THE COOL KIDS

Alright, so I think it is time for some introductions. Because over in Colorado, there is a gang of cool kids I would like you to meet. First there is Oliver...

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OLIVER

An awesome dude. Loves learning random facts and then talking about them all day. Also loves visiting zoos. Calls everyone 'son'. Knows how to brew beer, how to make omelettes, how to get through Zelda games on the highest level, how to snowboard like a professional, and how to do chemistry. Is now my husband. For real.

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DANNIN

My brother, but I will forgive him for that. Quite a character, always ready to give his opinion on any matter, big or small. Over-achiever, ever-changing. Snowboarder, basketball player, skateboarder. All time grandpa, who likes to go to bed early, and a good glass of whisky.

BRENDA

Oliver's sister, and a real cutie patootie. Happy-go-lucky, full to the brim with ideas. Loves collecting crystals, and dogs. Always up for an adventure. Voice like a squirrel on helium. Gets a little stroppy sometimes, but never mind that. Dances like a boss. 

MANNY & CANDRA

An odd couple. Oliver's brother and his girlfriend. Also dog collectors (current collection: 3). Lovers of King's Cup, bad movies, pizzas and doughnuts and good beer. Always joking about Dannin. Generous and kind, hardworking and just a little bit rich.

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Me and the gang, we got up to all kinds of trouble. 

SLEDDING

We spent two whole days sledding when I first visited Colorado. The snow was prime, with a layer of crisp, fresh powder, and nobody was out but us. We (just) managed to squish everyone and everything into the car: Oliver, Brenda, Jakob, Dannin, Myself, the tubes, the sleds, the dogs, and our food supplies; then the whole lot tumbled right out again and ran or was pulled up the hill in a fit of excitement. Let it be noted that Jakob was pulled up the hill. 

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OLD RULES OF SLEDDING

DANGER! SLED AT YOUR OWN RISK

Do not sled in icy conditions
No snowboarding or skiing
Walk uphill on the paths provided
Do not build ramps
Blah Blah Blah

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NEW RULES OF SLEDDING!

JUST SEND IT!

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The high point was certainly the time when Dannin attached a rope to the car, and the boys were pulled down the icy road at 20kms/hr. 

COLORADO SUNSETS

The sunsets in Colorado are so much more colourful, so much more intense than the ones I am used to. Perhaps it is due to differences in climate, or perhaps it is due to the elevation of the place; Colorado being on average 6800 feet above sea level. Maybe that little extra proximity to the sun makes all the sky light up in pink and blue.

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SCIENCE FACT

Well, for those science-y ones out there, you might already know that sunsets are caused by the filtering of light through atmospheric particles, and that the sun's proximity to the horizon means that only longer waves of light, such as red waves, will filter through all those layers of particles. Or some such jazz. But I think it sounds more poetic to say that Colorado is a little closer to the sun. 

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Sometimes I wish I was like the Little Prince on his small planet, and could sit and view the sunset, before moving a few steps and then watching it over again. 

However, I have this sneaking suspicion that the beauty of the sunset lies in its ephemerality. Like a rainbow, we only see it every so often. And when we do, we stop in our tracks, on the way back to the car with our shopping or as we are making dinner and staring idly out the window. It is something we appreciate, because it is so fleeting. 

“Never waste any amount of time doing anything important when there is a sunset outside that you should be sitting under!”

— C. Joybell C.