Getting Nostalgic While Visiting Chautauqua Park

My sister Susan and I drove up to Boulder from Denver yesterday afternoon, and even though it was a weekday, the park was filled with people hiking up the Flatirons, lounging on the grass, or just having brunch at the Chautauqua Dining Hall. I was feeling pretty nostalgic heading up Baseline Road towards that park, admiring the beautiful homes as we passed by. Years ago, I remember reading that Mo Siegal, the founder of Celestial Seasonings, lived on Baseline. He was quite the presence in Boulder when I first moved to Colorado, and I wondered whatever happened to him. The answer, after checking on the web, is that he is still in Boulder, probably in the same house, and still runs Celestial Seasonings. He started that company at the age of 20, and although I assumed he must be ancient by now, he is actually a mere 4 years older than me. Still just a kid. The photograph on the left, by the way, shows the Flatirons rising behind a very colorful Chautauqua Park.

I also took the photograph on the right of the Chautauqua Auditorium, where years ago I treated my mother Mary and Susan to a Peter Kater concert. We wound up getting front row seats, and enjoyed a really wonderful concert. The concert featured a clarinetist and flutist who was truly amazing, but over the years his name eludes me. I remember reading that Kater had moved to Hollywood to do scores for films, and also wondered what he was up to these days. After checking the internet, it appears he is back in Boulder, too. Not a big surprise to anyone who has ever visited Boulder that both Kater and Siegel are still there. 

I also couldn't resist taking a photograph of the Chautauqua Dining Hall, which features a truly wonderful patio on which to have brunch and enjoy the scenery. Back in the day, Susan and her late husband George would drive to Chautauqua from Fort Collins, and my mother Mary and I from Denver, to have Sunday brunch. At the time, as I remember, brunch ended at 11:00 A.M., and my mother and I would wait out in front, wondering if Susan and George would make it in time. They always did, but it was always close. Makes me want to drive up there this Sunday to have breakfast on that patio. Perhaps Peter Kater and Mo Siegel will be there too, although to be honest, I could fall over either one of them and not know who they were. Until charges were filed, of course.