Orchids at the Denver Botanical Garden. Denver, Colorado.
August 16
This day arose with the promise of being as warm as the previous two. But, we felt that the heat would be offset by the uniqueness that Gary and Jennifer’s wedding would create. Unfortunately, we still hadn’t bought them a gift. Having no idea what to buy them, we decided to travel to a local mall to do some last minute shopping.
Of course, we first had to find a local mall. Having no idea where one was, I again looked to Lonely Planet for suggestions. They stated that the Cherry Creek Mall was the best shopping mall in the area. So, after finding it on the map, we set off.
Our drive took us through some of the most beautiful neighborhoods in Denver. These stately homes and tree shaded lanes reminded us that Denver didn’t get to be so large by having a population of low income residents. We realized that, even though it had grown to encompass many citizens, Denver still had a lot of “old money” living inside its borders.
Sitting at one end of these upscale neighborhoods was the Cherry Creek Mall. It was impressively large enough that we realized we would have no trouble finding a gift here. Sure enough, we quickly found a Bed, Bath, and Beyond store. We went inside and bought that staple wedding gift: towel sets. As we were heading back to our car, we noticed a farmer’s market taking place in the mall’s parking lot. After leaving our purchases in the car, we strolled through the market. We were very impressed with the attractive produce and beautiful fresh flowers. But, what really lingered with us were the wonderful scents of fresh baked breads and pastries. We had an impromptu breakfast of cinnamon rolls and orange juice before setting out for the hotel..
On the way back to the hotel, we drove by some signs announcing the Denver Botanic Gardens. Since Dianne and I enjoy gardens (and because we had some time to kill), we thought we’d stop in for a visit. It turned out to be a nice diversion. The gardens had an incredible variety of plant life. I was particularly impressed with the water lilies in the water gardens, the orchids in the hothouse, and the incredible landscaping of the Fragrance Garden. We enjoyed it so much that we barely noticed the heat during our two hour visit. The only thing that diminished our enjoyment was the admission price of $8.50/adult. To us, that was a bit steep, given the natural attractions that are free just outside of Denver. Still, strolling the gardens was a nice way to spend part of the day.
We left the gardens, went back to the hotel, and got dressed for the wedding. The wedding was in Palmer Lake, which was about an hour south of Denver. However, since it was near Colorado Springs, I thought I’d take the opportunity to visit the Air Force Academy so that I could get a t-shirt. With this goal in mind, we departed a bit earlier for Palmer Lake than we would have otherwise.
We drove west on I-70 (again passing the wonderful smelling Purina plant) and then turned south on I-25. As we drove south, we were struck by just how big Denver and its suburbs had become. The metropolitan area stretched for about 15 miles along the foothills of the Rockies. Eventually, the traces of suburbia disappeared and we were left with semi-populated grassland. We drove straight through the aptly named town of Castle Rock (you’ll know why it has this name when you see it), and made it to the Air Force Academy’s gates in about an hour. But, as we approached the gate, two large signs shouted that visitors were not allowed on the Academy’s grounds due to terrorism threats. We parked in a lot near the gate and watched the traffic. Sure enough, the guards turned away several cars that approached the gate. We decided that the signs were legitimate, and headed off for Palmer Lake.
Because of our detour to the Air Force Academy, we weren’t exactly sure of how to get to the venue where the wedding would take place. Fortunately, after a little bit of backtracking, we were able to find the road we needed to take. We continued on this road for about five miles, until we found the venue: The Villa World Bistro. At first, I thought we might have the wrong place. But, we soon spotted Gary in the restaurant’s back yard and knew we had arrived in time.
This wedding contained a lot of firsts for me. Not only was it the first wedding I’d attended which was held at a restaurant, but it was also the first Messianic Jewish service I’d attended. For those of you who don’t know, Messianic Jews are people who practice Jewish customs and rites, but believe that Jesus was the Messiah. So, the wedding ceremony had a lot of Jewish rituals, sprinkled with occasional prayers to Jesus. It was interesting to say the least. But, the best part was the recessional. Instead of the traditional “Wedding March”, the “Fox NFL Theme” was the accompaniment to the bride and groom’s exit. Since both Gary and Jennifer are huge football fans, they thought it was appropriate to play this song during their wedding.
With the service complete, the wedding party migrated to another part of the restaurant. We had mailed our food choices with our RSVPs, so little time was wasted between our seating and the food being presented. I have to say that the food was outstanding. I had a pan seared chicken which was superb. Even better were the deserts, which were simply heavenly. The food was enough to convince me that I should return to the Villa World Bistro again.
After dinner, the party really got started. Gary strapped on a bass guitar and joined the band playing for the wedding party. We all ended up singing and dancing and drinking for a good part of the night. While we could’ve stayed longer, we needed to make our hour-long drive back to Denver. So, we said goodbye to Gary and Jennifer, made arrangements to see them before we flew back, and headed back to Denver.
As we got out of the car, we noticed that a cool breeze was stirring in the air. We hoped that it would be a sign that the heat would finally be ending.
Next Day Home