Well, hello, hello there, friends. I’m sipping decaf Lady Grey tea on the blue couch this afternoon, craving some cozy on a bit of a blustery day. Decaf- because too much caffeine makes me crazy and tea because I’ve nixed coffee once again, hopefully for good this time around, but more on that later.
There is writing and travel planning to get to. My unfinished library books were keeping me from both the past couple days, so I returned them. I figuratively hit pause on the last book of Stephen King’s Dark Tower Series as getting through this last one is proving to be a bit of a slog, not to mention a nightmare inducer. It’s a good story and well-written, of course- just very, very, very long, and very, very, very vivid and I am learning that my overactive imagination doesn’t pair well with reading horror. I figure I’ll get back to it eventually and finish up strong. I just can’t say when. So that’s a we’ll see.
I need something less horrifying, but equally good- some Maeve Binchy or some Tana French, perhaps. A re-read, most likely. My re-reads are the coziest books in my collection, the ones that bring me back to memories of reading them other times before, some of them multiple times before. They are old friends on the shelf, the slowly decaying glue of their spines, one of the most reassuring smells in the whole world. If joy was a smell, it would smell like used books.
There is a map of Montreal in my head that I need to sharpen. The lodging is booked, a pretty apartment near Chinatown and Old Montreal that I imagine I’ll write about in a few months time. The next things to plan are the sights, activities, and eats. Will I try one of Montreal’s bagels, I wonder? They are boasted to be better than New York’s, which is pretty hard to believe. Another we’ll see (but probably- I mean; who says no to bagels?)
On the subject of bread, I’m thinking back to our last trip to the Québec province, a core memory of which was the picnic basket delivered to our hotel room each morning filled with fresh fruit, orange juice, croissants, pain au chocolat, jam, and coffee. Yum. I think this is what I am craving most from a trip to Montreal, coffee aside, because the little things make me disproportionately happy and croissants happen to be a big, little thing for me.
Since learning how to eat “normally” last summer, there have been far fewer croissants, but that just makes the times I do have them even more enjoyable. Being down almost fifty pounds and still being able to eat croissants, guilt-free, is a pretty amazing feeling. There is power in control and understanding just as there is enjoyment in reasonable indulgence. You have to live well in more ways than one in order to be happy and it helps to have a handle on how to do that in regards to food and nourishment for almost a year now.
That brings me to coffee. Coffee, which I quit for five months from last May to October. Coffee, which I reintroduced, thinking there’s no harm in one cup every now and then. Then, there’s no harm in one cup a day- two even. For me, I think there might be.
I’ve wondered for years if I have anxiety. Now, I’m wondering if it was just the coffee. I don’t have a diagnosis and I am not a doctor, so really, don’t listen to a word I say on this. I only know me and how I react to the stuff. I’ve noticed, though, that since quitting coffee over a month ago and cutting way back on caffeine in general, my emotions feel much more regulated and my focus and productivity- much sharper.
Even last time when I gave up coffee, I was still drinking multiple cups of caffeinated tea per day. When my caffeine intake reduced even more, the feelings of anxiousness quieted down. My thoughts aren’t constantly racing. I have enough energy to get through the day without having to battle fatigue with a stimulant. I’ve got to say, that feels like a pretty big win.
There is one thing that seems to have gone with the caffeine, though, and that is the poetry. Hopefully that’ll come back when its ready. Another we’ll see, I guess.
Anyways, time to get back to other things now. I know it’s been a while since the last post; I just didn’t know what to write. This probably wasn’t for everyone, but it’s what I could manage and I hope that’s fine with you all. Thanks for reading, as always. All’s well here and hope it’s just so wherever you are.
Well hello there, you! This morning, I am sitting at my desk in what we call “The Big Room”. The desk, a scuffed up IKEA dining table bought by Mike’s roommate sometime in 2011, has served many functions over the years and has more than a few scars to show for it. It is imbued with the soul that comes from years of multipurpose use. It has served as a dining table, a catch-all for clutter, a boardgame and puzzle surface, an art studio, an interview office, a Friendsgiving buffet, a Christmas tree stand, and a TV stand, among other things I can’t recall. I am sure it is embedded with heat stains and maybe even a little grease from Williamsburg Pizza boxes and the condensation of water rings from ice cold bottles of Lagunitas IPA and Bell’s Two Hearted, fresh from the bodega down the street on Union Avenue.
When we first moved back to New Jersey, we used it as our dining table for a little while until my parents visited briefly during the pandemic to drop off some essential supplies and my mom laughed at how small it looked in the space. And so, our little, old table was retired from high traffic use and replaced by a newer, bigger, blander model from Amazon. I squirrelled the old one away in the laundry room for a while until its current purpose dawned on me. Afterall, every writer needs a desk. Wasn’t I a writer once?
Nestled in the corner of the Big Room, topped with a jar displaying two Harry Potter wands that my cousin and her husband made for me, a rock my sister brought back from Ireland, some 40-watt soft-white lamplight, and a pink, paper box of my nana’s that contains my writing books, this space is my main access to creation. It is rare that I sit at my desk and feel any sort of writer’s block. It has helped me through blog posts, fiction projects, plot holes, a play, poems, greeting cards, resumes, cover letters, emails, and even text messages. When I’m feeling unmotivated and uninspired, the awareness to sit down at my desk weighs on me and pressures productivity. And, like the drunk, scarred, slob that it is, it isn’t quiet about it.
My Desk
I like writing in the Big Room with the curtains drawn and the table lamps on. It’s cozy and dark and when I turn the heat up or bundle up in chunky-knit sweaters and sweatpants with a mug of tea near at hand, it’s even warm. Perhaps the best characteristics about the room however, for the purpose of writing, are that we don’t sleep in here for much of the year and that I can close the door to distraction.
In his memoir, “On Writing”, Stephen King mentions the importance of writing a first draft with the door closed. I am easily distracted and when my focus is interrupted, it starfishes onto something new and the suction can be a force to be reckoned with. If I am sitting up in the main area of our home, my closed door is represented by a large pair of headphones. That being said, being able to close a physical door comes in handy for me.
The Big Room is usually where we put guests when they come to visit. It has more space for luggage, kids, and pets. It even has a desk and a comfortable chair. I originally intended for the Big Room to be “our room” and hung our two framed wedding pictures on the wall, but by the time it got really cold our first year of living here, we learned pretty quickly that the little room holds heat in much better and so we make an annual migration in the fall and spring between the two. And so, our guests are stuck with us looking all glammed up when they stay in the Big Room. I guess I’ll just apologize for our not looking quite that pretty all the time!
Anyway, I’m using this post as a warm-up to jump back into a fiction project and I feel like it’s time to switch gears now. I’ll take a little break and make some tea and then come right back and get to work. Old Pizza Stains McDenty Face has me on the clock and my attention’s good and starfished.
Hi friends! I hope September has been treating you well. I’ve got my Earl Gray tea in my favorite mug as I write this post on our big, blue couch, doing my best to unfold the words and style on the page. One thing is certain, however, as I look down at the mostly blank screen. Today, I will write about mountains.
Last week, we got back from an incredible trip to Colorado and I’m already looking forward to returning sometime in the future as some of the places we visited definitely rank among the most beautiful sights I have ever seen.
We made sure to spend the first couple of days of our trip acclimating to the elevation so that we’d be less prone to the dangers and discomfort of altitude sickness while hiking and visiting high vista points later on in Rocky Mountain National Park. Our trip began in Denver, also known as “the mile high city”, where we explored the lively, eclectic neighborhoods of LoHi (Lower Highland) and RiNo (River North Arts District) and the quiet, active, residential pièce de résistance of Wash Park (Washington Park).
Denver
We told ourselves we were going to limit our alcohol intake on this trip compared to other vacations as it can dehydrate you and dehydration puts you at greater risk for altitude sickness. That being said, our first stop was Denver Beer Co. on Platte Street in LoHi. We went on a mission to try their award-winning pilsner called “Love This City”, but the brewery didn’t have it in any form when we went. We chose our runner-up orders from the beer list and poured ourselves two large glasses of water from the tap in the tasting room to stay hydrated. We enjoyed our beers in a shady spot on the covered patio area, happy to find that both the beer and the tap water were delicious. If you go to Colorado, bring a refillable bottle and fill whenever you can. We needed to fill ours a lot because the Denver air was dry as toast to our sea-level and humidity accustomed bodies. Lip balm and lotion also came in very handy for staying comfortable in the dry climate.
We enjoyed a visit to the Denver Central Market where we caught some of the US Open Men’s Semi Final while sipping on non-alcoholic beers. We started getting hungry and decided on a nearby spot for dinner, Work & Class, where we were seated quickly and received attentive service and delicious food, the best of which, we agreed, was something called “The Massive Attack Salad” which was loaded with perfectly seasoned vegetables tossed in parmesan and lemon vinaigrette. Yum!
Denver Central Market
The next day, we visited Wash Park, a neighborhood that we read is where the locals go to show off “the best of Denver” to visitors. We enjoyed walking around Smith Lake in the park and the cute shops and restaurants on S. Gaylord Street. One shop in particular, The Paper Lady, called to me reminding me of all the upcoming birthdays for friends and family. Once we were all stocked up on festive stationary, we were ready to continue on our adventure.
Red Rocks Amphitheatre
We hopped in the car and headed on toward our next stop, one we were very excited for- Red Rocks Amphitheatre and Park in Morrison, CO. I had searched AllTrails for easy hikes in Red Rocks and found only one, Mt. Vernon Creek Trail. We parked at the trailhead, laced up our hiking boots and got started on the trail, which AllTrails had said was popular, but on which we saw no one. AllTrails had also warned that the trail was overgrown, which it very much was, and to be aware of rattlesnakes and mountain lions.
Early into our hike, I couldn’t help but imagine mountain lions crouched in the tall grass watching us intently and hearing the imagined stage whispers of snakes rattling in warning at the sound of our steps. I voiced the desire to turn around and make our way back to the car. Mike was happy to oblige and was kind enough to wait to tell me about the large spider he saw on the trail until we were clear of the trailhead. It was a relief to get back in the car.
We drove up a short way within the park and parked at the base of Red Rocks Amphitheatre. On concert days, the Amphitheatre is open to the public until around 2:00PM. We began the climb up to the venue, applying sunscreen and taking frequent water breaks, still not adjusted to the dry air of the higher altitude. The music venue sits at approx. 6,450 feet above sea level, but the view was well worth the climb.
Boulder
The next stop on our journey was Boulder, Co. Boulder is a bustling college town packed with restaurants, shops, and plenty of outdoor adventure right on its doorstep. We walked the bustling, pedestrian Pearl Street and stopped at Bohemian Biergarten for some regular and non-alcoholic beer. (As a side note, non-alcoholic beer options have become varied and plentiful and serve as a great alternative to regular beer for far fewer calories. They have really come in clutch to help in not feeling deprived while adopting a healthier lifestyle.)
Among the many shop offerings in town, I only really wanted to visit a bookstore. (I always want to visit a bookstore.) We scoped out the options in town and Boulder Bookstore was just the ticket to satisfy my craving. I perused two of the three floors of shelves, in search of a few books I’ve been hunting down for my collection and settled on a nostalgic childhood favorite, Norton Juster’s The Phantom Tollbooth.
Later in the evening, we grabbed some dinner outdoors at Postino Boulder, an excellent Pearl Street spot for watching passerby while savoring a glass of wine and some delicious bruschetta boards. After dinner, we decided we had enough room to share a small gelato from Gelato Boy before heading back to our hotel to rest up for our next day’s adventures.
The Flatirons
If you go to Boulder, be sure not to pass up a hike in Chautauqua Park and The Flatirons. We started our outdoor excursion on Chautauqua Trail from Chautauqua Park with a breathtaking view of the pointed peaks of The Flatirons rising against the sky like stone giants. We hiked to the tree line and into the woods, watching our footing on dusty trails while strategically navigating the rocky terrain in parts. We marveled at rock climbers passing us expertly in their sandals or even bare feet, in one case, with bulky crash pads or young children strapped to their backs.
The Flatirons
We reached a point in the trail where we could see climbers ascending a steep face of rock with some strategizing how to begin from the base of the rock. We didn’t linger too long as the trail was pretty crowded and soon continued on our less steep path.
Climbers (in blue and in yellow) approach the top of the rock face
After our hike, we shared a hodgepodge meal of left overs in Chautauqua Park and embarked on the way up to the mountains and to Estes Park, the gateway to Rocky Mountain National Park.
Estes Park
Estes Park had a lot more going on than I had expected of a mountain town. The downtown area had many shops, restaurants, breweries, and even a movie theatre and was full of people exploring the area. Our first stop was Lily Lake where we got our first glimpse of up close views of the surrounding mountains.
Rocky Mountain National Park
We checked into our hotel, The Appenzell Inn, just a short drive from downtown before heading over to the park with a late in the day timed entry to try and squeeze in a hike to Alberta Falls from the Glacier Gorge trailhead before our dinner reservation, which we failed to do that day since parking can be quite challenging in the park. We have learned it may be best to park in the Park & Ride Lot on Bear Lake Road and take the complimentary shuttle to the Glacier Gorge and Bear Lake Trailheads. We were, however, able to take a walk around the manmade Sprague Lake, which was similarly pretty as Lily Lake and used to be part of a mountain resort run by Abner and Alberta Sprague in the late 1800s to early 1900s. We’d just have to take advantage of our earlier timed entry the next day to make the most of our time in the park.
Sprague Lake
Timed Entry & Parking
Mike was on top of reserving a timed entry slot well in advance for Bear Lake Road for 8:00AM for our big hiking day. He made the reservation about a month in advance. Timed entry for Bear Lake Road opens at 5:00AM and goes until 6:00PM. Despite getting there at 7:45AM, we had no luck with parking at the Bear Lake Trailhead as we’d hoped and had to park at the Park & Ride lot anyway.
Lake Haiyaha
This hike was incredible you guys! The approximately two miles of steady incline was not too difficult for our moderate level of fitness. The Bear Lake Trailhead sits at approximately 9,475 feet and Lake Haiyaha sits about 865 feet higher. The trail is winding and beautiful with many views on the way up and ends at a boulder field around the glacial lake which required a bit of scrambling to get a view of the lake. We found a good little spot to eat our lunch right by the water and took in the fresh air and lake views which were framed by the surrounding peaks and distant tundra.
Dream Lake
We made our way back down the trail to the junction of Dream Lake and Emerald Lake. Dream Lake is very fitting of its name with its clear shallows and turquoise depths, all framed by mountain peaks and trees. This was my favorite of the lakes we saw, while Mike’s was Lake Haiyaha.
Dream Lake
Emerald Lake
This was a crowded one, friends, but lovely all the same. We did some minor rock scrambling for a good view away from the crowds and sat for a short while before making our way to Bear Lake for an easy stroll around the lake path.
Emerald Lake
Alberta Falls
I love a good waterfall and this one did not disappoint. We took the shuttle from the Bear Lake lot to the Glacier Gorge Trailhead and began the pleasant climb to Alberta Falls, a 1.6 mile round trip journey, really glad we’d had time to fit it in to our day of hiking in the park.
Alberta Falls
Downtown Estes Park & The Stanley Hotel
At the end of our park day, we returned to our hotel to freshen up before heading out to try a local brewery, Rock Cut Brewing. The beer at Rock Cut was delicious, the most interesting of which we found to be one called Serrano Paintbrush, which tasted just like a fresh pepper. Absolutely delicious!
Afterwards, we drove by The Stanley Hotel which inspired Stephen King’s well known horror novel, The Shining, careful not to get too close.
The Stanley Hotel
For dinner, we headed to an Irish and Scottish Pub in downtown Estes Park called the Twisted Griffin where we sat at the bar and received attentive service from the friendly bartender, Joel. I continued my dilemma of how to order a Guinness with Harp, which some pubs refer to as a Half & Half and others as a Black & Tan. I always happen to order it the way the pub doesn’t refer to it as, so I’m coping with that ongoing dilemma as best I can.
Trail Ridge Road & Alpine Visitor’s Center
Our final morning in Colorado was reserved for views and, boy, did we get views! We made our way into the park and began the winding drive up Trail Ridge Road, which peaks at an elevation of 12,183 feet. Our destination was the Alpine Visitor’s Center, which is located at an elevation of 11,796 feet. If you are looking for spectacular views of the mountains, you will find them on this road; I promise.
Trail Ridge Road is only open seasonally as the road gets a lot of snow in the winter, spring, and even early summer. Visitors can also expect rapidly changing weather conditions at these higher elevations and it is strongly advised to be off the tundra before noon to avoid dangers like lightning, strong winds, and storms. We had to return our rental car to the airport in Denver by 12:30PM, so this wasn’t a huge concern for us. The winding roads, however, are not for the faint of heart and may induce sweaty palms as your car climbs higher and higher into the mountains.
I hope you enjoyed this little travel journal of our trip to Colorado. I can’t recommend a trip out there enough and can’t wait to get back and maybe try some different trails in the park. If you have a favorite National Park, let me know in the comments! Thanks for reading and have an adventurous day!
I am craving joy and coziness and am having trouble finding them amidst this sticky July heat on the east coast and the healthy habits that I’ve started to get used to. My reading material of late evokes feelings opposite of coziness thanks to the haunting story-spinning of the talented Stephen King. His images seep into my dreams in the quiet, dark night and rest upon my chest like the Nightmare in Henry Fuseli’s painting.
The family house in rental season is reminding me of past triggers that have caused my brain wires to overheat and shut down, but at least the place won’t actually try to devour me- right? I, myself, am ravenous for a cold breeze that lasts a week or more and a sweater that’s (hopefully) a little too big now.
I want to shut off the overactive mode of my imagination for a while and get a sense of what it’s like to feel calm in my own head for a prolonged period of time. I have a surplus of time and should be calm. And somehow, I seem to collect disquietude as a hobby in the summer.
Movement and fresh, dry air are the best medicine, but the air is wet and stagnant outside and hums with curious insects. Walking inland is endurable but not pleasant in this heat and walking by the ocean coaxes the sand fleas from where they’ve burrowed in the cemented shoreline as each new wave draws close.
Inside there is AC and writing to be done, tea to be brewed, and books Stephen King didn’t write. I’ll crack one of those open tonight like a cold drink and lock the nightmares out of the bedroom before my head sinks to the pillow. A healthy dose of sleep and sweet enough dreams- all I need to lighten the irrational burdens of summer.
cozy does it 