Perils of Imagination

Often I am guilty of paralysis by analysis. Especially when I don't understand why something happened. I ruminate, obsess, analyze and breakdown every single moment, sentence, action or inaction. The brain begins to spiral and then I'm stuck. Frozen blue screen of emotion, rational and motivation.

It sucks. And so I have found that I need to distract or derail my runaway train of thought. Activity helps. Music helps. Media helps. People help. 

At times when a train of thought is too powerful, too out of control to try and stop the only chance I have is to pull out my six shooter fire ahead and hope I can divert the train on to another track. Many times I fail. Now and then it succeeds. Today that is how I met Amelia. 

Amelia Danforth is a 28 year old from Minneapolis. Two years ago, she left her first job in Architecture and Design to launch her own think tank with three other individuals focusing on sustainable designed low income housing that addresses the generally poor quality of materials used in low income housing and the lack of renewable energy used to power the facilities. 

Six months into the project Amelia and her partners received a substantial grant from EPA to develop a plan for solar powered gardens retro fitted on the roofs of several low income housing communities. The deadline for the project is in two weeks and while they have a presentation ready, Amelia worries that the shortcuts one of her partners, David, has added into the project are overly optimistic and doom it to failure. The birth of this project, after nearly two years of labor, is near but potentially precarious.

The stress tends to weigh on Amelia's slender shoulders. Her height, while never imposing at 5'4", seems slightly less due to the weary posture. She still carries herself with the natural grace of a the dancer she was in her youth. The days of dancing were before she took the weigh of the project and in a way, the word, on her shoulders. Amelia saw the big picture from a young age and always had her eyes on the larger goal of community. She was destined and determined to do more, to be more. To make a difference. 

When I saw her at the bank as I do often lately, I could see the stress evident on her face. She keeps her face short and manageable, not so much for fashion but for easier mornings. And since she often sleeps in her office it's easier to deal with in the office sink when it's short. Her simple white blouse could easily be confused for a t shirt at a glance but the detail and grace of the sheer shoulder panels gives it a more feminine feel. The necklace that she always wears was apparent. A long chain with a large locket or broach. There is something classic and familial about the necklace, it as the heir of a family heirloom and when she speaks of stressful things her hand naturally and absentmindedly holds the broach or amulet in her elven hands. The black thick glasses could be assumed hipster or trendy. In fact they are like many things in Amelia's life, with our purpose. Thinner frames tend to break when dropped or rolled on while sleeping on her office couch. 

There was a startlingly aura of strength, anger and pain the reverberated from her as she sat waiting for the bank manager. I come to the bank everyday to make a deposit and before this week had only seen her occasionally. But this was the 4th day in a row she was waiting for the manager. Last Monday, she noticed an irregularity in the think tank's financial and began to investigate. At first she assumed it was a banking or accounting error. As she learned more from the bank and her other investigations, she knew it was much more than a simple error. 

Maybe it was the week of stress. Maybe it was the impending deadline. Maybe it was the fact they screwed up her coffee for the third day in a row at the suburban drive through shop she hit just before the bank. What ever it was, she poured it all out to me, a slightly familiar faced total stranger, when I made the mistake of simply asking in the classic Minnesotan way, "How's it going?" 

All that from a picture I see in the bank almost every day. An amazing powerful imaginary woman. Pure Adam imagination run wild. 

I'm glad to have met Amelia and I can't wait to hear/write more of her story. 

The Picture.

It's a good thing I haven't been tasked by the gods to deal with Pandora's Box. I couldn't deal with not being able to put it all back in. Eventually. 

Something that has always been hard for me is accepting change. The box gets opened. Things evolve. People grow together. People grow apart. 

Life marches on and that little bit of time and space you long for or wish to hold still is gone forever. 

I love pictures because when they are done right they capture time and space and reality and hold it still for eternity. 

The smiles never fade. The colors never run. Love and lust don't evaporate. Things don't change. They are still. 

I can still see that picture. I can remember that minuscule moment. I haven't given up on that if.

But life marches on. It is not still. It will continue change. A constant regimental March of growth, change and death and birth. 

I can't fight the flow of the tide. I March along. I change and evolve and love and live and die. 

Through it all, clutched in my dirty, weathered fists, that picture remains.  

Vail Vacation Day 3: Hot cars and Thin Air

So far this trip has gone exceptionally well. Very little in the way of problems or drama. Even the ones we have encountered have been relatively minor, long lines, lack of kids menu options and yesterday, a hot car. 

A hot engine to be precise. We were on own way up to Loveland Pass and the car began to run a bit hotter than normal. The usual precautions were taken, air conditioning off, coasting as much as we could. But because of the car's internal temperature, we decided to make a pit stop on our way to Loveland Pass. In Georgetown, Colorado. 

Georgetown is a lovely little town nestled right against the mountain. It's historic downtown is filled with gift shops, souvenir stores and antique malls. We stopped for ice cream in a homemade candy shop and walked around town for a bit constantly reminding ourselves to keep our hands in our pockets. Antique stores always seem to have a severe hate on for children. Signs stating that only well behaved children are permitted and that the old adage of you break you buy still applies. Particularly odd when one "antique" store has brand new puppets right next to fragile glass objects of art...

After we exhausted all the shops, we went to check back on the internal temperature of the car. As this was happening, the kids and I explored a bit more of Georgetown off the beaten paths. A few blocks away from the Main Street was an old public school house that was being restored and one of the churches in town. Both beautiful brick buildings built in 1874. The kids and i had fun determining just how old these buildings were. 

Right next to the church, we discovered a quickly rolling creek that seemed to run right through the center of town. Buildings and houses were built right up to the water, giving it more of a canal or waterway feel. However I have never seen a canal with such an aggressive current. 

We put on our urban explorer hats and tracked the flow for about 3 blocks, cutting through alleys and following the path of the creek until we were stopped by the loca electrical facility. Even I'm not dumb enough to go play under power lines. Again. 

Once our urban exploring was done, the car was sufficiently cooled down and ready to head up to Loveland Pass. 

Vail Vacation Day 2 Part 2 Beer and Busted Boots

After the rock garden we proceeded down the mountain. Previously we had discussed riding bikes around Frisco and Dillon, CO. But the time we got back to the Rebel Sports, we were spent. 

We stopped at the Moose Jaw Saloon. An ancient watering hole for locals. Classic Colorado decor. The gentleman who was the cook was filling in as the server as well. So we could order food and drink but not pay until the actual server returned. It was quite funny when I kept trying to pay and the guy wouldn't take my money. 

After a bit of rest and a couple pitchers of water and some delicious fries we began to walk around Frisco. Frisco is definitely a different style than Avon or Copper Mountain. Older. Not as polished and shiny. Lots of fun little shops with antiques and kitschy items. Obviously asking was a huge theme. It's interesting to have an entire area set up for winter when you arrive in the summer. Our villas has two fireplaces and no air condotioning. It's like having dinner at a place that specializes in breakfast. It's awesome but slightly incongruent. 

We walked down the marina and found the Back Country Brewery. We decided to try a flight and rest our legs again. 

The Wheat was especially good for a hot day and bike weary. The Amber was solid if not spectacular. The Breakfast Stout was both an excellent represent of the style and a reminder that I really don't love that coffee taste. The two seasonals were not my favorites. Their Maibock wasn't as crisp as Summit's but in all honesty my Maibock experience is pretty slim. The Imperial Saison was incredibly flora and just a bit too over powering for me. I expected more balance. Leo was pleased with the Pale Ale. 

After we returned home and had dinner at Montana Smokehouse. Their brisket is supreme. And we had to get extra jalapeño corn bread with honey butter. So good. 

The only downside to the entire day was the demise of my Adidas Sambas. Nearly 20 years is a heck of a run for a pair of shoes and they will be sorely missed. I might attempt to glue them back together because those boots had soul. 

Yeah. Dad joke. 

Vail Vacation Day 2 Part 1 Bikes and Beauty.

The second day of vacation began without an alarm. Or alarms. Though body still awoke at 7. Nonetheless it was lovely to relax. 

Today was the first day of true vacation and we had a big task scheduled for today. Biking down from the Vail Pass all the back down to Frisco. We rented bikes from Rebel Sports and headed back up the mountain to a rest stop about 14 miles away. 

Fourteen miles, mostly downhill isn't that taxing. The elevation and angle and hairpin turns are pretty much the IRS.  My struggles with anxiety started out high with all those challenges and two kids who take after Ricky Bobby and just want to go fast. 

Once we got on the way, the anxiety began to fade. The view was awesome. Both kids adjusted well to the angles and turns and speed and we rolled on without incident. It was a perfect day for biking. Sunny but not too hot. Plenty of scenic stops along the way. 

We stopped in the resort town of Copper Mountain for lunch. Leo was tired of being cramped up in the back pack and finally got a chance to sun bathe like a true turtle. 

Creeks and river and mountains and views galore. 

Three quarters of the way through the ride we stopped at the rock garden. Legend has it that it was started by a couple on their anniversary celebration some 35 years ago. Oddly peaceful and reverent feel as we explored. 

Even good old Leo got into the act. 

Adventure Vacation Day 1

Day one is in the books. It began with a first Uber ride at 6 am central and it ends with windows open listening to the rain and wind in the condo watching Food Network with the kids. 

In between had its ups and downs. The flight was simple. Frontier Airlines has TVs embedded in the seat in front of you! It's like living in the Jetson's! Of course I was a sucker and paid the $3.99 to watch Total Recall for the 346th time and flip back and forth old school style by using the up and down button between Total Recall, The House Bunny and the premier of Mr. Robot. A virtual cornucopia of absurdity and intrigue. I will definitely follow up on Mr. Robot. Leo was very excited about Total Recall. Secret think it's. Sharon Stone thing. 

Once we arrived in Dnever, we began a series of boring waits in line. Waited for baggage. Waited for the rental car shuttle . Waited over 80 minutes in line to rent the car. The worst part was all the TVs in the place were playing nothing but infomercials. I now know way too much about "crepe lines". 

However the day took a definitive upswing when Leo and I walked to our car. Make a turtle your vacation partner...fateakes your rental car a green Kia Soul. 

I have never driven a Kia Soul before. But it was surprisingly roomy. Fun to drive. With a decent sound system. I made my way into Denver to drive by Coors Field and grab a bite to eat. 

Coors Field was more impressive than I expected. The Sports Column bar/grill provided an awesome Denver inspired French Dip and I was able to sample a  regional brew. Then I hit the road to Avon, CO. 

The vistas were amazing. My preselected angsty playlist blasted out of the Soul's solid speakers and pushed my wait time frustration away. The Eisenhower bridge was definitely a highlight. 

I arrived in Avon, met my folks and the kids and immediately went on a walking tour of the town. Leo was a fan of the river. 

Day one is in the books. Plans already for mountain biking tomorrow on day two and swimming. Day three is family grilling, swimming and perhaps a visit to Crazy Mountin or Breckenridge breweries. 

This vacation stuff might be ok. 

Adam and Leo's Excellent Adventure

It's been two long years since I had a vacation. The whole hop in a plane go somewhere that isn't about family or work type vacation. 

I brought Leo along so someone can be the voice of reason. Even if as a leader he gets a bit preach at times, he should be a great asset if we get into any clashes with the foot clan or run into Longmire style trouble in Denver. 

We will be taking pictures and posting updates along the way. Leo really wants to hit some garage sales in Vail. I told him I didnt think they have garage sales in Vail. He's convinced he's right. Off to a rough start already.....