Arrested development

Mom and I were transported to the '80s last week when we saw The Police's reunion tour at the Pepsi Center. They did all the hits and then some (lots of great songs I'd forgotten all about) and had a blast. We had the chump seats behind the stage, but they turned out not to be too bad at all since we were actually closer to the stage than people facing the stage at the far end. The band (including my favorite, Stewart Copeland, who's now a silver fox, yow!) approached the back of the stage at times, and the big screens helped. You can see there was one pretty much directly in front of us.

I have to say, I was skeptical about seeing Sting. He's gotten a bit too New Age-y for me in the past few years, and I just expected him to be a big beefcake tantric lunkhead. I was pleasantly surprised, though, to see he is quite the hottie (Mom has never disagreed on this point) and has aged very nicely. He also didn't seem to take himself too seriously, which I had feared.

Andy Summers seemed to be the most serious of the bunch and not enjoying himself much. Mom and I noticed "GOD" on his guitar strap and thought maybe he'd become born again and was just humoring the other guys by heading out on tour with them. We were happy when we got a closer look and saw that it actually was an "Oh, my GOD, they killed Kenny" guitar strap from "South Park." So apparently he has a sense of humour after all.

Sweet!

Mom's here visiting, and during a quick trip to Boulder, we checked out Powell's Sweet Shoppe. It's a chain, so maybe you've visited one before. I never had, and it was super-cool. Filled with candies of yesteryear (I didn't even know they still made Zotz!), and there's a screen in the back that plays a loop of "Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory," complete with a few movie-theater seats for your viewing pleasure. They also had then-and-now signed photos of cast members. Mike TeeVee was bald as an adult in his. I'd seen Charlie Bucket in later photos before, and he's pretty unrecognizable. Augustus Gloop still looks Gloopy.

Today we're off to the cooler environs of Estes Park (Rocky Mountain Park area) and a stay at The Stanley Hotel, where at least part of the TV version of "The Shining" was filmed. The hotel offers ghost tours, but I have a feeling we'll pass.

Special delivery

My friends Brigette and Dave stopped through Denver last night on their way to Yellowstone from Indiana. Mom was having my little-kid rocking chair refinished, and Brigette graciously agreed to bring it with them on their cross-country trip.
Mom also sent along a couple of my baby blankets, including this animal quilt. She included a note saying, "I painted the blocks and Grandma hand pieced and quilted it." (Grandma being my grandma, Mom's mom.) Either I never knew this or had forgotten, but it will make it all the more special to have for our own kid.
	I remember, as a kid, always having these fabric paints around the house. Mom said she thinks the company was called Artex, and they held home parties where you could buy paints, patterns and caddies. I still have lots of vintage tea towels made with similar paints. I found a company online called Tri Chem that seems to still manufacture them.
Brigette brought us a sweet little quilt too, made by little old ladies, she said. So our forthcoming Sagittarius is well on his/her way to winter warmth!

Slumber party

Michael and I, along with neighbors Shane and Cristine, had a few friends over for Memorial Day. Apparently the excitement was too much for Zoe Violet, above left, and Keona Rose. But Emma and Grayson, at the slide, had no trouble keeping awake and busy. All in all, a great day for a cookout. The weather even cooperated!