This Microadventure made me very happy! My daughter, Megan, invited me to run this Arvada 5K with her family in costume. Running in costume is my specialty! In 2014, I ran a race every month in a different costume!
I gave up running about 4 years ago because of back problems, but I figured I could make an exception for a family 5K. I ran slowly. (This was entirely due to wanting to protect my back, of course! It had nothing to do with my fitness level!) Still, I managed to snag second place for the Women’s Over 60 category. And Diego scored first place for the Boys 13-18 so we both got medals. What an unexpected surprise and very exciting!
This proves my theory that competition is so much more fun when there are very few competitive competitors.
The Tidds win best group costume!
Not only did Diego and I win medals for running, but the whole Tidd family won for best group costume. They were a Food Buffet, with Megan as a sushi roll, Reneya a burrito, Diego, a pizza, and Chris, spaghetti and meatballs. They are always super-creative with their costumes.
The whole event was so much fun. The weather was absolutely perfect and there were plenty of games, food, and decorated pumpkins.
Diego voting for Best Decorated PumpkinPancake Breakfast! Yum!
All-in-all this experience brought me such joy! I’d thought my days of running races were over, but, not only did I get to run another race, I was able to do it with family. I’m so grateful that we are all healthy enough to run, to celebrate, and to share in the excitement of a successful race!
Becca, Michael, and me at the front entrance of The Buckhorn Exchange
I give Michael Bolé (of Santa School Microadventure fame) credit for suggesting this meat-eater’s dream of a Microadventure. The Buckhorn Exchange, Denver’s oldest restaurant, is a restaurant, museum, and tourist attraction all rolled up into one.
If you’re a fan of the Old West, you probably already have this place on your radar or maybe you’re a regular patron.
Buffalo Bill Look-alike Contest Winners
Me? I know nothing about cowboys, the Wild West, or guns, but I’m always all in for new unique experiences.
The one piece of trivia I do know about Western celebrity is that Buffalo Bill Cody was born on February 26. He and I share a birthday. (I once went to a party where you were supposed to dress like someone famous who has the same birthday as you.) It was no surprise then that the annual Buffalo Bill Look-alike contest was held in the end of February on our birthday weekend. (I haven’t competed in that… yet!)
There were over 500 taxidermy heads mounted throughout the restaurant – even a two-headed calf! (Should I add “freaky” to the list of adjectives that would describe this place? Definitely a bit of a “Ripley’s Believe it or Not! flavor.)
When we were brought to our table we were told a bunch of historical facts about Wild West celebrities in history and Presidents who had eaten at this fascinating establishment. The gun case held guns owned by famous celebrities of the Wild West including one by Annie Oakley.
Annie Oakley’s gun
OK, enough Western trivia. Let’s get to the food, shall we?
The menu had a long list of exotic meats. You could choose from elk, bison, and a variety of other steaks.
For appetizers, even rattlesnake was offered, but we opted to go with the Rocky Mountain Oysters. Even I know that these are “bull testicles” but when they’re all breaded up and prepared they taste a lot like fried chicken without the chicken in my opinion.
Rocky Mountain Oysters at the Buckhorn Exchange
These were served with the requisite puns about balls and sacks. The wait staff was impeccable with their delivery. (At this moment, I can’t remember any of their one-liners but let’s add stand-up comedy to the entertainment provided at this one-of-a-kind establishment.)
We each got healthy portions of our meats of choice. I ordered the Elk and Cornish Game Hen with mashed potatoes. We did a bit of food sampling of each others’ picks and in the end, I had leftovers that lasted me for 2 more nights.
Overall, this excursion gets many points for originality! Kudos to Michael for coming up with yet another unique Microadventure and Colorado treasure!
Jack (who I affectionately call, “Jackster”) and I have been friends since both living in H Building of the Tercero Dorms at UC Davis!
For the past few years, whenever I visit Mom in Sacramento, I try to combine it with a quick trip down to the Bay Area to visit Jackster.
Sausalito, CA
Jackster picked me up from the Emeryville Amtrak station and we drove down the coast to beautiful Sausalito!
We walked the iconic streets and stopped to eat at the Barrel House Tavern on the waterfront. This is undoubtedly has made it to the #1 Spot of “Best Restaurant in Sausalito” travel articles.
We ordered up some fancy appetizers and had an outdoor table so we could enjoy the view and catch up in style.
Jackster with his sister, “Pammy”
We headed from there to downtown San Francisco where there was a double-70th-birthday party in the works for Jack’s cousin and her husband! This party was like a wedding! The birthday couple owned an Indian restaurant and there was an abundance of yummy dishes, desserts, and drinks!
But best of all, there were lots of happy people! Jackster introduced me to his sister, “Pammy” (I resisted calling her “Pamster,” follow the tradition that Jackster and I have established of adding “ster” to names.).
Jack has often spoken of Pam over the years, so I was happy to finally get to meet her in person. She (along with the rest of his family) were so friendly and welcoming. I felt so lucky and honored to have had that opportunity to be part of such a celebration!
Happy Breakfast
The next morning, “Cafe Jackster” served a delicious breakfast, complete with grits! There was even fruit and yogurt on the side. This meal brought me even more joy than those fancy appetizers we’d had at the Barrel House Tavern!
Jackster was just full of surprises, with the next one being the car that we would be taking for our excursions: A restored 1957 Volkswagen Beetle!
I have to admit, it was crazy to be driving in a car with absolutely no modern-day gadgets! Cars without a line of software? How do they operate? It almost looked like a toy car!
Luckily, Jack is a talented driver and knows how to operate old cars!
Sea Lion Spotting!
We stopped at a place along the Pacific Coast (Maybe JV Fitzgerald Marine Reserve?) and spotted a sea lion on the rocks!
But the highlight of the day was our excursion to Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park!
The trees and scenery here were incredible.
Such a fun weekend and it was so thoughtful of Jack to plan so many unexpected surprises! I have a lot to be grateful for.. especially for my wonderful friend, Jackster.
David is one of those rare people who started as a virtual friend and became a friend in real life! We “met” first on a site called “gather.com” before Facebook or Instagram were popular. Gather.com was a site for people who liked to write or post pictures.
I wrote this about David in a blog post back in 2010:
I got to know my friend, David, because he sent in a donation when I was fundraising for Leukemia. I only knew him as a “virtual” friend from a social networking site, but he has been one of the most generous and supportive friends I’ve ever had. It’s those kind of people who I admire beyond words.
I discovered that David lived in Sacramento so we’d met up in person on one of my family visits. In the past few years, I’d noticed that David had been posting incredible pictures of animals at the Sacramento Zoo. One of his many talents is that he’s an amazing photographer!
On my recent visit to Sacramento, I asked David if I could visit him at the zoo. In typical “David style” he took the day off of work and gave me a detailed very informative tour! I thought he’d be volunteering and I’d just be able to see him in passing, but instead, I got what amounted to a VIP pass with the best guide ever!
David knows how gaga I am about flamingos. Even though the flamingos were in quarantine because of an avian flu epidemic, David was tell me a bunch of fun facts about flamingos in this little video:
David is just a wealth of knowledge about all the animals! Never have I had such an informative and fun tour! What a treat! It’s clear that David has such a passion and love of the animals and the Sacramento Zoo. His energy was contagious.
I took a lot of pictures and was impressed with all the anecdotes and fun tidbits of information about the different animal species. When we were looking at the giraffes, David pointed out a pregnant giraffe and pointed out the difference between the coats in the male and female giraffes.
My favorite giraffe, however, is in this picture he posted for Halloween on Facebook!
I’m way behind on blogging about my Microadventures, but this is an important one! I typically take a trip to Sacramento to visit my Mom at least once a year. She and her parter, Philip, are in their late 80’s and live in the house that I grew up in (starting in 1972 when I was in 6th grade.)
Even though Mom would prefer to stay home than go out on some kind of excursion, I consider myself very lucky to be able to spend time with her in our home that holds so many memories.
Mom and Philip both recently gave up driving and I’m so proud of them for doing that. They both resisted initially and I know that it’s very difficult to be dependent on others. One of the purposes of my visit this time was to try and help make sure they were getting all the help they needed. Philip also had a fall and broke one of his vertebrae so he was getting some physical therapy and was having some mobility challenges.
I’m happy to note that even when I was out there, he was tootling around with his walker. He’s continued to improve and he and Mom are walking regularly in the neighborhood now.
Luckily, my brother, Neal, lives relatively close by and regularly helps Mom and Philip with the house and rides. He also was able to find a wonderful woman who comes regularly and gives Mom and Philip rides to the store and doctor’s appointments.
While I was out visiting, I even went out swing dancing with Neal! This is something I’ve done enough times with Neal that I’m getting to know his swing dance friends, which is very fun.
Swing Dancing with my brother, Neal, is always something I look forward to when I visit Sacramento
I have my fears about aging and the grief I’ll feel when I lose people I love. However, I’ve learned that it’s more important than ever to savor the time I do have with the people I love. Seeing how Mom and Dee handle aging with such grace inspires me. I’m so glad to have these role models to remind me of the beauty of living life fully at every age.
My friend, Jill, has a beautiful second home which she refers to as her “cabin.” I put the word “cabin” in quotes because cabins are usually small and her house is more like a luxury vacation home!
Jill generously invited our whole GGG (Girls Gathering Greatly) group to enjoy a weekend retreat at her place! Those of us who could make it were in for a treat!
I’d been particularly stressed over some family illnesses and drama. I was worried that I’d be distracted and bad company, but getting away with trusted girlfriends was exactly what I needed! I’m so grateful to have such supportive friends!
We had some beautiful hikes, delicious food, and deep conversations. Last year, Cathy and I also enjoyed a getaway weekend at Jill’s.
Getting off the grid with girlfriends is such a joy and a boost to my mental health. I’m so grateful to Jill for sharing this priceless sanctuary and to all my friends for their support and friendship.
Weddings are my favorite type of celebration! Even better, when the bride is one of my best friends.
I met Rebecca at least 20 years ago at Toastmasters when we were both married. We went through our divorces at about the same time and were newly single women, navigating our way through the dating world in our 40’s.
Rebecca met Mitchell in about 2007 – 15 years ago! Mitchell was in his 50’s and had never been married! (This is often a “red flag” in the world of dating.) In fact, Rebecca had often told me that they’d “never get married.”
However, over the years, they were progressively more of a serious couple – living together for the last several years. But still, it was a surprise to me when Rebecca told me earlier this year that they’d decided to get married after all!
At the reception, her daughters remembered the night they were told about the engagement. When they asked Mitchell “Why now?” he replied, “After 15 years, it’s about time!”
The ceremony was gorgeous in their backyard on a beautiful day. Rebecca was escorted by her daughters, all three of them looking stunning in their flowered gowns. Mitchell was escorted by his two sisters and also looked happy. At age 70, his first marriage!
Though I’m very happily single, I couldn’t help but feel a bit inspired at the thought of marriage at this stage of life. We are wiser and have retirement days to look forward to. Both Rebecca and Mitchell are very healthy and active and now have the security of knowing they will be with each other always.
I know I’ve often heard the argument (and even thought it myself) that marriage is “just a piece of paper.” It doesn’t change how you feel about one another.
But I talked to Rebecca recently and she said she feels different since the wedding. Marriage does make a difference. The life-long commitment, the sacred vows we take in front of friends and family, that pledge of love — it makes a difference!
Soap Making Class courtesy of BVSD Lifelong Learning and Courageoussoap.com
Soap Making Class courtesy of BVSD Lifelong Learning and Courageoussoap.com
One of the best things about this stage of life is that classes are pure fun with no pressure, tests, or stress!
I especially enjoy the adult education classes that we can attend in person now that Covid is no longer a threat, so when I saw a 3-hour soap-making class offered by BVSD Lifelong Learning, I jumped on it!
The soaps are so beautiful and, even though I’ve never considered myself naturally artistic, I’ve been embracing a “growth mindset,” realizing that it’s good for our brains to learn new skills! The lower our skill level, the bigger opportunity for improvement, right?
Actually, after taking the class, I realize the skills required have more to do with chemistry, perhaps, than art. Actually, it was much like cooking – starting with a recipe that could be adjusted based on many factors.
Our instructor, Lisa, owner of courageoussoap.com, stepped us through the creation of a three-oil Peppermint Ice soap.
The ingredients needed to be measured to the gram and mixed when they were the right temperatures. A peppermint scent was added to give the soap its distinctive fragrance.
Lye is used for the cold-process soap we were making, and because it can be dangerous to work with, we were wearing long sleeves, pants, goggles, masks, gloves, and closed-toes shoes!
Lisa said when she asks her students if they’re going to make their own soap after class, and they often say.. well.. no.. They’re scared of the lye.
I have to admit, I’m in the, “I’m not gonna lye” camp myself.
Lisa reassured us that as long as you cover up and are careful, it’s not that worrisome. My reluctance is also due to my realization that investing in a new soap-making hobby is a bad idea right now when I’m trying to downsize. The fear of lye just helped make that decision a little easier for me.
Pouring the mixture into the mold
We took turns with the various stages of measuring, mixing, and pouring. I especially enjoyed the final stages where we added the tints that would create the designs. The blues were brilliant and the gold sparkled as though there were actual flecks of real gold in this royal-looking soap!
Soap in the mold with the tints swirled in a top design.
Soap needs time to cure, so we didn’t get to take home the actual soap that we made that night. However, we did each get to take home a bar made from the same recipe.
A bar of Peppermint Ice Soap
Lisa offered kits with pre-measured ingredients for those who wanted to try it themselves at home.
Reneya and me at “Into the Woods” performance at Arvada Center for he Arts
One shared passion I have with my granddaughter, Reneya, is a love of Musical Theater. I’m so excited that she not only loves being in the audience, but she’s a very talented performer! I can’t wait to see her future performances!
In the mean time, it’s fun to be able to share being in the audience at a professional theater production! For her 11th birthday last month, I gave her tickets to see “Into the Woods” at the Arvada center for the Arts.
I got two tickets for the very front row. Front row seats are not desirable in a movie theater, so I was a little nervous about whether or not it would be hard for us to see being so close up. As it turned out, it was amazing to be so close up that at times, it almost seemed that the actors were talking right to us!
“She’s really crying!” Reneya whispered to me, when we could literally see the tears in Cinderella’s eyes. “She’s a really good actress!” As a budding actress, herself, Reneya notices these things.
Reneya in front of the “Into the Woods” stage.
I loved being close enough to take in all the intricate details of the stage setting and the glimmering costumes. We love the special effects and the creativity that’s involved in getting just the right props, costumes, lighting, and music to set the scenes of the story.
Usually, when I’m going to a professional production at a big theater, I’m so far in the back, I can hardly see anything without binoculars. What a treat to be up front!
“Into the Woods” was also the perfect musical for us because both Reneya and I really like stories that use classic fairy tale characters as back story. She introduced me to the Descendants movies and The Land of Stories book series.
<Spoiler Alert> If you haven’t seen “Into the Woods” and don’t want any spoilers, skip to the <End Spoiler Alert>
Neither of us had seen “Into the Woods” and when the first act ended, all the conflicts were wrapped up so neatly that we both thought the play was over! However, the second act surprised us with it’s unpredictable plot lines! It was a definite deviation from traditional fairy tale, giving it some unexpected depth (and unexpected death.)
Though darker than Disney, we’re reminded that anything can happen in story.. villains might be heroes, what we assume is good, might be bad. And even though it’s not Disney, the dead can come back to life and take part in the happy ending finale, so still appropriate for children. I’d give it a PG rating or maybe even PG13 – not because it’s inappropriate for children, but because of the mature ideas and thinking the second act requires.
The lyrics, by Stephen Sondheim, were incredible in their complexity and substance! As musicals often are, most of the script was in song, but many of these songs had thought-provoking lyrics.
An example is from the second act, Your Fault / The Last Midnight, where the characters are blaming one another for their current predicament, and the Evil Witch reminds them that good or bad, action must be taken.
<End Spoiler Alert>
Coincidentally, the Musical Theater group that I performed with last summer is having a Stephen Sondheim performance this coming up Sunday, so it’s great that I was exposed to more of his music. My good friend, Becky, suggested reading the Sondheim Wikipedia page, and I see his musical genius is more than I’d realized! There are a lot of musicals I’ll be putting on my list to watch!
One of the things I’ve had on my list to do since turning 62 has been to get a Lifetime National Park Pass! Yes, one of the benefits of getting older is taking advantage of senior discounts, and when you turn 62, you’re eligible to get this lifetime pass for free entrance to any US National Park!
I also bought one of those passport books, so I could keep track of all my National Park visits. Too bad I don’t have stamps for all the parks I’ve already visited. I don’t mind starting over again and revisiting those I’ve seen before, though, starting with the park I’ve been to most often: Rocky Mountain National Park.
My first passport stamp and the Visitor’s Center at Rocky Mountain National Park
Even though I’ve been to RMNP several times before, I’ve never gone camping there… until this week! In fact, I hadn’t been camping since my divorce, almost 20 years ago!
I was very excited that my long-time friend, JJ, had offered to go with me and provide all the camping gear for this microadventure. I, of course, brought my very inefficiently-packed “stuff” so we had a carload to unpack and then pack up again. We were prepared!
Lots of gear for our one night of camping!
We even had two big coolers full of food for one dinner and one breakfast. Boy, did we feast!
Camping Feast!
We’d timed our visit with the Harvest Full Moon — a couple days short, but close enough to look beautiful and light up the sky.
Harvest Full Moon
As often happens in Colorado, we went from unseasonably hot to unseasonably cold overnight. We were prepared for it all! (Packing all that stuff paid off!)
It rained throughout the night and we heard the high-pitched cries of the elk, but we were cozy, bundled up in sleeping bags and blankets.
We were able to get in a good 5-mile out-and-back hike to Cub Lake, despite the cool, damp weather.
Cub Lake Hike
The misty weather gave a kind of ethereal effect to our surroundings, as though we were in another world. It was surprising that there were so few people around.
We saw both the last signs of the summer wildflowers and the beginnings of the fall colors. Even though we’d had a big rainfall overnight, we didn’t have any mud or bad weather on our hike.
Cub Lake filled with lily pads
When we got to the lake, it was filled with lily pads and quite beautiful!
A hollow log filled with pine cones
I’m always amazed at how gorgeous nature is.. I know hard-working humans help with creating the paths and laying the groundwork for the trails, too. We were noticing the work it must have taken people to line the trails with boulders.
It was the perfect hike – just the right length, with a variety of scenery and picture-worthy stops.
In a short 24 hours we were able to experience all the wonderfulness of camping at Rocky Mountain National Park!
