Roberts and Snape (Spoiler Alert)

Between the years of 1998 and 2007, I never would have fathomed that the words displayed to the left would be posted on this blog. "Snape" and "trust"? No way. I admit it: I was a Snape doubter all the way. Only one person had less faith in Sevvie than me, and that was Harry himself.

Which is why I took note of Erin Gloria Ryan's June 28th tweet. Ryan, reacting to the Supreme Court ruling in favor of the President's healthcare plan, tweeted: "Roberts is the Severus Snape of the Supreme Court."

I realize I live in a cave in Richmond, Vermont (and I may barely know what a tweet is... something about 140 characters, right?). No, I don't follow Erin Gloria Ryan's twitter activity, nor am I familiar with Jezebel, the gossipy on-line magazine she writes for. But sooner or later, your Harry Potter tweets will come to my attention, and you'll have to answer to me. So what was she getting at? Did she realize that (again, SPOILER ALERT!) in Book 7 Snape saves the day, sacrifices his life for good over evil, and -- in the epilogue -- Harry actually names his child after the former Potions-Master-turned-Defense-Against-the-Dark-Arts-teacher-turned-Headmaster?

Kudos to Ryan -- apparently she is aware. Years after Book 7, I have to admit the idea of Snape the Good Guy still feels... weird. Ryan, however, is more confortable with the concept, and she clarified in a follow-up tweet:

"How am I saying that like it's bad? Severus Snape is awesome. Everybody knows that."

I just wouldn't want to see any uneducated Potter references coming up in regard to current events. And, for anyone who is unclear, this post is about Severus Snape -- and not about current events.

Welcome to Colorado

Okay, this isn't exactly a welcome sign, but we aren't asking everyone to act differently just on our account; just be yourselves. Therefore, whether they took shots at us or not, our latest visit to the Wild West was just perfect.

The trip's objective was simple: to meet our new friend Harper French -- newly arrived on the scene on October 30, 2011. This didn't take long to accomplish; Amy met us at the airline gate, announced she needed to use the ladies room, thrust baby Harper in my arms, and left him with us. We've pretty much been buds ever since.



The visit was awesome. It was great to connect with old friends, to visit Marble, Colorado for a weekend, and to see the Chrystal Mill (see photo). From our base at the Chateau Frenchy, we biked the Rio Grande Trail, hiked a 14er, ran Red Hill and Mushroom Rock, and rock climbed across from a hot spring. I should also mention we ate like kings -- especially the last night at Six89 in Carbondale. Get the coconut-curry soup (we all did).



Vacations are great for recharging and shifting gears, and by the time the trip was over, we had done both; we are now ready for summer in Vermont. And it's a good thing; if we'd stayed away any longer, the lawn would have overgrown the house! Thanks to the Frenches for having us and to Heather for watching our pets and home. We can't wait till the next recharge-slash-gearshift.