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I awoke early (again) in Denver, setting off blue static electricity sparks with every tug of the bed sheet. I called TWICE yesterday afternoon to verify that I would have a cab ready to take me to the airport, but no cab was waiting for me when I checked out. Nope. Why bother? So that started off the day stressfully, with pockets of traffic and a LONG cross-town drive to the Denver airport.

But frankly, this frantic airport experience underscores why obtaining (and retaining) airline status matters. Being a Premier Executive with United means that they really do cut corners for you at the airpirt. The short VIP lines everywhere are the only thing that made it possible to catch my flight on time.

Anyhow. Tonight, I’m in a comfy room at the Hyatt in Reston…mere blocks from my former townhouse. The view from my room is to the west, overlooking the Reston Towncenter. I can just make out the faint line of the Appalachians, although you certainly can’t see that in the window photo above. Perhaps the morning sun will set off the mountains in some dramatic fashion.

I realize that groundhogs are pests…but they are adorable pests…and they are EVERYWHERE in this town. They poke their tiny heads from every grassy knoll in sight. They particularly seemed to like the safe haven inside the fence of the Denver Federal Center, where I had my meeting today.

BUT WHERE WERE THEY WHEN I TOOK MY CAMERA OUT THIS AFTERNOON? Hmmmmm? Trying to make a liar out of me!

Sure…I found a dinosaur…

…and a seahorse…

…and an old shoe…a burned old shoe…(I mean really, who burns a shoe?)

Nevertheless, this afternoon, the sun was just right for my obligatory hotel window shot. My view is to the east…hence the lack of mountains…or any discernible landmark. There were some dramatic dark clouds building throughout the afternoon, but no prairie thunderstorms developed today.

Dinner tonight was at a fantastic restaurant downtown: Zengo. My host Sarah split a couple of divine entrees with me: the braised short ribs and the black cod. YUM.

Finally, I was also playing around with some of the photos I took this weekend, including this wonderful shot of a truthfully labeled shipping line. Fantastic! Must be a sale weekend at Target 🙂 The second shot was a creative housing solution sandwiched between two containers.

I flew to Denver this afternoon to begin a week-long road trip. Unfortunately, I arrived at my lovely Hampton Suites room after the sun had fallen below the Rockies, so this taxi view of the airport will have to replace my hotel window photo for today. Plus, the Denver airport is one of my favorites, because of the mountain-peak room of the main terminal.

Tonight, I grabbed a quick dinner at the Old Chicago pizza restaurant near the hotel, sitting in the bar watching bull rodeo. On the way to dinner, I crossed paths with a light-brown fox carrying a rabbit in his mouth. We gave each other the knowing glances of two hungry souls as we scurried past each other.

This nature sighting (and a pizza with a perfect crust) put the finishing touches on a really nice weekend…albeit far too short. The other weekend highlight was my spring photo show at Ft. Mason. I can’t show THOSE pictures, because I downloaded them on the computer at home. Suffice it to say, the show was another success. I sold a respectable four photos this time…so the show actually paid for itself for once 🙂

These two gas stations are directly across the street from one another in SF. I took these photos as I was filling up this afternoon. (Good thing is a beautiful sunny day.) Now, some might say that the cost of a gallon at the Chevron station is outrageous enough, but what the heck is in the Shell gasoline? Sadly…or oddly…there was actually one customer over at the Shell station. How elitist of them. Perhaps their gasoline came in a champagne flute.

I awoke this morning at 4:30 in Kansas City, caught an early flight to Philadelphia, delivered a well-received briefing, and hopped an evening flight home. Sorry to disappoint, but no hotel photo tonight…although I will tell you that the view of downtown Philly from our office is pretty darn nice.

Non-descript hotel. Oversold flights. Blah blah blah. The highlight of the trip was definitely dinner last night with my coworker Steve in KC. He is a foodie, and was determined to break my habit of disappointing travel meals. We went to a local spot called 40 Sardines. At the recommendation of the waiter, I tried the wild boar, and it was rich and amazing. The moist chocolate torte for dessert didn't hurt at all.

In any case, there is really no place like home.