The Casual Blog

Last Saturday with much of the mid-section of the U.S. still in the grips of a devastating storm, Jocelyn, a new graduate of NCSU, loaded up the car with all her indefensible possessions and headed for Telluride, Colorado to start the next phase of her life.  She’d made the 30-plus hour drive to Telluride twice before, but never in the face of a storm.  We conferred on how to evaluate the danger and contingency planning, and then, with trepidation, I wished her good luck.  Sally and I left for our flight to Telluride a couple of hours before Jocelyn left, with our own travel anxieties, and no great confidence that our flight would either get into or out of Chicago.

Chicago was snowy, and the de-icing procedure was prolonged, but our flight made it, as did all of our luggage except for my skis.  Jocelyn and her friend Britt reported in every few hours that skies and roads were clear and they were steaming ahead. I tried to convey confidence and good cheer, and not to think of the many hazards of the road.  At about the halfway point, she reported that she’d arranged for a place to live located near the gondola in Telluride.

It was of course a sweet relief when she finally arrived Monday afternoon.  She and Britt, after little sleep and minimal food, were amazingly cheerful.  We went to a Mexican place for dinner and had margaritas, burritos, and a few too many corn chips.  Jocelyn said she would be seeing friends, renting skis, and starting the job hunt the next day.  My beautiful daughter is on her way.