! We only got about half way through the book and hope to finish it next Saturday when we head to Estes Park to look for colors once again!

Dwight launches his own professional blog!

You can now visit Dwight's blog at http://journeywiththerev.blogspot.com/ and find his weekly sermons and lectionary readings. Your comments are welcome!

Sharon and Jordan enjoy a church retreat weekend

Sharon and granddaughter Jordan enjoyed a weekend together with members of Genesis Presbyterian Church for it's "Summit" retreat in late August at the YMCA Camp of the Rockies near Estes Park. Outdoor worship, small groups, and lots of play time for the kids made for a great time for all who attended.

Kirk Enjoys a Mountain Weekend

Dwight, Sharon and Kirk spent a couple of relaxing days with friends Jon & Danny Yeagley at their cabin near Fairplay early in August. We walked, talked, ate, talked, walked and laughed. Everyone experienced Kirk as a lapdog!

Steve and Beth Head for Belen, New Mexico!

Steve has received a call as Pastor of First Presbyterian Church in Belen New Mexico! Belen is located about 30 miles south of Albuquerque on I-25. Beth and Steve are looking forward to a lot of firsts in the next few months: Steve's first solo pastorate, Beth and Steve's first home, AND ... their first child, due in January!! Steve's first Sunday at First will be August 27th.

Ghost Ranch 2006!

Dwight, Sharon, and granddaughter Kyra enjoyed another wonderful week together at Ghost Ranch in July. Dwight used his study time to write about 20 sermons - enough to get him through the end of year. Sharon took a class on the parables told in Luke 15 - The Lost Sheep, Lost Coin, and Lost (Prodigal) Son - a class that challenged her and also brought her some peace. Kyra found a friend and they spent the week having fun and enjoying the beauty that is Ghost Ranch. Sharon climbed Chimney Rock again and Kyra says she wants to join her in the hike next year. Steve and Beth also joined us for a couple of days and we all celebrated Steve's 30th birthday during a dinner at Rancho de Chimayo.

Fireworks! July 3rd - Avon, Colorado

This was our third trip to the Vail Valley for the spectacular July 3rd fireworks display put on by the Town of Avon. The first time we enjoyed this adventure was two years ago, when Steve and Beth were married at Eagle River Presbyterian Church on July 3rd, while Dwight was the Interim Pastor there. Friends Tom and Ruth Powers have hosted our return visits the last two years and we have grown to love this new tradition. Had a wonderful dinner on Sunday at the Powers' home in Edwards, with friends/members of the church, and then viewed the fireworks Monday with Tom and Ruth on a hill above I-70. If you ever have a chance to see this show, don't miss it. Dwight took several great photos of the fireworks, including the one above.

Yellowstone Park - Winter in May!

Dwight, Sharon, and sisters Donna, Annie, Marcia, and friend Penner traveled to Yellowstone Park over Memorial Day weekend and were treated to 3 days of snow, lots of wildlife, and much fun. It's been nearly 19 years since we moved from Wyoming, but driving through felt like home. It was a wonderful trip. We enjoyed 2 days in Yellowstone, 1 day in Jackson, Wyoming, which included a drive through Grand Teton National Park. The photos above include one of us in front of one of the many waterfalls in Yellowstone Park, a shot of Jackson Lake and the Grand Tetons as we were heading home on the last day (the day the sun finally came out, naturally!), and one of Sharon as we greeted our first day in Yellowstone!

A Visit with Grandfather Gallagher

Sharon spent a long weekend in Wisconsin at the end of April, staying with Steve and Beth in Appleton. Sharon, Steve and Beth (and Mello, their chocolate lab) spent a day in Madison with Sharon's 88-year-old dad. Other visits included a wonderful dinner in Milwaukee with brother Richard and wife Ann, and another wonderful dinner in Green Bay with sister Kathy and husband Tom. Grandfather is still pretty sharp, but physically weak He is well cared for at Oakwood Village, and receives frequent visits from his pastor, and from the Gallaghers and the Joynts. Beth and Steve have gone down to see him a couple of times, too. Sure wish it could be easier, but if you're blessed with longevity, growing old can be a real challenge.

Sharon Skis Again - 20 Years Later!

Yes, that's right, Sharon decided to try skiing again - 20 years since the last time. Granddaughter Kyra (above with Sharon) is taking 6 weeks of lessons and this was the excuse Sharon needed to get her to try again. So, yesterday was the day - the weather was supposed to be mild (not too cold, not snowing). She hadn't counted on wind, however, and that turned out to be the biggest problem of the day (gusts that shut down chair lifts and took all the warmth the sun would have otherwise provided). It was a difficult day, but Kyra's mom (Angela, along with her sister, Shirin) graciously put up with Sharon's slow but steady progress. Once a pretty good skier, Sharon was plagued by a combination of age, poor muscle tone, and wind that swept most of the snow off the mountain, leaving ice and crusted snow. She was unable to get out of the basic snow plow position and regain her confidence, which meant a lot of physical labor. But ... she did it! And she's quite proud of herself - not bad for an out-of-shape broad of 57 years! After getting home last night, she suffered major leg cramps for a couple of hours, but finally got to sleep. Today, her arms and legs are a little sore, but that's about it. If she does this again, she may try "blades" (really short skis). Angela uses these and says they are a lot easier on the legs.

Happy New Year from Kirk

Our 19-month-old Great Dane, Kirk, enjoyed a sunny Colorado outing at Chatfield State Park this morning. These shots show him playing with a chocolate lab, walking with Dwight, and enjoying a cup of coffee and donut afterwards with Sharon (note that he thinks he's sitting on her lap!) Kirk garners lots of attention wherever he goes. His size (125 pounds) and gentle personality, added to his puppy-like goofy-ness, cause people to stop to meet him and talk "dog talk" with us. It's so much fun that we often take him to Starbucks on Saturday mornings if the weather is warm enough to sit outside.

Christmas 2005

Sharon traveled to Wisconsin a few days before Christmas, visited her dad briefly in Madison before driving up to Appleton to stay with Beth and Steve. Sharon and Steve drove to Milwaukee Friday afternoon and visited with brother Richard, Ann and their youngest daughter Catherine. On Saturday morning, Steve, Beth and Sharon headed for breakfast at sister Kathy's home in Green Bay. We enjoyed our visit with Kathy, Tom and three of their sons, Michael, Nathan and Timothy. That evening, Christmas Eve, Steve led the early service at his church in Appleton, then Sharon enjoyed dinner and games at the Johnsons (Beth's sister and family). Steve preached the following morning (a creative and dramatic reading from the perspective of one of the shepherds in the Christmas story) and then he and Sharon and Beth drove down to Madison to spend Christmas afternoon and evening with Grandfather Gallagher. Steve and Beth's chocolate lab, Mello, joined us for the visit and also got to meet Grandfather.

Dwight preached at Presbyterian Church of the Covenant on Christmas morning (in Colorado), enjoyed an afternoon dinner with friends Bill & Pat Shaffer, then flew to Madison that evening. We stayed overnight in Madison, then visited Grandfather one more time before heading up for Appleton where we spent a couple more days with Beth and Steve. They were very sweet to put up with the parents for so long; their home is warm and hospitable and we appreciated the "free rent"!

Our flight home from Madison turned out to be quite a (miserable) adventure. We agreed to give up our seats on our original flight in order to earn two free United ticket vouchers, expecting to get home by around midnight. It meant flying through Chicago, which had been socked in by fog all day (unbeknownst to us) and, long story short, we crawled into bed about 4:00am Thursday morning, Dec 29, and didn't do much the rest of the day except sleep! Sharon hopes to use those free tickets to see her dad again this spring. He's slipping a bit and we're not sure he recognized who all was visiting him, so it's important that she not wait too long before the next trip.

Anniversary Cruise to Baja Mexico!

We celebrated our 34th wedding anniversary with a 4-night cruise and family reunion, November 14-18, with Steve and Beth, Donna (Dwight's sister) and Annie, Marcia (Dwight's sister) and Calvin, and life-long friends Tom & Carmen (who were married by Dwight just two days before the cruise). We all had a wonderful time hanging out with each other (and playing a lot of Skip-Bo!), and visiting San Diego, Catalina Island, and Ensenada, Mexico.

Pictured above - (1) Tom, Carmen, Sharon & Dwight on formal night; (2) Beth, Steve, Dwight and Sharon on the tender from the ship to Catalina Island; (3) Donna, Annie & Beth; (4) Calvin & Marcia; (5) Sharon & Dwight.

Dwight performs wedding for life-long friends

We traveled to Oxnard, California last weekend so that Dwight could perform the wedding cermony for Tom and Carmen Kruschke on November 12. Tom was the best man at our wedding 34 years ago, and Carmen's family lived on the same street as Dwight's family in the 1950's. Dwight introduced Tom and Carmen during their high school years, and they reconnected 3 years ago after Carmen picked out Tom's email address from a distribution list we used to communicate with friends and family. The wedding was small and simple and held on Mandalay Beach, a 10 minute walk from Tom and Carmen's home, and right behind the Embassy Suites, where we had dinner following the ceremony. Tom and Carmen then honeymooned with the Blackstock family as we cruised from Los Angeles to San Diego, Catalina Island, and Baja Mexico.

Dwight to start new position as Interim Pastor

Dwight has been invited to serve as the Interim Pastor for Presbyterian Church of the Covenant, Englewood, Colorado (just 11 miles from our home), beginning November 1, 2005. Interim pastors have a critical role in helping congregations adjust after one pastor leaves and anticipate the arrival of a new permanent pastor. Most interim positions last about a year; this one may take a little longer. It will be the first full-time position Dwight has had since leaving Grace Presbyterian Church and going on disability three years ago, and it will be an opportunity for him to see if he is ready to handle the physical demands of full-time work.

If you'd like to know a little more about Presbyterian Church of the Covenant, here's a link to the website: http://presbycov.org/

Dwight bags a trout!

Dwight and Sharon spent a couple of days near Fairplay, Colorado this week, with friends Jon and Danny Yeagley, who've built a beautiful cabin there. Jon took Dwight fishing at Jefferson Lake and after 18 years of complaining that he'd never caught a fish in Colorado, Dwight finally bagged a couple. Jon did the same and we had a fine trout dinner as our reward.

Memorial Service for Esther Gallagher

Pictures above: (1) Picture of Mom, circa 1970; (2) Dad surrounded by three of his grandsons; (3) Sharon, Kathy, and Richard, children of Sid and Esther Gallagher, at the memorial service for their mother on August 12th at Luther Memorial Church in Madison.

Sharon and Dwight spent the last week of July in Wisconsin visiting family and celebrating the marriage of nephew Matt and fiance Heidi on the 31st. We were able to spend some time with Sharon's parents as well, and it was pretty evident that Sharon's mother, Esther, age 89, was failing. We were able to use this time to say good-bye to Mom and let her know how much she was loved. We returned home on August 1st and a week later, Mom died. We then flew back to Wisconsin for the remainder of that week which ended with a memorial service on August 12 at Luther Memorial Church in Madison. All 7 of the grandchildren present participated in the service. Brother Richard expressed for both him and Sharon the gratitude we feel for sister Kathy's steadfast care for Mom and Dad over the last six years. Mom fell in 1999, suffered a compression fracture of the spine and never really recovered. Sharon's father, Sid, age 87, is weak physically, but still of pretty sound mind. He misses Mom terribly, even though the last couple of years have been extremely difficult.