Old Adobe Mission, Old Town Scottsdale

Spending the Martin Luther King Holiday in Downtown Scottsdale was a treat almost as rewarding as the peanut butter cup sundae I ate at the Sugar Bowl in the Old Town. I figured since I ran the Phoenix half marathon the day before, I could delve in.
As a museum fanatic (some call me nerdy, but I’ll let it slide) I had to take in as much of the museum offerings as possible, even though they were closed. As I stood outside the railway museum, I pictured the conductors and cargo these trains may have carried. All I needed was a guide to fill me in on the fun facts; I suppose that’s what Google and guide books are for.
I could only take so much shopping. I do love art, but all the Southwest art on Fifth Avenue and the Western art in the Old Town started to mesh in my mind as the same. So I strolled onto the beaten path to find a solid bright white building with a cross on the top. It reminded me of the magnificent churches that always caused my adrenaline to rush in Europe.
As I turned the knob, I held my breath hoping that by some chance the church might be open. It was. I was soon inside the Old Adobe Mission, the first Catholic Church in Scottsdale.
The church was built in 1933 by Hispanic and Anglos so they could have a place to worship. What I found the most interesting about the church was the pews. Seems like all pews are standard, right? But at this church every family was responsible for creating and maintaining their pew, which means that every pew was different. I would have hoped to have mine finished first so I could have front row, permanently!
I was able to sit down and take a break from the rain and instead take in the stain glass windows and clay walls. The mission is open to the public for a place to contemplate, and that’s exactly what I did. I put aside my now wrinkled map, turned off my phone and shook off my umbrella to sit back, relax and enjoy the Old Adobe Mission experience.

Castle Trail, Morrison Colorado

Beautiful trails criss cross all over Colorado, but there is one trail with an extra majestic ending. Castle Trail is located two miles outside the charming town of Morrison. The trail is fairly steep and is shared by hikers, walkers and bikers.
After a three mile climb to the top there it is! The remains of a castle atop Mount Falcon, which was once the home of John Brisben Walker in the early 1900’s. He lived here while he was building a summer home for the presidents to vacation in. After a fire destroyed his home in 1918 the project was put on hold and never completed.
President or not, who wouldn’t want to vacation here? You can’t go wrong with what direction you look. The west, you have the mountains, to North is Denver and Red Rocks, and the East and South holds the calming plains.
A look at the remnants make it easy to visualize the structure of what was once a mansion complete with many fireplaces and large stone walls. As I walked through the remains I though back to a visionary man who built the place.
John Brisben Walker is responsible for the Denver Mountain Park System and even built a railroad up Mount Falcon, which was the longest running cog railway system at that time. I peeked my head out west of what would have been a very large window and tried to put myself in Walker’s top hat. If I could take away anything from this hike, besides the endurance I gained, I would hope it would be the innovation and enthusiasm this man left behind.
If you are looking to add a little excitement to a hike you have to try out Castle Trail! From Denver: Head South on C-470 and go West at Morrison Road. Turn left at the second light after the small town. Follow signs to Mt. Falcon Open Space Park.
And if you have not yet experienced Red Rocks it is just a red stone’s throw away.

Broomball

Walking out of my house, heading to South Suburban Ice Arena, with a broom in one hand and duct tape in the other, I felt a little ridiculous. In my head, I pictured my debut as me surging over the ice towards my team, complete with a hokey stop spraying ice into the air. But broomball is a game, where even though played on the ice, participants wear street shoes, so the hockey stop would have to wait for another day.
The only prop needed for this game, which originated in Canada, is a broom with a duct taped bristles. Lucky for us, there was a veteran broom ball player who supplied actual broom ball sticks, which are aluminum shafts with a rubber triangle at the bottom. There are two types of balls to play with. One is larger and looks like a volleyball, the other is smaller and looks like a basketball you would find in an arcade game.
Game time. After the draw was taken we were all slip sliding to the ball and slapping it across the courts. This was a pick up game with players ranging from 7 to 47 years old, and the sole purpose was for fun. We didn’t have pennies, which made it hard to identify who was on our team.
But it didn’t take long for us to start recognizing “the enemy”, start talking and start passing. The ball was beginning to be controlled and suddenly I felt like I was back on the lacrosse field. Especially, when a seven year old kid set up a pick and I landed right in the middle of it. Wipe out number one. Little Rascal.
All Right strategy time, I started thinking back to the high school and college lacrosse days. We set someone up behind the goal and tried to make cuts toward it to shoot, but the other team’s goalie was fearless, stopping every shot. The best shots on goal occurred when a powerhouse player used all their might to slap that ball all the way to the corner of the net. Swoosh.
The best luck I had at scoring was when a second ball was added into the mix. This one was larger, the volleyball sized one, and it was much easier to control. When we had both balls on our side and the goalie was focused on saving one ball, I shot the other in, with all my might. But the seven year old jumped in the air and slapped it right down to the ground. The cheering of my team stopped. Thanks a lot kid.
To switch it up, I moved over to the defensive end by the goalie, trying to keep the ball from making any rides in. There was the seven year old, he sure plays tight defense. He took a shot with the small ball and I backed up the goalie and swept it out. After it was cleared I heard victory cheers. I whipped around to see our goalie sliding through the ice on his stomach, and the ball had landed in the right corner pocket over his head. AH! The young tot should have been hoisted into the air. He took our strategy of distracting with one ball and scoring with the other. We should have copyrighted that move!
After a few more shots on goal, wipeouts and taking more beatings from a seven year old the lights started to flicker. The rec center was closing but I knew I would be going home to brush up on strategy and even game film to take that seven year old down.
But all ridiculousness aside, broomball is a game that most anyone can play and most anyone should.

Elvis the Pelvis

Elvis’s seventy fifth birthday would have been yesterday, so I decided to get out and celebrate. An Elvis impersonator in a snazzy leather suit caught my eye in the Denver Post, so I kept reading. Anyone who can pull off a full on leather suit deserves attention. Turn outs out, Johnny Barber can really recreate that Rock ‘N Roll legend Elvis left behind in 1977 at the age of 42.
A full house came aboard at the Oriental Theater in Denver to remember the King of Rock. The dance floor was rock’n and we were trying to swerve our hips like Elvis the Pelvis. Johnny Barber can move his legs like an earthquake, but a controlled one that leaves you with no choice but to get up and dance.
All the hits were played and the whole theater was digging deep to sing out “Hound Dog,” “Jailhouse Rock,” “Don’t Be Cruel,” and “All Shook Up.” There also came the time for the gospel songs and many other uncharted Elvis songs that I was unfamiliar with. However, regardless of if the lyrics rang in my ear the Elvis mystique comes through in all of them.
Someone even thought to bring Elvis’s favorite, peanut butter and bacon sandwiches, and the crowd went wild! After the birthday candles were blown out people were now swiveling heir hips as they licked the last of the peanut butter off their hands. I am always ready to try something new but to me bacon and peanut butter together is almost as scary as flying on a trapeze without a net. But if someone with Elvis’s taste like it, I might have to pull out the griddle one of these days.
Even without the cake I was still fueled to keep on rock’n for the nearly two hours that were played, all in a leather suit. That deserves a standing ovation in its self. There was an artist on the side of the stage mixing dancing and painting. You would think it would turn out a little messy but here are the pictures to show how an Elvis tune can inspire an artist.

Smaldones

The time was the 1920’s, gangsters in pin striped suits and wide brimmed hats roamed the streets, and bootlegging was common. Prohibition obviously didn’t stop many from the use, sale and consumption of alcohol, especially the mafia. As a Denver native, I was curious to learn more about the three notorious brothers who controlled the local crime ring in Northwest Denver. Not to mention, I caught the bouqet at Smaldone wedding Yes, Denver's own "mafia."
There was Eugene “Checkers,” Clyde “Flip Flop,” and Clarence “Chauncey,” and they opened Gaetano’s Restaurant, which is still in operation, under different ownership. The bulletproof front door the brothers put in to protect themselves remains, so it seems that the only thing missing is the mafias offices in the basement, where some say they organized crime and conducted illegal business.
The brothers all had criminal records, and all plead guilty to loan sharking. History suggests that they loaned $30,000 dollars a day at 5 percent interest a week. Between them also came tax evasion, bookmaking, gambling, burglary, and possession of illegal firearms. On a much more serious scale they were believed to have been involved with a number of murders but were never convicted.
While they had their negative connotations, there were also positive ones. History also suggests that they put at least five North Denver kids through school, fed struggling Italian families and donated money to churches and charitable organizations.
As a kid I remember catching the bouquet at a Smaldone wedding. Not until learning about Northern Colorado’s leading crime figures did I start to wonder if there was any relation. Turns out there is, Pat Smaldone, who was the groom and a friend of the family, is a relative to the brothers. I met up with him and his wife at Galeton’s, where they told me about going to Clyde’s funeral and some other Smaldone stories. I noticed the incredible artwork on the wall and Pat informed me that Clyde painted those while he is in prison.
One day when Pat was golfing, a retired health inspector inquired about his last name. When Pat told him he was in the Smaldone lineage, the inspector told him about a time he went to check a walk in refrigerator and found a group of men inside playing cards in suits. The inspector said he nodded and exited the restaurant.
The Smaldone tales still live on; to this day Pat still receives calls asking if they have the right Smaldone family.

Genghis Khan Exhibit

If there is one person I would avoid a run in with, I would choose Genghis Khan. A walk through the exhibit at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science would most likely have you thinking along the same lines. I quickly learned that Genghis Khans' distinctive leadership style led him to conquer more than half the known world, starting in his teenage years. The Mongolian leader crafted nomads into warriors and rewarded them for their loyalty.
The exhibit will take you on a journey through the 11-16th century. This follows Genghis Khans life, his sons and grandsons, who continued his legacy. Many objects that were crafted and used by the tribes are on display, such as robes, ornaments, their version of passports, trebuchets and catapults. Several of these have only been seen in Russia and Mongolia, which makes Denver one lucky city!
I would have gladly followed Genghis Khan, seeing as they were the most powerful tribe. However, I thought seriously about joining another team when I learned followers had to wear their shirts till they disintegrated. Even if I had to wear every last stitch of my shirt, it would be a 'stitch in time' that would be worth it.
Make sure you see Genghis Khan conquer Denver at the Museum of Nature and Science before February 2010 or it will too late, they were nomads after all.

Jump Street

When is the last time you said the words, “one, two, three, four, I declare a seat war!” Lucky for me, that was today. That’s right, I am past the prime of my childhood years, but I brought it back!
Driving past Jump Street quite often, has made me more than a little curios about the laughter I could hear bellowing from the walls as I drove by. Finally, I had my chance to run up the walls of this indoor trampoline playground.
My friend Gina and I stepped onto the trampoline that was 30 times the size of the one I played on growing up. We were running up walls, sliding down the walls, practicing cart wheels, having seat wars, knee wars and even made a new friend. She was about 2 feet 7 inches and she came to see if we wanted to play tag.
The game Gina and I were playing earlier definitely needed some pizzazz so we agreed. As we chased our new 5 year old friend around I turned to Gina and asked her if this was considered bullying. But we soon learned that the little girl was darting left to right in speeds that I could not keep up with.
After our heart rates came down from an intense game of running and leaping from trampoline to trampoline a little kid ran right up to and said, “Look there’s a big kid!” I nodded my head with a smile, knowing I still had the “kid” status.