BGF Gail Comes to SLC part 1

Happy Independence Day everyone!
I am celebrating big time this year; my BGFF Gail has come to visit!

Gail lives in Colorado Springs. We don't get to hang out together much, which is sad for two people who have been friends for over 30 years. She came out a month after we moved into our house to help me out as I was losing it with all the remodeling and everything.

That was a year and a half ago.

She hadn't gotten to see SLC except over that very snowy Feb. weekend, when the house was in total remodeling wreak stage.

A chance to get together now for FUN...over the Independence Day weekend...I think that's more like it!

I picked her up at the airport at 10:30 am on Friday. It was HOT (97 degrees at one point) and very windy, but we didn't let those details slow us down.

First stop was to the Salt Palace to hear the wind powered music going full bore. (Too hard to explain...if you visit you will get to see it first hand)

Then we went to Temple Square. The flowers were lovely, the wind was crazy. We got lunch at the Lion's Pantry (Brigham Young's original pantry/kitchen) and talked up a storm for about an hour.

Next stop: The Utah State capitol. Gail posed nicely with Abraham Lincoln's bust.

I acted up with some military leader...I don't remember exactly who he was.

Gail was blown away by all the marble, beauty of the building, and the fact that just recently the whole building had been lifted up and earthquake shock buffers had been installed beneath it.

We stopped so Gail could try bubble tea...and then stopped to smell the roses at OC Tanners.

Her first view of the house: so different than what she saw on her first visit.

Gail has decided to try to spend the 4th of July in different cities each year. I wanted to really celebrate having her here over the holiday and enjoyed doing a little holiday decorating too.

The planters on the deck got patriotic touches.

It was even too hot to sit on the deck! We went inside and downstairs to the coolest part of the house to chat and snooze a bit until Bernie could join us on our next adventure.

The Cactus and Tropical nursery is inside a green house structure that actually was cooler than outside! We ooohed and ahhed over the plants. We agreed that this flower had a belly button!

Gail told me about an enormous pitcher plant that she saw once.

She tried out some hobbit like patio furniture.

Then we went for dinner to Cafe Madrid, a Spanish tapas restaurant. Check out the menu and guess what we ordered.

We sat outside enjoying a few stray breezes

(and B.and I enjoyed some sangria).

Did you guess that I ordered the Sopa de Ajo (cold creamy garlic soup with fresh red grapes)?

Oh man! We all agreed it was the MOST delicious and unexpected taste treat. I am scouring the Internet to try to find a recipe as it is a traditional Spanish dish.

We ordered some other things too...at the end of the visit blogging I will post a link to all the pictures and you can see what else we had.

After that we went home and Gail and I talked and talked until almost dark...9 pm.

Gail had gotten up at 4 am to fly...I had not slept much the night before getting ready and being excited; we were shocked that it was so late and still light outside.

It was time for bed...we had done a lot in the first 12 hours of our visit. A lot more was planned for Saturday!

To be continued....