I've gotten behind in my blogging because BW is on vacation this week and one of the many things keeping us busy is planning a real vacation this summer - the kind where you actually go away somewhere instead of staying home doing chores and home improvement projects - our first one together in over nine years! If one of us travels somewhere, the other almost always stays home to take care of our critters, but this year our friend Robyn is going to house and critter-sit for us!
(Big round of applause for Robyn!) 
Working on the vacation details has had me reminiscing about my trip last summer. I drove to Denver to meet my friend Joanne, who flew in from Detroit, and we then drove to Boulder where we spent a fun four days of hiking, shopping, eating and conducting in-depth research on Boulder's breweries. :-) We did this trip instead of exchanging Christmas and birthday presents last year, so we celebrated our birthdays together in Boulder and enjoyed Christmas in July! :-)
I wasn't blogging last summer when this post would have been a lot more timely, but better late than never, here are some highlights of our trip...
Beautiful Boulder...
We were there during Boulder's 31st annual ArtFair, so there was a lot of extra cool stuff going on in addition to all the amazing artisan booths and the incredible farmer's market.
Boulder is full of neat stuff...
Like fun sculptures...
And great places to eat, including...
All vegan, all organic, all yum. We ate here twice.
to celebrate my "birthday observed"...
where we enjoyed an al fresco lunch on the patio...
where we celebrated Jo's August birthday
with the best meal we had in Boulder!
We had them veganize the special, marinated portobella wraps, by leaving off the cheese and subbing guacamole for the ranch dressing. They were sensational! (They need to permanently ditch the cow secretions - these seriously rock with guac!) :-)
Boulder has a lot of fun and unique shops...
So when we weren't stuffing our faces we entertained ourselves in fun stores like It's Your Move (where they let you play with the toys and make fools of yourselves!)...
(Oh Jo, the chapeau is so you.
But you need that tie-dye shirt to go with it!)
My favorite stores in Boulder were Into the Wind, where I bought this beautiful butterfly kite, and Farfel's Farm, where I bought Josie this stylin' hemp tribal collar.
Boulder also has some beautiful houses...
These are just a couple of many we admired on our self-guided Historic Homes Walking Tour in Mapleton Hill. The one on the left is the Arnett Fullen House, ca 1877. (Don't have a clue about the one on the right, but thought it was pretty!)
We actually got invited inside this one...
We met the owner walking her dog and chatted as we walked together. When we ended up in front of this beauty she said, "This is where I live, want to come in and see it?" Duh, YEAH! Not only was it beautiful with an interesting history, but a violent thunderstorm blew up while we were there, so we were grateful to have shelter. Bonus that it was such elegant shelter! Thanks, Peggy! :-) Boulder has very friendly people!
(Joanne made sure to capture every Kodak Moment!) :-)
And Boulder has a great sense of humor!
(and is a very dog-friendly town!)
Great post. I feel like I was there with you.
ReplyDeleteCan't wait to hear where you and BW are going on your real vacation. So nice of Robyn to house and critter sit for you. What a great buddy!
The hat totally matches your personality. You should have brought it home. Can you imagine the looks from the deer if you wore it outside on one of your walks? I am giggling just thinking about it.
talk to you later,
Alicia
Wow, what a fun trip! Those meals look yummy too.
ReplyDeleteThat doggy sign is hilarious! Reminds me of a time where this dog kept leaving "presents" in front of our workplace everyday. We caught him in the act on our security cam and I was already to print a sign that says, "Hey you with the teal black jacket and black dog that walks by every morning at 6:45am...if your dog poops, please scoop!" Luckily, the dog must have gotten my psychic message because he stopped leaving his gift. :-D
Ah, Boulder, how I love thee! I really, really enjoyed this post and am looking forwar to part 2!
ReplyDeleteRobyn is a mighty fine friend to be watching the house & critters for you. Yay for Robyn!
I'm glad to hear that you're going on a vacation together, too. It's so nice to be out on a trip with barely any responsibilities for a while. We adore our road trips, especially to Colorado. :)
Oh, and off topic- I ordered a Shakti mat today. I can't wait to get it! I'll email you asap.
Alicia - Thank you, I'm glad you felt like you were along for the fun! :-)
ReplyDeleteYes, we're very lucky and grateful to have Robyn to take care of everyone and everything! And the girls just love her.
LOL re: the hat! I wish I had bought it, but the price made it too indulgent, given that I'd have few opportunities to wear it (though it would have been stunning with that haute couture dress in my previous post, don't you think? I'd have been QUITE the topic of conversation at the Jell-O Salad parties, for sure!) :-D As for my deer friends' reactions, I think they'd have been startled at first, then they probably would have figured it was a new and colorful food item I'd decided to carry on my head, like Carmen Miranda. :-) After discovering that no, it was merely a flamboyant new fashion accessory, they'd have gone back to mugging my coat pockets. :-) (I keep picturing it on Punky! LOL!)
VW - It was indeed fun and oh my yes, those meals were über-yummy!
Your dog story is a hoot! Too bad your pooping perpetrator picked up on your telepathy, because the teal jacket guy's reaction to your sign, caught on your security camera, would have gone viral as a YouTube video! :-D
Molly - I thought about you while I was putting this post together! Figured you'd see some familiar names and landmarks, and enjoy reliving your own Boulder visit(s)! It is a town worthy of our love, indeed.
We definitely need a change of scenery and a break from our routine. It's good to get away and blow out the cobwebs now and then, and we're overdue for sure! We're not leaving till the end of June, but we're excited already. :-)
How fun that you ordered your Shakti mat! (I need to do a post on that one of these days!) I think you'll really like it! ;-) Which color did you get?
Hey Stinky!! Love the additional Boulder pics. Heck, I loved the ones you sent last Summer, too ;-). Someday we must visit that beautiful town. And.....it's good to see the two of you are actually going someplace together this year. Any clues as to where?
ReplyDeleteLater Tater!!
Hey, Spuddles!
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you enjoyed the additional pics... more to come! And yes, Boulder is most definitely worth a visit!
As for our upcoming summer vacation...
Any clues as to where?
Ayuh. ;-)
We might be going to Boulder in June, actually. :) It all depends on how my Crystal Kitty is faring.
ReplyDeleteI got the green mat because it seemed more "naturey". Is that a word? heh
Molly, I hope Crystal fares well! And how nice that you may get the chance to return to Boulder this June!
ReplyDelete"Naturey" is a good enough word for me, I completely understand what you're trying to express, and isn't that the purpose of words anyway? ;-)
Great post! I will be in Denver in May, maybe I'll make it to Boulder. I'm so excited about seeing mountains!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Mary! Oh, you'll love Denver's Rockies (the mountains, not the baseball team... I know you're a Red Sox fan!) ;-) Boulder's not far, if you can fit it in, it's definitely worth a visit!
ReplyDeleteI shared your Blog with family and friends BEFORE I read it through myself - I'm about to get some serious ribbing about that hat I'm sporting! :-) It'll be worth it because I'm sure they'll really enjoy it - I know I did.
ReplyDeleteJoanne
AdventureJo - LOL!! Well, I hope your family and friends enjoy that picture as much as I do! And if you ever whip up any quilted photo mementos of this trip like you did for our Shipshewana expedition, you MUST include it. ;-)
ReplyDelete