Mild Winters...Gotta Love 'em

While my bretheren are freezing their tails off back east we're "cold-kickin' it" as I like to say in 55 degree weather. Light fleece outside midday. Check out the photo of the alto-cirro-nimbus-somethingorother the wife took a photo of as it crossed over the last of the rockies...

Winter????

Sunny and 50 degrees here today. No wind so I could almost get away with a short sleeve shirt. The sun is melting the snow off the mountains and the only trouble spot is right in front of our house where the roads STILL have not been plowed.

Brutal. Other than that winter here is infinitely better than winters back east. The difference is the break you seem to get from the cold and snow. In NY from December – February it’s basically brutal with very little let up. Boulder weather seems to be more like a see-saw. Cold and snowy for 5 days then 50 and beautiful….

Pre-School

Our first daughter attends Boulder Waldorf in North Boulder. This being our first little girl and her first schooling we were very particular and honestly, pretty apprehensive, about her first school experience.

That said Boulder Waldorf could not have been a more perfect choice for our daughter. She does not do well in a structured environment. Like her dad she is stubborn and just does not like being told what to do! BWK is fairly unstructured and geared towards a ton of outdoor play and that suits our girl perfectly.
The staff in general and her teacher in particular are some of the most caring people I've ever come across...

But beware. If you're looking for a "school" atmosphere and some rigidity this is not the place for your child. There is a very Boulder, earthy-crunchy vibe to the place and there are even farm animals in the back yard. I'm not sure how long she'll stay at this school, but as a first experience this has been absolutely perfect.

Let It Snow Let It Snow Let It Snow...

We're finally getting a taste of the winters I used to hear about back east when I asked people about Colorado in December and January. Sledding today for me and daughter #1 while the wife and daughter #2 stayed toasty near the fireplace.

I had it explained to me today that the Boulder DOT tends to let the sun do most of the snow removal. I buy that because the sun is so strong around here and snow evaporates quick, but there HAS to be a better plan for when the temps stay in the teens and twenties like they're supposed to this week. Too many roads are still like skating rinks...

Streets and Skating Rinks...

I have one word for the city of Boulder today. Snowplows. Or is it snow plows so it's really two words? Whatever...

I came back from a business trip last night and our local roads were like ice skating rinks. 48 hours after the snow had fallen! Now I know that the DOT might be used to the snow just melting away because the temperatures kick above freezing pretty quickly around here...but this isn't Hawaii. And this isn't the first snow to ever fall in Boulder. You'd think they'd be prepared and have the plows and the salt ready to go.

Sure didn't seem like it.

Hey, I'm not sure but I think I actually have a bone to pick with this town for once?!

Pearl Street...

The Pearl Street pedestrian mall is located in the center of town. It's been a destination of ours for shopping, dining and times when we just wanted a place to walk around with our kids.

The best comparison I can think of is the Santa Monica promenade. Upscale stores, artsy vibe, throw in a granola feel and a few homeless people/street musicians and you're there. Pearl Street probably has more of a college feel to it than Santa Monica because CU is just blocks away. But take away the beach and mix in the mountains and it's a very similar experience.

So far the city planners have done an excellent job of keeping the chain stores out...there's a cheesecake factory, a subway, a chico's and maybe one or two other "chain" type stores but overall it has kept the unique feel you would want. There are always tons of children running around and on every block there's something for the kids...animal statues to climb on, a short pedestrian bridge to walk on, etc. On any weekend when the temperature is good you'll see tons of families letting their kids run wild with the mountains as your backdrop.

The only issue we seem to find is parking and dodging the Greenpeace kids who mean well but boy they can be a pain!

http://www.boulderdowntown.com/

Sporting Boulder

Long before we moved here we knew Boulder had the rep for being a triathletes paradise and an oasis of outdoor activity.

That's no lie.

One of my favorite sights in North Boulder is seeing cyclists one after the other taking Broadway North towards Route 36 which is the gateway to a dozen rides. I mean, you literally can't drive 30 seconds without seeing a roofrack on a car. I used to judge how upscale a town is by how many sushi restaurants it had. Well you can judge how active the population is here by how many cycle shops there are within a 3-mile radius. I count seven! And then they're are the pilates studios, yoga centers, running stores, climbing gyms etc etc etc.

Yes there are overweight people here. Just like there are vegetarians in Texas, the land of lean beef...just not many of them.

Someone told me when I left New York that if I didn't find a career out here I could always coach people in cycling/running/triathlons. I was a bit doubtful. And I was right. Back home I'm pretty good. Here I'm middle of the pack, maybe a little better. It's inspiring in a way...I'm looking forward to all the sports I've come to know plus some of the things I never learned or rarely had time for; snowshoeing, skiing, rock climbing, stand-up paddleboarding....Basically any athletic endeavor you can think of is right here waiting for you....it's an athletic oasis, just as advertised...