à la carte spirit by ilona fried
Denver
Taking Stock at the Stock Show
For a few weeks every January, the Denver Coliseum hosts the National Western Stock Show, a celebration of livestock and the men, women and children who tend them. When I first moved here, the event sparked both curiosity and aversion. Having never been to a stock show, I wondered what it was all about. At … Continue reading
Zen Moment: Tea House Turnabout
Last week I stopped at a Denver tea house to write. Expecting to stay a while, I ordered the tea service which, the menu said, included a full pot and a treat. That turned out to be a handful of mouthwatering Earl Grey cookies. The cheerful employee delivered it all to my table on a … Continue reading
A Room of One’s Own (sort of)
While I was on the Camino, sleeping on bunk beds in rooms with as many as several dozen people, I often longed for a room of my own, without snoring and rustling, with space to spread out my belongings. Thanks to the generosity of a Denver writer friend and her husband, I’m staying in one … Continue reading
Amtrak: An American Camino?
I recently traveled in an Amtrak “roomette” from Boston to Denver. It’s not a choice I would have considered but, my younger brother’s wife, sensing that a slower trip West would be less jarring than a faster one, suggested it. Since I was still reeling from the shock of re-entering the United States after walking … Continue reading
Learning “Swimese”…or is it “Swimish”?
I love languages. I delight in discovering that, in some other tongues, nouns are gendered, reflexive verbs romp through the vernacular, and tenses (other than past, present and future) abound. Pronouncing vowels differently exercises my jaw and lips. Mastering syntax and grammar challenges my brain, and encountering nuanced concepts expands my mind. Having even basic … Continue reading
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