Leaving Denver, for now...

This is our last day in Denver.  Per my (Larry) usual habit, I got up around 7:00 and took an hour’s walk.  That has been one of the joys of being here in downtown Denver.  The weather has been uniformly good—mornings have been cool to brisk.  It is just a couple of short blocks to a wonderful walking trail that follows Cherry Creek to where it meets the South Platte River.  After walking along the river for awhile, I turn back towards town through a lovely park and then up 16^th street back to our apartment building.  Of course, most mornings, I stop off at McDonald’s for my diet coke—an addiction that I guess I will have learn to do without once we leave here.

The confluence of Cherry Creek and South Platte River.

 This morning was picture perfect—a cloudless cerulean (have always wanted to use that adjective) blue sky with temperatures in the mid 50’s and bright, almost blinding sunlight.  As it was Saturday morning, there were few to share the trails and sidewalks, unlike workday mornings when there are lots of people—commuters and runners as well a large number of bicyclists and skateboarders.  One nice thing that the city planners have done here is that along the creek and river trails, the pedestrians and bicyclists are each assigned one side of the river.  You don’t have to always be looking out for a mad biker “passing on the left.”

In the six weeks that we have been here, we have really grown to like and appreciate Denver—it has all of the amenities of a large city—culture, theaters, parks and restaurants—but it is still manageable and still on a “human scale.” As we have said before, we are definitely thinking of returning for a longer, if not permanent stay.

But of course what we will miss will be Charlie and his parents.  We will miss his deep chest chortle when something delights him like blowing a raspberry on his tummy, pretending to eat his hands or feet, or giving him a million kisses! We will miss watching him learn and develop.  When we first arrived back in the middle of August, he was barely able to sit up without tumbling over and you knew that he wanted to crawl, but he just hadn’t mastered the technique. 

Walking along Cherry Creek; Charlie thought the sound of the rushing water was neat, but he really liked the taste of his right big toe.

 We watched him get up on his knees, rock back and forth a number of times, and then do a face plant. We will miss his scrunching up his shoulders, putting his hands together and giving you the most beautiful smile imaginable.  Now he tootles to wherever he wants, without a second thought--and if you turn your back, he has discovered something that you really don't want him to be doing

We will miss holding him, reading to him, and feeding him. He makes his mouth into a perfect O and rocks back and forth, waiting for the spoon to deliver the oatmeal, squash and pear mush. We know that we will be able to see him regularly on Skype—but of course it is not like being here.  We also know that we will see him again in about three months—but goodness, he will probably be walking and even speaking a word or two.  How can we leave? We keep asking ourselves.

The days grow shorter...

We arrived in Denver at the middle of August.  2012 was a record breaking hot and dry summer in Denver, and it has continued to be quite warm—at times, almost hot, all through the month of September.  Still, the seasons change, and we are now beginning to see the signs of approaching fall.  Dawn comes later every morning, and sunset earlier.  This morning, it was cloudy (approaching front), so that it really wasn’t light until nearly 7:00.

This has been another full week, with lots of Charlie time.  Oh, it is going to be so hard to say goodbye to him and him, Mom & Dad next Sunday. The wonderfully warm weather and sunshine has induced us to explore the Highlands neighborhood, wheeling Charlie about in his stroller.  He hates being strapped into the stroller, but once secured, he always delights in the walks. We have found a park near their house with lots of grass to crawl around in and the opportunity to try the baby swings and a teeter-totter. He is still withholding judgment on whether he really likes these.

Charlie thinks he might like swinging.

On Friday, Bryn took us shopping—Larry needed a sports jacket and having failed to pack one, he was unwilling to fork out hundreds of dollars for an article of clothing that may be lost or abandoned at one of our stops. The Goodwill Store was the ideal answer.  He found an acceptable (Bryn & Sue think it actually looks quite nice & stylish) jacket for $7.00.  But our real coup was a large blue garden gnome that Sue couldn’t pass up and Bryn immediately christened “Gnome Chomsky.”  Sue had to fend off several other shoppers who were equally smitten! He has found a home in Bryn and Grant’s backyard, where he now stands guard over a newly planted tulip bed.

Wheeling "Gnome Chomsky" out of the Goodwill Store & finding him a new home!

On Sunday, we all drove to Lyons, CO, a small foothills town that serves as a gateway to the Rocky Mountain National Park, to visit with our good friends, Jeanne Finan and Tom Eshelman, and their son, Jody, and his family including his wife Natalie and their three children, Cedar, Orion, and Truth.   

Jeanne & Sue enjoying a good visit.

It was fun to catch up with Tom and Jeanne’s news and to get to know the new family.  Charlie was really intrigued by the big kids and all that they could do—including lots of legos! We capped the visit off with a hike to the St. Vrain creek—the adults contented themselves with just dipping their toes into the cold water, but the kids enjoyed swimming and splashing around.   

At the St Vrain Creek, Lyonas, CO.

With two brothers, Truth still manages to be a Princess

We made it back home to Denver in time to watch the last quarter of another disappointing loss for the Broncos—Grant is an avid fan, and we are enjoying rooting along with him, even when they lose.

Oh, one final note--being the political junkies that we are, we were worried that we wouldn't get our absentee ballots in time, but they arrived this Saturday--and most of you know for whom we have marked them. It will be a strange situation to be out of the country for the debates and the general election in November once again.  We were in Italy in November 2000--waiting day after day for a winner to be declared--only to have the Supreme Court make their ill-fated decision.  Our European friends couldn't understand how it could happen--but then neither could we!

Denver Botanical Gardens

Everyone who knows us, knows how much we like arboretums and botanical gardens.  This past weekend, we had the opportunity to visit Denver’s Botanical Gardens (thanks Ashley, Derek and Holden) in the city’s Cherry Creek neighborhood—a neighborhood of what look like million dollar homes on well-manicured and landscaped yards, so the drive to the garden is attractive and interesting.

We went to the Garden with not very high expectations, as we did not have much information about it and had not done any investigation.  Well, we were blown away.  It is one of the most beautiful botanical gardens that we have visited. 

Oh to be able to have a  perennial border like this.

 Saturday was a bright, warm (almost hot) day, with a blue, cloudless sky.  The bright sunshine, reflecting on the many water features and on some of the many extraordinary grasses, was almost blinding at times.  Fortunately, there are lots of shady areas and plenty of places to sit, rest and reflect. Adding to the experience was a temporary installation of beautiful bamboo sculpture by the artists Tetsunori Kawana and Stephen Talasnik.

The grasses were incredible--beautiful, unusual, and so varied!

Some of the bamboo sculpture featured at the Gardens.

All of us, Grant, Bryn, Larry, Sue & Charlie, were so impressed.  Building and maintaining such a large, diverse, and multifaceted garden is an incredible commitment by the city of Denver and its citizens.  We saw an exhibit outlining its history and cost—and the whole facility has cost more than $80 million over the time since it was first moved to its current location in 1959. But what a wonderful gift for the community!

Charlie, Bryn, Grant & Sue--wishing you could enjoy this
wonderful place with us.

Larry in his natural element.

Besides that special experience, we have been enjoying Grant’s smokin’ expertise—literally.  His parents got them a smoker for an anniversary present and Grant is quickly becoming an expert.  Bryn can whip up some incredible side dishes to go with the ribs, wings, whole chicken…whatever is smoked and we are the beneficiaries. Wish you could join us.

Oma's favorite person in the whole world--Charlie Llafet--and the feeling is mutual.

Continuing Impressions of Denver

As time passes, we are beginning to explore more of Denver.  Bryn & Grant live in the Highlands—originally its own town but annexed to the city late in the 19^th century.  By the turn of the 20^th century, it had become a streetcar or trolley suburb, and many homes from the 1900’s/1910’s still exist.  As we have mentioned before, Bryn & Grant’s house was built in 1911.  Many of the streets are wide and tree lined.  Young families have moved in over the last decade, and most everyone takes great pride in their yard and house.

Highland's neighborhood streets are very bucolic.

Denver has more area devoted to parks and green space than any other city its size in the US.  At the west end of downtown, which is called LoDo, there is a beautiful park along the South Platte River.  The trail runs along the river for miles, both north and south. In the LoDo area, the park is beautifully laid out and landscaped. People take great advantage of the park to walk their dogs, play with their children, jog, walk or just amble. 

South Platte River Trail

One aspect that you don’t notice, at least at first glance, is that a lot of street people evidently sleep and camp out amongst the brush and scrub that has grown up along the river.  With Denver’s dry summer weather and mild nights, it probably is not an unpleasant experience.  It must be a different story in the winter.

The city planners have turned 16^th street, from the capitol to the river (about two miles), into a pedestrian mall.  This is a great idea, and certainly attracts a lot of locals as well as tourists, but it also attracts a lot of homeless (which is a euphemism—should be named more honestly as addicted and/or ill) and other street people. You are seldom actively panhandled, but there are a lot of singers, musicians, and performers with their hats out.  All mingle and take the free buses traversing the stretch. 

16th Street Pedestrian Mall

During the last decade while we were living in Boone and Greenville, we truthfully gave little thought to our society’s homeless problem, but back again in an urban setting, you cannot help but thinking about it.  Solutions? We certainly don’t have the answers—but wonder if we devoted more resources to caring for the mentally ill and poor instead of policing the world, we might be a better society.

It is tremendously convenient and interesting living in the heart of the city.  From our 18^th floor studio, we are constantly entertained by what’s happening around us.  One thing that you notice—especially since we like to keep our balcony door open, both day and night, there is a lot of noise.  The buildings and people generate noise 24/7 but that is often enhanced with the noise from some street performance, promotional activity, or the wail of police and fire sirens.  Looking for peace and solitude—you won’t find it here, but you also learn to tune much of it out.

We continue to enjoy watching Charlie develop, which is happening rapidly—he has found his voice and “talks” (blah, blah, blah, basically).  Returning his blah, blah, blah interspersed with a Charlie, Mama, Dada, or DoJo (his dog “brother”) elicits a big melt-your-heart grin.  

Charlie & Opa at the Denver Zoo

It was Bryn’s birthday weekend which we celebrated with a fabulous brunch at Steuben’s, a new and popular Denver diner, and a “Chocolate Cooking Class” which Sue and Bryn thoroughly enjoyed.  The guys bonded at home watching football and later benefitted from the cooking class largess.

Celebrating Bryn's birthday at Steuben's

Bryn, Grant, Oma, Opa and Charlie in his Broncos “onesie” cheered the team on as Peyton Manning led them to their first victory of the season.  Looks like we are becoming Broncos fans!

Labor Day in Denver

First, how many grandparents does it take to babysit an active seven month old? At least two, in an intense tag team coordination, and with a good night’s rest.  It's a joy but takes lots of energy.  Here is our favorite pose.

Charlie takes a rest after having exhausted his Oma & Opa Boyer.

We were fortunate to celebrate this year’s Labor Day with both or our girls and their great husbands.  Erin and Jeff flew in on Friday evening—Erin from Mexico City and Jeff from Boone, via Charlotte.  

Erin & Jeff getting to know Charlie a little better.

 On Saturday, we worked in Bryn & Grant's garden, planting some new perennials.  Gardening here in Colorado's arid climate is a lot different than in the humid east. Once you get the plants established, though, they really grow to a remarkable size--nearly 300 days of sunshine, especially in the spring and summer, contribute to that.

Denver is an interesting city--very modern.  When we look from our apartment's balcony, located on the 18th floor of a high rise building, you can see almost nothing but new buildings, except for the historic, one hundred year old clock tower.  The clock/bell tower is a lot of fun to watch, especially at night, as it lights up with colored lights and bongs the hours.  Like Charlie, we love the sound; we, however, manage to repress our squeals of delight.

Looking north on Arapahoe Street, you can see  Denver's historic Clock Tower

One of our favorite modern buildings: the Da Vita Center. Just heard on
NPR (my source for all information) that Da Vita is a $7 Billion health provider,
but we still like the building.

Sue teaching us how to pose for a photo!

On Sunday, Grant and Bryn hosted all of us for a great Labor Day Weekend barbecue— smoked wings and pork ribs along with bounty from their vegetable garden. What a delicious treat! All of us definitely ate too much (Sue looks particularly stuffed and would rather be thin like the rest of the bunch, but, eh, that's life).  BTW, think of the word SHOT:  shoulders back, hand on hip, one foot in front of the other and tilt the head.

We took Erin and Jeff to Denver's ultra modern, ultra efficient airport Monday morning sadly saying goodbye, but happy to realize we will see them both in Mexico City in October.

Labor Day weekend brings Denver's "Taste of Colorado" to a park near the capitol building.  Bryn and Grant attended on Monday afternoon while we babysat.  They said it is a mini New Orleans Jazz Fest, but it can't hold a candle to the real thing.  Good music, lots of food, lots of people--they enjoyed it for a couple hours, but being parents "totally changes you" as Grant remarked and they hurried home to the focus of all our lives.