Greek Trip, Part II

Larry wrote a blog account and posted some pictures, but I think we was in jet lag...hardly any pictures of Greece itself, so here is another take on the trip:

Adventure was the right term.  Our sailing ship was small and pretty difficult to maneuver, as the sea was very, very rough.  So much so, that our rudder snapped and our sail broke from the mast one day.  Our adroit Skipper got us under control and the Coast Guard followed us safely to a cove.  Rudder was repaired the next day and sail tied to the mast for repair later.  Ten days was a long time.  Most days we got soaked to the skin--it was kind of like being on a carnival ride; very exciting; definitely not smooth and romantic.

The Aegean Sea is a glorious azure blue; the islands are 90 % rock; the little villages are as quaint as you see in travel photos.  Bright, white buildings perched on the cliffs with blue window trim and blue doors; quaint churches here and there painted all white with bright blue domes.  At each port, we disembarked (often a little hazardous), and explored a village.  We walked up a flight of stairs and then wandered through a maze-like bunch of tiny streets.  As we walked, we caught sight of many lovely and picturesque views:  doorways, long views down the cliffs, rows of houses along the narrow streets.  I'll try to select some photos and attach them. Though I am not good at that, it's primarily what I want to do with this addendum.

We stayed in Athens two days before and after the sailing trip.  It is HUGE !  I had no idea.  Many of the streets were almost deserted, as we were told everyone leaves in August and goes to the islands; thus, most islands were very crowded and Athens nearly deserted.  The Acropolis, as Larry pictured, was like an ant hill.  Our favorite trips were to the Archaeological Museum and the Acropolis Museum itself.  Lots of antiquities and the latter is built in the image of the Parthenon containing as many of the original marble sculptures (or portions thereof) as they have recovered.  Fortunately very early on, I believe in the 1600's, an artist produced very exact renderings of how the sculptures looked, so they are able to display parts or all of a slab in the museum. (It was interesting to see how they got all the bird poop off each one--a very tedious undertaking and something you wouldn't really think about until you saw it.)

All in all, we had a wonderful time.  We traveled well with our friends Lois and Martin (who kept us laughing a lot with his silly puns.  Once on a bus he talked about the "Acrapolis" and a Greek lady got really offended, but she just doesn't know Martin; his puns are endless and he means no harm).  Our boat-mate Aussie ladies were very sweet and we learned a lot about Australia from them.  Our Skipper, Jose, whom we called alternately, "Skippa" (a la the ladies), Jefe (he is Spanish), or Maestro (as he tried to teach us something about sailing), because we felt Jose just didn't suit him.  Thank god he was very experienced and could handle an emergency or we all might be at the bottom of the sea.

After a couple days in Alexandria, VA (in Mart & Bob's house which they generously readied for us after their renters left and they themselves left for Chicago), we are beginning to feel human again.  It was a very difficult trip--took a lot of strength and we lost a lot of sleep.  It is something we always wanted to do and we now have some wonderful memories. 

Athens in the distance from the approach to the Acropolis

Archaeological Museum (note contemporary Apollo in the background doorway)

Beautiful ancient pottery

Typical resting spot 

Streetscape (typical of all islands)

View from the top (again, typical of all islands--we didn't keep track of specific  island scenes)

Lovely, eh ?

Another view of Athens

The gorgeous Aegean, at an untypical calm moment

Approaching a port, which we did daily

The churches were ubiquitous and quaint

Coast Guard Rescue

Ruins, not the Acropolis, but on one of the islands

Unfinished carving of Zeus, they think from the 5th Century BC

Pretty typical rocky beach

View of the Acropolis from the Acropolis Museum

A daily view; so lovely

Couldn't swear by it, but think this is Ios (note church on bottom left)

Close up of church with dome contrasting/blending with glorious blue sky (on Ios)

Statues recovered from the Temple to Athena on the Acropolis (in Acropolis Museum)

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.