Denver

We have been in Denver for over a week and are really enjoying our time and are getting to know the city.  Our temporary abode is a studio apartment on the 18^th floor of Brooks Tower, one of the first high rises in downtown Denver.  It provides all of the amenities that we could hope for:  we are one block from the 16^th Street Pedestrian Mall and one block in the other direction from Denver’s really wonderful Cultural Center. 

This is an example of the nice plantings and
gardens you find in Denver's public spaces

At the west end of 16^th Street, there is lovely river side park and walking trail.  With the wonderful weather and summer’s long days, Larry walks from the apartment down to the river and back almost every morning. Sue is still dealing with the effects of her arthroscopic knee surgery, so she is still avoiding long walks for the meanwhile, but fortunately, there is a great outdoor, heated pool, on the 3^rd floor—many days we both take a dip and/or do some water aerobics.  A couple of times, Charlie and his parents have been able to join us.

Bryn, Grant & Charlie during Charlie's first swim.

Being able to spend time with Charlie, Bryn & Grant is the best part of our time here.  We see them almost everyday.  In just the little time that we have been here, Charlie has grown and developed so much.  A couple of weeks ago, he struggled to raise himself up with his arms and had no concept that he could use his arms and legs in coordination.  All that has changed—he now regularly raises himself up and “scooches” across the floor—he has not quite mastered crawling—you might describe it as gathering your feet and hands under you and lunging into a face plant, but he seems to get anywhere he wants and doesn’t seem to hurt himself. Right now we can put him on the floor and he will entertain himself and not get into too much trouble.  That will surely change once he fully masters the crawling.

Charlie has gotten so big!

One of the goals of this year is to decide where we might want to settle, and Denver certainly is a strong contender.  Besides the obvious, it has much to commend itself.  For us, the climate is very compelling.  The summers are warm and sunny—this year many here are complaining that it is hot, but for those of us used to the steamy East Coast, it ‘s not so bad.  It has four very distinct seasons, including a dramatic and sometimes snowy winter.  There are lots of cultural resources and activities—just this week we were able to score tickets to the musical, The Book of Mormon. 

Featuring a number of actors from the original Broadway production, it was incredibly irreverent and funny (and risqué). We laughed ourselves silly and thoroughly enjoyed it. In the coming weeks we hope to visit some of the city’s many museums, and see some of the nearby national and state parks. The city takes great pride in its appearance, and throughout downtown there are plantings on almost every street and the parks are often beautifully landscaped.

Bryn and Grant, neither of whom had any experience with gardening, have created a lovely garden at their home which is located in the Highlands area of the city—only  a 10 minute drive or 20 minute bus ride from our apartment. Highlands was one of Denver’s first suburbs.  Their small (950 square feet) house was built in 1911, with most of the other houses in the area dating from the teens and twenties.  When they bought it two years ago, it had not been updated since the 1950’s so they have had to put a lot of time and sweat into renovating it, including a new kitchen, bathroom, back porch and deck. It is perfect for their needs right now.  We are looking forward to helping with the landscaping and trying our hands at gardening in a new climate.

Grant & Bryn's garden (with their house in the background.

One final personal note, both of us now have new phone numbers:

Sue: 303-551-4498

Larry: 303-550-4542