Oh Let the Sun Beat Down Upon My Face

I am not exaggerating at all when I say that when I met my big sister, I thanked the heavens because I did then and still believe that she was promised to me before I was even born.  I'm the younger one but somehow I made some kind of deal that I would get her in my life and damned if it didn't come true.  That's one of the ways I know about souls and joy and promises because these are things that existed and were understood prior to my birth.  I am so grateful for her and I hope that I can become the sister that I wish to be.

When we were young we played together really well, invented games, made secret faces and communication that only we understood.  I have written this before but I thought sister saw what I saw and became pretty bummed when I realized we didn't share a mind.  But we were connected strongly and have some twin qualities to this day even living so far from each other.  We've always had a mutual love of all things funny and discovered deeper humor, great music, dancing skills, and imagination together.  We grew up fast and were separated by life but I hoped and prayed we'd find our way back someday and somehow we did.  These pics are from my recent visit to spend her 60th birthday together at her home in Colorado.  It was an amazing time to share food, more laughs, watch scary movies,  and go on long walks talking about all the unique hardships of growing older but not feeling old and living with the opposite sex for an inordinate amount of time.  Discussions went from heavy to lighter subjects like what it would be like to have clean floors and a nice smelling bathroom. 

The moon seemed to stay full the length of my stay which was almost an entire week, so not possible but I really don't remember a night when it wasn't.

Our first take out meal.  This was the smoked turkey platter from Obie's, the local barbecue joint.  We went to pick it up and it has a connecting dispensary, which is genius and super convenient.  It was great to get a taste of the local flavor.  The restaurant was crowded and people tended to stare a little like they were surprised to see folks they didn't know.  We were surprised that we liked the smoke turkey because we really wanted BBQ chicken.  They were out.

They like to smother stuff in Green chile sauce in parts of Colorado, like this tamale.  I wasn't sure if I would, but I loved it!

Sister made me this sausage and fried egg breakfast sandwich slathered with hot sauce instead of butter on the toast.  Mmmmm!

And I was treated to one of her famous smoothies with ingredients from her garden.  So refreshing!

We stayed at a hotel in Pueblo for our final night and vowed to not get too sad but stay upbeat and enjoy every last moment. 

We split this delivery of a Stromboli and a Calzone with side salad and lots of dipping sauce.  They know how to do portions in this town.  We were able to eat twice from every meal.

I was treated to another home cooked breakfast of eggs and bacon with toasted pumpkin bagel and whipped honey.

The day before I flew out she had a drastic drop in temps and almost everything froze, except these greens that she had covered.

Her sweatshirt says Someone in New York Loves Me, and they do! 

Lake Isabel - a gorgeous reservoir in the Wet Mountains just right up the road from her house. 

The neighboring small town of Rye.  We both agreed we could write a good horror story with this location.

Sis made these super moist grilled steaks one night after a day out on the lake.

I made Greek relish and hot sauce and she served with her steak, roasted potatoes and candy-striped beets from her garden.  We drove to get DVDs in the pitch black night.  That night there was an orange moon very low.

Not pictured was a pan of Monkey Bars that we finished off in about two days.  The best Woman's Day recipe to this day. monkey bar recipe.  Sister said it was like the moistest banana bread.

Another cool small nearby town called Walsenburg.  We explored and shopped and ate at the local Mexican restaurant. 

Corine's

When you're happy that you got a big plate of tacos but also bummed that you misunderstood the waitress when she asked if you wanted white or corn tortillas.

And me, very ecstatic for my tamale and the rice was on point.  The taco, was good, basic, non-exceptional but honestly, I almost licked the plate clean.  We both had to notice how you don't get chips and sauce automatically at many places anymore.  What was once completely expected now sets you back another $5 or more.

Every setting around her town had a golden, soft glow to it and felt so peaceful and right.

Bishop's Castle, a local attraction.  Great gift shop.

Anticipating the trip, I wished I could have taken her to Greece or somewhere exotic. But as soon as I got there I knew it was the best place to celebrate and have the most fun.   It meant everything.  She is my sister but also my greatest friend, I respect and admire all that she's lived through and want only the best for her.  She is someone I can talk to about anything.  I told her what weighs on my heart and she did the same.

She's always thrived in nature and I loved seeing her world up there, where she is the most happy.  How cute is she in this hat too!? 

One day while walking our 5 miles around her neighborhood lake, we saw a huge deer just standing looking at us.  We kept getting closer but it just stayed staring.  Later we saw it had it's baby across the road.  And then later still, we saw the whole dang clan in a yard down the street.  The deer were out very early and it was unusual for them not to run from us or a car so close.

We had a fun time at Victorio's one night.  There were drunk men at the bar playing pool and singing Tom Petty songs.  They seemed to be showing off a bit but you would have thought we were invisible, not one of them looked over at us the whole time.  But it was coincidentally the waitress' birthday so we had free big slices of soft birthday cake so I forgot all about being ignored.  Plus the chicken wings were calling us.

I had the lasagna, which was delicious and to this day I regret I did not even put a dent in which is very unlike me.

Sis had the Fried Spaghetti that turned out to be incredible with lots of good Parmesan, sausage, mushrooms, peppers, tomatoes and olives. 

She grew chocolate mint which smelled exactly as it sounds.  How magical!

Probably my favorite meal was her version of mom's home enchilada's rolled on the spot with cold cheese and onions inside and lots of her incredible sauce made from scratch.  Lettuce, tomatoes and onions on top and more cold cheese.  This is how she made them at home, never baked.  You stood and got yours at the stove.  This might just be the Indiana Enchilada version of Cincinnati Chili.

Sister has the Goldilocks effect with all her cooking.  Its as if the seasoning is always dialed in to the precise perfect tone.  It's called natural talent.  I don't have that.

And probably my favorite food that she did not cook was this Grass Fed mushroom medley dream from Bingo Burger in Pueblo.  We split a Strawberry Shake and sweet potato and regular fries.

I helped her cover the garden at night.

I called her Marilyn Monroe because you had to wait, sometimes what felt like hours until she was ready to come out but I had fun sitting and looking out from her back porch onto the mountain and neighbors, getting much needed sun on my face. And this is what I had dreamed of doing while there.

On the cab ride back to my apartment in Brooklyn, I texted her my view from the BQE, the graveyard on one side and Manhattan on the other.