Sosua, Dominican Republic

Had an opportunity to head to the DR as some friends own some property there and they invited Ambereen and I to visit for Christmas. Took the red-eye and made it there by mid afternoon. Had a very brief visit with Mike before he headed to Atlanta then we had the place to ourselves for a few days. Hit the beach and relaxed. driving down there is something I wouldn't recommend for my father though. Between the cars and motoconchos (small motorcycles) not obeying any "rules of the road" it was pretty nerve wracking. Nothing like Pakistan from what I'm told, but not fun nonetheless. Brugal rum, the amber museum, hookers in Sosua and roadside stands were interesting. The hookers from what I saw - no personal experience there. Great weather other than three solid days of rain and some nice beaches. Got home to snow and cold so miss it already.

Summer is over

It's getting cold here and it could snow tonite and this weekend. That's OK with me! Here are a few pics from my patio. I've seen some spectacular sunsets already. You can see Pike's Peak to the South - we hiked that over Labor Day weekend. Stayed at Barr Camp on the way up and had some great food. They served pasta for dinner and some amazing pancakes in the morning. YUM! 14 miles up with an elevation gain of 7,500 feet. Took the cog rail down. Also hiked Mt Missouri a while ago. Tried to hike Mt Evans, which you can see as well, but weather rolled in and we had to abandon the hike.
Time for a housewarming party!!!!!!!

FINALLY!!

GOt internet and DISH installed. I resisted for a while but realized I couldn't live without my connection to the outside world. The installation was an ordeal, one which is best told over a tall, cold adult beverage. I'd be happy to share - let me know. I have a feeling I'm writing this for me now as it's been so long since I've updated the site. The new pad is looking good - I'm ready to host a party or two. Maybe start next weekend? Also ready for ski season to start. Could be just a few weeks before I step in to the Rossi's and rip it down the rock strewn slopes. I hope we get a lot of snow this season. I'll post pics of the new pad soon. By the way, casa de zig is now open for those of you who would like to visit Denver, etc.

Update

All is well in Denver. Moved to a new place on the other side of the park with a tremendous view of downtown and the entire Front Range. Made it back to Ohio a few weeks ago to move the rest of my things out here and to attend my 25 year reunion. Good times. I'll post pics and more stuff once I get hooked up with WiFi at home. What a drag - but I'm not wasting too much time watching TV with no cable!

All is well

So far the job is going well - I'm in the 4th week and have been keeping busy. Time to reach out to facilities and see if we can provide anesthesia coverage. Office is getting a much-needed makover with new paint, furniture and carpet. The rest of the week will consist of getting things in order.
Looking forward to Mom & Dad visiting in 2 weeks. We rented the condo in Silverthorne for a week then they will stay with me for a week. I have a long list of things to do - we'll see how many get checked off. Would love to take them to see the wildflowers in the high country but most of that involves hiking a few miles and it's not flat here. And the altitude doesn't help!
Looking for an apartment as Cathy is moving back to Ohio to attend OSU for her PhD. She leaves in less than 2 months so time is precious. I could stay here worst case - which isn't really bad but I'd love to have a view of the front range.

Clapton / Winwood: Live In The Mile High City

Found this review on one of Clapton's web sites - Thoroughly enjoyed the show!

Eric Clapton, Steve Winwood and their stellar band of musicians performed in America's "Mile High City" - Denver, Colorado on 21 June. Jim K, checking in by blackberry from the Pepsi Center noted, "Show started at 8:15 prompt with Clapton and Winwood taking the stage side by side. Tough Luck Blues is quite the gem with brilliant solos between Clapton and Stainton. Laboriel and Weeks are definitely the back bone driving the beat and tempo. Winwood is still simply amazing. His ability to drive beautiful music from the Hammond B3 and Strat is noting short of amazing. Winwood 'what a real treat to be here and play for you high up in the air'...10 plus minute Vodoo Chile. EC was simply superb. Off at 10:30 simply awesome."

It was also noted that Chris Stainton took a number of good solos in "Well Alright," "Tough Luck Blues," "Layla" and "Cocaine." Once again, Steve took the main guitar solo in "Layla".

There were no changes to the set list at this performance.

Next show happens in Dallas, Texas at the American Airlines Center on 23 June. For a complete list of remaining dates, click here.

Clapton / Winwood Set List - 21 June 2009
Pepsi Center, Denver CO

01. Had To Cry Today
02. Low Down
03. After Midnight
04. Presence of The Lord
05. Sleeping in the Ground
06. Glad
07. Well Alright
08. Tough Luck Blues
09. Pearly Queen
10. No Face, No Name, No Number
11. Forever Man
12. Georgia On My Mind - Steve Winwood solo
13. Driftin' - acoustic
14. How Long Blues
15. Layla - acoustic version
16. Can't Find My Way Home
17. Split Decision
18. Voodoo Chile

Encore:
19. Cocaine
20. Dear Mr. Fantasy

Band Lineup:
Eric Clapton - guitar, vocals
Steve Winwood - vocals, Hammond B3, piano, guitar
Chris Stainton - keyboards
Willie Weeks - bass
Abe Laboriel, Jr. - drums
Michelle John - backing vocals
Sharon White - backing vocals

David Byrne & Devotchka at Red Rocks

Got to see the show last Saturday and it was pretty good. I'm a big fan of the Talking Heads and they pulled out a half dozen keepers. Crowd was pretty good and met some way cool people.