Estes Park, Colorado... Day six... Monday August 16, 2021

That extra blanket making all the difference... sleeping like a rock... warm and snuggly... outside the temps dipping to 43°F... pretty chilly... feeling so much better... perky...

Quick breakfast of a banana and some water ... cottage cheese, water black pepper and a banana for the hubs... no coffee as we are driving to Denver International Airport to pick up our dear friends Eduardo & Daniche to join us in the mountains for six days... we are so thrilled to have them here... a chance to relax and recharge after the long hibernation of COVID-19 and quarantine... packing a couple of mini wraps... an apple and several bottles of water along with masks and hand sanitizer for the trip...

Arriving in good form... happy to be out of the city... looking forward to rest and relaxation... on the drive back smoke from the western fires obscuring the mountain views until entering the foothills. The drive up the pass... lovely as ever... such fun to see it through new eyes. Our first stop... a dispensary in Lyons picking up gummies... pain relief for Daniche... and a homemade blackberry pie for dessert

Over the pass and suddenly in the valley below... there it is... Estes Park... sparkling like a jewel in the mountains. Of course we must stop at Estes Rock for a photo of Daniche & Eduardo... now they are an official part of our Estes family. A quick stop at Safeway to pick up supper... it’s Cheap Chicken Monday... freshly prepared fried chicken at half price... 16 pieces for $14.... enough for two meals...

delicious and a real bargain...

Back to the house in time for lunch... mini turkey wraps for all along with our much missed coffees three hot and one iced for you know who

A delightfully lazy afternoon relaxing and chatting... catching up on family news... sharing stories and laughter. The gummy helping tremendously with the pain... tensions melting away. So very pleased to see Daniche relaxed and happy

Eduardo and the hubs in the garage chopping dead fall wood for the fireplace...

Resurgence supper tonite... FRIED CHICKEN crunchy... flavorful... perfectly cooked and juicy... served alongside a crisp green salad with lime vinaigrette and sliced avocado lots of water and sliced honeydew raspberries and blueberries homemade blackberry pie for dessert... probably the best pie ever... jammed full of ripe blackberries on a perfectly snappy short crust... tart... not too sweet... divine

Enjoying our first fire in the freshly prepared fireplace... a perfect end to a glorious day... off to bed... nighty night