Moonset over the Flatirons
Two mule deer near Nederland
Yesterday's snow on lilacs
Andrews Arboretum
Mountain goats in RMNP
Tulips on the Pearl Street Mall
Mountain bluebird in yesterday's snow
Showing posts with label Pearl Street Mall. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Pearl Street Mall. Show all posts
Saturday, April 30, 2016
Sunday, April 6, 2014
Horse Racing, Gators, Left-Overs
Poor Gators. I was cringing by half-time, but I watched 'til the bitter end.... Ouch.
Yesterday's 3-year-old thoroughbred racing was exhilarating and fun, on the other hand. In the Santa Anita Derby, California Chrome was, again, a dominating winner, in the lead at the finish line by more than five lengths, and having been asked to slow down for the last sixteenth of a mile. It looks like the bright chestnut colt, with plenty of white markings (aka "chrome"), will probably be the betting favorite for the Kentucky Derby. Victor Espinoza rode the winner with beautiful precision; Mike Smith was able to grab second place with Hoppertunity; while second-betting choice Candy Boy was third, under the guidance of Gary Stevens. In the Santa Anita Oaks, Gary Stevens was in the saddle of the winner, Fashion Plate; Ria Antonia was second, and Bajan finished third.
The finish of the 1 and 1/16 mile Ashland Stakes was a rare dead heat, with both Rosalind and Room Service hitting the finish line at the same time. Thank You Marylou ran third (or second, since the first two tied). In the Calder Derby, Ring Weekend looked to be the winner, but he shied away from his jockey's whip, and Our Caravan flew past him. Cleburne was third.
At Aqueduct, the Bay shore Stakes was run for sprinters (though, years ago, it has also been used as a Derby prep race) - 7 furlongs. Coup de Grace nosed Oliver Zip for the win, and Kobe's Back was in third. The Wood Memorial was described as a show-down between Uncle Sigh and undefeated Samraat. I looked at the field in the paddock and picked Wicked Strong as my choice to win. I have to say that I was amazed when he did win. Rajiv Maragh guided Wicked Strong through the race with patience, and then unleashed a strong drive down the middle of the stretch. (I think the colt wanted to bolt to the outside as they came to the final turn, myself...) Samraat placed second, just ahead of Social Inclusion. Uncle Sigh was fifth. Samraat's trainer felt this was a good effort by his colt, and that the race would teach him to tighten up and want to win more strongly.
And I wanted to also write about a very small incident that happened to me on the Pearl Street Mall during Friday's stroll. Beatrice and I had eaten brunch at Turley's. Friday they had made a batch of their scrumptious raspberry muffins, and I had one with my meal. Before leaving, I purchased two more, and was given them in a small brown cardboard box inside a pale green plastic bag. For some reason, most restaurants in Boulder use this green bag for patrons carrying left-overs. During our stroll up and down Pearl Street, I was approached three times, by three different people, each asking if I would give them my "left-overs." I was so amazed that, each time, I just shook my head "no" with my mouth agape. The people asking this were not the usual homeless folks seeking food. They were well-dressed women and a man, all in their mid-20s. I think that was a large part of my shock. They all caught my eye and asked the question in passing, without pausing in their stride - I asked one of my friends, a Boulder police officer, about it later that evening. He said that since the City has passed the no-panhandling laws, this was one of the ways the younger folks were feeding themselves, while they used their actual cash for drugs and drink... That is just so disappointing and sad for our culture. I know over 150 homeless people, and, if I have cash, I'll take them out to eat, if they tell me they're hungry - I consider that my duty as a human being. But begging for left-overs completely turned me OFF.
Yesterday's 3-year-old thoroughbred racing was exhilarating and fun, on the other hand. In the Santa Anita Derby, California Chrome was, again, a dominating winner, in the lead at the finish line by more than five lengths, and having been asked to slow down for the last sixteenth of a mile. It looks like the bright chestnut colt, with plenty of white markings (aka "chrome"), will probably be the betting favorite for the Kentucky Derby. Victor Espinoza rode the winner with beautiful precision; Mike Smith was able to grab second place with Hoppertunity; while second-betting choice Candy Boy was third, under the guidance of Gary Stevens. In the Santa Anita Oaks, Gary Stevens was in the saddle of the winner, Fashion Plate; Ria Antonia was second, and Bajan finished third.
The finish of the 1 and 1/16 mile Ashland Stakes was a rare dead heat, with both Rosalind and Room Service hitting the finish line at the same time. Thank You Marylou ran third (or second, since the first two tied). In the Calder Derby, Ring Weekend looked to be the winner, but he shied away from his jockey's whip, and Our Caravan flew past him. Cleburne was third.
At Aqueduct, the Bay shore Stakes was run for sprinters (though, years ago, it has also been used as a Derby prep race) - 7 furlongs. Coup de Grace nosed Oliver Zip for the win, and Kobe's Back was in third. The Wood Memorial was described as a show-down between Uncle Sigh and undefeated Samraat. I looked at the field in the paddock and picked Wicked Strong as my choice to win. I have to say that I was amazed when he did win. Rajiv Maragh guided Wicked Strong through the race with patience, and then unleashed a strong drive down the middle of the stretch. (I think the colt wanted to bolt to the outside as they came to the final turn, myself...) Samraat placed second, just ahead of Social Inclusion. Uncle Sigh was fifth. Samraat's trainer felt this was a good effort by his colt, and that the race would teach him to tighten up and want to win more strongly.
And I wanted to also write about a very small incident that happened to me on the Pearl Street Mall during Friday's stroll. Beatrice and I had eaten brunch at Turley's. Friday they had made a batch of their scrumptious raspberry muffins, and I had one with my meal. Before leaving, I purchased two more, and was given them in a small brown cardboard box inside a pale green plastic bag. For some reason, most restaurants in Boulder use this green bag for patrons carrying left-overs. During our stroll up and down Pearl Street, I was approached three times, by three different people, each asking if I would give them my "left-overs." I was so amazed that, each time, I just shook my head "no" with my mouth agape. The people asking this were not the usual homeless folks seeking food. They were well-dressed women and a man, all in their mid-20s. I think that was a large part of my shock. They all caught my eye and asked the question in passing, without pausing in their stride - I asked one of my friends, a Boulder police officer, about it later that evening. He said that since the City has passed the no-panhandling laws, this was one of the ways the younger folks were feeding themselves, while they used their actual cash for drugs and drink... That is just so disappointing and sad for our culture. I know over 150 homeless people, and, if I have cash, I'll take them out to eat, if they tell me they're hungry - I consider that my duty as a human being. But begging for left-overs completely turned me OFF.
Saturday, April 5, 2014
Friday on the Mall
Yesterday tired me out, but I had a wonderful time. After walking Rosie, and having an unexpected chat with Alexy, I came home and called Beatrice. She wanted to know where I was - and I said I had just returned home from walking Rosie. She was already at Turley's, having coffee, and trying to figure out why I hadn't been at home when she called earlier... Oh, well... We laughed, I called a cab, and we met at Turley's for a wonderful filling brunch - and they had freshly baked raspberry muffins, so I purchased two to take home with me. I had actually planned on returning home, but Bea asked, "So, what shall we do for the rest of the afternoon?" Since neither of us had shopped on the Pearl Street Mall in several years, we decided to "walk the Mall", and started out at 20th Street, headed west.... We wandered through book stores, jewelry stores, art stores, antique stores, second-hand and surplus stores, candy stores and bakeries, and a Fair Trade store. There were several stores that completely entranced us. I had a wonderful time in an old-fashioned candy and soda shop, but they were blasting Tennessee blue-grass gospel through their speakers, and Bea didn't like it. (I was singing the chorus....) We purchased drinks from a street vendor when we turned around at 6th Street and started heading back east, up the other side of the Mall. Most of the clothing shops didn't carry anything larger than a size 10, so Beatrice and I didn't even bother going inside, but we certainly critiqued the display windows. We decided to take a seat on the benches in the sunshine close to the Peppercorn store - but once we were comfortable, a "street performer" decided to target us with her "singing." I put those words in quotation marks for a reason - the woman could not carry a tune, her only accompaniment was a battered and odoriferous tambourine, and she knew only two verses and part of a refrain of one song. She needed a bath, and her clothes needed washing. It was a stomach-turning experience. We spent almost an hour inside Peppercorn's and saw less than half of their merchandise... and we both saw things that we wanted to purchase.
When we arrived back at the apartments, the service dog and his owner were playing in the back yard, so I drew my curtains and the kits and I went to bed. I read until I fell asleep - and I had odd dreams last night. I dreamed that my Dad was teaching me how to tickle fish in a stream; and that I was riding Mauda LuAnn in a Pony Penning Round-up; and that I was a sailor on a fully-rigged tall ship - with three large masts, plus the forecastle.... Definitely strange all the way around. Today is grey and cloudy, and the weather folks are saying we'll have rain and/or snow again this evening... We'll see. Lovey and Nedi have been able to run in and out since 6:30 this morning; Lovey has spent half of that time inside with me, while Nedi has just wandered back inside. Bob has wandered over, come inside, and helped himself to kitty kibble; he's left, now.
And I will be rooting for my Gators during the Final Four NCAA basketball games tonight. I hope you have a wonderful weekend!
When we arrived back at the apartments, the service dog and his owner were playing in the back yard, so I drew my curtains and the kits and I went to bed. I read until I fell asleep - and I had odd dreams last night. I dreamed that my Dad was teaching me how to tickle fish in a stream; and that I was riding Mauda LuAnn in a Pony Penning Round-up; and that I was a sailor on a fully-rigged tall ship - with three large masts, plus the forecastle.... Definitely strange all the way around. Today is grey and cloudy, and the weather folks are saying we'll have rain and/or snow again this evening... We'll see. Lovey and Nedi have been able to run in and out since 6:30 this morning; Lovey has spent half of that time inside with me, while Nedi has just wandered back inside. Bob has wandered over, come inside, and helped himself to kitty kibble; he's left, now.
And I will be rooting for my Gators during the Final Four NCAA basketball games tonight. I hope you have a wonderful weekend!
Monday, January 6, 2014
Colorado Snow Photos
Boulder's Pearl Street Mall
Interstate 70
This is what happens when you're bored... a Snow Man Army
Ski Trail
The Boulder Flatirons from the southeast
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