Sunday, January 3, 2016

The Giant Backpack

A huge red backpack was the first thing I noticed as I headed to pick up my luggage. It would be hard to miss because of its color and size. When I saw the gigantic red backpack I wondered what it could possibly be doing at the airport near baggage claim. I read the tag and laughed. What a clever way to convey an important message for travelers! The writing on the tag emphasized what was continuously blared over the loud speakers.




It may not be this obvious.
No matter the size,
a backpack or an object
left unattended in a public venue
is not always in plain sight.
Notice your surroundings.
Use common sense.
Call local authorities.
If you SEE something
SAY something.

Saturday, January 2, 2016

Fire in Arvada

Around two in the afternoon I had some errands to run and around the corner of 64th and Wadsworth I could see many flashing lights. Must have been a car accident, I thought. As I glanced further north I saw a long ladder with water shooting down at a building. Must be a fire, I thought. I managed to take a picture of
the ladder before the traffic light changed and I headed south on Wadsworth. To the post office and then to Costco took about one hour and forty-five minutes. On my return, as I reached the corner of 64th & Wadsworth, I could see a firetruck and some police cars. The fire had been going on for a long time. I drove into the shopping area on the East side of Wadsworth Blvd and tried to get a spot to see exactly where the fire had happened or was happening.

The strip mall has high banks leaving me in a low area where I could not see anything. Driving around I found an exit where I could see the building and was surprised at the damage. There weren't any cars behind me so I parked and took some pictures through the windshield. I was also facing the sun and that made it more difficult to get a good shot. My hope was that the pictures I did take would turn out. I planned to watch the evening news to find out more about the fire; what caused it or what happened?

Though I live near the area where the fire had raged, I had never paid attention to the two office buildings in that block. When I got home I looked them up on the Internet and both buildings came up as office buildings though it was the one furthest north that burned. The building was a drug rehab treatment center.

On Channel 9 News there was a report of two persons injured and one missing employee. A bystander said, "It was an old building (1974) and all wood." Someone else made a comment, "There was a lot of smoke. I have never seen so much smoke."  More investigation is needed though suspicion is that the furnace may have been the problem. The news reported that even at this late hour some fire fighters are still trying to put out hot spots.

Two of my Facebook friends happened to drive by the building and saw the intense flames and smoke. One person drove by at ten in the morning while the other person drove by at noon. I passed the area at two and again at three-fifteen. It seems to have been a fifteen hour or longer fire.

Before
After






From Little to Big


Christmas Eve, after a delicious salmon dinner, we walked the five blocks to St. Angela Merici Catholic Church. There was a Nativity scene outside and one inside to remind everyone of the birth of Christ. After the mass my family saw friends and we stood at the rear of the church  wishing everyone a Merry Christmas. Since they had not seen each other for awhile, the chatting continued for about thirty minutes. When I had last seen the children, the daughter had been around seven and the son could have been nine. Now they were attractive teenagers. It was fun listening to what they had been doing since I saw them last! 
 









As we parted ways with lots of hugs, I happened to walk past the sacristy where I saw albs hanging neatly in a row.They looked ready for the next mass!
We walked home in the damp coolness, ready to open our gifts on this special Christmas Eve where I was spending time with my family!

"It came without ribbons!
It came without tags!
It came without packages, boxes or bags!
Then the Grinch thought of something,
'Maybe Christmas,' he thought,
'doesn't come from a store....
maybe Christmas perhaps,
means a little bit more.'
Dr. Seuss



Friday, January 1, 2016

Super Juicy Dumpling

 

Whenever I visit my family in California, they take me to some of their favorite restaurants. I am never disappointed. This time they took me to the Super Juicy Dumpling restaurant near their home. It is not a large restaurant and there is a glass room where I could see two women making small pockets of dough which they filled with pork, fish or vegetables. The dough mounds resembled large heads of garlic.

An order of green beans arrived at our table and one taste is all it took. I loved those green beans prepared with tiny pieces of bacon, small red hot peppers, and seasoned with tasty spices. I found the green beans to be habit forming and I could have eaten them for my complete meal. A round metal container arrived with ten dumplings filled with vegetables. Since I never learned to eat with chopsticks, I had to ask for a fork. As I looked around the restaurants it appeared I was the only one using a fork! A white pot with hot tea complimented the delicious meal.

After eating, out came my camera for pictures of four satisfied customers! After my vacation was over and I returned home, I looked on the Internet for a similar restaurant in the Arvada area and the only restaurant that came up is the one in California. That's disappointing because this restaurant is rated highly by me and I hoped it would be a chain all over the United States! It isn't. Well, if I can't have the great tasting food here I do have some delicious memories.

"You do not sew with a fork
and I see no reason why you
should eat with knitting needles."
Miss Piggy

Wednesday, December 30, 2015

The Color Red

Every time I see the color red in cloth, paint, books, art, or thread I remember my trip to the Bower's Museum in California. I wanted to see Diego Rivera's water colors but was more fascinated by the exhibit of The Red That Colored The World.

The exhibit had many objects on display and before they could be shown the red had to be tested to make sure it came from a cochineal bug.
 

The bug was found in the 1500's at an Aztec market by Spanish explorers. When crushed it looks like a pile of raisins. The bug when ground up produces a red juice that can be used in many ways. When used it is permanent and a pure red. Some of the uses were for the British soldiers' uniforms, a chair belonging to Napoleon, evening gowns, furniture paint, woven blankets and ponchos. The red from El Greco's painting, The Savior, came for the cochineal bug. Mexico exported the bug to Europe and it was rated as a second export after silver. It has been used in yogurt, candy, nail polish, and lipstick but the bug does need to be listed as an ingredient.

When I saw the artifacts from New Mexico and realized that they had been made during the time of my ancestors, I was fascinated. I wondered if they knew about this bug who gave out a red color. At the end of the exhibit there were some red robes with white fur collars and my daughter said, "Hey, let's make you a queen. With all that red it almost looks like an oil painting." She draped the robe around me and I held some red gloves. What fun goofing around with my daughter!

Queen E

Thumbs and Eyes

Every where I go, what I notice the most are thumbs moving over phone keys. Eyes stare at the screen on a cell phone. A few days ago, while at the airport, there were seventeen persons standing around and sixteen of those persons were on their cell phones. I know because I counted them! I glanced around the airport and it seemed as if everyone was communicating on a cell phone. I would venture to guess that 90% of the people waiting for flights, on any given day, are using their cell phones!

I noticed a young woman dressed in knee high leather boots, tights, short skirt, a sweater that showed her exaggerated bosom, long, flowing hair and a face with well placed make up. To me, she looked like pictures I have seen of hookers. She was attractive and I am sure if any men had seen her, they would have used the word "sexy" to describe her. She walked past me, then returned, then walked by again and I believed she was trying to show off her attributes as she swung her rear left to right and back again! The sad thing was that no body saw her. I may have been the only one watching her. Everybody was texting and no one was looking up as she paraded back and forth. I felt bad for the young woman who was all gussied up and no one noticed her.

It appears that as long as the phone users have thumbs and eyes to look at the screen, they don't need anything else! One man tripped over a suitcase while on his cell phone and two persons bumped into each other. At this point, I got my phone out and began texting so I have no idea what else happened at the airport to all the texters!

A Lift Me Up Place

When I am feeling down and my face is one big frown, I have found a place to go that instantly lifts my spirits. It's a place no one would ever guess. I love going through the security line at DIA (Denver International Airport). There I am made to feel young and the thought makes me happy. "Take off your shoes," I am told by a young TSA (Transportation Security Administration) officer. "You need to take off your shoes," he repeats. I look at him and say, "I thought that if a person was over 75 they did not need to remove their shoes." With a look of surprise, he asks, "Are you over 75?" I say, "I'm 77." He laughs and says "You could have fooled me because you sure don't look it."

It doesn't matter to me that I am held back and a wand moved up and down my body. It doesn't matter that I am asked to remove my baseball cap. It doesn't matter if they go through my bag. All I know is that my 
ego blows up like a balloon. My depression lifts. I leave the security area with my head held high. How nice to know that someone believes I am younger than I am. That makes me feel good.  Not only do the agents check to keep fliers safe, but they have a way of cheering me up!

"You can't help getting older,
but you don't have to get old."
George Burns