Back from Denver -- Friends, Cuteness, Art, Cheese!

I'm back from a quick trip to Denver to see Best Friend. It was a lot of fun catching up and it didn't matter that it rained for most of the time. I was there to see her, not Denver.

(Warning, the pictures and paragraphs don't quite match. Not sure what I'm doing wrong in Blogger)

The funniest part was when she gave me a scrapbook she made from pictures going back to 1989.

Here's the cover showing us at 19 years old.

It's hilarious how young we looked! No more pictures because, well, the big hair and tight curls is a look that doesn't need to be shared.

Here's what we look like now at almost 38.

She could have lived in the middle of nowhere and I'd still have as much fun chitchatting and catching up. And hanging out with her little 2 year old boy.

Friday night, her husband had to go to a fundraiser for work. He works at the Denver Botanical Garden. Normally, he doesn't wear a tuxedo, even though the black would hide dirt.

The first night we had dinner their house. (My) Husband provided the after dinner entertainment. It's an action shot!

The excitement was a bit much for him (Little One, not Husband) and he was over stimulated, jumping all over the place and demanding to be the center of attention. Not having children, that was a new experience for me.

The next day was pretty tiring for the little one too. Here he is all tuckered out. The blue striped thing is the body and tail of a snake I knitted for him.

Saturday morning, Best Friend, myHusband, and I went to the Denver Art Museum. Her Husband and Little One stayed home so she could have a breather.

But first, Husband and I woke up to see protesters at the Planned Parenthood next door to our hotel.

I don't know what referendum or whatever that the truck refers to, but what's with the protests? Abortion is not a decision made lightly and family planning is something to be encouraged. Unless the protesters will adopt and raise the results of every pregnancy, they should not interfere with the life changing events of other people's lives.

Certainly, I've seen only a tiny little glimpse of how Best Friend's life have been radically changed by having one child. And the pregnancy wasn't easy either. Are the protesters going to take on the burden and responsibility of the pregnancy too? Oh, wait, they can't! It's the woman's body and the woman's right to decide what will happen to her body and her life!

Okay, back to the art museum. There are lots of interactive things at the museum, presumably for the children, and Best Friend certainly tried it out. Here she is, ready for her European portrait. The rest of the outfit is a bit anachronistic.

I really liked their African art exhibit. Not only did they show the usual masks, carvings, etc. but also contemporary art by contemporary African artists. Here's a detail from painting called "Soliloquy" by Moyo Ogundipe.

There was a section that asked "What is Art?" with sticky pads where you can write your thoughts and put them on the wall . I wrote something like "Art is an expression of ideas and should make you think and feel." Someone else used the sticky note to do this:

For lunch, we all met up at Chedd's a gourmet grilled cheese restaurant.

Very apropos, since Husband, Best Friend and I are from Wisconsin, and that's where we all met. Go Badgers!

Here's a map where you can put a pin showing where you're from. Notice the number of pins around Madison.

It had been raining but Saturday afternoon the sun came out enough to give us hope so we headed out to Golden, to see the mountains.

While there, Husband and I were approached by someone looking for a dollar to buy a lighter for his cigarette. He looked at me and asked if I was from Taiwan. That just blew us away because no one ever guesses Taiwan. Most people don't know Taiwan exists. Most people ask if I'm Chinese, which I am, ethnically. Koreans will ask if I'm Korean.

It rained on the way there. We went up Lookout Mountain to Buffalo Bill's grave, but since it was cold and rainy, we didn't see much.

Back in Denver, we went to Wazee's for dinner and watch the Olympics. Clearly, it was riveting. Little One doesn't get to watch much TV. Good pizza too.

Sunday morning began sunny, and protester-free. Pics of the Denver skyline and the mountains beyond.

Husband and I drove over to Best Friend's house for a pancake breakfast at their house. We were late because I was watching C-SPAN. They replayed the forum Rick Warren (author of the Purpose Driven Life, pastor of megachurch) had with Barack Obama and John McCain. Good stuff.

By the way, these signs are all over the place.

After breakfast we went to the Denver Botanical Garden because the sun was finally shining. Even though her husband works there, he has no probably going there on his day off. It is a lovely garden and it's right that he gets to enjoy some of the fruits of his labors.

Next, a montage of cuteness. Little One in the garden. Your teeth may hurt from the sweetness.

Also in the garden is an exhibit about Urban Art. Basically, hardboard panels painted by notable urban artists, a.k.a. graffiti artists, which I really liked.

The day ended with hugs goodbye and then off to the airport.

On the way there, we stopped at a Carl Jr and had a burger. It was the messiest burger I ever had, but good. Husband found out later that they were 1080 calories each, about the amount of calories an adult should have all day.

It was sad to leave Best Friend and the visit was much too short. But on the whole I'm very glad that we got together to mark half a lifetime of friendship.