We've been noticed.

[japhy]

A recent article in Conde Nast Traveler. Defix mentioned it to me, he must have a subscription, or maybe he saw a copy in the lobby at his proctologist's office. The author visited the Frontier late last year and mentions it. If they could have been there last weekend they could have gotten some great images during the "Windbreak" experimental film festival. It was all fun and games until an 80 mph wind gust almost threw me across the valley.

https://www.cntraveler.com/story/colora ... stic-flair

[japhy]

This is the start of night two of "Windbreak". It was an experimental film festival curated by NEST Studio for the Arts at CU-Boulder. They seem like a nice bunch of weird kids. As you can see there aren't a lot of people willing to brave the elements and sit out in front of the screen. Just Max and Gigi on their inflatable rafts, it was cold. They decided to call the event "Windbreak" because they wanted to show films about the environment on Earth Day in a windy place. They got all the wind they could handle, and dust and sand. At one point on Friday the wind gusts were in the 70-80 mph range and we had goggles on and face masks and heads wrapped up to keep the sand blasting of skin to a minimum. The CDOT had to close the Highway 17 through the valley down for 6 hours while they clear wrecks in near zero visibility conditions.



The festival flew under the radar for the most part. There was no press and the locals who were driving down the County road adjacent to the site slowed down and stared for a bit. But these are people who are used to seeing UFOs so weird stuff on a screen and strange music isn't such of a big deal.



Earlier in the morning on day two I was asked to take a group of MFA candidates out into the valley on a tour. The program director mentioned a couple of things she thought they should see, The Great Sand Dunes National Park or maybe some of the hot springs. The students asked if I had any suggestions. I suggested that I could show them a Penitente cemetery, some petroglyphs and then drive them to the Gates of Hell instead. It was unanimous, they wanted to follow the weird old dude to the Gates of Hell.

[japhy]

This photo above gives you and idea of how nasty the dust was. This photo was taken about 2 hours before the films were going to start.

As a warm up to "Windbreak" we had a flyover from the Air Force "Blue Water Angels", a precision porta-potty flight demonstration team.

While airborne they were fucking magnificent!

They did not stick the landing though. Luckily these are all drones, so no pilots were injured.

[pdub]

When japhy posts I always feel like i'm on the very end of a psychedelic trip.

[japhy]

When japhy posts I always feel like i'm on the very end of a psychedelic trip.

In the immortal words of the much beloved Karen Carpenter

Before the rising sun we fly
So many roads to choose
We start out walking and learn to run
And yes, we've just begun

Sharing horizons that are new to us
Watching the signs along the way
Talking it over just the two of us
Working together day to day
Together

And when the evening comes we smile
So much of life ahead
We'll find a place where there's room to grow
And yes, we've just begun

And we have lots of room to grow in the Empire.

[japhy]

And now the general population of Denver has been given notice. The Spud Lounge is still flying under the radar. It is just for the cool kids afterparties and by invite only.

https://www.5280.com/2022/04/how-a-driv ... is-valley/

[defixione]

It won't be that long before you'll have to hire doorman to keep out the wannabes from the Church of Stevieboy.

[japhy]

You will have to pass a piety test to get in the fuckin door.

"How many rerolled did you bring?"....... "Welcome to the house of the Lord my children"