It’s a bit after 8 and it took me a minute to set up a personal hot spot through one of our phones to gain internet access here in the mountains.
Yesterday we arrived in Vail around 2:45 and proceeded to clean up and get organized. The two boys and Jennifer (Jaggers friend) went straight up the mountain and then down to the river exploring everything in sight. Soon it was 6pm and we were supposed to be over at out new friends Andrew and Amanda’s place for dinner at 6:30. He’s an anesthesiologist and she’s a nurse who live in Denver most of the time. I met Andrew through one of my friends and they invited us all over for dinner along with our mutual friends. Lori had never met him and neither of us had met Amanda. Anyhow when we showed up at their house in East Vail, there was Heidi, our friend who’s also an anesthesiologist who we’ve known for a couple years! She was shocked saying when they said that a guy named Doug and his wife were coming over, she had no idea it was us. Heidi only met Andrew and Amanda and my close buddy Rik and Debra (who were also there) this July 4th. what a small World, and it’s going to get even smaller, read on….
Turns out Andrew was a musician in Seattle when I was in the music business in the 1980’s! We knew all kinds of mutual friends and reminisced about all kinds of places and events. We both decided we must have run into each other hundreds of times. On top of that, they both love to hunt! They go to Africa for work (on a program to help kids) often and have hunted extensively over there. Hence the house was full of African animal mounts from various excursions. He asked if I like to hunt birds to which of course I said yes and he also belongs to The Bluffs, which is the ultra exclusive hunting club outside of Denver. I’ve never been there as you need to be a member but it’s a really nice place. So now thanks to them, I can go whenever I want, whoo hoo!
For dinner we had some fantastic buffalo stew thing (Amanda shot) over some cous cous, but before we had some great cured meats and salmon that they cured themselves. By now you can tell I was having a great time as these guys are right up my alley! Meanwhile the kids we’re all playing outside with their 5 month old black lab puppy who is going away to get trained as a bird dog this Wednesday for 2 months. When dinner was over Jagger asked Amanda if he could clear and wash his plate and she was blown away with his manners saying she’s never had a kid ask to do this! Of course both boys introduced themselves and shook everyones hand when we arrived. We get lots of compliments on the boys always but it’s really my dad who should be getting them as he instilled the shake your hand thing in me, I just passed it on. About 10pm (the time flew) I said we need to go and we all wrapped it up. Our friend Heidi has had a rough year (you might remember her from when Bocelli was in town and she went backstage with us to check on one of his kids feet), as on Memorial Day her dad died, then on Fathers Day, her grandma passed and then she had some weird blood disease where she had to gain weight so they could harvest some stem cells to treat her. She has been really sad but was thrilled to see us and the boys. She hugged Lori and I both a bunch.
So today we’re headed to the farmers market and then to a bbq with a band around 1. Rollie our friend from Denver is up for the party (with the band) as it’s her sons grand opening of his (now legal in Colorado) pot shop! There’s no pot of booze but lots of festivities. So Rollie has a room at the Hyatt Beaver Creek and we’re taking the kids swimming. It’s good to be a kid these days. Lori also wants to get a hike in but we’ll see. Tonight we’re supposed to go to our friends restaurant Ti Amo. I sometimes would bring my Mom the scallopini from there when I am up here.
Well that’s it, kids are stirring and I need to get showered to get them to the farmers market. Hope all’s well, God Bless.