Monthly Archives: April 2012

We went to Denver this afternoon, primarily to look for deck furniture at IKEA. However, all we bought was bargain wine glasses and plates. We didn’t leave that part of town unscathed, because we did buy a set of rattan furniture for large $$ at Crate and Barrel. After all the looking for over a year, we both jumped on this set. It will be delivered at the end of the month which might give me time to refinish the deck and get the sails back up.

Naturally, we dropped by for a visit with the Gilmour’s.

Kaya's 'hiking boots' - ballet style.

Just TRY and keep these athletes off of the rocks!

They love to pose...

...and pose some more.

On Saturday, we cooked a big breakfast for Summer and Kaya. It was cold and windy, but since they were in rehearsal all day and dancing the show at night, it didn’t make any difference. Naturally, they did a great dance performance at Armstrong, with a reception after at Cornerstone amid the Carl Reed sculptures and community luminaries.

Cath finished her part of the reading of the North End scholarship applications. She is the chair of that committee again this year. I laid out the ‘nudge’ postcard to be sent to 200+ of my classmates who have not sent in reservations.

Sunday was spent with Ballet West II. The excellent Colorado weather returned. Horst Richardson, Bob Carlson and Charlie Paterson lead a hike on the Palmer trail around the Garden of the Gods. What a perfect outing for these enthusiastic young dancers. Many of them climb the wonders of the Utah sandstone, and so REALLY related to our formations. We had  lunch outside at the trading post and to our surprise, they had a great time panning for gold and trading their treasures!

We delivered them to the airport by 3 p.m., then went home to reconcile the checkbook. Later we finished watching Fiddler on the Roof.

The dusty miller moths have really invaded this year due to the mild winter – a nuisance, but not harmful.

Kaya Anan, born in Decatur, AL and now a professional dancer.

Summer Wilson, tour director and attorney for Ballet West.

We had a short Bottini Art session this morning. Judy Judy hosted and Brenda Bottini had a massive migraine, so did little drawing. Keith was out of town and Ron still has bad vertigo. Judy has been taking a botanical drawing class in Denver and so suggested we use colored pencil to render some grapes. It took me back to the 8 a.m. Nature and Museum Saturday classes I had in art school. Rigorous, but fun.

We talked a lot about the St. John Bible exhibit in Santa Fe (Judy has been down twice to see it!). http://media.museumofnewmexico.org/events.php?action=detail&eventID=439

I left early to get to a luncheon honoring Barbara Kline who was a huge shaker and mover in the dance world when she lived in Colorado Springs. Her daughter Alisha and Meredith were good friends in high school. Rabbi Kline and Barbara were so generous and invited Meredith to several Seder meals. Now, Barbara has a more international reputation and returned to the Springs with a checkbook which we suspect is responsible for bringing Ballet West II to our fair city from Salt Lake City.

After lunch, several of us ‘host parents’ went to the airport to pick up the dancers. Josh was very airsick due to the turbulence and later had to be taken to the ER at Penrose. His peptic ulcer was diagnosed as the problem. He was given medicine and cleared to dance.

The troupe practiced all afternoon and until 9:30 p.m. when we went to pick up Kaya and Summer who are staying with us. They are both really nice young ladies and will have no trouble falling asleep tonight.

We made an emergency trip to Denver early this morning.  Bowen has been spiking a fever and his parents both had critical days at work. We made hasty plans (happy to do it) and rolled to Denver shortly after sunrise. Sick as he was, he was very cooperative for us, did a little sleeping and eating for these two out-of-practice elders pinch hitting for the parents he loves.

Upon returning to the Springs, I was nearly out of gas, but the fates scheduled me for an encounter at Western Convenience gas station. When I pulled in there was a giant truck taking on diesel and I didn’t notice that he had my pump nozzle also emptying into his rig. I thought this might be a delay so I asked him if he had twin 50 gal. tanks. “Nope, he says, these are twin 120 gallon tanks and all my other credit cards are maxed out.” At the rate the pump was working, by the time he emptied $800 worth of gas into those tanks and argued on how he’d pay for it, I’d have grown a full beard.

So, I pulled forward only to be blocked by a vacant car whose owner later arrived with a broomstick and a dandelion digger. He’d locked his keys in the car. I couldn’t back up – blocked there, too. Had to wait for his drama to unfold with the assistance of two other folks who abandoned their pumps to supervise the break in. When finally he was in and the broom returned, I pulled up and was nearly hit by a G.I. whizzing in to cut me off. I waited while he gassed up his SUV for $60+. Finally, I got my $20 worth of regular and crawled home even happier than usual to be driving a Prius. The next one might be ALL electric!

Tools laid out in a deep display at the South Street Seaport Museum.

I did more Wasson work and met Jan Reiss at Ent to get her name put on the Wasson account as she has foolishly agreed to be our treasurer. We encountered a new bank officer and ended up agreeing to remodel the whole account, cook the minutes, apply for an EIN# from the IRS and more.

This afternoon Vic Appugliese planted a replacement red oak tree in our backyard to replace the one that died last year. What a nice guy.

Earlier I cobbled together 3 parts from the Dubois dump to persuade the 6′ green metal stakes out of the ground. I repaired the drip system to get the spring plantings started.

I had a Skype call with Gene Daniels today. Skype is amazing. I wanted some brainstorming help in trying to figure why my cameras decided to get goofy in New York. Gene was the perfect person to talk to about this. His experience with so many cameras over the years led to a fix for my Nikon. Who would have guessed that a little corrosion on the LENS turned out to be the culprit. I wasn’t the camera after all!

He also offered to trade me his G11 for my G9. Not only is he a camera genius, he is a generous camera genius and a friend.

Hand-crafted stairway leading down and out.

The front door done as a student project for Mary Chenoweth.

The exterior shows Archie's fascination with Frank Lloyd Wright.

Pat's bulletin board - a work of art in itself.

Archie's original plans done 3-dimensionally in tempera.

Today, Cathy and I met Pat Musick for a preview of the Archie Musick home which will be on the Historic Preservation Alliance tour program this summer. Pat, Archie’s daughter, is also an artist/teacher and just a lovely person. She welcomed us into the home in which she grew up and to which she has returned to restore. Archie built it between two huge boulders, parts of which pierce the walls to decorate the interior.

Archie, a major fixture at the Broadmoor Art Academy, arrived at a great time to make great art and hung out with all the local greats: Charles Bunnell, Randal Davey, Lew Tilley, Boardman Robinson, Larry Heller, Tabor Utley, Lloyd Moylan, et al.

Pat gave us a copy of Archie’s Memoir, Musick Medley as we left. It’s a great thing that Pat is willing to let Cathy plan this tour.

Cricket Daniel from Bend, Oregon is our playwright. Cathy suggested last year at the Six Women Playwright’s Festival that we do a homestay program to allow more of the winners to attend the festival, and the founders ran with the idea. This year it’s a reality. Cricket is a hot sketch and brought gifts of coffee and biscotti. We introduced her to Hatch Chili Wine.

The reception and the six plays were great http://www.sixwomenplayfestival.com/winners.html

I met this morning at Jonnie’s with the Wasson Committee. We decided to extend time for registration. Jan and I will send out postcards plus email a ‘nudge’ notice.

Any similarity between the treatment of this statue at the Met and the dental treatment I got today is purely coincidental.

Today was the volunteer luncheon at the Cheyenne Mountain Country Club. There was a great pork dish served this year that got rave reviews when compared to the rubber chicken fare of years past. Larry Siedel did well as a keynote speaker especially using the excerpts from the book soon to be published about the history of Penrose Hospital.

Margaret Sabin naturally delivered great and appropriate remarks outlining a hospital funded trip to Peru to bring medical service to very isolated people.

We left early for my dental appointment which involved pokes to the gums to measure ‘pockets’ (whatever that means). It basically resulted in the purchase of a $30 mouthwash which has been found effective in growing gum tissue which avoids surgery. Bring it on!

I also got a couple of free killer apps for the iPhone today. The first one is called “Over 40” which turns the camera into a great 10X magnifier and flashlight and the other called “Mail Stop” uses the camera to photograph the label of junk mailers, emails the image to the Mail Stop company who then gets our name on the “do not send” list.

Technology sure is great when it works!!

Several times during the year this Tutt statue gets decorated at CC.

Lisa Czelatdko was my lunch partner.

More than 400 people showed up for the luncheon.

Monday, Cath had a visit with Dr. Debbie (the acupuncturist) before meeting her retired Diva group for lunch.

I have spent a couple of days working on the Wasson Reunion and Mark Dykstra came over Tuesday to remeasure the stairs, and plan the wood needed for the floor section to be laid over the cement surface.

Today was the ABE luncheon and since Cathy was off somewhere with the car, Malcolm McCollum did the driving in his big, green Buick.  This year even the chicken was good!! People really liked program I designed. As always, it was a ‘last minute’ crisis production.

Lisa (long Polish name above) is on the City Council, so the talk was interesting about her endless rounds of rubber chicken lunches and stressful Council meetings. Man, am I glad I’m retired!
I did not get great news from Retina Consultants today. My right eye is still leaking, and my deteriorating vision has not so much to do with the cataract as I had hoped and thus probably can’t be reversed. We are switching to Lucentis, $2K a pop and delivered every month. My left eye still 20/20.

It brings up an Elvis lyric: “I’m like a one-eyed cat peeking in a seafood store.”