I'm pretty sure I've used this title before as sometimes life gets in the way of blogging. This time I was forced from procrastination mode by a good friend. She knew I'd been to visit the grandkids in November and when she didn't see my blog post, was worried about me. A fan and a friend. Thanks, Jennifer!! The reason I didn't write was because we had more of a 'family' experience than a 'travel' one but that's really not a good excuse. As readers of these pages know, I love Thanksgiving (see Another Wonderful Thanksgiving) and a bonus of having an American arm to our family tree is I can sometimes squeeze two thanksgivings into a year. The Canadian holiday is the second Monday in October whereas the US celebrates the last Thursday in November. Both enjoy the same foods (turkey, stuffing/dressing, potatoes, root veggies, and pies) and the same sense of thankfulness for a good harvest and a loving family.
We enjoyed our Canadian feast with our daughter, Meg and her husband, Mike. They had just returned from a holiday in Victoria so we had fun hearing about their adventures (the strata had changed the lock on our condo while they were out being tourists).
Our flight to Denver began with my leaving my camera bag at the gate. Our seats were at the very back (that's where you end up when using airline points) so I had to 'swim upstream' to reach the gangway to retrieve it. I don't think the flight attendant was going to let me leave but I just brushed passed her in good 'old lady' fashion. The gate attendant didn't stop me as I bustled past her and grabbed my bag. It looked very lonely on the empty bench and I was glad someone hadn't reported it abandoned or had blown it up!
Back on board, I made friends with those around me as they sympathized with my plight. Glen and I were not sitting together so I made friends with a woman from Grande Prairie and a man from Colorado Springs. Both were hockey fans with children involved in the sport so I learned what I had missed (not much).
We landed in a snow storm--a harbinger of the week ahead. It took us 3 hours to drive to Geoff's house, a trip that usually takes 30 minutes. We had the grandsons Elijah and Miles with us as Melissa was at a concert. They finally fell asleep at 11:00 pm, just before we got home.
Normally the weather of Denver at this time of year mimics Calgary's in October so we brought our polar fleeces and rain jackets and not our winter coats. There were some shivery days and the traditional Thanksgiving football game played by the Armstrong males was abandoned although Miles and Glen did spend some time outside-Miles making snow angels while Grampy shoveled.
Since the kids had the day before Thanksgiving off, Melissa suggested we see the Poisons and Sherlock Holmes exhibit at the Denver Museum of Nature & Science. She used to work as a volunteer at this wonderful place and so it has a soft spot in our hearts. It also has the best view of the city!
We spent most of the morning going through the exhibits and doing all the interactive aspects of the Sherlock Holmes display. It was very well done. Glen and Miles solved the crime! I don't want to give away any spoilers as the exhibit goes to Edmonton's Telus World of Science in March and I know some Albertans read this blog. Go see it, if you can, it is so worth the money.
We were all famished afterwards so Melissa suggested we go to Fat Sully's for lunch. It was close to one of her concert venues, a dive bar that looked like it had seen better days but I gather that's the definition of a good dive bar. At the restaurant, Melissa assured us one slice of pizza was all we needed and she was so right. The boy's slices were almost as big as they were (see above photo). Due to its popularity, we had to wait for a table but as luck would have it, two became available. We wisely chose the booth.
Other than a take-home meal of Jim 'N Nicks BBQ, we enjoyed the great cooking of Melissa and Geoff and the wonderful beer one can drink in Denver. We had great fun playing with the kids building things with Lego and creating our own card games (who knew there was such a thing as 2 person, collaborative solitaire?)
The only downside of such a late Thanksgiving holiday is Christmas comes up much faster. I had to hit the ground running when we arrived back in Calgary. What with hosting an open house and getting six packages of gifts ready to send off to points across Canada, I had no time to write this blog. Now I'm glad Jennifer 'twisted my arm' as I could re-live that fun time!
