Four Bits of Advice

Feb. 26, 2008

We awoke to find a lovely dusting of snow.  When we moved here (after spending my entire life on the East Coast), our daughter Mary told us three things that would prove to be extremely helpful…things which I have repeated to friends and other newcomers:

*  Colfax is 15th Avenue (this is important driving in Denver)

*  If you see the mountains in front of you, you are headed West (again, a big help when driving in the area)

* Always dress in layers

But she forgot to tell us the fourth most important bit of information, which is:   

*  You will have 6 months of cold toilet seats                                   

Tea Accomplished

Feb. 25, 2008

Yesterday was the first in a series of three Tea & Tour events at Foothills Art Center in Golden.  Since Foothills is “Celebrating 40 Years on the Frontier of Art,” this seemed like the perfect time to invite members and guests to tea.  In 1968, Mrs. Holly Coors held the first Tea & Tour in an effort to encourage her friends to become supporters of the then-fledging center.

What a wonderful treat it was for me when Mrs. Holly Coors and her daughter-in-law Gail attended the 2008 Tea!  She is a lovely lady, in a wheelchair, and very sharp…told me the story of how the first teas got started.  We had our photo taken together….a nice memento for me of a successful event at Foothills Art Center.

Showering

Feb. 21, 2008

Every Thursday morning, I go to yoga for 1 1/2 hrs.  Then I come home, shower and shampoo and go to my volunteer job at the Front Desk of Foothills Art Center in downtown Golden (“Where the West Lives!”).  Today, I arrived back home after stretching to find that Consolidated Water had turned off the precious liquid while they worked on the main.  So I threw some things in a bag and headed off the the Golden Community Center where I showered and discovered that I had brought with me body wash, shampoo, a little make up and clean clothes to wear.  What I forgot was a towel. 

 Thank goodness for that oversize, long sleeved cotton T-shirt I wear to yoga!  It served me well.   Now if there were only something I could do with a wall mounted hot air blow dryer that would make my hair look presentable.

Another Snowshoe Episode

Feb. 21, 2008  Wednesday seems to be snowshoeing day at our house.  Yesterday, we took our new MSRs (traded in our TUBS at REI) up to Bear Lake.  We drove up Rt 93 through Boulder to get there, sun shining brightly all the way and very little snow evident along the route.  But Bear Lake is high enough that it still has lots of snow.  A Rocky Mountain National Park Ranger was the guide and she was great.  She talked about the flora and fauna, the animals we saw and didn’t see, the eco system and how to tell if a valley between the peaks was made by water rushing or a glacier movement.  She had a great sense of humor….as we approached the frozen lake, she quipped, “For most of us, this will be our only chance to walk on water.”  The hike itself was only about a mile but it was beautiful and our MSRs with their industrial-strength grips made the trip a real delight.  As is the tradition here, we came home, soaked in a tub of hot water with the jets on and sipped chilled white wine.

CO Legislature

Feb. 14, 2008

With a group from church, we visited the Colorado Legislature.  We were seated in the chamber by 9 a.m. which is the start time.  We heard Speaker of the House Andrew Romanoff call the session to order and saw the infamous Douglas Bruce (or Douglas Brute as he’s being called after kicking a photographer on opening day) and observed the controlled chaos that is the House of Representatives.  Two barber shop quartets from School of Mines opened the session with a song in honor of Valentine’s Day.  We also visited House and Senate hearings.

In the Senate hearing, Sen Paula Sandoval proposed a bill that would extend Medicaid to foster children until age 21 (right now, support stops at age 18).  There were two rows of foster kids there and two of them testified.  I was really moved by the young woman and the young man who told their stories.  They are so courageous to speak up for a program that can help them and thousands of kids who need and deserve the help.  And I felt like they were learning about the system and I hope they felt like a part of the law-making process.

Should Have Been a Sign…

February 17, 2008

The sign in the window said, “Fuego Restaurant for Sale.”  It was an omen.  But we walked into the Highland Square (Denver CO) restaurant anyway…it was Sunday and Bang was closed.  Tiny but cute, we found the Mexican eatery appealing.  We ordered and waited….and waited…and waited.  Nearly an hour later, our meal arrived.  My huevos rancheros had fried eggs instead of the scrambled I had ordered.  Never mind, I was so hungry I ate it anyway.  The food was ok.  I asked the waitress, “Were you just not ready for the lunchtime crowd?”  She replied, “Everyone came in at once!”  Yes, that’s what usually happens at lunchtime.   Maybe the new owners will figure it out.  We won’t be going back to find out.

Snowshoeing II

Feb. 13, 2008

Having joined the Over The Hill Gang of the Colorado Mountaineering Club, we loaded up our snowshoes and other equipment and met the group for a drive up to Chief Mountain.  We parked on Squaw Pass Rd and outfitted ourselves.  The hike was an unbroken snow trail that wound up the mountain side, at times pretty steep.  Of the 12, about 6 or 7 were seasoned hikers and they went at quick speed.  Three or four others went at normal speed.  The leader, Elaine, stayed with us at slow speed and I went at Andi Speed!  The seasoned hikers went to the summit but the group that stayed with us did not.  We stopped for lunch early while the others went ahead knowing we would all meet up at the base at a given time.  The trip down was even worse than the trip up and finally one of the seasoned hikers suggested I take off my not heavy-duty snowshoes and climb down in my hiking boots.  That worked well.

 Things I learned:  *  it’s reassuring to have one person in the group whose backpack is equipped for anything – broken bones, overnight in the snow, etc.  * wear panty liner  * even though you tell the Leader that it’s only your second time, she’s still surprised at how slow you are  * drink lots of water

Came home and soaked in a tub of hot water, jets on.

Snowshoes

Feb. 8, 2008

We met Mary at REI and checked out the sale.  We told the salesman that we needed novice snowshoes as we do not expect to break new snow or climb steep inclines.  We got poles, gaiters, a hat….and I got Goretex hiking boots in my size!

 Bumped into my friend Ruth (who sews) and later, while Mary and I were checking out, she picked John up!  When Mary and I got to the Starbucks in REI, there were Ruth and John chatting and laughing.  The four of us sat in the sunshine looking out at the blue sky over Denver and had a great time.  Then we filled up the back of the Subaru with our “stuff” and headed home.

Snowshoeing I

Feb. 3, 2008

Scott & Mary invited us to go snowshoeing!  Scott rented snowshoes for us at REI and they drove us up to Jones Pass near Henderson Mines.  It was fabulous!  We had gone about 10 feet when I said to John, “We’ve got to buy snowshoes!”  Now there’s a sentence I never thought I’d say!

I grew up in the South and water skiied in the summer, usually on Lake Murray in SC.  I’ve never been on a pair of snow skis….doubt I ever will be.  So walking in the snow was never anything in my consciousness.  But it was so beautiful and even though I went at a snail’s pace, I had a great time. 

We ate lunch in the car – they call it the Santa Fe Cafe – and then came home.  I soaked in a hot tub, turned on the jets, and sipped hot tea.  John soaked and had a beer.  All in all, an excellent day!

Really 20/25

Jan. 29, 2008

At his follow up visit, the Kaiser eye doctor told John that his right eye is now 20/25, the best it has ever been.  I think we’ll save the lighted magnifier to read the telephone book.