Stiff Goats

Funniest thing I've ever seen. If only I can see them in person...

If I have a farm when I'm older, I will have a goat farm with just these guys. Everyday would be a good day.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=we9_CdNPuJg
(I'll get a better link to view the video, but this will do for now.)

Back in the Saddle

Obviously, it's been a long while since I last wrote. Life has been a whirlwind, but I'm back in the saddle again (as Steven Tyler would say.) I won't bore you with the details of life since my last excerpt, but I will let you all know the latest and greatest...

• I live in a great little home in Denver and absolutely love the place. (The same place I posted pics of early on.)
• I finally landed a big girl job back in April - an outstanding company with terrific coworkers, not stressful and no demanding hours. I couldn't ask for more. What do I do? A little difficult to explain (definitely not the quick "I'm in advertising" response that I favored.) I'm an inside sales rep for a software company responsible for its licensing renewals. Huh?...I know, but it was worth a try to explain. The point - I'm happy and for those of you who knew my advertising days, you understand how big that is for me. Cheers to being happy with my job.

That's the big stuff you've missed since my early weeks in Denver. As for making more friends in Denver, I'm no longer befriending the squirrels in the park. I'll leave that up to the homeless crazies who probably put peanut butter on their lips to talk to the squirrels.

Highlights: Film on the Rocks for The Big Lebowski, Wii party with coworkers, hiking in the snow in June and the funniest Apples to Apples game. Inquire about any or all and I will share the entertaining details.

Accidental Denver...

My new favorite store in Denver is Le Equipment in Larimer Square. I stumbled upon it one day when I was roaming around the city during my first solo trip downtown. It's a quaint shop that sells anything wine or drinking-related with a store owner who entertains with stories and recommendations. To top it off, there is a sweet golden retriever who mans the place by laying on the hardwood floors in the most inconvenient spots. His strategic resting gets me everytime and I end up petting him for half the time I'm there. The reason why I love stumbling upon something new in Denver.

Life is good at high altitude and looking forward to what's still to come.

Drag Show...and I'm not talking racing

Chris and I went to our first drag queen show last Friday. We had planned to meet a new friend of mine and some other girls for drinks and dinner. It just so happened that they were going to have drinks and dinner at Hamburger Mary's...on the first Friday of the month...when they host Denver's best drag show. The plan was to stay for dinner and leave before the show (for Chris's sake) except the show started before our dinner was done. We could've easily snuck out after our burgers, but Chris seemed to get a kick out of the comedy from the MC, Miss Jessica Summers so I took that as "Sure, Beck, let's stay for the show." :)

We had a blast and Chris hung in there like a champ...and actually enjoyed parts of the show. Since it was my first one, I didn't know what to expect. The MC leads with a comedy bit and then introduces each performer. The performer then lip-syncs a song and dances among the crowd. It's all pretty harmless and extremely entertaining, especially when the ladies pick on the straight guys in the audience (which surprisingly there were quite a few of.)

Chris made the wrong decision to take a bathroom break during Miss Nicole Summers's performance (there were two Miss Summers.) She was walking to the back of the crowd when she eyed Chris walking in the front of the stage. Nicole made a beeline for Chris and stood there singing to him...all 6'8" of her. Chris stood there like any straight guy would react and then told her, "I have to pee." That's my man, my very very straight man.

They sang and danced to many of the latest pop songs in various outfits. One performer stood out like no other based on a particular "outfit." The show in general is rated R for the language and content in the comedy bits, but for the special guest, Jennae Burdeaux, it was another story. She came out shaking and dancing to one of my favorite songs, Milkshake (a classic house party song from my freshman year at KU.) The jaw-dropping part was her outfit...if you could call it that. She wore pasties over her non-existent chest and pasties (or maybe just body paint) over her lower regions. All of us girls could not stop staring and trying to figure out..."Where did it all go?" The way she was shaking and dancing around...there was no telling. Chris took the opportunity to order double Jack and cokes until the end of the night. He deserved every shot that night.

At the end of the show, we decided to go to a "straight" bar. Chris was happy. We topped the night off with a few more drinks. Despite a few uncomfortable dancing moments in the show, Chris said he had lots of fun...although he will not be returning anytime soon. I had the best time and I look forward to more entertaining shows at Hamburger Mary's.

Heavenly Daze

I went snowboarding the other weekend with Chris and Nate at Steamboat Springs. I had to try my hand at the sport because snowboarding just looks so cool. I should clarify that snowboarding looks cool when you are good at it. I won't say that I looked like a fish out of water though, because I have to admit that I picked it up pretty quickly. I give a little credit to the beautiful weather and perfect powder conditions.


Excited for another run on the mountain...at least some of us are.


It was absolutely beautiful from the snowstorm just a couple days before.

Chris and I were supposed to meet Nathan at the top of the gondola, but Nate had already taken off on his skis. When we reached the top, there were only blues and blacks down the mountain from there. We picked the blue slope called Heavenly Daze -- it sounded sweet enough. Turns out that "Heavenly" Daze was the slope I pointed out on the Gondola ride up. I believe my words were, "Too bad I don't have my skis because there's no way I'm getting on stuff like that with my feet strapped to this board." Yep, that was my first trail on a snowboard. I actually rode it down pretty well, but got cocky at the end when I was cruising to the bottom. As I threw my hands up in victory for making it down the slope with ease, I caught the front end of my board and landed face first in the snow. Chris could not stop laughing...and honestly, neither could I. Why is it that moments like that never get captured on video?


View from the top of the gondola

Funny moments seemed to occur quite often throughout the day, especially when I had to get off the lifts. I smoothly got off the lift with my first attempt, but two and three were a whole other story. Let's just say that at one point I had to jump off the chair because I waited too long to slide off of it. Then, because of my jumping off stunt, I fell into a heap right in front of the swinging chair. The girl running the lift didn't slow it down so I had to duck from getting clocked in the head with the turning metal bench. I laid there waiting for the chair to pass then struggled to hobble out of the way to the oncoming skiiers. I was a hot mess. Thankfully, I got a good laugh out of all these "incidents."


Strapping in and probably moments before sitting back down again -- haha

The rest of the day my legs grew weary very quick from my lack of experience. Chris was way better this trip than his Copper experience, and cruised with ease (most of the time.) He was patient with me during all my breaks and frustration.

At the end of the day, I healed my wounds (aka exhausted body) with some KFC and a hot tub. Despite the greasy chicken and the soak, my ENTIRE body was numb with soreness the next day. I could not get dressed without grimacing from the pain. Skiing never does this kind of torture to your body. Yea, you may be a little sore in the legs, but never the entire body. Snowboarding is supposed to be a sport, and sports are supposed to be fun...fun is not supposed to cause so much pain.

Despite feeling exhausted and horribly sore from snowboarding, I plan to try it again so I can get better at it. I will always be a skiier though.

Maverick Survived But Goose Is Dead

In the last 25 years, bird strikes have caused major accidents for five large jetliners in the USA according to the Bird Strike Committee. More than 56,000 bird strikes have occurred in the last seven years. Today, you can add another notch to that list.

As Chris was driving across Kansas on Interstate-70 this morning, he had quite the "goosely" encounter. This is the call I received from Chris today.

"I hit a goose," Chris says.

I respond, "Was it on the road?"

"I hit a flying goose," Chris specifies.

"You hit a flying goose?!"

"Yep."

"Are you okay? Did it hit the windshield?"

"Well, if you were in the passenger side, you would've been front row to it all."

"Did it break the windshield?"

"Nah."

"Oh my God. I can't believe you hit a flying goose."

"Yea, it was pretty awesome," Chris chuckles. "It flew away, but I'm sure it's dead by now."

"Aw, poor thing." I always sympathize with an injured animal.

"There was a semi driving behind me when it happened. He drove up beside my car after I hit it and gave me a thumbs up."

"Glad you were able to impress the truckdriver."

"Yea, I think hitting a flying goose just made my week."

To the Goose who flew into Chris's windshield: I'm sorry you had to get into an accident with such a crappy car, but you should've known to avoid car models named KIA.

"I told him to stay in the V, but does he listen? No."

Nate's Downtime

My brother has quite the sense of humor, especially when I'm around to provoke the behavior. It's in Nathan's downtime when his creativity gets the best of him.

Here are a few of the greatest hits.

That's my nickname written in paint on his wall before he painted his room.

And my favorite...

http://sendables.jibjab.com/view/JcHcJGV4RO2VHWkX

March Madness

Things have started to pick up in Denver, hence my lack of blogging for the month of March. Here's a fast forward version of the last month.

My parents visited the last weekend in February. I played host that Friday and showed them around Denver, although I didn't have a good grasp on the city then. We skiied at Winter Park on Saturday which is always a good time.

My dad and I on the slopes.

The first weekend in March I flew back to Kansas City to celebrate Chris's birthday, see my girlfriends and attend a KU basketball game. I had the best time and it made me miss all my friends and the familiar atmosphere even more. I also missed all the great KC/Lawrence food - Aixois, Classic Cup, Free State Brewery, Zen Zero and First Watch. I will have to make a special trip back soon to go to Milton's though...and to see my girls again. =)

Beautiful day on the Plaza

SO happy to see my girls!

Since my trip to KC, I've been making more of an effort to give Denver a chance. I am always taking walks around the neighborhoods, visiting Wash Park or Sloan's Lake, hiking and biking with Nate and trying out new places to eat. Last weekend I was invited to dinner and a party with new friends. I had a blast and was able to experience new places in LoDo and Uptown which I hope to frequent more often in the future. The party we went to was actually hosted by a fellow Jayhawk which made it all that more fun. I'm taking mental notes on the great places I'm trying out for my future guests. A few of the places on my list: Heidi's Deli, Dixon's, Steuben's, Hamburger Mary's and Anthony's Pizza. By the time you visit, I'll be able to show you around town like a real local.

That brings me to my latest and very exciting news. Chris and I found a house that we'll be moving into by April. We're renting the main level of the house which has just been remodeled by the architect that owns it. The house is in the Highlands neighborhood just west of it's downtown and blocks from Sloan's Lake. We have a cute little yard and a fabulous deck with a view of Pike's Peak. The landlord is also letting us use his living room furniture which seems brand new. Thank goodness because I tossed my old Goodwill couch and chair before I moved to Denver. It's all too good to be true so I'm still holding my breath until the first night we're sleeping there. I will post more pictures once we move in.

With April fast approaching, I feel that I'm getting more settled into my Denver life. Although I'm still job searching while working at Anthro, I feel all the good things coming our way (to Chris and I.) It's only a matter of time until it all falls into place and I'm enjoying every moment when life here gets a little sweeter. New friends, new home, Chris almost here and spring just around the corner -- I have no complaints, only gratitude.

Snow Bunnies on Copper

To celebrate Valentine's weekend and our belated two year anniversary, Chris drove up to Denver to visit. We spent Friday roaming the Highlands neighborhood (hopefully the neighborhood Chris and I will call home soon), driving around Lakewood, renting ski/snowboard equipment and eventually having a nice dinner. We finished up the night grabbing beers in LoDo at this quaint Irish pub, Nallen's. It was a great place and I plan many more visits to that pub in the future.

Saturday was our big day of fun at Copper Mountain, one of my favorite places to ski. Since Chris had snowboarded before, he rented a board while Nate and I played it safe on skis. We've skiied since we were kids, so flying down the sloaps on skis sounded more fun than crashing every minute on a snowboard. In order to beat the crazy traffic, we left by 6:30am. We arrived at Copper in perfect time and hit the slopes before the crowds came.


The view of Copper's village. It continued to snow all day which was great to have fresh snow.



I was a little worried about my ski performance since I haven't gone in three years, but it was like riding a bike. Although, my thighs would disagree that riding a bike would cause so much soreness.


Posing for a pic...or taking the opportunity to rest?


Trying to stay warm on the ski lift. The temperature was 11 degrees and that's not including the awful wind chill.

Chris was a little entertaining on his board. It was only his second snowboarding experience, but by the end of the day he was more comfortable with the slopes. Chris and Nate switched gear so that Nate could try snowboarding and Chris could try skiing. My brother seemed to pick it up a little quicker. I think any experience on the slopes at an early age is beneficial and probably not being taller than six feet helps too. They switched after one run - Chris looked more comfortable on his board.



When I've thought about snowboarding, I've always envisioned myself scooting down the mountain on my butt or making my way down in an uncontrollable barrel roll. I didn't want to waste a day of skiing to try out snowboarding, but if Nate picked it up that quick I bet I could too. Watching Chris and Nate makes me feel better about snowboarding for our next trip.



I had a blast on Saturday despite the ridiculously cold weather. We ended the day at Pizza Hut - nothing like three medium pizzas to cure all pain and hunger.

The next morning my legs felt like I had a night with Kathy Bates in Misery. We went to IHOP to resolve that pain too...unlimited pancakes, yum.

Scaling Flatirons

Last Saturday was the first Saturday I had off from work, so my brother and I decided to have a little sibling bonding time. We did what everyone in Colorado does on their free time...climb mountains.

We drove up to Boulder, which is only about 45 minutes north of Denver. We went to Boulder's notorious Flatirons and did some hiking. I was surprised by the number of people at the trailhead. There were so many college students...being active. I know Lawrence is an active town, but KU students didn't exactly wake up on the weekends and exercise for fun. We were usually nursing a hangover from the night before by eating at Milton's or grabbing some Juice Stop. Occasionally, we'd walk it off along Mass Street or stand for two hours in line waiting for an early basketball game. I suppose KU students don't have the luxury of a mountain playground in their backyard either.

I had to represent in CU territory - Go Jayhawks! (They were all probably wondering why a "flatlander" was on the trail. Little did they know that I'm BA...kinda)

*

Anyway, we decided to conquer Flatiron #2 and followed the trail until Nathan decided to lead us another way. Part of the trail led to an area for rock climbers to practice on the boulders, and boy were there a lot of hippies...I mean rock climbers...practicing. We kept walking past them until it was clear that there was no path, only boulders...to climb. My legs were definitely shaking at that point and wondering why we didn't take a walk around the neighborhood that day instead. But being the trooper that I am, I kept scaling the boulders with Nate to the top of the flatiron.

*

Although it's winter, the view was still pretty awesome above the treeline. We were at the halfway point here.

Taking a little break so my knees don't buckle while climbing the boulders. Have I mentioned how the altitude still kicks my ass? (In my defense, Boulder is higher up than Denver and these flatirons are pretty darn high with steep trails.)

Enjoying the view

Finally!

THE view we were climbing for -- The Rocky Mountain Range with all their snowy peaks

*

There's the town of Boulder...looked so tiny from up there.

After our afternoon hike, we went to Boulder's downtown on Pearl Street. I absolutely LOVED the area with all the shops and restaurants. I wasn't really in the mood to walk more, but I really enjoyed our little stroll. As you can see...

Apparently, I have plenty of energy after a long hike up a flatiron or maybe I can't resist a ride on a pig when I have the chance.

*

I had lots of fun in Boulder and hope to have many more trips back to the great college town.

Don't worry, Lawrence, you will always have a bigger place in my heart.

Runner's Itch

After being stagnate on my running/work-out schedule and having too much downtime, I have decided to register for a race. Obviously, I will officially register for the race when I have the funds to do so. In the meantime, I will begin training for a 10k in Boulder. I think that is a fair start for my out-of-shape legs. I have been going on long walks lately, but now it's time to up the ante. Here's a link to the race info. If you're interested in coming out to Denver that weekend and running alongside me in Boulder, then let me know.

http://bolderboulder.com/site3.aspx

It took me some time to find the right race during the right time. Many of the races around Colorado are marathons or half marathons through the mountains. I'm just not ready for that kind of commitment yet. As I was searching for the right race, I decided to check out Denver's Track and Field Club Web site, thinking they would have the most available information on future races in the area. Boy, did I find some interesting information and was a little surprised by the club's members.

http://www.denvertrackclub.org/Site/CMTFC.html

Does anyone else feel even more out of shape after seeing this home page? Looks like 'Ol George could kick my ass in a 10k. Glad to know that gram and gramps will be in the better wave than me in Boulder. Crap.

I'm telling you, the people in Colorado are freakishly fit and very intimidating...no matter what age.

Soothe Your Soul

I think we all get in various music crazes -- where we listen to a particular type of genre or maybe an artist for an extended period of time. Well, my latest craze is Adele. She is my favorite artist right now, and her voice is so soothing. Her latest album "19" has been playing in my car stereo since my move to Denver.

I love how music can alter any mood, and it's especially exciting to see how the artist pairs the song with a visual. After checking out Rachel's blog, http://www.whoopsiarted.blogspot.com/, it reminded me of an Adele music video. I absolutely love this song and can't seem to take my eyes off the screen whenever this video is playing. Check it out for yourself.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qz7vGW2_5c0&feature=related

Despite the morbid background to it all, the song is still so beautiful. I absolutely recommend her debut album for all you loving a little London soul-searching music.

There's nothin' I can't do with a race car

Last Saturday was competition day at the ice track in Georgetown, CO. I didn't have to be at work until 6pm so I made a morning and afternoon out of it. After sitting in ski traffic for way too long, I finally made it to the lake. There was a much bigger crowd that day - many competitors and spectators. The crowd was the type that preferred playing motor sports rather than hitting the slopes on the weekends...lots of carharts and camo overalls...good 'ol boys with their toys and their dogs.



The lake is pretty spacious. Half of it was used for racing and the other half is used for ice fishing. I wonder how relaxing a day of ice fishing is when you have motors roaring the background? Here's a video of the surrounding footage to give you an idea of the atmosphere.



In case your curious about the actual competition part...

There were several divisions in the competition: Rubbers, Studs and Cheaters (sounds like a bad movie on Skinemax.) They broke the Studs and Cheaters into men and women divisions. I missed the women's racing, but wasn't too disappointed...call me sexist. The Rubbers are just the regular 4-wheel drive cars racing, which was nothing too special. There were lots of Subarus racing since they had there own competition that day. The Studs are two-seater Jeeps with metal studs on their wheels. The hundreds of studs on each tire helped with traction and looked like small bolts hammered into the rubber. The Cheaters are like the Jeeps but are lower to the ground and have larger motors. The difference will be very clear in the videos. The Cheaters first race with studs on their tires then for the last race they replace their tires with these.



It was a pretty cold day due to the wind and the ice kicked up from the Jeeps didn't feel too good on my face. I had to do what was necessary to get some good video though, which meant getting as close as possible. Check out my footage and let me know what you think. And may I remind you that I got to ride in one of the Jeeps the day before.



The Cheaters racing this time around.



Here's a video of more badass racing.

The lake was pretty difficult to walk on since it wasn't a smooth, icy surface. In order to have cars on the lake, they make sure the ice is 12 inches thick. You'll see from the photo how the lake froze in waves. I managed not to slip once.

Well, that sums up my latest Saturday in Colorado. Guess it's not the typical weekend for a 24-year-old, but I had a great time.

Now, my parents know what to look forward to on their visit in February. Maybe I could talk Grandma Sue in giving my dad a ride around the lake. Haha!

P.S. The title is a quote from Days of Thunder.

Tatonka

After my ice racing experience, I decided to stop at Lookout Mountain on my way back to Denver. Last time I stopped there with Chris and my brother we didn't see much. This afternoon was different though.

There were lots of tatonka (as the Sioux would say in Dances with Wolves.) Buffalo - for all you non-Native Americans or haters of Kevin Costner films.



I was surprised by the dainty fence that separated me from these beasts. Especially, when one large buf charged the fence and the whole thing leaned toward me. All of us spectators jumped back and I avoided taking more photos with my arm through the fence.





This guy became Friend #5 that afternoon. I plan to visit him again soon since he's behind bars.

(Friend #4 is Grandma Sue from the ice track.)

Go Speed Racer!

Last Friday I had the day off from work, so I decided to take a long drive out west into the mountains. About an hour into my drive on I-70, I noticed the most unusual sight to my left.

Several dozen cars were driving on a large frozen lake. Since I had nothing on my agenda for the afternoon, I took the next exit and found my way to this icy playground. Once I parked my little Civic, I began talking to an older woman who was sitting in a lawn chair in front of her RV watching all the action. She informed me about the ice racing club that hosts these events through January and February. Fridays are "fun days" for the club while Saturdays and Sundays are competition days. On the "fun days" anyone who has a 4-wheel drive car can come out on the lake for $5 and drive on the tracks. The lake has three tracks set up with orange cones so there is plenty of room for horseplay. Many of the cars were fishtailing and sliding all over the course. There were a few SUVs that putted around the cones...I'm assuming tourists stopping by to have a little fun before hitting the slopes.

The older woman was very nice and talkative. She told me how her family races every weekend during the season. Apparently her son, his wife and herself race a couple of Jeeps. At that moment several Jeeps roared on the ice making quite the entrance. She pointed out the white Jeep flying around the corner and said, "That's my son, there. He's practicing for tomorrow's race." We made a little more small talk before I walked down onto the frozen lake to get a closer look at all the action.

Before I knew it, the woman came up behind me and asked, "Do you want to ride?" My ear-to-ear grin probably said it all, but I confirmed with a "Uh, yea!" I didn't even know what I was getting to ride in, but I didn't care. Grandma Sue (as I learned later on) led me to the white Jeep and shoved a helmet in my hands. She yelled at the tall guy behind the steering wheel, "Hey Mike! She's going to ride with you on the next run." I introduced myself and I swear my voice squeaked, "I'm Rebecca. I just moved here." Not sure why I had to let him know that I was knew to Colorado, but I think my enthusiasm got the best of me by yelling random factoids.

I climbed into the Jeep while it waited in line with the others. After securing my helmet, I reached for the seatbelt. Ha! There was only a lap belt. Silly me was reaching for a harness strap or something that would secure me in a rollover. Grandma Sue said rollovers happen sometimes, but they're no big deal. I believe her words were, "They just push 'em back up and go race again if they can." I suppose knowing all of this just added to my adrenaline which was racing through my veins already. Before it was our turn, Mike's wife took my camera to capture my big moment.

The ride itself...AWESOME! I was on cloud nine the entire time. WAY better than any go-cart or roller coaster. Mike didn't go easy on the "new girl" either, which I was very happy about. I wanted him to focus on what he had to do to win the race tomorrow...and give me the ride of my life. Here are a few photos of my ride.

Best. Car. Ride. Ever.

Not sure if you could see my death grip on the roll bar in any of the turns. I suppose I was second-guessing whether or not I heard the seat belt "click". It's difficult to explain how thrilling the ride was, but I definitely recommend checking out Georgetown if you are ever visiting Colorado in January or February...even if you don't get a Jeep ride with a local.

I really needed a day like that since I moved out here. I was SO happy that afternoon.

If you're interested in seeing what the club is all about, here is a link to their Website.

Our Gang Ice Racing

The videos are great (although I will post videos from Saturday's competition soon.)

You've Got a Friend

Let me introduce to you the friends that I have made since my move to Denver.

This is Squirrel #1 in the park.

This is Squirrel #2 in the park.

This is Squirrel #3 - been pretty flaky lately, so we don't hang out too often.

Let's just say that I'm still working on meeting people out here. Missing all my KU gals!

Cabin Fever

What happens when two siblings are stuck inside a one bedroom apartment together in the middle of winter...with a hedgehog-shaped candle?

This.

Feel free to post your own commentary for the photos.

Back on the Wagon

As you can see I've abandoned my first blog Windy Wit since my latest move to Denver didn't seem to fit the Windy City theme. So I'm introducing Mile High Marshall. Same premise as the first blog, but different city with different adventures.

Rather than explaining the last five months, I would like Mile High to be a fresh start. Most of you know the whole situation anyway so why rehash it all again. As for my recent move to Lakewood, Colorado (a suburb of Denver), all my experiences can be summed up in a fast forward paragraph.

Drove out to Denver on January 6th with Chris. Living with brother, Nathan, in Lakewood apartment. He bought a house and we moved in last Friday. (By the way, that makes move #6 in the last ten months - not recommended.) Still working part-time at the Anthropologie in Cherry Creek shopping area. In all my downtime (in no particular order), I have explored Green Mountain, roamed the town of Golden, checked out the Denver neighborhoods and other suburbs, drank at various bars in LoDo (in one night), walked around Washington Park, had a couple job interviews (nothing has panned out), sled face-first down a huge hill, caught up on all my daytime television, began writing a book (more on that in the future) and most of all...job searched. Have I expressed my feelings on how tired I am of job hunting? Because I am exhausted of resumes, cover letters, Monster.com, etc. Let's hope I have an upcoming blog telling you about my new, awesome job that involves consistent paychecks.

Well, that's my life in a nutshell as of now. I am hoping for some exciting action soon so this blog will become more interesting. In the meantime I will try to keep you entertained with my various antics around the house and in the city.

I've been poor about my picture taking, but here are some photos of my latest happenings.

Coors Brewery in Golden (still need to go on a tour there)

River walk through Golden during one of the many 65 degree days

(although the river stayed frozen)

Apparently, bicycles hitting pedestrians is a big enough problem here that signs are needed.

Visit to the capitol building, pretty magnificent

Playing "war" on the capitol lawn

The courthouse across the street from the capitol

Blue Bear looking in at the convention center