A walk and a very special friend

On Monday, we took a short trip to Madison, Wisconsin to visit the UW Arboretum. It's hard to believe that we've never been there. Many of the wildflowers were already gone but we saw some flowering trees,

many lilacs,

and a few wildflowers.

There were ponds,

interesting fungi,

an interesting tree,

and many kinds of paths.

Our only wildlife sighting was this turkey.

After our hike, we headed to FreshFin for lunch. It was our first visit there but it won't be our last!

I had the CYOB (craft your own bowl) with sauce on the side. It was delicious!

Our day was planned in advance but it was exactly the day we needed. Early that morning I found out that one of my best friends, Colleen Gift, had died on Sunday. She had a stroke on Good Friday and after about two weeks in the hospital went to a rehab center. We visited her there and she was doing well with a good prognosis but that changed. She was moved after a couple weeks to a long term care facility. We visited her Saturday afternoon. She wasn't doing well but the news of her death a day later was a shock. 

I met Colleen in 1979 when I began teaching at Highland College in Freeport, IL. We became close friends within a few weeks. Colleen was that very special, rare type of friend that ALWAYS said "yes" when I said "Could you" or "Would you". I know Ray always has my back and Colleen was always right there behind him. Our kids are near the same age and we went through many life events together. I will dearly miss her.

A walk in the woods gave me the time to reflect and the peace to shed some tears. It was the perfect place for me to be with Ray by my side.