Philadelphia Freedom: Day 2

The second day of our trip was our easiest driving day, but it was Peter's most stressful day for a different reason. (More on that later.) Early on we stopped at a Dunkin' Donuts and got some caffeine (or, in my case, decaf), donuts, and .....

..... we bought some cherries at a fruit stand that was in the parking lot. These were the samples—adorable! We bought a bag of the red cherries, which we ate them all along the trip—and there were enough left over that Peter got to take some to Jessa. They were sweet and juicy—yum!

The scenery in Colorado was, predictably, spectacular. As you know, what you see in person on a drive does not translate to photos, especially when taken from a speeding car in bright sunshine through a bug-splattered windshield. This was my best attempt.

Our first destination was Denver. Peter had a job interview for a job that he had already been interviewing for via Skype while in Morocco. The job is in Philadelphia, but the company is headquartered in Denver. While he was at his interview, I walked over to the Denver Botanic Gardens and showed myself around. This Chihuly sculpture entitled "Colorado" is spectacular, but I think it'd be even more spectacular in the winter when surrounded by snow.

There were many beautiful gardens and flowers, my favorite being the Rocky Mountain Columbine.

When Peter concluded his interview we drove north to Fort Collins, to spend the evening and stay overnight with John and Troy. Peter was happy that his interview went well. By Monday he had received a formal offer, and by the time you read this, it will be accurate to say he starts work tomorrow! He's working for a nonprofit called Book Trust. He'll manage their Northeast region, focusing now on Philadelphia. The mission of this nonprofit is to distribute free books to elementary students in low-income communities, increasing their literacy skills and fostering life-long learning.

John and Troy had house guests from St. Louis, so we made it into a party! This is Meredith (the minister who married them) and her boyfriend Mike. It seemed fitting that they were there since this was the first anniversary of John and Troy's wedding.

Here we have the Harrison contingent.

Peter brought some of my dad's books that he got when visiting my mom. He and John went through them and found some of their grandpa's doodling humorous.

Sirius likes his new house and his new life. This is their front porch, which is adjacent to a fenced-in area for Sirius. And with that I'm done telling you about our second day. Tomorrow: the conclusion of our cross-country drive!