Unlike last year when we could spend two weeks visiting, this year Glen had work commitments so our time was shortened to nine days. The first two were the last of Miles and Elijah's spring break. Elijah was at camp for gifted kids and studied the human body. On Good Friday morning we all went to see his presentation where he explained everything and answered questions. It was impressive.
Seder:
That evening, we attended Geoff and Melissa's church's Seder dinner. It blended Jewish Passover traditions with Christian ones. The Messianic Passover Haggadah begins with the woman of the house, Melissa, lighting the candles on our table. The pastor then blessed the first cup of wine (grape juice). We had to drink the cup in one gulp so after the first cup, I made sure Glen didn't fill mine too full. The pastor's daughters then moved among us to wash our hands. The first food was bitter herbs (parsley represents the freshness of life) dipped in salt water (represents tears). Pastor Joe then divided up the matzah (unleavened bread) and wrapped one piece in a napkin to be hidden.
Each person then took a piece of matzah and dipped it into horseradish. It's supposed to bring tears to your eyes so you can remember the bitter life of the Jews in Egypt but those of us who use horseradish a lot didn't find it strong enough to do that. The next piece of matzah is dipped in Charoseth, a sweet apple sauce-like concoction meant to represent the mortar of the Pharaoh's storehouses. At this point, children ask questions about the Seder and since Miles and Elijah were the only young ones present, this task fell to them. They did an excellent job! Pastor Joe then told the Passover story after which we drank the second cup. Each man of the house, Geoff in our case, also read a passage of scripture to those gathered.
Dinner was a Mediterranean spread like none I've ever seen. Roasted lamb was the main meat dish but there were salads, veggies, hummus, and baba ghanoush. The hit with Geoff and Glen was stuffed zucchini in yoghurt sauce where the zucchini were hollowed out and filled with meat. Baklava finished the meal but I also enjoyed more Charoseth.
Miles and Elijah then had to find the hidden matzah called Afikomen. Pastor Joe then told us how the Messiah broke the Afikomen saying it was his body and a reminder of Him. We then drank the third cup of wine which Jesus said was the new covenant in His blood. The fourth cup is drunk when the Messiah returns. Later, Elijah told Pastor Joe that he'd better refrigerate the grape juice since no one knew when Jesus would return. Practical kid!
Pikes Peak:
We were up early the next day to drive down to Colorado Springs. The plan was to go up Pikes Peak on the Cog Railway. I had booked tickets on-line (brilliant idea) so we didn't worry when we arrived at the terminal to find hordes of cars. Some were filled with hikers which aren't allowed in the railway parking lot. This made for congestion and confusion. While waiting for Melissa, Glen and the kids, I lined up to get our tickets. I could see the train filling fast so was glad I'd booked ahead. Another positive of this was we had assigned seating. Melissa decided photographers should have window seats which bugged the boys no end. Miles pouted most of the way up until Melissa's camera died and he could take her place.
Pikes Peak was named for Zebulon Pike (we share a birthday) who failed to summit the fourteener (elevation of 14,115 feet) when he discovered it in 1806. He led an expedition to explore the southern part of the Louisiana Territory but wandered too far south and was captured by the Spanish. The mountain's Arapaho name was Heey-otoyoo which means Long Mountain and the Spanish called it El Capitan. Pike himself called it Highest Peak (how original) and it also held the name of James Peak after the man who first climbed it. By 1890, though, it had become Pikes Peak (the apostrophe being dropped for some reason).
The mountain is composed of pink granite due to potassium feldspar and we saw many examples of this as we climbed its flanks. Gold was discovered in the area and 'Pikes Peak or Bust' became the slogan of the miners. The mountain rises above the plains and is easily spotted when traveling west. In 1893, Katharine Lee Bates was inspired by the view from the summit and wrote the poem, "America the Beautiful" (there is a plaque dedicated to it at the top). However, we never made it to the top.
The cog railway was the idea of Zalmon Simmons (of mattress fame) who rode a mule up the mountain to check out the view and also inspect his other invention, the telegraph insulator. He felt a railway would be a more civilized way to climb the mountain and founded the Manitou and Pikes Peak Railway Company in 1889. The train stopped at Halfway House Hotel but in 1891, it finally reached the summit. They charged $5.00 to ride the train which was two days wages for the average working person. That would be about $160.00 in today's wages so the $37.00 fare didn't seem so dear.
The trains only run on the weekends in the winter and there is a special Santa train at Christmas. I was told we'd not reach the summit this day as there was too much snow (we'd get a discount on our ticket price). But, the maintenance guys were out shovelling so the train actually made it to The Saddle (12,500 feet) for the first time since the end of December. The views were amazing (see my photos here). A work-train cleared the track up 'Slide's Cut' so it won't be long before the train will reach the summit, less than 2000 feet to go!
On the way down, the train stopped at Four Mile Point where we could get out and stretch our legs. Our engineer told us that Ponderosa Pine bark smells like butterscotch or vanilla so we had a sniff of a big tree. Glen couldn't smell anything but then again he can't smell roses.
Manitou Springs is a funky town at the foot of the mountain. We ate at the Ancient Mariner Tavern when Elijah was little as it was mid-week and the other restaurants were closed. A few lines of the poem, The Ancient Mariner by Samuel Taylor Coleridge are etched in the bar. However, on a Saturday, the town is bustling so we headed to Colorado Springs for lunch. Our plan to was eat at Buffalo Wild Wings since we had enjoyed our supper in a similar restaurant in Helena, Montana. The area with the restaurant is a huge conglomeration of big box stores and eateries. As we passed HuHot, Geoff thought he saw Melissa (driving behind us) point to it so he wove through several lanes of traffic to turn around. We arrived okay but Melissa no longer followed us. We went in and found a quiet table while Geoff gave Melissa directions on how to reach the restaurant. HuHot is a Mongolian grill-style restaurant where you pile raw food and sauces into a bowl and the chefs cook it on a huge grill in the middle of the dining room. Our server brought us drinks and took our rice order then we filed up to get our food. I stuck to seafood, veggies and noodles and Melissa had beef strips. Unlike Canadian grills, the food is not weighed before cooking. We asked the server three times for our rice and despite the fact the place was not busy, he kept forgetting. Finally it arrived after Melissa had finished her beef. It was the next day when Glen realized this guy had forgotten to give him back his Visa card. Thank heavens he travels with more than one credit card!
Easter:
The kids waited patiently for Grampy to get up for the Easter egg hunt. Geoff was already at church rehearsing for Worship. Not sure how tall the Easter bunny is but suffice to say, Grampy had to help reach some of the eggs. The plastic ones contained money but EB also left some chocolate eggs for everyone in the family, including Glen who was seriously worried he'd been forgotten. We dressed up for church and sat in our 'usual' seats. Worship was incredible! We sang Leonard Cohen's Hallelujah, a rendition of Amazing Grace as well as some other favourites. Geoff and his friend, Brady played a great intro to one piece. Paster Joe is one passionate man when it comes to talking about Easter. He inspires everyone and his hour long sermon flew by. What amazed me was not only were the adults mesmerized but so were the children (no Sunday School this day). Usually there is an Easter egg hunt after church but the woman who organizes it felt it time to let it go. No one missed it.
After lunch, I made mushroom soup and Melissa made creamed spinach for a potluck supper at their friend's place. We had dinner with them last year and it was good to get caught up with how the kids were growing. Anna Marie has a big house for a reason. She and her hubby are retired so there is usually only the two of them at home but they had 6 grandparents, 10 adults, 2 teens, 6 kids under 10 and a baby (plus two on-the-way) for dinner. It was a rollicking place! Cindy, Melissa's friend from California (and also a Nana) organized the easter egg hunt so Miles and Elijah enjoyed their second hunt of the day.
Saddle Rock Golf:
I thought it would be nice to golf at Saddle Rock Golf course where Miles and Elijah took lessons a few years ago. It would give Melissa a break from us and we could play on holes we often see while driving to Target. So I packed up our shoes and gloves. We convinced Geoff to join us so Monday we bought him a glove and some extra balls. He asked his friend, Mike, an elder with the church and a former, semi-professional golfer (no pressure) to make a foursome. It was a lovely day on Tuesday with not too many folks golfing. Glen had a fantastic round while I struggled. Mike gave Geoff and me pointers but I didn't seem to retain them. There was some concern we were playing slowly but in the end, we finished the round in the time the starter recommended. The starter kept stressing that the course was a championship one and I soon learned that even hitting from the ladies' tees play was a challenge. There are natural areas to cross that even on a good day, I couldn't have managed. I lost more than a few balls. I also realized there were no other women playing, probably because of its challenges.
We had just ordered a beer after our round when Geoff realized he had no wallet. In a panic, he searched both his car and his golf cart. He then called Melissa to see if he had left it at home. He hadn't. Finally, I took a second look as I was sure it couldn't have fallen out on the golf course. I checked the car then rechecked the golf cart. I found the black wallet sitting in a dark cubbyhole in the cart. We all enjoyed our lunch after that. I had The Fringe salad which was a chicken version of a taco salad while the others had the signature burger.
Tea for Three:
Thursday, Melissa and I headed downtown to her favourite tea house (besides the Brown Palace) called The House of Commons Tearoom. We were to meet her BFF, JoAnne there. JoAnne was the one who introduced Melissa to letter boxing so I guess she'd be my letter boxing grandmother. We met first in REI and Melissa and I fell in love with the yurt they had set up. It was big enough for a small kitchen, living room and sleeping area. It even had a sunroof! We walked to the tea room once JoAnne arrived. She had been to Tucson recently and regaled us with some pretty funny stories about her letter boxing adventures there. I told her the tale of Shelob in Victoria. Tea was wonderful. I had the house blend while JoAnne had Christmas Spice. They didn't have Melissa's favourite tea and I can't remember what she ended up drinking. They each had the Parliament bar which was like a Nanaimo bar but made with peanut butter. I had a cranberry scone with clotted cream and jam. The pot of clotted cream was huge and I didn't have to share it!
Meanwhile, Glen and Geoff went off to Boulder so Geoff could tend to his magnet. They had lunch at our favourite pub, Fate Brewing, eating their favourite sandwich, the Reuben. We all agreed we wished we could be in two places at the same time.
Chiminea:
Until a couple of years ago, I'd never heard of a chiminea. Geoff wanted one but it was fall and none were to be found. I remembered this and wondered if it could be a birthday gift. Chimineas are usually made of fired clay that harken from Spain. Primarily used for cooking or heating, they are now used as backyard fireplaces. Knowing how much Geoff's family enjoys a campfire, the chiminea would serve this purpose at home. We headed to Lowes to pick one up. We also got some lava rocks to fill the feet and give wood a bed to sit on. Geoff set it up and after supper, he built a small twig fire. The idea is to start the fire slowly so the clay doesn't crack. We huddled under blankets and enjoyed an evening by the fire. As the clouds parted, Melissa fired up her star gazing app and identified the stars and planets we could see. It was a great family time!
Birthday:
Our last day in Aurora was Geoff's birthday. We first went grocery shopping for the ingredients for Melissa's Low Country Boil. This is a southern dish best served outside but we all agreed the weather was too cool for that. The recipe varies with each cook but all have the seasoning, Old Bay. I brought a can home with me as it's a secret recipe. Other staple ingredients are potatoes, corn on the cob, and shrimp. Another name is Frogmore Stew (no, there are no frogs in it. Frogmore was a town in South Carolina that has since disappeared). The idea is to use a huge pot (or turkey fryer) and boil the ingredients together, starting with the potatoes and ending with the shrimp. Kielbasa or andouille sausage can be added to give it zip and some boils call for zucchini, crab or fish. When done, the contents are drained (tricky part) and poured onto the table. Everyone dives in and eats with their fingers! Geoff also made sourdough bread using the starter I brought from Calgary and we bought a chocolate cake with buttercream icing from Whole Foods. Two couples came to dinner, one with a rambunctious three year old who was so very cute. The boys played well together despite their different ages and the adults enjoyed lively conversation. The food was fun to eat and made everyone relax.
Home:
We were up at 5:00am to catch our flight home. Geoff had to be at church by 7:00 so this worked out. Glen had to be in Calgary on Monday to see his PhD student defend her thesis so I booked the early flight just in case a freak Colorado snow storm delayed us. When we reached the gate, there was a delay because midwestern storms affected the crew's schedule. We finally got airborne and were over Wyoming when the pilot said Calgary wouldn't authorize them to land. Since it was a regularly schedule flight, this seemed odd and the pilot admitted it had never happened to him before. We turned around. About 15 minutes later, we banked again and were told Calgary would now let us land. We did so with four other US flights so were happy we could use the Nexus lines at Customs. Meg and Mike picked us up and we had lunch at Scotsman's Well. Gotta love their vegetarian quesadillas!
