friends

Beth and I recently spent an afternoon with Angie at her apartment on the Plaza.   She has an enchanting place on the 8th floor within walking distance of the museum and overlooking the grand  shopping district.

Personally, I've never been a city person, but after visiting this lofty space, I was pretty taken with the idea of living in the city.

We explored the Kaufman Gardens

and had lunch at the Nelson Atkins Museum of Art. I felt like I was on vacation, and the day was a getaway from my regular life, not a typical  meal and shopping with friends.

When we arrived, Angie had a fruit plate for us.

And a thoughtful gift.

This apartment is only temporary, Angie is a country girl too and is looking for a home with some land after her wedding date in August.  Although, with that vista from the living and dining rooms, this apartment doesn't feel small or closed in like most apartments I've ever lived in.   The view is such an expansive space, that her rooms feel larger because of it.

And of course, they are filled with beautiful things. Her decor is light and airy too.

I don't know how I've lived in this area for so many years and have never explored the Plaza, except for a few shops here and there.  The Nelson has this gorgeous dining room, that truly made me feel like I was a world traveler.

It was a quite a special day, with special friends.

I hope I get another day to visit and  pretend to be a city girl before Angie and her fiance buy their dream house together.  

A couple of weeks ago, I was lucky enough to be included in a girl's weekend with this talented group down in Georgia. 

Hope Wallace, Suzanne Allison, Lori Oles, Jenn Hayslip, and Andrea Singarella

We spent a day at a flea mkt, did some crafting, but mostly oohed and awed over Suzanne's restored 1800s farmhouse, sipped wine and enjoyed the company.

The farm is in such a scenic spot, every where you looked, there was something pretty too see, from the natural beauty around us to all of Suzanne's decorating details.

But the very best part? 

Buddy time!

Suzanne is a spectacular hostess, and has the ideal home to host a gathering in. It is filled with sentimental family pieces  and she has stories to tell about each one.  I never get tired of her stories, each is better than the one before. And there seems to be hardly anything in her home that doesn't have a funny or sweet tale attached to it.

 

 Which makes her warm and welcoming farmstead even more astonishing. It wasn't put together just with her decorating skills (which are impressive) but with her heart.

And on top of that, she is a great cook.  She always has some tempting appetizer trays out before filling us up with a fancy dinner. 

The outside of the house is beautiful too, from the barn she got married in last October with the old truck to pose with in front-

to the cows strolling around the pond across the street.

I should have gotten more shots of the house itself, wow, it is spectacular. This kitchen is a dream, with Suzanne's eye to detail showing in every bit of the room.  But here is the only picture I took of it, sorry. I was having such a relaxing and fun time that I was focussed more on friends than on photos.  But you can tell what a wonderful room this is, can't you? It is a place we all gathered around in to talk and bond and of course, snarf up those cheese trays Suzanne kept whipping up.

The craft room has 14 foot ceilings with the home's original beams.  What an inspiring room to work in.

We rode around in the golf cart on the trails in the woods and visited her neighbor's land where we picked fresh figs.

I took this from the back of the golf cart as we drove by.

None of us knew what these flowers were, but what a fluffy pink they are!

Here is the journal that Hope made during our crafting time. She found the book at the flea the day before, it was meant to be.

Andrea and Lori worked on jewelry, Hope and Suzanne did some journaling, Jenn made her pretty, dainty wonders.

And I got started on some angel and sugar plum fairy prototypes. I'm always thrilled to have creative time on a getaway.  

Seriously, why didn't I take more photos of this breathtaking home? I guess I was just having too much fun talking to my friends. That is a pretty good excuse, isn't it? I took this pic of the bathroom door from my bed, across the hall.

Thanks again, Suzanne. I can't express fully how much I enjoyed it all!

 

ps-I will be away from home for a bit, having a sister getaway in Florida.  I'll be answering emails from my iPad, but if you order from the Boutique, I'll mail packages on Tuesday the 27th.  Same with Etsy, unless you are buying a coloring page, those are a digital download that you will receive right away.  I'll have fresh blog stories pre-posted while I'm away, so please still come by to visit!

 

Our trip to Crested Butte sure was nice.  Not only did our hospitable friends have a homey cabin for us to stay in while we visited, they took us out and about, on the town so we could explore the area.

My husband got to go fly fishing, which he says is even better than playing golf.  I watched part of his lesson, but didn't go along on their day on the river.  

Instead, Judy and I cruised the art fest going on downtown.  First of all, it is one of the cutest downtown areas you will ever see. Quaint buildings, great shops, beautiful view, and good food were all topped off with this big, juried show with artists from all over the country.

With lots of booths, filled with spectacular art.  Judy and I both were commenting on how elaborate and well done many of the displays were, I always like to take in the styling of the work as well as the work itself.

 I had a few faves, like this artist.

Ethereal and whimsical.  For me, you can't go wrong with that combo.

And this artist's work touched me.  So dainty and sweet. I might have indulged a bit in her booth…

But as wonderful as the art was, my eye was caught by a less typical festival sight.  

A BEAR!

Yes, a real, live, gobble you up, growly bear.

A real one.

Downtown?

During an art fair?!

With about a 1,000 people mulling about, shopping, relaxing, having a good time.  Not a single sheriff telling us to stay away from the bear in the tree.  Aparently, they think it is the same bear that was stuck in a tree the week before.  

No one runs away screaming, nothing is barricaded off, everyone goes about their business. Although every once in a while, someone would grumble something about the poor bear and that everyone should leave it alone. Well, it looked to me like it was left alone, abysmally so.   I thought it needed guards!!

We saw other wildlife too, although not in the center of town. Driving to our whitewater rafting adventure, I spotted two sheep in the mountains, so we pulled over to look.  This is similar to the photo of the bear, you have to have really good eyes to find it.  Colorado had lots of "Where's Waldo" type moments.

Impressed that I saw them while driving by? I was!   

I was a terrible failure at white water rafting.  Within minutes of getting in the boat, my paddle privileges were suspended.  My husband was trying to hold onto me as I teetered on the edge of the boat, and quivered in fear over the rapids, so he couldn't paddle himself. I was told to use both hands to hold on, and he was able to concentrate on paddling without taking care of me.

We were much better off with him rowing full time, and not having to worry about me and my pathetic attempts to act like I was using an oar.  First of all, I have no balance, everyday tasks often go wrong for me. Kind of like the day I knocked a tooth out on a cabinet door.  Or right after white water rafting when I climbed into the hot tub and fell face first into it when I missed a step. I was wishing I still had the helmet on that I'd worn on the river that day.

After my oar was put away, and I was a passenger instead of a rower, and could grip the handles with my white knuckled fists, I was a lot more comfy and could enjoy my ride.  It was quite a trip, the river was exciting, and there were rocks everywhere.  When we were driving to the excursion, along the stream, I didn't think that could possibly be the one we would be floating down, I saw so many rocks sticking up out of the water. But yes, that was our wet,obstacle course for the day.

We had hoped to get in some hiking too, but between rainy weather and altitude adjustments (ugh, that can be unpleasant), we decided on a lazy afternoon at the cabin instead.  Then, a trip downtown to see more of the sights and go out for dinner. 

There are such cute, old buildings in the town itself.  How could you not love this little cottage?

Or this one? 

I hope to visit again someday. What a place!

Long time best buds of ours have taken a place in CO.  They go back and forth from there and Lawrence, but recently, they have been in the mountains more than the plains and we have been missing them.

Oh, and did I mention that David is a GREAT cook, and these two are some of the best hosts you could ever visit?   Crested Butte is such a funky, interesting town, with unique restaurants, that we just had to explore some local dining, but the best meal in town was David's special chicken tortilla soup served with a view on the porch.

 

The view from the hot tub wasn't bad either.  A soak with a glass of wine is just what I needed after white water rafting, too.

We were there for the blue moon, and had some peek-a-boo cloud formations to watch the moon rise through.  I found that in CO the weather changes from one extreme to another during the course of a day, but I managed to get a lot of deck time in, chilly, damp, sunny, or whatever temps were thrown my way.

And I agreed with my pal, Dixie, that the view from the easy chair by the window wasn't bad when we couldn't be outside.  I spent a lot of time there, watching the hummingbirds flit about.  And trying to snap a photo of all of that high speed flitting.  I ended up with thirty pictures of a flower, not a single one of the little hummer hovering above it. Those guys are too quick for me.  

But then again, unless I'm trying to get a photo of a creature that  I can say "stay" to, I don't have much luck.  There were mountain bluebirds galore, and I was never quick enough to get a snapshop of one of those beauties either, even though they aren't a fraction as fast as the 4 or 5 hummingbirds hanging out on the patio. 

These guys were much more cooperative than the birds.

Dave and Judy have little bears in every room of their home.  It's a whimsical touch, and every time I came across one of the stuffed bears about the house, I could imagine how much fun David had as he was tucking them in here and there for his guests to find.  

Hand carved bears….

A giant bear looking over the railing to greet guests…

And of course, a cuddly bear on each bed.

The cabin sleeps twelve, I don't know what you call a bunch of bears. Not a pack, or a herd, definitely not a flock.  But it is a LOT of cute little bears.

There is plenty of attention to detail, and the place is true to its Colorado vibe from the antler lamps and log tables to the wall hangings above them. (made by David)

They have added a mural to the dining room to go with the antler chandelier and wooden candle holder in there.

The kitchen has all been updated with natural stone counter tops, new appliances, and cabinets. When they aren't here, they rent the place out, (minimum three night stay) and they are generous with the kitchen goods. I've rented places that lack a can opener, and supply barely enough plates to serve a meal. But this kitchen is better equipped than my own at home.  Right down to the pasta maker.

David is a gourmet cook and didn't skimp on the necessities.

My room was upstairs and I didn't get pics of it because I had too much strewn about.  And I didn't go in the master suite at all.  There is also a den, laundry room, three garages, and 4 bathrooms.  All in the same western lodge motif.

There are big screens available, but why turn on a TV when you have that window to look out of, or that deck to relax on?  

It really can't be easy to furnish a house both for yourself and for vacationers.  They have done an excellent job of adding personal touches, but still leaving open spaces for guests to relax and spread out their own things in.

I highly recommend the place if you need a vacation rental in CO.  Most of it was revamped when they bought it, with the kitchen gutted. It has nice showers, new carpets, comfy beds, a hot tub, it is clean, well equipped, and….

THAT VIEW!!!!!!!!!!