Denver!

Just under a month ago, I flew to Denver to see the one and only Sadie Lee (well, the only one I know. That has red hair, anyway). Sadie and I have had some pretty awesome experiences together--we were roommates during the Timpanogas Lemonade Stand which we both attended. We rocked the 80s scene

What were the 80s were really all about? Total Eclipse of the Heart pretty much says it all.

Together we celebrated our last first day of school, and our first last day of school. But she went east, and I went west, and we both ended up in cool places where we spent the first few months just scrambling to figure out life and make friends. A few months ago, we decided it was time for a reunion--so at the end of June I fled the state of CA and visited her in Denver.

We sang, we danced, we laughed, I probably cried at some point...and we definitely played the piano.

Scattered around the 16th Street Mall in Denver are several pianos. They're painted in crazy patterns, and definitely aren't in tune--but they're a fun combination of art and self-entertainment. Ms. Lee entertained me with the piece she played above...and then she played a piece upside down. She was upside down, that is. And I do have a picture of it, but she'd kill me if I posted it (those interested in seeing for themselves may send me $5 and a SASE).

We also explored Red Rock, and the Red Rock Ampitheatre. A few highlights there:

Walking where Igor Stravinsky walked

People watching at its finest

Red heads in their natural habitat

Finding Pride Rock

I learned  a few new games while I was out there--one was called Crud. It's the equivalent of Horse, but involving a billiards table. That game resulted in more than a few scrapes and bruises. We had to keep the eight ball moving on the table, but sometimes that meant running to a different side of the table. And because everyone else wanted you to lose a point, they would block you from getting where you wanted to go--and sometimes just block you from moving altogether.

The other game I learned was an old game...Signs. At first, I was scared that this would be like most games of Signs where I absolutely dread getting caught and being in the middle. In fact I thought it was going to be even worse than normal signs--because we were playing signs in pairs. It sounded like a recipe for disaster. But it ended up being awesome. Sadie and her partner started off in the middle, and their sterling example of teamwork must have inspired us all.

How do you play Signs in pairs? Well, first you pair up. Half the ward was at a giant casual group date that evening, so we were all set there. Next, you pick a sign that you and your partner can do together, like so:

Signs may involve contact, or may just involve awesome
gestures from bygone generations

Then, of course, you have to pass the sign. Together. To a pair who will receive your sign. Together. And a couple in the middle, looking to see who has the sign. Together. 

I think that Team Signs was a success because the group knew each other fairly well (except for me) and because we'd had a rousing game of Crud before we played...thereby breaking down any inhibitions against such awkward things as giving each other high fives, or other such frightening physical contact. But having someone else looking to receive the sign definitely made it fun--having to communicate with your teammate in an incognito manner added a new dimension to the game--and my favorite part was having someone else help me when we were "it", in the middle. I hate that part...oh how I hate it. 

Other highlights of the trip included 

• The location of Sadie's house. She lives near a prison...and hers is the first house you'd pass if you happened to be escaping the prison. That gave me a little thrill some nights.
• Bunny rabbits! I felt like I was experiencing the Curse of the Were-Rabbit...except, of course, without the were-rabbit. They would come out of nowhere, lazily hop across their chosen path, and then disappear again.
• Despicable Me. Saw it for the first time, and thought it was awesome.
• Focaccia and Ciabatta baking extravaganza. We got excited about Italian breads, and started making focaccia...and since we were going to be up anyway, and we had a movie going anyway, we decided to get fancy and make ciabatta also. They were delicious. Kudos to Sadie and her Bosch.
• Two naps a day. I blame it on the altitude (Denver being the Mile High city and all)...but really I was probably just exhausted anyway and feeling extra lazy.
• Widespread panic at Red Rock. Err, Widespread Panic, that is. We didn't see their show but Sadie was telling me that there would be widespread panic at Red Rock that day, and my first thought was, how do you even schedule that? 
• Eating at SAME cafe. The idea is that you order a meal and then pay what you feel is a fair price. If you don't have money, you can volunteer for an hour to earn a meal. 

Altogether, an awesome, awesome trip. Special thanks to Sadie for putting up with my naps, my one-track mind, and all my talking. She's a quiet girl, you see, so I fear I may have overwhelmed her :)