Fun With Reid

Thursday my son Reid flew into Denver. He has spent the past month having a fabulous time at Camp Young Judaea and taking an amazing bus tour through the West. We are enjoying Denver together. Friday we spent the day at the Denver Zoo. Reid loves animals and took some great photos there. In the evening we went to Sloan's Lake Park to play frisbee and watch "Where The Wild Things Are." I really love that there are so many outdoor movies and concerts in the area parks. It is so wonderful to lay on a blanket under the stars on a cool Denver evening.

This morning Reid and I went on a bird hike. We've never done that before and it was pretty cool. A professional guide led the hike and he really knew his stuff. The woodsy area in Castle Rock was lovely to walk through and we saw over 20 varieties of birds, one of which the guide had never seen in that area!

Tonight Reid and I met Cass and Herb to see the Rockies beat the Padres 4-2. So far the Rockies have won every game I have been to (4 for 4). Herb follows the Rockies closely and told us all about every player. Afterwards we walked around downtown for a little bit and chatted. We all had a great time together. World Series here we come!

Contemporary Art Day

Tuesday was Contemporary Art Day! First I visited the art exhibit at the newly restored McNichols Building in Civic Center Park, part of the huge Biennial of the Americas programming going on here at virtually every institution this month. This former Smithsonian library has very high ceilings and fabulous large windows which makes it a great place for an art exhibit. Various contemporary artists from the Americas - South America, Latin America, Mexico, Canada, USA - were invited to create pieces especially for this program with the theme of "The Nature of Things". As with all modern art, the wide open theme brings out the full spectrum of ideas and ways to present it. A few pieces I enjoyed include energetic cone-like formations of various topographical areas of the state incorporating natural elements such as moss, grass and rock, allowing us to simultaneously see the power and the delicacy of nature. Another artist created elaborate, organic, futuristic buildings from dust, yes, dust mixed with some polymers, showing us how readily available materials could be used to build things with. A lot of really fascinating stuff making big statements about our world.

Afterwards I went into Civic Center Park to have some lunch. Vendors set up food kiosks in the park at lunchtime, a great break for downtown workers. I was in Happy-Land sitting outside at a table under an umbrella, listening to live guitar music (which always makes me feel good) munching my really tasty Vietnamese sandwich of smoked tempeh, pickled vegetables, sprouts and cilantro!

Then a visit to the MCA - Museum of Contemporary Art, on the other end of downtown, about a mile walk. This museum has very few permanent pieces, so every time you go the entire museum is different. Their current theme is "Energy Effects". As opposed to conserving energy, a good idea of course, these pieces are put together to explore how art allows us to see the power of energy. Human energy, molecular energy, nuclear energy, planetary energy, electronic energy. A new point of view and a new way to communicate everywhere you look!

I capped off my Happy Day with dinner with my friend Andrea who moved to Denver from Dallas two years ago. She loves it here and we had a nice visit!

Cherry Creek Arts Festival - wow!

Sunday I spent the day with my Dallas friends Marcy and Bob who were in town for the Cherry Creek Arts Festival. This is one of the premier arts festivals in the country, it is extremely selective, and yet there is something for everyone. I was wowed by the variety and the incredibly high craftsmanship of all the artists. Most artists have lots of great ideas, it's the ones who can pull off their concept by creating and communicating with something amazing that stand a chance of making it in the world of selling your art.

My shopping friend Marcy found plenty of beautiful things to buy while Bob and I gave our opinions on which earrings were better. We walked, stopped for lunch, then walked some more as Bob carefully read the map so we didn't miss anything. (As opposed to me who wanders aimlessly and doesn't care if I miss something!) We had a really fun time! Just as we finished in the late afternoon, the weather took a turn for the worse, so we went to see the movie "The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo" which I have been wanting to see for months. We all loved it (the sequel comes out this weekend). Then we ate a delicious Chinese dinner and called it a super day!

Awesome Fireworks

The Denver Symphony concert, light show and fireworks at Civic Center Park tonight were awesome! I really, really love fireworks, it appeals to both the artist and the pyromaniac in me! Thousands of people turned out on a warm night to celebrate. The park is a mere two blocks from my condo and I was pretty glad I didn't need to park a car in this area tonight. The Capitol is one one side of the park and the Government Building is across the street. This is the building that has fantastic lighting that changed to the music throughout the concert. I happened to sit down by some really nice women who shared their blanket with me and we talked about living in Denver. People here are really friendly!

Finishing Up Teaching

Amazingly enough, my teaching here is finished. The best part about teaching art is guiding children through new experiences, helping those all important brain connections grow as they create, experiment, problem-solve and see things from new perspectives. The second best part about teaching art is that the children keep me thinking and feeling young, as if I am also learning everything for the first time. We finished up our class this week painting wild Matisse patterns, drawing self portraits a la Frida Kahlo, a big challenge for most 6 year olds, and creating imaginative found object circus sculptures in the style of Alexander Calder. It is amazing how much fun kids can have with a table full of containers, yarn, wood pieces, wire, foam trays, egg cartons and popsicle sticks!

A Super Day-After-My-Birthday

Thursday my friend Melissa and I went to see the Rockies game. I've known Melissa a long time and am glad to have gotten to know her better in recent years since I've been visiting Denver. We both really love going to baseball games and this one was so much fun! The game itself was great - the Rockies won 7-4, the crowd was in a celebratory mood and our seats were right by the Coors Field Brewery (good thinking M!). The best part about the game however was the wonderful time I had with my super fun friend. We talked and laughed and cheered - what a great way to spend an evening!

Happy Birthday to Me!

Wednesday marked the beginning of my 48th year on this earth, which makes me 47 years old for those who don't relate well to math. I have not liked the idea of birthdays much since I rolled over number 40, because as I get older the disconnect between my numerical age and how I feel gets even wider. What is old and what is young? Of course this is all outwardly imposed but it still tends to affect us - society has expectations about what you should act like and where you should be in your life at various points. It's not a great system in my opinion, and I admire the many people who break out of it in various ways. Clearly life never goes as you plan it. Relationships ebb and flow, come and go, people live and die, or face death and push it back. The perpetual stresses of money, health, family, jobs, government, the environment, world peace - there is no end to the challenges we face as mere humans.

So, this year I have new thoughts about birthdays. To celebrate another year of my one and only precious life. To cultivate gratitude, and that takes a lot of work, about what is right. To know myself, what I need and what I don't. To get the maximum joy out of the seemingly small things - a relaxing walk in nature, a sweet gesture from a child, a delicious plate of food, an exciting piece of art, a delightful piece of music, a thought provoking book or movie. To show thanks to all the people in my life who have made it what it is. Thanks everyone.