Weekend Reading 05.08
A Colorado trip report and links for your weekend.
Hi friends. A quick note: this post is photo-heavy, so you may need to click through from email to the website or app to view the whole thing.
I’m writing to you from Denver – Aurora, actually – where Tom and I are on a short trip.
This is where I have to confess to you that I’m not much of a mountain girl. I know, I know. I would like to be, it feels uncool not to be, but I do much better at someplace approaching sea level.
This had me texting my mountain-loving friends before the trip, asking them, “What can we do in Colorado that isn’t hiking?” and I honestly stumped most of them.
They’re outdoorsy.
I, on the other hand, while appreciating nature in theory (big fan! glad we have it!), do better observing it from a distance. I more closely resemble this meme, which always makes me laugh.
But this is a sort of business trip, and the destination was chosen for us, so I came with a good attitude and a determination to keep the altitude in check with lots of water.
We’re having a great time.
The only research I did for the trip (other than the aforementioned texts to friends) was looking for a scenic destination within a quick drive from Denver with cute shops and restaurants. Boulder seemed to fit the bill, and the fact that it was a college town sealed the deal, so we spent yesterday afternoon there.
You guys, it did not disappoint.
The weather was Colorado-perfect, 68 and sunny. We wandered in and out of shops, had fajitas and margaritas at Pedro’s, followed by gelato, and I spent the rest of the time taking pics of one cute thing after another.
I hope you’re okay with a bit of scrolling…
In case it’s not clear, we recommend Boulder.
The other thing I want to tell you about is this lobby area of the Gaylord Resort where we’re staying. It is really something to behold.
It has a big, beautiful bar, two huge fireplaces, rocking chairs in front of the windows, and would you look at that view? If you zoom in you can see the Denver skyline outlined in front of the mountains.
Last night, after our big lunch in Boulder and being big fans of eating at the bar, we grabbed two stools, had some apps, and enjoyed the vibe.
Afterwards, we went outside where there were lighted evergreens, more fireplaces, and big fire pits where you could make s’mores.
Two other places we’ve eaten: The Cherry Cricket in downtown Denver (recommended to us by the Enterprise Rental Car guy as having great burgers) and Pomodoro in a very nondescript strip mall on Dayton in Aurora (courtesy of the Denver Reddit).
As I write to you, I’m fresh off a massage (my first in years - why?) while Tom golfs. We have dinner with friends tonight, and we’re hoping to explore one more Denver neighborhood tomorrow before our flight out.
I think there might be hope for me as a mountain girl. This kind of mountain girl anyway.
A few things I saved to share with you this week…
When I saw that the Caldecott Medal winner for children’s picture books this year was Fireworks by Matthew Burgess and Cátia Chien I ordered it for Madeline. What a fun book to have on hand for the summer holidays, and now I’m taken with the idea of collecting Caldecott winners. Here’s a complete list of all the winners and honor books in case that sounds like a fun collection to you too.
In related news, picture book author and illustrator Sophie Blackall put together a list of 20 of her favorites. (Fireworks is on the list!).
9 things to write in a pocket notebook every day. What a great little habit (with how-tos and pictures!).
The 27 best museums in the world for art, science, and history (according to Travel and Leisure, anyway).
Suleika Jaouad’s love letter to a two-hundred-year-old farmhouse. “We approached interiors the way we approach our creative work: experimentally, in layers. I scoured flea markets and Facebook Marketplace—anywhere objects with soul tend to congregate—while Jon weighed in, adding his own touches: art, an upright piano. We fell in love with an antique spindle bed so beautiful we overlooked the fact that it couldn’t fit up the stairs; a friend’s teenage son later solved the problem by sawing it in half and reassembling it in our bedroom.”
This week’s post for paid subscribers is a short history of our piano room. “I went alone because Tom had taken the kids to his parents’ place at the lake for the weekend and, while I’m sure I cleared it with him first (he disagrees), I’m equally sure the conversation started the way one of my favorite New Yorker cartoons does: “Can we talk through a decision I’ve already made?”
I hope you have a wonderful weekend.
Julie