Slowly Turning to Autumn

Since we've moved here, temps have been well above the average highs and numerous records have been met or broken. I've been craving fall. We headed to the mountains Saturday to enjoy cooler weather and the gorgeous aspens. We had an absolute blast. I miss some of the bright oranges and reds from up north but the topaz aspens against the clear blue sky were stunning. We look forward to more exploring in this new state that already feels like home.

Settling In

We've finally had a little time to settle in, both doing some unpacking and enjoying the balcony and views.

The wildfire smoke has made the mountains less visible lately but we've got plenty to look at. Austin has the webcam on the construction that is going on in front of us and we keep talking about the possibility of an Amtrak trip sometime. The train is about two blocks away and you can see it in the photo.

We got some unpacking done this weekend and hung up some art. We're a little more motivated since Bruce and Peggy will be visiting this evening but there is still work to be done. Not surprisingly, the largest amount of overflow comes from spices, tea, books, and kitchen gear. It has been good to downsize, though, and we will probably never miss having to mow a lawn. Now back to work!

We made it!

We're in Denver. So much has happened, I haven't been able to blog until now. But check out our view.

Basically, I returned from Mexico August 1st and we headed out the 7th. Unfortunately, I woke up sick the day I flew home from Mexico and had some sort of mystery illness that resulted in me feeling rather uncomfortable while packing, loading, and driving for two days. I drove my car and Austin and Stinky were in a huge Penske truck and we arrived in Denver on Saturday, August 8th. The movers unloaded the truck on the 9th and Austin was back to work early the next morning. I had campus meetings and was busy writing syllabi and planning new classes. But we made it and looking out at the city and the mountains every day has been so very delightful.

We are now in our second week here and still not fully unpacked. The apartment building is great but brand new so there have been some minor flukes, like our air conditioning intermittently going out which remains unresolved (the problem seems to lie in the Nest thermostat, unfortunately). The fire alarm was tripped in the middle of the night and we've seen firetrucks here on occasion as they try to figure out what is wrong. There is a truck parked out front as I type, as a matter of fact. There have been blips like that but we are incredibly happy with the location. We can literally take the elevator down to the grocery store (and it has a burrito stand! and a sushi train!), the bank, and Starbucks. A restaurant is also being constructed and we're waiting to see what it is. I walk to take light rail to work. Austin goes to the lobby frequently to get coffee from the fancy coffee machine they have. We're very close to Union Station and the 16th Street Mall so there's plenty to explore.

Longer term, we look forward to some weekends away in CO and beyond. It's early, but we feel like we've found a place that suits us well and we look forward to sharing it with family and friends as the opportunities arise.

Photos

I'm trying to get some photos organized. I haven't had time to do a lot of blogging, much less captioning photos, but here is a link to the album.

Daily Life

Veggies going to the produce shop.

Flowers to the florist.

I had to search the large doors to find the schedule for the laundry place (which charges by kilo) and here it was Sharpied on the door.

Las puertas

I love the doors here. I have long seen posters of a collection of doors from a given city or country but they really are cool compared to much of what I see in the U.S. I walk past this yellow one every day and there is something about it that makes me what to know who lives there, what it looks like inside, and more. If I ever write fiction about Mexico, this entryway will be included.

And these are just a few I saw as I walked to dinner tonight. The last house had a beautiful, spacious interior that I could just see through the one open pane and I peered in as closely as I could for a second.

Los callejones

I'm not a fan of selfies but this little alleyway was so narrow, I couldn't resist. This is me on my way home from work.