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Colorado Family Memories

November 2019 - February 2020
A 108-day adventure by Two to Travel Read more
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  • Two to TravelColorado Family Memories

    CoSprings: Downtown Holiday Cheer

    December 8, 2019 in the United States ⋅ ☁️ 50 °F

    Cold day, though the temp was not bad. It was the stiff breeze that made it uncomfortable to be outdoors during the day. Nonetheless, we bundled up and went out after nightfall to add to our "holiday cheer" memories. Luckily, by that time the wind had died down so that we could wander around in reasonable comfort.

    This time we drove into downtown Colorado Springs to check out the lights. We parked near Acacia Park where the Colorado Springs Christmas Tree is located. Strolling through the park, we found the ice skating rink ... which was doing brisk business. With the shops closed on this Sunday night, the streets were quiet.

    We don't make it a habit to go inside a hotel unless we are staying there ... or there is a pressing need to do so 😉 We made an exception in the case of The Antlers, a Wyndham property that is the third one to sit on the site ... the original hotel by that name was built first in 1883 and then again in 1901 after a fire destroyed the first building. The lobby was dazzling, to say the least.

    After leaving The Antlers, we looked for a place that might be open and serving hot chocolate. No luck. I guess Sunday night after dinner is not a good time to be out and about in Colorado Springs on a cold winter night. But we saw what we came to see, so a good outing from our perspective.    Read more

  • Two to TravelColorado Family Memories

    CoSprings: Dinner @ Flying Horse

    December 10, 2019 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 37 °F

    When we moved into our home in March, Classic (the builder) gave us a welcome basket of goodies. Tucked in amongst the goodies was a certificate for dinner at the Steakhouse at Flying Horse.

    Unfortunately, our plan to dine there last spring was derailed when we got hit by a bombogenesis. For those not familiar with the terminology, it's basically a bomb cyclone ... a meteorological term that refers to a rapidly intensifying low-pressure system with blizzard conditions. (Photos at https://eenusa.smugmug.com/COS-Life/BC03-19/.) We didn't have a chance to try for another reservation before we left Colorado in June for our annual overseas trip.

    Fast forward to December. With the dinner certificate nearing its expiration date, we made reservations to go to Flying Horse tonight with mom and Aylin ... definitely more fun than going alone. We had a delightful meal ... with an ambiance that melds the casual with the elegant. Those who had the filet mignon deemed their meat cooked to perfection. Mom enjoyed her ½ lobster tail. And I was well satisfied with the Caprese salad and blue crab cake I cobbled together from the appetizer side of the menu.

    I had hoped to wander around after dinner to enjoy any holiday cheer that we might find on the grounds. But it was just too darn cold!    Read more

  • Two to TravelColorado Family Memories

    CoSprings: Snow Baby ... Snow

    December 16, 2019 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 27 °F

    Since our arrival in Colorado Springs in mid-November, mom and Aylin have been hoping for snow. A lot of it. You see, where they live in İzmir, Turkey, it doesn't snow ... except perhaps for a light frosting on the tippy-top of the nearby mountains. And even that doesn't stay on the ground for long.

    Well, we've had a couple of snow events, but nothing of the magnitude they were hoping for. There was quite a bit of snow at the end of November, but the sidewalks were too icy for us to safely venture out and play in the white stuff. We got lucky the second time around.

    Our second snowstorm since returning home started yesterday afternoon. By this morning there was more than 3" accumulated ... I know because the snow clearing crew showed up before 7:00a. While there was definitely 3"+ in the driveway, no way to really know total accumulation from the storm since the wind blew the white stuff helter-skelter in every direction.

    At least this time the skies cleared quickly and with no ice on the ground, we were able to go out for a stroll to enjoy the wonder of winter.    Read more

  • Two to TravelColorado Family Memories

    CoSprings: Where the Antelope Play

    December 17, 2019 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 25 °F

    "Oh, give me a home where the Buffalo roam
    Where the Deer and the Antelope play;
    Where seldom is heard a discouraging word,
    And the sky is not cloudy all day."

    No buffalo where we live in Colorado Springs. But we do have antelope that come to visit several times a week ... as they did again today. Most of the time they are grazing ... though we've seen them gamboling on the plains, too.

    No matter how often we spy them, it's always exciting to have the antelope come calling. Especially for mom and Aylin for whom seeing wildlife is a unique experience ... just doesn’t happen in İzmir. Whoever sees the antelope first always alerts the rest of us and we usually step out on our deck to enjoy the sighting. We love seeing wildlife going about their lives.    Read more

  • Two to TravelColorado Family Memories
    222112

    CoSprings: Pikes Peak

    December 21, 2019 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 37 °F

    My brother-in-law, Murat, arrived yesterday. He'll be with us until 8 January when he and Aylin will fly back to Turkey. In other words ... a short time here and not a moment to waste.

    Taking advantage of a blue-sky day with plenty of sunshine and warm temps reaching 60F, we headed out to do a bit of sightseeing with my mom, Aylin, and Murat.

    Our initial plan was to visit the Garden of the Gods. But when we found out that the road to the tippy top of Pikes Peak was open, we jiggled our plans. Along the way, we lost the warm temperature forecasted for the lower elevations, but blue skies and sunshine accompanied us all the way up to 14,115 feet. It was well below freezing at the summit, but with no wind to add a chill factor, we were quite comfortable once we were bundled up in our layers.

    Our one disappointment — ongoing construction at the peak where a new Summit Complex is being built blocked certain areas. Unfortunately, that meant that some of the breathtaking views that inspired the writing of "America the Beautiful" were not available for us to enjoy.

    We wrapped up our outing with a delightful tapas lunch at our favorite place in Old Colorado City — TAPAteria.    Read more

  • Two to TravelColorado Family Memories

    From USAFA to Pueblo

    December 22, 2019 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 39 °F

    Poor Garden of the Gods. Once again we planned to take our visitors there. Once again we changed our minds. This time because the skies were mostly cloudy and the light was dull. You really do need blue skies to enhance the beauty of the red rocks of this amazing natural area.

    Instead, we headed out after lunch to give mom, Aylin, and Murat a tour of the US Air Force Academy grounds. We spent some time at the Visitor Center from where we were going to take the trail to see the Academy Chapel. We knew the building itself was closed due to ongoing restoration work, but did not anticipate that the trail would be off limits as well. Oh well! At least the deer that we always see around the USAFA grounds made an appearance before we left.

    The second part of our day’s plans went as anticipated — a drive down to Pueblo to stroll along the Historic Arkansas Riverwalk. It was after 3:00p when we arrived to find the city all but deserted ... quite surprising, I thought. But then again, perhaps there was a football game that kept people indoors on this unseasonably warm winter day.

    Since we wanted to see the holiday lights along the Riverwalk, we decided to have dinner first. Mui had already done his research, so we headed to the Brues Alehouse. The brewpub is housed in the city’s revitalized old police building/jail. We had a nice meal — and enjoyed some of the beer brewed on the premises — but I was disappointed that more of the ambiance of the original building was not retained.

    After dinner, we bundled up in a few extra layers and went for a stroll towards the far end of the Riverwalk before slowly making our way back to the parking lot where we had left the car. The holiday lights were indeed a-twinkle by this time and the calm water provided a mirror to reflect the lights. We wrapped up our evening with a quick detour to the Pueblo Union Depot where a synchronized light show was on display.

    While we enjoyed our evening, I’m not sure I can say that the drive to see the holiday lights — 60 miles each way — was worth it. That said, I did spy some lovely murals in Pueblo, so a return trip is not unlikely.    Read more

  • Two to TravelColorado Family Memories
    22

    Denver: Monet's Water Lillies and More

    December 23, 2019 in the United States ⋅ ☁️ 61 °F

    "The richness I achieve comes from NATURE, the source of my INSPIRATION." ~~ Claude Monet ~~

    Today's adventure germinated back in October. We were still in İzmir, Turkey at the time. Not sure if Mui got a message from Sonia and Boris or if it was vice versa. In any event, we ended up purchasing tickets for the "Claude Monet: The Truth of Nature" exhibit for 10:00a on December 23.

    Fast forward to today. A quick breakfast this morning and at 8:30a we set out to drive from Colorado Springs to Denver. Google gave the drive time as one hour and nine minutes. With no mishaps along the way, we pulled into a parking lot near the Denver Art Museum at the appointed time. A few minutes later, we were hanging up our jackets and heading to the queue to enter the exhibit. Perfect timing ... no waiting in line.

    When Monet's name is mentioned, most will immediately think of his famous water-lily paintings. As we were reminded at this exhibit, however, he painted a wide variety of subjects ... most, if not all, focused on landscapes in one way or another.

    Audioguides in hand (included in the admission), we slowly wandered through the various galleries, stopping frequently to gaze at paintings that made a particular impression on us. I thought it was interesting that we often found ourselves studying different paintings ... our interests as varied as the paintings themselves.

    After exiting the last Monet gallery, we went on to check out some of the other exhibits at the museum. But I'll leave that for another footprint and end by quoting the artist himself ...

    "Above all I wanted to be truthful and exact. For me a landscape hardly exists at all as a landscape, because its appearance is constantly changing... You have to know how to seize just the right moment in a landscape instantaneously, because that particular moment will never come again, and you're always wondering if the impression you got was truthful."
    ~~ Claude Monet ~~

    That flash-free photography was allowed came as a pleasant surprise. I've attached a few photos, but if you would like to see more, click the link below to visit my online gallery.

    https://eenusa.smugmug.com/North-America-US-Can…    Read more

  • Two to TravelColorado Family Memories

    Denver: Art Museum Wrap Up

    December 23, 2019 in the United States ⋅ ☁️ 61 °F

    Our friends, Sonia and Boris, must have been just steps ahead of us as we wandered through the Monet exhibit at the Denver Art Museum (see the previous footprint for the words and photos associated with that part of our day). It wasn't until the "lily gallery" that we spied them listening intently to their audioguide.

    Once we all exited the exhibit, we met up with them to finalize the details for our lunch date. Then, this being our first visit to the Denver Art Museum, off we went to check out the remaining exhibits. We had about ½-hour before we had to leave the museum for our lunch reservation, so I can't say that we did justice to what we saw.

    That said, I'm glad we took the time to check out the top two floors of the museum as it was on the fourth floor that we found the "Lucas Samaras Corridor #2" installation. Think of this as a mirror tunnel ... the floor, walls, and the ceiling are all clad with mirrors. Visitors don booties to protect the glass from scratches before they enter to walk through the box-like structure. It was almost like being inside a kaleidoscope. The changing images as one walks through the tunnel make for a fascinating experience.

    Leaving the museum shortly after noon, we drove to Yahya's Mediterranean Grill on Colfax Avenue to meet up with Sonia and Boris. As they will be on an extended trip beginning January 4, I'm glad we had this chance for a short reunion. We all enjoyed the camaraderie and the delicious, made-to-order food ... so much so that we forgot to take a photo of the group. The surprise of the day? Turns out that Yahya is not only of Turkish descent, he's from my hometown of İzmir. It's a small world indeed!    Read more

  • Two to TravelColorado Family Memories

    CoSprings: Happy Birthday!

    December 24, 2019 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 37 °F

    One Christmas Eve — I won't say which year — mom gave herself a birthday gift ... in the form of a bundle of joy named Aylin. Thus today we had two birthdays to celebrate. Here's to many many more returns ... shared with loved ones wherever they might be.Read more

  • Two to TravelColorado Family Memories

    CoSprings: Neighborhood Xmas Cheer

    December 24, 2019 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 36 °F

    After celebrating mom and Aylin's birthday (previous footprint), we headed out to enjoy the Christmas decorations in our neighborhood. Birthday cheer and Christmas cheer all in one night.

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