"COLE"

This is a picture of Cole's LL Bean tote bag. He's had it since he was a baby, a gift from my mother. It is faded and a bit dirty and stained from markers and wear and tear. It is more than 10 years old, after all. This summer I saw a mom with her newborn. Over the handle of her pristine new stroller was a brand new navy and white tote bag, the exact same one, with the name "COLE" on it. I peeked in the stroller and a newborn Cole stared back at me. I thought of my Cole and my tote bag at home, and I was suddenly so aware of how relatively old my Cole was. Today he is 11. He will gradudate from primary school next spring; he has mastered many things, including reading and surfing the internet; he likes to memorize songs; he knows things about pop culture that I don't know; he has had three passports; he tells his friends secrets about girls; his face is changing but he still has a scar on his right cheek from an accident when he was 7. After 11 years, he has a personal history that includes love and loss. Seeing that brand new tote bag this summer and the baby Cole to whom it belonged reminded me of my Cole. I stopped the mom and told her briefly about my Cole and his similar tote bag. "Good luck," I said. "Enjoy every moment. It will go fast."

Cole turns 11!

Happy Birthday, Cole Bailey Besser!

4 Mile Fire

After almost a week, firefighters have finally gotten the upper hand in fighting the Four Mile Fire, the worst fire in Colorado's history. The destruction has been staggering: 169 homes burned; nearly 7,000 acres charred; tens of millions of dollars in lost property; hundreds of lives impacted. It was a long and sad week. We sat helpless for days under smokey skies that signaled great loss and destruction. On Thursday, the wind forecast was so bad that our neighborhood was warned of a possible evacuation. We went through the motions of gathering passports and photos and paperwork and jewelry. It seemed a bit surreal. By Friday, the scare was over and the skies had turned a brilliant blue and life, for us at least, seemed a bit normal again. Soccer games were held, school recess resumed outside, weekend events were confirmed.

Boulder is a small community. I think we were unprepared by how many people we knew were impacted by this fire. The serene mountain cabin where our friend Melinda lived and wrote last winter is gone; another friend's house was thought to be gone for most of the week, but somehow it was sparred; the boys' beloved summer camp, Colorado Mountain Ranch, is a site of catastrophic destruction. Meanwhile, the community of Boulder has responded. A store has been opened in the community to take donations. They are now completely overwhelmed by generous giving. A volunteer told me that most of the folks who have come in to pick up supplies are too numb to shop, taking very little. A man walked in the other day and asked for a single item: sweatpants. "I just want some sweatpants so that I can sit comfortably on my friend's couch and watch some TV." Many lives will not be back to normal for some time.

Aspen, CO

I took the boys to Aspen to see my dear friends Barabara and Jonathan. Aspen is gorgeous and our accommodations at The Gant were superb. Our condo was unexpectedly upgraded, so the boys ended up with three 40" plasma tvs. The condo was remarkable. The boys begged to bring their featherbed enhanced queen beds home; I took notes on the kitchen and bathroom designs; the balcony looked out to the mountains and down to the saline pool....Aspen style. Though we were mostly there to see our friends, we got a good taste of the town. We hiked the Ute trail, biked down the Rio Grande on a scenic 8 mile path, found natural hot springs in Carbondale, and the boys hunted for snakes by the creek and even found some. Somehow we managed to leave Aspen with nothing new in our pockets. I still can't believe it!

Boys in Hammocks

The boys spent a lot of time in hammocks at the RockyGrass festival in Lyons.

RockyGrass Festival: Lyons, CO

We attended the RockyGrass Festival in Lyons over the weekend. We camped for three nights and listened to amazing music for three days. The festival is in Lyons, only 20 minutes from Boulder and the setting is beautiful. Though I am not a huge bluegrass fan, I thought that the music was fantastic and just one element in the total RockyGrass experience. The stage is adjacent to the St. Vrain river, where the boys floated with their tubes and mucked around all day. We brought food, but we didn't need to since a variety of vendors sell yummy food morning till night. It was much more kid friendly than I imagined. There were all sorts of activities for kids, including art and crafts, hula hoops, slacklines, etc. The boys spent most of their time in the river or in hammocks above the creek listening to music. We loved it, even the part where people play music until 5 am in your camp ground.

Eldorado Springs pool

Last Saturday, when the temperatures in Boulder were approaching 100, we packed up our towels, sunblock and swim suits and headed to Eldorado Springs pool, a spring fed pool in the tiny town of Eldorado Springs just 15 minutes from Boulder. The pool was built over a 100 years ago as the Eldorado Resort, where well-heeled summer crowds flocked during the early part of the last century. A fire in 1912 burned most of the hotel, but the main features of the resort still stand. The pool is open to the community and it is a popular watering hole for locals as well as tourists. How to describe it? It's a bit run down in an inviting sort of way; the pool is big and cool and clear; the towering metal slide (the last in existence?) is thrilling and a bit dangerous. We found a shady spot on one of the high pool decks, where the turf carpeting is peeling, but the views of the canyon are divine and the fast flowing creek below is very picturesque.

The many faces of Quinn

And the winner is...

Grant and the boys spent the afternoon in North Boulder Park for an annual bike race around the park. There were many different races throughout the day and they got a chance to enter a fun race at the end. Carson was very pleased with his first place finish and Cole was close behind. It would have been an entirely different outcome if the red jersey guy hadn't blown out his tire.

July 4th Weekend

There were no fireworks this 4th of July in Boulder. Now, that is not entirely true, but it was raining quite heavily so we opted-out of leaving the house with 6 expectant children and 4 adults for a fifty-fifty chance of seeing fireworks under a foggy and rainy sky. Instead, we opted to stay indoors, with great friends who were visiting from DC and enjoy laughter and company and good food. I reason that I've enjoyed enough great fireworks over the years to give up one year of fireworks without a big complaint. One year, Boulder, one year.

With the Miller clan in town for four days, we packed up two cars for an adventure, heading west to Brainard Lake, one of several lakes in the Indian Peaks Wilderness. While it is less than an hour from Boulder, it feels very far away. We left under sunny warm skies and by the time we reached the parking lot at 10,000 feet, the weather was very cool and windy. Fishing was a flop, but we discovered a stunning lake next to Brainard called Long Lake. Long Lake was postcard pretty and had an adjacent pond with water so warm that the 5 boys and Ruby stripped down to their underwear and jumped right in. This is a place to return to.

Alex Turns 41!

Hiking the Flatirons

The boys and I hiked up to the Flatirons this morning. The Flatirons, named by pioneer women after the flat, metal irons used to iron their clothes, are 5 stunning rock formations that are Boulder's Golden Gate Bridge, a welcoming and defining landmark of the town that makes its way into nearly every Boulder postcard or poster. I see them everyday, while driving to Target, or walking in the neighborhood or even catching a small glimpse out of our second story window. The trailhead leading to the Flatirons is only a 5 minute drive from our house, but despite its popularity and beauty, we just hadn't made it up there...until now. Cole and Carson were hiking champs, blazing up the trail enthusiastically, and enjoying the surroundings like adults who had been kept in windowless offices for too long. They gushed at the beauty of the trail, grew giddy at the heights and views and repeatedly told me that they wanted to come back as soon as we could. Not a whine or a complaint or a "I'm too tired, I want to go back". I love spending my time with my boys when we get to be this happy, this unencumbered, this free from everything that makes us rub each other wrong. We've found this same state of happiness while biking and skiing together. After today, I think we can add hiking to the list.

Jamestown Ride

Grant and I celebrated father's day with an amazing bike ride from central Boulder to Jamestown. It is considered one of Boulder's top rides and now I know why. The 30 mile ride along a rushing creek is not only incredibly scenic, but the gradual climb on a paved bike shoulder enabled even a novice rider like me to feel comfortable the whole way. It took us about 3 hours total and I needed a two hour nap in the afternoon to recover, but it was a memorable way to break in my new bike. Here are some of the statistics on the ride from bicycling.com:

State:	Colorado (CO)
Distance:	23.37 mi (Change units)
Calories:	2039
Average Speed:	13.7 mph 0:04:23/mi
Duration:	1:42:29
Survey Elevation:	Total Gain: 3107 ft Total Loss: 3134 ft Net Change: -28 ft
Difficulty:	7 / 10

Mountain Bike Camp

The boys completed their first week of a Boulder mountain bike camp through Singletrack Mountain Bike Adventures (SMBA). I dropped them off at a different trailhead around Boulder everyday. They learned the fundamentals of mountain bike riding and took responsibility for their lunch, water needs, helmet, gloves and repair equipment. They came home each day exhausted and exhilarated, empowered by what they learned and experienced. I was thrilled for them to get a chance to be outside amidst so much beauty, and perhaps a bit envious too.

Mapleton Avenue Lemonade Stand

The boys had their first lemonade stand during the Mapleton Hill annual rummage sale on Saturday. They made an astounding $150.00 from the sale of their goods. Grant sold our cd collection and piles of clothes and odds and ends that should have never been in our moving truck last August. We met so many nice people and got to see our unwanted stuff fall into the happy hands of new owners. We made enough money to make a trip to University Bikes, where I am going to be outfitting myself for my next Boulder adventure: road biking.

Boulder Boulder Memorial Day 10K

Our Pasadena friends Amy and Martin Whist spent the Memorial Day weekend with us in Boulder with their girls Ava and Adelaide. The older kids ran the famous Boulder Boulder 10k race with us, an annual Memorial Day race that attracts over 50,000 people. It was the kids' first 10k race and they ran most of the way. As for our visit, well, Boulder is an easy place to host friends in these warmer months. Grant showed Martin the sporty side of Boulder with a 6 am hike, a 40 mile bike ride, and a couple of neighborhood jogs. We went to the legendary Red Rocks open-air amphitheater for a STYX and Foreigner concert, an underwhelming concert in an overwhelming setting. We will go back to see something spectacular one day. Amy and I got to catch up with hours of conversations about the last 8 months, demonstrating the female gift for marathon talking with no need for rest stops. I love showing people our life in Boulder: our quiet, tree-lined street, our friendly neighbors, our lovely natural surroundings. Amy lost her scarf on a stroll downtown and two days later it was nicely propped on a fence, waiting for its rightful owner to claim it. This is a town with so much going for it, including a very generous lost and found policy.

Carson Turns 9!

Happy Birthday, Carson Young Besser!

My Three Sons

A wonderful artist in California just sent me these drawings of the boys. I always knew that I wanted portraits of Cole, Carson and Quinn, but I didn't have the right person until I went back to Los Angeles over spring break and ran into Nancy Julson-Rieley's work in a store in Silver Lake. Working off photographs of the boys, she deftly captured the essence of their faces. The size of each portrait is a modest 5x7 inches, but I think they are just the right size to mark this stage in their lives. Perhaps I will commission her again to do three more portraits down the road when they hit the teenage years, or go back and have her capture an earlier time.

Happy Mother's Day!

What a day! It started with a 10K race with some of my favorite Boulder buddies around the Boulder reservoir. Post run, we returned to chez Besser, where the dads were whipping up the most fabulous brunch for us. The weather, which has been mostly cool, cooperated and gave us glorious sunshine and warmth. Once I have my 4pm nap, I think this will be the best Mother's Day ever. Ever.

Quinn Turns 6!

Happy Birthday, Quinn Besser!

My Brother-in-Law, Chef Massimo Bottura

Massimo Bottura – Evolution, not revolution!

Luciana Bianchi, March 8, 2010

Avant-garde cuisine has enabled some chefs like Ferran Adrià and Massimo Bottura to be recognised not only as chefs, but as artists both inside and outside their kitchens. In recent years, Bottura’s work has gained recognition in the international “gastro-community”, and also among artists and art lovers. His presentations in gastronomy congresses convey food with a unique artistic and philosophical expression, which could well be presented at the Tate Modern. Massimo is a man who admires art, music, history and poetry and is a perfectionist, deeply in love with his job.

Osteria Francescana

The restaurant Osteria Francescana lies in the heart of the beautiful region of Emilia Romagna, in Modena. Surrounded by some of the greatest Italian food and wine producers, this region is the home of Parmigiano Reggiano, Grana Padano, Prosciutto di Parma, Sangiovese di Romagna, Colli di Rimini, Aceto Balsamico di Modena, and a long list of high quality products. The region has found in Bottura an ambassador of its flavours, but not in a conventional way. His cuisine respects and reflects tradition, but has its own free-spirit, always questioning the old and the new, pushing the boundaries, and opening doors to innovations and new cultural experiences.

His dishes have a rare combination of complex elaboration and poetic simplicity, with detailed research, reflection and passion.

Sottobosco

Bolitto misto non bolitto

The theme of the 6^th Identità Golose in Milan was ‘The Luxury of Simplicity’, and had several highlights, including Carlo Petrini, from the Slow Food Movement, Franck Cerutti, and the brothers Massimiliano and Raffaele Alajmo.

Bottura at Identità Golose

Only a few days after the Madrid Fusión, the Italian Chef Congress witnessed a historical speech by chef Massimo Bottura, which still echoes on the news and food blogs around the world. To quote some of his words:

“”In a moment of great confusion, of witch hunts, cuisine is an oasis of peace.”

“…it is through comparison that identities take shape. I try to never renegade the past, but from the past I search for future development. It’s not a revolution but my search for evolution!”

“…research is closer to product and tradition than we imagine – it is a way of expressing our passions.”

At the Identità Golose, Bottura was named“chef of the year” by Paolo Marchi, and “the best Italian chef of the present and future”by Alain Ducasse.

Osteria Francescana

Via Stella, 22 / Modena – Italy

Tel.(+39) 059.210118

A final note: On April 28th, the S. Pellegrino World's 50 Best Restaurants 2010 announced that Osteria Francescana landed the No. 6 spot.

An education

I had a poignant moment last night to reflect on life, on opportunities, on being lucky. It began while I was putting Quinn to bed and a simple statement by Quinn:

Quinn: "I want us to buy this house." (we are renting a lovely house in Boulder)

Alex: "It's a possibility, however, I can't make any promises. It is an expensive house."

Quinn: "I can give you some money. I have some ones and some fives."

Alex: "How nice of you. But I want you save your money."

Quinn: "Oh, like for college."

Alex: "Yes, exactly."

Indeed, it was a nice moment, but I didn't feel the full impact of the short conversation until hours later, after I had watched the heartbreaking movie "Precious". Everyone knows the story by now: young teenage girl abused to a breaking point by her mother and father, only to be saved by educators who help her discover the meaning of friendship and love. I have to admit I could barely fathom the abuse she endured. Her mother's abuse was so wicked and bitter, from verbal and physical assaults to seething hostility towards Precious's desire for an education. The contrast between Precious's life and Quinn's life couldn't be more stark, their home environments more opposite, their opportunities more different. I winced through the whole movie and felt heavy-hearted going to bed. Precious didn't choose her parents and neither did Quinn. When I am feeling low about my parenting abilities, I will try to remember Quinn's last comment and know that he will probably be okay. Maybe better than okay.

Take me out the Ball Park

It would be a stretch to say that I love baseball. I think it is fair to say that I like baseball, occasionally. Now that Cole is on a North Boulder Little League team (his 5^th LL season) and I have 12 games on my calendar and 12 post game, team-building dinners also on my calendar, I think it is time to face the challenge: am I going to remain uncommitted to this sport, vague about the rules and rituals, annoyed by the two hour games or am I going to embrace and enjoy the season, follow the plays and count the RBIs and find my powerful voice to cheer the team to their wins. The motivation to choose the latter course is obvious. To know Cole is to know about his love for baseball. Many boys gravitate to sports early, and I can trace Cole's love of a bat and ball to age 2, when he hit his first plastic ball across the lawn. From there it progressed to a loyalty to the Yankees (my NY roots run strong) and a joy of playing the game. There are obvious advantages to being on a team, like discipline and camaraderie and sportsmanship. Plus, he gets to experience firsthand one of America's most treasured and enduring pastimes, something most people only do from their couch or stadium stands. So after my private pep talk, I tried on my new attitude. I found my proud and loud mom-in-the-bleachers voice and tested it out with calls like “Good eye!” and “Good swing!” and “Nice try”. After two hours and barely enough light to see the ball, the game ended a disappointing 5-6 and just a little part of me wished we had another inning to even the score.

Good Mornin' Colorado!

Run!

Grant ran his first 1/2 marathon this morning in Nashville, TN. These are the signs that Grant had the boys make for me when I ran my first (and only) half in Los Angeles last year. We pre-arranged to meet at mile 8. When I was suddenly struck by a leg cramp in the first mile, all I could do was hope that it would ease and that I would get to mile 8. For a while I wasn't sure, however, after a few slow miles the cramp subsided and by mile 8 I had something close to a smile on my face. My four biggest fans looked pretty happy too.

Snow in April!

Well, it snowed today, April 23rd. All the gardening books predict snow in April and they were right. I was in deep denial of the possibility. What a treacherous week it was for plants. On Wednesday, a violent hail storm decimated my 4 inch pots of tender herbs that were cheerily waiting to be planted. It covered the ground with giant gumball-size pellets of ice. There was a pungent herbaceous aroma when I finally opened the door, the sweet smell of masticated grass, buds and flowers. I immediately registered it as a new smell. Not a California smell, definitely a Colorado smell.

Living with Art

Grant received this wonderful drawing for his birthday from his father Sandy. It is a piece of art by Aristides Ruiz, an American artist whose works in pen and ink and pencil are painstakingly produced and so realistic they are often mistaken for photographs. We have been admiring this drawing since he acquired it in 1996 and now it hangs prominently in our dining room. My parents were casual collectors of art and I remember much of the art that hung in our house in Mt. Kisco, NY. There was the dark Colombian piece that hung in two different places during the 27 years my parents owned that house. It was an oil painting with so many dark hues you could barely discern a woman holding a child. I didn't approve when they moved it from our dining room to my father's office. It was part of the fixed landscape of the dining room and transplanting to another location struck me at the time like moving an old tree. Inconsiderate. I wonder what our kids will remember from these pieces of art that surround them. Will they ask for them one day? Will they have attachments that run deep? I imagine that one of my boys is going to want the drawing of the cool young man with the earrings and goatee. But I could be wrong.

Grant Turns 40!

Happy Birthday, Grant! My, how you've grown! There will be so much unspoken, unmeasured, unrecognized at this milestone in your life. All that you are can never be fully expressed or measured, but is deeply and plainly known to all of us who know and love you.

Happy Easter!

Silver and Gold Barber Shop

In the age of ipads and psps an wiis and xbox360s, I am glad that my kids can still experience an old fashioned barber shop. And a $10 "fruit cut". I didn't have the heart or the need to tell him that it is really called a "crew cut".