That red morning light
If I could drag my ass out of bed at 6:00 AM every morning, I'm convinced I would be a happier and more productive person. There is something so special about being in the world at a time when the general consciousness of our world is quiet and calm. I'm listening to Elliot Smith, drinking coffee and enjoying this amazing spring morning. How much better does it get?
This morning has made me think of all the great sunrises I have seen in my life. One of the things I loved most, and miss most, about Denver was the Sunrises and Sunsets. Full of the most beautiful colors- pinks, oranges, purples... Denver has the most beautiful skies.
The first that comes to mind is when I took JD to Red Rocks on his first visit to Denver. It was such an important trip, so full of new things; meeting my family, my friends, the two of us learning about each other outside of our little bubble we lived in in Fort Langley, deciding we could make it work no matter how much distance was between us. We drove up at about 5:00 AM in order to watch the whole thing. It was a beautiful quiet drive, passing through the city and into the mountains. We sat on the steps at Red Rocks with a blanket and watched the colors change. It was a fiery sunrise and all of Red Rocks amphitheater was aglow with a red light.
There were the sunrises that Liz and I watched while driving back from Boulder or Lakewood after a night of dancing at Ground Zero( a club in Boulder). Sometimes we would just go home and crash, and sometimes we would go to Village Inn and eat french toast and drink cheap coffee. I loved feeling so exhausted and so invigorated at the same time. The first few times we went to Ground Zero, Liz was still taking Ice Skating lessons , which meant she had to be at the rink by about 5:00 AM. A few times we went straight there without sleeping. I would get Hot chocolate from the concessions stand and sit shivering in the rows as she practiced. Sometimes I would wander around, watching the sky change color.
Most of my sunrise memories are in the summer, but there's an amazing Winter one. Liz and I went to party at a friends house, I think it was Chris's. He was our friend Brandon's best friend. I spent most all of the night laying in strange places talking with Chris. There was no place to sleep so we kept trying to find somewhere comfortable. Since no place was comfortable, we just talked and talked. We laid in the middle of the hallway, we laid in the bathtub and on the bathroom floor. We spent the whole night this way. Finally, after having drifted for a few hours, we decided to go for a walk. The sun was almost done rising, so there was a beautiful dawn glow. It had snowed all night, so we walked through fluffy fresh snow, and even though it was so cold I went without a jacket - just feeling the crisp air on my skin.
One important sunrise, took place after the high school prom (I was a junior). The boy I went with was just a friend. I wore a dramatic 1950's style black dress and he had on a red plaid suit. We looked great in our photos. We were a group of about 5 couples. I don't really remember the dance very well... but afterwards we went back to Ryan's house and proceeded to stay up all night. Eventually, most everyone fell asleep. I was awake with Ryan, his girlfriend, and our friend Christian. A strange flirtatious mating ritual was taking place between Christian and I, which was sort of fun, and sort of off putting because he had gone to dance with Liz, although they weren't together. I remember we were sitting on the porch and the sky was just starting to get lighter. He leaned over to kiss me, and I told him that it just couldn't happen. I remember thinking how funny it was that he sort of just got up and went to sleep, like the whole night had been a waste. Here I was thinking that I was getting to know this new person, and it turns out he really just thought we were going to get it on. So I sat by myself for a while, and then David Bailey- who I didn't realize had been awake the whole night - came and sat by me. We had been at dozens of parties together, known each other for years, but we never really talked to each other. Actually, I thought that he strongly disliked me. We talked about how amazing it was to watch the sunrise while everyone slept. We talked about poetry and art. We talked about our lives, and our thoughts. I suddenly realized that this person I had known for so long, was so much more than I had ever thought. He became one of my best friends, and my first sweetheart. That was a special sunrise.
This is my favorite time of year. When the days are long and the nights short. When you can stay up all night with friends and watch the sunrise in the morning. I think this is the time of year that I miss Denver the most, because there's nothing I love more than summer nights in Denver, and early morning sunrises... Because that's when everything is fresh and new.
This morning has made me think of all the great sunrises I have seen in my life. One of the things I loved most, and miss most, about Denver was the Sunrises and Sunsets. Full of the most beautiful colors- pinks, oranges, purples... Denver has the most beautiful skies.
The first that comes to mind is when I took JD to Red Rocks on his first visit to Denver. It was such an important trip, so full of new things; meeting my family, my friends, the two of us learning about each other outside of our little bubble we lived in in Fort Langley, deciding we could make it work no matter how much distance was between us. We drove up at about 5:00 AM in order to watch the whole thing. It was a beautiful quiet drive, passing through the city and into the mountains. We sat on the steps at Red Rocks with a blanket and watched the colors change. It was a fiery sunrise and all of Red Rocks amphitheater was aglow with a red light.
There were the sunrises that Liz and I watched while driving back from Boulder or Lakewood after a night of dancing at Ground Zero( a club in Boulder). Sometimes we would just go home and crash, and sometimes we would go to Village Inn and eat french toast and drink cheap coffee. I loved feeling so exhausted and so invigorated at the same time. The first few times we went to Ground Zero, Liz was still taking Ice Skating lessons , which meant she had to be at the rink by about 5:00 AM. A few times we went straight there without sleeping. I would get Hot chocolate from the concessions stand and sit shivering in the rows as she practiced. Sometimes I would wander around, watching the sky change color.
Most of my sunrise memories are in the summer, but there's an amazing Winter one. Liz and I went to party at a friends house, I think it was Chris's. He was our friend Brandon's best friend. I spent most all of the night laying in strange places talking with Chris. There was no place to sleep so we kept trying to find somewhere comfortable. Since no place was comfortable, we just talked and talked. We laid in the middle of the hallway, we laid in the bathtub and on the bathroom floor. We spent the whole night this way. Finally, after having drifted for a few hours, we decided to go for a walk. The sun was almost done rising, so there was a beautiful dawn glow. It had snowed all night, so we walked through fluffy fresh snow, and even though it was so cold I went without a jacket - just feeling the crisp air on my skin.
One important sunrise, took place after the high school prom (I was a junior). The boy I went with was just a friend. I wore a dramatic 1950's style black dress and he had on a red plaid suit. We looked great in our photos. We were a group of about 5 couples. I don't really remember the dance very well... but afterwards we went back to Ryan's house and proceeded to stay up all night. Eventually, most everyone fell asleep. I was awake with Ryan, his girlfriend, and our friend Christian. A strange flirtatious mating ritual was taking place between Christian and I, which was sort of fun, and sort of off putting because he had gone to dance with Liz, although they weren't together. I remember we were sitting on the porch and the sky was just starting to get lighter. He leaned over to kiss me, and I told him that it just couldn't happen. I remember thinking how funny it was that he sort of just got up and went to sleep, like the whole night had been a waste. Here I was thinking that I was getting to know this new person, and it turns out he really just thought we were going to get it on. So I sat by myself for a while, and then David Bailey- who I didn't realize had been awake the whole night - came and sat by me. We had been at dozens of parties together, known each other for years, but we never really talked to each other. Actually, I thought that he strongly disliked me. We talked about how amazing it was to watch the sunrise while everyone slept. We talked about poetry and art. We talked about our lives, and our thoughts. I suddenly realized that this person I had known for so long, was so much more than I had ever thought. He became one of my best friends, and my first sweetheart. That was a special sunrise.
This is my favorite time of year. When the days are long and the nights short. When you can stay up all night with friends and watch the sunrise in the morning. I think this is the time of year that I miss Denver the most, because there's nothing I love more than summer nights in Denver, and early morning sunrises... Because that's when everything is fresh and new.
