Wanted: Blue Hydrangeas

We spent the early afternoon walking through the lovely Denver Botanic Gardens. I snapped a few photos of pansies that have the most extraordinary color. I especially love anything with even a hint of blue.

I was so inspired, that I spent several hours looking for blue potted hydrangeas at various stores. To no avail, I purchased these pink ones.

They’re pretty, but I really want blue. So…I’ll use my grandmothers’ technique of putting coffee grounds in the soil and see if I can change them over.

 

Spring!

Spring has finally sprung in Denver! We took a morning walk along Cherry Creek…gorgeous cobalt blue skies and just a thin filigree of spring green leaves on the trees.

Here’s to long Saturday afternoons of sitting on the balcony, reading, sipping iced tea, and enjoying our low humidity!

COUTUREColorado blog 3-year anniversary party

Thursday was a special treat, as we were invited to COUTUREColorado‘s three-year anniversary party at Lannie’s Clocktower. The music was fun, snacks & cocktails were lovely, but most of all, the DECOR transformed a cool, industrial interior into a gorgeous space.

Thank you, ladies, for hosting such a beautiful event!

Marg’s Taco Bistro

When a new restaurant opened up recently in Cherry Creek that wasn’t Italian, I was thrilled. As I often do, I went online to check the reviews of Marg’s Taco Bistro. Sadly, they weren’t great. I chatted with friends who had been and, again, I heard less than stellar feedback.

Yesterday, however, True Food was on a 20 minute lunch wait (wonderfully tasty health food from the same owners of North) and the weather was so gorgeous, we decided to give Marg’s a try for ourselves. I’m glad we did!

We started with the salsa sampler, having a tough time choosing three out of a list of seven. The tomatilla and chipotle sauces were our favorites. We then split a taco sampler, choosing six out of a long list of “world” tacos. The Vietnamese banh mi was my absolute favorite while my husband preferred the India-inspired chicken vindaloo.

Best of all, we sat outside in unusually warm February weather and had wonderful service. It’s a great spot for a casual lunch and I suspect we’ll be visiting their patio more this spring.

Becoming Van Gogh exhibit at Denver Art Museum

If you haven’t had the chance to check out Becoming Van Gogh at DAM, I highly recommend it. I was so impressed that our “little” art museum pulled together this amazing collection from pieces that usually reside in places such as Boston Museum of Fine Arts, Van Gogh Museum Amsterdam, and Musée d’Orsay, just to name a few.

I did the audio tour this time – a rarity for me. I usually prefer to just observe and enjoy the work on my own. I’m so glad I made an exception this time, as the audio drew your attention to subtle changes that the artist made in his technique during the evolution of his work.

I had no idea how very self-taught Van Gogh was. His story is an amazing testament to focus, hard work, and using the resources one has.

The exhibit will only be showing at DAM and will be here through January 20, 2013.

A Day in Pompeii at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science

If you live in the Denver area or plan to visit, definitely consider putting this exhibit on your list.

DMNS does a lovely job of showing what life was like in Pompeii prior to Vesuvius’ infamous eruption. Dining al fresco, indoor plumbing, snacking on local and exotic fruits…I was reminded of what an advanced culture the Roman Empire was. It found it difficult to fathom that this culture preceded the Middle Ages.

Towards the end of the exhibit, you are stunned by the utter demolition of a beautiful city in just over 24 hours. The plaster casts of humans and animals are humbling yet a sight to behold.

After seeing this exhibit, I put Italy back on “the list” of places to go. Right now, it looks like:

• Paris & Versailles in 2012
• Tokyo in 2013
• Scotland in 2014
• Italy – especially Rome, Naples, & Pompeii – in 2015

Changes are afoot at the Bull & Bush

I’ve lived within walking distance of the Bull & Bush for years, but I find myself going there more and more often these days. The staff is happier and more friendly, there are great new beers to try every week, and they seem to be entering a new phase in their 41 year history.

One innovative new way to experience beer is with their whole hop infusion (like a French press with a variety of hops from which to choose). 5280 recently featured Table 6 with the dry-hopping idea. My understanding, however, is that B&B was the first.

Currently the kitchen is closed for renovation. Most restaurants would simply close down or offer lame pub snacks. B&B has once again showed creativity by hiring food trucks to park in the lot. For now, you can bring your own food into the restaurant, which means that I can walk down to Sam Taylor’s for BBQ to go, then  enjoy it at the B&B with an excellent pint…heaven!

B&B is celebrating its 41st birthday this weekend with the Samples playing tonight at 9 pm. As of this post, tickets are still available.

Colorado Urban Winefest

Yesterday, we attended the 2nd annual Colorado Urban Winefest in downtown Denver. I’m so glad we got there early, as it eventually got too hot to enjoy wine. The day started with coffee in Larimer Square.

I sported my new Audrey hat.

After brunch at the always-charming Bistro Vendome, we headed for the Winefest on the grounds outside of the DCPA. We saw some Colorado favorites (Canyon Wind, Whitewater Hill) and discovered many amazing wineries that were new to us:

• Guy Drew: the crispest whites around. I didn’t realize until we were leaving that the kind and knowledgable gentleman pouring for us was actually Guy Drew!
• Col. Clifton DeBeQue’s Tart & Twangy bloody mary mix: if you secretly sip the pickle juice from the jar after all the pickles are gone, this is for you. Col. DeBeQue also has the cutest sales schtick that he does with his son.
• Leroux Creek Vineyards: the My Cherry Amour will be perfect with barbeque later this week.
• Maison Le Belle Vie: the Vin de Peche is summer in a bottle.

My one suggestion for next year: hold it in Washington Park or City Park if possible. The lack of shade caused us to leave much earlier than we might have otherwise. Overall, it was a great time with folks who are passionate about Colorado’s wine and produce!

Wine Bottling 101

Thanks to new friends we met on the Western Slope last weekend, we were invited to experience a wine blending/bottling party and to help with the process. It was so fun and I learned so much! (Blend #3 is going to be phenomenal!)

Here’s a video showing the corking process.

Colorado’s Wine Country

I had already been itching to get to our Western Slope, Colorado’s fruit basket and home to our quickly growing wine industry. A quick check on Denver’s upcoming weekend forecast was all the arm-twisting that it took.

 

The drive along I-70 is gorgeous. Some of my favorite sections are when you see the first 14-ers in Evergreen, going through Vail,

and (of course!) Glenwood Canyon. We chose to stay at the Wine Country Inn in Palisade as opposed to our usual Grand Junction. As per our reservation package, they had a lovely snack and a bottle of wine waiting for us. The wine was made from grapes that had grown less than 100 yards from our window.

Saturday morning, we woke to a breath-taking view over vineyards and mesas. While waiting for our Palisade Pedicab, we took a walk around the hotel and grounds.

     

The pedicab is a GREAT DEAL! For $135, Shawn will take you to various vineyards, lunch spots, and will point out local flora and historical interests. I was most impressed with the service that both Palisade Pedicab and the Wine Country Inn provided.

It was a lovely, relaxing weekend getaway…perfect for two city dwellers/workers desperately in need of some R&R!