Quaking Aspens and Other Mountain Tales

I've been silent for a while because I was at the Yoga Journal Colorado Conference in Estes Park (and, I don't own a laptop - yet). Though I was working, I took Scott and my sons Matthew and Jack along. While they hiked in Rocky Mountain National Park, I interviewed and/or took classes with such yoga greats as Ana Forrest, Aadil Palkhivala, Tias Little, and Judith Lasater.I had a remarkable time. From kicking into inversions (not my strong suit) with Ana Forrest to discussing how ego interferes with the deeper practice of yoga with Aadil Palkhivala, I learned much. How vast the study of yoga is, how it is a mirror of the self, how grateful I am to have this practice in my life.One evening as dusk was falling, the boys and I were walking on the grounds of the YMCA of the Rockies where the conference was held, and we heard the far off bugle of an elk looking for a mate. Out of the descending dark he comes towards us, all antlers and moxie. His bugle had an unearthly quality. His potential mate kept walking away from him. "I dont' think she likes him Mom," Matthew said.Before we left, we all took a walk in Rocky Mountain National Park. I was freezing, and thought my cheeks would fall off. As we wended our way on the path, we made it to a copse of golden Quaking Aspens. I thought this, perhaps, is the closest I'll ever get to heaven on earth.