A day out with Meg Part 2: Dancing and Art at Red Rocks

And on… to Red Rocks!

First, we had a little ol' dance on the stage. As tradition dictates. If you're a performing artist of any kind, I think it must be a Thing You Do: Do Your Thing on Stage at Red Rocks, just so you can say you did your Thing on Stage at Red Rocks.

There were some puddles on the stage made warm by the sun, so next off came our shoes and we proceeded to play in the puddles, making puddle art with hands and feet (her) and splashing people accidentally while trying to make cool puddle explosions (me).

The men working backstage had the radio playing pop songs, there was sun, it was warm, we were barefoot and playing and creating and dancing, and I felt like I was on top of the world.

After a while one of the stage hands called over to us: "Hey! You ladies making art?" (What a line. #love)
"Yup!" we replied with smiles.
"Would you do me a favor? Come over here."
… he then opened up a padlock on a little tin box at stage right, and gestured inside. It was full of different colors of chalk. ''Go wild!" said he, with twinkling eyes, before disappearing back into whatever constitutes backstage at Red Rocks.

So we did. We must have spent most of the next hour happily drawing all over the Red Rocks stage. We offered chalk to children and adults who looked curious, but no-one took us up on the offer to have fun drawing on this massive canvas. Which is a shame, I think. The children were too shy and the adults just flat out denied their own inner children, even after muttering to friends ''oooh, I'd love to do that" and promptly being offered chalk of their own.

But I didn't linger on it. Their loss. I was having too much fun.

Here's us being children and adults and creatives and dancers all at once.

Meg dances

My explosion puddles and Meg.

Drawing around her footprints before they evaporated.

My scorpion puddle

Pnitty flowers!

You can see our artwork all the way from the top of the amphitheater!

I left a note of gratitude when we dropped our chalk back. 

I took a little video. Kind of perfect that Pharrell's song 'Happy' is playing in the background, don't you think?

A day out with Meg Part 1

Meg Madorin is a gorgeous dancer who I know through New York dancer-y friends. I had posted a photo on Instagram last week, and geotagged it (as I try to do with all my IG shots) and she had commented that she'd be in Colorado soon and we should hang out. So we did.

First we drove up to Golden, a town in the foothills of the Rockies of about 20,000 people, which is about a half hour commute to Denver. We met a blacksmith who was dressed as a pioneer for a visiting group of school kids, who informed us that you can still get a college degree in this old art. Which is kinda cool. And we walked down by the river, and then Meg showed me the house where she had grown up, and pointed out the house across the street where her best friend had lived. I might have fallen a little bit in love with Golden.

He was making a candle holder I think.
But got distracted talking to us and burnt the metal. 

The River Whose Name I've Forgotten that runs through Golden.
People go kayaking and tubing on it. 

Howdy folks!
We're in the West don'tcha know.

Meg: "Let's take a picture of you in front, so Stef can see there's a theater!"
(Also please note there's a beautiful mesa view at the end of the street)

Then we got hungry and Meg got excited about the possibility of a certain Mexican restaurant nearby, which turned out to have great food but more importantly boasted

(a) a psychedelic interior and

(b) a lovely bar maid happily chatting away to regulars about ''the next time I go behind bars, I am not taking this piercing out. I learned my lesson that time."

Then we drove to Red Rocks, which I'll make a separate post about because it was SO MUCH FUN it deserves it's own post. And because Blogger is acting up again with the picture captions. But mostly because Red Rocks was SO MUCH FUN. 

If anyone is interested, I'm @rachelfae on Instagram.

Rona's pineapple upside down cake

Hi everyone!

So you know that awesome gluten-free pineapple cake Rona made? (See previous post) She just sent me the recipe!

Says she: "I just used rice flour instead of wheat flour, substituted stevia for some of the sugar, used coconut milk instead of dairy, decreased the amount of butter in the batter, and added some nuts to the top."

Hawaiian Pineapple Upside-Down Cake

Makes 1 - 9 inch round cake

• 
  1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted 
• 
  2/3 cup packed brown sugar 
• 
  3 cups fresh pineapple - peeled, cored and cut into 1 inch chunks 
• 
  1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 
• 
  1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder 
• 
  1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon 
• 
  1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened 
• 
  2/3 cup white sugar 
• 
  2 eggs 
• 
  1 teaspoon vanilla extract 
• 
  3/4 cup milk
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Cube 1/4 cup butter, put it in the pan, and put the pan in the oven while it's preheating. Stir in the brown sugar. Arrange the pineapple evenly on top of the sugar mixture.
• Sift together flour, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon.
• In a large mixing bowl, cream the softened butter with the sugar until the mixture is light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Stir in the vanilla. Add the flour mixture in three parts alternately with the milk, beginning and ending with the flour mixture. Beat well after each addition. Spread the batter evenly into the prepared pan.
• Place the cake in the middle of the oven. Bake for 45 to 55 minutes, or until a tester comes out clean. Let the cake cool in the pan on a rack for 15 minutes. Run a thin knife around the edge, and invert the cake onto a plate. Serve the cake warm or at room temperature.

UPDATE! I made one!

Here it is:

Food in Evergreen

This post is a bit past due, but totally worth sharing, especially if it gives anyone inspiration for dinner!

And because this is my blog and not Facebook where people tend to sigh ''oh, great, another person posted pictures of their food…" I can post pictures of my food!

We ate really well in Evergreen. Having lived in NYC for years now, where take away, delivery, and street food are super easy and cheap and I'm so exhausted and often so depressed at the end of the day to make anything more than popcorn for dinner, I haven't, honestly been eating that well the last couple of years. And by that I mean, I haven't been cooking as much at home as I should have been.

In the mountains one has no choice. There are no delivery services. The nearest restaurant is miles away by car, and even then it's usually just the one. Rona provided Judi and I with fresh, awesome ingredients, and we went to town.

My first breakfast in Evergreen. Gluten-free pineapple and pecan upside down cake
(more on that later), red grapefruit, and sweet orange herbal tea. 

Steak cooked on the grill outside, steamed broccoli and basmati rice.
All smothered in an extremely garlicky, black pepper olive oil jus of awesomeness. 

Another breakfast. Gluten free toast with mashed avocado
with a sprinkle of EVOO and sea salt, a boiled egg and fresh papaya. 

"Leftovers meal" - home made bison burgers, Judi's incredibly garlicky basil and
walnut dairy-free pesto,  zucchini, pepper and avocado salad with goats
milk feta, and quinoa with a mushroom, onion and tomato ratatouille with shaved parmesan. 

"Leftovers breakfast" - the same quinoa thing as the night before, but with scrambled egg,
and a smoothie I made with raw beets, ginger, kale, lemon and apple. 

Um yes this is a breakfast. Gluten-free pasta with a mushroom,
garlic and cream sauce with fresh salmon and parmesan.
And a green juice: kale, spinach, lemon, pineapple, spirulina, and apple. 

Raw zucchini, red and orange peppers, cucumbers and kale salad. 

Rona's gluten-free pineapple upside down cake.
I have asked her for the recipe and will post here if anyone is interested.
I am going to make one for Stef when I get home.
Ok, I'm going to make one for myself. He might get a slice :)

Another version of the salad above but with avocado and red onion. 

Tomato, fresh basil, EVOO, balsamic, sea salt. 

The thing about Boulder

I figured I would make it to Boulder at some point in my Colorado journey. Yet despite not planning - not once - a trip there, I've found myself there three times now. Three times in the last 10 days.

Boulder, dear Boulder, what are you saying to me? I'd love to live in you! You're full of pretty things, shops with organic-this and too-expensive-that, climbing-gear shops, shops that stock never-seen-before Le Creuset, you boast an entire population of cute bearded hippy dads (stop worrying; Stef knows about this little obsession), you have great hikes right there, AND you have a Trader Joe's. But your rental prices and cost of living are "comparable"to New York City. New York City! The city I want to leave because it's too expensive. 

Full disclosure: I have been to Boulder before. I was there for 24 hours, when I was babysitting a couple of children belonging to other people who were also leaving NYC for a life of fresh air in the west. But it was years ago and I don't remember much from that time aside from being stressed out from watching 2 1/2 year old twins who would invariably run in opposite directions on every road, causing this then-22 year old to decide which one was less likely to die first if left on their own for 20 seconds, and run after the other.

Boulder beckons the 1st time (this trip)

The first time I ended up in Boulder was the day that Judi and I drove to Red Rocks and Denver. We had just finished up what we wanted to do in Denver, it was getting late, and I figured we'd just head back to Evergreen when Judi asked me ''how long does google maps give us to Boulder?" to which I answered "36 minutes" and lo and behold we're off to Boulder. We walked around this pretty town, found a few gorgeous, incredibly expensive shops, (I could have easily dropped a grand on gifts for all of you. Easy. Even had them picked out in my mind) and had delicious tea at the famous Boulder Tea House. (Their Lady Grey is world famous and you can order it online from their store. Just saying.)

If I'd had spending money, at least three of you would have received this t-shirt.

Hipster shot of tea.

Boulder beckons the 2nd time

Last Friday, Nuala's friends (who live up in the mountains of Summit county) were having a little ladies night in Lousiville, a suburb / town between Denver and Boulder. They were lovely enough to invite me along even though I had never met them. Well, these women were fabulous. We had cucumber margaritas and tacos and talked for hours about everything under the sun and then went to sleep for a while and then woke up and talked for another few hours about everything under the sun. And then someone exclaimed ''There's a new Trader Joe's in Boulder, right? I've never been to Trader Joe's!" So I found myself in Boulder for a second time, this time giving tours of Trader Joe's products (hey, I'm a New Yorker) to mountain women.

Boulder beckons the 3rd time

Judi was meeting another Rachel, who she had previously done HelpX-ing for, in Boulder for lunch. I was not supposed to be part of this meeting. What was supposed to happen was that Judi would drop me off at my new digs in Wheatridge before she headed up to Boulder to meet her friend. But a communication snafu between myself and Wheatridge meant that I couldn't go there until after lunch, which meant Judi bringing me with her all the way to Boulder. So… I ended up in Boulder for a third time. This time, we visited the Shambala meditation center and an incredibly cute shop of herbal remedies and aromatherapy stuff. Which, again, if I'd had the spending money floating around… well let's just say you'd all be smelling lovely round about now. I mean, even lovelier than you probably already smell. Oh, also I made a friend when I went to buy water from a hot dog seller. You can take the girl outta New York…

Oh, speaking of New York: this was also the day that Judi introduced me to Five Guys burgers. I hadn't bothered going in there whenever I'd passed them in NYC, wondering how the hell I'd eat a burger on the run without a bun, but it turns out these guys will wrap your juicy cow bits in lettuce! Oh, how we "mmmmmmm"-ed.

The Shambala meditation center was quite beautiful,
but posted on the walls were so. many. rules. I'm not really into rules. 

Being ill while traveling

After my HelpExchange gig in Evergreen ended, I went to stay with Patrick and Colleen in Wheatridge, who despite being busy doing construction on their home right now, were kind enough to offer me a place to lay my head for a while. My first evening with them, I tagged along with them and a couple of their friends (one of whom is opening his first gluten-and-dairy-free taco truck this summer!) to a bar to watch the Avalanches play a hockey game.

1st thing I learnt: I thought we were going to watch some 'Abs' play hockey. You can't see any abs under all that gear, so that was a mild disappointment. (I had been hearing 'Avs'.)
2nd thing I learnt: Hockey means ice hockey, not the kind I played (or rather, stood at the end of the pitch and pretended to play) as a kid. That kind is called Field Hockey in America.
3rd thing I learnt: Maybe don't ever ever again eat the nachos at whatever place we were when we watched the game.

My very first night in Evergreen I woke up at 4am feeling decidedly woozy, and over the next 8 or 9 hours it became apparent that I had some form of food poisoning. From both ends. (TMI? Sorry. That's mah style!)
Which meant that my very first day in Evergreen I was completely confined to my bedroom in the cellar and the adjoining bathroom. Yay for adjoining bathrooms though!

How to get over food poisoning, once you can keep liquids down:
Ginger ale, water, water with oregano oil, pepto bismol

There's really nothing like being ill and being away from home. Patrick and Colleen were sweet enough to bring me ginger ale and later, chicken broth, but I spent most of the day alone with Spirit, either nauseous, half asleep, or in the bathroom. The only times I let myself break down emotionally were when I spoke with Stef or Mum on the phone and had someone to hold space for all the feelings! It was interesting though - even though nausea is my least favorite thing in the world (give me pain over nausea any day) - I've done a lot of work over the last few years to move through my fear around it. And yet, being on my own in a brand new place, where I don't really know anyone,  those fears showed up again big time and I had to be very present to them so as not to go into self-pity. One thing that helped get me through was something Stef offered: "You need to find that place within yourself where you feel totally safe. Go there. Stay there. Be there."

On the plus side I think I lost a few of those extra lbs I put on being a glutton in Evergreen the previous week.

The next day, wobbly but able to walk again, I headed to the local library and updated this blog (with the post before this) and got a bit of work done. I then walked around the neighborhood for a while, got lost, found myself in some rough areas, and then made it home before it started raining, pretty exhausted.

Red Rocks and a day in Denver

Some red rocks. 

Red Rocks Rocks. 

The view from Dressing Room 7!

Just behind the amphitheater

Taken behind the gift shop

I took a lot of photos at Red Rocks. This is my favorite. 

Last week Judi (the other HelpX-er who was working at Rona's place with me) announced she was taking a day off (it's ok to do that, I discovered!) traveling to Denver for the day and asked if I'd like to come along. Uh, yes.

At my suggestion, we decided that instead of planning our day of exploration, we would  instead just follow our energy and see what happened. From the moment we got in the car we asked for inner guidance on whether to take a right or a left at the first crossroads, and we went from there. 

The first place we got to was Red Rocks Amphitheatre. It is AMAZING. It is an outdoors concert venue located in a natural amphitheatre created millennia ago by water eroding rocks to what they are today. (The seats are a bit more recent.) 

Fun fact: After Pollstar magazine awarded Red Rocks the honor of best small outdoor venue in the US for the 11th time, the leading concert industry magazine decided to just name the nationally coveted honor the 'Red Rocks Award'—and remove Red Rocks from the running. (Check out the Red Rocks Wikipedia article for more cool facts on this place and to see the bit I paraphrased for that sentence.)

Some awesome people who have played at Red Rocks include: 
The Beatles, Jethro Tull, U2, The Grateful Dead, Jimi Hendrix, Rush, Steely Dan, The National, TooL… man, I could go on all day but I'm getting hungry for lunch. So… anyway, with this in mind when visiting it was imperative I have a little dance on the stage. So I did. I also watched people (crazy people) run up and down all those steps and then do push ups and sit ups … eek! After only a few minutes of dancing at that altitude I was breathless. I have no idea how people do boot camp at that height… but I want to be one of those people one day. I also want to be one of the people that actually, properly perform at Red Rocks one day. Or at least have my choreography shown there. 

Anyway, I didn't realize at the time but Judi took a video of my improv… mercifully stopping before I started the wheezing ;-)

Here is something else fun to reward those of you who have read this far and acquiesced to my rampant photo-narcissm: Judi and I walked up some steps stage right and found a door at Red Rocks that said 'Dressing Room 7' and we pushed it and it opened! And we went in to Dressing Room 7 and for a minute pretended we were famous. Here is proof of this cheeky act:

It wasn't very glam.

After Red Rocks, we went into Denver and rode the free shuttle bus that runs through the shopping area. We hopped off when we felt like it, and walked down to the Performing Arts Centre, which I had wanted to see. We met a guy who had a school bus which runs entirely on vegetable oil. He drives it around and gives talks inside the bus to anyone who is interested in running a diesel engine on veggies. After dancing at Red Rocks, hearing about clean gas, and wandering the Performing Arts Centre (where there was a TEDx convention for teenagers on - very cute) we were both a bit famished so hopped into a place on Curtis Street called Sams no. 3 (which is apparently famous) - and I ordered chill cheese fries which our server told me was a good choice - ''it's what we were on TV for!" Take that Stefan, I am now the number one orderer in the world. 

Downtown Denver reminded me a bit of TriBeCa and SoHo in New York. Very hip. After Denver we went up to Boulder but I'm going to do Boulder in another post as this one is acting up - it's not letting me put captions on the rest of the photos.