Longmont, Colorado: Long-time Readers will know My Baby Brother Steve lives in Longmont with his wife, Kris. Their daughter, Delaney, also lives in town, and their son, Michael, lives nearby in Denver. We spent a four-day weekend with them enjoying Longmont. What a great town. They own a home in the district near downtown, where they can walk to everything and everyone knows everyone. We pulled into town, rented a car, and drove out to our campsite five miles from their house. There is a closer campground at the fairgrounds, which we have used previously, but it is water/electric only and they do not take reservations, so we settled at Gopher Gulch, because - come on, Gopher Gulch!
Just after setting up camp, we went directly to My Brother's house for a happy reunion. We have not seen each other since my October (70th!) birthday, when we went to see Mac McAnally (Jimmy Buffett's long-time bandmate) at Soboba Casino.
One of our great friends, Rob, lives a few blocks from Kris and Steve, so we invited Rob and his family to join us Thursday night. (Steve and Rob run into each other around town and they all know all the same people in their 'hood.). Rob worked with DT for the 2008 Olympic Track & Field Trials in Eugene and we have been friends ever since... and randomly Rob's parents live near My Brother Rick in Sister, Oregon.
Carriage Return. New Paragraph.
What a great reunion in so many ways. So happy to be with our family again and so happy to see Rob (we haven't seen him since the Pre Classic in Eugene July 4th).
On Friday we went to Boulder to walk around the old brick pedestrian shopping district. We had a fun lunch and found an interesting wooden puzzle for Lucile.
Saturday was another family day. We went to the Farmers Market with Kris, Steve and Delaney. The local market in Longmont is one of the best we have ever visited. Many, many different honey, bread, vegetable, flower, and fruit vendors to choose from, but the most popular seemed to be the one that gave you a plastic bag and whatever you could cram in there was $17. Wow. Delaney and I had corn, cucumbers, jalapenos, zucchini, acorn squash, green peppers and who knows what else squoozed into that bag. All picked that day. All organic. We also found pastries, fresh sourdough bread with olives, and the best score was pounds of famed Colorado Palisades Peaches. Delaney bought a mess of the peaches and I claimed enough to freeze for a pie (vacuum-sealer deployed) when the 4Ls visit on Labor Day weekend).
Assuming we are home by then.
After splitting-up our market haul, we visited Longmont Cheese Importers. This place is so amazing. Part French tableware and kitchenware shop, part you-need-a-puffy-jacket-to-enter cheese shop - it is SO COLD IN THERE. This shop is really a not-miss shop if you are in Longmont. For lunch we went to Teocalli taco shop that has Birria (one of my favs).
On Sunday we had both kids with us and went an interesting place. Just when you think a freezing cheese shop is the best thing in the world, you learn there is a butter bar - Bella La Crema - in Longmont - a shop where they make their own cultured butter and then add all sorts of ingredients to make gourmet flavor profiles - from sweet to savory, and everything in between. We bought their salted cultured butter and a French Countryside version (Herbes de Provence, lavender, garlic and salt), and then another with several varieties of peppercorns, garlic and salt.
Longmont has a thing about dairy.
Which brings us to our late lunch/dinner with the whole family at Urban Fields. I have never had pizza like this before. It has a kinda thick crust - but still has a soft interior - and maybe a focaccia-style bread... but the edge is simply dredged in parmesan cheese and it is so ridiculously crispy and delicious. Who thinks of this, other than an evil genius?
First, they tempted us with waffle fries:
Can you see the crispy cheesy edges?
Michael went home Sunday afternoon. Delaney spent Sunday evening with us all on the back patio. Snacking. No dinner. No one could eat another thing after four days of feasting. We neglected to take a group shot (of course), but I can report we are all gorgeous.
Dave and I point the Petit Peregrinus south tomorrow morning. Where we end up is a mystery to me.
Until my next update, I remain, your Longmont correspondent.
Campsite Information: Gopher Gulch - One of the rare campsites where the reality looks better than the website. A few weeds are popping up out on the gravel areas, but everything else is first rate and modern.