Denver

Last weekend I was in Denver with my cousin Bret (from Spokane) to see our Uncle Scott and help him celebrate his 45th birthday. The politically correct term for Scott's condition is "mentally challenged," but he has many great capabilities: he holds a job (at the Office Depot warehouse/distribution center), has his own apartment, plays lots of Xbox 360, and drives his big silver Dodge Ram pick-up truck. He's bigger than I am - basically just a big teddy bear with a heart of gold. He loves to hang out with his buddies, especially his best friend Wayne.

On Saturday we met Scott & Wayne at Scott's apartment and then went bowling. Scott has his own bowling ball and shoes and liked getting to use them. After that we drove down for an excellent steak dinner at our great-uncle Joe's house (where Bret & I were bunking for the weekend). Joe is now 82 years old and the brother of my grandfather Marvin. My great-aunt JoAnn (Joe & Marvin's sister) also joined us for dinner, and she looks great at 79. It was great spending time with them because they both have that witty, dry Crowe sense of humor that my grandfather had (and my father still has). JoAnn especially is hilarious (keep reading for examples). We laughed a lot that evening and had a great time. Joe grills a mean steak and Bret fixed most of the other dishes (show-off). With humorous predictability, once Scott & Wayne were done eating, they took off.

On Sunday Bret & I joined Scott & Wayne at their new church, the East Alameda Church of Christ in Aurora (I will have another blog entry about this experience in the future), and then took them out for a tasty BBQ lunch at a place Bret knew about. That afternoon we went to see the movie "Iron Man" which was a lot better than I expected (in part because Gwyneth Paltrow looked better than ever). After that we went back to Scotty's place to help him hook up his new DVD player (after a stop at Radio Shack to get some necessary equipment). And then after some goodbyes, Bret & I went downtown for dinner at a great French place and got in some good cousin-time over some mussels and frites and Belgian wheat beer. It's always fun to reconnect with him, and getting to do so was just as much a highlight of the trip for me as was the chance to see Scotty.

On Monday morning Bret & I played golf with Uncle Joe and Aunt JoAnn at the Green Valley Ranch Golf Club, where they hold the Colorado Open each year. It was a beautiful day and a real nice course, although I have never lost so many balls in one round of golf in my life. There was plenty of water and some marsh areas throughout the course, and we came across 2 snakes along the way - they wanted to play through I guess. We had a great time, although we won't talk about my score because it approaches the national debt. I think JoAnn played better than any of us guys.

Some examples of JoAnn's wit:
1. "I'm playing Saddam Hussein golf today: bunker to bunker."
2. After struggling mightily on one hole, including one failed attempt of getting out of a greenside bunker, I self-mockingly declared to everyone within earshot, "OK, I'm gonna hole this one out!" Immediately JoAnn asked, "On THIS hole?"
3. "When we were kids Joe had to hang a hot dog around his neck for the dog to play with him."
And so it went.

Anyway, it was a great trip and good to see Scott so happy in his new living situation. It's fun to be with him, great to spend some time with Joe & JoAnn, and cool to hang with Cuzin Bret, too.