Oh, how we have waited for this trip to Aspen and it did not disappoint. Barbara G. and I have been looking forward to the March dealer trip (which exec's and spouses were invited), since last year. Five days after coming home from Hawaii, Dave and I pack our bags (many, many bags) and headed to Aspen, Colorado for some wonderful winter weather and sports. Seeing that we were going directly to another work trip to Amelia Island, FL we had to pack snow gear and warm weather gear. My parents and Aunt Barbara drove to New Jersey for their first visit to watch the kids.
The Jaguar group stayed at the St. Regis in Aspen and we had events planned each day. We loved our suite, with our own butler, no doubt. The St. Regis has a gorgeous property that backs up to Aspen Mountain, which was the view from our room. With the altitude and dry air, a humidifier was a must and we made sure to drink lots and lots of water. Altitude sickness would have ruined the trip:-)
A view of our living room at the St. Regis
Enjoying martinis our first afternoon in Aspen, by the outdoor fireplace that looked out to the ski slopes.
Our first day in Aspen, Dave, Andy and I rode the gondola to the 11,500 foot peak to snowshoe for the morning. It was a glorious, sunny day for snowshoeing. Our guide was a bit granola, but his quotes and poetry regarding nature were just what we needed to get in the mood to enjoy this spectacular town. Seeing that the temperatures were warm for the season, we were a bit overdressed and had to shed hats and gloves for parts of the hike. We learned that Aspen was a big silver mining town and was basically deserted when silver prices fell. We actually saw some of the mines and our guide was telling us that the mountain looked like swiss cheese (underneath) from all of the mining.
We had a professional photographer for the event, so better pictures will be on their way.
After drinking champagne in the spa and hot tub, we moved to the Oxygen Room. These guys didn't seem to think it was helping (maybe the champagne was taking over), but I enjoyed the oxygen several times during my stay:-) We all had massages scheduled, so we were all walking around the hotel in our white robes:-)
Our first group activity was snowmobiling. Due to the warmer weather, avalanches were a threat, so our snowmobiling was limited to the lower tracks. We had a great time and eventually were able to race each other around a track (now THAT was a blast). We snowmobiled up to a lodge for grilled burgers for lunch, a quaint place. One of our guides was previously a "Marlboro Man" as they filmed many Marlboro cigarette commercials in the area. He looked the part!
Barbara and I with Tom being silly.
Our snowmobile overheated due to the warm weather...and maybe a little of Dave's driving?!
Dinner at Szyrgzy Tuesday night. We hit the local bars in Aspen afterwards. Ah, we love Aspen!
Wednesday, Dave skied Aspen Mountain, others skied Snowmass, and I took a shopping trip (with a nice gift card to help me enjoy the day:-). Dave met me for lunch in downtown Aspen, so we spent a good part of the day together. We came back to our rooms to find new outfits for our Black and White themed dinner. We had a sleigh ride planned for a lodge dinner near the old ghost town. Look at our cool new Spyder jackets, hats, leather gloves and cashmere scarves. We love them. We will have a group shot of our White and Black theme night soon.
The drive to the sleigh ride was a winding road along a river, high into the mountains. As we were dropped off to the sleigh, we were given mugs of hot toddies. Mmm, mmm. Cue the snow and we were off! Seriously, it had not snowed since we arrived, so it was as if the snow arrived at the perfect moment. The lodge was rented out specifically for our group and we had country western singers for entertainment and an open bar; what else could you ask for? We were graced with a full moon on the sleigh ride back, with the Percheron horses leading the way. It was merry, old time:-)
Grand views
Thursday's activity was culinary cooking and wine pairing. Dave was chosen to saber the champagne bottle outside in the courtyard before we started the class. It was SO cool! We have a photo of the cork mid-air...with the professional photographer:-)
We made some delicious courses, the salad with the local goat cheddar cheese topping was our favorite. There were a few substitutes for my gluten free diet (no duck ravioli), but it was all devoured quickly, along with the wine pairings. As we were waiting for the souffles to cook, we raced as teams to see who could whip the egg whites into meringue the fastest. Dave and I won:-) Top chef? Doubtful.
After our culinary lunch, Dave and I took off to see the ghost town. It was another warm, sunny day and we hiked around the ghost town and into the woods. The scenery was stunning, with streams, birds and snow melting.
Local artwork in a nearby town
Our final dinner with the Jaguar group Thursday night came too soon. We had a gorgeously decorated ballroom at the St. Regis, with Jaguars inside the ballroom, a Jaguar logo ice sculpture and a nice Aspen leaf pendant and cufflinks for Dave and I. We have lots of fond memories of this trip to Aspen. It was a late night and we had about 3 1/2 hours sleep before it was time for our ride to the airport. On to Houston, with a long layover, and then on to Jacksonville, FL with a drive to Amelia Island, FL for the Concours d'Elegance. This was our first year being there with Jaguar and it was nice to see the CX-18; it's a beautiful car!
1952 Jaguar XK120
Dave presenting an award
This was the first year it was warm at the Concours. Ahh, finally! We had dinner with our good friend, Hurley and lots of other great automotive writers and peers. The Amelia Concours is in a class of its own.
With the time change over the weekend, the sunrise was a bit off for me. Being back down south, the sun rises a bit later than in New England. I was up early to work out and then sat on the beach to watch the sunrise, which was around 7:15 or later. It was one of the most peaceful Monday mornings I have had in quite some time.
As we were flying all over the country, my parents and Aunt Barbara took great care of Olivia and Zach. It was nice to have them visit. We took Olivia and Zack to see the Lorax Friday after school to celebrate the weekend and somehow stopped into the LEGO store at the Garden State Mall. Of course, they left with some pretty cool LEGOs:-)
Before I left, I was able to take the folks to NYC while the kids were in school. Aunt Barbara loved it! Dad, not so much.
Aunt Barbara, Dad and Mom
Upon our return home to New Jersey, Dave had to head to London that night. Everyone was waiting patiently on me to drive them to Toys R Us (since they did not know the way). A few LEGOs and lots of other toys later, this is the scene. Do you think these kids are happy?
Their last day here, we went to Sleepy Hollow, NY. As you can see, we are at the grave of Washington Irving, the writer of The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. It was a nice day to tool around. We walked along the Hudson, saw a few more sites, had lunch at a diner and we were back for the kids. All in a days work!
They officially visited New Jersey and New York and headed to Florida the next day to see Kim and put their toes in the sand. Watch out Delray Beach, here they come! Thanks for some great babysitting and thanks for the visit:-) Ya'll come back, ya hear?
No comments:
Post a Comment