Let's Give Thanks

   So here we are a few days after Thanksgiving and while there are some serious things I am thankful for (family, health, financial security, etc.) I thought it might be fun to visit a few Colorado things I am thankful for:

   Unlike California, there is no state law requiring motorcyclists to wear helmets. While I still stare with my mouth agape as some yahoo blasts past me on the freeway sans lid, I am ultimately grateful for this freedom. Why? Because I have to believe it is cleaning out the gene pool! And that is good for all of us.

   In California, you can buy beer, wine, and liquor seven days a week, 365 days a year, including Sundays (yeah yeah, I know I'm being redundant!). Because of this, all the aforementioned adult beverage types are sold in grocery stores and places like Costco, in addition to liquor stores. This convenience is very nice and something that I sorely missed when we first arrived in Colorado and discovered that alcohol over 3.2% ABV is not sold in grocery stores and that the liquor stores (which carry more potent potables) are closed on Sundays. However, once I went in to one of the local liquor stores (which seemingly inhabit every single corner shopping center) I realized that I could plan ahead and buy my drinks on Saturday for busy NFL Sundays. Talk about selection!!! Colorado has so many good local microbrews (with a serious concentration in nearby Boulder and Denver) as well as microbrews from around the country, I was shocked and saddened on a return trip to California this summer when all I could find at the local liquor store was Stone's Arrogant Bastard (a good beer to be sure, but not a substitute for a huge selection).

   And finally, California has always been on the forefront of the banning smoking in public places movement, something I am a HUGE fan of. Colorado, until very recently, had restaurants where patrons were still given the choice of smoking or non. Though I very rarely go to bars, which is where the loudest outcry has been heard from those who dig on the cancer stick, it is REALLY nice to know that, to quote "Strange Brew" (sort of), my lungs will be pink when they fry me! And more importantly, that my kids will not be getting a dose of poison with their meals either!

   So there you have it - a few more reasons to be thankful this holiday season! Hope the season has started as a good one for you!