I wanted to write more tonight, but this day is drawing to an end, and I have to get to bed.

This weekend was most enjoyable for a few reasons, the main one which occurred on Saturday night. My longtime close friend’s daughter got married. That event was most special because I’ve known Chris for probably 33 years now. We’ve been connected for a long long time, and my life has been part of his family’s, just as his family has also been a part of mine. I’ve not been the closest person to his kids or his daughter, but our family ties are there, and I’ve felt a part of her life. Yesterday, she was a child, and now, she is a married young woman. The wedding was first rate, and the reception was also a wonderful event. I enjoyed reconnecting with Chris’s family- his folks, and his brother T., whom I’ve known for a long time now also, and at one time both lived with and worked with. I appreciated sharing in this special moment in that family’s life, but also in a passage point in Chris’s life. His daughter is now married. He is a father-in-law. Life moves forward.

Friday evening was another enjoyable event because it was a special dinner at my folk’s house that was shared with my sister’s first exchange student,Walter, who came into town for a little more than a week to see us on his drive to his new job in the Northwest. Walter has continued to claim us as his American family six years after he was an exchange student in Albuquerque for his junior year in high school. Walter is extremely intelligent, but he is also very thoughtful and a kind person, and he has only become moreso as he attended and finished college. He is a special kid, and he feels like family to us when he is around- he’s just part of our tribe, and that is also because he feels that way about us. The dinner was my mom’s fabulous chicken and noodle dish with salad and peas and big biscuits. I always eat too much when we share that meal together, but it is always fantastic.

Tonight, it was a treat to get together again with my boardgame group guys- Brian, Ron, and Kyle. Brian and Ron and I probably began getting togehter once every two weeks or so with Brian’s girlfriend at the time, Karen, for game night some 3 years ago. Since then, they’ve enabled me to indulge myself (and them) in trying and playing many board games that are part of the modern crop of tabletop games. Karen moved out of state six months ago, and shortly after, I met Kyle, another gamer, who stepped in to take the regular fourth seat.

Kyle introduced us to a game called Silverton about a month ago that we found we like right away within our first play of it. The game is about developing railroad routes and mining operations in the Southwest, but much of the game is informed by historical locations, and much of it takes place in New Mexico and southern Colorado, so it is additionally attractive based on its regional connections.

We played a full four-person session of the game tonight, and it only took four and a half hours for me to (luckily) win. But the four and a half hours flew by because the mechanics of the game are interesting and engaging.

I was happy to visit and visit with my dad for a little bit this afternoon for Father’s Day.

All in all, it was a really marvelous weekend.