Merry Christmas 2018!

 December has been a very busy month for my family, for many reasons, and I realized I should have taken a blog break this month, as I have had hardly any time to sit by my computer.  Hopefully, if you keep in touch with me by Instagram, facebook, or twitter, you have seen why my blog has been quiet these past few weeks. 

We began December by traveling to Colorado Springs, where we stayed overnight at the beautiful Broadmoor Resort and Hotel.  I've blogged about this very special hotel more extensively on this post--click here--where we celebrated an anniversary a few years ago.

It was beautifully decorated for the Christmas season, with many different Christmas trees in all of its buildings.

We stayed overnight at the hotel with friends, as we were all in Colorado Springs to see the Trans Siberian Orchestra in concert. What a spectacular show they put on! The lights, special effects, narrated Christmas story and music was all fabulous!

On our way home the next day we drove through the Garden of the Gods--click here--to read my post about this natural red rock park in Colorado Springs--where we saw this wonderful view of Pikes Peak. There was a little bit of snow at its 14,114-foot elevation. So far late autumn has not brought the front range of Colorado much cold or snow, but the higher elevations and ski resort areas have gotten a nice amount.

Although my husband and I were nursing colds and sore backs, we were able to put up and decorate our Christmas tree and decorate the rest of the house outside and in. All of the ornaments on our tree have a special meaning to me, as I have collected them from different places and occasions over the years. It is like visiting old friends when I take them out of their boxes every season. As you can see I have a soft spot for Santa Claus.

December brought a Christmas dance recital for our youngest granddaughter, a guitar recital for our oldest grandson, and Santa Claus visits for all four grandchildren. All very sweet moments!

December also brought my oldest grandson's 10th birthday! To celebrate we went to a Benihana Restuarant where our meal was cooked in front of us all as the chef wield his knives expertly and we watched in fascination.

While I plan on making Christmas cookies this week, my granddaughter and I did make our annual Gingerbread house together...

...and my husband and I made our traditional savory zeppoles today.  These are not the usual sweet Italian Neopolitan, donut-like zeppoles that many of you may be familiar with,  but Calabrian savory potato and semolina dough style with an anchovy in the middle. They are a once a year treat for us! If you'd like the recipe I described the entire process of how to make them on this post. On Christmas Eve I prepare an Italian style "Feast of the Seven Fishes," and one of my most popular recipes is the Mixed Seafood Salad-click here-for that recipe.

So this last week before Christmas Eve will continue to be a busy time for me, but I am loving every minute of it. Of course, the most important part of Christmas is the celebration of the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. May His message of love for all people, especially those that need our love the most, be in our hearts and in our actions in 2019.

Merry Christmas to all!

See you in 2019!

The Broadmoor Resort and Hotel, Colorado Springs, For a Happy Anniversary Celebration

It is not every day that a couple celebrates a 41st wedding anniversary! Last year we celebrated our 40th at The Stanley Hotel in Estes Park, Colorado, and this year we decided to book a long weekend stay at the five stars rated Broadmoor Resort and Hotel in Colorado Springs. We heard so much about this hotel's luxurious ambiance and we looked forward with anticipation to experience it for ourselves. (All photos and photo collages in this post will enlarge for easier viewing if clicked on)

Built-in an Italian Renaissance style in 1918, the Broadmoor main building is situated by man-made Cheyenne Lake at the base of Cheyenne Mountain, at an elevation of 6,230 feet. The resort is made up of hotels, conferences, sports, and spa buildings. Historically, national and world skating and hockey championships were held at the Broadmoor World Arena, and Golf Championships have been held at the Broadmoor Golf Club since 1921.

Original owner Spencer Penrose built the Broadmoor to be one of the finest hotels in the United States. He hired architects Waren and Wetmore, who had designed the Ritz-Carlton and Biltmore Hotels, and also Frederick Law Olmsted, the father of landscape architecture, to design the landscape for the hotel's 3,000 acres. Penrose also hired Donald Ross, a golf architect, to design the original golf course, which was once the highest golf course in the United States.

After Penrose's death, the ownership of the resort and hotel passed hands many times and is now owned by the Anschutz Corporation, since 2011.

The view we had from our hotel room.

The various hotel and resort buildings of the Broadmoor complex are connected by a 3/4 mile walkway around Cheyenne Lake, which presented quite a bit of walking opportunities...

...as well as many scenic views during our stay.

The grounds, buildings, and facilities were very well kept and so beautiful!

My husband and I enjoyed the indoor and outdoor pools and relaxing in the whirlpool hot tub. There were paddle and electric boats available to ride on the lake, and of course, the ultra manicured golf courses and luxurious spa treatments. as well as tennis, horseback riding, and many tours and attractions in the area. The lake was filled with ducks, swans, and an occasional visiting heron.

The interior of all the buildings was opulent in architectural detail, furnishings, and floral arrangements.

There were many quiet comfortable seating areas among the many building lobbies.

Every attention to detail was not spared.  Just look at this vase overflowing with hundreds of red roses!

There was even a cozy and comfortable library in the main building.

We enjoyed walking around the premises, just to explore the rooms and examine their displays.

The Broadmoor even has its own bowling alley and movie theater for guests to enjoy!

No wonder visitors to the Broadmoor Resort and Hotel have included heads of state, celebrities, professional sports stars, musicians, actors, and influential business people!  There are "Walls of Fame" of framed photos of these famous visitors, both from the past...

...and those who are more contemporary.

The extensive collection of western-themed artworks, both paintings, and sculptures in the Broadmoor buildings were astounding!  Two Maxfield Parrish western views are hanging in one lobby area...

...and an Alfred Bierstadt painting flanked by two Frederic Remington sculptures on the table in front of it, was in another lobby.

Remington, Parrish, Bierstadt, Fraser, Dixon, Sharp---the list of famous artists' artwork on the walls seemed endless.

There were 26 retail specialty shops at the Broadmoor. I was smitten with the pretty selections in this shop!

There are eleven restaurants and many cafes and lounges, at the Broadmoor Resort and Hotel, and we enjoyed meals at the English pub called The Golden Bee, the Italian Ristorante Del Lago, and the French restaurant, called The Summit.  We felt the food was superb and so beautifully presented! We usually no longer indulge in the dessert when we dine out, but on one night we did, and the waiter knowing we were there to celebrate our anniversary made sure our dishes were sweetly decorated!

Two wonderful memories I have of our stay at the hotel was afternoon tortellini and pizza making class taught by the chef at Ristorante Del Lago one day, and listening to the music of a bagpiper played every evening as he strolled around the lake.  Of course, we also spent some time off the grounds of the hotel, visiting the Garden of the Gods and the Seven Falls area, but I will save those photos for future blog posts.

All in all, we were very pleased to spend this relaxing and pampering time at the Broadmoor Resort and Hotel. My husband and I made more wonderful Colorado memories here that we will always cherish. This was not the end of our anniversary celebration, however, as we also took a drive to NW Colorado on our anniversary date itself, to visit an entirely new place to enjoy--more about that amazing place on my next post!