Caught an early morning flight from Detroit to Denver to visit Lucinda and Alexander. Surrounded by north and south versions of Table Top Mountain, Golden is a small town west of Denver that has Clear Creek shimmering through high and rocky hills that are at this moment silhouetted behind backlit honeyed Aspen and Birches holding on to their remaining Autumn leaves. The sun is still warm here and I soak up its early winter rays. I cannot help imagining the first settlers stumbling upon these lands, perhaps on their way to a California paradise, the creek and pastures tempting them to set down roots. How did they fair in this stunning wilderness? Looking west lies the Rocky Mountains and I know I would rather not cross those babies without the comfort of summer heat. Their sun and ours, later falls below black rock while the moon ascends directly above Table Top Mountain into dark blue sky and slowly melts into thick red and then misty brown; we are witness to a total lunar eclipse.