An Autumn Drive in Colorado

My husband and I decided to take a drive over one of our favorite mountain passes this week in eager anticipation of seeing if the mountains were beginning to display their autumnal beauty. 

"The heart of Autumn must have broken here and poured its treasure out upon the leaves." - Charlotte Fiske Bates

We were not disappointed!

"Every leaf speaks bliss to me

Fluttering from the autumn tree." - Emily Brontë

The creeks were running with icy water in which the aspen leaves danced in the ripples and swirled around the stones like golden coins.

Autumn is my favorite time of the year for many reasons. 

Although this season is fleeting in Colorado, it is truly breathtakingly beautiful and a treasure to behold.

“Listen! The wind is rising, and the air is wild with leaves, we have had our summer evenings, now for October eves.”– Humbert Wolfe

"Autumn that year painted the countryside in vivid shades of scarlet, saffron, and russet, and the days were clear and crisp under the harvest skies." - Sharon Kay Penman

As we drove we were surrounded on all sides by incredible autumn color.

“Is this not a true autumn day? Just the still melancholy that I love – that makes life and nature harmonize.”– George Eliot

When we reached the summit we were at 11,669 feet 

(3556.7 m) and could see the summit of Mount Bierstadt (elevation 14,060 feet (4,290 m).  

At this high elevation, we are above the tree line and the ground surface is tundra. 

We feel as if we are on top of the world!

 We continue on the pass and park by the historic Silverdale Heritage Trailhead to walk in the woods. 

 It is one of our favorite spots.

"October's poplars are flaming torches lighting the way to winter." - Nova S. Blair

The terminus of the pass is ahead-- the historic silver mining town of  Georgetown, Colorado.

“Go, sit upon the lofty hill, And turn your eyes around, Where waving woods and waters wild Do hymn an autumn sound. The summer sun is faint on them— The summer flowers depart— Sit still— as all transform’d to stone, Except your musing heart.”– Elizabeth Barrett Browning

Click on to enlarge

This was our drive--from Grant to Georgetown and through nature's magnificent heart of autumn. Enjoy the season where you are in all its glory!

"There is something incredibly nostalgic and significant about the annual cascade of autumn leaves." - Joe L. Wheeler

Stay happy, safe, and healthy!

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Lavender Loaf Cake

 

A Lovely Lavender Cake Loaf

One of the joys of my Colorado gardens is lavender. It seems to like our dry climate, and the best part of all is that my daily visiting deer and rabbits don't eat it! I also love its pretty feathery flowers and sublime scent. It is one of the most successful things I've planted and as a perennial comes back year after year. 

Lavender is a new commercial cash crop for the state of Colorado, especially on our Western Slope. Lavender is traditionally grown in the mountainous regions of the Mediterranean and in Northern Africa, as it prefers a hot and dry climate with plenty of sunshine. It also does well in Colorado, as we get over 300 sunny days a year and certain areas have the sandy, well-draining soil that lavender loves to grow in.  Almost every year the Denver Botanic Garden at Chatfield holds a Lavender Festival--click here--to read a blog post about that. The garden grows nineteen different varieties of lavender in colors from blue to pink to white. The festival includes lavender demonstrations, live music, craft and food vendors, farm tours, and activities for children, but it sadly had to be canceled this year due to the virus.  Hopefully, it will be able to be held again next summer.

I planted lavender near walkways in my front yard so that I brush against it when I walk in and out of my house and smell its lovely scent. In my home's backyard, it gets more sun and grows thick and tall. I've seen many bees and hummingbirds visit it and in autumn tiny little birds sit in the lavender bushes and eat the seeds that have formed inside the lavender buds.  I always leave a bunch of lavender stems behind when I harvest it for that reason.

After blooming, I cut the lavender stalks and allow them to dry in a cool place.  I usually hang them in my north-facing garage which is always cool. When dried, I pull off the little buds and save them in a jar. It is a delightful job as it smells so good as I do this!  When my jar is filled I save the excess in small drawstring organza material bags and use them as sachets.

Dried lavender buds can be used to flavor many foods. Since the lavender flavor intensifies when the herb is dried, the dried buds should be used sparingly. Lavender can be ground into sugar and used in butter cookies or it can be infused in cream for lavender-scented whipped cream or ice cream. Herbes de Provence is a combination of thyme, marjoram, rosemary, oregano, savory, and often lavender, and goes wonderfully with lamb, or grilled or roasted chicken.

I like to add dried lavender to cakes and muffins. It tastes especially good when accompanied by another flavoring such as vanilla, lemon, or almond.  I love lavender so much I have a whole Pinterest board devoted to it--click here--that has many lavender ideas, recipes, growing tips, plus some beautiful scenic photos of it and lavender fields.

One of my favorite lavender recipes is a simple but delicious Lavender Loaf Cake, a slice of which is perfect as a not overly sweet treat with coffee or tea.  Recipe to follow...

Lovely Lavender Loaf Cake

Ingredients:

3/4 cup buttermilk
2 Tsp dried lavender or 1 Tbsp. fresh lavender, finely chopped 
6 Tbsp. butter softened
1 cup white sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Grease and flour a 9×5 inch loaf pan.

Combine the buttermilk and lavender in a small saucepan over medium heat. Heat to a simmer, then remove from heat and allow to cool slightly.

In a medium bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until smooth. Beat in the egg until the mixture is light and fluffy; add in vanilla. Combine the flour, baking powder, and salt and stir into the creamed mixture alternately with the milk and lavender until just blended.

Pour into the prepared pan.

Bake for 45-50 minutes in the preheated oven.

 Cool in pan 20 minutes on a wire rack; remove from pan and allow to cool completely.

You can dust with powdered sugar or add a glaze icing if desired, but I like to serve plain. This cake has a tender and moist crumb, almost like a pound cake, and a very delicate hint of lavender which makes it very enticing!  I hope you will enjoy it!

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The War Memorial Rose Garden in Littleton, Colorado

Last week I visited the Littleton, Colorado War Memorial Rose Garden, located at 5804 S Bemis Street before a cold front was predicted to descend on our area with possible snow. I had heard about this garden many times but for one reason or another, I never had a chance to visit it.  Since we've been staying close to home these days I thought this would be a good opportunity to take a drive across town to finally see it.  I was glad I did! What a beautiful and peaceful place to visit.  Although it was early September many roses were in bloom and gorgeous.

The War Memorial Rose Garden is one of only two All-American Rose Select designations within the State of Colorado and this makes the garden unique in character for our high desert plains. The park is dedicated to veterans who have served in any of America’s wars.  It was purchased by the city of Littleton in 1964 and contains over 1800 roses of all types—hybrid teas, shrub roses, miniatures, old garden roses, species roses, and climbers. 


The Orian Sterne fountain (named for the daughter of W. C. Sterne, for whom Sterne Park is named), at the center of the garden, was originally built in front of the Carnegie Library at the west end of old town Littleton on Main Street.  It was placed in storage at the Littleton Historical Museum when the Santa Fe/Bowles intersection was reconstructed and then eventually moved to the rose garden in 1988.

The rose is America’s national flower and the world’s favorite flower.  It is also the month of June's birth flower, and as a June baby, I've always loved roses.

According to the 120-year-old American Rose Society (ARS), the rose is a universal symbol of love, friendship, beauty, and peace; a flower of unsurpassed importance in art, history, literature, and music. 

The rose has been in cultivation for over 5000 years and grown throughout history for medicine, perfumery, as a messenger of romance, and for its sheer beauty. Thousands of varieties of roses exist today.

Roses come in every size from 12-inch miniatures to towering 20-foot shrubs and climbers. They have been bred to every possible shade and combination of reds, pinks, yellows, and whites, with some variety suited to almost any climate in the world.

I enjoyed walking around the War Memorial Rose Garden and admiring all the varieties of roses.  Many had plaques to identify their variety located in front of them.  The memorial website also has an interactive map with what roses are planted in each section.

In 1995, Dr. William Campbell and South Suburban Parks and Recreation, in addition to numerous individuals and organizations, contributed funds to design and construct a Victorian-style gazebo in honor of his wife Linda Campbell, past president of the Arapahoe Rose Society and Denver Rose Society.

The memorial plaque adjacent to the gazebo reads:

"In Memory of

LINDA CAMPBELL

Hold on to what is good even if it is a handful of earth.

Hold on to what you believe even if it is a tree which stands by itself.

Hold on to what you must do even if it is a long way from here.

Hold on to life even when it is easier letting go.

Hold on to my hand even when I have gone away from you.

Family & Friends"

A large sundial is located just south of the gazebo, which was installed in 1969.  The front of the sundial shows summer hours from April until September and the back winter hours October through March.

If you look at this view from the rose garden you can see a hazy view of a portion of the Colorado foothills.  The week I visited the War Memorial Rose Garden we were experiencing some smoke in our atmosphere from the Colorado wildfires. If you look beyond the rose garden border there was a private large vegetable and flower garden adjacent to it.

Peeking over that garden's fence were these magnificent sunflowers, along with hops growing on the fence, and a grand Cottonwood tree next to the parking lot.

Of all the roses I saw and enjoyed in the War Memorial Rose Garden, it was hard to choose a favorite, but this rose reminded me of ones that grew in my Mother's backyard so it would definitely be a contender.

In true Colorado "wait fifteen minutes and the weather will change" fashion we did get snow on September 9th!   The area where I live had five inches of snow.  The temperature went from over 100 degrees to below freezing in 24 hours!  We tied an all-time record with Rapid City, South Dakota, for the most extreme weather change in 24 hours!  Happily, the weather returned to normal very quickly and the snow melted at our elevation very quickly. We are now back to warm weather in the 80s and we felt grateful for all the moisture from the melting snow as we have been in a drought this summer.

Stay happy, safe, and healthy!

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Italians in Denver, Colorado

Three years ago my husband and I visited his home town in Italy, where he lived until he was seven years old before emigrating to the United States with his parents and siblings. One of the joyous things we experienced in his town was the Feast of Saint Rocco procession--click here--to read that post.  Saint Rocco (also referred to as St. Roch) was born around 1340 in Montpellier, France, and performed many healing miracles throughout his life. Saint Rocco is venerated by the Roman Catholic Church as the protector against plague and contagious diseases. He helped to take care of, and cure, many suffering of the plague in Southern Italy during the 14th century and is venerated as a patron saint by many Southern Italians. Last summer, I read that Our Lady of Mount Carmel Catholic Church located at 3549 Navajo Street in Denver, Colorado, also had a St Rocco procession, which my husband and I decided to attend.  The church was very beautiful and is in a neighborhood of Denver that was once considered a "Little Italy."

Italians started settling in Colorado in the late 1850s, and, by 1922, roughly one in five people living in Colorado was Italian American. Many lived in the North Denver area and being of the Roman Catholic faith they founded the parish of Our Lady of Mount Carmel in 1894, and this brick and motor church replaced it in 1899.  If you click on the photo above it will enlarge, and you can read the interesting history of the parish and church.  The plaque is located on a wall outside of the church. In 2017 the church was listed on the National Register of Historic Places and the Colorado State Register of Historic Places.  More of the interesting background history of the church's history can be read on the church's website at this link.

The inside of the church is very beautiful. Its architecture is  Romanesque Revival Style.   Before the Saint Rocco procession was to begin a Mass was held inside the church.

A statue of Saint Rocco, that is usually in an area inside the church, was then carried outside on a platform. Some donations were already pinned to ribbons hanging from the statue.  The procession. and festival held afterward, is a fundraising event for both the church's and Potenza Lodge's charitable work. Parishioners and visitors have a chance to join an auction where the highest bidders have the honor of carrying the statue in the procession. The lodge supports many charities--click here--for a list.

The oldest Italian Organization in Colorado is the Societa Nativi di Potenza Basilicata, more commonly known as the Potenza Lodge.  It was founded in Denver, October 14, 1899.  The Society was founded to help other Italian immigrants from the Basilicata region in southern Italy (Potenza is the capital city of that region) become familiar with America while socializing with their fellow countrymen. They also helped find employment and housing.  The lodge took over the annual Feast of Saint Rocco procession seven years after it was founded, and for over 120 years the organization has been promoting Italian culture through various social events, as well as hosting weddings and other special occasions for the community.

Italian immigrants at the early times were very poor and in fact, most of the hardest work at the time of building Denver and the American West was, as Mother Cabrini stated: "reserved for the Italian worker."   My husband and I visited a very fascinating special exhibit in 2007 that was displayed in the History Colorado Center in Denver that was called "Italians in Denver," about the early Italian immigrants to the present. From that exhibit, we learned that, sadly, Italian Americans faced discrimination as Catholics in Denver, along with Jews and Blacks, by the Klu Klux Klan in the early 1920s.  Most of the discrimination in Denver was directed to those of Italian and Mexican heritage, as they were the largest populations with the Catholic faith.  The KKK lost popularity in the later '20s and the city has become much more tolerant of all faiths and ethnic nationalities over time.  
A book was eventually published from the History Colorado exhibit called  "Italy in Colorado: Family Histories from Denver and Beyond."  Information about the book through an interview with the author, Alisa DiGiacomo, can be read on the "We the Italians" website on this link.

A local Catholic high school band played and the parish priest said an invocation prayer as Potenza Lodge Members prepared for the procession.  We were told that at one time the procession was attended by hundreds, if not thousands, including local politicians and prominent people in Denver.  Over the years, the Italian population in the area has moved away to the suburbs, and the procession has become much smaller. Sadly, the Novel Coronavirus Pandemic of 2020 canceled the Saint Rocco procession this summer, as well as many of the other fundraiser events and ceremonial uses of Potenza Lodge, which has created a great financial hardship for the organization and the many charities it supports.

Last summer, we were happy to join in with the rest of the faithful and parade behind the statute during its procession around the block. It was a much smaller procession than what we participated in Italy, but it was equally reverent and joyous in its own way.  The procession ended with the statue being returned inside the Lady of Mount Carmel Church. Later in the day, a large festival bazaar would be held at the Potenza Lodge backyard with food, games, music, and entertainment.  We were not able to stay for that event as we were babysitting that evening back at our home. The bazaar was also canceled this year.

As you can see from the photos above this part of Denver still retains some of it's historic older cottage homes, but there is also quite a bit of push to replace them with multifamily apartments and condos (lower left) as Denver grows in size. 

Italians have contributed much over the years to Denver and Colorado.  The History Colorado center has a compilation of some of those contributions in an interesting article called "7 things you didn't know about Italian Coloradans and their contributions"--click here--to read it.  

Eighteen years ago History Colorado founded the Colorado Italian American Preservation Association or CIAPA. A volunteer organization, CIAPA’s mission was (and is) to collaborate with History Colorado and other organizations to develop, support, and coordinate projects that preserve, promote, and celebrate Italian American culture and heritage. The organization has carried out its mission by meeting with people from the Colorado Italian American community—recording their stories and creating an archive that now holds more than 200 oral histories, 6,000 photographs, 4,000 research files, and 600 artifacts. You can read more about it on this link.

That is the wonderful part of the USA--we are people whose ancestors came from everywhere around the world to make a better life for themselves and their descendants. We each have our own wonderful heritage and history and we can all honor the past contributions made to the greater good of our nation. 

Stay happy, safe, and healthy!

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