Immersive Van Gogh Exhibit Denver

Last night I was lucky enough to get a chance to take a sneak peek at the Immersive Van Gogh Exhibit in Denver which opens to the public tomorrow, September 30th. 

I've been seeing this exhibition pop up all over my social media for months now as friends have checked it out for themselves in various cities across the country, and I've been super excited for it to open up here in Denver. If you've seen it on social media too (which I'm sure you probably have by now), let me just say that it's even better in real life! I knew it was going to be amazing, but I had no idea just how magical it would feel being in the room with all the paintings coming to life around me as classical music played. I really felt like I was transported to another place and time. 

If you're not familiar with the Immersive Van Gogh Exhibit, be prepared to wowed! This exhibit features 500,000 cubic feet of projections of Vincent Van Gogh's famous paintings including Starry Night, Sunflowers, Bedroom in Arles and The Potato Eaters. The projections come to life on the walls, the floor, and various mirrored sculptures throughout the exhibit. The sculptures add a little extra magic to the experience with the projected images appearing on the mirrored surfaces from all angles. 

Let's take a look...

Rosie the Riveter WWII Home Front National Historic Park

Today marks the one hundredth birthday of the National Parks Service's oldest active park ranger, Betty Reid Soskin. One hundred years old and still working to share her wisdom with the community! What a woman!

In honor of Betty Reid Soskin's milestone birthday, I figured today would be a good day to finally get around to sharing our visit to the national park where she works. Do you know which one it is? You can probably tell from the title of this post! It's Rosie the River WWII Home Front National Historic Park in Richmond, California. 

Did you know that there are National Historic Parks as part of the National Parks Service? While many national parks serve to preserve natural landscapes for generations to enjoy, the historic parks serve to share important historical locations and moments in our history. We've been to a few different National Historic Parks including Rosie the River WWII Home Front, San Francisco Maritime, Boston National Historic Park which includes Paul Revere House and the Freedom Trail, and Klondike Goldrush National Historic Park, which contrary to the name, is in Seattle. 

 

Rosie the River WWII Home Front National Historic Park pays tribute to the civilians who worked tirelessly on the home front to support America's troops during World War 2. With men going off to fight in the war it was up to women to keep the industries that supported America's war efforts afloat. Over the course of World War 2, some six million women joined the workforce, many of them coming to work at the Kaiser Shipyards in Richmond where 747 ships were built during the war years. It was here that the iconic Rosie the Riveter character came about. There was no one particular Rosie, rather the character represents the resilience and can do attitude of the women who took on the work in the shipyards and surrounds. Betty Reid Soskin was one of these women who went to work at the Kaiser Shipyards, although due to segregation, as a black woman she was give menial tasks like filing index cards, and never worked on the warships with the white women. Along with other "Rosies" Betty Reid Soskin shares her story of working on the home front with visitors to the National Park.

Meow Wolf Convergence Station

It's finally here!

Meow Wolf's long awaited Denver location has finally opened!

Last week I got the chance to visit Meow Wolf Convergence Station before it opened to the public and it was everything I imagined it would be and so much more.

If you've been here a while you'll know that I'm a big fan of immersive art, so I've been super excited about visiting Meow Wolf ever since I first heard that it was under construction. Every time I've zoomed past the site on the nearby freeway I've felt that tingle of anticipation and excitement as I've spotted the signage. This past year has been a doozy with so much pain and heartbreak in the world, but seeing that colorful Meow Wolf sign has always lifted my spirits knowing that something so good is coming our way. It's here and I'm so excited to share it with you!

Get ready for a long post, because you know I took a gazillion photos, right? There's so much to see; how could I not?

Cheesy Pesto Scrolls

Disclaimer: This post is sponsored by Moms Meet and Barilla. I received product and compensation in exchange for my honest opinions. 

The new school year is well and truly under way for most families by now, and one of the (many!) stresses for us parents is working out what to pack our kids for lunch every day. Do they seriously have to eat every day? Ha! Ok, of course they do, but trying to come up with something beyond regular sandwiches can get a little tricky, especially when you're limited by foods that can be eaten in limited time (lunch break is always too short) and don't need to be reheated.

One of my favorite things to make for the kids (and myself) is cheesy pesto scrolls. Made simply with store bought puff pastry, pesto and cheese, these scrolls are super simple to make, are perfect for lunch boxes, can be eaten hot or cold, and they're packed full of Italian flavor thanks to Barilla.  

Today I'm sharing my simple recipe for these tasty scrolls. This is my favorite sort of recipe because you can add as little or as much of each ingredient as you like, and you can totally customize it with your favorite ingredients. Creamy pesto, mozzarella and parmesan are my go to ingredients, but you can use any sort of cheese that you like and even add things like salami, sundried tomatoes, mushrooms or pine nuts for extra flavor. 

Colfax Canvas 2021

A few weekends back Mathilde and I headed to Aurora for the annual Colfax Canvas street art festival. The festival is in its second year and this was our second time attending. Two for two! 

If you've been here for any amount of time you'll know I'm a big fan of street art, so a street art festival is right up my alley. We're lucky that between the Denver and Boulder metropolitan areas there are actually quite a few street art festivals each year. Along with Colfax Canvas in Aurora there is Crush Walls in Denver's RiNo neighborhood, Streetwise Boulder, and Babe Walls which changes location each year. While some of the artists who take part in these events are from other cities and states, most are based here in Colorado, which just goes to show what a wealth of local talent we have here. I've made sure to tag all of the photos with the artist's Instagram handles so you can look them up and see their other works. 

Ok, enough talking, let's look at some street art!

 

Mural by @pher01 and @chrishaven

Mural by @pher01 and @chrishaven

Mural by @rube.zilla and @chattyancestors

Mural by @pher01

Mural by @amandavelacharbonneau, @seewalker_art, @patrickmaxcy and @volarduran

Mural by @shittykitten1

Mural by @aprilwerle and @ddambrackas

Mural by @reveryart, @charlo.gw and @goodlooksvol.1