Playing hooky in the Rockies . . .

Yesterday, my friend Tom and I decided we needed some outdoor time so we both took off of work, rendevouzed in Boulder, where he lives, and drove to Rocky Mountain National Park. It was a gorgeous day, and we had high hopes of seeing elk and some changing aspens . . . . we were not disappointed. We went in at Cub Lake trailhead and within five minutes encountered these guys . . .

They were so gorgeous and not at all disturbed by us. Well, the male looked a little disturbed, but I suspect that is because other males were scattered around, in the trees, bugling, meaning this male would have to defend his place with the females by nightfall. (And the sound of bugling elk is pretty disturbing --- if Tom had not been with me, I would have been really freaked out.)

We continued on . . . this little guy was sitting on a rock and . . . again, not disturbed by us at all as I took his picture . . .

Not much later, I looked down and a snake slithered right by my hiking boot. I completely froze and couldn't find my voice. When Tom (finally) realized something was wrong . . . he looked down and saw the snake and said "Oh, no worries, just a rattler." ARE YOU FREAKING KIDDING ME???!!!! "Just a rattler!!!!" I tell you . . . . these Colorado boys are a different breed . . . . just a rattler . . . . he then said, in complete awe, "Oh my God, you're trembling," as if that was a completely unnatural reaction to a . . . . RATTLESNAKE!!! He finally coaxed me onward with promises of our great picnic at the lake we had planned.

Unfortunately, all of the pictures of me are on Tom's camera, and he on mine. But I was very proud of myself. We hiked the 2.5 miles to the lake, and me with a fairly heavy pack on my back. He had one too, but the man is uber fit . . . former elite tri-athlete . . . . even beat Lance Armstrong in the swim portion of a meet once, only to get his booty kicked in the bike segment.

Anyway, we made it to the lake and laid out our blanket for the picnic. . . .

Tom scored huge brownie points when he pulled out a Diet Dr. Pepper he had packed for me . . .

We had lots of critter visitors, who apparently found us quite interesting, especially when we unpacked our food. Ducks kept landing in the water right next to us and waddling up; a mountain jay (which looks like a blue jay on steroids) tried to interrupt our party on several occasions and once when we were lying down, soaking up some sun, we heard noises and looked up and a chipmunk was within inches of us. And we could not shake him the rest of the picnic. I tried throwing some carmelized walnuts away from us so that he would spend his time gathering and hiding them, but he would just eat them and come back. At one point, he scooted under our blanket and just sat there like a lump . . . so we had our picnic . . . me, Tom, and our little lump right between us. It was so bizarre. I didn't take his picture because he was so close to us (inches away) that I was afraid he would freak out and bite one of us if he was frighted by the camera noises. Chipmunks, apparently, are known to carry rabies in these parts.

But we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves, pigging out on crackers, Cotswald cheddar & chive, sundried tomato pesto, carmelized walnuts, scallopini chicken, pasta salad, and fruit. Tom had also brought some wonderful dark chocolate . . . . but we were too full and still had another 3 or so miles left in the hike. Oh . . . and we had a wonderful zinfandel from the Andretti Winery in Napa.

After lunch, we headed out to find Fern Lake Trail. And the ferns were so pretty, littered next to the streams. It was such an amazingly beautiful day. Unfortunately, we were having such a great time that we were late coming off the mountain and Tom's 14-year-old son was not thrilled about having to wait at school. Thankfully, Bug was already scheduled for extended care since I'm normally at work.

Aside from that timing glitch, it was a great escape from work and the city and one of the funnest days I've had since moving to Colorado. We were like a couple of school kids, playing hooky from school, laughing and enjoying each other's company, with seemingly no cares in the world . . . .just for a day . . . . but it was great to spend time in the beautiful Colorado mountains.

Food poisoning . . . .

Geez Louise!!!! Bug and I went to a restaurant north of Denver on Saturday night to celebrate (1) her acceptance into a competitive children's choir; (2) her team's 5-0 shut out for the second week in a row in soccer; and (3) my having passed the horrible licensing exam that I took in August. So we were excited about our dinner. The restaurant we chose always receives rave reviews and is located in a community where I'm thinking of buying a home. Well, I ordered fettucine with calamari . . . . and it darn near killed me. I knew something was wrong when I started eating it, and only took a few bites, leaving more than 3/4's of the meal on the plate. But it was enough to get me. I woke up at 1:00 in the morning and it didn't subside until about 5 the next night. Bug was terrified, as were the dogs apparently. They (unfortunately) did not leave my side the entire time . . . . didn't matter if I was in the bathroom, or in the bed, or crawling back and forth in between . . . they were RIGHT beside me. I didn't have the energy to even speak their names, much less try to get them to move. Poor Bug had to take care of me, the dogs, and herself all that day. Although, clearly, I need to have a little nutrition talk with her . . . . learned yesterday that her diet consisted of brownies for breakfast, pizza rolls for lunch, and popcorn for dinner. That's my kid!! I threw up so much that I strained my vocal cords and have almost no voice now --- which everyone seems to find it very amusing when a lawyer loses her voice . . . Me? I'm not so amused.

And being laid up made us miss our hike on Sunday as well as the Rapids game. Not happy about that at all. Hopefully, we'll be back out on the trails this weekend, and there is another game Saturday night.

Anyway, I'm on the mend otherwise and not looking forward to eating out any time soon.

Second hike . . . Red Rocks

Bug and I completed our second hike yesterday. We drove to Morrison and hiked the Red Rocks Trail and Morrison Slide. Unfortunately, after coming off of the Morrison Slide, I started down the right path on the Red Rocks Trail, then hesitated because I saw other hikers going the opposite direction of me. I asked "which way to the parking lot", not realizing there was a parking lot at another trailhead which looped into the Red Rocks Trail. So I made what ended up being a 2-mile mistake, which turned our 4-mile hike into a 6-mile hike. That cost me a "Camp Rock" DVD because Bug was NOT happy with me. This hike was much more strenuous than the one the week before. We ascended 600 feet over several switchbacks, and part of them were gut-busters to us newbies. And with my mistake, we had to ascend another 200 feet. But, it was good for us ultimately. And we saw the most gorgeous 8-point buck --- he came right down on the trail in front of us. Stopped and then headed down the mountain. I can't believe we were that close to him. We hear the elk are on the move in Estes Park, so we're going to head up there soon. And, in Colorado, the leaves change in September, so our goal is to be out in the mountains every weekend for the next several weeks . . . can't wait to see the Aspens change.

On Saturday, Bug had her first soccer game with the new team. They won 5-0 --- pretty cool! Saturday night we went out for Indian food and then played tennis. I have lessons again tonight and my double play on Wednesday. It's gotten so cool here now that I'm having to play in long pants and jackets. We actually had to turn the heat on in the house Friday night. Wild --- I'm use to Indian summers and air conditioning in September. I can't remember the last time I had the air conditioning on . . . . we're even having to close the windows when we sleep because it gets so chilly.

But for right now, I'm happy remembering the beauty of the Red Rocks. :)

First Hike in Colorado

Yea . . . finally! I took my first hike in Colorado. Bug and I went to REI yesterday and I bought hiking boots. Thanks to my friend Brad, I knew what type of boot to get and to get waterproof vs. breathable. And he guided Bug and I where to start for a first hike. So, today we drove to Evergreen and hiked at Elk Meadows, a beautiful "open space" in Jefferson County. We parked at the base and took Meadows View trail to Painters Pause, back to Sleepy S and hooked back into Meadows View. It was great! A 5.5 mile hike with varied terrain, but not too great of an altitude ascent. It was pretty warm for the last mile and Bug got a little foul, but she was fine after getting back to the car and air conditioning. We saw lots of trail runners, mountain bikers, and even horses on our path.

Here are a couple of pictures from the hike . . .

After the hike, we were very hungry and found a great little restaurant called "Cuisine of Himalaya", which had Indian, Nepalese, and Tibetan food. I was so proud of Bug . . . she tried all new foods . . . . naan, spinach pakora, vegetables korma, saag, tandoori chicken, chicken curry . . . all from a buffet.

It was a good day. And, thankfully, it's September 1st. From May 2nd - August 31st is a tough time for me. Mom's birthday was May 2, followed by Mother's Day, then June brings Father's Day and the anniversary of my father's death in 2006, July is the anniversary of my mother's death in 2005, August 23rd was their anniversary, capped by Dad's birthday on August 31st. I'm sure at some point in my life, that "season" will become easier . . . . but not yet.

A day of the DNC . . .

On Thursday, August 28, 2008, thanks to my dear friend Bob, Bug and I were fortunate to attend the Democratic National Convention and witness history in the making. It was such a great experience. I checked Bug out of school at noon and we drove back downtown for lunch and a look at protestors. Bug's favorite scene was when the mounted police arrived with the horses in riot gear --- neither of us had seen horses in riot gear before. All was peaceful, thankfully . . . . a few protestors, but nothing too over the top.

Here is Bug at our table at the Corner Bakery, where we had lunch before a quick tour on the 16th Street Mall . . .

On historic Larimer Square, all the flags of the United States were flying in honor of the convention. I took a close-up of the Arkansas flag . . .

More flags . . .

Bug and I left my office with my friend, Kevin, to walk to Invesco Field at 1:30. We were able to get through the gates a little after 3:00. It was HOT! And I had forgotten to bring sunscreen. Luckily, some was passed back through the line. And the DNC folks had huge barrels of water waiting for us outside Invesco. I felt very fortunate to get through when we did --- some people were in lines for much longer. When we arrived, the show started with various members of the military talking about why they supported Obama as their future commander-in-chief.

CNN's tent was right below us. Can you see Wolf Blitzer? I remember seeing him in Little Rock during Bill Clinton's campaign first Presidential campaign.

Nancy Pelosi, Speaker of the House, warmed up the crowd . . .

Unfortunately, I had put my camera back in my purse and couldn't get it out and unzipped before Olympic Gold Medalist Shawn Johnson had finished leading us in the Pledge of Allegiance, but did manage to catch Jennifer Hudson singing the National Anthem, and it was so beautifully done.

Sheryl Crow was great. I enjoy hearing her live more than just listening to her songs on the radio. She's so pretty . . . she came down the ramp in front of us all dressed in white, looking very tall and thin . . .

Stevie Wonder . . . WOW . . . I can't believe I got to hear him live . . . I use to sneak my sister's 8-track tape of his greatest hits and sing to the top of my lungs with "Sir Duke" and some others.

Al Gore . . . hmm . . . wouldn't our world be different today if he had been our president for the past 8 years? He gave an incredible talk, so impressive. . . . .

Joe Biden make another quick talk before Obama came out. There were a ton of speakers, not all of whom I'm posting. Some of the most poignant stories came from those of "regular folk" who have suffered because of the policies implemented under the present administration. Their stories were so compelling . . . several of them had been life-long Republicans . . . until now.

Here is Bug holding a sign they gave us at the convention. They also distributed American flags for everyone to wave.

I'm so sad that my pictures of Barack Obama did not turn out well. By the time he came on stage, around 8:00 p.m., it was already dark and the pictures did not turn out well at all. But he was so engaged, so captivating in his speech . . . . people all around me were so hungry for his message. Everyone there . . . all races, ages, socio-economic levels . . . you could see in their eyes and their demeanor . . . everyone there wanted change . . . someone to believe in . . . someone to help make day-to-day life a little easier. I have never felt such a collective "hope" in my life. Even Bug noticed it. And it meant a lot to her when Obama said, in a video message played right before he appeared, that he "was shaped more by the absence of my father than by his presence." She tugged on my arm and said as I leaned down "me too, Mom . . . I'm like him." . . . . I was so blown away that she said it, but even more so by the fact that she meant it. That old adage "that which doesn't kill us makes us stronger" is, apparently, a concept that a 10-year-old can grasp when she has lived it personally. So, I love that she feels a connection with Barack Obama and that she understands adversity can be a blessing in disguise.

Here's a shot of the stadium . . . . Can't you feel the energy?

It's going to be a long 10 weeks until the election. But my hope is that on August 28, 2008, with my daughter at my side, I personally witnessed the next President of the United States. . . . Thanks, Bob.

Late breaking news on the bird porn . . .

Dave Barry (a journalist with serious tendencies, as we all know) has written a very insightful article about this disturbing issue:

http://www.miamiherald.com/news/breaking-news/story/660704.html

I will keep you informed as news continues to break . . . . . :):):)

Stop Bird Porn!

Just so all of you will know that truly significant issues are being raised in my fair city during the Democratic National Convention, a woman was handing out the below flyer on the 16th Street Mall today :

In case the print on the scanned copy of the flyer is too small for you to read, here are some of the more important messages (in English, as opposed to the Russian or other language portion):

"A private research group, the Good Conduct Society, has discovered Bird Watchers are more sexually active than others."

"The elderly find that Bird Watching is not strenuous. And this erotic experience can be enjoyed privately through binoculars."

"Most disturbing . . . are the groups of Bird Watchers seeking
vicarious sexual gratification in the woods. Shamelessly, they
blatantly observe God's defenseless creatures mating."

Of course, the sad part for me is that actual trees were utilized to make the paper on which this nonsense was printed. And now . . . whenever I'm on a hike and come upon a birdwatcher . . . the first thought that will probably go through my mind is . . . . PERVERT!

Thursday night . . . . looks like I'll be at Invesco

Today, I got a call from my dear friend who is chief of staff for one of our U.S. senators. All the senators are staying at a hotel just a few blocks from my townhome, and he had some downtime. So we went for coffee, and he gave me 2 tickets for Barack Obama's acceptance speech Thursday night at Invesco Field. I feel so honored . . . there are thousands of people trying to get in . . . and he thought of Bug and me. The tickets themselves are so cool --- they're holograms, so when you move them, the information "changes". Now I just have to figure out how to get to Invesco and spend the day outside with a 10-year-old who will not understand the wait. But the opportunity for her to witness this part of our country's history . . . . well, it's a can't miss event. I'm so grateful to my friend. And I was able to visit with the senator he works for as well, who gave me a newspaper from my old home town . . . . it was so nice to read . . . didn't realize I had missed reading news from home until I had it in front of me.

Bug and I watched Hillary's speech tonight. I thought she knocked it out of the park . . . incredibly impressive, and I hope I have the opportunity to vote for her in the future.

Bug started soccer practice tonight with her new team. I was so proud of her ---- she walked into a group of girls who have been playing together for several years, and she just fit right in. And she played so well that the other parents were all talking about "the new girl . . . . she's really good." (They didn't know she was mine. ) One of her coaches has the highest coaching licensure there is and played pro and semi-pro women's soccer. The high school team she coaches has made All State in Colorado for the past 2 years. And she took a shine to Bug, which means she's A-okay in my book. :):)

And the park where Bug practices is so nice . . . I ended up jogging while she practiced and was amazed at how long I'm able to jog . . . . guess my blood has finally thickened up enough to give me the needed oxygen at this altitude. I was thrilled and plan to start jogging the 2 nights/week she practices. Between jogging, tennis, biking, and the workouts at the JCC, hopefully I won't totally suck on the slopes this season!

All in all, it was a very nice day.

My new passion . . .

. . . is not a man (sigh). It's tennis. Which should prove much less heartbreaking in the long run. Bug and I both took lessons this summer, and we're both hooked. I started my second group of lessons tonight and will start playing in a social doubles group on Wednesday evenings. I'm so psyched about it. I still have a long way to go, but considering it's been 26 years since I was on the Mena Bearcat tennis team, I'm feeling pretty good about it. Doesn't hurt that I have two really cute coaches . . . Ricardo from Peru, and Bran from the former Yugoslavia. So . . . today the DNC was not part of my existence. I worked at the med center, went to tennis lessons, Bug and I went and got smoothies for dinner, and then walked the dogs. A very quiet Monday . . . very nice. Tomorrow, soccer practice starts . . . . can't wait. Tennis again Wednesday night. Thursday night, Bug and I are going to try a latin american cardio dance class called Zumba at the JCC, then TGIF. Whew . . . . I think I'll make it through the week. :)

DNC madness . . . it's started

The Denver Post recently posted these pictures. The convention hasn't even started yet. I was supposed to have dinner with my friend that lives in a LoDo loft. She called and had been in grid lock for over 30 minutes with no hope of movement in sight, and her mother and baby in the car. She said people were abandoning buses like crazy. The protesters have blocked major arteries downtown and are resistant to police intervention. When the police on horseback were finally able to move one group, the protesters moved to another artery and cut it off. The police then arrived in riot gear . . .

This is where I work!!!! I've decided I'm not even going to try it tomorrow . . . . heading out to the med center to work instead. I was going to bike in, but I don't want to encounter protesters OR riot police. I'm just praying the protests are peaceful. On Friday, I received a call that 2 blocks away, on the 16th Street Mall, police were removing bricks that had been taped to the backs of garbage dumpsters . . . left by potential rioters. I'll be glad when Thursday is over.