Sunset in the Rockies

Christmas

2011-12-25T22:27:00.000-05:00

Panthers Game

2011-12-24T18:07:00.000-05:00

Watched the Panthers cream the Tampa Bay Bucs.

Hanging out with the nephews

2011-12-24T10:00:00.000-05:00

One of my favorite moments of the holiday visit. I loved how Jake listened to the story too!

Christmas Party

2011-12-10T22:31:00.000-05:00

Attended a holiday party with my small group.

Jingle Bell Walk at Stone Mountain

2011-12-03T14:13:00.008-05:00

I walked this morning with the Children's Pain department in the Jingle Bell Run/Walk for Arthritis at Stone Mountain on behalf of one of our patients. The weather was in the mid-50s and a beautiful December day. I later climbed Stone Mountain, something I haven't done since Senior skip day in high school. Georgia's version of a tubing hill with snow is interesting; it doesn't quite fit with the greenery surrounding it. I like how Stone Mountain almost looks like the moon surface.

Dean's 2nd Birthday

2011-11-25T22:31:00.002-05:00

Tools and more tools...

Thanksgiving

2011-11-24T21:59:00.005-05:00

34th Birthday in NYC

2011-11-17T22:13:00.009-05:00

I always have a fun time in NYC. Walked through Central Park and spent a few hours at the MET. Saw "How to Succeed in Business without Really Trying" starring Daniel Radcliff and the play "Relatively Speaking". I celebrated my 34th birthday with Suzanne, Ryan and Anand at Giorgio's. Now with Suzanne's new upper westside location, I visited my favorite cafe twice, Lalo. I also tried the Shake Shack for the first time; I understand why it is so popular, hamburger and chocolate shake - delicious.

The Kicks

2011-11-04T15:01:00.005-04:00

Saw The Kicks at Smith's Olde Bar. The show had finished, and I commented that I was disappointed they hadn't done my favorite song. I was in luck, in the encore they ended with an acoustic version of Starchaser (video complete with evidence I was there - for some reason my head got into the end of this).

Another song of theirs, Hawk Eyes, was used in an epidsode of The Vampire Diaries this season; I thought it fit really well with the scene.

Halloween

2011-10-31T14:33:00.007-04:00

I attended a few Halloween parties this year through church, Events & Adventures, and my apartment complex party. I wore a cheerleader costume as a Cheerio from Glee. Dean dressed up as Batman and later over Thanksgiving I dressed up in my Superwoman costume; we flew back and forth down the hallway to the playroom.

GT Homecoming

2011-10-29T14:44:00.002-04:00

Ryan was in town for the week, so we met up at GT to walk around campus prior to the 8pm Homecoming game. The Undergraduate Learning Commons building is complete and open; I'm jealous it wasn't there while I was in school. The GT campus has really changed. Here are a few pics from the Commons building.

Labor Day Weekend

2011-09-05T22:35:00.007-04:00

Dean decided to try on my sneakers and read a Thesauras.

Happy Birthday Jake!

2011-08-28T01:32:00.002-04:00

My second nephew, Jake, is welcomed into the world at 1:32 am at 9 lbs.

Victoria on Vancouver Island

2011-08-26T19:35:00.002-04:00

Here is the Parliament building in downtown Victoria and a short walk to the Craigdarroch Castle; I love the wood paneled interior. Then to Butchart Gardens which provided subjects for photography for all ages.

Vancouver

2011-08-25T19:26:00.008-04:00

Bloedel Conservatory, Stanley Park, and the Lynn Canyon Suspension Bridge.

Seattle Library and Art Museum

2011-08-24T18:21:00.002-04:00

My hotel happened to be next to the Seattle Central Library. The Evergreen tour guide told me it was unique. I took a walk around and it was by far the coolest modern library I've seen. It opened in 2004. I desperately miss the library system in Denver (it misses me too, I got an email a month ago from them saying they haven't seen me in awhile), so I was happy to see this library with tons of people using it just like in Denver. They had the 'red room' and this escalator in yellow leading to the next level.

Next stop was the Seattle Art Museum which was conveniently across the street from Fran's Chocolates. I don't understand modern art but enjoy viewing it. I found this huge mouse on top of someone sleeping particularly disturbing. Next was this robe made out of dog tags. That was just impressive; I can't imagine how many hours it took to assemble.

Sights around Seattle

2011-08-23T18:00:00.011-04:00

I took a tour of Seattle with Evergreen Escapes (they were great). This picture is from Kerry Park in Queen Anne overlooking downtown Seattle.
I took an afternoon gourmet tour with Savor Seattle. I would highly recommend it; the food was delicious. The tour encouraged taking pictures of the food, hence all the cameras out at this one. The pic is from Serious Pie (the chanterelle and crimini mushroom, truffle cheese pizza was amazing). This stop in Pike Market was fun for tasting truffle salt and balsamic vinegar.

Olympic Peninsula

2011-08-22T17:43:00.004-04:00

Unfortunately a storm rolled through on my day on the Olympic Peninsula. I did see a beautiful rainbow on Lake Crescent and took a misty hike nearby to a waterfall.

It was pouring in the Hoh Rain Forest, unusual since it hadn't rained the past 60 days.

Seattle - Cruise

2011-08-21T16:40:00.010-04:00

The weather was beautiful in Seattle, and I took an Argosy sunset cruise through the locks to Lake Union. We passed a band taking photographs under a bridge...and a card game on the water.

Painting do-over

2011-08-06T15:59:00.005-04:00

Back in August 2009, I visited Canvas & Cocktails in Denver and created this. I wasn't a big fan of the pic and figured I'd paint over it some day. There are so many versions of the 'Canvas and Cocktails' idea. Pinot's Palette, Corks N Canvas, Sipping N' Painting, Paint & Sip, Sips & Strokes, Painting with a Twist, Visions and Vino, Vino & Vango, seriously...whoever came up with the idea first really got ripped off by copy-cats. They all post calendars though, so it's easy to copy the paintings. This was from Pinot's Palette; they take pics of the class throughout, so you can easily see the stages of the painting. I'm sure I'll paint over this one again sometime soon.

Seasons 52

2011-08-04T15:38:00.001-04:00

Megan and I had dinner at Seasons 52 where the menu changes based on what food is in season and all dishes are 475 calories or less. It was excellent. Later we met up with her fam at Noche; this pic is from there.

Chelsea Handler

2011-07-22T21:57:00.004-04:00

I went to see the comedians of Chelsea Handler and Chelsea herself at Chastain Park Amphitheatre on her "Lies that Chelsea Handler Told Me" tour. I got the book signed by everyone (pic of Heather signing). During the book signing I told Chelsea although she makes fun of her E! show all the time and calls it studpid that I enjoy it. She replied that she really enjoys it too and only makes fun of stuff she likes.

Turtle says Turtle

2011-07-04T21:48:00.000-04:00

Lake Wylie

2011-07-03T12:22:00.006-04:00

Took a morning trip on Lake Wylie with Dean. Dean tried driving the boat and honking the horn as well as seeing what it feels like to hold on to the rope.

Charleston

2011-06-19T20:51:00.015-04:00

I took my first trip to Charleston this weekend with Megan.
Dining: 39 Rue de Jean, Tristan, Bubba Syles Deli - the Med Wrap was excellent
Sites outside of Charleston: Middleton Place - the gardens were pretty and would be best seen in March/April in full bloom, it was a rice plantation back in the day, the main house was burned down at the end of the Civil War but the side house can be toured as well as the stables with 2 friendly goats; we took a Sunday morning walk on Folly Beach.
Sites in downtown historic Charleston: Calhoun Mansion - the current owner, lawyer in DC, lives there and has filled the house with his own victorian antiques and then some, pretty soon he might need to be on a fancy version of Hoarders, the house was also used for interior shots of Allie's house in The Notebook; the Pink House - built in the mid 1690s as a tavern and brothel, it just has 1 tiny room on each floor and currently is a small art store; the Old Exchange and Provost Dungeon - pirates were held there, 3 signers of the Declaration of Independence were imprisoned there during the American Revolution 1780 including Arthur Middleton (owner of Middleton Place), George Washington visited it in 1791, while there we also learned about the Swamp Fox. I've never been a history buff, but this trip made history fascinating.
Pictures from Middleton Place:
The house on the lake is where they kept the dairy products cool.

The statue was buried in the swamp during the Civil War and recovered when it ended.

The Battery.

Hang gliding

2011-05-29T15:56:00.002-04:00

Lookout mountain just past Chattanooga.

Dean in Atlanta

2011-05-15T16:17:00.004-04:00

Brooke's Wedding

2011-05-14T16:09:00.003-04:00

Brooke and Joel got married at Frogtown Cellers in Dahlonega, GA.

Zac Brown Band

2011-05-06T16:43:00.003-04:00

Saw the Zac Brown Band at the Verizon Amphitheatre in Alpharetta. It was a cool venue but definitely the high-school hangout of the suburbs.

Zip-lining

2011-04-30T16:01:00.002-04:00

Tried zip-lining in west Georgia. It was a great place to try it. Most of the zips were through trees, at least 15 of them.

Chattahoochee Nature Center

2011-04-28T16:22:00.002-04:00

Went canoeing through a program at the Chattahoochee Nature Center. It was after work as the sun was setting with guides from the center. Who knew there were cliffs on the Chattahoochee? Wish I had a camera but didn't want to bring anything not waterproof.

Joy's Bday

2011-03-19T17:29:00.009-04:00

For Joy's birthday, went out to Tin Lizzy's and Ri Ra's. Joy's friend is a drummer in Sam Thacker's Band, and they were playing at Ri Ra's. They did a great mix of a couple of opening bars from everything from Nirvana to Fresh Prince to Dave Matthews. This video is from 2009.

Frisco

2011-03-13T17:09:00.003-04:00

Snow-shoeing in Frisco with Aunt Joan, Aunt Ellen and Tigger. Made the mandatory trip to the Butterhorn Bakery and had an awesome dinner at a new place, 5th Avenue Grille.

Copper Mountain

2011-03-10T17:05:00.002-05:00

Couldn't have asked for better conditions - not a cloud in the ski. Great day of snowboarding.

Dean

2011-03-06T16:35:00.000-05:00

Spent the weekend visiting Dean and the fam. Dean had a friend's 1st birthday to attend at Gymboree. Tried to get a picture of Dean furrowing his brow exactly as Eileen does, but I couldn't catch it. Instead I got a video of his random laughs and 'talking' to himself.

Dean Laugh 2

Winter Beer Carnival

2011-02-19T20:31:00.000-05:00

Caught the Winter Beer Carnival with Ed and Andy. I got there late, so I really didn't taste that many beers. Good easy location in Midtown though.

La Petite Maison

2011-02-19T15:17:00.000-05:00

Megan was in town, so we caught lunch at La Petite Maison in Sandy Springs. I had the special of the day, mushroom and chicken crepes, and Megan had the Quiche Lorraine. It was all excellent. The restaurant definitely has the french bistro feel. I would return for dinner.

The Kicks

2011-01-28T17:16:00.004-05:00

Went to see a friend's brother's band, The Kicks at Olde Smith's Bar. I like them, sort of a Beatles sound to them.

Snow Day

2011-01-10T08:42:00.001-05:00

Snow in the Southeast

2010-12-26T09:05:00.004-05:00

I thought by leaving Denver I had left the snow behind. I've heard they only have had 1 inch in the Denver metro area this fall. What?!? Charlotte got 4-5 inches.

Xmas in Charlotte

2010-12-25T08:52:00.003-05:00

Dean decided this is what you were supposed to do when a pillow is lying on the ground. We believe he learned this by watching Aunt Shelley and mom sit on pillows or lie down on pillows whenever we went into the playroom. Love the reindeer jammies.

Dean "turtle" in his new turtle shirt from Aunt Suzanne.

GT SAA event

2010-11-18T22:44:00.003-05:00

As a GT mentor, I attended the GT SAA event. The topic for the evening was networking and the speaker, Nadia Bilchik. I've heard speakers on the topic before, but Nadia was definitely more entertaining then others since she spoke from interesting experience from her broadcasting background at CNN.

Rumi's Kitchen

2010-11-17T22:31:00.002-05:00

To celebrate completion of budget season, my boss treated our team to lunch at Rumi's Kitchen. It's persian food; I tried the lamb kabob. I'd recommend it.

Stomp and Chomp

2010-11-06T18:13:00.002-04:00

We checked out Stomp and Chomp in Cabbagetown today. Some awesome chili at last year's winner, Grind House.

Apprentice

2010-11-04T23:45:00.000-04:00

Met up with Suzanne and Anand at Hudson Grill for an Apprentice viewing party.

My New Car!

2010-10-28T23:48:00.005-04:00

I've traded in the Mazda and bought a new Acura TSX. The hardest part of the purchase was picking the color. I ended up going with silver.

Greek Alumni Council Breakfast Panel

2010-10-28T23:31:00.003-04:00

I participated in a breakfast/panel discussion event sponsored by the GT Greek Alumni Council this morning. The panel consisted of 2 other greek alumni that work at non-profit organizations. We shared our experiences with current GT students. It was an early morning and I think many students were enticed to come partially for the Waffle House breakfast. It is nice being back in Atlanta and available to participate at GT events on campus.

A weekend with Dean

2010-10-24T23:44:00.005-04:00

I had fun babysitting Dean this weekend and got to see his first little shuffles/steps early Sunday morning. Later we took a walk and Dean fell asleep on the way. I didn't want to wake him, so I just laid the seat in the stroller back and let him have a little nap outside. It was a beautiful fall day.

Corn Maze

2010-10-17T23:58:00.002-04:00

I went to my first corn maze at Cagles Family Farm in Canton, GA. It was complete with a hayride and smores over a bonfire. The corn maze was not quite as exciting as when I went to an outdoor haunted 'house' and a guy was chasing me through a corn field with a chain saw. Actually, the latter was not so much scary as it was pretty funny.

Turtle's visit

2010-10-10T20:16:00.000-04:00

I enjoyed hanging out with the turtle. It's fascinating to watch him play and discover new things.

GT Homecoming

2010-10-09T20:14:00.000-04:00

AXO Alum Happy Hour

2010-10-08T20:11:00.002-04:00

Eileen and I went to The Livingston at the Georgia Terrace for the AXO Alum Happy Hour.

GT Football

2010-09-25T20:16:00.004-04:00

I haven't been to a GT football game since 2005. The campus has changed quite a bit. It was ridiculously hot and the game was at noon. I lasted one quarter in the stands, then moved to a place of shade for the 2nd quarter. The first picture is the view from my seat. The second picture from a place I found to watch in the shade.

US Open

2010-09-05T19:56:00.001-04:00

I spent Labor Day weekend in NYC visiting Suzanne. We went to the US Open and saw John Isner play Mikhail Youzhny. Tennis spectators remind me of golf spectators; it's very quiet. I enjoyed going to the night session. It was nice and cool.

Ocean Isle Beach

2010-08-26T19:41:00.002-04:00

I enjoyed a little r&r with Shawn's family at Ocean Isle Beach in North Carolina. Dean was fascinated with turning pages in the paperback I was reading. Whenever he would start getting restless, putting the book in front of him would entertain him for at least 15 minutes.

Middle Sister

2010-08-15T20:38:00.002-04:00

I was browsing the wine at Kroger and came across this label that was very unique and quite fitting. They have a variety to types and each are a different "Middle Sister".

The sun has set in the Rockies.

2010-06-12T19:21:00.004-04:00

It has been a busy last couple of months. I decided to move back to Atlanta and take a job at Children's Healthcare of Atlanta. I start in a week. This blog was titled "Sunset in the Rockies" chronicling my whereabouts in Denver. With the move, I think I'm going to take a blog break. Perhaps in a bit I'll pick it back up again under a new name.

Easter

2010-04-04T22:11:00.007-04:00

As usual, we did our egg decorating for Easter. The new addition this year was glitter!

Ellen and Joan were pulling for Eileen's favor in winning by making 'Dean' themed eggs. Ellen made the turtle and Joan went with the simple "Dean" written on an egg.

I did the patch-eye pirate with inspiration from Jack Sparrow.

Tigger had his own egg and enjoyed some salmon from our brunch.

Easter Egg Hunt

2010-04-03T17:42:00.006-04:00

New Denver Church put on a free Easter Egg hunt in Wash Park. Advertising for it got picked up everywhere; I believe Channel 9 was the camera guy in this picture. The turnout was unexpectingly huge and the eggs were all picked up in 30 seconds. I handed out candy to those who didn't make it in time for the hunt or didn't get an egg.

The Big 50

2010-03-25T23:18:00.005-04:00

Aunt Ellen turned 50. Those candles said "Oh No The Big 50". Fred and Vicki were in town for their annual trip to Copper Mountain, so we spent the weekend up in the mountains.

Chicago

2010-03-24T19:55:00.000-04:00

I went to Chicago for the ACHE (American College of Healthcare Executives) Congress. I had a little time to spare and was able to get away from the conference for a few hours on the nicest weather day. Here's the "Cloud Gate" which reminds me of the spacecraft in Flight of the Navigator.

I went to the Art Institute of Chicago; I wish I could have spent more time there but was able to see all the impressionism.

The only hang-up of the trip was my flight back being cancelled due to "a bird hit the plane" - luckily I wasn't in it when this happened.

Tearah's Baby Shower

2010-03-06T16:50:00.010-05:00

I held a baby shower for Tearah. I got the cake from a place called Cake Crumbs that matched the "King of the Jungle" theme. I found the bakery online; their store is in a neighborhood area and seems to be popular with the locals. I think they did a great job with the cake. The games included "What would mommy prefer" (choosing his/her traits), and matching people's names to the meanings using the names of the guests.

Banff Film Festival

2010-03-05T00:12:00.013-05:00

I went to the Banff Film Festival at the Paramount theatre. The film festival is held internationally, each location shows various entries. Basically they are short videos highlighting anything having to do with the mountains - sports, culture, or environment.

I saw the following films:

The Ultimate Skiing Showdown (WATCH THIS ONE. 3 min video showing cross-country tricks on the Vancouver Olympic course - cool soundtrack)

Africa Revolutions Tour (kayakers in Africa including Madagascar - I think these guys are a bit crazy)

Deep/Shinsetsu (skiing, snowboarding and noboarding in Japan in waist deep powder through back-country - the noboarding was like surfing in snow)

Hunlen (ice-climbing on a partially frozen waterfall in Canada, not a good idea)

Revolution One (unicycler that goes on mountain biking trails and various other rugged landscape)

The longest film and winner of the festival was Finding Farley. This couple traveled across Canada by kayak with their 2 yr old son and dog to visit Farley Mowat. It also won the people's choice awards - I think because of the cute kid and dog. My favorite part was when after several MONTHS of kayaking they had to take a train across part of the country. The 2 yr old was trying to coax the dog into his carrier but the dog walked off. So the 2 yr old proceeded to get on his belly and shimmy himself back into the crate to demonstrate to the dog what to do. The dog watching this...then joins the 2 yr old in the crate. All you can see is fur then a hand reaches out to close the gate. Also, I couldn't help thinking when I was watching this adventure that the parents are a little nuts - they did end up going through some rapids and that seemed a little dangerous with a 2 yr old. Really? Camping for 4 months with a 2 yr old in diapers? That couldn't have been pleasant. Unfortunately the kid probably won't remember any of it - he did get to see some fantastic scenery. I guess he can always watch the video when he is older.

Keystone

2010-02-27T20:36:00.002-05:00

Went up to Keystone with a co-worker. It was actually a pretty warm day for the end of February. The conditions were decent - a few icy patches.

Winter Park

2010-02-24T21:53:00.002-05:00

I went up to Winter Park with a few co-workers. It's nice to go up to the mountains in the middle of the week with no traffic. It was a beautiful sunny day. I will say that Winter Park is not the place to snowboard unless you plan to be on the black slopes all day. The greens are nearly all flat. Even the blues go into flat greens.

Julia Child's Night

2010-02-21T20:59:00.005-05:00

In August, Joan, Ellen and I saw the movie Julie & Julia. After seeing the wonderful dishes made in the movie, we decided to have a Julia Child's night. Joan made the infamous Boeuf Bourguignon which was delicious. I attempted to make the almond chocolate cake. At first I thought it didn't rise correctly, but after looking at pictures on the web, it's a pretty flat cake. Ellen decided to make bread although got the recipe online since there aren't any in the original cookbook. She ended up buying it after an attempt at making it ended up in the trash.

Pirate Latitudes

2010-01-31T15:56:00.001-05:00

I haven't updated the blog in awhile and figured January deserved an entry. No new restaurants or events to speak of - so instead a book I recently read - in an afternoon. Michael Crichton is one of my favorite authors and Travels one of my favorite books. I'm sorry he's gone. They published this manuscript found on one of his PCs after his death. It is the type of book I would read on vacation since it only took a few hours and is very light reading. I believe it will be turned into a movie, and I expect it will be very entertaining.

Jammies

2009-12-27T00:11:00.005-05:00

Dean in his giraffe jammies - rockin' out in his crib.

Merry Christmas

2009-12-25T23:28:00.015-05:00

Joan introduced an alternative to the 'dipping' of Dean to stop his crying - Dean enjoys the 'Superman'.

Eileen and me pausing in our fabulous duet for a picture.

Baby GAP

2009-12-21T09:56:00.001-05:00

Aunt Karen and Uncle Bob provided Eileen and Shawn with a Baby GAP gift card. Here Grandpa holds Dean who is stylin' in jeans and a polo.

Thanksgiving

2009-11-26T18:53:00.003-05:00

I returned to Tearah and Fred's place again this year for Thanksgiving. Here's a pic of the table, Tearah, her sister and friend (Fred and Rae were up getting turkey). There were a lot of mash potatoes, yum! We then played Scattegories and Pictionary while watching the Broncos win.

Proud Aunt!

2009-11-25T21:49:00.007-05:00

Dean Michael was born today weighing in at 8lbs 1oz. I'm looking forward to meeting him at Christmas!

Dean's 1st day

Colorado Avalanche

2009-11-15T01:36:00.003-05:00

I went to an Avs game tonight. They were playing the Vancouver Canucks. The Canucks scored 3 goals in the first period to Colorado's zero. Actually, Vancouver was skating and passing much better then Colorado so it was no surprise. Colorado finally scored two in the final period but were still behind by 4. As we were walking out in the last 2 minutes, I think the Avs were just getting really frustrated and an Avs guy started a fight in center ice. It was actually pretty funny; they got so into it they fell down. Here's a pic from my phone from our seats. We were down towards one of the goals - which was a great view for the 2 Avs goals.

Wicked

2009-11-10T23:51:00.004-05:00

I saw Wicked at the Buell Theatre. It was very entertaining. I had tried to read the book but only got 100 pages into it and wasn't really enjoying it. The musical obviously wasn't as detailed as the book and tied nicely to the Wizard of Oz.

Halloween

2009-10-31T00:50:00.000-04:00

I went to a Halloween party at Amy and Chris' house. Here's a picture of Amy (scary clown) and me in front of a spider web covered Hans Solo (the Hans Solo is a permanent fixture in their house).

Stuck in the snow

2009-10-29T11:17:00.002-04:00

Haha!! This morning I pulled 30 ft out of my garage and got completely stuck. I ran back in the apt and put on my boots and then tried to shovel myself out. I somehow managed to get myself turned back around and out to a plowed road. At that point I thought I could make it to my aunt's house and her 4 wheel drive car for a ride to work. I got stuck trying to go down her neighborhood street. I shoveled once again but then really was stuck. Luckily a nice neighbor pushed my car out. I then went home and stayed put.

Snooze

2009-10-19T22:25:00.003-04:00

Some co-workers and I took our manager out to breakfast for Boss' Day last Friday. We went to a place called Snooze. It's a very popular place on the weekends. The decor has a fun 50s feel. The homemade English muffin is delicious as well as the tomato gravy. I definitely want to go back and try more on the menu.

Lyle Lovett and John Hiatt

2009-10-08T23:43:00.004-04:00

I attended a Lyle Lovett and John Hiatt concert with Joan, Ellen, Dave and Tony at the Macky Auditorium in Boulder. The review in the Denver Post covers it better then I could write. It was fun hearing Lyle on his own and in an informal environment.

The Last Supper

2009-10-06T23:28:00.003-04:00

Megan and I had our last dinner at Potager before she moved to Florida. I've written about Potager in the past. It is a really tiny restaurant. They always are changing the menu based on what is grown locally and in season. Megan and I split an appetizer - a little bit of syrup with a whole tomato (top and bottom sliced off), baked in a ramekin with a puff pastry on top, then flipped upside down when taken out of the oven and goat cheese and basil on top. Simple, yet delicious. Another dish we tried there a couple of weeks earlier was a goat cheese souffle with beets. You would never think to combine the two - but once again delicious. I will miss my try-new-restaurants and attend-cultural-events friend!

Introducing Tigger

2009-09-26T00:40:00.011-04:00

Joan adopted a dog from an akita shelter although it's an unknown mixed breed. He's named Tigger - which fits well with his tiger stripes. He's 7 months old and heading off tomorrow to dog academy training for 2-4 weeks. His long torso and curved large ears remind me of a corgi. He was originally rescued with other puppies from a dumpster. His new digs are quite an upgrade. He plays an excellent game of fetch, loves squeaky toys and is very affectionate.

Always much more...

2009-09-20T00:39:00.005-04:00

Megan and I attended a Colorado Symphony Orchestra concert. With the CSO you always get more then what's on the program. The concert was american composers over the past 100 years. It included Rhapsody in Blue where the conducter, Jeffrey Kahane, also an accomplished pianist put a grand piano in the center of the stage and played the piano part while he conducted. But then in celebration of Benny Goodman being born 100 years ago the principal clarinetist, accompanied by Jeffrey on the piano, played Gershwin's 3 preludes. I played the 2nd and 3rd in highschool and didn't know they had been arranged for clarinet and piano - it was fun to hear another version. Here's a link to a version on YouTube (the CSO's performance was much better).
The finale was the world premiere of Chris Thile's mandolin concerto which he wrote himself. Even more impressive is that this guy is 28. After the concerto he played solo Bach. Then a state champion fiddler (in the CSO) played a duet with Chris. He then moved to the side stage and was accompanied by Jeffrey Kahane on another duet. Chris also regularly works with Edgar Meyer, who I'm a fan of and have written about him in the past.

Prior to the concert, we tried a new restaruant in Larimer Square, TAG. We tried the appetizers French Onion 'soup' dumplings and braised rabbit empanadas. We split the halibut entree against the strong recommendation of our waiter to try their Szechuan Colorado Lamb. It came with couscous which I'm not a big fan of. The menu also a selection of sushi and the appetizer of the day included a quail egg on top of a ravioli. I think it is a good restaurant if you are looking for more atypical choices.

Baby Toys

2009-09-13T21:38:00.004-04:00

I helped Eileen assemble several of her baby shower gifts. Eileen gave Dean a preview of the rainforest sounds of this activity mat.

Eileen's Baby Shower

2009-09-11T17:51:00.026-04:00

Eileen's resident friends, Mandi and Maria, hosted a baby shower. The food was great and decorations went with Eileen's baby room theme of jungle animals. Here is Eileen pre-party (Maria's dog Pistol Pete made it into the photo too).

Here are the grandmothers to be. Maria's other dog, Bubbles, is a Yorkie and too cute. She was dressed in pink sparkles for the occasion.

Eileen with the hostesses Mandi and Maria. They got her a crown "New Mom To Be".

Indian Peaks Wilderness Hike

2009-09-07T00:45:00.014-04:00

I went hiking with a co-worker in Indian Peaks Wilderness. We went to Mitchell Lake and then on to Blue Lake (which looked more like black lake to me) at 11,440 feet. It was 5 miles round-trip.
Mitchell Lake

A pond on the way to Blue Lake...

Blue Lake (if you click on the picture to see the enlarged version you can see a tiny waterfall to the right of me).

Cirque du Soleil

2009-08-30T18:39:00.005-04:00

Megan and I had brunch at Bistro Vendome in Larimer Square. The crepes were excellent. Then we went to the Cirque du Soleil show Kooza. The juggler was the most talented I've seen, and my favorite act was the Wheel of Death (not kidding about the name). It is the best when one of the guys starts running on the outside of the wheel.

Ellen's new house

2009-08-29T19:53:00.008-04:00

I had dinner at Aunt Ellen's new house. Ellen had redone the floors, bathroom, fixtures - it looked great. I liked the floorplan.

Hot Air Ballooning

2009-08-23T12:36:00.014-04:00

I went hot air ballooning in Boulder with the Fair Winds company. We took off at 7am and were in flight for 1 hour. It was great weather for the trip. Our balloon had 6 people in the basket. Around 6-7 balloons took off from our launch site. One guy jumped out right away and parachuted back to the launch site. Our landing was interesting. We ended up in a open plot in a neighborhood. The ground wasn't level so we bumped along the ground a couple of times before coming to a stop. It was so quiet in flight with the exception of when the burners were going (which were also very hot on top of my head).

Canvas & Cocktails

2009-08-20T23:23:00.007-04:00

A new store opened in Cherry Creek North called Canvas & Cocktails. You bring your own cocktails and an instructor leads you through creating an acrylic painting. I took the class with some co-workers. The painting of the evening was "Poppies".

Golden Gate Canyon State Park Hike

2009-08-15T23:05:00.014-04:00

I went hiking at Golden Gate Canyon State Park with some co-workers. We were taking a break, and I whipped out my camera and told Amy and Tearah to 'look like you're hiking'. This is what I got.

We took the Burro Trail which was a 4.5 mile loop. It was quite a climb with about 1000' elevation change. It was mostly cloudy so nice weather for the trip.

We had lunch at The Bridgewater Grill at The Golden Hotel. We sat out on the patio overlooking the tubers on Clear Creek. Here's a pic from the hotel website.

Solera Restaurant

2009-08-05T23:07:00.004-04:00

I tried the restaurant Solera on Colfax with a co-worker. Every Wednesday they have wine tastings for $15. I also tried the happy hour appetizer special of "White truffle "Mac & Cheese", asparagus, green peas, toasted almonds & Wisconsin white cheddar". Normally you can only get it as part of the scallops entree. It was excellent as well as the wine.

Where are they now? (Vol 4)

2009-08-01T20:42:00.001-04:00

I haven't written a "Where are they now?" since February of 2008. In January 2007, I wrote about my best friend from highschool. This one is for her little sister, Merrill (www.merrillgrant.com).

CSO concert

2009-07-23T20:27:00.009-04:00

As for annual tradition - I attended the Colorado Symphony Orchestra concert in Cheesman Park with Megan. This is the first year I've actually prepared something for our picnic - chocolate bundt cake made with almond extract and amaretto drizzled with a powdered sugar/milk glaze. I didn't take any pictures, so instead you can check out the ones from previous years. Honestly it looks pretty much the same every year and of course Megan and I never age.
2008
2007
2006
2005

Cherry Creek Arts Festival

2009-07-03T22:25:00.004-04:00

I attended the Cherry Creek Arts Festival again this year. Here are a few new favorites:
Tropical Paintings
Handmade Guitars that are really a piece of art more then an instrument.
This guy's metal work stuff was selling really well.

Lake Wylie - Take 2

2009-06-14T23:52:00.003-04:00

We went out on the lake again on Sunday. Here is a video of Shawn's dad solum skiing and everyone else on the boat. Aggie got a little braver her second day and actually rode up front for awhile.

Lake Wylie

2009-06-13T16:53:00.017-04:00

Suzanne and I drove to Charlotte to visit Eileen and Shawn. We went out on the boat in Lake Wylie. We brought Eileen's dog, Aggie, with us. She's never been swimming before. Her face was priceless when she was lowered in the water from the boat - somewhere between pure terror and shock. The life preserver was in case Aggie didn't move her legs and sunk like a rock. After we brought her back on the boat, she was looking at the water with new interest. Shawn had to hold her from jumping back in. Suzanne tried knee-boarding for the first time. And I took a few runs on the wakeboard. Eileen's co-worker Mandi and her husband Michael joined us.

Dinner

2009-06-05T23:38:00.002-04:00

I met up with Megan, Stephen and Megan's little sister Katie for dinner at Tamayo in LoDo.

It was fun sharing our obsession of Twilight - the books, the movie, the soundtrack as well as learning about Megan's favorite bull to watch on PBR chicken on a chain.

How I start my morning...

2009-06-03T15:13:00.009-04:00

It has rained more this early summer season then the previous summers I've been here. The result is it's greener then ever before. I've been walking/running/biking on the High Line Canal trail a lot the past couple of weeks. Usually I'm joined by birds, rabbits, squirrels, ducks and the occasional coyote or horse. I drive 5 minutes to the trail head and in a few minutes on the trail this is my view. It's nice to start my day with this view rather then cubicle walls...

When I bike, I leave right from my apartment. Unfortunately the first 1.5 miles to the trail head is mostly downhill, so I save the hardest part of the ride for the end on the way back. I programmed my ipod with 21 songs. It took 17 to get to my turnaround point and all 21 to get back. It was a 2.5 hr ride.

More Stand Up

2009-05-07T23:34:00.010-04:00

I saw Kevin Pollak tonight at Comedy Works in Landmark Village. I told Eileen I was going to see him and that he was in her favorite movie "A Few Good Men" and she still didn't know who I was talking about. Here's a pic (hint: he's on the right).

He was also in "The Usual Suspects" -another awesome movie. Prior to the show Mythili and I went to Jing for drinks and appetizers. It has a very cool interior and good food from what I tried.

Dad turns 65

2009-05-06T23:48:00.002-04:00

Since I made a big deal about Eileen turning 30, I think Dad's 65 is also a big one.

Cosi fan tutte

2009-04-28T22:49:00.004-04:00

Megan and I saw the Cosi fan tutte opera. It was a comedy which was much lighter then the last one we saw. We ate at a champaign bar, Corridor 44, prior. I highly recommend (as did the bartender) the truffle parmesan fries.