time at History Colorado Museum today

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Another very enjoyable day!
After picking up B and T we met Mary and K at St John’s Church for coffee and pastry. Nice easy conversation with all.  It was warm again but a walk to the croquet lawn was really nice. We played croquet for a bit then headed off to The Colorado History Museum. We ate lunch in the museum cafe.. Next we attended a discussion about trolleys in the Denver area. We all were fascinated to learn how many there were and how popular they were. A gentleman visited with us and mentioned that we should go to the museum store. We did! B was so excited with a t-shirt he saw. He wanted me to buy it.  I took a picture of it so that maybe another time he could get it. I’ve not seen him  this  excited since we saw the red Ferraris in Morrison!
The day was full of memories of old rock and roll songs. We all sang “Let’s Twist again like we did last summer” before getting on the elevator at the museum. What fun guys they are! Hot again, so we were off to get ice cream sundaes.  T and B had several business experiences in
common which they loved sharing while we had our desserts.
What a special day for us all!

walking along Pearl Street in Denver

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Hot temps obviously today, but we did our best. We started with coffees and waters and  getting ourselves settled into our day, then hit the road. Everyone was in a good mood and what I appreciated in particular, was  how eager they seemed to be to see each other. When C and I pulled up to D’s home, for example, C said, “Oh I’m glad D is coming, she’s so sweet”. We genuinely enjoy each other’s company.
The plan was a walk in Wash Park but we got as far as the area around Porter Hospital, when D said we were near where she lived as a child and asked if she could point out the way. So we did that instead, drove around that neighborhood, then parked and got out and walked throughout it as well. Then on to lunch, where a volunteer L was scheduled to join us. We went to a restaurant I had chosen on Pearl Street which I thought would be festive and fun, though I was  hesitant about the menu for this group. Turns out that yes, the menu was not one that appealed to the majority, so we had drinks and chips and guac then moved on to the pizza place next door! I like that I can offer that flexibility and spontaneity and decision making to the group, already we had scratched most of my plans and that  was perfectly fine with all of us!
We had  pizza and salads, at “Sexy Pizza” (why that name? We never figured that one out) at a long table along the sidewalk (oh the breeze felt good). We blew off the afternoon Active Minds talk I planned for us, and instead  lingered a little longer over lunch at restaurant #2.  Afterwards, L offered to stay with us a bit longer and we all took about a 45 minute walk in that Pearl Street area. Lots of interesting houses to see and discuss, plus this unique trump vine I grabbed a picture of. I have seen it dozens of times, and am fascinated by the way the property owner adapted the fence to the tangles of the plant. It seems representative to me of how we adjust our lives to make room for whatever happens to come along – just like we did today, adjust and accomodate and go with the flow, which suited us quite well today.
Thank you for the privilege of spending time with these wonderful ladies.

Wild Birds Unlimited

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L and I went out in the morning for coffee – well, I got her a large apple juice which is our routine, she loves that, then on a little drive – before we picked up S. I got him some coffee too, this is funny…I had a destination in mind and as I was driving up Hampden I saw a coffee place I like up ahead so said, out of the blue I guess as far as S was concerned, “Would you like a cup of coffee?” He was sitting next to me in the passenger seat, turned and looked at me and said, “how cavalier of you! Perhaps a cigarette as well?” He cracks me up!!

After that quick stop we went to see a demonstration at a “Wild Birds Unlimited” store. An organization that educates the public about wildlife was there with some live birds – an owl, a hawk and a falcon. S and L stood there watching and listening like they were in a class, and they seemed mesmerized. After that, out to lunch, they both ate a bunch, then we took S home. On that drive (he had been singing pretty much all day by now) L started singing – not sure why this popped in her head, but she sang for us, “..we ain’t got a barrel of money…maybe we’re ragged and funny..but we travel along, singing a song..side by side.” Fun day for me with these two, plenty of joy.

Cherokee Castle and Daniel’s Park

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july 14 view from Cherokee Castle

Hi Everyone,

Fun day!  We had a 9:30 tour of Cherokee Castle set up. The castle is out in the Daniels Park area. I’ve heard numerous stories about the lady who was the last owner. One of our guys who grew up in Englewood had told me about this nice old rich lady named Tweet. He said that when he was young, she would come into Englewood for supplies, and all the kids would gather for treats from her. Well, it turned out this was her home. It sits on a overlook, over looking the Roxborough area. As we came up the two mile drive, we were greeted by a ranchhand‘s dog. He followed us up to the portico, where he immediately made friends with the entire tour group. The castle was built in the 1920s. It was built to be a hunting lodge for the owners who lived in Park Hill full time. At the entrance to the greatroom there is a bison head, and two mounted bucks heads, all of which had been hunted on the grounds. The house is filled with art and beautiful antiques which Tweet acquired on her many trips abroad. There were also some unique artifacts that were gifted to her from various royalty and dignitaries that visited her there. The docents were on point and able to answer any question. Tweet was an avid reader, and at the time of her passing owned over 14,000 books.  We saw several rooms, but I think our favorite was the terrace. We could see from Pikes Peak to the Wyoming border. Terrific views. Apparently Tweet was an animal lover and instructed her staff to leave all the leftovers on the terrace for the wildlife. The property is still a working ranch of about 200-300 head of cattle. After the tour we drove into Castle Rock and went to Las Fajitas. What a find.  B and T both gave their shrimp tacos an enthusiastic thumbs up. Definitely have to keep it inour restaurant rotation from now on. After we threw in the white flags at lunch, we knew if we didnt start moving again, food coma was imminent. We drove to the Bluffs in Lone Tree. We followed the trail to the top and back down again,about a 2 1/2 mile hike. We stood atop the bluff, pointing out all the landmarks we could see. We were also close enough to Centennial airport that we could watch a few takeoffs and landings. We made our way down, with time to spare for an ice cream at Freddy’s. When I asked T how it was, he said “I hope there aren‘t any of these close to me, or I would be there everyday.”

 Good day, both guys enjoyed the tour, saying it was much better than they would have guessed. No issues on the stairs in the tower or anyplace else in the castle. Both guys were sharp, with B asking questions about things we did together several months back. Terrific way to spend a day, and terrific company to share it with.

Jiminy Wicket at Wash Park Denver

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Good Morning –
Attached are a couple pictures from yesterday. R was with me in the morning, it was just the two of us and we had some great conversations, he sure had me laughing. Brian had C with  him in the morning and we decided to join up at croquet. This is a regular activity for R and me, but new to Brian and C, and they also picked up T on their way who was a newbie also! I think it went well, it was a great day to be outside and at the very least everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves sitting on the chairs in the shade, but they all played a round as well. The organization which hosts this event is Jiminy Wicket, they make us feel welcome every time and are so good to us! It made me laugh when today’s  round of croquet was finishing up and T said to R, “I wouldn’t want to play cards with you”, as R kept pretending he was cheating.
We were going to go our separate ways for lunch afterwards but Brian suggested we join up and go to Governors Inn and have lunch on their patio, which I thought was a great idea. They always have good food, and I was really pleased with our round table in the corner; I like when we get tables that aren’t in the middle of all the activity or in restaurants which are too noisy – this was perfect yesterday.
Brian took T and C home after that and R and I walked a lot – all throughout City Park and in his neighborhood as well, before I brought him home.
I enjoyed my day with the guys, thanks for giving Brian and me  that opportunity.

lunch at McKinners and coffee in Park Hill

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Hi All – We had a pretty easy going day, which seemed to fit this group just fine. In the morning I picked up M, A, and D. We met Mary and R at a terrific little coffee place in Park Hill. We found a nice patio in the shade, and got caught up a bit. I have not had a chance to do many outings with A or R, so it was a good opportunityto get to know each other. Conversation rolled, as we sat there enjoying each other’s company. A regaled us with his sailing stories, while D and M shared stories of growing up in the Englewood/Littleton area, and the changes we have seen. Fun morning. We took a quick stroll around Park Hill, commenting on the architecture, and the challenges the neighborhood has faced over ther years. We made it back to the car for a water break, and the drive to Littleton Historical Museum. It‘s always a fun place to visit and our local guys had some memories jogged for sure. Inside the museum we spent a bit of time looking at the 1965 Flood exhibit. D told us that his family had been fishing in Wyoming when it happened and when they drove back and saw the devastation they thought we were at war. Different times back then. We then meandered outside to check out all the newborn animals. We saw the longhorn steer for Als Texas roots, a passel of piglets, and a bunch of pecocks. We also walked by a young child in a Pittsburgh t–shirt. Needless to say, R’s es got big, and he had to talk to him.  As it started to warm up a bit, we left for lunch. We went to a local restaurant in downtown Littleton. Basic sandwiches and pizza, but done very well. The restaurant (McKinners) has ton of pictures of old Littleton, which M really seemed to enjoy. Conversation flowed at lunch, with topics from Leave it to Beaver, to shopping and eating local. The table of guys had such wide ranging experiences, it was never boring!

Good day, everyone was engaged, and hit it off great. Looking forward to next time!