Just Another Day in Denver

When I moved to Denver, some locals still referred to it as a "cow town." I didn't realize they meant literally ....

Today, Beanie and I met up downtown to check out the Stock Show Parade. It was short but loaded with cowboys and horses - my favorites. Funny, I grew up as an urban beach bunny and had no interest in such things - skipped clean over my mandatory adolescent pony phase - but now I can't seem to get enough. I turn into a seven-year-old when I get anywhere near the equine culture.

I found myself jumping up and down today, clapping my hands and yelling "YAY!" with alarming sincerity. And when Miss Rodeo America waved? Yeah, that's right, I waved back. Meanwhile, Beanie quizzed me, "What breed is that horse?"

"Um, the cute kind?" I offered, weakly. I was never good at pop quizzes.

Check it out - the dude on the right? On the gorgeous Palomino? He's got quite the day job as the Governor of Colorado. Goes by the name of Bill Ritter. Folks like him, I think. The parade was over but he was heading back to the Governor's Barn or whatever and he gifted me with a gubernatorial smile

The parade was very Western-focused but there was this 'Equine Theatre' group that somehow slipped in. They looked a tad Medieval and I believe one of them even sported a jester's hat. Funny, I consider myself an actor but I get uncomfortable when I see troupes wearing deliberate 'acting clothing.' Rainbow suspenders give me immediate hives.

Despite my own hang up, I was highly impressed with this get-up. First of all, this horse was GIANT. Beanie said it was a Friesian but I coulda sworn the breed was actually BadAssMotherfucka.

Seriously, this guy was 18 hands and fashioned like a dragon - tail and everything. Gotta hand it to 'em, they looked very cool together - like they could have run right over Miss Evergreen Rodeo and left nothing but a pile of rhinestones and a fake eyelash or two.

Speaking of big, check out these Longhorns strolling down 17th Street:

They were very pointy and all business.

So, I LOVE the image of old transportation alongside the new(ish) - the fantasy-in-action of horses mixed with city life sends my mind whizzing back through time. Remember, there were several transitional years in American history when horses and cars had to co-exist in our cities, and not always peacefully. Car horns, for example. Horses are not big fans and have no current plans of evolving around that.

I'm telling ya kids, when we run out of oil - or even before when it's $25 a gallon - this is what we'll have left. Horses. Bicycles. Shoes. And then, every day will be a parade.