Parades, County Fairs, and Hot Air Balloons
I had not seen Colorado in the summertime since I was a teenager. That was the first time I had ever seen Colorado, and I fell in love. I never forgot it, and knew that some day, I would come back. Nine or so years ago, I got that chance, 25 years after I fell in love with it the first time. Only, it was winter. And I saw it every year for the last nine, in winter.
Now that we’ve moved here, with all that summer has to offer, I’m more sure than ever that this is where I’m supposed to be. The days are warm, but the nights are cool. There is negligible humidity, which means 95 degrees feels warm but not blistering, and I rarely break a sweat. Back in Missouri, it is sweltering, humid, and awful. When I get up in the morning here, it is in the upper 50’s. Back in Missouri, at the same time, it is 80 degrees. With humidity.
The flowers are blooming everywhere. Here in town, flower beds are bursting with color, growing the same plants I am used to seeing, but blooming a month later. As I was walking on a side street the other day, I complemented a couple on their beautiful garden, and the woman said, “thank you, and if you want, I’ll be happy to share seeds!” She had clematis, hollyhocks, rose of Sharon, lilies of a thousand different colors, and cosmos. I have grand visions for planting flowers next year. It’s too late this year, unfortunately.
This Saturday past was the Boulder County Fair parade. One of five major parades down main street, it featured floats for churches, schools, dance groups, and politicians. There were prancing horses and beautiful dark-skinned ladies in huge ruffled skirts dancing down the street. There were antique cars, including my favorite, a baby blue ’66 Mustang convertible. There was also a General Lee, and if you don’t know what that is, well, you should check out some reruns on CMT on Friday nights. I’m partial to marching bands, and there were three of them, albeit small and a bit too casual for my taste. But they played their hearts out and that’s all that matters. And then, there were the goats, one of whom was making quite a racket about having to walk in the parade. The parade was about 50 minutes long and Tater came home with tons of candy and coupons for everything from free goldfish to free ice cream! Oh, and a schedule for the Denver Broncos.
The Boulder County Fair starts tomorrow and features horses, pies, vegetables, bands, a carnival, and a demolition derby. I haven’t been to a county fair in I don’t know how long. This fair is free (except for the demo derby, the mutton-busting, and one musical act), and there’s plenty of fun to be had. Can’t wait to go one day this week.
The mornings are very special here, as the sun rises and lights up the mountains. Early in the morning the hot air balloons take off from the foothills in Boulder and move east with the wind. I see at least one every day, although most days there are several. One day I counted seven. The cooler the air, the further they can fly. They are brightly colored, and some day, I’m going to ride in one, so I can see the sunrise from there.
My mother is here visiting for a few days, which disrupts our routine but in a welcome way. Klown was employed for two days through a temp agency but the assignment didn’t last. Hopefully something else comes up soon. The Perfect Child has gotten an assignment through the temp agency that will keep her working the rest of this week. She’s proud and nervous all at once; this is her first real job where she is punching a timeclock and getting a paper paycheck instead of a wad of cash. It is too her advantage that she is pleasant, helpful, and not scared to try new things, and that she’s adaptable. Today was a new experience for her, driving 20 miles into Boulder early in the morning by herself to go to work, then having to drive home when she was done. She seems to be somewhat directionally challenged, so this is a bit of a struggle for her. She enjoyed her first day and I know she will do fine.
I’m on week four of my new job, which means we’ve been here almost four weeks now. It feels an awful lot like home now, which is as it should be, right? 
