So here's the short of it, 
Today was an easy and relaxing vacation day!

And here's the long.

Today was another great day!

I had a really relaxing easy going morning to start out. Laying around in a hotel bed. A long leisurely shower. And just taking my time.

We met Dan at 11:30 for brunch at The Russian Tea House.  When we arrived there was a small wedding going on over in one of the outdoor eating areas.  It was completely closed off and there was a beautiful bride and a handsome groom and a handful of guests.  It was such a nice wedding.

We enjoyed our meal and the company and came away with three small tins of tea to bring home! Including a Puerh Tea which is a fermented tea from the western Chinese province of Yunnan.  It was a really different taste!  We were glad that Dan suggested it.

The Tea House itself was beautifully constructed.  The panels that can be seen on either side of the door are repeated all around the outside of the structure. The design is made up of many individual tiles. But they are not square tiles; they are cut using the design as a guide into irregular pieces.

After our brunch we walked around the Pearl Street Mall, a street which has been turned into a pedestrian shopping area.  Dan guided us to a great local spice store! We also found a great book store and I spent a bit of time watching two young teen girls performing on a musical instrument that looked like a very large wooden xylophone.  Here is a video I found on You Tube of a different girl playing in January.  And here is a video of the after school program where the kids learn to play! They were quite skillful and certainly enlivened the atmosphere this afternoon!

Khow Thai

We got a chance to visit Dan's house for a bit. It's the first time I've ever seen it, so I was glad to do that so that when I think about him at home, I have an image in my head.  Then this evening we went to Khow Thai restaurant.  Michael VanSant and his girlfriend Kaitlyn joined us for dinner. Michael is my cousin Jon VanSant's son. I was so glad that we got a chance to visit with them. He's just finishing up his degree in architecture and Kaitlyn will finish her degree in History and anthropology in August. They are right in that place - you know - getting ready to launch!

Maxwell Fire in Lefthand Canyon

Right now we are planning to get up early and drive up to Estes Park for the day tomorrow. But around 5 tonight a fire started up between here (our hotel) and there.  They are calling it the Maxwell Fire and it's in a place called Lefthand Canyon. We will have to wait to see if our plans need to change our plans because of that.

But we have an early start tomorrow. So for tonight - it's GoodNight.