3/11/08

A day of pure pleasure

I love my husband. Have I mentioned that before? He makes me happy. What, may I ask, is there in this world that could be better than that? Just...joy.
Today, we had one of those totally gratuitous bonus summer days that come in the wrong season. It was tank top weather. Flip-flop weather. Cruiser bike weather. And M had almost the whole day off. After taking the dogs for a walk around the lake, we left them to sun on the back porch and took our cruisers out for a spin around town.

A very cool bridge. You can just see Elitch Gardens in the background.

It's rollercoaster fixin' season at Elitch's. I always love to see the men climbing around in the rafters of these enormous structures that serve no purpose except for play.

Mind you, my interest is purely aesthetic. I want nothing whatsoever to do with these machines when they're up and running. I hate rollercoasters, and really any ride except for maybe the carousel. I love the carousel.

If you look closely you can see a guy climbing one of the poles in a harness. I hope he gets good hazard pay.

Mike riding in front of a mural which is (I hope) from another era. Although I'm not sure which era. Kind of awesome in its tackiness.

photo credit: savoryspice.com
Then we went to Savory Spice shop. This is their picture, not mine, because mine weren't very good, and this place is amazing. It smells like a bazaar or a souk somewhere along the silk road, the air dense with exotic spice. We're foodies so this is hog heaven for us. It was all we could do to restrict ourselves to an amount I could carry in my shoulder bag.

Savory spice is in a neighborhood that's generally referred to as Paris on the Platte. We have ridden our bikes past the spice shop dozens of times, but this was the first time we allowed ourselves to succumb to its siren call.

It was all we expected and then some. Who could resist a boulder-sized glass jar full of something the color of henna that's labeled Himalayan Red Salt? How about Saigon Cassia Cinnamon? Or Zanzibar Whole Cloves? The names alone make me swoon.
We came away with Lavender Violet Vanilla Bean Sugar (I mean, I could NOT leave the store without that in my hot little paws!), Four Corners Peppercorn Blend, a packet of candied orange peel, and Paris Cheese Sprinkle and Bleu Cheese sprinkle for M's beloved popcorn.

Next door is a new handmade chocolate shop and confectioner called Wen Chocolates. Of course we had to try it out. They use antique candy molds for their chocolates, and special treats include palm-sized Linzer Tortes shaped like latticed hearts, Turkish Delight, and candied pears dipped in dark chocolate. Their truffle menu is vast, with names like Bourbon-vanille, kaffir lime, and Prazen Sladkor (which looks coated in gold dust).
As I write this, I'm eating a fig dipped in dark chocolate.
Really, how much pleasure can two people stand in the course of one day?

Halfway through our bike tour, we stopped to pick up platter-sized cheeseburgers and a large order of onion rings at My Brother's Bar (friendliest burger joint in town) and had a picnic on the steps beside the confluence of Cherry Creek and the Platte River. You know the burgers are gonna be good when the paper bag they come in is transparent with grease.

Heaven.

Many people admired our bikes. I can't really blame them. We have a good life.
I even got to feed a duck. And I love ducks. Ducks make me very, very happy.

12 comments:

Tish said...

Nice day!!! And Lavender Violet Vanilla Bean Sugar sounds perfectly lovely!

Juliette said...

Miam Miam
What a day! Would have trade with you in a heartbeat.

Tamara said...

What a great day! I am a Spice House fan, which looks almost like your shop's twin, but in Milwaukee. I still have all the apothecary jars from through the years. Not quite the same thing, but candied violets are awfully old-fashioned pretty on Easter cake I think.

Vivian M said...

I can't believe you are in a tank top when we have snow piled up 6 feet high here!
The spice and chocolate shop sound heavenly...if I ever come visit, please show me where they are (then leave us there for hours). And I would need a suitcase, not a shoulder bag!
By the way, start shopping around for those add on baby seats for your bike(s)! You are going to need one soon...

Yoli said...

The Savory Spice shop sounds lovely. I agree, with names like Zanzibar clove, how can you go home empty handed? What floored me was the chocolate shop. Being a chocoholic, I immediately perked up. You look lovely and the day sounds dreamy. You guys are madly in love and it is very refreshing to see.

4D said...

Picture perfect day.

Keep smilin!

Fliss and Mike Adventures said...

Makes me want to go grab my bike and take off... though one bad thing about Florida (after being to Colorado myself and finding those cute shops - eg the Tea House and the Bakery in Silver Plume)... you get on your bike and ride and ride and don't end up at any of these cute areas... so, thanks for taking me back down the Colorado memory lane... I can't wait to get back there... Ok... since it is a new year, the 2006 referrals are out... I went for an overhaul... if you want to check it out... still adding stuff here and there... take care

Alana said...

you are so lucky..you have a wonderful life.. And thanks for the pictures of roller coasters, I think I just figured out how to convince Scott that driving to Denver to see Eddie Izzard (if we arent in VN) is a good idea, because we are amusment park geeks and have yet to see Elitch...hmm...

tiffany said...

Your day sounds just perfect. I think you are doing all the right stuff while you wait for your Miss Flynn. I mean you will do much of the same stuff once she is home, but it will be all about her. You wont want it any other way, but you will look back on these times when it was all about you with fondness. :)

Anonymous said...

Sigh....I love that day. And it wasn't mine, but still! Thanks so much for sharing it.

Deirdre said...

Your whole day sounds lovely, but the end—the chocolate covered figs—almost made me come knocking down your door. Yum!

Monica said...

What kind of bikes do you have anyway?

Monica
http://kaijinsbigsis.blogspot.com/

P.S. I LOVE your blog.