Winter Wonderland Paradise Lost

The view from our table

With a layer of snow that muffles sounds, the lights strung across the trees in downtown Fort Collins made the scene from the window next to our table in The Kitchen a winter wonderland. The restaurant is one of the ventures started by Kimbal Musk, along with other not-so-small businesses such as SpaceX, Tesla Motors, and PayPal. The vision for the restaurant string is to be a vehicle for Community Through Food. Our dinner reservation was a make-up for a birthday dinner planned two weeks earlier, but which had to be canceled when we made an unplanned trip to Oregon. Snow was predicted for yesterday - and it did - but the roads were in good shape, so the only inconvenience was not finding a nearby parking place along College Avenue as we arrived - I dropped Jan off at the door while I parked the car.

After having checked my coat and hat, and being escorted to the table and seated, we both admired the view - out came the iPhone to take a couple of shots. Jan then told me about a gentleman outside the entrance to the store who had asked her to pay for a room where he could stay the night. Knowing that there are not enough rooms in town for all of the homeless, the request was reasonable, but she made her way by him and into the restaurant.

Homeless folks seem to come in waves through downtown. We watched as a few gentlemen walked along the street outside our window, and how one talked with a passersby - most likely making requests for cash for food or lodging. Soon a couple of police officers appeared, and then a third - it was time for moving this wave away. Shortly after one of the men was arrested, while another sat on a bench and had a discussion with one of the officers. After awhile, there were no homeless men in sight - the street scene again as it was when I arrived - a winter wonderland that friends commented about after having posted it earlier on Instagram and Facebook - before the legal activities began along the sidewalk outside our window. By now, the only interruption to our view was the memory of a paradise lost. The juxtaposition of an upscale restaurant, an expensive meal, an institution dedicated to encouraging healthy eating and teaching children how to feed others, high-tech companies doing amazing things, and a lovely winter scene......as well as the thought of the homeless behind this picture.

SLiCE Homeless Connect here
Homeless Shelters and Supportive Housing here