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Astronomy at the Buff Lake Nature Center

A little over a mile from my front door is the Buff Lake Nature Center. On a beautiful Thursday night the kids and I attended presentation on Astronomy. Because of the high ground on which it was situated, the entire panorama of front range is visible from the center.  As we watched the sun set over the mountains, the lights of Denver switched on one by one like a carpet of stars.

This can be a little strange. The center is wedged along the Sand Creek. Expensive homes are being built on one end, a water treatment plant, and a prison border the other end. Not far away is I-70 and the mainline of the Union Pacific railroad.

This did not seem to bother the nature. Buff Lake itself was peaceful under the stars. We saw a coyote, rabbits, and a herd of deer.

About astronomy we learned that stars initially burn Hydrogen for fuel. As four Hydrogen atoms combine to create Helium, a little of their collective energy is escapes as a photon of light. Initially that light is a gamma ray (or x-ray). After kicking around the sun for a million years and or so the photon loses enough energy to escape the star. It arrives here on Earth 14 minutes later partly in visible spectrum of light. Once the Hydrogen at the star's core is exhausted, it starts to burn Helium converting it into Lithium. From there it marches up the periodic table creating Beryllium, Boron, Carbon, Nitrogen, Oxygen and eventually Gold. All our atoms where once part of a star.

Depending on its size (which in turn is reflected by its color) a star can burst into a nebula, quietly turn to cosmic dust, or if it is really massive become a black hole in a moment of dreadful singularity. Black holes are easy to ignore if you don't pass the event horizon. Beyond that black holes are impossible to resist and a really big pain. Sort of reminds some of the women I am meeting!

After we discussed the physics of stars, it was roasting marchmellows around the camp fire. After we had burned half a bag or so it was dark enough to see some stars. Acturus in the constellation Bootes, Gemma in the Corona Borealism constellation. We also saw some planets: Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn and three moons of Jupiter. A very nice way to spend the evening.

Kent Denver Art Show

On Friday June 9th the Kent Denver School is having an art show and sale. Although it would only be with reluctance that I encourage anyone to give those bastards from my old school any more money than they have already, many of them turned out to have a fair measure of artistic ability.  At the Kent Denver School 4000 East Quincy Avenue, Englewood.

Slim Seven

Last night I attended the public opening of Slim Seven - a new bar in Larimer Square. Whatever else you might say about Denver's deficiencies as a city, beginning with its very founding in 1850 it has always been good town for bars. If opening night is any indication, Slim Seven will be a valuable addition to the LoDo roster of fashionable locations where the beautiful and not-so-beautiful meet and mingle.

Along the way Ed, Ann, Brent, Jamie and I debated the merits of Slim Seven's entrance being in an alley. Being old school, I maintained that it would limit the bar's commercial success, but everyone else thought it was cool. In actual fact Slim Seven was little hard to find. It is located between Market and Larimer streets and 14th between 15th avenues. It is difficult to give any more specific directions than that. There is no sign or street numbers on the outside to indicate to the uninitiated that there is a drinking establishment under their very feet. Except for two friendly bouncers we very well might have passed right by it on the rainy Wednesday night. This must be considered part of its appeal.

Slim Seven has a great location for a watering hole because it is in a hole. Walking down a broad set of steps you enter what is in essence a long windowless corridor with bar along one side and chairs and tables in the back. The lighting is warm, theatrical, and dramatic in contrast to the walls which are textured and cool. The floor is concrete and the fixtures 21st century industrial to complete the contrast.

Bars are really about conversation with liquor providing the social lubrication and I had several interesting conversations with several people which I am not at liberty to divulge except to say that one of them touched on blogging and the fractional ownership of private jets.

Good luck to Slim Seven, I hope to return soon.

The Single's Scene

As part of my re-entry into the world of singledom, I have started going to singles bars. Although you don't often hear much about them in public discussion - except in condemnation - my findings are after 14 years of marriage that they have not changed as much as I have. On Friday night, my friends Ed, Ann, Brent and I went to some Denver's leading hot spots and we had a great time.

It is a little odd at first walking into a bar where everyone else is in his or her early or mid twenties, but since that was the happiest time of my life it feels very comfortable. A new hobby is to strike up a conversation with the best looking unattached female I can easily identify (which means not spending a lot of time searching for inner beauty). Because much of my competition is afraid of rejection, these women are often easier to approach than their plainer companions.

It is not my expectation to attempt to advance human evolution by forming a short or long term pair bonding relationship with such a woman (although that would be nice if it happened). My purpose is to flatter and admire. As a result I seldom get rejected.

In Lime I noticed a woman with more than a passing relationship to Paris Hilton. So I went up to her and pretended she really was the over exposed hotel heiress. Natually she loved it and played along.

So well was our banter going another suitor for her attention became jealous and said to me "Hi Dad".

"Hi Son," I responded. "Glad to see the parole board saw things your way. I wasn't expecting to see you for another 3 - 6 years."

This really added to the fun. Eventually she tired of our competition and wandered away. As she left I offered her ride on my jet, appologizing that it was only a fractional ownership (I didn't explain that meant franctional ownership of a seat on Southwest). She wasn't interested in seeing the world with me from 30,000 feet, but I could see distress in eyes of the other suitor as he calculated the cost of my raising the bar. Great fun!