Party Time

 When I saw the invitation for a party for two of my friends, I did not hesitate to respond that I would attend. I ignored the fact that I do not like to drive downtown and began checking out the light rail train from Arvada to Union Station. My plan was to go downtown on the train, catch the mall bus and get off on Arapahoe Street and walk about five blocks to the Rocky Mountain Public Media building. The night before the party I looked online for parking lots near the building. The prices ranged from $9.50 to $30.00 and I reserved and paid for a spot for $9.50 and that cinched the idea that I would drive to the party!

The building houses the radio station KUVO and we could donate money to the Parkinson Association of the Rockies or to KUVO if we so desired. Upon entering the building, a photographer was taking pictures of those that entered and my friend's husband became my partner for the photo! The decorations were colorful and interesting with a Mexican theme. The round tables were covered with a black tablecloth and in the center of the table was silverware wrapped in different colored napkins and placed in a plastic glass. Tiny Mexican gum packages were scattered around the glass making it decorative and useful!

A buffet line with different kinds of delicious goodies: Rice, beans, tortillas, hot and mild chili, strips of corn on the cob, enchiladas, cheese, onions, tomatoes and lettuce. A Paleta (sort of a popsicle), cups of ice-cream, and fancy cupcakes were our yummy dessert! In another room, a band began to play Mexican music by a popular band called The Rick Garcia Band. A few people danced and I was impressed by a smooth dancer. I imagined him in his youth moving his partners around the dance floor. I went up to him and told him he was an excellent dancer and he told me he was Pocho Joe. I have listened to him on KUVO but had never met him. One of his saying is,

"The beat ain't complete 'til you move your feet!"  

 

There were three screens, in different rooms, showing a video of the life of the celebrants, and it was fun watching them grow from their youth until now.  We could watch their life, and their family and friends, no matter what room you happened to be in! One segment of the video was devoted to his writing career showing all the books he has written.

I saw people from my past and we caught up on what has been happening in our lives since we last saw each other. I was happy to see my boss from the 80's! At first glance it is hard to recognize faces but once we begin talking it's as if no time has passed at all!

I do believe that Manuel Ramos and Flo Ramos Hernandez are the most famous people I know! Being friends on Facebook I can see every time they win an award, and it is quite often!

After the party, I walked a few blocks to Octoberfest on Larimer Street. As I walked through the throngs of young people drinking huge mugs of beer, I felt like a fish out of water! I did not see anyone that looked over twenty-five! The loud music sounded like noise to me, but the kids seem to enjoy it. I knew there was a huge generation gap!

"A fun Saturday!"

E. Moscoso

A Painful Memory

Driving by a high school and seeing young men practicing soccer made a lump form in my throat. An invisible hand seemed to grab my heart and squeeze it. Memories of seeing my son on a soccer field tormented me as I recalled those times. He has been gone for seven years and I thought I was over aching for him. Today, the thought that I would never see him again here on earth hit me, as it did when he died. Why today? 

As I drove past the field, how I wished time could return to when he played soccer and I cheered for him and his team. He began playing when he was around five years old and played until his mid-thirties. I remember him telling me that playing with younger men was difficult because he could no long keep up with them!

Never again would I laugh at his jokes, enjoy his company, argue with him, travel with him, his cooking on the grill, listen to his stories, have him as my dance partner, having fun or see him loving his children. I even miss those days he made me angry! Those days disappeared with him on October 29, 2016.

I know I have been told that someday I will see him again but right now I would like to hug him tightly and see him once again!

A bunch of kids, playing soccer, brought me once again, to the reality that he is gone forever.

"His death brings a new

experience -- a wound 

that will not heal"

Ernst Junger

A Picnic

 Picnics are always fun and it had been years since I had been on one. On September 14, 2023, six friends decided to go on a picnic and visit Hiwan Heritage Park and Museum. Even though I am a Colorado resident and traveled to Evergreen many times, I had never stopped at the museum. There are seven bathrooms in the large rustic home with seventeen rooms. Most of the items are furnishings from the original owners that lived in the home from1880 until 1942. There were fireplaces in most of the rooms and the tour guide commented that the first fireplace was pretty rough and as other rooms were added, the fireplaces became better and neater looking as the mason learned the trade! 

It was interesting seeing how things used to be in the past and amazing at the handmade wooden work throughout the house. In a chapel there was a crucifix and a statue that looked like the Blessed Mother even though it was not a Catholic chapel. Dr. Josepha, one of the owners of the land, married Charles Douglas in 1896 and used the mountain home as a get away from Denver. He was an Episcopal minister and became the first curator of Native American art at the Denver Art Museum. Developers tried to purchase the land to put in condos but fortunately the land was not sold. With luck, the area will continue to be where picnics can be held, schools can visit and tour to learn how life was in the past and wildlife can wander peacefully while quietness reigns.

On the grounds there is a pavilion with tables and that's where we had our picnic. Six of us enjoyed the silence, the greenery, and the mule deer that wandered near to check us out! I learned they are called mule deer because of their large ears. 

Even though rain had been predicted, we lucked out and missed the rain though it drizzled lightly. On our way home it began to rain and we felt lucky that we were able to enjoy the day before the rain arrived!

"Picnics are the ultimate

multi-tasking experience --

eating, relaxing and dodging

bees all at the same time."

by Picnic Makers

Black, White, Blue and Tissue Paper

 On Thursday, September 7, 2023, I saw outstanding black and white photos at the Botanical Gardens in Denver. My family was visiting from California and they had seen where Ansel Adams photographs would be on display and invited me to go with them. I was surprised that there were museum rooms at the Botanical Gardens and we ended up visiting three different rooms displaying different types of art. 

Room One

I have always liked seeing Ansel Adams photography and the display showed many of his famous shots. He is known as the "Landscape Photographer of the 20th Century." His photography was explained along with the cameras he used. Most of the information went over my head but I knew that I liked his black and white photos! I could see how he used dark and light shadows for some beautiful photos! I later learned that he was also a pianist but decided to pursue photography and not the piano.

He was born in 1902 and passed away in 1984. He believed in conservation of the environment and photographed a Japanese internment camp with over 200 photos to show the unfairness of how American Japanese were treated during the war. Not only did I enjoy the photos but found myself liking the man! 

"A true photo need not be explained,

nor can it be contained in words."

Ansel Adams

Room Two

Justin Favela, the artist, had a room decorated with tissue paper called Vistas in Color. He was born in 1986 and for me, it was a different type of art. One whole room was covered by tissue paper representing a southwestern scene. He calls it pinata art because the paper is what is used in making  pinatas. To me it looked like 2x1 inches of different colored tissue paper glued on cardboard to form the landscape. I found it interesting that it is a one-time showing because it was made for that particular room and once torn down it can never be used again. On the internet I saw a low rider car decorated with the same kind of tissue paper. Pretty impressive! He used green, yellow, purple, white, red, blue and orange tissue from floor to ceiling for the mural of the desert scene.

Room Three

The name of the room was Indigo. I knew that meant blue but had no idea that it came from a plant. I read how the blue inspires weavers, dyers, designers and sculptors from around the world. I had always thought that blueberries were the source of getting the color blue but found out that there are plants (shrubs) that need to be dried and when water is mixed in, it will produce the blue color that can be used to dye cloth, paper, string, etc. It was interesting seeing the many artistic materials that used Indigo. A note on the wall mentioned that the oldest known fabric dyed indigo, dated 6000 years ago, was discovered in Huaca Prieta, Peru.

We spent time enjoying photos, seeing the work of an artist and learning about the color blue.

"MUSEUMS ARE GOOD THINGS,

PLACES TO LOOK 

AND ABSORB

AND LEARN."

Alan King

A Casino Penny

Never in a million years would I think I could find a penny on the floor of a casino. The slot machines may say they are penny machines but nobody uses coins to gamble. Some of the lowest penny machines begin with sixty cents! And some of those penny machines can go up to five dollars!

Imagine my surprise when I looked down and spotted a penny on the floor next to the machine I was playing. How could a penny be on the floor? Where could that penny come from to land near my feet? It's only paper that the machines swallow; vouchers, ones, fives, twenties, or larger bills.  No coins are used! A penny on the floor is a rarity or an impossibility!

And then I knew. My son was letting me know he was around. It gave me a thrill realizing that after many months he was appearing to remind me that he was thinking of me! I couldn't help but think of the song, Pennies from Heaven!  It made losing my money easier to accept.

"The only point to

play slots is to enjoy

the excitement of it."

Guest Author

You Think You Know Somebody

This morning, September 1, 2023, I drove into the crowded parking lot at Spirit of Christ Catholic Community for a funeral mass for a friend. I was surprised to see so many cars and more surprised when I walked into the Chapel and it was jammed packed. I had expected to see about twenty-five persons but instead there must have been 200 people in the room. I knew Lorna from when she traveled on some of my trips but as I waited to sign the Remembrance Book people were chatting about her. I found out she belonged to the Red Hat Society and she had played the organ at Holy Trinity for forty some years. She belonged to many other organizations and was well known.

The music she selected was beautiful and the pianist and everyone singing sounded wonderful. Almost like a room full of angels! Our priest gave a touching homily and what I liked was his explanation of the hyphen between the birth date and death. "The hyphen represents our life from beginning to end!"

The Touch Committe had lunch ready for everyone after the mass. Family members, friends, and Spirit of Christ people all gathered to reminisce about how they knew Lorna. She was surely loved by many and had touched many lives. Some of my travelers, many Young at Heart members and some of my gambling friends were present. 

As I left the reception, I ran into people I had not seen in a long time. As I chatted with them a lady came and stood waiting to talk to me. I did not recognize her. The only reason she recognized me is because she heard me say my name and wondered if it could be me. I looked at her and after studying her face for a while I said, "Mary Lou?" She laughed and said, "Mary Jane!" What a sweet reunion and it was so exciting seeing her after so many years. We recalled how much fun we had in our youth in the late '50's. Her sister Frances passed away from Parkinson's Disease and her parents are both gone. Her younger sister, Barbara (Bobbie) is now in her sixty's. Barbara was the flower girl at my wedding.

Mary Jane knew Lorna from Holy Trinity because she sang in the choir. I thank Lorna for bringing us all together!

"Even the best of friends

cannot attend

 each other's funeral."

Kehlog Albran