Ski Bunnies, Ski Buddies

OK, Check out Kirk and his Ski Bunnies [oh, I mean ski buddies, right?]. When we are not working as professional innsitters Kirk and I  love to play outdoors and in the winter that means skiing. Skiing is always more fun if you have buddies to ski with. In this photo our "buddies" are Elizabeth Padilla and Claire Beland, two friends from Golden CO, and we are skiing at Winter Park Resort . Winter Park is a great ski area because it is close to Denver and has lots of great terrain. As you can see, we got a day of stunning weather so we could see all the surrounding mountains - WOW!

Not such a stunning day here at
Copper Mountain Ski area but Kirk had fun with his Ski Buddy, and cousin, Scot Taylor. Since we did not have a group of Ski Bunnies with us, I let the two guys go ski all the difficult black diamond runs while I spent my time on the intermediate slopes - still fun!

Of course Kirk's favorite Ski Bunny had better be - moi!! This is obviously a much better day at Copper Mountain and we are up on Hallelujah Ridge with amazing views in all directions and yes, it is a difficult black diamond run and I loved it - I guess I'm just a fair weather skier!

Kirk's other favorite Ski Bunny is our daughter, Martine Worrall Stillman. Here they are skiing at Park City Resort  and loving it! Not much snow there but lots of great groomed runs.

                                         Ski Buddies are good for more than just skiing -
                             CHEERS to all our friends who like to go play in the snow with us!

History Lesson

 
  One of the fun hats that a professional innsitter  wears  is that of "concierge". To do this well, you need to know at least a little bit of local history. Kirk loves museums and other historical displays and learns a lot about each of our new areas this way [big YAWN for me]. I need to see historical artifacts in front of me so I love old photos and especially old buildings, homes and cemeteries. Old schools and churches are a great way for me to get a history lesson.  I'm always making Kirk stop so I can poke around and learn something.

  Our current assignment is in Buena Vista Co and the chamber of commerce is housed in a lovely old church. Of course we had to stop in and get some tips so that we could tell our guests the top 10 things to do in BV. This church was built in 1880 - the St Rose of Lima Catholic Church- the second church to be built in Buena Vista. It served as a church until 1964 and became the visitors center in the 1970s. It always makes me happy to see these living reminders of history still in use [unlike the unknown church or school in Leadville pictured above].

Because the weather in Colorado is so dry, many of these old buildings remain in good shape for over 100 years. This is the Nathrop school built in 1881 and used as a school until 1946. Today the town of Nathrop [just south of BV] is just a few houses centered around this lovely old building. But it is easy for me to picture children going to school here 100 years ago from all the surrounding ranches.

This beautifully restored history lesson is the Maysville School from 1882 - wow! I just had to stop to take this photo and look around: much better than any museum, right??

Liar, Liar!

As Interim Innkeepers we get to work in lots of lovely places but I would be a liar if I said that Liars Lodge  was not one of the most lovely. It is a beautiful five room B&B that hangs out over the Arkansas River in Buena Vista Colorado. Built of log with a huge fireplace separating the great room and the dining room, it is a stunning example of mountain architecture. It has a free standing curved log staircase to the upper floor and huge windows to showcase the Arkansas River on one side and the Rocky Mountains on the other. The vaulted wood ceiling rises at least 25 feet to skylights letting in light for all the plants hanging in the "solarium".

                                                                         

I'd also be a liar if I said that this lodge was not very different for us to innsit.  Buena Vista is a big fishing destination and Liars Lodge mostly caters to fishermen [liars, ha ha] but in the winter Liars Lodge hosts big groups of women who knit or quilt and we get to take care of them. We usually only cook breakfast for our guests but here we cook dinner and lunch for each of these groups. Lots of work but a really fun crowd!










This dinner included a beautiful veggie platter that Kirk created. I can't believe how artistic he can be!! And it tasted just as good as it looked, all of the ladies raved.



Fortunately the meals are all served buffet style which makes our job a little easier.

       I'm not a liar when I say that we love working at Liars Lodge in Buena Vista Colorado!

Mile High Magic

Denver Colorado is called the "mile high city" because it sits at 5,280 feet above sea level. And although the altitude sometimes gets to us, we consider Denver to be a magic city. It has the perfect combination of western heritage and urban sophistication. It also has lots of fun and historical things for a visitor to do.

 Denver's famous "Clock Tower" was built in the early 19th century and has been renovated to it's current glory. In the winter there is a small ice-skating rink in a park just below the tower where we like to go to play.  Check out the skating cowboy!!!














One of the other great historic buildings in Denver is the Union Station. First built in 1881, it's current renovation has made it an architectural gem with lots of the original details - check out the chandeliers - but also lots of modern touches. It currently houses restaurants, stores, bars and the Amtrak office.

     I did say there were "bars" in the Union Station, right?  Well the Terminal Bar is my favorite. It is housed in the original ticket office and you can sit on old train benches with brass foot rails and sip a drink while you look out of the old ticket windows. All of the drawers, cubby holes, and brass fixtures are still in place. It's easy to picture the train travel from 1881 till now [well, maybe it's easier after the first drink!].



  Here I am, ready to sell you a ticket to Omaha or finish my cosmo.... whichever!

NO - more PAII

 This year the PAII [innkeepers] conference was held in NO [New Orleans]. So of course my client Elizabeth Padilla and I had to go - duh! I know you just think we went to New Orleans for the food, fun, music and sightseeing but you are wrong. We went to the PAII conference to take classes, talk to fellow innkeepers, network and see new industry trends. Well, maybe we wanted to do a little of both.

This is a cooking class I took that was taught by famous New Orleans chef Kevin Belton. I actually did not learn much because innkeepers do not often cook etoufee or jambalaya for breakfast. But we did get to taste his special homemade pralines after we watched him make them. What a treat! He teaches at the New Orleans School of Cooking and if you go, you can take classes 6 days a week.

This is networking at its best - IIN is a group of Interim Innkeepers. I am a member and it is always fun to meet fellow innsitters at these conferences, catch up, tell stories and get new tips. Because we interim innkeepers are scattered all over the country the PAII conference is a good chance to meet.

       


 Networking is even more fun when there is a "masquerade ball" for all the innkeepers. In the traditional New Orleans style there were lots of folks in masks and green, gold and purple were the predominant colors. Elizabeth and I shopped for our feather boas on Bourbon Street and then got to wear them at the party . FUN!

 Of course we did also do a bit of sightseeing. We strolled the parks, ate bignets, visited the cathedral, shopped for trinkets and even got to hear a little bit of jazz music.
                                         Such fun with the Innkeepers in New Orleans!

                                       What's your favorite thing to do in the "big easy"?

We're Nutty!

I know we are a nutty family but every year for the last 30 years our family has had a tradition of going to the Nutcracker Ballet as part of our holiday celebration. We used to always go to Oregon Ballet Theater in  Portland but now that our daughter lives in Seattle we see the magical, whimsical version done by the Pacific Northwest Ballet .

This year was an especially magical year for us to see the Nutcracker Ballet because of course we got to take our little granddaughter Eleanor. She loved it - watched the stage and clapped when everyone else did. The PNB Nutcracker was designed by Maurice Sendak [the author of Where the Wild Things Are] so it is a more fanciful interpretation of the traditional ballet.

   This is one of his rat kings...  and obviously my grand-baby is a little nervous but she is safe in granddad's arms!

















 

   I just love this tradition - I love the Nutcracker Ballet and I also love an elegant evening out with my family. It's a great way to start Christmas!


Happy Holidays to all of you!



                                                           

Cowboy Culture

Contrary to popular opinion, Denver is not just Cowboys and Stockshows. The "mile high city" also has a lot of fine Cowboy Culture and when we get a chance we visit as much of it as we can. The Anschutz Collection of Western Art  is housed in this stately old home. Across from the Brown Palace Hotel, the house has a bawdy past but is now fully refinished to be a lovely showcase for Mr Anschutz's collection. The front of each floor is left intact as a period "parlor" but the interior is a lofty and modern space with floor to ceiling paintings hung in the 19th century "salon style". An amazing array of art including Bierstadts, Remingtons, Russells, and O'Keefes. WOW!






This is the famous Klaus Von Oldenburg statue in front of the Denver Art Museum. And look who is visiting DAM with her grandparents! We were here to see the incredible display of Cartier jewelry. It's a world exclusive exhibit called "Brilliant" that encompasses 75 years of stunning jewelry and other ornaments. Most of the jewels are original and real. The show also gives a historical overview with many interesting insights into the people for whom the pieces were created: kings, queens, maharajahs and movie stars.

For outdoor art, the Denver Botanic Gardens has an exhibit of Chihuly blown glass. Most of his pieces are wild and crazy like the chandelier above my baby's head. But at the Botanic Gardens the art blends with the flowers, plantings and water features. Some of it is surprisingly lovely and peaceful. It's a real treat to wander around and enjoy it all.

Now for true Cowboy Culture try Urban Cowboy at the Mile High Station. This is a fund raiser for Brent's Place, and it involves lots of food, drink, swing dancing and mechanical bull riding. OK, we did dance - we did not ride the bull!!

            So there you have it- the brief overview of Cowboy Culture in Denver. Check it out!