AJ's Staycation Experiment

During our staycation AJ decided to experiment and try to grow a beard.  For the past three weeks he hasn't shaved and, well ....  He's looking pretty scruffy, and a lot like his dad who wears a beard himself.  I had to post these pictures since he's going job hunting this week and will probably shave it off.  Pretty cute!

Staycation! - The Adam Richman Experience

As I have posted here before, our family, and especially Kevin, is very much into Adam Richman's show "Man V Food" on the Travel Channel.  A while back we went to a restaurant in Denver, and this time we tried out two of the places he went to in Boulder.

The first place we tried was Beau Jo's, a pizzeria.  It was obviously geared toward the student population that is there in Boulder, but what a lot of fun.  They have what they call "Mountain High" pizza.

The crust on their pizza is very thick and they sort of braid it.  As a special treat they bring you a bottle of honey, and after you are done with the pizza you eat the crust with the honey.  Sort of a built in dessert!  They offer one huge-mongous pizza for $75, if you can believe it.  However, if two people can eat it all, including crust, in one hour you get it for free!

In the morning we tried out this place for breakfast, which is what Adam did on the television show.  Yes, we had breakfast in The Buff!  The waitresses there seem willing talk about the show, and afterwards asked if he steered us wrong in coming to them.  He did not! 

We had their specialty, the Saddlebags. These are giant pancakes with your choice of meat (bacon, sausage or ham) cooked into it, and a couple of eggs on top. Pretty great idea.

Kevin had it like Adam did on the show, one with sausage and one with bacon.  AJ had all sausage and I had bacon.  Stan tried their Pacific Benedict, which was an eggs benedict with smoked sausage.  Really a fun place to visit.  If you want the Adam Richman experience too give these places a shot!

Staycation! (part three)

Yes, we went to the Stanley Hotel in Estes Park today.

For those of you who know Stan, he was more than willing to pose with the hotel's sign.  I loved it!

This may be our Christmas card this year .....

The Stanley Hotel was built in 1909 and was the inspiration for Stephen King's THE SHINING.

We didn't see any ghosts, but we did see ....

The Stanley Steamer!

It's one of a very few that still work.  It was so cute to see.

We found ourselves caught in one major hailstorm on our way back to Boulder and our hotel.  I'll chronicle the rest of our adventures when we get back home. 

I just have to say, staycation is a blast!

Staycation! (part two)

So we decided to spend a couple of days at home during our staycation.  Yesterday we were planning on going down to Pueblo and visiting the River Walk and checking out Sloppers at Gray's Coors Tavern.  But the forecast was for temperatures of 105-110, and I said "No Way!"  Can you blame me?  Today we went and saw the film "Despicable Me," which was adorable, and came home for some homemade Chinese food.  Stan and Kevin have gotten really good.

Here's Stan making his famous fried rice in his wok.  It is amazing!  He buys BBQ Pork at the Asian Market and dices it up to add to it, and it is so good.   Of course we always wind up with so much we have rice for days.  Not that that's a bad thing ........

We do buy pot stickers and egg rolls from Costco.  Stan fries up the pot stickers in his wok and oh my gosh, you'd never know they were frozen!

Kevin made General Tso's Chicken.  His dream is to open a restaurant someday, and it'll probably be an Asian restaurant!

See what I mean?  The men folk know how to put on a spread!

Stan looks happy!

Don't bother me ... I'm eating!

I think Kevin needed to take a rest before tackling this huge meal!

Like I said ... it was delicious!

Staycation! (part one)

We started our staycation for 2010, and we are having a blast!  We went up to Denver and stayed a couple of days.  Visited a restaurant, Cinzetti's, that we've been hearing about for the past ten years.  It was so much fun.  Looked like a little Italian marketplace.  It's a buffet, so you should be hungry and feeling well.  I wasn't feeling that good, so I feel like I missed out a little on the experience, but what I did try was fantabulous!

Spent some time swimming then went to Dave and Busters where Stan and the boys had a great pool game that lasted until 11:30 that night! 

The next day we visited the Denver Museum of Nature and Science.  What an amazing place.  Since it was near 100 degrees, let me tell you we were happy to be inside their air conditioned wonderment.  Saw an IMax film on the Hubble Telescope that was breathtaking.  Makes me want to double my recycle/reuse efforts and up my green living ways.  The planetarium show was fascinating too.

Kevin and AJ were brave and visited the BodyWorks show.  The idea of it gives me the shivers, but they said it was interesting to view those preserved bodies.  Not for me!

Anyhoo, things have started out fun for us, and I'm excited to see what we do next!