Denver

Over a week of exhausting travel with no rest it is now time to relax with family. Barry, Helena and Daphne (Del and Wendy’s brother) and cute dog, Lucy, hosted us for a week in their Denver apartment. (We’d especially like to thank Daphne, who generously exchanged her large bedroom with ensuite and balcony for a mattress on the floor)

Our expectation of a quiet time was spent keeping up with the Denver social scene, with nights of deliciously long dinners and a constant stream of friends dropping in to “meet the relatives from Australia.”

We also caught up with Tessa (niece) and Mike, despite her studying hard for her medical school entrance exam, There was much jollity and we enjoyed ourselves immensely.

Their apartment is in a lovely leafy area called Cherry Creek, similar to Peppermint Grove, with classy shops and beautiful old homes. It was time (unfortunately) for Del to go shopping. There was a wonderful ‘Whole Foods’ supermarket, a HUGE version of the Boatshed in Cottesloe, Macy’s, a super Walmart, Target with its 32 checkout lanes, “Tattered Cover” Bookstore with 3 floors of books, lounge chairs and coffee while you’re browsing, a huge REI (Recreational Equipment Incorporated) an outdoor person’s dream shop, “Arc” a giant second hand clothes store. But the piece de resistance, bottle shops so large you can get lost, with beers from every corner of the globe (except Australia) and with prices near a half of home. We all had something to buy. When it came time to send our booty home we were surprised to find that sea mail from USA has been discontinued. Fortunately I had consumed mine.

There are charity organisations in Denver, such as thrift stores (Arc) and “Car Angel”, to whom you can donate your used clothes or car or even boat, and you get a donation receipt worth a 100% tax credit. The receipt is blank so you fill in the value of the goods donated. It is an ingenious method of providing cheap goods for the underprivileged and getting rid of your old car with the cracked head!

Barry and Daphne took us on a day trip to Boulder, a university town in the foothills of the Rockies. It has weekend markets, with street performers and lots of interesting arty shops. We saw Red Rock Stadium, one of the most famous outdoor performance venues in the world. It is a natural amphitheatre with two huge red sandstone rocks backing the audience and views out over Denver. U2 recorded “Sunday, Bloody Sunday” there on their “Live at Red Rocks” album, as well as many other performers. We also saw the Denver Art Museum, a space ship shaped steel building, which protrudes across the road.

There is never enough time to spend with family who live on the other side of the world and it was sad to say goodbye.