Fort Collins: one of the thirty fastest cities in the world!

Fort Collins has a long, long list of superlatives to its name: best place to live; one of the top ten smartest places to live - you get the idea.

Anyway, no one could have been more shocked to see the latest issue of Fast Company - where Fort Collins is selected one of thirty fastest cities in the world in the category of Research & Development with Shanghai and Seoul! Apparently the region is generating patents at a rate of 11.45 per 10,000 people per year - four times more than the U.S. city average.

This is pretty cool because the number of patents and level of attaining education (Fort Collins is #7 in the nation for most educated populations - college and beyond) are significant drivers of successful, sustainable economies - any economist will tell you so. Check it out at: http://www.fastcompany.com/cities/2007/index.html

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How to speak like a native - Part 1

People in Colorado don't have accents. Which leads me to believe that maybe I do. Every now and then someone stops to ask "I'm sorry, what did you say?" But they are just too polite to say why they didn't catch it.

I've also noticed very few differences in expressions or slang. However, there are a few things that are clearly specific to the region:

• They pronounce the name of the state: Call-oh-RAD-oh not Call-oh-ROD-oh. People who reside here are Call-oh-RAD-ans.
• They use the extension "as balls" in place of the word "very" quite at bit: "It's as hot as balls today!" "She's bossy as balls today."
• They refer to tourists as "flatlanders" - as in people from flatter regions of the country - specifically the eastern states.
• Locals refer to the mountains as the 14ers as in the 14,000+ feet above sea level peaks.
• Fort Collins is FoCo or "The Fort" [I've also heard people refer to it as Vanilla Valley or Vanilla Bean City]
• There's Cowtown (Greeley), Hippieville (Boulder), The Springs (Colorado Springs), The 3-oh-3 or D-town (Denver)
• You're a Durangatan (if you are from Durango) or a Boulderite (if from Boulder)
• I've been told that ski-related slang is also used during the season: pow-pow (new as in powder) and flip the bitch (as in U-turn) - gaper (someone who's stunned - as in never skied a mountain before) - can't say that I've heard anyone use these so far....
• People say "I'm not gonna lie..." or "I'm just sayin'..." "no worries..." quite a bit - you also hear dude, man and bro used a lot
• I find they tend to put an 's after store names: Walmarts, King Soopers, Safeways...
• I think carbonated beverages are "pop" here - not "soda"

But I find it endearing to hear how much people love living here when they use expressions like:

• We're living the dream!
• The view looks a lot better from the top of the world!

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Too hot!

No pictures to post this week. We've been staying in the shade or inside to beat the 90-100 degree temperatures. This heat is very different from Ohio's but I won't lie -- it's still pretty hot outside! No humidity means walking around with water bottles all the time. I now understand why people in the Southwest and Mexico still observe the siesta - you want to collapse midday!!!

Well, with luck this will pass very soon. I'm told June is the hottest month of the year here.

Here's hoping....

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Back to Cleveland for the summer

Kate returns to Cleveland to work fulltime at the ice cream parlor, take a French class and help her Dad pack the house. We've had an amazing five months together setting up a temporary home, meeting new friends and exploring the front range. I am going to miss her like crazy! When she returns in August, we'll have a few days together before she moves into her residence hall at Colorado State University. But, when she returns she'll take off on the solo adventure of her life. She's a remarkable young woman who will no doubt do remarkable things in the future. [Not that I'm biased or anything!!]

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Rocky Mountain National Park

Kate explored Rocky Mountain National Park with Missy, Chris and Evan on Sunday. When they returned Chris reported that the car thermometer read over 100 degrees. It was 70 degrees at 12,500 ft above sea level in the park. Not a bad way to cool down, catch some stunning mountain views and catch an elk on the trail!

Father's Day 5K

Kate and her cousin Evan participated in the Father's Day 5K - the course ran through Old Town. The temperatures were already beginning to soar.

Rafting the Poudre

Well, here's a motley crew of adventurers. No denying serious fun had by all - I'm just glad they all came home with all of the same parts they left the house with! The river was at peak and moved at a serious clip. Water temperature was in the 40s - which is why they are decked out in wet suits and fleece!