August Visitors Part 1

The month of August has been an extended celebration of friends and family, being that Joe and I have been blessed with many visitors. The first was my dear cousin, Whitney, who managed to skip away to Denver for a few days in the middle of a trip to see relatives in a neighboring city. Whitney and I, along with our younger siblings, have an extensive history of silliness and shenanigans (for our sake, let's just say it usually had something to do with couch cushions, tabasco sauce, and our parents video recorder). I was nearly bursting from the seams with excitement to be able to spend some quality time together since distance + work/school conflicts = rare cousin togetherness.  

We always had great fashion sense.
Whitney (right), sister Kelsey (left), me (center). 

Whitney arrived in Denver on Friday afternoon and we reminisced over a few Boulevard Beers (Tank 7 Smokehouse Series) to commemorate our roots in Kansas. Later that evening, Joe and Ken, an old friend of Whitney's who also currently lives in Denver, joined us and we celebrated by having dinner at the new Breckenridge Brewery BBQ joint located in the lower highlands, "LoHi," district of downtown. Titrating fresh food with cold Colorado brews, we sat for hours on their sprawling outdoor patio talking and admiring the way Denver's skyline illuminated the dark horizon to the east. 

http://littlemanicecream.com/

Despite leaving with stomaches stretched, we were lured to a nearby ice cream hub known as, "Little Man Ice Cream". I was so charmed by this vintage, milk-jug shaped creamery. Their daily flavors were plentiful and creative, and  on a Friday night, the line wound down the street. Upon reaching the glowing windows housing employees wearing funny paper hats and scoop ready in-hand, it takes a bit of nudging to spit out what flavor you want to order! If I can recall, Joe and Ken got refreshing fruit sorbets while us gals settled on combinations of gelato and ice cream. I am still trying to figure out who the "little man" is...

Morning in the mountains.

The next day we rose early to begin our an adventurous day in Estes Park! Ken picked us all up at 7:00 AM and we snacked on banana bread and coffee while enjoying the progressive views and smells of the mountains. We hiked around the Rocky Mountain National Park, beyond Bear Lake, Nymph Pond, Dream Lake and turning around at the majestic Emerald Lake. Along the trail we encountered waterfalls and wildlife, including elk! Somehow I managed not even to snap one photo from the beautiful hike. Boo. Afterwards, we re-fueled with some great Indian food and caffeine. 

Ken, Whit, and Joe out front of a local coffee-studio shop.
From the loft window we could see the tip of Long's Peak!

After-thought picture of our marvelous Indian lunch spot
(squint to the back where the white plastic chairs are)!
We ate buffet style and enjoyed a bevy of curry dishes and naan. 

Taking a stroll around Estes Park main street.
Can anyone name this local flower?

We also did some tourist-ing!
Studying the haunted Stanley Hotel from a "safe" distance.
This hotel is historically known for inspiring
Stephan King to write (and film) "The Shining".   

By the time we reached the Denver city limits once again, it was already past 5:00 PM. Whitney was returning to her relatives house that evening only to wake up and drive home to Hutchinson, KS the following morning! It was a quick 24 hours but, Whit, I am so glad we were able to make it work! Despite so much time apart with our time in college and beyond, I know that we will remain great friends in addition to being cousins, whatever direction our lives lead us. Plus, we both realized we have a thing for food (and blogging)!  I can't until we meet again...