Last Easter in Golden was a snow-covered winter wonderland which left us with wonderful memories of how special Colorado is. This Easter reminded us of the 300 plus sunny days warming us in the Denver area. Like a box of chocolates, you never know what you might get. We had a spring-like weekend, with barefoot kids wading in Clear Creek; and while there wasn’t much greenery yet, there was plenty of warming sun. After a walk along the creek and last minute shopping in downtown Golden, Ika and I decided to head for the mountains while Matt was flying others home for the holidays. Evergreen is a favorite mountain village with quaint rustic shops, brick streets, and the general feeling of being in the 19th century. We stopped for coffee and pastries at our favorite Muddy Duck, which is just down the street from the best Vietnamese in Colorado, Saigon Landing. Evergreen Lake, being much higher in the Rockies, was still partially frozen and edged with snow. It feels amazing to walk the edge of this frozen lake in a t-shirt and jeans. When the sun is out and the air is dry, you would be surprised at how little you need to wear for comfort. It made me think of the bikini-clad snow bunnies that frequent the slopes this time of year. Mountain dogs are popular up here and can obviously take the icy breeze from the convertible their dad drives. You never know what you’re going to see in these little mountain towns.
Monday, Matt returned from flying the rest of America safely home from their Easter. We had a special celebration waiting for him, with Ika’s amazing Swedish dishes and baskets for the kids. The beet and goat cheese salad made me want to just fill up on that alone, but then there were caviar-filled eggs, marinated salmon, the traditional swedish meatballs, boiled potatoes with gravy, and daim cake with coffee for desert. After such a meal of course we had to go on a hike to work off at least a few of the calories. This was Hanna’s first Easter celebration and it looked like she enjoyed everything in the basket and then some. Next year we hope to have the Austin family together with us once again, like old times:)
islandwidow 