AfricanKelli

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Civic Center Park — where Occupy Wall Street protesters were camped for weeks — sits between the courthouse and the capitol dome. The Greek Theater in the park is my favorite. How lovely would it be to see a play or a concert here during the summer?

{Okay, okay. I’m not going to lie. I see places like this and at this point in my life immediately think “OOOH! I could so get married right there. Then I stand there for a few moments and imagine exactly what it would look like. Because sadly, I am not immune to wedding hysteria that arrives in tidal wave force once you reach your early 30s. So much so, I see a cold gray set of stairs and ampitheater and immediately think, “HERE COMES THE BRIDE!”  You should see me standing in front of the dress boutique by my yoga studio. Lord, have mercy.}

~K

Toxic Schizophrenia — a public art installation by Tim Noble and Sue Webster — is one of my favorite sights in the city at night. This thing lights up and twirls, as a giant bleeding heart statue should.

(I’ve been called a bleeding heart once or twice.)

~K

A mural on Colfax:

That is one devious looking gorilla.

~K

Technically not in Denver, but one of the adjoining burbs — this building is within a large cemetery. It is a beautiful, 200-plus acre space, with giant ancient trees and memorials that vary from ornate to bizarre. There are soldiers from the Spanish American war buried here, to give you an idea of how big those trees really are.

Perhaps the scariest aspect are the coyotes that live on the property. They are the size of golden retrievers and I’m convinced are looking for a Willie Nelson Mandela sandwich. Coincidentally, over my dead body.

~K

This downtown mural reminds me of two things:

A:

<iframe width=”420″ height=”315″ src=”http://www.youtube.com/embed/N_a4BU09GrU” frameborder=”0″ allowfullscreen></iframe>

Not to be confused with his canine counterpart.

and, less fun — B:

The many, many people living on the streets in downtown Denver. While I cannot imagine such a life is ever anything less than brutal, it is dang cold here.  To see folks curled up on corners breaks my heart. The line wraps around the Denver Rescue Mission every day. Our food bank is busier than ever. Listening to the news and hearing stories of the working poor, I get it more than ever. There are simply so, so many people hurting right now. It is hard to not be overwhelmed by the task at hand.

One day, smile and warm meal at a time.

In the meantime, Mamas, I think it is just fine if you want your babies to grow up to be cowboys. I know a lot of lovely men who fancy themselves weekend wranglers:

Photo courtesy of the Wright wedding

The older I get, the more I respect those back-breaking blue collar jobs that go with little mention. Cowboys? They are pretty fantastic.

Giddyup,

K