Summer in Denver (Part I)

Sue at our local bike stand

We are enjoying Summer in Denver; especially since we have discovered the convenience of using B-cycles to get around. These are public use bikes that are scattered all over Denver. 

There is a station just across the street from us. We use it for short trips to the grocery store or to go to our Community Garden Plot. With our Medicare Cards, we were able to register to use the B-cycles for just $10/year.  What a bargain!

Elati Community Gardens

Watering our plot

 Yes, the community garden is one of our favorite bike trips.  Bryn and Rob laid out the garden and planted it while we were away in Mexico.

We came back to beautiful garden, just beginning to yield spring greens and lettuce.

The tomatoes, peppers, squash and beans are all coming along nicely and promise to yield in the next few months.

Garden view from our favorite resting bench

In addition to the 20 or so individual garden plots, there are some perennial and annual flower beds and a community herb plot.  After watering or doing some light gardening chores, it is always nice to spend a few moments enjoying this lovely setting.

What a nice gift from the city--they provide the land, water, top soil and mulch.  We provide a little labor and can enjoy fresh vegetables and a lovely garden setting.

Charlie with Teddy and his chalk sketch of Teddy

One of ours and Charlie's favorite haunts is  "the Spider Man Park" as he has dubbed it. It is just off the Cherry Creek walking & bike trail, only two blocks from our apartment. 

This trail cuts through the city for many miles and is linked to other trails that will take you to Boulder & beyond.  (We use it to go to the Community Garden.)

We were there the other day and Charlie struck up an acquaintance with a little boy name Teddy.  Teddy willingly lay down on the sidewalk so Charlie could trace him.

Once traced, Charlie gave him a Mickey Mouse Tee shirt and other decorations. Charlie was so protective and gentle with him. Teddy was mostly bewildered, but really liked Charlie.

Strong Man Charlie

Charlie is now almost five and half; and at other times he likes to show how strong and grown-up he has gotten.  Crossing the monkey bars with your hands is not such a challenge these days. Speaking of little ones, recently we had a visit from Elinor (and her parents, Mary & Aron).  

Elinor with Dad, Aron

Elinor was born three months prematurely and had to struggle during her early weeks, but she is really healthy and beautiful these days & weighs in at a whopping 8 pounds.

Larry, especially enjoyed the opportunity to once again hold a newborn. They are so soft and cuddly.

As you can tell she is the apple of her Father's eye.

Charlie "fishing"

Also on the Cherry Creek Walking Trail is a fountain where Charlie discovered that he could "fish" for salamanders and other creatures.  The water was ice cold, but not too deep, and Charlie and Opa had a good time fishing there.

Our sidewalk artisit

Charlie, the sidewalk artist.  Attending the Annual Chalk Sidewalk Art Festival at Larimer Square (two blocks from our apartment), Charlie decided to see what he could create with his chalks.  Although not an official entrant, he did a nice job--and his Oma and Opa think he is very talented.

Thistle

Opa likes to walk along the Cherry Creek Walking Trail, even if Charlie is along to entertain him.  

Earlier this month, there were a number of these interesting thistles growing along the path. 

Clearly not something you would want growing in your garden or yard, they still are very beautiful, if prickly, plants.

The Graduate

Miss Brown with Charlie at Continuation Ceremony

Dancing at the Ceremony

One of the first things we participated in upon our return from Mexico was Charlie's Pre-kindergarten "Continuation Ceremony." We can hardly believe that it has been a full school year since Charlie started pre-K.

Sue and Bryn

Oma and Mom were similarly dressed for the Ceremony.

Bryn, Larry and Sue at Red Rocks

Since we have been in Denver, we have heard a lot about Red Rocks from friends and family. A couple weeks ago, Bryn purchased tickets for us all to go see Dirty Dancing, the 1980's cult movie which was being shown at the Park.

Happy to have made it to the top !

Red Rocks is an incredible natural setting; just 20 minutes from Downtown. Once parked, though, it is a good 20 minute walk, much of it uphill, to the amphitheater where the performances are held.

On this night, it was clear with great views of the city, but with a cold wind blowing from the mountains.  We were happy to have our fleeces and blankets to bundle up from the cold.

The crowd at Red Rocks waiting for the movie to begin

Dirty Dancing is still very, very popular and the amphitheater was packed.  Seems like everyone in attendance knew the movie and would cheer during their favorite parts, especially when "Baby" rebels against her parents and learns to dance dirty with Johnny.

We had a great evening. Thanks Bryn!

Angie Does Denver

Angie, Charlie (with hand drawn "map") and Sue

 Just as we got back to Denver from three months in San Miguel de Allende, we were delighted to have one of our oldest and dearest friends, Angie Godfrey vist us (we raised our children together.) It was her first visit with us in Denver, and we enjoyed so much the time to talk and catch-up .

Unlike us, Angie has continued to work: she is the administrator for the Head Start Program for Indian Tribes, and she was attending a work related conference here in Denver and fortunately was able to spend some time with us.

Always something in bloom at Botanic Gardens

We probably exhausted her trying to share with her some of our favorite places and activities here in Denver.

If you visit with us, you have to see the Denver Botanic Garden--preferably with Charlie along to show you all the "secret passages." Angie was, of course, game, and she and Charlie quickly became fast friends.

We had a wonderful day, strolling through this beautiful treasure of this extraordinary place.

At the Sidewalk Chalk Festival, resting

Just a couple of blocks from our apartment is Larimer Square, where the revitalization of historic downtown began in the 1960's led by a Dana Crawford, a true visionary. Residents of Denver owe her so much--Denver is so much more of a livable city thanks to her efforts.

During Angie's visit, the Chalk Garden Art Festival was in full swing in Larimer Square. It is amazing what a talented artist can do with chalk and an empty sidewalk.

Larry and Angie at lower elevation 

The other place that we always like to take first time visitors is Rocky Mountain National Park--although we had never really visited in late spring, when winter was still trying to stay on.

Driving up to the Alpine Visitors Center, which we learned had just opened the day before, was a real adventure.

View as we climbed Rocky Mountains

 It was spitting snow, there was ice on the road, and the snow banks were piled up along the roadside. For Angie, who revealed to us that she was somewhat fearful of heights and driving on mountainous roads without a guardrail, it was a white knuckle experience.

Angie at the summit

Arriving at the Visitor's Center, we found the parking lot surrounded by 12 foot snow banks and the temperature in the mid thirties. We were happy to share the experience with Angie, but for her, it surely would have been more fun in more temperate weather.

View from our cabin

Driving down the mountain was a little less stressful and arriving at our funky mountain get away, the Ponderosa Lodge, there was no snow to be seen; the landscape was a multitude of shades of green

Grazing elk

While sitting on the the front porch and enjoying some adult beverages, we were visited by a lone Elk bull.  He wasn't really interested in us, just in finding tender grass and chutes to eat.  We let him graze undisturbed, while we listened to the fast flowing water in the creek which flows by the front of the cabin.

Angie's visit was all too short; we hope she will pay us another visit really soon! This time maybe we will relax more and sight see less; but there is so much to see and do.

San Miguel de Allende--Spring 2017

Lilacs on a terrace at sunset

Like the proverbial swallows to Capistrano, we seem destined to return each year to our favorite Mexican city, San Miguel de Allende.

We love the city, the people and the ambiance, and to make it even better we have friends who return annually like us or others who have decided that SMA will be their home.

There always seems to be something to do-- concerts, plays, and movies are frequently offered--often free but never at an outrageous cost. This year, with the collapse of the peso, living in San Miguel and in Mexico, in general, is a real bargain.

At urging from our friend, Bob Larson, Sue got more involved with art--taking lessons from a Mexico artists and joining the Urban Sketchers for weekly sketching outings to former haciendas, churches or other beautiful settings.

Media Luna with Gil Gutierrez

Last year, we first became aware of a local music group, Media Luna--two young brothers, Caleb and Jair along with some of their relatives and friends.

Almost every Friday evening would find us at the Paprika Restaurant, where we were able to enjoy a two hour live concert by these remarkable young musicians while dining in the restaurant's open air patio.  After a few Fridays, the band began to recognize us (especially Sue) and play our favorite of their songs (Tears of Joy).  You can see them playing this song on YouTube.

Fiesta at Marilu's home

This year, thanks to the generosity of our landlady, Maria Louisa (Marilu), we were able to return to our favorite apartment, which is located in the heart of the city (Centro) on Mesones, just a block from the Jardin, the city's main plaza.

The apartment consists of a large living room, a good sized and fully equipped kitchen, a bedroom, one and a half baths, and fantastic terrace.


Marilu, as she has done in the past, invited us to her house, which is just outside of town, for a beautiful fiesta, inviting many of her friends as well as a few other extranjeros.  The food was delicious as always--featuring chiles rellenos and chiles anojados, lots of wine, beer and tequila, and singing.

It seems every Mexican can sing and play the guitar and we were entertained with many a Mexican ballad or love song. As in the past, this celebration was one of the highlights of our visit. The guitar, along with wine and tequila, was passed repeatedly around the table and we were provided with one lovely song after another.

Procession down our street (Larry watching from our patio)

This year, our stay overlapped with Semana Santa, or Holy Week, and many a religious procession passed by our apartment.  But there always seems to be some reason to celebrate or an event to commemorate with a parade or procession, and of course music and fireworks.

Palm Sunday Procession

We had originally planned to stay on through March and April, but as time went on, we decided to stay through the month of May.

A mistake--everyone had told us that May is the hottest month of the year and that the city can be almost unbearable at times, and indeed it was. We still enjoyed ourselves, but we now know that we will never voluntarily stay in SMA during May.

View from our patio

Easter is a spring celebration and its celebration is connected with the vernal equinox.  Tuesday night, before Easter Sunday, there was a beautiful full moon filling the night sky.


 Looking from our terrace towards the San Francisco church made a beautiful picture.

View from our patio

Later in the week, the clouds somewhat obscured the moon, but the view towards the church still made a beautiful, but different  picture.

Crowd gathered to watch Easter Procession

One of the votives in the Easter Procession

Bob, Sue, Mart and Larry

One of the most special Friday evenings at Paprika, listening to Media Luna, was our farewell meal with our great friends and traveling companions, Mart and Bob Larson.


They left SMA just before Easter, and we were so sorry to see them leave--but we know that our paths will cross again in the not too distant future. Most certainly next Fall in Tuscany!

Carole and Larry

No trip to Mexico is complete without a visit with our friend, Carole, who lives in the Roma Sur Neighborhood (Colonia) of Mexico City.

Carole, Fernando and Sue in a Mexico City subway entrance

Carole is the consummate hostess, always stocking up on what you like to eat and drink and making sure we are always entertained and introduced to new sights and sounds. MC  is a wondrous city, full culture, museums, theater and, of course, good restaurants. Carole wants to make sure we don't miss anything!

Besides gabbing and eating and a lot of dominoes, we took in a New York Met Opera HD live broadcast performance of Eugene Onegin and a live broadcast of George Bernard Shaw's play, Saint Joan.

Both performances were great as expected. Carole's friend (and now ours) Fernando joined us for both--it's always great to catch up with him and to talk about theater and performance with him, as he an arts reviewer for the Auditorio, a large performance venue.

Bob Larson sketching

A new adventure for Sue was to go sketching with Bob Larson (thanks to his giving her a totally equipped sketching pouch:  pencils, paints, brushes and sketch pad).  Thanks, Bob !!

Sketch

Actual View

These are a couple of her sketches with photos of the actual setting for comparison.

Sketch

Feathered dancer with tiny companion

Actual view

Often in the Jardin, some of the "Indigenas" (indigenous people) perform and march in parades and processions.

We particularly like this photo as it shows one of the young children who is learning about their heritage by participating in the celebrations.

Woman with doll we bought for Elinor

You can not visit Mexico without buying a Maria Doll--we liked the ones that this woman had to offer and bought one as a present for some young friends whose little girl, Elinor, was born in the USA while we were in Mexico.

We mentioned the heat and how all pervading it was.  With air conditioning at a premium, it was some times hard to escape the heat,

but at her suggestion we accompanied our friend Mary Abernathy, to the Rosewood Hotel where we spent a wonderful day luxuriating in the opulence and comfort of the pool and other facities--it's a pricey getaway ($30/ person including drinks and lunch) but well worth it.

So much so, that we had to return for a repeat visit on our next to last day in town.  We were not let down or disappointed by a second visit.

Baby on the bus

We often take the public buses to get around town--a ride costs eight pesos (40 cents) versus a $2.50 or $3 cab ride. Most often, we are the only gringos on the bus.


We loved this little baby with her smart hat who happened to be traveling with her mom during one of our trips.

Sue and her heart throbs

And, of course, this visit to San Miguel will forever be associated with Media Luna, the great local band, featuring the guitar virtuosos, Caleb and Jair Cabrero. Here is a link to their own composition and Sue's favorite, Tears of Joy.

We end with a photo of Sue with her Boys--they are not only talented, but quite handsome as well.  They were always welcoming and delighted to see at their performances.

Winter 2017 Update

Diego dressed as Santa

As you would expect, winter in Denver is full of things to do, although we are not the best about getting out and doing things.  We like taking walks on a crisp, blue-sky day or going to one of the many plays and musicals offered at the Denver Center for the Performing Arts.

Christmas was quiet. Erin and Johann had decided to wait until the inauguration to get out of DC and to come visit with us, although they did send us a picture of Diego, their cat, in his Christmas Santa outfit.  Diego probably didn't enjoy it nearly as much as we did--but Erin says he was a good sport about it.

Erin and Johann celebrating

Speaking of Johann and Erin, they celebrated their second anniversary being together.  This picture is of them at a friend's wedding in December; they look like they could be posing for Washingtonian ad.  Tres elegant!

Women's March in Denver

When Erin and Johann did come for their visit the last week in January, we were able to participate  (at least for a little while) in the Women's March. Despite the title, there were lots of families and men.

It was so exciting and uplifting to see so many people out in the street and talking about issues. We think the Pussy Hats were a nice touch. We can only hope that the energy will continue.

Support Muslim Neighbors Gathering in Denver

Later in February, we were fortunate to participate in another march and demonstration, this time to support our Muslim neighbors.  We were so surprised and delighted with the turn-out, close to 10,000 they said.

Again, like the Women's March earlier, people were upbeat and positive; it was just a great day to be alive.

Charlie and his Mom in his classroom

Charlie is more than half way thru his first year of public school--pre-K at Edison Elementary School, which is his neighborhood school.

One of our good friends at Brooks Tower, Myrna, told us that she went to Edison as young girl back in the forties. 

Although the classrooms are very up to date, the entrance still reminds you of going into the elementary school that many of us remember from our childhoods.

Charlie's Birthday Celebration at School

On January 29th, we, along with Bryn, visited Charlie to help him celebrate his 5th birthday.  He and his Mom made Batman cupcakes to share with his class.  

He was very proud to distribute one to each of his classmates as well as his teacher, Miss Brown, and the class assistant, Miss Clarissa. 

Each came with a Star Wars napkin.  There are probably not many things cuter than a class of five year olds.

Bryn and Larry, Ski Bums

Once in January and again in February Bryn and Larry took a day off and trekked up to Winter Park for a day of skiing.

It usually takes less than an hour and half to get there; but getting thru the mountain passes can be tricky if it is snowy or icy.

Despite a record breaking mild January and February, with very little snow in the city, there was plenty in the mountains, and they had a great time on the slopes.

Charlie teaching Mom some moves

This winter, Bryn enrolled Charlie in an introductory Tae Kwan Doh class, and he took to it like a duck to water.

He was so excited when he got his gee and put it on the first time.

He enjoys demonstrating the latest moves that he has learned, and after a month, he passed his first test and moved up to be a Tiger Yellow Belt.  (Thanks to our good friend, Ashely Brown, who sat thru the seemingly endless exam--it takes a long time to test 40 or 50 youngsters.)

Tae Kwan Doh really is well suited to Charlie and it really helps him master all of the kinetic energy he always seems to have.

Our sweet guy with his favorite game, Sorry.

On the first day of March we said goodbye to Charlie and his mom and flew to San Miguel de Allende, Mexico where we will be spending the next three months.

We love coming back to San Miguel, but it is hard to leave. Charlie and Bryn are practicing their Sorry skills, so it will be a challenge when we get back.

This post has been awhile getting published but look for our next post soon!