Election Week in Colorado

We spent election week in Colorado helping friends with the campaign there.

On Tuesday night, we gathered in a downtown Denver hotel around a big TV. As the results poured in, I turned to the woman beside me (I'd just met her) and said, "Isn't it neat to think about all the people all over the state getting together at each other's houses to watch the votes come in?"

She looked at me a little funny and said: "Actually, my husband and I usually watch them in bed, right before we go to sleep."

So OK, in our neighborhood, Election Night ranks up there with Thanksgiving and the Superbowl for holidays that bring people together. Even when we aren't so excited about the results or the turnout, we find it thrilling to consider the percentages of who turned out and why, and whether the weather affected the outcome.

Although I'm still not clear on the impact of the Connecticut returns, this election was good to Middletown in other ways - three Wesleyan alums were elected to office: Peter Shumlin '79 as Governor of Vermont; Michael Bennet (my classmate from '87) as Senator of Colorado; and John Hickenlooper '74 as Governor of Colorado.

Here's Michael giving his acceptance speech after a squeaker of a race:



Does this Middletown connection matter? I think it's kind of cool that people who are making decisions on a regional and national stage spent their formative years in our little burg. They undoubtedly went to O'Rourke's, came into town via Washington Street on the Peter Pan bus and maybe even cast their very first votes as part of the Middletown electorate.

Now that we've had our little brush with glory, I'm back in the saddle and offering you these photographs of Western innovations and oddities I noticed on the campaign trail.

Ride a Bike for Peace

Denver has a bike sharing subscription program, which is partly subsidized by Kaiser Permanente. You can rent a bike for the day, month or year, picking them up at any station around town by swiping your credit card.

Interestingly, these bikes became part of the gubernatorial campaign when the Republican candidate cited it as proof that the Democrat was taking orders from the United Nations instead of the American People.


Water is Really Important Out West

The Eastern Plains of Colorado look like this:



Our Denver friends take their water very seriously. When giving me the tour of what was new around the house, our host proudly pointed out his new "no big tank" water heater that instantly heats water for literally hours of showers.



Their water bill came with an insert that cheerfully demands that you shut off your lawn sprinklers (which, in case you're new to this, are actually a conservation measure since they cut down on wasteful daytime watering in the Land of Dry.) You should click on this to read the fine print - it's really funny and well-written and sets a new standard for utility bill inserts.



They also follow a great design practice here by labeling their storm drains to discourage people from pouring used oil and other gunk into the sewers.



Coming Soon: My photos of one hour in Colorado Springs. Starring: bump-out curbs, funky storefronts, parking meters for hogs and much, much more!