Barber Shop

We plan our full day around the Walsenberg Water Slides and the kids press their faces against the car window to better see the yellow, red and blue tubes as we near the park. But calamity! Despite the perfect day - hot and blue skies - the park closed despite the hours: "10AM to 7PM, Seven Days A Week From Memorial Day to Labour Day." Rest assured it is 10:01AM when we arrive. Hope fades by noon and a grounds keeper tells us the the closure may be the result of school, which started today and stolen our life guards. It is a bust and the Little Shakespeares devastated and grumpy, taking out their irritation on each other and on us.

We stroll the Walsenburg High Street and have lunch at a caf complete with booths and a Formica counter, where we sit. The chairs green Naugahyde and well-worn, as they should be since this place has been here at least 40 years. The best part is the signage: "Alpine Rose Cafe" complete with over-sized light-bulbed arrow pointing to the inside (light-bulbs long dead). There are Denver Broncos schedules dating back to at least the early '90s and a signed John Elway poster: "To Rose," he writes smiling. Despite a few busy tables, there is one waitress and I ask her if she has help. "Yea" she replies "she's over at the court-house." Sonnet anticipates disaster and I'm thinking it will take an hour to get our food since the waitress also the cook. Yet we are surprised: the gal arrives carrying everything - four plates of food and our drinks - in ten minutes. We are impressed. Both kids have "a classic" BTW: she a BLT and he a steak-sandwich.

From the caf I go to the barber shop, who is "out to lunch 'til 1PM" but never returns. The barber has been here since 1977 and I imagine he was punctual his first three or four years. After that - why bother?