Colorado weekend

Quick weekend trips can be a lot of fun.  Oh, sure, time spent in transit (airplanes and airports in this case) can eat up a lot of the good time on a weekend, but it's still possible to make the most of the trip.  And if the destination is not too far or relatively convenient, then taking some time for travel is all the less onerous in view of the good times to be had.  Add in that the weekend involves very dear friends, and, well, I'm convinced!

I actually started this post days back.  Ages back.  It's now some ten days since our return.  And perhaps I was waiting for Robert's new position to be confirmed - the quick trip to Colorado was so that we could see them him and Courtney there one last time before they move this summer. 

So it was that on the last Friday of May, Conrad and I

flew to Denver where Courtney picked us up.  Hooray for her being on sabbatical this year - we greatly appreciate that she could take us to and from the airport.  Our flight was delayed, and there was no food served, so we all agreed to head to Pica's Taqueria in Louisville.  I love that place! 

A chorizo and potato taco and a duck taco for me

(plus a margarita to wash them down).  That made me happy.  We then swung by Whole Foods to pick up shucked oysters,

a cake,

and some other treats for the evening. 

We were celebrating, after all.  Oh, sure, we ordered pizza for dinner, but before that, we toasted a noshed and caught up.  Rain passed through the area, and we were treated to a double rainbow

over the neighbour's house. 

A really nice evening.

Saturday morning:  a walk to a favourite coffee place, then a lunch of - this is a surprising turn of events (ha!) - tacos again at Pica's. 

The afternoon was devoted to spa time in Boulder.  Alas, a cold sore on my lower lip meant that I could not get the facial I had booked, so I walked a little down the Pearl Street mall in the city, stopping in at a store I love to visit, treating myself to a couple of cocktail books.  Home after that for a nap, and that set us up for a nice dinner out.

We made ourselves pretty, and headed into Boulder again, up the hillside to Flagstaff House, a very nice restaurant we've enjoyed a few times before. Cocktails to start (this lovely one, the Peak Bliss, is one I want to try making at home),

some excellent wine (a Pinot from NZ that was a good, light choice for the first bottle, followed by a richer French red),

even an Amaro after dinner.  No a la carte menu, but choices for each course.  We had some little treats to start, and then on to the courses:

A pea shoot salad with bresaola.

Spinach cannelloni with chanterelles.

A pork dish with morels and ramps.

Venison loin with a venison stew.

Pineapple sorbet with black sesame.

Oh, it was good.  It was a very thoughtful menu, and each course really did seem to build on the previous, deepening in flavour.  It was not a rushed evening.  It was a great evening.

I didn't take photos on the Sunday.  A morning walk to coffee again, and then it was brunch with a couple of Courtney and Robert's friends.   A nice enough time, but I think we all agreed that the service and food at the brunch was less than we would have liked.  Ah well.  Conrad and I had the afternoon to pack and nap and then it was off to the airport with us.  Thunder storms rolled through the area, and we had an hour delay, but we were home that night, happy that we had one last, fantastic visit with them in Colorado. 

a birthday

I am writing this on the morning of Saturday, August 18.  I have decaf brewed and a piping hot mug of it beside me.  Conrad is still in bed.  It is now exactly three weeks since my 54th.  Long past due for a post, and a long post with a lot of photos to come.  Bear with me!

I woke up before everyone else on that Saturday morning.  In truth, I didn't sleep well that weekend - too much indulgence, maybe the altitude.  The nice thing, though, is that waking up early meant that I had time to myself to wander into downtown Breckenridge,

grab a decaf latte at Starbucks, and then see a little of the place. 

A few photos, some steps, and then it was back to the AirBnB to join the others.  Courtney and Robert were awake when I got back, Conrad needed more time.  That Conrad!

Once everyone was awake, we headed into town, parking near Starbucks so that everyone could grab a coffee.  Food and beverage in our bellies, we headed to the nearby free gondola so that we could head up to the mountain ski resort village and look around. 

That was a cool ride, fairly smooth for someone like me who doesn't like dangling off of a cable. 

Although we could have taken chair lifts higher (and done various activities on the bare slopes), we were already at 10,000 feet above sea level,

and we had a food and wine festival to get to.

The festival was different than I expected.  Not bad different, but different.  I kind of thought there would be chefs and tastings and demonstrations of cooking, but no, none of those.  There was the dinner (and a brunch on Sunday that we skipped) plus a "lounge" with food for the VIP guests (the lounge was the entirety of a restaurant on the plaza).  Otherwise, it was like a farmer's market with nothing cordoned off. 

The wristbands prevented those who hadn't paid for the festival from tasting.  We could wander among the stalls and find things like the hematite bracelet I bought for Conrad or the candles I purchased and still taste wines and more.

The wines were not from single wineries.  In some cases, there were conglomerates that owned wineries worldwide, and so you might have NZ, CA, and Italian wines all at the same stall.  There were also importers and even a wine and spirits store in nearby Frisco represented.  Oh, and spirits producers!  Robert and I especially appreciated that one.  So we arrived for the VIP time, ate some lunch, and got to tasting.  After one pass round, we took a break, then went out for more, though Conrad and Courtney stayed in the coolness of the lounge.  All in all, we were there three hours.  I poured out much of what I tasted, not because it was awful but because there was a lot to taste.  And we drank a lot of water!  There were some good wines

and spirits,

though, and it was nice to try them.  We couldn't purchase liquor at the event, but I found the Breckenridge Gin

at the store in Frisco on the way home and brought it back to California.

Naptime for all,

and then it was the walk into town

for dinner at a place that looked promising.  It featured a raw bar, and I thought that would be welcome after a day of wines and such.  And, indeed, the oysters at The Carlin were excellent

as were the biscuits. 

The rest of the food was fine,

but something clearly happened in the kitchen - we were seated nearby, and it was an open kitchen, so we could watch things going on - that fouled up our entrees and led to quite a delay.  And the inevitable happened - people know they messed up, and they avoid coming to check on us because they don't want to hear questions or complaints.  It was still a nice birthday dinner, but the cooking was unfortunately uneven as was the service.  I'd go back for a martini and oysters, but I might try elsewhere for entrees.  Ah well.

Sunday came, and my birthday was over.  I once again got out on foot without everyone, grabbing my Starbucks, taking a photo or two. 

The drive home

was longer than the drive to Breckenridge due to an accident shutting down the interstate.  A fine day for a drive, but a long drive.  There were very welcome tacos at Pica's for us at the end of that one.

And then it was Monday.  I was 54 and 2 days old, and we were flying home from Denver. 

A super weekend with Courtney and Robert, a terrific birthday.  Now then, what shall I do next year?