Part 7.   Littleton Colorado

Pic: Mara and a friend.   

Mara was not due into Austin until the 1st of August, so she ended up staying the week at Jill's.    I was planning to drive up to Denver (or more specifically Lakewood) to Scott's house, but was not in a hurry so hung out for the week with Mara and Jill and family, Joe, Cody, Leo and Charlie, and of course Tamale.

Mara's second family has always been Jill's family, and she always seems to fit right in there.     She has a hidden competitive ferocity that syncs with that family, as they are all fairly serious game players, and it suits Mara's competitive edge.    Alex, the infamous daughter in law has said of Mara "She smiles so sweetly and innocently at you, then will lay a killer card down, and rip you apart".    I relayed this quote to Mara, and she replies casually "Well that's how you do it".

So we played games every night for the week, and at the end of the week I offered to drive with Mara to Austin, as I was still a little nervous about her car making it, as the brake light had been on all the way since Santa Clara, but she said that she wanted to do the last leg herself, and wanted to have "her own adventure".    I could completely understand of course, remembering my own crazy independent streak at that age, and backed off.

She took off and I hung around Jill's another couple of days just in case I needed to rescue Mara somewhere between Prescott and Austin, but she made it ok,  so I took off for Denver August 2nd, with the intention of taking a lazy 10 days or so to get up to Lakewood, as I was not expected there until with 15th, when the plan was for me to house sit for Tammy's parents house, and do some major painting projects for them in return.