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.