Wednesday, August 30, 2017

Retired Teacher's Trip to Colorado ~Denver's 16th Street Mall ~7th Day: My Report

The last day of hubby's conference...our last day in Denver.
I had four hours to entertain myself, all on my own.

That's easy to do when your hotel is on the 16th Street Mall,
a mile of shops, restaurants and attractions.
(Pedestrians and city buses only)





There is a piano, or two, on every block,
with plenty of musicians sharing their talent.

Speaking of talent,
this mural was a typical site down the alleyways.

Another typical site in the stores.




Need something for your sweet tooth?


My morning, strolling along the mall, went fast.
I returned to the hotel, and hubby was there shortly after,
ready to check out and load the car.

Thank you, Denver, 
for your fine hospitality.

Take care,
~Natalie

Tuesday, August 29, 2017

Trip to Colorado ~My Highlight was Spending the Day with a BFF from High School.

This was just the best day.
Hubby had to go to work and I had the day to play.
Jan arranged to have the day off from her work.


We had a lovely lunch here at Marlows,
right on the 16th Street Mall.

We girls go way back...
This was our "squad" in 1973.
We spent time together in classes, cheerleading,
at piano festivals, at sleep-overs, group dating, 
and youth group activities at our church.

Actually, Jan and I had been spending time together...
well, since we were babies.
Our mothers were friends and involved 
in the same activites in our small community.

I don't have many photos of our whole group...
but this is one special occasion when we went out to eat.

This was the last time we were together.
December 1989.
We girls had a mini reunion with our families.
This is Jan with her hubby and two of their three daughters.

Here is our family on that same day.

While we had sent Christmas Cards back and forth,
we had not seen each other for over 27 years.

We shopped along the 16th Street Mall,
and I especially loved the little shops in Littleton,
closer to her home.

( I purchased this bracelet in a little boutique in Jan's hometown,
a souvenir of our special time spent together)

But the truth is,
we did more talking than shopping!

While we were shopping,
Jan's hubby came home from work and prepared
a light dinner for us.

We sat out on their patio.
It was so fun to get reacquainted.

Thank you, Jan.
It was the most wonderful day!

Take care,
~Natalie

Monday, August 28, 2017

Celebrating Hubby's Birthday in Denver ~America's Pastime:There's No Better Way to Spend the Day ~When You Go to a Ballgame and a Dog Show Breaks Out

On the fifth morning we moved downtown.
This was our fifth hotel in five days.
(Yes, my suitcase was a mess...
I just wanted to hang some of my clothes up in the closet!)

This was our home-away-from-home during the Conference.
Hubby could go to his meetings and I could walk along
check out all the attractions.

It was Hubby's birthday.
To celebrate, we went to a Colorado Rockies game.

#nobetterwaytospendtheday

Hubby got into the spirit by playing this game.
He won a rally towel.
Little did we know that towel was such a useful prize...
There was a quick rain shower,
and we had the towel to dry our stadium seats after the rain delay!

The skies cleared and it was show time!

Much to our delight, 
it was Bark in the Park Night at Coors Stadium.
Is that not just the happiest looking dog you have seen?!

Happy and Proud.
Not sure who was enjoying this more...
the dogs or the humans?


The parade was confined to the warning track
(for obvious reasons)
which is a long way to walk, if you have short legs.


Some pets were all business...

...and some were there to socialize.

Looking for Love in all the Right Places.

And then it was time for the real reason we were there.

The dogs were off the field, the rain tarp was rolled up,
and we had our Stadium Brat.
Let's Play Ball.

And play ball they did...
The Rockies won 17 to 2 that night.

It was a nice walk from the stadium back to our hotel.
I hope you had a wonderful birthday, honey.

Take care,
~Natalie

Sunday, August 27, 2017

This Retired Teacher's Road Trip to Colorado ~Boulder's Pearl Street ~Denver, our Final Destination ~Day Four: My Report

A morning stroll along Pearl Street,
(according to CBS Sunday Morning)

No Bison fan could walk past this sculpture without taking a photo.

Remember, Hubby was not on vacation...
he was there for work.
He found a place with wifi so he could particiapte in a
Tax Managers conference call.

I enjoyed the shops along the Pearl Street Mall.
I found a great sale on some sandals...
but my favorite was this awesome kitchen store.

photo courtesty of Downtown Boulder webpage
I could live in that store!
 a
After a visit to one of Boulder's local brew houses,
we had some lunch and were on our way.


Our final destination,
Denver, Colorado.

So much to see and do...

We spent the evening at the
Hubby got his phone repaired at the Apple Store...
which totally made his day.

We also found this...
A reminder that we have some
pretty lonesome cats at home!

Take care,
~Natalie

Road Trip ~Day Three ~Burger Battle ~Sweet Shopping Highlights

Our last full travel day took us through four states… Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, and Tennessee. Including some Big Bridges over some Big ...