Author: yvettefrancino

Arguably, the best outdoor amphitheater in the nation is only about 40 minutes from my house: Awe-inspiring Red Rocks.

The scenery and atmosphere while listening to a concert at this stunning venue is definitely an unforgettable experience. Now that I’m thinking of moving, I’ve been making an extra effort to get out to my favorite local-area places. And then I think.. “How can I possibly move? It’s too beautiful here.”

The Beatles actually performed here at Red Rocks in 1964. Obviously, the “real” Beatles are no longer performing, but 1964 the Tribute, traditionally does a great job of giving us the whole Beatles experience, here at Red Rocks in August.

I saw them first in 2008 and remember texting a friend:

“Guess what? I’m listening to the Beatles at Red Rocks!”

to which he replied:

“And I’m listening to the Rolling Stones at Fiddler’s Green.”

The other night was the 3rd time I’ve seen 1964 the Tribute perform at Red Rocks. I know most of the songs, of course, and they encourage the audience to sing along.

The acoustics are amazing at Red Rocks. Even though we were sitting way back in the “General Admission” section, we could hear everything and see on the big projected screens.

I love how much the band members stay in character, dressing, acting, and impersonating the original Beatles, even with their banter. I never saw the actual Beatles live, but these guys sounded exactly like any recordings I’ve ever heard.

If you haven’t been to Red Rocks yet, I recommend adding it to your Bucket List. And if you’re a Beatles fan, get out and Twist and Shout at a 1964 the Tribute concert!

I just returned from one of my favorite traditional vacations – my reunion with Minnesota friends for an annual island retreat.

I met the host of this annual island adventure, Chris, during my stint as a contractor at Optum in Eden Prairie, Minnesota, in the summer of 2016. Since that summer (minus 2020) I’ve gotten to participate in this much-anticipated event.

The island retreat always includes playfulness! For the last few years, we’ve been coming up with a “theme” and this year we chose a Pirate theme. Our host (“Captain Chris!”) has an August birthday so we had a treasure hidden for him this year.

Brenda (always full of fun ideas) brought T-shirts and stencils along for us to create our personalized pirate attire for our photo shoot.

Nancy brought wine made from her own vineyard!

Food is always a highlight of the trip – each meal prepared with love! Both delicious and beautiful!

Can’t get much better than this!

Friends, food, and plenty of fun!

Brooke, the wonder dog, watching out for neighboring pirates!

Here are some videos and blog posts from previous island trips:

2019: This was Week 33 of my 60 until 60 Project – The 60 week countdown to my 60th birthday: Week 33: Minnesota Island Adventure

2016: My first year on the Island – This group participated with me in the “Greatest International Scavenger Hunt the World Has Ever Seen”: GISHWHES on The Great Northern Island

2016: How I met this group, thanks to Scott: Making Friends

A couple of weeks ago, Reneya played a LEAD role in the musical, Seussical, Jr, at the Arvada Center for the Arts! She was JoJo, the littlest Who, who was on a clover found by “Horton” of “Horton Hears a Who.” And she was AMAZING! She sang several songs, including a couple that she sang solo!

Not only does Reneya have acting and singing talent, she has such a wonderful stage presence! She’s a natural-born performer. Her smile just lights up the room. From the time she was an infant, she easily giggled and loved to be around everyone – even strangers! And, they, of course, love to be around her.

Such extraversion is a rarity in my family tree. I was extremely shy as a child, as was my daughter (her mother). I would have loved to have had the confidence to perform when I was young, and I’m still working at overcoming stage fright.

I’m so excited that Reneya not only has talent, but is becoming passionate about something that I love, too – musical theater! If she’s already performing with a theater group at age 10, think of all the performances she has in her future! I can’t wait to see what the future will bring!

Yesterday, we shared another Microadventure: Our traditional birthday lunch and shopping spree at Flatirons Mall in Broomfield.

This is our 3rd year with this tradition. Thanks to Covid, I adapted to 1:1 birthday celebrations with my grandkids. I learned that we all like the individual attention that comes with these 1:1 celebrations.

At the mall, we have a variety of food places we can choose from, thanks to the Food Court, but my favorite is Cafe Crêpe! Reneya, enamored with all things French, decided to join me in getting crêpes for lunch and we shared both a savory (The Benedict) and a sweet (Strawberry Shortcake.)

It was the first time Reneya had ever had a Strawberry Shortcake crêpe and she raved about how good it tasted, declaring it a new item on her “favorite food list” (which also included, Donuts, Cinnabons, another sweet dessert (which I can’t remember now) and… beans! Beans? That prompted my “one of these things is not like the other” Sesame Street game play. (Reneya didn’t seem at all amused at this juvenile reference when she was well beyond Sesame Street games.)

Reneya was anxious to get going with the shopping. As she declared (in her very excited way) she LOOOOVES shopping!

We went to a few clothes stores as well as Claires (accessories) and Sephora (skin care and makeup). Reneya is a very careful shopper, wanting to be sure and spend her birthday money wisely. She always noted the prices, and though she had been interested in jeans, they were almost all more than she wanted to spend.

When we looked at backpacks, most of them had Disney or StarWars scenes. Reneya explained the dilemma of the tween… finding a style that doesn’t look too young or too old. I explained that the style I most preferred probably matched the typical 5-year-old. She chuckled in agreement.

I was very proud at how Reneya made her choices with a careful eye on prices and sales. She even ended up with over $30 left in her birthday cash to save or spend at a later time.

Just like I wrote a couple of weeks ago, when I took out her brother, Diego, hanging out with my grandchildren keeps getting better and better!

Have you ever watched “Who’s Line is it Anyway?” I am amazed at how funny and quick-witted improv comedians can be!

Performances or comedy of any sort can be intimidating for a natural introvert like me, but I’ve been making a habit of getting out of my comfort zone. I’m at the wonderful “Who Cares?” stage of life!

I’ve played Improv games a couple of times before and have wanted to try again, so when I saw this local opportunity, I jumped on it:

Broomshticks Theater Improvisation (Improv) Fun: COME PLAY TONIGHT!

Broomschticks Improv , I learned “is a comedy improv troupe that is part of the Broomfield Council on the Arts and Humanities (BCAH), a 501-c-3 organization.”

The group emphasized fun with no experience necessary. Though I got a little nervous when it was suggested we meet by the “stage” (did I mention I have massive stage fright?) it turns out, I was perfectly fine. Maybe I’ve finally gotten over that dreadful piano recital. (It also helps that there was no audience.)

When I told my friends I went to an Improv group, they said stuff like, “I’d never do that. I’d worry too much about not being funny.” (At least they didn’t say: “You know you’re not funny, right?” even if they were thinking that.)

Surprisingly, I really didn’t feel any pressure, insecurities, or performance anxiety at all. The improv games were like party games and I’ve played plenty of those.

There were about 6 of us who attended (plus 2 kids who joined at the end) and most of the others were experienced (and very funny!) but there was at least one other newbie besides me. Everyone was very welcoming and supportive. There were no ‘wrong answers’ and silliness, of course, was encouraged.

It wasn’t like stand-up comedy where you’re on your own. For most of the games, everyone’s participating, so it’s not like anyone’s really noticing who’s laughing or not laughing or who’s “funny” or who’s “not funny.”

Strike that. We’re probably all self-critiquing. But, as the very inexperienced, least funny participant, even I did not feel embarrassed. If I can do this, anyone can.

The people who were really good could quickly and easily imitate accents, emotions, and personas. So talented!

I could not do that (yet!) However, I have a huge ‘inner child’ that loves to play. I even had fun getting up on stage with the others!

One of the biggest lessons I’m learning about trying new things is this: People care a lot more about you enjoying yourself than they care about your talent.

Perhaps if the end goal is fame or fortune, there would be a little more pressure. But for me, there was only one goal: Have Fun! Mission Accomplished!

(P.S. For those who would like to order the Bald-Man’s Brush, please place your orders at 1-800-TOO-BALD. Additional taxes may apply.)

For the past few years, I have been having a lot more 1:1 parties than big parties to celebrate birthdays. I started this with my 60-until-60 project and, like virtual parties, they became even more trendy during Covid.

I’ve especially enjoyed having individual birthday celebrations with my grandchildren who both have summer birthdays. The other day, we celebrated Diego’s 13th birthday! He’s officially a teenager!

My tradition for the past few years has been to take them to lunch and shopping at the Flatirons Mall where we go on a little shopping spree for their birthday presents.

This year Diego picked Illegal Burger for the lunch portion of our celebration. This was a burger joint I’d never been to before… always an advantage for a Microadventure!

Another tradition is to pig out and have the silly pig-out picture!

Speaking of traditional pictures, we also have to get the silly photo booth pictures in the mall.

I have my “Carpe Diem” journal where I record the birthday boy’s “favorites” (foods, songs, hobbies, etc.) and when I opened up my book, I found our photo booth pictures from last year!

In previous years, Diego would head right to Game Stop for his shopping, but this year, we went to Dick’s Sporting Goods first where he checked out the Avs T-Shirts and caps. The Colorado Avs won the Stanley Cup this year and Diego is both an Av’s fan and a hockey player himself!

Diego still had enough money for a video game, but instead he wanted some skateboarding shoes.

“Shoes?” I asked. “Don’t your parents buy your shoes? Are you sure you want to spend your birthday money on shoes?” I remember Scotty, even as an adult, adamantly being against getting clothes or shoes as gifts. But then, it shows in Scotty’s ragged wardrobe and shoes full of holes that clothes and shoes have never been a priority for him. It’s good to see that Diego is pickier about his appearance.

The next portion of our adventure is the most unique.. something neither of us had done before: A Virtual Reality Roller Coaster!

I actually had only experienced Virtual Reality one other time — with Scotty at an Escape Room convention. It really is extremely cool how realistic everything looks after you put on the special headset.

Once we put on the headset, you could pick from a variety of experiences, and Diego, being the birthday boy, picked an Alien Roller Coaster. It was amazing! It really felt like we were going up and down and from side-to-side while all these aliens were jumping out.

I highly recommend experiencing Virtual Reality, but beware of this: Motion Sickness! I’m prone to motion sickness anyway and rarely go on amusement park rides – especially those that spin. I didn’t think I could be so affected by a simple 10-minute VR ride, but I was sick for about 4 hours after the ride. I still am amazed by the VR technology, but just like real-life amusement rides, I’m going to stay away from those that can cause motion sickness.

Diego and I tried a little pickle ball after the mall, and getting out in the fresh air helped a little, but we soon called it an afternoon, with the promise of playing more some other time.

I’d been worried that 13 would be the start of the “It’s not cool to hang out with Grandma”years. But Diego kept telling me that he was having so much fun and he seemed to truly enjoy the afternoon. And for me, celebrating Diego’s birthday – just the two of us – is a tradition that I treasure!

I subscribe to a lot of interesting newsletters and eZines including one called “Experience Magazine.” Last week, I read an article which described an activity that had come about during the pandemic: “Randonauting.”

“Harness the power of quantum computing to bring adventure and meaning to your life! That’s the experience hawked by Randonautica, the app-slash-trend that has enjoyed success amid the COVID-19 pandemic.  Randonauting promises a weird and novel method to explore your neighborhood by way of that venerable American tradition: quasi-scientific mystical mumbo-jumbo.“

I downloaded the free app with the intention of trying it out with Scotty while he was in town. Scotty has always been my best “Sure, I’ll play along!” buddy since he was a little kid!

So we both thought of our “intentions” (mine was “love”) and generated points in the neighborhood. This was kind of like geocaching.. another activity Scotty and I had done together several times over the years. Rather than a looking for a hidden cache (as we’d do for geocaching), we’d go to the designated point and see if we could find something representing our “intention.”

I was quite impressed with what I found at my waypoint: A purple diamond! I had seen similar diamonds and the artwork that was part of the Superior ARTery project that had been going on over the past few years, but I’d never found this particular diamond. And purple is my favorite color!

I do love these art installations that help make my community so colorful and unique!

We went on to Scotty’s waypoint which ended up being a pond behind our local Safeway.

I don’t know what Scotty’s “intention” was, but this was a peaceful spot and we decided to keep walking through Superior.

Scotty felt nostalgic as we walked through the streets and parks that he’d biked through and played at as a kid. We moved to Superior when he was 4 years old and a couple of weeks ago, he turned 28.

The neighborhood went through terrible fires last December and many houses were burnt to the ground. But rebuilding efforts are happening and it was heart-warming to see that there was new growth and restoration underway.

I have often felt very grateful that I live in such a beautiful place. When we moved here in 1999 there was no landscaping. Our house was being newly built and the neighborhoods were full of porta-potties and construction.

Everyone got their skinny little new trees and planted their fledgling gardens. And now.. 23 years later, the trees and gardens are mature and gorgeous. The fires were tragic, but the town survived.

Yes, the randonauting exploration was successful. My heart felt full of gratitude and love as we took this microadventure through these sweet spots of Superior.

Side note #1: The article from Experience Magazine that turned me on to randonauting was written by Glenn McDonald, a writer based in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. Matt & Stella just moved to Chapel Hill, and I’ll be visiting them in the Fall. Wouldn’t it be cool to meet Glenn McDonald? (If that happens, there will be a future Microadventure blog post about that!)

Side note #2: During Scotty’s visit, we saw the movie, Everything Everywhere All at Once, went to Meow Wolf – Convergence Station, and now went radonauting. Coincidentally (or is it?) all of these had to do with quantum-sci-fi-multiverse exploration! Is that woo-woo or what?