free day at the Botanical Gardens!

 During our trip to Phoenix, we went to the Botanical Gardens.  We had no idea: it was "free day."  What luck!

 The Botanical Gardens are beautiful not only because of the plants, but also because they have a number of sculptures (currently, most of them on display seem to be by Carolina Escobar).  I enjoyed the art (both alive & sculpted) immensely.

 It was great timing with respect to desert blooms.  I think next week will be even more impressive...

 They had all kinds of exhibits/displays -- including information about the plants & cacti, the bees, butterflies, the Sonoran Desert, and even some information about some of the Indian tribes that used to be indigenous to the area.  Overall, I thought it was very nicely done.  We also enjoyed a very decent lunch - which was a pleasant surprise.

poppies at Dreamy Draw

 We spent last weekend in Phoenix.  It was a great trip for many reasons, including spending our first night with Sarah & Erik -- for their yearly Belgian Party.
The day after the party they took us for a hike at Dreamy Draw.  Since they've had a lot of rain this winter, the flowers were beautiful.

 Sarah spotted some poppies on one of the hillsides, and off we went!

 We were not disappointed: the flowers were impressive.  It's not every year that you get such a great spring wildflower show in the desert.  Very cool.

terrible snow, great day

 Tom and I went up to Caribou ranch for some spring snow-shoeing.

 The good news was that the weather was splendid: 60 degrees.  Also known as "one-layer weather."  So it didn't really matter that there was barely enough snow for our snow-shoes (we could have done the trail in yak-traks).

As usual, the aspens were awesome.

 And, of course, Caribou Ranch has the only 5-star rated outhouse.
Over the years I have developed this rating system: one point for clean, one point for toilet paper, one point for hand sanitizer, and one point for "doesn't smell," and one point for the presence of a solar-powered fan.  Now, if that solar panel also powered a small warming device to keep the toilet seat from freezing, that'd probably be worth an additional 3 points.

Denver Restaurant Week Rocks!

 Every year, there is a phenomenon called "Denver Restaurant Week."  There are probably more than 100 restaurants in the Denver/Boulder area that participate, which is very cool.  The deal is that these restaurants offer a 3-course meal (typically you have ~3 choices for each course) for $52.80/couple (plus, in this case $16 for a wine pair).  The 5280 is a reference to Denver's elevation; lots of stuff around here is called "5280."
At any rate, we love this opportunity.  We try to go at least once each year -- to try some place new.  And the deal can't be beat.

 Last weekend we tried out a place in Boulder called "Trattoria on Pearl."  My first course was a butternut squash bisque, that had a fantastic puffed pastry on the top.  Tom had the asparagus and shrimp fondue (which was basically a creamy asparagus soup).  We weren't adventurous enough to try local wine pairing (neither Tom nor I has developed a taste for Colorado wine yet); Tom tried a New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc and I had my soup with an Italian Pinot Grigio.
Our next course was also quite good.  I had the lobster & shrimp "far-diavola."  Tom had the New York Steak.  I was shocked he didn't get the Osso Buco.  (One of our friends at the table got the Osso Buco.  Tom should have gotten the Osso Buco.)
My Lobster was paired with a Bulgarian Pinot, which was nice.  Tom's steak was paired with a red blend from Montepulciano -- which was excellent.

 The last course, of course, was dessert.  Tom got the chocolate mousse, which was fantastic.  I think he got this primarily because it was paired with a Tawny Port, which he enjoyed thoroughly.  I got the pumpkin Creme Brûlée, which was the best creme brûlée I've had in a very long time.  I also enjoyed my Moscato D'Asti -- a dessert wine from Piemonte.

A good time was had by all.  Tonight: out to try Arugula -- another 5280 dinner!