If You're Wondering Why I'm Not Posting...

...it's because I'm packing. :)

Next week: DENVER!!!

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See? It's Just Stuff Like THIS that Makes Me Want to Move Here

I found this article on Yahoo! today that lists Denver as one of America's 10 Best Places to Grow Up. It also mentions that Denver is one of America's safest larger cities.

I know I can't wait to grow up here. :)

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Bluer

In the part of the country I'm moving from, blue sky feels like a commodity. So often there is enough haze and moisture in the air that it makes the sky look more white than blue. This is a constant annoyance especially to WildChild, who is a photographer--blue skies are the best for outdoor photography.

On our first drive to Denver, the first time we noticed the sky was right after we crossed the border from Kansas to Colorado. We all marveled because it wasn't just blue; it was a brilliant blue, the kind you see when you're flying in an airplane.

In fact, that's kind of how it felt. It felt like we were driving in the sky.

In a way, I guess we were. Even though the first part of Colorado is still on the plains, you are gaining altitude slowly all through Kansas when you drive west. As you gain altitude, the atmosphere gets thinner. (You guys all probably know this already, but indulge me.) Thinner atmosphere = bluer sky.

But that's not all. Denver is much more arid than Oklahoma--much less moisture in the air, partly from being on the leeward side of the mountains.

Thinner atmosphere + lower humidity = even bluer sky.

What some people don't know (but many photographers do) is that when you have a blue sky, it makes all the colors show more brilliantly. So bluer sky = more brilliant colors.

Colorful Colorado.

So when you have a family who lives constantly around white-and-sometimes-kinda-blue sky, and they see Denver for the first time...let's just say I guess you could tell we were tourists. :) It was like living in that allergy commercial where the picture peels back and everything suddenly gets more colorful. "There's clear, and then there's Claritin clear." That's how it felt. It wasn't just the mountains that filled us with wonder, nor the bigness of the city; it was the color.

Oh, and we came in the fall, too. That helped. :)

So fine people of Denver, don't take for granted the gift you're given. There are some people in this nation of ours who don't even really know what blue sky looks like. What a sky!

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One Step Closer

Received word today officially that our rent application was approved! We're in!!!

Two weeks and one day until...Mountain Time, here we come!

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My (Already) Favorite Spots in Denver

So in the three trips I've taken to Denver so far, the fam and I have taken in as much sightseeing as we can. I'm sure I'll write more about these once I move there, but for now...here are some of my favorite places to go in the Denver Metro...

Sixteenth Street Mall. Dude--this is a mall? Someteen blocks of walking and shopping between the train station and the Civic Center. Street musicians, lots of great places to eat, and no motor vehicles except for the free trams that go up and down the street. There's always something different to see; last time, I saw a whole parade of people dressed in animal costumes walking the mall. (Must have been some kind of convention or something.) Oh--looks great at Christmastime, too!

Flatirons Crossing. Dude--this is a MALL. North of the city, on the way to Boulder, they don't make malls like this in Oklahoma. Yeah, it's mall shops and stuff. But the decor is like a huge ski lodge. I just like to walk around and look up! Aand...eat at the food court. Or if you want something a bit more sophisticated, there is an outdoor shopping area just outside mall, called The Village at FlatIron Crossing, with more shops, fancier restaurants, and a movie theater.

Sloans Lake Park. We just stumbled across this area one day at W. 17th Ave. and Sheridan Blvd.--a lake in the midst of the city, with a great walking area around it. Some awesome older houses in the surrounding neighborhoods, too--very picturesque.

Red Rocks Amphitheater. Okay, so this isn't really in Denver--but it's still cool. :) Those, um, red rocks jutting out of the mountain like some alien planted them. I haven't seen anyone play there (yet), but I'm looking forward to it.

Performing Arts Center. Just two blocks from the 16th Street mall, this is just an amazing place to walk around. A whole series of auditoriums built around the original historic opera house, with a huge glass awning over the walkway. Makes you want to wait around until nightfall for a show to open up.

There are some other places I like, too, and a lot of places I still want to see, like the art museum and the zoo--and more of the mountains. The fam and I are explorers at heart. There will be a lot to keep us busy...

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A True Story

Wanna know why we're moving to Denver? The following story might give a little insight.

On our first trip to Denver last fall, we were completely unfamiliar with the city, and didn't have the luxury of a GPS. Normally I can find my way around pretty well with a plain old street map. But the Denver metro is so large that the map sprawled halfway across the car when we opened it.

We ventured downtown one afternoon and had to be back to Arvada by a certain time. We ate dinner at P.F. Changs, and when we found our way back to the car, it was dusk.

Downtown Denver, as you may already know, is set cattywampus to the rest of town, so I hadn't driven us very far before getting disoriented and frustrated. We stopped at a traffic signal, and I pulled out the map and hurriedly tried to find our location in the dim light before the signal changed.

Then FilmGuy spoke up from the back seat: "Hey, I think that guy wants you to talk to you."

In the lane to our right, a young guy had pulled up next to us and was gesturing for us to roll down the window. Now, where we come from, that kind of behavior would make us a little suspicious or even concerned for our safety, because it just isn't done. But he had a pleasant enough face. We rolled down the window.

"Hey, are you guys lost? Do you need directions someplace?"

"Yes," I replied, shouting across WildChild through the passenger side window. "We need to get to West 80th."

"You want to get on Federal," he replied. "You need to turn right here at this intersection, and a left turn over there on ****** (I can't remember the street he said.) That will take you right to Federal."

"Thanks!" we said.

But he wasn't done helping us. We needed to make a right turn, and we were in the left lane. So he said:

"Tell you what. Pull over right in front of me here when the light changes, so you can make the turn. I'll stay put until you get over."

Now, if you're from Denver, you might be used to this kind of thing. We'd been told by all the travel sites that Denver people were friendlier than most, and more apt to talk to you. But we weren't used to this, not by a long shot. This guy wasn't just friendly; he was aware. In the dusk, he saw through our car windows and noticed us wrestling with the map--and took action to help us.

When the light changed, we pulled in front of him, and turned the corner...and just about cried. I'm not the kind of guy who is above asking for directions, but I was flabbergasted that someone in another car would offer them, and then make room for us.

This wasn't the only example of Denver niceness we encountered; we found the people in general to be as friendly as the travel sites said they were. I'm sure for the guy in the other car, what he did was just common decency. But he will probably never know how much his actions influenced us as we considered making Denver our new home.

Simple acts of kindness don't cost us much...but they can go a long way, can't they?

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Meet the Fam

Well, there's not too much to tell, because we are a family of three--well, four, if you count the dog. But our family is pretty tight-knit, and we do a lot of stuff together. So it's inevitable that you're going to hear about them as I share my experiences as a newbie in Denver. For the sake of privacy, I'll protect their real names for now; but what I tell you about them is true.

WildChild--my beautiful wife of 21 years. Adventurous and artistic, she's never done well inside the box. I'm the one who likes to play it safe, color inside the lines--that kind of thing. We're actually quite good for each other. She keeps me on my toes, and I keep her out of jail. WildChild is also keenly intuitive, and can read people like a book. She says it like it is, which is actually very good for me. She's a photographer, and loves the outdoors--which makes "colorful Colorado" a wonderful choice of location for her! I might as well tell you now--I'm absolutely crazy about her.

FilmGuy--our 19-year-old son, who still lives at home and is moving with us. FilmGuy is going to be famous one day. I'm serious. He's a young director who has written and directed two short films with one camera, novice actors, and almost no money--and they both look better than most of the indie short films you see on the Internet. (And I'm not talking about YouTube.) FilmGuy is very creative and marches to his own drum beat, but he also has a good head on his shoulders. He's chosen on purpose to do without teenage luxuries like a driver license, a car, and a place of his own, because he wants to put his money toward his dream. He figures if he plays his cards right, one day he'll be able to pay cash for any car and house he wants. He's a great young man, a dreamer who inspires others to dream. I believe in him.

And me? I'm the Denver Newbie. But you already knew that. See the sidebar for more information. :)

In case you hadn't noticed the pattern--we are all artistic/creative types. I'm a writer and musician, and WildChild and FilmGuy are both gifted in the visual arts. I think that also makes Denver a good place for us to move.

Oh, and the dog? He's a sweet 9-year-old cocker spaniel who has to be in the middle of whatever we're doing. Let's just call him...The Dog. Keeps things simple.

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So Here's the Scoop

To all those who have accidentally come across this blog (which is how you would probably HAVE to find it this early in the game)...welcome.

This is the very beginning of my journey. As I write these words, my family and I are still in Oklahoma, our house in utter disarray, preparing rather frantically to make our trip home--to our new home in Denver. We have less than three weeks.

We've lived in Oklahoma for ten years, and thought we'd be here for life. We've accumulated quite a bit of stuff, settled in a nice house, done all the things to make a life for ourselves here. I won't go into all the reasons why we're leaving--this is not a blog about Oklahoma. But when we began thinking about making a change in our lives, and considered where to move--Denver stood out head and shoulders above any other place we considered.

We're a family of three, with no prior connection to the city. We've made some friends in our visits there, but we're not coming because of friends, or family, or job. We're coming because Denver is beautiful, alive, awake.

No, really. I'm not being dramatic. That's why we're coming.

Up until a few days ago, we honestly didn't know how we were going to make this move. We don't have lots of money saved up. I have a gig or two lined up, but no real job offers. But things here are drying up fast, and last week when we were up in Denver, we figured out a way to come. So we're coming--it's that simple.

It's a dramatic change, in every sense of the word. We currently live in a house on the outskirts of Tulsa, practically in the country; we're moving to a small flat in an eclectic area where you can walk to almost everything. From three bedrooms, two-car garage and fenced yard to a two-bedroom apartment with less than half the square footage. From country french decor to modern chic.

We thought once we found a place, we'd have a couple of months to get ready. We have less than three weeks.

We thought we'd get a place about the same size as we have now, or a little smaller. Now we're unpacking boxes that were already packed, and selling nearly everything just to squeeze in.

From Bible-belt to artsy-urban-Bohemian. That's change. Obama would be proud.

So I was thinking in my mind (which is where I do most of my thinking)...why not blog about this? Why not document the move, and blog for a year or so about my new city, cool things I find, places I go, stuff I do--all that jazz?

So that's what you've stumbled upon accidentally--as no doubt that's how you got here. Welcome. Hope you'll stick around. You'll learn more about me and the fam as we go along...and hopefully you'll get a feel of what a great town like Denver is like, through the eyes of a newbie.

That would be me.

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