Colorado Visits - Final Episode

We returned to Colorado in the spring of 2005, after our son had relocated to the "Mile High City" with his bride and a new teaching position.

We spent one day downtown Denver which included a tour of the Molly Brown House Museum on Pennsylvania Street.

The three story Victorian house was built in 1889 and became the home of J.J. and Molly Brown in 1894.   The house has quite an interesting history.  It would have demolished in urban renewal had it not been for a group of concerned citizens who formed Historic Denver, Inc. in 1970, and raised funds to restore it.  The house is now on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places.

It is said to be haunted by J.J. Brown who was never allowed to smoke in the house.  The smell of pipe and cigar smoke are prominent in rooms he occupied even though the house is a smoke-free environment.  But I never smelled it the day I was there!  ;-)

Unfortunately, they weren't offering one of their special Afternoon Teas on the third floor while I was in town, but I did purchase a tin of  Molly Brown's Special Blend Tea [blended by John Harney] in the gift shop, and have reordered more from the Molly Brown House website several times.

I always think about Margaret [Molly] Tobin Brown every year as the date of the Titanic sinking  approaches on April 15th, and how she acquired the nickname that stuck with her for life, The Unsinkable Molly Brown!

Someone told me about English Tealeaves in Parker, Colorado [19 miles S.E. of Denver], so my hubby and I went there for lunch one day.

The retail area where they sell loose tea and tea accessories is in the front of the store.

The dining area is in the back, but it's more cafe style than a traditional tea room.

Jeremy and Samantha wanted to take us to dinner at the Broadmoor Hotel in Colorado Springs.  As you can see, it was a beautiful Sunday afternoon.

 We strolled the grounds before going into the hotel for our dinner reservations.

As enjoyable as all these outings were, none of them surpassed an impromptu tea lunch  my new daughter-in-law and I had while the guys were away.   It wasn't anything fancy -  just tea, scones and sandwiches during Sam's lunch break from her at-home computer job.

Sam [as we affectionatly call her] is a coffee-loving gal, but she was a good sport and gave tea a try that day.

Colorado Destinations Continued...

In 2004 my husband and I flew to Denver, then  drove 112 miles south to Pueblo, Colorado, where  our youngest son's teaching job had taken him.   I've already written about our wonderful Brown Palace experience, but I wanted to share a few more highlights from the trip.

Jeremy took a day off from work to take us on a little sight seeing tour of the beautiful state.

The picture below is entering Garden of the Gods in Colorado Springs - a registered National Landmark.

 

The rock formations are incredible -  a real balancing act!  

 

Mom & Dad with Jeremy

 

We went to Glen Eyrie Castle [north of Garden of the Gods] - a 67-room English Tudor-style castle, listed on the National Register of Historic Places.    Inside the castle is a tea room where we had hoped to have Afternoon Tea.    Upon arriving, however, signs were posted outside that the tea room was closed.   Wild animals had been sited nearby [mountain lions if I remember correctly] and visitors were advised not to get out of their cars!   Yikes!

My granddaughter, Tiffany, went to Colorado to visit her girlfriend in June 2011 and fortunately  no wild animals  interfered with her tea plans.  She sent me a text saying she was inside Glen Eyrie Castle having Afternoon Tea.   I had tea at the beautiful castle vicariously through her.
 

I'm  happy Tiff enjoys tea-time.   

Tea with friends makes wonderful memories!