September 3-6 - Fort Collins, Colorado
During our retirement, one of the goals we have is to do everything possible to ensure that our nieces and nephews (and great-nieces and great-nephews) have the opportunity for higher education. We both feel strongly that our college education helped us get to where we are today, and our way of giving back is to ensure that the opportunity is provided and encouragement is given.
Right now, we are blessed to have two in college - Clay (Callie's son) at the Savannah College of Art & Design (SCAD) in Savannah, Georgia and Tiffany (Ruth Ann's granddaughter) at Front Range Community College (FRCC) in Fort Collins, Colorado. Our trip (Cary, Lota & Ruth Ann) to Colorado was to get Tiffany moved from her summer job and living quarters at Shambhala Mountain Center at Red Feather Lakes to an apartment in Fort Collins. We also took Nancy's red Escape (the great car trade started with us trading in our BMW for a small Lexus Hybrid SUV and giving our gray Escape to Nancy) to give to Tiffany. So the photos below tell some of the story of our trip -- but you might benefit from knowing a little more about Shambhala (which we knew nothing about before we arrived).
Tiffany first heard about Shambhala when she had graduated from high school, and needed some space between her difficult childhood and starting her life as an adult. Tiffany is not a practicing Buddhist, but she appreciated the quiet solitude and genuine peace that exists in Shambhala environment. Here's some Wikipedia info about Shambhala:
The Shambhala Mountain Center was founded in 1970 at Red Feather Lakes, Colorado. The founder, named Trungpa, arrived in 1971 with a number of students from Vermont. The property is nestled on 600 acres of grassy fields, forest, ponds, and streams. The center boasts 35,000 square feet of building space for meditation, dharma talks, programs, and living quarters. The center hosts regular Shambhala Training programs as well as yoga instruction, leadership training, children's programs, and retreats, which last from a week to several months. Following the death of Trungpa in 1987, his followers began a fourteen-year process of building a stupa at the Shambhala Mountain Center. Completed in August 2001, The Great Stupa of Dharmakaya reaches 108 feet and is open to visitors daily. The Great Stupa is the largest and most elaborate example of Buddhist sacred architecture in North America.
In Tibetan Buddhist tradition, Shambhala is a mythical kingdom hidden somewhere in Tibet. Shambhala is a Sanskrit term meaning self-benefited or self-powered. Commonly it is understood to be a "place of peace/tranquility/happiness". Shambhala is believed to be a society where all the inhabitants are enlightened.
With an ultimate design to attend Colorado State (in Fort Collins), Tiffany is getting her basics out of the way at Front Range Community College while she establishes residency in Colorado. We are so proud of her, and are excited about her future prospects.
Enjoy the photos!
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| The Great Stupa at Shambhala Mountain Center |
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| The view of the mountains from 8,000 feet. |
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