Time for the Louisville Street Faire

Yes, it's that time of the year when Friday evenings mean a convergence by the railroad tracks across from the library for some live music, local artists, good food and micro-brews. I've said it before that Louisville Street Faire rocks and I am going to say it again! It's grown bigger and more popular - something we really like!

His first Banh-mi

He bought it from the strEAT Chefs at the window of their Airstream trailer. He couldn't stop raving about the fresh flavors.

Read on...

I Salute

We remember

I took this picture last year.

I drove by the Fire Station just now and they have it up again this year. I have to struggle to hold back my tears: for our friend, Jayashree, who made it out of the South Tower, through the debris of the falling towers, back home to her husband and two children. For all the others who did, too. And especially, for the families of those who didn't.

The best crêpes ever!

This weekend has zipped by so fast that it's hard to believe that it's almost the start of yet another work week!

I organized the 2nd Annual Art Expo in our neighborhood. We had fused bead art, paintings, baked goodies, beaded jewelry, friendship bracelets and marbled cards. The kids enjoyed receiving accolades for their handiwork and they literally glowed from renewed self-confidence. Like last year, we had a raffle and the prize was a smaller version of the Wisp scarf that I had knitted earlier this year. Two guinea pigs, a swarm of wasps and a shy bullsnake also put in an appearance and added to the overall excitement.

We rushed to the Louisville Farmers Market soon after the Art Expo because we had heard so much about the new crêpe stand, Crêpes a la Cart. We had always walked around it before as the lines are just too long but by 1 pm or so, it's usually so hot that most folks have eaten and gone home or given up on the long line. We shared a lunch crêpe with mozzarella cheese, asparagus and all the veggies they had left. The vendor called them interactive crêpes and encouraged us to add our touch. We added just one thing! Watch the video to find out what!



Sunday saw us dreaming of a hike in Chautauqua Park. I had underestimated just how popular the area is because everyone and their dogs were there. Parking? Dream on. We headed up Flagstaff Road instead and went on a short stroll. We parked at Realization Point, took the Ute Trail to Sensory Point and back via Rangeview Trail. Just over a mile long, this walk was lined by wildflowers - only two were new to me - and the views of the Front Range on the way back were spectacular. (Photos from this walk are coming soon!) Given that Boulder Falls has been closed since late March due to a tragic accident from falling rocks, this short hike is the next best option for out-of-town visitors, especially at this time of the year. It's short, it's easy and it won't deplete whatever oxygen they have left in their lungs.

How was your weekend?

Have to brag!

Louisville, Colorado has been voted #1 Best Place to Live, 2009!

Louisville Rocks!

Stacked, birthday parties and roses

Nothing to waffle about

For CLICK: Stacked, I dug into my archives and pulled out this picture of waffles that Medha made me take in the first week of 2009. She had made breakfast and wanted a picture of her waffles, all stacked, with a dab of butter and as she poured syrup over them. "Just like in the magazines, Mumma!" she said. She was mighty thrilled with it. So off it goes to the Jugalbandits as my judge's entry for CLICK.

Medha celebrated her golden birthday earlier this month: 11 on the 11th. She was super-excited about it and, unlike last year, wanted to celebrate with a birthday party. I prefer to keep her parties small and simple. That means not more than 5 girls in all and no sleepover. I won the first battle but lost the second. She wanted a repeat of the Backyard Campout Party but gave in to roasting marshmallows and making s'mores for dessert instead.

We baked a carrot cake from The Joy of Cooking and then quibbled over what kind of frosting: cream cheese or sprinkled sugar. No prizes for guessing which one I was leaning towards! When it came to making the cream cheese frosting, she realized how much easier it is to simply sprinkle the sugar over the cake and promptly presented it as her idea. I pulled out all the colored sugars and sprinkles I had and we used them to decorate her birthday cake. I then displayed great creativity when I used a metal skewer and wrote Happy Birthday, Medha on the cake with great flourish.

She was somewhat happy. I think. We covered it carefully and left it on the table on an increasingly hot evening. Never do that because, you see, powdered sugar dissolves into the cake. Like so:


This carrot cake was the second best carrot cake I have ever had. After much giggling and talking in sentences where every third word is "like" and every other phrase is "you know", the girls went with me to Louisville's Street Faire for some fun. They jumped, they flipped and came away with their faces painted.

We had a minor family emergency which led to the cancellation of the marshmallow roasting session; but it's generally been agreed that we will do it another time before summer is done. They played Guitar Hero and ate ice-cream without any complaints. The next morning they made some crafty mementoes to take away with them.

(She is the teeniest of the lot but my driveway has a reasonably steep slope making her look even smaller.)

Thanks to The Cooker for this fantastic idea! The girls first painted and decorated 6in terracotta pots and then potted sun-loving annuals in them. To make these, you need:

• 6in terracotta pots and saucers
• Several bottles of bright paints (I bought acrylic paints)
• Foam stickers, buttons, dragonfly charms and similar embellishments
• Hot glue gun
• Pebbles to line the hole in the pot, or not
• Compost and top soil
• Annuals like marigolds, salvia, phlox (more shade than sun), verbena and any other flowers that thrive in the sun.

1. Turn on some music, anything but Taylor Swift.
2. Paint the pots first and allow them to dry.
3. Decorate the pots.
4. Plant the flowers.
5. Watch their faces light up at every stage.

In lieu of birthday gifts, Medha asked her friends if they could sponsor our friends John and Lisa for their Avon Walk for Breast Cancer, if they were so inclined. Or donate to a charity of their choice. John and Lisa walked 39 miles this past weekend and were only $2 short of their goal of $1,800 each.

Medha declared this to be the best birthday she has ever had! In many ways, it probably is! And rightly so. For golden birthdays come only once in a lifetime.

Oh. See that climbing rose bush in the picture of the girls holding their pots? Yup, I made gulkand. There's a real recipe, after all. Over on The Daily Tiffin.

Postcard from Louisville

This is Louisville to me. Clear skies, mountains, outdoor activity, and a deep sense of calm and peace.

I'm entering this in Aimee's October Greeblepix Contest where she's giving away $250 in Photo Rentals to a lucky winner!



Aimee is yet another cool blogger from Denver. The deadline for the October contest is 10pm MT October 21, 2008. Go do it!

Outdoor Winter Skating

The Steinbaugh Pavilion in downtown Louisville that rocked with music in summer during the Street Faire is now converted to an old-fashioned outdoor skating rink. Called WinterSkate, it's organized by Boulder Creek Events and this is its fourth year in downtown Louisville. There is Holiday music, of course, and free horse-drawn carriage rides in the evenings.

We went this afternoon but the real magic is in the evenings when it is all lit up.


Oops! There were falls galore! Lots of giggling and laughing!


followed by some bonding...


There was a very talented young girl on the rink and she stunned us with some really graceful moves.
WinterSkate is open seven days a week and it is open till midnight on New Year's Eve. Medha 's already making plans for her New Year's Eve. Dream on, I say!

On our way home, we stopped at Harper Lake to watch the sun set. The house below is on the short trail leading to the lake. How lucky are the people that live there!

The colors were muted compared to the shows the skies have been putting up for us lately. But it was beautiful, nevertheless.


It really has been a wonderful holiday week, topped off by a spectacular Sunday.

How was your Sunday?

Downtown Louisville Rocks

Friday evenings are bliss! It's kick off your shoes, turn up the music and sprawl out on the sofas kind of evening for us. Sometimes, it's pizza night. Other times, it's leftovers night. The best times is when it is spicy Thai or Sichuan food by delivery night. We rarely ever step out on Friday nights. There are far too many cars on the road, too many people in the restaurants - yes, reclusive might define us well although we are not unsocial.

One Friday evening saw us scrambling to get to the library before it closed and we walked right into Louisville's Downtown Street Faire. Huh! I remembered reading about it in the last city newsletter. I even remembered that we forgot to check it out last summer. Friday evenings are that special. Well, they got even more special when we discovered just what the Louisville Downtown Street Faire is about!

Local businesses have booths and kiosks. They are all there: from the lovely ladies from the Acupuncture Clinic to the Italian Ice shop, not to mention all the restaurants! The local flavor is hard to beat! And the community spirit is very strong. Unfortunately I did not have my camera with me nor my wallet so I vowed to return the following week.

Needless to say, the bungee jump was at the top of the list. We waited at least 40 minutes for 5 minutes of exhilirating and breath-taking fun for Medha.

That's her up there. My heart was in my shoes the first time she went that high!

I could hear live music filtering through to me from the Steinbaugh Pavilion. People were spilling out of the white tent area next to the pavilion and from the pavilion itself. Almost everyone had a glass of locally brewed beer in their hands. Small counter-high tables dotted the street, crowded with half-empty glasses of beer, hot dogs, burgers and popcorn. I couldn't wait to get nearer to the music cos the lead guitar was belting out some smashing tunes.

But we had a few other stops to make like Sparkles Face Painting, for example!

Another ten minute wait before Medha's face was transformed into a butterfly.

While her face was being painted, I wandered to the other booths and spied the lovely ladies from Market Place Bakery in their full glory. Oh yum! Just look at those goodies! They disappeared very quickly, too!

There was also an inexplicable but very alluring aroma in the air. It had enticed me on my first visit, too, and I just had to follow my nose again. It was Handmade soap. After smelling them all, I kept returning to the Chai Goat Milk Soap. It had the smell of home: spices blended together with a mild scent of tea. It's the kind of aroma I want around me when I want to relax completely. I also loved the Rosemary Mint soap, which was very refreshing. It's what I want to wake up to every morning.

These handmade soaps are made by Amy Kalinchuk aka The Old Crone, who is a school teacher in Denver. She taught herself the art of soap-making and was soon making so many soaps that she needed to figure out how to share her success with the rest of her community.

If you're local to Louisville, Lafayette or Boulder, you will want to catch her at the Street Faire this coming Friday, 5pm to 9pm. She won't be there for the last fair, which is Youth Night, on August 17th.

If you are local to Denver then you could find her at Historic Downtown Littleton Farmer's Market, corner of Nevada and Main, 9am-2pm on Saturdays till September 29, 2007. Or at Old South Pearl Street Farmer's Market, 1500 South block of Pearl street, between Florida and Iowa, 9 am to 1 pm on Sundays till October 28, 2007.

If you are not local, don't fret! She has a web site, Olde Crone's Bewitching Bath Soap, where she sells her handmade soaps, shampoos, lotions, lip balms and more. She's thought of everything - for those of us who need to know more or dabble in some soap making, she has written a book called How to Make Soap that she sells on her web site.

Here's Amy with her wonderful wares! And she's not really old or olde!

What pulled me to Amy's booth like a magnet was the aroma. What endeared me further was that she was making this at home. And I was sold when I found out that her soaps are all-natural. She does not use any artificial ingredients, fragrances, or additives.

I was already on a high, when I decided to take things a notch higher with beer from Colorado's first micro-brewery, Boulder Brewing Company, started in 1979 by two professors from CU. The company is now called Boulder Beer Company. Their beer has won awards but what matters most is that it is smooth and the perfect ale for the hot summers we've been having. This handsome man poured out some Pass Time Pale Ale for me.

It put me in the perfect mood for the music that was growing louder and louder, with the crowds joining in and thumping their feet. It was a local band called Firefall. I'd never heard of them before. It really didn't matter as they were rocking the place with their music. According to a more informed friend of mine, they had a very popular CD in the 80's. It was Medha's first ever rock show and I am so glad that it was with us and to such excellent music!

This is a picture Medha took of Firefall's encore while seated on her Dad's shoulders! As you can see, many folks joined them on the stage for their final number!

Unfortunately, it all ended a little too soon!

While Firefall won't be there this coming Friday, another very popular band called the subdudes will be playing. If you're in the area, do stop by to check it out! There's good food, great tasting locally brewed beer, handmade soap, locally made handicrafts and a whole bunch of fun for the kids. And that is quite a bit coming from someone like me who feels that nothing happens in Louisville!