A Special Tribute

We visited Glenwood Springs, CO last week with dear friends and traveling buddies, Tim and Lisa, to pay tribute to Lisa’s parents, John and Anne Baker. Lisa and her parents were avid skiers, and spent many happy days in the area on the slopes during the winter months. Thus, it seemed like the perfect place to spread their ashes, make toasts and say farewell.

First a little background: Lisa and I became friends in July, 2016 through Tim, theTravelsketcher’s childhood friend. You know that moment when you meet someone and you instantly connect? It doesn’t happen very often, but when it does, it’s magical. That’s how Lisa and I felt about each other within a few minutes of meeting. I’m fortunate to call her one of my best friends. Thus, Terry and I were honored to be part of this special tribute.

We took the Silver Queen Gondola to the top of Aspen Mountain hoping to find a quiet, secluded place to put them to rest. Within a matter of minutes after stepping off the gondola, we found the perfect spot.

Terry and I unfortunately never met John, he died of cancer in 2017. We met Anne through video calls and even exchanged letters with her before she passed. They were both lovely people as you can see from the photos below. They loved to ski, travel and lived full, productive lives, and most importantly, they raised a wonderful daughter.

Soon after arriving, the spreading of the ashes commenced after toasts and sharing thoughts.

We felt fortunate to find a quiet location after arriving at the top, as there was a lot of activity and many people around.

Afterwards, we enjoyed an absolutely amazing meal at French Alpine Bistro in Aspen.

Owner Karin Derly from Austria, has created a beautiful setting for this cozy restaurant with family heirlooms and collectables from Europe and beyond.

But the food, oh my, was absolutely amazing. And our server, Anya, was absolutely delightful and knowledgeable about all the dishes on the menu and the wines.

We started with cocktails:

moved on to starters:

and then the main course.

Tim ordered a glass of Châteauneuf-du-Pape, the suggested pairing with his lamb. When Anya brought it, she described it in such a detailed and captivating way that I asked if she was a sommelier. Not yet, but told us that she is studying for her first level sommelier test later this fall.

But wait; there’s still dessert to come!

This sumptuous restaurant has been featured in Condé Nast Traveler, Wine Spectator, The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, The Los Angeles Times, The Telegraph and many more; wow!

After lunch in Aspen, we returned to our VRBO house in Glenwood Springs where we enjoyed the deck, the views of Mt. Sopris, and deer and wild turkeys as they wandered through the neighborhood.

It was a wonderful day of celebrating the lives of two wonderful people and we were honored and humbled to be a part of this important event.

We had a fabulous time in Glenwood Springs with dear friends, creating even more travel memories and special moments that continue to solidify our strong bond.

Click here to read theTravelsketcher’s post about our time in Glenwood Springs and Aspen.

Here’s hoping that life’s special moments are kind to you as well,

Tricia