So, since I rambled on for two months about my trip to Europe, I need to catch up on the rest of the events of the first half of the summer!
Colorado TN
But first, I want everyone to hop on over to my Colorado TN page and take a look at a fun new project I worked on in April and May. A “TN” is a traveler’s notebook, a new-ish format for scrapbooking that I’ve been wanting to try. It’s a small paper notebook that’s about the size of a tri-fold brochure. They come in varying paper thicknesses, quantities of paper and types of paper.
It took me a while to come up with a topic for such a small, finite project, but then I realized that I’ve been in Colorado for 13 years and have not once journaled or scrapbooked about life here. I need to remember to do more of that ‘everyday’ type of scrapbooking to record what life is like before it changes.
So, take a look at my creation! I loved it because those pages were SO fast to do.
Wild Animal Sanctuary Events
Next up are two events JC and I attended at the Wild Animal Sanctuary. First, in early May, we attended a special luncheon for the “Circle of Life,” or people who have bequeathed their estates to the Sanctuary, which I have done. This is the first year I’ve been able to make the luncheon, and it’s been a dream of mine to meet the Sanctuary’s founder, Pat Craig.
Well that dream was fulfilled on this lovely Saturday afternoon! First, Pat spoke to us a bit about the Sanctuary and the Refuge (much larger property in southern CO) and fielded some questions. Then there was a very tasty lunch, followed by the ability to visit the Sanctuary. I snagged the opportunity to meet, talk with and get a photo with Pat after lunch!
Then JC and I spent a couple of hours walking the mile-long walkway and we got to see a lot of happy animals! Including
The other event was their annual 5K/10K run/walk charity event called Run Into the Wild. JC and I walked the 5K along with our friends Lisa, Jacob, Lisa, Kent and Oscar. Together we formed Team Scrap and raised a lot of money!
It was a lovely morning to walk, and the course takes you around the perimeter of the areas of the Sanctuary that are not open to visitors, so you get to pass by some lions and bears who don’t normally have guests.
The Murder Restaurant
Another Goals List item checked off, whether I wanted it or not, was when JC’s sister Z and kids Colton and Immy came into town for a week to celebreate Immy graduating from high school. We went to dinner at The Buckhorn Exchange, a very famous and historic restaurant in downtown Denver that, well, surrounds you with taxidermied death while you eat a zoo of animals like elk, bison, quail, lamb, cornish game hen, ostrich and yak.
It was unique but can’t say I loved it. The best dish we had was the rattlesnake nachos. Yes, you read that right.
Happier Times
Moving on, I went to two fun shows in June as well: The Dead Milkmen and Eddie Izzard. The Dead Milkmen is a fringe alternative band most famous in the early 80s that is one of a very short list of my favorite bands I have never seen live. Honestly, I never thought I’d get the chance to see them since they had broken up for like 20 years. It was an AWESOME show and I’ll never forget it!
Next was British comedian Eddie Izzard who we will always go see every time he comes to town. It’s also an excuse to meet up with friends Sean and Steph who are big Eddie fans, too. So we enjoyed a nice night out and some excellent comedy.
A Mountain Weekend
Lastly, I crossed another location off of my Goals List, though this one was much closer to home: Glenwood Springs, CO. My friend Sarah and I earlier this year were talking about how it was going to be her 40th birthday in June, and that neither of us had been to Glenwood Springs and their awesome natural hot springs in the Rocky Mountains.
That got me thinking…and researching…and booking a weekend getaway for us! I ended up buying the “romance package” at the Glenwood Springs Lodge, the hotel connected to the hot springs, which included a spacious room with two queens, breakfast every morning, all-day passes to the hot springs, $30 towards dinner at a really good brewery across the river, and $100 credit for the spa. Oh, and a bottle of champagne and a box of truffles!
Our first stop was said Strawberry Festival where, after a torrential downpour, we each bought a cool handmade metal sculpture for our backyards. Next, we checked into the hotel, checked out the hot springs, and fell in LOVE.
This is the hot springs!! It’s HUGE and split into two sections: a smaller, more hot-tub section that’s around 98 degrees warm, and then a much larger more pool-like section that’s around 85 degrees. There are stone seats built into the sides of the hot tub, there are chairs all around the perimeter, and you just hop from one pool to the other when you get too hot or too cold.
Yes the water had a bit of that rotten egg/sulphur smell, but my skin felt amazing afterwards–not dried out from chlorine like going to regular pools.
We even tried the ‘drinking pool’ of extremely salty water, believed back in the day to cure TB and a load of other ailments. It was just the saltiest water I’ve ever had! Worse than the stuff deep in the Polish salt mine!
In addition to going to the hot springs several times over the weekend, we treated ourselves to lovely spa treatments. I had a Native Awakening package which included sage-ing, a clay and corn massage, being wrapped up in a burrito and a cleansing ritual. It was heavenly.
We also walked around the lovely town doing some window shopping, and one evening stayed in the hotel room and colored! I stamped a bunch of cute critter images ahead of time, brought watercolor pencils and colored pencils, and we sat and chatted, drank champagne and colored for hours! It was SO fun! We later cut them out and made adorable cards with them, of course!!
So, that was a very relaxing weekend and I do need to return to Glenwood Springs because there is also an amusement park there! Come on, how did I not know about this before!? Road trip!!!
I’ll go into July next time!