A Taste of Heaven

April 9, 2012 ...  Monday:  Picked up my California granddaughters at DIA. They were coming to visit me during their spring break. I met them at the gate and my heart filled with joy when I saw two young ladies with backpacks walking up the ramp. It was nice to see their instant smiles when they saw me. After hugging and kissing we followed the crowd to the airport train and then made our way to where I had parked the car. On their last visit I had taken them to Tapatios Restaurant and they remembered eating delicious enchiladas and wanted to go there again. After lunch we drove to Estes Park and checked in at Fawn Valley Inn. When my children were small we would stay at Fawn Valley and I wanted my granddaughters to experience the same condos where their mother had stayed. I like going to Estes Park because it is about 1 1/2 hours away and wild life can be spotted on the streets, in yards, in meadows and downtown. As I drove, Brenna became the photographer!










We all got on the bed and played 1/3 of a Ghost (A spelling game) but they are both such great spellers that no one was ousted from the game!

Tuesday: Today we took a tour of Ghosts and History at the Stanley Hotel.  The Tour Guide told us that the ghosts at the Stanley are not evil but are playful and like to tease.  The 138 room hotel was built by Freelan Oscar Stanley and opened in 1909. F.O.(as he is referred to) also was co-inventor of the Stanley Steamer.  In a beautiful, white room there is a large piano and sometimes music can be heard coming from the room. When the door is opened the room is empty.

Room 217 is connected to a cleaning lady named Nellie who was preparing rooms for guests to arrive. When the electricity went out, she began to light the gas fixtures. When she got to Room 217 there was an explosion and she ended up on the first floor.  After she recovered, she returned to work at the Stanley and worked until she was ninety-one years old.  It is believed that after she died, she returned to Room 217 to hang out in the room.  Visitors who check into the room will leave their belongings scattered about, yet when they return to the room everything is put away. Once, a man found his suitcase packed and by the door and it is suspected that Nellie did not like him and wanted him gone.

Room 401 is reported to have odd things happen while staying in the room. If a closet is entered it appears as if ones thigh is stroked. Visitors have awakened to find someone looking over them while they sleep. Women have felt a kiss on the forehead. On the fourth floor where nannies took care of children, the sound of children running through the halls can be heard. Sometimes, visitors will say they felt a small hand trying to take their hand.  The rocky tunnels below the Stanley are spooky and the guide said that sometimes ghosts can be seen in the tunnels. The tunnels were used, and still are, for workers to get from one end of the hotel to another.

Many believe that The Shining with Jack Nicholson was filmed at the Stanley Hotel but it was filmed in Seattle, Washington.  Stephen King did stay at the Stanley and got his idea to write the story while visiting Estes Park.  King later worked on a television mini-series and used the Stanley Hotel as a back drop.

At the completion of the tour we went to downtown Estes and wandered in and out of stores.  Saw some interesting musical bowls from Nepal.  If the rim is rubbed they make a high pitched sound. Lunch was at a Chicago Style Pizza restaurant and then we walked a few blocks for two scoops of refreshing Bonnie Bell ice cream. Many of the stores are closed but will open around Memorial Day.

In Rocky Mountain National Park  we found some dirty snow along the road and the girls got out to make snowballs!

For dinner we had chicken soup and fruit salad and watched Overboard with Goldie Hawn and Kurt Russell.

Wednesday:  We left Fawn Valley and headed to Arvada.  Stopping at Flat Irons mall

Brenna purchased some flip-flops and Ariana bought some chap stick. Around 1 p.m. we picked up Nicolette, my granddaughter who lives in Arvada, and we had lunch at Sweet Tomatoes.  We then went to see Mirror Mirror, a different story about Snow White. The ending made us laugh when the whole cast sang a song of I Believe, I Believe, I Believe!

We came home and the girls got my collection of trolls and began dressing them.  I found that odd, because when the girls were smaller, they liked to undress the trolls! I prepared spaghetti and a salad for dinner and I watched the girls go into giggling fits! We took Nicolette home and when we returned the girls did one of their favorite things when they visit me...look through photo albums and watch DVD's. After Brenna went to bed, Ariana and I would stay up and talk about her school and her friends.

Thursday:  I fixed pancakes for Brenna and Ariana ate fruit and toast.  Ariana is looking for a brand of shoes named Toms and she wanted red sparkly ones. She also wanted to find a birthday gift for a friend of hers. We drove to Colorado Mills but were unable to find Toms or a gift and decided to return to Flat Irons Mall.  On our way we ate lunch at the deli at Whole Foods. At Nordstroms we found Toms shoes but not the ones Ariana wanted. We wandered around, took pictures, shopped and then headed home to get ready for dinner with the family.

We met at the Tea Gardens, a Chinese eating place. There was lots of laughter because of the antics of their uncle, Andy, and grandfather, Mico.  The two were like a comedy team!  We enjoyed the different dishes of Kung Pao Chicken, Lemon Chicken, Sesame Shrimp, Sweet and Sour Chicken, duck and a large Pu Pu platter with spare ribs, beef strips, shrimp, egg rolls and chicken wings. After dinner we drove to Bliss, a yogurt place, for dessert.

April 13, 2012 ... Friday:  Grandma Maryann drove us to Idaho Springs and we looked at the different and quaint shops.  She bought Brenna a winter hat that Brenna thought was a mouse but I thought was a cat. Ariana picked out a tie-dyed t-shirt for herself and a magnet of a moose for her Grandmother Hallman.  It is strange that when I was in school my nickname was Moose and after my daughter married, we found out that her mother-in-law also is called Moose.  We toured the Indian Hot Springs Lodge and the girls liked the swimming pool but did not like the heat (or the naked lady) in the caves. The drive to Echo Lake had lots of curves, yet, the snow covered mountains were beautiful. It was cold at Echo Lake and after snacking on apples, oranges and Peruvian cookies we returned to Idaho Springs for lunch.  We ate at the Buffalo Restaurant and Bar and Brenna ate a large burrito, I had nachos that would have fed five persons, Maryann had a turkey Ruben, and Ariana had vegetables tempura.

On our way home we got off of I-70 and tried to find the wild Buffalo. (They are Bison but we know them as buffalo.)  The buffalo were too far away to see how large they really are but they are 5-6 feet tall and about 7 feet long. We saw about 22 Bison grazing in a pasture.

When we got to Grandma Maryann's house, the girls talked with their grandfather, Mico.  Brenna quizzed him about Peru because her family is planning to go to Peru in 2013.  She was interested in whether they would be able to drink the water and was told that the water is not good for drinking.  We thanked Maryann for a pleasant afternoon, the girls said good-bye and we came home to make sure everything was packed.

I drove them to the airport, picked up a pass for me, breezed through security and walked to the gate.  We sat and talked until it was time for them to board.  We hugged and kissed and then they disappeared down the ramp. I was happy we were able to control our tears!  I waited until their plane rolled away and Sarge, the eagle on the tail, disappeared.  The five days had been filled with good quality time and I felt as if I had a taste of heaven on the five days my California granddaughters were with me.