The week was hot. Denver broke a record this week and hit 102 degrees. I really do enjoy summer. I cannot imagine what it would be like if we did not experience some excruciating heat for a couple months of the year. Seasons truly become seasons when we live in the weather for more than one day. As I make my way around town, I try to take note of where certain shops are so that when I have the need for something, I know where to find it. For instance, car repair shops, post offices, Target, my bank, different grocery stores, etc. I recently discovered that there is a Jimmy Johns not too far from my apartment (Yay!!). Inevitably, if I do not write it down I will forget where I saw a certain shop. The closest and longest thoroughfare to me is a wonderful street called Wadsworth. The street runs through the city as well as the surrounding suburbs so I can use it to get to different cities. And for the sake of not getting lost, I've found that everything is on Wadsworth. If in doubt, I go looking on Wads. North or south, I'm bound to find it.
This week was exciting because I was able to have dinner with my mother's sister and later, my dad's brother. I have never been within dinner distance of my relatives. I greatly enjoyed being able to dine with both of them- and in the same week! My aunt and uncle live in Denver and I was able to easily meet up with them at this wonderful restaurant called Racines. My cousin (daughter of my dad's brother) had a baby four months ago, and she and her husband came down from Wyoming to visit. I was the first one in my family to meet beautiful Megan. It was truly a gift to be able to see this perfect little baby. She is quite active and expressive. I was amazed how attentive she was at such a young age. I loved being able to hold her. She lives in Wyoming, but I volunteered to babysit so I just may be able to see her more often. And did I mention she has dark blue eyes, tiny toes and soft, soft baby skin? Absolutely precious!
Another new thing this week: I rode a bike. It's been about ten years since I've truly been on a bike ride, but I did it! I used to ride with my brother and sister all the time when we went camping. I'd love exploring the campground on a bike. You could go so fast down hills and ride almost anywhere faster than you could run. We'd go on trails that were way to dangerous for us, but if there was a trail or a lake to get to we'd do it. Sometimes my sister and I would ride on the same bike. One of us would stand up and pedal while the other would sit on the seat and swing their legs to create momentum. I had seen other people doing it, and therefore I must be able to do it so I grabbed my younger sister and told her to get on. After a couple of tries, we mastered it and were able to ride anywhere just as fast as before. I'm not sure what the advantage of one bike was...but we could do it! This week's bike ride was not through a quiet campground on dirt trails around a lake. This ride was through the streets of Denver to a park where an outdoor movie was showing-The Goonies! While most people that bike in Denver ride on the streets of the city, I had never done such a thing because in Dallas that is risky. Thankfully I was riding with my friend, an everyday cyclist who knew the area and traffic, but it was still a thrill. I tend to get quiet when I'm anxious about something. So most of the ride I was quietly but tightly gripping the handlebars. The 1.2 mile ride was very enjoyable, and I was trying to take in the neighborhood with all the older houses without getting hit by a car or anther biker, or clipped by someone opening their car door. It was just after 8:00 and the heat of the day had relented. There was even a cool breeze through the park as we were leaving. I was a little proud of myself I did not crash my first go at biking in the city.
Perhaps my favorite new thing this week was the used book store I discovered, West Side Books. The owner told be it had been there 10 years, and it definitely looks like it. The shelves are tall and literally stocked floor to ceiling with books. Handwritten signs direct shoppers to the different sections and the small displays marked the popular or 'new' items. There are sections for autographed books, first editions, local authors, and screenplays. They sell postcards, posters, and encyclopedias. My appreciation for authors, writers, literature and their readers grew a bit more when I found this shop.
The landscape I live in is spectacular. I am blessed to live in such green and vibrant state. Here's something I found from the shop:
"O Maker of sweet poets, dear delight
Of this fair world, and all its gentle livers;
Spangler of clouds, halo of crystal rivers,
Mingler with leaves, and dew and tumbling streams,
Closer of lovely eyes to lovely dreams,
Lover of loneliness, and wandering,
Of upcast eye, and tender pondering!
Thee must I praise above all other glories
That smile us on to tell delightful stories.
For what what made the sage or poet write
But the fair paradise of Nature's light?"
-excerpt from John Keats, "I stood tip-toe upon a little hill"
God Bless!
-s
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