Every couple of years, I round up a friend or two and head to the Denver Gem & Mineral Show. Historically it’s been at the Denver Merchandise Mart but since that facility went bankrupt last year (another victim of the pandemic, alas) the show’s moved to National Western Complex in Denver, a couple of miles away. Well, it might be the same show or it might be a new, replacement expo and show since it…Read More

It’s been a long summer. Heck, it’s been a long pandemic, during which time both my older daughter’s boyfriend and my younger daughter (who lives with me full time) both tested positive for Covid. He had an easy go of it, but my girl had a rough weekend of flu-like symptoms, followed by a loss of taste and smell for a few weeks. It’s also been a year of very little travel for me when…Read More

As I’ve written about before, my youngest, K-, 17, is in a local club volleyball league. The intention is that they practice twice/week and then play tournaments against other teams every weekend during the season. We signed up for what’s known as a “travel team” which should have meant we would go to a few out-of-state tournaments too. Mucho $$ for these programs, but somehow the combination of exhausted parents and the darn pandemic have…Read More

I’ve always had a soft spot in my heart for The Broadmoor 5-star hotel in Colorado Springs, about an hour south of Denver, Colorado. They’ve been very generous letting my younger daughter and I stay there and experience various activities over the years. Earlier writeups, if you’re interested: A trip to the Broadmoor with tomahawk throwing and bowling, and our more recent trip to the Broadmoor that included dinner at Restaurant 1858, a wonderful steak restaurant…Read More

Linda, my ex, has been sequestered in Seattle for over three months with her husband; he’s out there getting specialized medical treatment. The treatment has the unfortunate side-effect of destroying his immune system, exactly what you don’t want to do in the midst of a global pandemic, but the option to wait a year or two wasn’t on the table, so the timing is what it is. One result was a planned strict no visitor…Read More

For the vast majority of us, 2020 has proven a year where we have stayed home. Whether your home is in an urban apartment complex, a suburban house or a rural farm, we’re traveling less and interacting with less people than in any other time in recent history. The culprit, of course, is that nasty little virus called Covid-19, the Coronavirus. In the last four months, however, we’ve learned quite a few ways to cope…Read More

All of my three kids have been active in sports. Gareth, now 19, played basketball the most, but also enjoyed a couple of years of lacrosse back in the day. He’s still ready for pickup basketball games, but it’s not a daily physical outlet as it was when he was younger. Ashley, now 23, enjoyed basketball but really loved volleyball, playing it on her school team for many years through middle and high school. And…Read More

I was lucky enough to be invited to the grand opening of The Science Behind Pixar exhibit at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science a few days ago and naturally brought along my posse to enjoy the festivities. Pixar, of course, is the extraordinarily successful animation studio behind so many great films, including Toy Story, Finding Nemo, Inside Out, Up, Coco, The Incredibles, Ratatouille, Monsters Inc., Wall-E and so many more. Pixar has won…Read More

Cities have personalities. Paris is chic, London is a busy financial hub and New York has a tough veneer all its own. I live in a city with a famous personality too: Boulder, Colorado. Home of more natural food startups, yoga studios and tech companies than you can count, the roads are clogged with Tesla, Prius and Volt alternative power vehicles, when you’re not being blocked by swarms of bicyclists 10 miles into their daily…Read More

This month’s been one for visiting museums and seeing exhibits, which has been great fun. A couple of weeks ago it was the new Leonardo da Vinci exhibit at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science, and this time it was ensuring that we caught the Christian Dior exhibit at the Denver Art Museum before it ended. By the time you read this, you’ll have missed the boat on Dior as Sunday, Mar. 17 was…Read More

Of the billions of people who have lived in the last few thousand years, it’s not hard to make a case the Leonardo da Vinci was one of the smartest. Born of poor parents and self-educated, he managed to turn the Renaissance on its head with his endless stream of inventions, artwork, scientific research, sketches and smart philosophies. He is the very definition of a “Renaissance Man” with his extraordinary output and often astonishingly forward…Read More

For reasons I can’t quite fathom, lots of people think that vacations require traveling great distances, often on a plane, and often overseas. Yes, there’s a whole world to explore, but if you live in Colorado then there are a ton of great adventure, activity, relaxation and other venues ready to enjoy within just a few hours drive. My family and I have definitely spent lots of time at Colorado destinations like Glenwood Springs, Manitou…Read More

October weather in Colorado has a tendency to be all over the place. I mean, all over the place. And this month is no different: last Sunday, Oct 14, I was up in Breckenridge, stuck in my hotel due to a snowstorm. Between 8-10 inches and sub-freezing conditions made for a tough day throughout the state. Seven days later we were at Anderson Farms in Erie, Colorado (north of Denver and east of Boulder) sweltering in…Read More

Toyota reached out and asked if we were baseball fans. Of course we are, it’s the Great American Pastime! “Great,” they said, “how’d you like to drive a shiny new Toyota vehicle to join us at Rockies vs Mets at Coors Field?” Well, you don’t have to ask us twice for a gig like that so before you could say “major league baseball” we were ready to, well, go places with Toyota. To start out,…Read More

I grew up in Southern California, so the idea of indoor pools was completely alien. When the weather’s always perfect, why wouldn’t you want to hang out at the beach or poolside in someone’s backyard? The rest of the nation doesn’t have the luxury of such weather, however, and as I traveled more – and lived in Indiana and Colorado – I learned about this white stuff popularly known as snow, about days colder than…Read More

This has got to be one of the best ideas for a summer camp for kids I’ve ever heard about: A boot camp for aspiring film critics. Imagine, instead of those tired old-school summer camp activities like canoeing, making lanyards and being bitten by bugs, your children will get to watch movies, debate what makes a movie great and even interview celebrities and industry experts, then write about it and make their own review videos!…Read More

I suspect I’m not alone in looking forward to school starting in September more than the summer break that’s about to start the beginning of June. While there’s a lot to be said for leisure and relaxation, I also believe that children do best if they have structure and rhythm. Staying up until midnight or later and sleeping in until noon? That’s fun for a few days but over the course of weeks or months,…Read More

I like museums. I write about ’em all the time, and we in Denver are blessed with our fair share of really good museums and galleries, including the beautiful Denver Art Museum. The outside is striking and is probably the most unusual architectural feature in the greater downtown Denver area, as you can see: Known as The Hamilton Building, it was designed as a joint venture by Studio Daniel Libeskind and Denver firm Davis Partnership Architects….Read More

Indiana Jones inspired a generation of archeologists, but the fact is, most archeology is fairly dry and dull work. Brushing off dirt in the middle of a desert for hours at a time, just to find that amazing pottery shard is from 75 years ago, not 1700 years ago can be a bit disheartening. But imagine that it’s the middle of the 1940’s and you’re a Bedouin shepherd. A sheep from the flock strays off…Read More