Meet The Kirks

The Prius moaned and grown over Vail pass as we left behind the higher altitudes in search of the big city.  The next stop on our journey was Denver en route back to Amy’s house in Colorado Springs.  We left Vail in the morning and arrived in Denver just in time to enjoy some lunch.

We dined at the SAME (So-All-May-Eat) Cafe.  Natasha had heard a report about the place on NPR, and we were both intrigued by the concept.  The idea behind SAME is that they make good food, but they don’t have prices.  People either pay what they think is fair or agree to volunteer to pay for their meal.  It’s a wonderful twist on the soup kitchen idea, and the food was delicious.

After lunch, we visited the Denver Children’s Museum.  I (Chris) was a bit leery of going at first because…well…it’s a Children’s Museum.  But, I was wrong.  This was an amazing place.  Ester and Justice had tons of fun pretending to be construction workers, fire fighters, and veterenarians.  They had a Grocery Store, Tree House, and Art Station.

In the tree house, Ester had a big moment.  There was a huge hole designed for kids to climb down and  through tunnels, pretending to be any number of varmits.  Ester wanted to go down and asked her Daddy to help her, but each time got scared.  Finally, I (chris) suggested that she follow the example of the other kids.  In seconds, Ester was down the tunnel and roaming free, interacting with the other children.  It was a wonderful moment of independence and confidence for our young girl.

After kid time, it was daddy time, so we headed over to the Breckenridge Brewery to s ample a couple of brews while reading “Our Dumb World” by The Onion.  After beer consumption, we walked the 16th Street Mall, dancing to the R & B band.  Finally, we visited Arada Ethiopian Restaurant for some find food before heading back to the Springs.

We’ll spend the next couple days hanging out here in the Evangelical Capitol of the World.  Today, on to Garden of the Gods and Manitou Springs.

Cheers