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Notes from our recent road trip to Denver:

We have returned safely to sunny but mild days at home, clear blue skies, happy to have traveled with few glitches, unless you count the huge cold my hub got on the first full day of our stay in Denver. (For that reason, we made our way to COVID testing immediately and blessedly were both negative.) We did have a wonderful anniversary dinner at Rioja, outdoors, on a pedestrian-only area, beautifully lit for dusk, great food. Accessible by moonlit walk and grabbing the free tram for a few blocks. My idea of a city.

I can report that I put MORE books back on the shelves (after ordering them from the library) than I bought in my four hours at Tattered Cover Bookstore, which remains one of my favorite places on Earth. This particular location is in a former movie and stage theatre, remnants of which are still present. I started taking a record of the books I looked at, but gave up: too many books, too little time. GAWD, there is some great writing out there to be admired and reading to be enjoyed. I need a few more lives. (Click on individual pictures to get close-ups of some interesting titles.)

I can also report from the field that, although there were few masks in the entire states of Idaho and Utah, Denver walks around quite masked up. No coincidence there: the vax rate there is high and the COVID cases low. I was impressed with Denver’s public transportation system, at least serving downtown, including free trams to get you from one end to the other and easy busses to the outskirts. Scooters through Lyft are available everywhere in downtown and outskirts. Downtown Denver reminds me of what Seattle used to be. (Which makes me kinda sad.)

One morning when Bob needed to nurse his cold back at the hotel, I found the RTD I needed to get to the RINO arts district where I walked around and enjoyed the public art …

and an Oreo croissant (c’mon!) at a coffee house.

I am a city girl.

Always. And forevermore.

Here are 4 More Things for Friday, newly reaching my brain this past week. Hope you find something to enrich your day!

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I’ve added an artist to my Artists Who Inspire Me list (here). Her name is Elizabeth Bruno. I love her work, the beautifully intricate designs and patterns and muted colors. Thanks to my friend Cheryl for discovering her. Any favorites out there you’d like me to know about and share with others? We’re ALL ABOUT ARTS (and artists!) here.

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When hub and I take road trips, he likes to do all the driving. Which is Just. Fine. With. Me. And, thankfully, I don’t get carsick, so I use the hours to read, catch up on magazines, take dozens if not hundreds of landscape photos, or do some drawing. (And the occasional sun-in-the-window nap.) I watched a Skillshare class and was able to make this digitally on Procreate. I plan to make it more my own with another flower, next project up. Maybe A for Anemone? Methinks there is an alphabet book calling my name. I’ll play around with some other flowers and see if I can stay interested enough all the way through the ABC’s. Alphabets are one of my delights, and I am always up to an alphabetical challenge, although my desires often outweigh my time and tenacity.

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These are books I finished on the trip. I recommend each of them; they kept me interested the entire way. I brought a whole bag, because I am of the notion that if a book doesn’t grab me right away, there’s another -and maybe better - one within my grasp. But these ones had me all the way. Lots of notes in margins for the last 3.

Any books out there I should know about???

Five Things for the First Friday!

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