So, I picked the first subject that popped into my head: My favorite places in northern Colorado.

Here are a few, subject to change and amendments:

— On ridge south of Windsor, overlooking the town and the Poudre Valley. There's a place you can park your car and look down at the town, all the new development going on, Kodak to the east, and the old sugar beet elevator. It's a microcosm of everything that's going on in northern Colorado — the clash, or the blending, of small-town rural lifestyles with the burgeoning urban ones. Once, in the evening, I watched a woman walking her dog at the bottom of the ridge as a coyote shadowed them about halfway up the slope, perfectly camouflaged in the dusty gray sage brush. I suspected he had his eye on the dog, although by himself, with the sun still up and with a human around, it was unlikely he would try anything. Nonetheless, I drove down to give the woman a heads up, but she was gone by the time I got there.

— Just south of Timnath is a gazebo, right along side of the road, that overlooks the Poudre River. Apparently, I like spots that "overlook" things. In summer, the river winds through farmland, mostly hay fields if I remember correctly. With the mountains in the background, it makes for a stunning vista. Surrounded by the bustle of activity — I-25 is not even a mile to the west — it's a haven in the every-growing Front Range.

— Margie's Java Joint in Greeley. One of my favorite places to drink coffee and read.

— Roma's on 8th Avenue in Greeley. As a student at UNC, this place received a lot my business.

— DIA. The best people watching.

— The fountain at Foothills Mall. Again, great people watching.

— Cameron Pass/Poudre Canyon. Hiking. Snowshoeing. Rafting.

— Rist Canyon. A nice detour to Cameron Pass if you don't feel like driving the length of Poudre Canyon.

— Choice City Deli. Great sandwiches. Cool atmosphere.

— Crown Pub. My standby bar in Old Town.

— Anyone one of the breweries. It's hard for me to pick my favorite.

— A few alcoves on the second floor of Michener Library at UNC. I wiled away many hours there, doing little work but a lot of dreaming.

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