You might say that Becky Ditchfield’s posts on Facebook make up a kind of social-network thriller. She’s the morning weather woman on KUSA-Ch. 9 and she’d been planning a trip to Europe for a while – well, at least since she friended me.
And she almost missed the trip.
She was talking up the journey for weeks, planning to leave for France and Spain on Wednesday with her boyfriend, Chris Murray. She was putting up posts like “Becky Ditchfield needs a vacation” and “Becky Ditchfield has been sleeping through BOTH of my alarms in the morning . . . clearly I’m in need of a vacation.”
And then came the bombshell. Just as she’d finished packing for Europe, just an hour after that last post, came this: “Becky Ditchfield hates the dog . . . he completely destroyed our passports.” This comes with pictures of the destroyed passports.
Bad Cooper!
That was posted last Sunday. She was down to leave Wednesday. She pleaded for help: “Becky Ditchfield needs prayers . . . we’re going to the state department office today to beg for new passports. Hopefully we’re still leaving Wednesday.”
On the day before the flight: “Becky Ditchfield is waiting for 2 p.m. . . . It’s not official ’til I have my hands on the new passport.”
“Becky Ditchfield got the passport . . . now it’s a race against the clock for everything else.”
The next missive comes from France. They made it. “Becky Ditchfield first day in Toulouse on our own . . . beautiful weather, ice cream is awesome.”
Cooper the dog is at home.
But is it art?
Residents of the tony Bonnie Brae ‘hood are working to turn their alleys in avenues of art.
Organized by Wendy Lesko, about a dozen denizens are creating murals that hang in the alleys. They call themselves the Bonnie Brae Alley Art Consortium and have already installed three tile and glass mosaics in the alleys. The most recent, a 3-by-6-foot mosaic of a giraffe in Africa titled “An Oasis in the Desert: Zenzele,” was just unveiled at the alley between Ohio and Josephine streets. Two others already grace the back roads, with many more in the works.
Of course, each unveiling comes with a back-alley cocktail party and BBQ. “That’s the entire reason for this project,” Lesko says. “Any excuse to eat and drink.”
Next up: A cow from Daine and Kerry Heidel.
Dives.
Two funky Denver bars are getting major face-lifts. Don’s Mixed Drinks @ 723 E. Sixth Ave. bought out the doggie store next door and has put in new bathrooms and a garage door that opens onto East Sixth Avenue. It’s very swank.
And the venerable Cherry Cricket is building an outdoor patio that will go all the way from the front door to Second and Clayton streets and around the corner (adding 65 seats) — and the inside is expanding into the former framing store space (adding 40 seats). They hope to open the patio by July 4.
City Spirit.
QVC is broadcasting live from Aspen Food & Wine Classic next weekend with Boulder chef Hosea Rosenberg (pictured) and other top cookers . . . Sez who: “O great creator of being, grant us one more hour to perform our art and perfect our lives.” Jim Morrison
Bill Husted’s column appears Sunday, Tuesday and Friday. You can reach him at 303-954-1486 or at bhusted@denverpost.com. Take a peek at Husted’s next column at husted.
