Loveland

And More Sculpture

April 25, 2017 — 1 Comment

Day 24 in my “Leaving Loveland” challenge.IMG_3611

Just about every day I walk Silas to school, and we pass Bruce Gueswel‘s studio.

I’ve always adored these works he makes from rocks that are displayed in the windows, and was intrigued to find out that he also makes artwork and chairs for Chipotle. Often when we walk past in the mornings, we can see employees at work inside.

While there’s already a good deal of bronze sculpture being made in Loveland, it’s fun to see someone working with a different medium.

Cody

April 24, 2017 — Leave a comment

Day 23 in my “Leaving Loveland” challenge.

Not everything I love about Loveland has to stay behind when we move. One Saturday morning in November 2015 this sweet guy joined our family after we met him at an Animal Rescue of the Rockies adoption event at Loveland’s PetSmart. (He came from a shelter in New Mexico and was being fostered by a woman in Denver but Loveland brought us together!)

DSC_0206.JPG

Cody inspired a couple of my songs of the week last year (“Cody’s Theme” and “Black Dog Road“), and brings calm and play and warm snuggles to our little home. And I’m looking forward to turning him into a Minnesota dog!

Loveland Classic 5k

April 22, 2017 — Leave a comment

Day 22 in my “Leaving Loveland” challenge.

Today Silas and I ran the Loveland Classic. We meant to do this other years, just never made it happen, so this year we had to do it since it’s our last chance. It’s a benefit race for early childhood education here in our Thompson School District, and it’s been going for 41 years!

Silas finished sixth in his division (males age 14 and under) and 28th place overall. His time was 25:14. I finished fourth in my division (females ages 40-49) and 53rd overall. My time was 28:07. (Silas asked me to include all of this, so my readers could be sure and understand that he crossed the finish line nearly THREE MINUTES before his mother did! That’s the first time we’ve run a race and I haven’t kept up with him. It’s only going to widen from here, I’m thinking!)

I have enjoyed running – and improving my running – here in Colorado. The altitude took some acclimating at first, but I’ve improved my pace and hope to bring all that momentum back to Minnesota with me! And it’s been fun running with my boy!

On a side note, next time I’ll be sure to bring my ID with me. I was denied my two free beer tickets because I didn’t have it. 😦  But then the sun came out this afternoon and our friend Braden came over and brought us a growler of “Widow Maker” Russian Imperial Oatmeal Stout from Berthoud’s City Star Brewing, so all is well . . .

Special thanks to Nathan and Luthien for being our support team, holding our jackets, taking pictures, cheering us on!

Foote Lagoon

April 21, 2017 — Leave a comment

Day 21 in my “Leaving Loveland” challenge.

IMG_3577

Across the street from our house is the Foote Lagoon, surrounded by meandering sidewalks and city buildings including the public library and Chilson Recreation Center (and of course sculptures, but you probably already knew that!).

Here’s the big fountain at one end:

IMG_3569

In the summer bands set up where that fountain is (it doesn’t run then!) and perform for free on Thursday evenings. People sit around this little amphitheater to hear the music.

IMG_3571

This whole area was just drained and cleaned, and all this water was freshly added just yesterday or today. So the whale fin sculpture below wasn’t making the farting noises today it was making last year, when I’m assuming one of its waterspouts was partially plugged. The kids always got a kick out of that!

IMG_3573

I wish I could share the lilac smell in this post, but this photo will have to do:

IMG_3576

When Nathan and I were married in Minnesota in 1998, we set our wedding date for May 2nd and wildly hoped that just maybe there would be lilacs blooming by then. There weren’t that year, but the marriage has worked out anyway! But every year here in Loveland it amazes me that lilacs are in full and fragrant bloom in April!

And just one more, non-related, a photo I took last night after a heavy downpour when a rainbow appeared and the kids were having fun on the wet trampoline:

IMG_3568.JPG

Verboten

April 20, 2017 — Leave a comment

Day twenty in my “Leaving Loveland” challenge.

Is this really the first microbrewery I’ve posted in this series? Well I’ve got some work to do to get ’em all in before we leave!

IMG_3559.JPG

We walked to Verboten this afternoon while the kids were at school. Happy hour over “Quaffee” – a coffee quad, “Belgian style Quad with an infusion of locally roasted coffee. Collaboration with SnowBank Brewing of Fort Collins.” This was a big beer, 10% ABV. Glad we were walking!

I’ve got some poignant memories of Verboten, which just moved to downtown Loveland from its former location in an industrial park about a year ago, and has quickly become a favorite spot. Sitting out on the patio with our Wisconsonian friend James when he came to visit; one very low moment for me crying into my “Music Maker” beer this past February, feeling depressed and homesick and purposeless (I wasn’t alone, I don’t drink alone – I was with Nathan); and then a few weeks later drinking a beer whose name I forgot with Nathan, after we decided to move to St. Paul, and talking about the future and our ideas for our new life back in Minnesota.

My favorite regular beer here is “Killer Boots.” “Angry Banjo” is very good too. In fact I haven’t had anything I didn’t like here!

Footnote: that cut under my lip is from an unfortunate music stand adjustment-turned-attack at my church’s Good Friday service. It looks a lot better in this photo than it did that night!