Georgetown

Daughter #1 and I drove to Georgetown, last Saturday.  Since I’m not going to be available on either weekend of the Georgetown Christmas Market, we made the trek earlier than usual.

Attending on the usual weekends means hundreds of people on the sidewalks and traffic-free streets.  Those same hundreds in the stores, in line for coffee and pastries and lunch at the Happy Cooker restaurant.  And, in the town park where the vendors had stalls with their wares.  A door keeper in top hat and tails at the Shoppe Internationale, allowing only a certain number of people to be in the store at the same time.  Usual weekends also means unbridled holiday excitement!

I remember that, years ago, when Larry went with us, he and Daughter #1 would start smelling the bratwurst as we climbed Interstate 70, past Idaho Springs toward Georgetown.  Their favorite stall in the park was the one where the bratwurst smells came from.  Three bratwursts with all the trimmings.  Mustard, relish – all of the necessary condiments.

Of course, being there on a weekend before the Christmas Market was in full force did have some disadvantages.  No vendors in the stalls.  No Santa Lucia celebration at noon.  And, with the COVID virus still rampant in Colorado (we are the fifth highest in the nation with infections), even more disadvantages.  Even though the restaurant is open, no lunch at the Happy Cooker.  The feeling that we really shouldn’t go into a lot of shops because indoors means possible trouble even with the masks we wore.

Still, the shops we really wanted to visit were available to us.  The art gallery we always visit was open with beautiful work by local artisans.  I remember that years ago, I bought a painting of what I imagine to be a Kansas wheat field with stubble left from harvest for Larry.  And, another time, the purchase was a ceramic bowl for Daughter #3.  Really beautiful work.

The Shoppe Internationale (we always called it the International House) is a place to see truly international items.  Germany.  Russia.  Sweden.  It is the only place I know where an interested shopper can find all of the books by Maj Lindman.  I remember the Snip, Snap, Snurr… and Flick, Ricka, Dicka… books when  I worked at the McClelland Public Library in the town where I grew up – a long, long time ago (around 1956).  It was one of those Carnegie Libraries, that has been razed for the building of another more modern, nondescript library.  And, yet, there are all of the Lindman books for sale, as beautiful and wonderful as ever!

But, I didn’t purchase the Lindman books; actually, I already have them in my library.  Rather, my purchase was Russian nesting dolls.  Some of the dolls tell a fairy tale, which I will research – after Christmas when I’m back from my trip to Wisconsin.  I love nesting dolls, and these are my first, ever!

And, maybe, after the Shoppe Internationale, my favorite store is the rock shop.  Time was that I had many different kinds of rocks and minerals in my collection.  After giving most of my collection away, I’ve decided that any time I add to that collection, it will be amethyst.  Fortunately (or, unfortunately for my pocketbook), the rock shop had a gorgeous piece of amethyst that had my name on it.

When we had our fill of shopping, we left Georgetown to drive back to Denver by way of Guanella Pass.  We drove past the xCel Cabin Creek Power Plant.  It generates electricity by holding water in an upper reservoir, sending the water to a lower reservoir through a tunnel with turbines, and pumping the water back to the upper reservoir to be reused.

Then, it was on to Highway 285 and home.  I hope you want to participate in all things Christmas.  If you do, the Georgetown Christmas Market is great fun.  And, it provides an opportunity to get away from the city and finish your gift shopping.  Have a good time.

Be safe and be well.

The Cranky Crone

Thoughtful comments are appreciated.