bits of my weekend, according to instagram: august 6, 2012

{soaking up the sunny evening at red rocks}

The weekends you look forward to most have a knack for whizzing on by in that trite ‘blink of an eye,’ and this weekend was no exception at all to that very annoying rule.  For months, I had been looking forward to the arrival of my friend Chaise, one of my best friends, and her two friends, Nikki and Shelly, both of whom I had never met.  They touched down at the Denver airport on Thursday evening, and even though they were surely tired from the long flight from Atlanta, we somehow managed to stay up far past anyone’s bedtime, drinking wine and chatting, finally only agreeing to hit the hay once realizing that our planned morning hike was fast approaching.

The weather, which here lately has been spotty with thunder, lightening, and plenty of afternoon rain showers, seemed to know that I had people in town to impress, and she put her best foot forward with sunny skies, perfectly warm (but not oppressive) temperatures in the high 80s, and presented us with not one single raindrop for the entire weekend.  We woke up early Saturday and headed out with one puglet in tow to conquer Flatirons 1 & 2, a hiking trail located only a few literal steps from our front door.  The hike was picturesque; though in the sunshine we could feel tan lines fast forming into racer-back patterns on our backs, the shady spots were more than welcomed, and as we gained elevation the air cooled, the winds picked up pleasantly, and we were afforded the most gorgeous and clear views of my beautiful hometown.  Winnie was ecstatic, and of course insisted on giving every hiker who passed a lick on the shin and a wag of her corkscrew tail before bounding on to the next group.

Our afternoon was filled with a trip down to Pearl Street to sip on fresh margaritas and nosh on avocado salads on the patio at Centro, and then with a quick drive up to North Boulder to spend the evening at one of our favorite Friday spots, Upslope Brewery.  The guys there are fantastic, and after just a few minutes we were whisked away out back to tour the facility and pick one of the head brewer’s brains on the entire brewing process.  There were board games, card games, and a pit stop at a grilled cheese food truck before we finally headed back downtown for duck pate and a super tasty plate of beef tartare at The Bitter Bar.  After shaking the cobwebs out of our heads on Saturday morning, we prepared ourselves for a busy night at Red Rocks by fueling up on curry dumplings and peanut noodles at the Boulder Farmer’s Market, and doing a bit of shopping on Pearl.  By six o’clock we were happily chatting away with a big group of my friends at Red Rocks, and the show was amazing – the weather could not have been more perfect, and both bands, Band of Horses and My Morning Jacket, put on an unforgettable show while the sun set and the moon rose behind the natural amphitheater.

It was a weekend spent at home with the best company possible, and one that James and I were both genuinely sad was over so quickly.  Chaise had last visited exactly one year ago – a week after I had just arrived in Colorado from New York, and still felt much like a visitor to a place where I was actually a resident.  As a bonus, I left these three-short-days with two funny and kind new friends; two people that I know (and hope!) I’ll be seeing again soon.  Everyone was in top form, and I was so proud to show off a hometown that I now feel like is actually “home.”  After dropping the girls off, James and I extended the weekend ever so slightly with an impromptu stop at a new Denver restaurant, The Squeaky Bean, and treated ourselves to a delicious supper that totally blew away our expectations.  It was the perfect way to cap off a very busy but oh-so-fun weekend, and I am still feeling so very lucky to have such an amazing old friend and some wonderful new ones.

{i literally found her napping like this}

{cream + sugar & a ginger-dark chocolate biscotti}

{halfway up to the first flatiron}

{and finally at the top of the second}

{bouillabaisse at brasserie ten ten}

{tempura green beans}

{a change from summery pinks: china glaze’s exotic encounter}

{i couldn’t resist these eyes, at upslope}

{ship rock, at the top of red rocks}

{an expert hiker}

{cheese louise: boulder’s grilled cheese food truck}

{lunch: avocado and cucumber roll with brown rice}

{taking in the view}

{and so ready for a nap}

{the best bloody mary at the beehive: made with fresh cucumber juice and lime}

{a drippy over-easy breakfast blt with spicy aioli and corn salad}

{tired puglet}

{a last minute sunday night dinner date at the squeaky bean}

{beets with basil pudding and gouda}

{sitting at the chef’s counter}

{summer squash “nose to tail”: burrata, fried squash blossom, squash caponata}

{deconstructed shrimp curry}

{a pretty walk home}