I just returned from a family wedding in the charming town of Evergreen, Colorado. The snow-capped Rocky Mountains were breathtaking, even if the temperature did hover around 70 degrees! It’s a lovely place with great restaurants, its own mini-boardwalk lined with charming shops, and picturesque views everywhere you look. Lots of beautiful parks where elk roam freely, too. Would I trade it for Maine? Not for a moment. But it’s a great place to visit and filled with friendly, welcoming people. Surprisingly, a lot of them are young people from New England who have moved West for a while to try out a different part of the country. To a person, those I met mentioned missing the colors of a New England fall and, especially, the sight and sound of the ocean. It will be waiting when they return–once New England is in your blood, you never lose it.