The Quiet Place, 9″x6″ watercolor, By Donna Lyons © 2015
“This barn is almost isolated in winter, when the wind howling down Bowen Gulch brings Kawuneeche snowstorms that sprawl out along the creek, building rifts here and there along its banks and in and out of forest curtains. A good work-out on snowshoes takes me to see how it looks in winter and deeply rewards my curiosity. Most folks see this charming place when the world is green and gold, when echoes of elk voices bounce back and forth across the steep gulch to the west. Yes, or course! This is another favorite place of mine that also feels like home, even though my real home lies just a few short miles to the south in the valley. Favorite landscapes can evoke a sense of belonging, as their reassuring presence after a long absence reminds us: here is something previous, warm and most familiar. In spite of our away-from-home wonderings, it’s always comforting to find a memory of our past that hasn’t changed, hasn’t disappeared and is still welcoming.” -DL
Welcome to your second home
By Marty Coffin Evans © 2017
Years ago, when I first moved to California for my teaching job, I knew one couple friend of my parents. They lived in Riverside, about an hour or so away from me.
They were kind enough to give me a second home during those early years. I’d call the Sayers and go for a visit along with a meal with them. How special that became for me and my parents too.
Soon teacher friends would invite me to join them at their family’s homes in Northern California for Thanksgiving. I came home to Boulder for Christmas but, sharing that second home with them during that holiday helped close the distance.
In the recent weeks, I’ve learned how much our home has meant to others who moved here. “I can’t imagine how different my life would be had I not known you and become part of your family,” commented Emily.
Coming here from Illinois for college, she knew no one except us from my cousin’s family friend. She noted recently how important the years have been from her collegiate times, to when Emily lived with us for a few months and since her return to Boulder for a job. She recalls special Sunday evening dinners with “60 Minutes.”
“My mom always asks about you,” Emily continued. “She’s so grateful you gave me a second home.” Our second home meals have continued as she’s part of our family members planning the holiday ones starting with Thanksgiving through Easter and beyond.
I realized that second home concept when attending the memorial service for our high school friend Barbara’s father. That family had moved next door to us from Champagne-Urbana, Illinois.
Our friend Sharon remembered meeting me at Baseline Junior High School shortly after she and her widowed mother had moved here from Kansas. Most likely that meeting occurred in choir as we sang together for years in school. “You saved me,” she reflected. I’d forgotten some of that and realized how hard that must have been for that young teen.
Another in our small group had moved here from Illinois by way of their Cliffside Cottages in Estes Park. Donna was the one the Dean of Girls at Boulder High called me in to meet and show around. I later learned her mother shed joyful tears about her daughter meeting a new friend.
Sometimes, we don’t realize how we’ve helped others when they’ve moved into our schools or communities. Hearing that importance is most gratifying.
I remain grateful for the gift of that second home years ago. I still cook Alice Sayre’s Tamale Pie recipe and remember their kindness to this family friend from Colorado.
November 2025