The Best 4th of July Ever!

 As an African American who recently discovered the difference between Juneteenth and 4th of July, the celebration last weekend doesn't hold the same anticipation it used to. However, I had an amazing time riding an ATV, setting off fireworks, eating some really good pancakes, watermelon and BBQ while hanging out with some amazing people. Made some new friends too! 

The day started with a pancake breakfast supporting the local firemen in Colorado Springs. They also served sausage and scrambled eggs. Being lactose intolerant makes things annoying but I know if I don't have a lot of dairy, I'm okay. My stomach will just be upset for an hour or so. Afterward, we headed to Garden of the Gods and walked around the historic village next to it. The kids played games and we met Abraham Lincoln! 

For dinner, we went to Jimmie's friends house in Monument and ate some delicious BBQ! We played badminton, disc golf, Nerf gun war and archery in their backyard. The kids were so full of energy and for some reason they kept picking me to play with...probably because the adults were busy talking. By adults, I mean the parents. I wasn't really interested in their conversations about pregnancy or remodeling. 

I will admit when Jimmie asked me if I wanted to ride the ATV, I looked at him like he was the Mad Hatter. Eventually, I hopped on and he showed me where the brake and gas was. Instead of petals, it's on the handles. Similar to brakes on a bike. I can drive a car and ride a bike so this shouldn't be terribly difficult, right? I was a little nervous but he was watching me practice around the circular driveway for a few minutes before heading out to the field. After a couple times around, I got the hang of it. However, there was a small shallow pond and I didn't realize the ATV could drive through it so I stopped hard almost causing me to fall. Jimmie encouraged me to go through it so I did....slowly. I still avoided that section even when we started racing each other though. 

The family must of have bought the biggest package of fireworks cause there were so many! Sparklers, mini rockets, colorful smoke bombs, cannons just to name a few that I recognized. I have no idea the names of all of them. Jimmie and I lit a cannon and while it was pretty intimidating, it was really cool seeing the fireworks against the black sky. The kids were so impatient to light the fire works. When we got there around 6, they were already lighting the mini rockets and smoke bombs in the driveway. It was fun lighting those up with the kids. 

Overall, it was a great day to be an American!

Side note: First pic is of Flash the turtle trying to get out of his pen. SMH Always trying to make the great escape! 

Rainy but Awesome Juneteenth 2021

Some Deaf friends and I went to Denver Juneteenth celebration and it was LIIIITT! So many people and such a great time. We ate, laughed, sweated buckets, danced, got wet, ran, strolled through the many vendors selling everything from shirts to housewares. For awhile now, I've been wanting a traditional African print shirt but have yet to find one that is good quality that I like. I had hoped I would find one here but alas, I left without a shirt. However, I did find a pillow! 

The parade was rather long but I learned about some new organizations in Denver/Aurora that would be cool to check out. Quite a few dance troupes were there as well. I enjoyed seeing the fancy cars. There were representatives running for different offices in the Denver metro area riding in them. I didn't recognize their names...

When the Wobble and Cha Cha Slide songs came on, everyone hit the streets even though it was drizzling. I only joined the Wobble one cause it's my favorite. Al tried the Cha Cha slide but didn't know the moves. Damita and I did the Wobble song while the rest watched. 

Overall, it was a fun and long day. We got to catch up with each other. Took Al and Stephanie awhile to meet up with us since they took the light rail. With traffic and roads blocked off, I wasn't surprised. I am glad I still live close enough to ride my bike. This time next year though, I'll be taking the light rail as well unless I feel like driving all the way downtown. That's doubtful. 

So happy that Juneteenth is finally recognized as a Federal holiday. Obviously, there is much work to do to combat systematic racism and brutality not only by cops, but America in general towards us. Another fun festival experience completed! 

Frisco Trip for Cindy's Birthday

Another mountain town I got to check off my list! YAY! I do enjoy exploring the mountains and so happy I got to visit two new places in the span of less than a month! This was one called Frisco, which is next door to a huge ski town called Breckenridge about an hour west of Denver.

A group of 11 Deaf ladies (mostly over 40) went to Frisco to celebrate our dear friend, Cindy. I thoroughly enjoy being around her even though she's old enough to be my mother. She's hilarious and sometimes has nuggets of wisdom that someone my age can learn from. 

We mainly hung out on Main street. Though we did go back to the townhouse some of the ladies rented for the weekend and chatted/relaxed there. Sue, Ody, Brittany, Cindy, me and Donna were having a grand old time picking on each other. Brittany and I were the youngest of the oldies crowd so I think we were picked on the most. 

Side note, Ody and I got the chance to ride in the back of a pickup truck! Super fun! Don't worry, we didn't go on the highway. The ride itself only lasted about 5 minutes each way. 

Sue....there must be something about that name, cause everyone I know named Sue has a ridiculous personality. At one point, she was dragging me from store to store asking me if certain dresses would look good on her. I was straight with her...maybe too blunt lol but she appreciated my honesty. Sue typically wears black for her job so when I asked her what her favorite color was, her response was, "I don't know if I have a favorite color." I know! I was appalled too. She showed me a white sleeveless dress with foxes all over it. She had the nerve to ask me, "What about this one?" Without skipping a beat I signed NO! She cracked up. Deaf are known for being blunt. Since I straddle the hearing and Deaf worlds constantly, I'm not always great at telling people like it is. 

Overall, it was a great time full of good food, fun company and a great friend. Can't wait for my next adventure!

Blue Mesa Memorial Day Camping Trip

 My friend Josie invited me to go camping with her friends at Blue Mesa up in the mountains of Colorado. Correction, glamping. It's been awhile since I've been camping anywhere...probably at least three years. Before COVID, obviously. Glamping on the other hand, I've never done. Though in my opinion, what we did this weekend, I would consider camping. We had a camp fire, cooked over a grill/stove and spent a lot of time outside. Granted, we were in a cabin that had running water and a bathroom. I still consider it camping. Regardless of what it's called, I had a lot of fun.

On Saturday, we explored Crested Butte, a ski town, about an hour away. There were many stores to mingle around in and bars/restaurant also littered the streets. The buildings reminded me of those you would find in Old Western movies. For dinner, we went to a place called Bonz. It had BOMB tacos and margaritas. I ordered way too much food, mainly because I ate breakfast at 9 am and then snacked periodically before we left for CB. It was a cute town and we met some interesting people. Emphasis on interesting. One guy came over because we were all petting his dog who looked exactly like Josie's dog, Autumn. We chatted with him and fed his dog ice chips. He told us he knew some ASL but never showed us anything other than "Thank you." Another guy decided to yell that he liked my hair. SMH I'll never know why people think this is an okay thing to do. Seriously, I need to start walking around with a bag over my head. 

On Sunday, we rented a platoon. I have never heard of such a thing before never mind ride in one. James was the captain, so he drove the boat. He liked to randomly start and stop trying to cause us to fall over. SMH. Terrible captain. I'm not a fan of boats ever since my first ride to Nantucket years ago but this trip wasn't so bad. We didn't rock a whole lot but when we did I held onto my seat for dear life! 

One of the sad things about the Blue Mesa area was that the water levels were super low cause of the lack of rain in the area. They also have to share the water with the surrounding areas so if one part of the county gets more rain/snow than another, they have to transfer some of it so it's all equal. You could tell where the water normally is -- at least five or six feet above where it actually was. Hopefully, they get some more rain to lessen the amount of fires that tend to happen during the summer. 

After everyone -- almost everyone -- took a nap, we played one of my favorite outdoor games, minigolf! We didn't keep score but I am competitive so I tried my best to be strategic with each swing but eventually, I gave up. Some of the holes were HARD!! Overall, we had a blast. 

It was a great weekend filled with laughter, old and new friends and a whole lot of petting. I was the only person who didn't have a dog. If I did, I think it would have been way too overwhelming. There were five dogs among five people there. Now that I don't live with a dog, I enjoyed their attention and being able to walk Autumn and Marble occasionally and of course the constant begging for petting. Miss, Adam's dog, loved to jump up onto my lap every time I sat down. The only thing I didn't like about her was that she shed like crazy. I am so glad we had a non shedding dog growing up. I don't know how people handle it. The hair gets EVERYWHERE! 

Minus the teasing and "meanness" from James and Adam, in particular, it was a great weekend. Men. We had great weather and I added another sticker to my water bottle! I've been adding stickers to it whenever I go to a new place. 

Can't wait for my next adventure!