We’re experiencing our first snow in about a year. We flew to Denver Thursday, and it snowed that evening. Friday morning we wore several layers and walked the 1.3 miles from our Capitol Hill apartment to the state capitol only to find the state legislators had called a snow day. We had been looking forward to sitting in the balcony and listening to the discussions – particularly a bill on the House’s January 31 agenda relating to healthcare for children with developmental and intellectual disabilities. But it was not to be. We’ll definitely try another day since we also don’t want to miss the discussion of HB14-1024 which would designate the claret cup cactus as the state cactus!
The Capitol – the rotunda is being worked on much to Charlie’s dismay. We’ve been here many times, and he always enjoys going up in the dome; but he can’t this time.
There are some crazy murals at the capitol that we never noticed before today. Underneath each of the eight paintings there’s a silly, non-sensical verse. I’m not sure what’s being portrayed here…viking wearing a dress and coon-skin cap in a canoe with a Mediterranean guy behind him…
None of the murals seemed directly related to Colorado. One appeared to feature the Golden Gate Bridge. This one looks like Hoover Dam.
Laurel said, “Oh, I remember I really liked this quilt when I was younger (It features Colorado women through the ages.), but now I realize how weird it is, especially with this woman shaking hands with a giant rabbit. Why does it seem like all the artwork here was done by people who were high?”
We arrived just in time for Bronco fever. 🙂 Here the ballet dancer statues outside the Sheraton on 16th Street sport Broncos jerseys.
I think this stone is Castle Rock rhyolite.
Even the capitol is flying Broncos flags.
We like our new apartment although the wifi is flaky. I haven’t been able to connect in the last couple hours, and Laurel reminded me that I can use the smart phone as a hotspot, so that’s how I’m able to do this post.
On Tuesday when we were still in San Francisco we went to the Exploratorium – a hands-on science center. It was neat but overpriced – $63 for the three of us. The Exploratorium founder was physicist Frank Oppenheimer, younger brother of J. Robert Oppenheimer, the physicist who was instrumental in the Manhattan Project. I’m reading J. Robert’s biography, so the info on the Exploratorium founder caught my eye. According to Wikipedia (I’m not that far along in the biography.) both brothers were blacklisted during the McCarthy era because of their Communist associations, and Frank had difficulty finding a teaching position until he was finally allowed to teach at a Colorado high school and later at the University of Colorado. Later he founded the Exploratorium while living in Sausalito.
Playing with iron sand and a magnet at the Exploratorium
Also at the Exploratorium – there’s a piano suspended from the ceiling above Laurel’s head.
I think drinking from the toilet water fountain was the highlight of the day for Charlie.
Near our San Francisco house/apartment
Our Denver house! We’re staying in one of four apartments that this huge, old house has been turned into. Ours is on the second floor and has a large deck in the back off the bedroom. We’re so happy to see snow, to not be in a basement apartment anymore sleeping with our heads two feet from the street, and just to be back in Colorado. Yay!
Travels with Charlie and Laurel 
looks like you got back jest in time for the snow, we should have more this week
Doug
Yeah, it’s fun until we have to drive in it to appointments (twice this coming week) or shovel it. The landlord paid Laurel $10 this morning to shovel the front and back stairs and sidewalk. Of course, there’s a layer of ice underneath and people have walked on it, so she (and I who helped) really earned the $10.
Here are two articles about the murals and their artist. Sadly, they don’t explicate on the meaning of giant rabbits.
http://www.coloradostatesman.com/content/991546-true-western-spirit-alive-state-capitol
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allen_Tupper_True
Nice building! Looking forward to seeing you all soon!
Since we and the security guards were about the only people at the capitol yesterday, the kids and I sat on the marble staircase by the murals to look up info on my phone about the artist. I read about True, the artist, but I didn’t see any commentary about others’ agreeing with me that these are some goofy pieces. I guess I (and Laurel) just don’t have sophisticated artistic and poetic taste. We read that True first painted murals for the Wyoming state capitol and later for the Missouri state capitol. I speculated that maybe True’s portfolio was just one set of capitol murals that he painted in each state that hired him. 🙂
Is that Ogden Street? Hope you guys are well & welcome back to CO!
Wow, Jen! You’re good! 🙂 Yes, we’re staying on Ogden Street. Were you staying in this neighborhood when you volunteered at the Ronald McDonald House?
Crazy! One of the Urban Servant Corps houses was on Ogden, you are probably living right near it, I forget the address though. I lived in 5 Points though. There were 2 houses. It is weird, for some reason I do not get an email when you reply to my posts, so sorry if I never replied in the past!