Tenacious D (the "D", in this case, is for Denver!)

Of course we all have Monty Python and The Holy Grail memorized from start to finish. I believe a quote from that movie is most appropriate when speaking of Denver:

Listen, lad. I built this kingdom up from nothing. When I started here, all
there was was swamp. Other kings said I was daft to build a castle on a swamp,
but I built it all the same, just to show 'em. It sank into the swamp. So, I
built a second one. That sank into the swamp. So, I built a third one. That
burned down, fell over, then sank into the swamp, but the fourth one... stayed
up! And that's what you're gonna get, lad: the strongest castle in these
islands.

Indeed Denver was first burned to the ground then flooded into oblivion and then ravaged by war before the good citizens were able to make a version that stayed up. For a city founded for no other reason than that gold had been discovered in the South Platte River, that's pretty impressive. No railroad junction, no major port...just a few shiny flakes in the water. Denver was not named for John or Bob Denver, as I naturally surmised, but for the Kansas territorial governor, James Denver, in hopes of garnering his political favor. Without radio, television or phones, though, news traveled slowly. The good people of Denver found out too late that James Denver's administration was already out of office by the time they voted on their name. Imagine their chagrin!


All the websites about Denver mention that they have 300 days of sunshine a year. That's a clever way of obfuscating the fact that Denver suffers over 2 full months of no sunshine annually! How do those poor people cope? Living in a city plagued by fire, flood, famine, humiliation and darkness...Devnerites (Denveronians? Devnerers?) are the real heroes. Yes, through it all, these people persevere. Smiling through their tears, they invented cheeseburgers, they grow an obscene amount of flowers which they then plant around the city, they host the world's largest rodeo each year and this year they'll host the Democratic National Convention.


Given the depressing darkness upon this hapless place, it's fitting that the state of Colorado boasts more micro breweries per capita than any other state in this here union. Additionally, they're the only state I know of that celebrates a chicken who lived for 4 more years after having its head chopped off. The chicken's name was Mike. I wouldn't be surprised to learn that Mike held public office at some point.

Who are the brave souls constituting EMA's Denver office, you ask? They are, in no particular order, except alphabetical: Esther Barnett, Tom Bonot, Russ Clark, Robert Howell, Scott Markey, David Marlin, Christy Slaughter, Alisha Thomas and Lisa Young. Their Labor Day in May project will be doing some landscaping with their local Habitat for Humanity. (Remember Denver's big on flowers...with all those dark days I guess they plant a lot of shade-loving stuff, huh?). Don't forget to take lots of pictures, Denver Office!