Seven months after the Crazy Colorado Floods

September of 2013 Colorado received a very, very, abnormally heavy amount of rain that results in flooding in over a dozen counties. The Governor declared it a natural disaster, President Obama declared it a state of emergency in which case search & rescue team come out & there was federal assistance made available to certain counties & for food, water, cots & generators. I believe over a billion dollars of damage was done, which includes damage done to home, land, farms & crops, as well as having oil & gas wells shut down for a while. So basically it was a huge natural disaster for some counties!

I heard of roads being swept away & saw videos of water running through farm lands & homes flooding but I never saw first hand any of the damage. That changed this last weekend. A friend and I went snow shoeing at Brainard lake and we drove through Boulder county to get there. Boulder county was one of the counties hit the hardest by the flooding. I was almost dumb struck by what I saw. I still struggle to put words to all the carnage that is left of the land & roads out there.

What amazes me more than anything was seeing roads that had been washed out. The road we drove on had been washed out in over a dozen areas. Anywhere from a stretch of eighteen feet to about two hundred feet sections of road had been washed away. This road was not a dirt road, it was paved. There were entire sections of concrete road & everything below it that washed away in the flood. I cannot imagine how much water & how fast it would have to be moving to rip up & destroy a paved road! Not only the road but all the land around it as well.

The road we were in was in a small valley with trees that had branches stripped off them & many broken branches. I was told that was an indicator of how high the water was flowing through that valley. In some sections it looked to be ten to fifteen feet from the ground where the branches were broken & stripped off the tree. I saw homes near the road that had drive ways & property demolished. Some homes had a driveway which connected the home to the main road & that driveway had been swept out. I saw areas of land where it looked like the earth had just opened. I could not see the bottom of those openings from our car as we drove by so these holes in the ground are deep as well.

It is mind blowing how much damage was done to these counties. If anyone out there feels inclined to donate to emergency disaster relief agencies or donate time to helping home owners & counties in that area I encourage you to get involved. I know I am going to try to find some way to donate my time or money to helping.

Neighbor hood coffee shops

In my attempt to continue exploring Englewood and keep the sense of wonder alive I have gone exploring. I tend to explore everything from stores to bike paths to side streets to industrial districts. I will drive all over exploring whatever my heart is set on exploring. Lately I have been hung up on discovering fun coffee shops or restaurants in Englewood. I have visited a couple neighborhood coffee shops, my thoughts are below.

Java Jam café
It is small café tucked away near Swedish hospital. It is run by a warm & welcoming couple who offer a variety of snacks, sandwiches, coffees, & a few alcoholic beverages. Items are a bit pricey for the serving size (smaller sizes than Starbucks & more expensive). The atmosphere is relaxing & the café is host to many events & networking groups. I enjoyed chatting with the owners more than any other barista's I have met. I had a flavored mocha which was okay. I will most likely visit again to try a few more items or see what kind of people I meet & possible relationships come to pass at a networking event.

The Cresendo
This small café is tucked away near the Evans overpass just south of Evans by a block and opposite a light rail station. It also is an independent shop with nice & friendly owners. Their hours are 10 - 7 which makes it difficult for me to visit as I work a 9 - 5. While I like the décor & it is convenient for me to visit after taking the light rail I can't say I will return. They offer a full menu of sandwiches, salads, soups, and a variety of beverages & snacks. They are very expensive and nothing I have tried was worth trying let alone note worthy. My advice on the Cresendo...avoid, avoid, avoid!

McDonalds - Iced Coffee
I have never reviewed it but I should because I think they have an amazing product at a great price. Of course I would never hangout in a McDonalds but if I was headed out to a park or wanted to pic up a refreshing & great tasting iced coffee I would visit McDonalds. I would take a McDonalds iced coffee over an iced coffee from Starbucks. The sweetner they use gives the coffee a sweeter flavor. Starbucks never quite shakes the bitter taste in their coffees, even after adding excessive amounts of sugar & cream! The service size for a McDonalds iced coffee is also equal to or larger than a Starbucks Trenta which is their largest serving size. It is also less expensive then what the bucks charges. If you want a large & great tasting iced coffee, head over to McDonalds.

A nice relaxing evening

Two weeks ago on a sunny day with 60 degree weather, a coworker of mine suggested I spend the evening on a patio enjoying a drink after work. There are a few neighborhood bars I wanted to check out so I was considering taking her advice but I did not because I had plans that night to run errands or play poker or do something indoors. Later I regretted not taking the moment to be outside to enjoy the warm weather. Since spring is just beginning I was not seriously disappointed as there will be many warm weathered days this spring & summer where I will have the opportunity to enjoy.

Last week my coworker gave me the same advice and I decided to follow her advice. I did not visit a new neighborhood bar, still a few on my list to visit, but I did go to one of my favorites, Cana wine bar. It is on south Broadway just a few blocks north of Yale. They do not have a patio section in front of the wine bar but there is one in back. It is tastefully decorated with patio furniture, a fountain, and a few plants. As the sky grows darker the patio is lit by torches & fluorescent lights. On a clear night I enjoy the ambiance from the dim light, the soft jazz playing and a glass of red wine.

Priceless, a perfect way to wind down after a day at work.