So I'm talking to my mom the other night and the subject of my tattoo shop and their upcoming charity event comes up. They are doing $25 owl tattoos on Sunday, October 20th, from 12-5pm, and all of the proceeds go to a local organization called Nature's Educators, which strives to educate people on wildlife and birds of prey. And since the shop's name is Fallen Owl, the event is called Save A Fallen Owl. Hey, they are finally working with an organization that works with their name. :) We are talking about what owls we want to get tattooed on us (Mom's still on the fence, but I think I'm breaking her down...) because the tattoos are being selected from a pre-drawn sheet of owls. And as we are talking, we are both commenting on how amazing the event is and how many people are going to be there and how awesome the shop is for doing an event like this...And then, it dawns on me; it's NOT all about the tattoos this time.
For almost two years now, I have been talking to my friends, family, and clients about this AMAZING tattoo shop and the awesome artists who make up Fallen Owl. And usually, it's all about the artwork. Everyone is always asking me what I'm getting next, where it's going and if it has a meaning behind it. I don't think I have many friends, family or clients anymore who DON'T ask about or compliment the artwork on my body. And whether I'm telling them what's next or taking off articles of clothing to show them my latest piece (it has happened more times than I care to admit), it is always about the tattoos themselves and how my artists are amazing.
But for Save A Fallen Owl, the artwork is NOT in the forefront. Yes, the owl tattoos are getting people in the door, but it's not the primary reason for the event. The artists are just doing what they do best: tattooing. It IS still about those amazing artists, but in a totally different way. The shop is normally open on a Sunday, but most of the artists are coming in on a day off. And tattooing for five hours, which is a decent stretch of time, and doing it all so that they can donate the money to charity. How many other tattoo studios...hell, how many other normal businesses do you know that would do that? Not many...
So in two and a half weeks, this little-tattoo-shop-that-could needs your help. And not for them, but for Nature's Educators. They want to raise as much money as they can, even if their hands are killing them by the end of it. They would probably prefer that way actually. :) If you're in Denver and need another tattoo, go on their Facebook page, check out the pre-drawn owls, pick something out and be ready at noon on the 20th with your $25. Even if you just want to stop by, donate, and see the live birds (oh yeah, there will be LIVE owls on location), that's cool too. Out-of-staters, I have a funny feeling they would accept donations from you as well. :) I will make sure not to spend too much money on my vacation the week before so that I can get tattooed and donate to an awesome cause. I will be there (hopefully with Mom and a few friends in tow) and I will be ridiculously proud to take part in this awesome event. I will even volunteer my little massage therapist self to the cause that day and will be ready and willing to work out any hands, arms, shoulders, backs, etc., that may cramp up or get sore during the event. This event is yet one more reason that I am proud to go to this shop and know the artists in it. So please come out on the 20th and tell all your friends!
I grew up in California. I ran away from it in 1996 and ended up in Colorado. As much as I LOVED my home state, I needed to get away from my family, the crazy growing population of the Bay Area, and figure out what I was going to do with my life. Now while I didn't figure out what I wanted to be when I grew up until MUCH later in life, and as much as I claimed to NOT miss California, I missed it dearly. That didn't really hit until I went home recently for my brother's wedding. And it was only enhanced by the start of a tattoo back piece, paying tribute to my home state, with my artist who is also from there (why do you think I picked him to do it? ;)). So that's why I'm sitting here now, reminiscing about my former life in California, and writing a compact blog about what I remember. Some good, some bad, but definitely different than your typical blog from me. So if you ever wanted to know how I grew up, here you go...
I grew up in Saratoga, CA, or the "Slums of Saratoga" as we affectionately called the six street annex of Saratoga in which we lived. On the other side of the tracks (literally) where we were still middle-class, just not in the part of Saratoga where Steve Young lived. My grandfather died when I was seven months old. He is the reason I am musically gifted. And then my grandmother got cancer and had to be driven to Kaiser in San Jose (from their house in Aptos) for treatments. I don't remember the treatments because I was too young to go in, but I do remember her losing her hair and my mom taking me and my brother to the park across the street while we waited. She died 10 days before my fifth birthday, but my mom still went ahead with the party. I think this may be where my crazy memory with dates comes from. I still have dolls that she handmade for me. We went to Aptos often to help keep the house up so we could rent it out. My brother and I acted out movies in the front yard as we raked up the leaves. Everything from the script to the theme music. Shocked that he became an actor? Not so much... I remember going to the Boardwalk often, probably as a solace from everything surrounding the house at the time, but we just knew it as beach and roller coaster time. And probably why I still hold it very close to my heart to this day. My mother couldn't wait until I got tall enough to go on the Giant Dipper with her. That's also where we spent Senior Ditch Day in high school, riding the Giant Dipper WAY too many times. But in high school, my friends and I would drive up Highway 1 to Scott Creek because Santa Cruz had gotten too crowded. We also went to downtown Los Gatos during the World Cup in 1994 and danced with the Brazilians, who had just beat the U.S. team on the Fourth of July. Call us unpatriotic, but the Brazilians and 30,000 other people knew how to party. Our softball team went to the Little League Softball World Series in 1991, where we finished...second. Honestly, I'm still a little bitter about that, but hey, we were second in the whole country. Freaking Florida.. ;) I grew up going to Yosemite National Park pretty much two to three times a year when I was younger. I wouldn't be shocked at all if I was conceived there. I remember taking camping precautions to ensure that the bears didn't get our food. I took a field trip to Alcatraz in the fifth grade and all I can remember is us getting locked in a cell. I was home alone when the 1989 earthquake hit. I remember every detail of that day, from the time the earthquake hit on. I remember having my breath taken away every time I saw the Golden Gate Bridge. I once walked across it AT NIGHT in shorts and a sweatshirt and wasn't cold. At all. The seals at Pier 39 still crack me up. The Demon was the best roller coaster at Great America. I think we skied at literally every resort in Tahoe. I thought it was the coolest thing that if you went to the top at Heavenly, you were half in California and half in Nevada. My favorite part about the Monterey Bay Aquarium was playing with the starfish. I ditched class at West Valley College and drove to the beach on my birthday. My best friend and I would drive to Half Moon Bay, singing show tunes the whole way, and then, get a loaf of what we described as "orgasmic" sourdough bread at Moonside Bakery and then, turn around and drive home. I never truly appreciated the small beach town until I got older. The only reason I went to church was to sing in the choir. I took figure skating lessons at Vallco WAY too early in the morning. My mom would bribe me with peanut butter toast and a trip to the Hello Kitty store to get me out of bed. :) I sliced off my left thumbnail with a dumpster lever when I was 4. I proudly showed off the splint and that is probably the last time I screamed bloody murder. I knew the six freeways we had to take to get to my grandparents' house in Sacramento before I even got behind the wheel of a car. I knew every twist and turn of Highway 17 before I got behind the wheel of a car. I was in a professional saxophone quartet and taught saxophone lessons when I was 18. I thought it was a TON of money at the time when I made (maybe) $400/month. I rooted loud and proud for the 49ers and the A's. I still have Walt Weiss' autograph from his rookie year with the A's. The Giants and Will Clark were the devil. I booed loudly when the Raiders moved back to Oakland. I was happy as hell that we got a hockey team, but I didn't fully understand the game until I became an Avs fan. My friends and I went camping and hiking at Pinnacles National Monument consistently. I remember slightly testing the speed limits on the way down. ;) I remember going to my family's condo in Eden, UT, to ski one winter break and my dad hit black ice while going through Nevada. It ended up being almost -30 and we had to get the car towed to Ogden to warm it up enough for it to start. We drove to South Dakota for a family reunion when I was in high school. Since I had just gotten my license, I got to drive. Everywhere. We went to Custer State Park and saw buffalo. The giant burros ate part of my brother's shirt. On our way home, we drove through Denver and saw a Rockies game when they still played at Mile High and when McNichols Arena was still in the parking lot. Not once did I think, I'm totally gonna live in this state in three years. ;)
Now, I'm totally happy with my life in Colorado. I have amazing friends. I work at one of the best physical therapy offices in the state. I absolutely LOVE what I do for a living. Not to mention that awesome tattoo shop where I'm getting that back piece and the artist from Cali. ;) But I am a Californian. I think regardless of how long I live outside the state, I will always be a Californian. I still prefer the ocean to the mountains. The Rockies are trying hard to sway me, but the Pacific still has more pull. So maybe I just need more frequent trips back to the Bay so that I don't miss it so desperately next time. :)
And with that, we set out on the first adventure of our hiking escapade! Well, actually, it started with me telling Val that she might wanna drive, unless she wanted to ride on my luggage rack, in which her reply was, "That sounds like fun!" OK, now we can officially begin...
Our first stop was the Broomfield County Commons Open Space and Tom Frost Reservoir at 128th Ave/Midway and Lowell in Broomfield (duh). I thought of it because I drive past it on the way to work and the views alone would keep us distracted, in a good way. As we parked at the dirt lot, Longs Peak, a famous 14-footer on the Front Range, said, "Good Morning!", through some clouds, and we were also greeted with a TON of walkers. Um, it's 9:30 a.m. on a Sunday. WTF??? As we joined the throngs of people walking around this massive loop, we found out that it was Miles-for-Smiles, a charity event. Ok, I guess we'll let them walk with us. But only after Val decided to make a random (albeit, funny) "disturbing" comment. "With that view, I guess we can be 'Down With The Sickness'." I took a step, stopped, looked at her, and then, proceeded to laugh my ass off. Yep, it was definitely too early for both of us...
So we set off on this very easy and mostly unpaved trail. We started the pedometer a little late (oops), but we knew we would be getting our mileage, just because we knew streets in the area and knew about how far it was between main intersections. There is a "reservoir" very early on in the hike, which is pretty much big enough for some fishing and that's about it. I have to say that it took my legs a little while to used to walking on a trail, especially when I usually am on a treadmill, and it took both of us a little while to get our strides and for our lungs to acclimate due to our recent bouts with head colds. But once we got going, we were thoroughly enjoying being outside (the weather was PERFECT walking weather), the scenery and, of course, the company. Because, as I mentioned before, we are both hilarious, especially when one or both of us is riled up. We discussed everything from work to our weekends to boys (we're both still single-we're allowed). We even spent some time telling our muscles to suck it up. I told my right hamstrings and glutes that they needed to start pulling their own weight, which they have been slacking on for years and I mentioned this to Val. "Does that mean that you have one firm butt cheek and one not-so-firm butt cheek?", she innocently asked. "Yep," I replied. "One awesome ass cheek and one droopy one. Which is kind of funny...but also, not that much." But my ass, literally, did eventually get it in gear.
And when it was all said and done and we had finished the loop and had taken too many pictures (OK, that was all me), we had walked (according to the pedometer and our calculations) about 2.6 miles. And we survived. Woo hoo! We would definitely recommend the walk to a friend, just for the gorgeous views alone. It's a very easy walk, but it has numerous forks in it (but no spoons) so you can customize your walk.This would also be a perfect loop to take your favorite pooch on. You don't need anything other than tennis shoes, a water bottle, an iPod, and a camera to get some pictures of Longs Peak. He does enjoy having his picture taken. :) We also recommend you bring someone to have conversations about Disturbed, forking (don't ask), and lazy glutes with because, frankly, these stories don't tell themselves. ;) Let's see where next week takes us. Thanks for reading our craziness. ;)
So my roomie came up with the idea of taking a list of easy hikes around Colorado and doing one a week. It was my idea to write a blog on it. Now, the original idea was for us to get some exercise and to get out and see our gorgeous state. With this blog, we hope we can provide people with pertinent information about these easy hikes around Colorado and also encourage people to do the same thing. Another reason? We are hilarious. :) It's true. My roomie and I are two of the funniest people we know (completely biased, of course), and we would like to share this hilarity with everyone we know. And I am sure that hilarity and shenanigans will ensue when she and I take on something of this magnitude. We will post anything from random pics we take along the hikes to shopping for new hiking shoes to the random conversations (and we can TALK) we have along the way. Now the first "hike" should be interesting because BOTH of us managed to get sick with head colds this week so we may be taking it easy tomorrow. BUT we will still be hilarious and probably even more so because we are sick. So sit back, relax, and read, as we take you on a little journey we like to call, "The Hilarious Adventures of Robin and Val." :)
