We were up early this morning even though we’d planned for a late departure. Amanda received a text from our dog sitter; she wasn’t feeling well. So she lined up some backup puppy sitting for the time being. It was a leisurely get-up; I wrote yesterday’s post while Amanda got ready. I dragged a big chair to the porch door to be comfortable while writing. Geese were just about as leisurely as they were grazing off our porch. Multiple hot air balloons floated by in the background. It was a good way to start the morning.
We had a photo shoot outside our cabin before we headed out. Turns out we were the best dressed around. Amanda usually is, anyway! But it was weird; everyone was just super chill with shorts, tees, and sandals, so we were overdressed for the most part. Even ritzy Telluride was like that yesterday and the same when we were there in the winter. We were shopping and not hiking, so we didn’t feel the need to look like we were headed down a dirt trail. We obviously stood out as nonlocals. I’m used to the stares, I guess because of my size, but Amanda was getting them today, too. She kept asking me if her ensemble was too much. Maybe it was for some of the ladies giving the stares, but I told her to rock it. She looked fab as usual; all the women are jelly-belly, as we say!
Our first stop was the San Juan riverwalk in downtown. Well, the actual first stop was for coffee! A local coffee shop on the river had a house latte made with oatmilk and house-made syrup. It was amazing; we both wished we’d gotten the larger size. They had a cute little shop and a nice patio we sat on while we sipped our coffee. Amanda made friends with Charlie, a supper chill golden retriever we sat by.
We didn’t make much of the riverwalk. Construction was happening at the springs resort, so the backdrop wasn’t pretty. I didn’t want to wear Amanda’s knee out too much, either. We’ve chosen not to go to the springs on this trip. We’d like to at some point, but hot tub soaking really isn’t our thing, and Amanda needs to be careful. For sanitation, but all the pools continually flow, so she’d probably be okay there. And also, for the heat, she would need to be careful. No matter how you slice it, it would cost about $200 to gain access to the multiple pools of the resort. It’s the best spot with 25 pools, not just one big one. So maybe next time.
We made a short jaunt down to a bridge on the walk and back. It was light foot-traffic wise, and everyone we met or passed was extra friendly. One boy came rolling by in his bicycle, saying he’d do a wheelie for a dollar!
Once towards the top of the downtown area, we started hoping in and out of every shop on the drag. We didn’t find much; there were some repurposed vintage Louis Vuitton bags with added fringe and whatnot that Amanda loved. They were a bit out of our price range at $900 plus! The same shop had hair feathers. Long, thin feathers clipped in your hair that last for a few months. Amanda was intrigued and ended up having a couple put in her hair. The cute romper she had on today had a heavy Lauren Daigle vibe, so they went with that good!
We finished most of the shops off of the main drag, but no thrift stores were within walking distance. So we drove to hit a couple up. We hand had lunch, and by 3, we were getting hungry. Pre-Amanda getting hangry stage, at least! So we made our way back to the condo for leftover lunch. I made fried polenta avocado toast. Leftover polenta from our ragout night pan-fried with avocado, local heirloom tomatoes, and jalapeños with some siracha and everything bagel. It was great.
We didn’t stay long before heading back out to hit the remaining thrift stores. I went to grab some locally made, non-processed teriyaki sauce we bought downtown from the car before we left. I was on the phone as a last-ditch effort trying to get our rooms extended and dropped it. The glass jar instantly shattered, along with my teriyaki dreams! It was a short sadness since someone had canceled, and we were able to extend and now don’t have to shuffle locations.
The day’s find was at our last stop, a vintage Wrangler shirt. I’d guess early ‘90s Amanda scored it and said it was for me, but we’d need joint custody of it! We have a few sweaters and shirts with split custody of. I have a pair of vintage maroon Wranglers of my dad’s that will go perfectly with this amazing shirt!
After shopping, we had a few groceries to grab. One thing I wanted in particular was a plastic bottle Topo Chico. We got some peach, white balsamic vinegar, and olive oil. We’d made up a drink with the vinegar and some sparkling water I’d brought. It was good, but the plastic bottle Topo is extra carbonated, so it would be better. This would be an easy find at home, available at any gas station. We had no luck at two different grocery stores or gas stations, but a liquor store came through.
It was almost 7 when we returned, so I started prepping dinner. I was making fresh pasta, so I needed to get that made so the dough could rest. Amanda fell in to help get the appetizer ready. That would be a new invention, Amanda’s idea, and my elaboration and execution. It turned out great, an antipasto-type salad. It had an array of ingredients: sautéed mushrooms, zucchini, shallots and roasted garlic, artichokes, pepperoncinis, sundried tomatoes, farmers market cherry tomatoes, sweet and hot red peppers, feta (were cheaters!), and fresh thyme. While we waited for the pasta to rest, we sat on our porch and enjoyed that along with our new drink concoction.
Once we completely destroyed the new salad, we worked on the pasta. I worked the plastic rolling pin so hard it broke, but an empty wine bottle saved the day! I made a fresh pesto with basil from the farmers market in Albuquerque. This was also a cheat for us with the oil and fresh parmesan. I’d planned to have sautéed veggies to go with, but the antipasto salad covered us in the vegetable department.
Tomorrow, we are making a loop on the east side of the mountains. I’m excited to take some after photos from a mission trip we were on back in 2017 before we lost the weight. One is a selfie; the other, we’re hoping someone might be by to take a full body shot to match another. We’ll make it all the way to Gunnison before making the loop back down. They’re a Sherpa/Nepali-type restaurant we’re excited to try for lunch, too.