Most zoos are built on flat ground and exploring them is a matter of walking in circles, either outward in or from the center out, as you spiral around the property. Actually, it can be hard to hit every area, every enclosure at zoos because of their weird layout and I have more than once left a familiar zoo like the San Diego Zoo or the Denver Zoo just to realize that I never made…Read More

Having a chance to come to Washington DC, I was tempted to check in with the NSA, Langley or even the massive buildings of Homeland Security coordinating the information analysis business along the Beltway, but was afraid I might just fall off the grid, never to be heard from again. Not good. Instead, I decided that a visit to the much lauded International Spy Museum would have a better end game, particularly since I’m pretty sure that my inner…Read More

Chocolate. Who doesn’t love this mysterious confection that’s the basis of so many delicious treats and desserts? I like chocolate enough to have invested in an organic chocolate food startup years ago, not to mention the various forms of chocolate I enjoy every week, from candy bars and chocolate cake to hot cocoa. Chocolate has chemical characteristics too, notably theobromine, caffeine, phenylethylamine (PEA), and anandamide, all of which help our brains find chocolate tasty and…Read More

It’s been a tumultuous month in our household, with my 19yo daughter A- heading off on a three month “gap year” program in the South Pacific, a month that included her and my ex spending a few weeks in Hawaii, then, on the one weekend between Hawaii and the South Pacific, heading off to Vermont on another trip. Leaving her 12yo sister K- behind with Dad. My concern was for my younger daughter, already anxious about her big…Read More

Even though I have three kids and have been parenting for just shy of two decades, I still actually enjoy hanging out with my children (go figure!) and volunteer to be involved in almost every field trip possible. This morning the upside was that I drove a car of five 12yo girls into Denver to tour the Denver Mint. And it was very interesting, to say the least! Unfortunately, no cameras are allowed, there’s a…Read More

It was a blustery afternoon at 221B Baker Street when Holmes and I heard the tell-tale sound of a carriage pulling up sharply in front of the building. After a moment, Holmes murmured “If I’m not mistake, that’ll be a young man come to tell us about a new exhibit at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science, Watson.” I was shocked. Even for Holmes, that was a leap of deductive reasoning. Guessing it was…Read More

I always look forward to the Makers Faires, though every time someone asks me to describe exactly what it is, I stumble and am unsure exactly what to say. It’s like a hands-on playground for geeky adults with lasers, 3D printers and robots. But it’s more than that and there’s a really important mission underlying all the Makers Faires and the entire makers movement: Increasing STEM participation and excitement in science and technology. Don’t know…Read More

I’ve loved field trips since I was a kid in school and we had the occasional adventure to somewhere, anywhere other than school. Of course, going to public school, I don’t remember that many field trips, but I expect I must have had some. At least, I hope so! My daughter K- is at a school where they love field trips and, of course, the kids love them too. And what kid wouldn’t love the…Read More

This week I’m in Montana on some family business — along with a great adventure with Ford, but more to come about that in a few days! — and while I was driving past, I saw the signs for what used to be called the Custer Battlefield, but now goes by the more balanced Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument and while I was one of the few under-60 folk there, I was really glad I…Read More

All summer I’ve been trying to convince my girls to jump on their bikes and ride down to the main tourist area here in Boulder, Colorado, about a 5mi ride from our house. It’s pretty much level the whole way, so it’s easy and just far enough that it’s a decent jaunt with some good exercise potential too. As an added bonus, while parts of the ride are on city streets, most of it is…Read More

I’m a big fan of the Denver Museum of Nature & Science, as are my children. Lots of different areas and exhibits, ranging from gems and minerals to space exploration, dinosaurs to local flora and fauna, along with a constantly changing set of traveling and themed exhibits. This month it’s Mythic Creatures and The Power of Poison, both of which are super interesting and worth the price of admission. Not enough? They have a splendid…Read More

It’s obvious to anyone who reads this blog that I’m a museum junkie. I like going to museums, whether they’re oriented around the history of espionage, WWII, television production, art, natural history or just about anything else. I also enjoy an occasional flea market because you just never know what you’ll see there, all around the adage of “one man’s junk is another man’s treasure”. When my friend Annie invited me to join her to…Read More

I’m still a kid at heart, I admit it. I play games with my friends, I have a LEGO minifig on my computer bag and a plastic M&M’s guy on my dashboard. I mean, really, who wants to grow up and be that stuffy, boring guy that makes you constantly have to stifle your yawns so as not to be too impolite? When I was growing up we didn’t have a lot, middle class living…Read More

In the middle of a brutal heat wave, a visit to the Natural History Museum of Utah, perched in the foothills above Salt Lake City sounded like a good respite from the 102F day outside. And my timing was good: it was a weekday afternoon and while there were a number of school or summer camp groups present, they didn’t completely overrun the place and I had a chance to explore the five levels and…Read More

Sometimes traveling for family business has its benefits, as I learned when I had a chance to spend a short few nights at the beautiful Sundance Mountain Resort. You know the place, it’s where the Sundance Film Festival takes place, it’s owned by actor/director Robert Redford and his family trust, and it’s one of the most beautiful spots in Utah. There was a lot about my visit that was a surprise, however, not the least…Read More

After a lovely trip to New Mexico — as written here: Road Trip to Santa Fe! — K- and I headed most of the way home for a much anticipated two night stay at the beautiful Broadmoor Hotel in Colorado Springs, CO. For those of you that don’t know Colorado geography, Colorado Springs (or “The Springs” as we locals call it) is 90 minutes due south from Denver International Airport, and less than 60min from…Read More

Once school got out, my youngest, K-, 11, and I needed to celebrate, and since it’s her turn for a solo summer trip with Dad, we decided on a road trip to Santa Fe, New Mexico, an easy 7hr drive from our home in Boulder, Colorado. As is my wont, I did some prep work and lined up a few things to make the trip more fun and interesting, including a great place for us…Read More

I’m a history buff, and while there are thousands of years of history for civilization, there are only specific periods of time and events that catch my interest. The history of England, Russia in the early 1900s, and both WWII and the Vietnam war are intriguing to me, though the Korean War and the Spanish-American War? Not so much. And World War II fascinates me. Has there ever been a moment in world history where…Read More