Written and Contributed by Russ Erganbright
American Novelist, Thomas Wolfe said, “You can never go home again.”
By this he meant, if you are attempting to return to a place in your past you
won’t find it to be the same as it was. It seems we humans have a tendency
to paint the past with a more positive brush than it was in reality. But with all
due respect Mr. Wolfe, my wife and I were able to step back in time 50
years and experience some blissful memories from our past.
When my wife Kathy and I were wed back on June 23, 1973, we didn’t put
any thought to where we would be in 50 years. After all, 2023 seemed so
far away. We were far more concerned about more pressing events in our
lives at the time, like obtaining our education, starting a family and focusing
on our careers. Well here we now stand, half a century has flashed past in
a blink of an eye and we’re most pleased to reach this milestone of our
golden wedding anniversary!
When we were married, Kathy was 20 and I was 21. We had our love for
each other but little else. My meager monthly salary as a bank employee
was barely enough to support us as she was finishing her last year of
nursing school. The fact is, we were poor, but never knew it. What really
mattered to us was we had each other and the love of our families and
friends.
When the time came for our honeymoon we decided we would spend our
first night together as husband and wife in a quaint rustic cabin at Glen Isle
Resort near Bailey, Colorado. After our wedding we fled the city and drove
our old ‘63 Volkswagen Beetle to Glen Isle and were soon settled into our
cabin down by the river. It had been a long eventful day in our lives and we
decided to have dinner at the restaurant at the resort that evening. During
our meal we watched in amazement as hummingbirds performed their
aerial ballet as they squabbled over the bird feeder. As the sun dropped in
the western sky, bringing to an end our first day together as husband and
wife, all was right with the world in our young eyes. What could be better
than to have our own little cabin for the night in the majestic Rocky
Mountains. It was a magical moment for us in our lives and those memories
from 50 years ago still remain.
Many couples reaching their 50th wedding anniversary plan big events like
cruises or trips to Europe, but this just isn’t our style. Sometime ago we
wondered if it would be possible to return to Glen Isle and stay in the same
cabin for this special milestone. How romantic it would be to walk the
grounds together and spend the night where our married life began all
those years ago in the little cabin by the river. So we decided to pay the
resort a visit. However, shortly after we arrived it became obvious the place
had fallen into serious disrepair and renting the cabin was no longer
possible.
In 2017 there came a glimmer of hope for our reunion with our past when
Mary Ruth and Greg Vincent purchased the resort from the family of the
previous owners. Through their tireless work, dedication and love for the
place they breathed life back into Glen Isle Resort. The full restoration
would take years and a strong financial commitment. The Vincent’s became
much more than just owners of the property, they became committed
stewards to it’s long history of providing a place for people to escape the
pressures of modern day life.
In June of 2021 we revisited Glen Isle once again and were delighted to
see how this historic treasure had been saved and was being lovingly
restored to it’s original charm. Early in 2023, as our 50th wedding
anniversary was rapidly approaching, Mary Ruth and Greg kindly agreed to
rent us the same cabin we had stayed in way back in 1973. And on June
25th we were met by Mary Ruth as we checked in for our two night stay.
The world had come full circle for us, regardless of what Thomas Wolfe
said we were home once again. Yes, while some things had changed, that
warm welcoming feeling we remembered so clearly still remained! Change
is reality but what matters is how we perceive these changes. It’s best not
to dwell on those things that no longer exist but to seek out those timeless
memories of what remains. For us, this makes all the difference.
Kathy and I would like to deeply thank the Vincent’s for making our journey
back to a simpler time a reality. For this we will remain grateful!
