One Fine Day

It was our last full day together and we woke up to rain, rain and more rain................what a gloomy day!  We were all slow getting around and just ate breakfast items we had on hand and tried to decide what to do...................

About 11 it started to clear up and I  looked up the Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Gardens (which is something we all wanted to do anyway) and they were having $5.00 admission that day with free food and beer tastings along with music!!  Right down our alley!!

So we walked down to the coffee place so I could get my coffee and then hailed Lyft for a ride to the gardens!!

The sun was shining as we entered the gardens - we walked right over to the place that was serving samples and tried a couple of items!

I always have to snap a picture when I see anything that talks about "3 sisters".   So this is for you, Patty and Teri!!

The gardens were beautiful!!  Of course not everything was in bloom but what was out was so pretty!

It was a typical Botanical Garden with beautiful walkways, statues, streams, and bridges!

We all loved this picture!  3 different poses in front of the cute statue!  I called them "Charlie's Angels"!

There were beautiful fish swimming in one of the ponds! And after walking around for an hour or so, we ate our lunch on a patio in front of the guy playing his guitar and singing songs - he knew all of the right songs for our table as we sang along with several!

It was a very enjoyable time at the gardens and we were so happy we ended up going!  We headed back to the apartment so Amy could finish up packing and when we sent her on her way to the airport, the rest of us headed to The Pecan Lodge for BBQ!

Unfortunately it was chilly out and the line was at least 1/2 block long!!!!  All in all, it took us way over an hour to actually get in and order our food!  But we had fun talking to a couple of gals right behind us - they were both doing their internship for physical therapy and when they asked the 3 of us where we were from and we told them, their eyes got as big as saucers!!  The 3 states that we live in were the exact 3 states they were trying to decide from for their new jobs!!  Who knows where they will end up but I have a feeling it's going to be Colorado!!

Karen and I split the food you see below - YES, it was a lot and we couldn't even eat it all - my favorite?  The peach crisp, of course!!!  Seriously, the bbq was excellent!!

Marilyn flew out early the next morning - and I mean early!!  I know that because I had to get up and put her on the elevator with the only key we had!!  I finally got back to sleep! Karen and I packed up our bags that morning and her brother picked us up and took us to breakfast at a place called Lucky's!  It was great food - way too much again - and then it was off to the airport for our flights back home!

What a great time with wonderful friends!

Dallas Adventures

Karen and I had scouted out a coffee place with a few breakfast items when we first arrived and this place we had discovered was our first stop of the day!  Was the coffee good???  It was excellent!!  Breakfast was easy and fast there too and I knew we'd be back!!

We took an Uber ride to our next stop - pretty neat how you order up a car and it arrives in just a minute or two!  I had never used it before but 2 of the girls had and between Lyft and Uber, we took many rides!  Our next destination was the Sixth Street Museum - Karen's sister-in-law manages the gift shops and was there to greet us with free entrance tickets!  Always nice to walk around the long line and get right in!

Each person is equipped with head phones and a phone and you walk around to different stations and listen to the commentary.  It was an emotional museum and reminded me somewhat of the 9/11 museum.  It's an outstanding museum and if you ever get to Dallas, take the tour - it's well worth it!

Even though it was chilly out, we decided to walk to Pioneer Plaza to see the 49 longhorn cattle being herded by 3 cowboys on horses!

We were totally amazed at the detail of these life size sculptures!

 This plaza depicts the trails that brought the first settlers to Dallas.  The sculptures are believed to be the largest bronze sculptures of their type in the world!

After stopping back at our "coffee" place for smoothies, we also ate a bite of lunch and headed back to the apartment to unwind and relax!

Dinner that night was to be BBQ - there are 2 famous places in town and we decided to go to the one that was quite far - we ordered Uber and when we arrived, found that the place was closed for a private party that night.................we walked around the cute area for a while and then called Uber again and decided to go ahead and do fish.  We had seen a place uptown called Hook, Line and Sinker that looked great so we headed there!  I loved the old boat motors outside used for decorations!

The place was packed so we knew the food must be good and we weren't disappointed!!  I had cold shrimp on the shell along with hush puppies and fresh lemonade - delicious!!

After heading back to our part of town, we walked to Frankie's which is a bar and luckily enough they had music playing!!  We were so full from eating that we couldn't even order drinks but the waitress was nice enough to bring us waters and we enjoyed listening to fun music!!  The guy singing and playing his guitar was heading further south the next couple of days to audition for "The Voice"!  It must be for next season as this season starts soon - so will have to watch for him and see if he makes it on TV!

What a great day and a fun evening with friends!!

Girlfriend Fun

Our first full day together!  Where to eat breakfast is always hard but since it was cloudy and gray out and we were anxious to start exploring, we just ate at the hotel - it wasn't great but enough to satisfy us for a while!

Because there is a free trolley you can ride on with hop on hop off stops, we decided to take advantage of it so headed in that direction!!  But first we had to check out the restroom at the hotel  and wow was it fancy!!  Just had to take a picture below the Coco Chanel bottle of perfume being advertised!

We walked by a tall cascading fountain outside a super large church!!

This was Klyde Warren Park - a neat place to walk around with lots of tables and chairs - bands play there in the summertime!!  We thought Karen and Amy matched the chairs well!!

We went through the Dallas Museum of Art - it was free so we went to a couple of the floors - loved the glass flowers in the window!

We finally made it to the trolley - what a fun thing to ride with such history attached!!

We jumped off uptown - looked in some shops - ate some lunch - and just wandered for awhile!  Girl stuff!!   And took some fun pictures!!

We decided we were all lucky to have this time together and love the saying on the window and Amy's reflection in the mirror!!

We ended back at our place and decided to check out the bar and swimming area (which we were allowed to use!!) on top of the hotel!!  WOW - it would have been fun to use that pool but we didn't bring our suits!!

We headed out to eat burgers that night and they were great!!  More wine and snacks back at our place and we all slept pretty good that night!!

Dallas Bound

ONE more trip before we're Mexico bound!  This trip was a "Girlfriends Trip" that has been planned since last fall!  All 4 of us lived around the Woodland Park area but now 3 have moved out of state!  Karen is now in Arizona, Marilyn is in N. Carolina and Amy is in Kansas! 

We coordinated our flights pretty well so two of us flew into Dallas Love and the other 2 flew into DFW.  Last fall I had rented a 2 bedroom, 2 1/2 bath apartment which was actually part of the Statler Hotel and we were excited to see it!

Glenn and I drove up to Denver on Tuesday and it just so happened that Evan was having a music concert that night - he was one of a few chosen to represent his school at a special arts evening!  There were lots of songs, bands playing and a couple of great skits - so glad we got to enjoy it!

Wed. morning we were up bright and early to head to the airport!  Glenn was just going to drop me off and go ice fishing!  Check out the beautiful sunrise that greeted us!

I flew Southwest this time and was duly impressed with it as I usually fly Frontier!  It was a nice uneventful flight and I enjoyed flying into Dallas Love as it's a LOT smaller than DFW!  I had a couple of hours to wait until Karen arrived so did a lot of walking and had some great chicken salad at a restaurant!

After Karen arrived, her brother (who lives there in Dallas) picked us up!  He was also kind enough to stop at a grocery store so we could get some snacks, breakfast items and wine before dropping us at our place!

We were all pleased with the security of the apartment - treated like a VRBO, you pick up your keys through a locked system and must use your key to even access the elevator!  Even though our place had a couple of small issues, it was great to have a large space to hang out and the kitchen was a bonus!

After settling in, Karen and I went for a walk to scout out some local restaurants - take a look at this awesome piece of art we walked by!
 

We ended up at a Mexican restaurant where we enjoyed some wine and appetizers - the girls were riding the light rail which stopped only a couple blocks from this restaurant so they joined us - what a great reunion!!

We talked late into the night to catch up with one another and were excited to begin the next 3 days in Dallas!

Do We EVER Stay Home?

The answer to that question is NO!!  I'm feeling a little stressed about not being home as I leave for a 5 day trip to Dallas on Wednesday so heading up to Denver again tomorrow to spend the night for my early flight - and when I get back we are just 6 days away from leaving for Mexico.  The list of things to do BEFORE Mexico seems endless - and I know it will all get done but you know me, I'd rather have it done sooner rather than later!!

But back to the weekend - after spending Thursday at the Hot Springs, we left early Friday to head to Denver - Glenn wanted to ice fish for 3 days and we also had a basketball game of Evan's to watch!

Glenn dropped me off at the house while he headed out to fish - and since Jessi was running a little behind on cleaning, I got her house spruced up in no time and then enjoyed playing with Gwyn when Gary brought her home....................late afternoon a friend of theirs from Grand Junction came in for the night along with 2 kids - we had a houseful!!

Sat. Glenn fished again (and yes, he did catch a LOT of perch!!), Jessi worked and I hung out at the house with the kids!!  I gave the kids their Valentine's Day cards so we could enjoy their gift of ice cream after Evan's game!!

 In the meantime, it started snowing - beautiful snow - and the girls went out to play for just a few minutes because it was pretty cold out!!

It was fun to see Evan play - he's sure improved from last year and does an awesome job at defense! They even won their game!!

Then it was off to Coldstone for ice cream - Jessi always talks about that place being their favorite place for ice cream and yet I had never been there before!!  Well guess what - it's now MY favorite place too!!  YUMMY!!!!

After an easy dinner of Papa Murphy's pizza, Evan opened his birthday gift - his birthday is on the 18th so needed to celebrate a little early!!

We enjoyed watching more of the Olympics Saturday night!!  Sunday Glenn fished once again and Gary had to work but Jessi and I DID DO COFFEE!!!  That doesn't seem to happen near as much as it should when we're up there!!!  But we had an enjoyable chat over some delicious coffee!!

And when Glenn got back in about noon, it was time to pack up and head back to the mountains so start tackling those lists before time gets away from us!! 

Soaking In The Springs

Let's take a day and go to Mt. Princeton Hot Springs - and that's just what friend Jan and I did!!  After grabbing an excellent cup of coffee in Florissant, we headed to Buena Vista to spend a couple of hours soaking!

The day was gorgeous with just a slight breeze - there wasn't much snow over there which was surprising!  The water felt great and after a while in the cooler pool we moved to the hot pool!  Yes, it was hot!!  Hotter than we keep our hot tub!  After about 15 minutes there, we climbed the steps from the water right into the hallway to the lobby!  I went through the door first with Jan right behind me.  Just as I turned to say something to her, it looked to me like she tripped, falling against the wall in front and then flat on the ground!!  I started yelling that we needed some help and the counter guy immediately came around the corner, grabbed some towels to put under her head and she came to about 15 seconds later..............

Apparently she was just in that hot water too long and after she stood up, her blood pressure must have dropped too fast and she went down!!  When she came to her first words to me were "Why am I on the floor?"   She didn't remember going down at all!!  Except for a scraped elbow where she hit the wall, she was fine and was so embarrassed about it happening!!

We stayed out of the hot pool and headed down to the creek so we could sit in it for a while since this was the first time Jan had been to this hot springs and the water was great there!!

We walked over to the adult side (not available unless you stay at the hot springs or pay an extra fee) after dressing back in our street clothes so Jan could see what that was like and then after a great lunch, headed on home!

So except for Jan's light headedness, a great day at the hot springs!!

Ft Collins Fun

What a nice drive from Oshkosh to Ft Collins - on the way, we stopped at Sydney to go to Cabella's - I believe this was the original one built !  Glenn of course needed some fishing stuff ( I can't imagine what he does with it all?) and I ended up getting a cute jacket!

I always love the stuffed wildlife exhibits!

We made it to Jill and Robby's place where Glenn and Robby immediately left to go ice fishing - I stuck around and waited for the kids to get home from school while admiring their newly painted walls and new flooring!!

Saturday Aleah had an early basketball game - she looked so cute on the basketball court!!  They didn't win but it still was fun to see her play!

Glenn and Robby took Parker ice fishing when we all got home - but Glenn forgot to take a picture of him!!  No luck anyway............  In the meantime, Jill was going down their 2 steps to the family room and tripped and rolled her ankle!!  We immediately got ice on it but it started to swell pretty fast!

By afternoon though she decided we could go on our "special" outing with Aleah and then head to Urgent Care to have her ankle checked out just in case.............We headed to "The Chocolate Factory" and Aleah was excited!!

Ordering 2 desserts was PLENTY!!  Aleah wanted the chocolate cake and we decided on key lime key - we STILL took cake home!!  I had a couple cups of delicious coffee to go with it!

 Luckily there were no breaks on Jill's ankle and the dr gave her a brace to wear!  YAY!!

Saturday night we ate a yummy new recipe that Jill made and watched a movie!   Glenn headed out early Sunday morning to go to Aurora to fish as that's where the fish were!!  And he did come back with several fish so he was happy!!

Jill and I just hung out at the house and then headed to see a movie that afternoon!  Jumanji was a great movie and we laughed and laughed!!

Since the guys watched the Super Bowl, we peeked in every so often in between doing things and discussing what Jill needs to bring to Mexico when she flies down to see us!    Robby had gotten hot wings for the guys to eat - too spicy for me!!  Jill and I shared a bottle of wine along with some other goodies!

Parker had to open his birthday gift since we won't be back up there for his 7th birthday!!

We headed home Monday morning - once again an awesome trip - thanks Jill and Robby for the fun weekend!!

Fish or No Fish - That is the Question!!

I couldn't wait to see all the fish that I just knew Glenn was going to bring home on Wed. nite - but there wasn't one fish brought back with him................kind of disappointing I would think!

We headed to The Blind Goose in the next town for dinner that evening - it was a typical midwestern place - very large - restaurant and bar - dance floor - and only one guy at the bar when we walked in!  They had a very extensive menu but when "hot beef sandwich with mashed potatoes and gravy" looked up at me from the menu, my mind was made up!  Dinner was great and the older couple who owned it and were running it were a pleasure to visit with!

It was cold and breezy on Thursday morning - Glenn left early again and not long after he left, the smoke alarm started chirping - that has to be one of the most annoying sounds ever!  I walked to the office and told Maggie about it and she got a new battery and fixed it! 

More of the same for me that day - reading, watching a movie, going out to get the great coffee again and making a 2017 photo book on Snapfish!  I wish I could say that I took a picture of all the fish Glenn brought home that day but I can't - it was a total bust again!!  I think he's done with Nebraska!

Since it was Mexican night at The Blind Goose on Thursday night, we headed over there again for dinner - good food once again!

About the time I went to bed that night at 10:30, the smoke alarm started chirping again - REALLY?  I listened to it for about 10 minutes and knew it wasn't going to stop so drug the chair over and made Glenn get up and take the battery out - it still chirped - so he ended up disconnecting the entire alarm as I wasn't about to go wake up the manager at that time of night!  (the next morning he put it back together right before we were ready to leave and of course I told the gal what was going on when we checked out!!)

Friday morning it was pack up time and breakfast at the little cafe that is open Monday - Friday.  Then it was off to the coffee place for coffee to go and we headed to Ft. Collins for the next 3 days!

Perhaps Ft. Collins will have fish????