No. 63: Another New Restaurant

No. 63: Another New Restaurant

A couple of weeks ago when the fire near the cabin got scary bad, I left town. Spent the night in Denver and then met friend Monica in Colorado Springs for the day. Monica and I met when we both had horses at the same barn. Sadly, the horses are gone but thankfully the friendships remain.
She was up from Texas escaping the heat, I was in the Springs to see her and drop off the stupid Mercedes again. 
It needed to have its repairs repaired. 
Yep, you read that right. 
Bunny hit a deer in my car (um, and her car) back in November but I didn't get it fixed until June. When I picked up the car from the body shop, the hood was so catty whompus the guy parked next to me asked if I was just dropping my car off. Um, no. They've had it for ten days and this was the best they could do. So, back to the body shop affiliate in the Springs and they did a slightly better job in slightly less time. I'm still not 100% happy. But then again, it's the Mercedes. I doubt I'll ever be happy. One problem after the other. 

Anyway.
Monica met me at the Broadmoor Resort, one of the loveliest hotels around. The fam stayed there once a million years ago and it was delightful. It also happens to be Monica's favorite hotel in the Springs and we had lunch reservations at the Broadmoor's newish restaurant Restaurant 1858 at Seven Falls.

Walking up to the Broadmoor.

It is soooo pretty. *

The Broadmoor has a bit of a scam going with this one. To get into the restaurant, you have to buy a ticket to the Falls. Since neither one of us had seen Seven Falls before, that was ok, but still....

Also, there is no parking at the Seven Falls area, you must take a shuttle from the hotel.  That's all well and good but the restaurant called Monica's Texas phone and left a message that they would be opening later, something we didn't find out about until we got to the hotel. (Because, duh, we were in Colorado.)  Then the shuttle ran late so we finally arrived at the restaurant over an hour past our original reservation time. That means we spent quite a bit of time sitting at the shuttle stop.

                  

I made a new friend!

No worries, they still fed us!

Seven Falls is gorgeous. One big waterfall, 181 feet high, with seven distinct drops.  You can climb the 224 steps to the top or do what Monica and I did- ride the elevator up midway. That enabled us to skip 185 steps. We didn't do the last 39 steps.  And taking this info off of the Seven Falls website, I find it hard to believe we just skipped 39 steps. It looked like a WHOLE BUNCH more than that to the top.

My unprofessional pic of the falls. 

You can see the 7 drops though.

At the base of the falls is Restaurant 1858. It takes its name from the gold rush era. Although the Gold rush started in 1848, the restaurant went with a date ten years later. Who knows why?! I'm just repeating what their website said.
The restaurant is decorated in an old west Colorado theme and the food is fresh and locally sourced when possible.

Inside 1858.

We sat on the right. *

Monica's hamburger was grass fed beef. My nachos (hey, it's been a while since I've had any Mexican food-I had a hankering) were enormous. The food was great. The company was greater. 

It was a wonderful day spent with a dear friend. The restaurant was good but not one I would need to go back to.  The falls are beautiful but no more so than much of the free scenery in Colorado.


But it was an experience, and that's the whole point of my 60x60 list. 

* photos from their website

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Well...

Sunday, March 27, 2016

Well...

Well....


I've been absent again. And I've been thinking about why I can't seem to get into this Project Ninety x Ninety.
I think I've figured it out. A couple of things.
One: I'm busy. Not necessarily doing fun stuff but just taking care of business.
Two: and this is the main one: It's too broad a concept. Thirty years. I  can't think that far ahead. I don't want to think that far ahead. (Denial may run in my family. Just sayin'.)

So...what to do?

Think I'm going to steal a line from Buzz Lightyear.  I'm going back to Sixty x Sixty and just change it to "Project Sixty x Sixty... and Beyond."

Today's inspiration.

I'll still have me a list of challenges. I'll still post but maybe not regularly. Or maybe it will be. It will be looser until I figure out exactly what I'm doing with myself.

Apologies for the confusion. It's my state of mind recently.

BUT!

I have been having fun which is another part of the picture.

In the past month I have been to a musical with the former President George H.W. Bush and his lovely wife, Barbara.  I have slept with Frank Lloyd Wright.  I have partied with Florida Georgia Line.

Let me clarify.

A sweet friend took me to see the Sound of Music. A Sunday afternoon performance. The former Prez and his wife live in Houston and are great supporters of the arts. They were also in attendance and were acknowledged by the theater. It's funny, but I have been to three performances over the years where the Bushes have also been in attendance.  This time was particularly interesting as we happened to walk out right as they were also leaving.  Traffic was stopped- both pedestrian and vehicular. Mr. Bush was wheeled out in his wheelchair.  Secret Service men swarmed. The Bushes were loaded up and some very innocuous looking cars suddenly started flashing lights. Off they drove.    I was probably 40 feet from them at the time.

Apparently this is the obligatory "I was here" photo. 

( On another note, I have seen three presidents in my life time. President Kennedy when he was in San Antonio, two nights before he was shot.  President George W. Bush when he was still Governor of Texas and he led the Ft. Bend County Parade one year. And the Senior Bushes at the theater.)



Sleeping with Frank Lloyd Wright? Well, of course not literally.  He's been dead since I was four- that would be gross.  But I did visit a friend whose house has art.  And over my futon was a piece of wallpaper- original and hand printed-from his home furnishings collection, Taliesin.  Tacked to the wall with push pins. I was petrified a stretch during the night would result in a wallpaper tear. 

And Florida Georgia Line? They were at the  Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo where I went with my friend Martha. 

Me and Martha. 

Contemplating new careers 

as Rodeo Clowns.

They were much twangier in person than I expected. But a great show and a wonderful evening. 

Florida Georgia Line in concert at the HLSR.

Anyway, to infinity and beyond!! 

(And getting a great giggle at the fact that I've managed to include a toy action figure, a country music band, a former President and an acclaimed architect in one post.)