Tootsie Yr2: Colorado Springs
Feb. 2nd, 2023 07:03 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
taz_39After the travel day on Sunday, and after checking in, I layered up and walked to a restaurant called Shuga's.
It was only a mile from the hotel, but the high was 20F and that is VERY cold.
So I wore my down coat under my peacoat, and gloves and a hat.
Even so, my fingertips were burning and painful with cold just from that short walk. Sheesh.
The restaurant is very small and at least 50% of the floorspace is taken up with a big bar.
At 3pm on a random Sunday it was packed in there, with only one seat available at the bar.
I had a seat and admired the decor: misc art and posters on the walls, and a flock of white, black, and ivory paper cranes criss-crossing the ceiling.
I was sorely tempted to order a drink but refrained, already feeling nauseous and headachy from the altitude (normal for me).
No need to make it harder for my body to adjust.
I got the "Shuga's favorite tray", which is a sort of sampler of their more popular dishes: Mediterranean spreads with pitas; caprese bruschetta; spicy Thai coconut shrimp soup; nicoise salad; and a mini-slice of their gooey butter cake.
Close-ups of the soup, which was my favorite, and the butter cake, which was both photogenic and delicious.
It was such a cute presentation that the two women sitting on either side of me at the bar immediately started exclaiming over it and looking for it on the menu. The food was simple but very good and wonderfully prepared; everything had distinct flavor and texture, and each sample was exactly the right size so that by the time I was done eating I felt refreshed and comfortable instead of over-full, if that makes sense. Also I only ate half the pitas and spreads, and left some butter cake behind too as it was pretty dense.
From there I walked a few blocks to Bread and Butter, a locally owned grocery.
They had a good selection of things, especially local breads and pastries, but ultimately not quite what I was looking for and the produce was rather ragged. So I took an Uber to Natural Grocers, which might seem "extra" but the temp was dropping and I just got here from 80-degree Florida, and I didn't feel well enough or acclimated enough to walk there in 20-degree weather today.
I was dumbfounded at all the interesting products at this grocery store!
Puffed cereal grains of all kinds (millet, corn, barley, buckwheat, oats, rice, sorghum, and more).
Venison and elk in the fridge.
Tofu made from pumpkin seeds.
Local kombucha and sodas.
Goat and sheep cheeses and yogurts...in fact they had more goat cheese yogurts than cow yogurt!!
And the selection of vegan snacks and goods was astounding. I immediately sent pics to my sister Kate, who loves new vegan food innovations. We squealed excitedly over every new food item as I went up and down the aisles like a total food nerd.
It was a lot of fun. New foods are so exciting, innovations in food are exciting!
I have traveled so much that sometimes it feels like I've "seen it all" in the U.S., but I REALLY haven't.
There's so much out there that's new and different and yet to be discovered!
After what seemed like hours I finally tore myself away and checked out and took an Uber back to the hotel (by now temps were in the single digits). Here is my haul:
After trying them:
- The dried veggies: these are wonderful, I would love to see those in supermarkets. They are unfucked-with, unprocessed, freeze-dried veggies, and they were delicious and nonperishable and would be perfect travel snacks.
- Water lily seed puffs: good but have a very strange aftertaste that will not appeal to everyone. I got used to it after a while. The texture is very nice, like popcorn but lighter and fluffier. This brand offered other flavors that might do a better job of masking the aftertaste.
- The carrot chickpea stew was a true stew, not a soup, so it was very thick. A lot of good herbal flavors from lemongrass and red peppers and ginger, and there was also rice and lentil in there. It is oil-free so you could add a flavorful oil as a drizzle and that would be really good. I liked this a lot, would eat again for sure :)
- Elderberry drink: tastes like any all-natural juice drink, like blackberry or cherry juice, rich and dark and tart. I enjoyed it but at the price point would not buy again.
- Sheep's milk yogurt: very good! It had that "funk" that you'd expect from goat cheese, but it was not nearly as strong as goat so it was like a mild earthy background flavor. Since this was plain yogurt it was tangy, and it was SUPER smooth, no chunks at all and very nearly a liquid. I enjoyed it with blackberries.
- Vegan nori power wraps: weird! You can definitely tell that tomato paste is an important ingredient, lol. It's made with sprouted grains which give a nice chewy and filling texture. More spicy than I expected. Too expensive to buy again but it was fun to try :)
- Bacon-flavored mung beans: Very good! These would make a great sub for Bacon Bits. You can hardly tell they're mung beans, they're just crunchy little salty bacony goodness. A nice nutritious alternative to nuts and seeds.
For the rest of the night I unpacked and chatted with my siblings and Jameson and Katie (PT), and just took it easy.
Staying up late was hard, but had to be done.
------------------------------------------------------------------
Monday! I woke up way too early because my body thinks it's on the east coast.
Had breakfast (we have a microwave, yay!) and tried the sheep's milk yogurt.
After breakfast I did two solid hours of data entry, then crashed again for a little while my phone updated.
I do feel better today, but still excessively tired, so will take it easy. Also it's only six degrees outside so there's that. Probably won't be exploring much...
When it was time for sound check I bundled up and walked to the theatre.
It was a short distance but SO cold. Luckily not windy at all.
Just before I got to the theatre I was greeted by this cute rabbit.
The theatre itself.
The pit here is really big, lots of space, which is always a good thing.
I got set up and distributed my homemade caramels to any crew folks that I could find.
Somewhere in there our drummer mentioned that our Golden Day is going to be on Sunday in Sioux Falls...I was shocked, because on the route sheet it said the golden day was in Florida the day after we left Sioux Falls. Turns out the route sheet had been updated on the Tootsie site way back at the beginning of the new year, but the update hadn't been announced so I'd missed it :( I will have to look it over for other important changes.
Anyway, we had sound check and it was fine. It is certainly harder to breathe here but what can ya do.
Only three shows, and we will do our best!
The evening show went well.
The band box must have been stored outdoors over the layoff, because my spray bottle was frozen again (this happened in Des Moines last year as well).
This is going to sound stupid but I also noticed this red piece of confetti on the floor.
It has been next to my spot for literally the last three cities. I don't know if it's getting caught on a mic stand each load out, or if someone is intentionally placing it, but somehow this tiny piece of foil paper is traveling with me. In this theatre pit there is a chalked star on the floor, I don't know why. But I figure, this piece of confetti deserves recognition. Clearly it worked just as hard as any of us to be here :p
The show went well, it was a really enthusiastic audience. The band even got applause after the entr'acte!
A bunch of us in the band walked back together, for safety or warmth I'm not sure which.
It was hovering around 0°F, and by the time I got to the hotel my eyebrows and eyelashes had frost on them from my breath coming off my mask.
-----------------------------------------------------------
Tuesday, breakfast and updating the Sioux Falls Foodie Finds sheet since I now know the Golden Day will be there instead of in Florida. Womp womp. (For those just joining us, Golden Day = a true day off with no travel between cities, loading in or out, or shows).
Temps were in the teens, so I decided to walk to 7-eleven to see if I could find some Core Power shakes and some nuts (answer is yes). From there I went to Monument Valley Park. I didn't go all the way through the park because I was hungry and had to pee, but wanted to at least see the train tracks, because this is where the circus used to park us when we performed in CO Springs.
Of course I had to crawl through a "hobo hole" in the fence and take pictures of the actual tracks.
So many fond memories here. At this time of year Monument Valley Park is not worth photos, but in my memories we were there in the summer and it was vibrant with flowers and landscaping and people biking and running and playing Pokemon and having picnics in the grass. We always had some problems with plebs and homeless people climbing onto our train in this yard because it was adjacent to this park, so I would take our crash tools (a crowbar and mallet, usually stored in the train car hallway) into my room. We couldn't always lock the outer doors to our train cars, and if someone came onto our car in the middle of the night the last thing I wanted was for them to have immediate access to a freaking crowbar.
ANYWAY, the joys of train life. I also remember fire pits where we shared food with tramps and sang and drank, and excursions into town to check out restaurants and shops and the Garden of the Gods. Good times in 2013, 2015, and 2016.
After a little time reminiscing and trading fond memories with Jameson via text, I walked back and had lunch.
Did two hours of data entry again, then watched anime and made plans with my sister for Wednesday afternoon.
Before the evening show we had a little photo op in honor of our 100th show (this year only; counting last year, this is show 352!)
I was making stupid faces the entire time, which is a shame because apparently there was a "serious" photo and I missed the memo :p
The goofy photo.
By the way, there are THREE backstage mascots in this picture.
The Buc-ee beaver is the obvious one. Can you find the other two?
I made time for a photo op with my favorite mascot, of course.
The show went well, though I think we are not selling well here. The people who do come to see our show thoroughly enjoyed it.
------------------------------------------------------------
Wednesday and our last day of shows here in CO Springs.
I got up early so I could get some work done before meeting with my sister and her brood for lunch.
We met at Homa's Cafe, a little restaurant in the lobby of a hotel.
In addition to sandwiches and salads and whatnot, they also had hand pies.
I had wanted the venison hand pie and a veggie one, but of course they were out of those. Honestly, why do I bother planning ahead half the time? So I got the St. Ives and the Momo instead.
The St. Ives had brisket, sweet potatoes, peppers, and swiss cheese.
The Momo had chicken, lemongrass, potatoes, misc veggies, and cheese.
Both were very good, and just the right size that I wasn't overfull.
The kids had egg-and-cheese hand pies.
Kayle just had her baby two weeks ago, and she looks great but tired (obviously!).
Her daughter Elliotte was excited to give me a birthday present: some matcha cookies, and some wine-flavored gummies. Yum!
We ate and got caught up with each other, and then I got to hold the new baby for the first time.
Her name is Melrose.
We strolled down to a nearby park that had a cool-looking play set.
Elliotte dove right in and wanted to climb everything, her dad hovering worriedly around her and trying to keep her from cracking her crazy little skull. Drexel was a lot more shy and observant, preferring to watch other kids play for a while until he finally warmed up and wanted to climb too. I got to help :)
Here is Elliotte enjoying time on a hammock-like part of the play area.
She's getting so tall! Goodness.
When the kids were starting to wear out we walked to a nearby candy store and got ice cream (a poor choice, it was kinda weird..."chewy" is a word you never want associated with ice cream, lol). But there was a good photo op and Elliotte and i took it.
We walked to my hotel because the kids needed diaper changes.
While Kayle's husband went to get the car we chatted some more and the kids watched a little tv.
Too soon it was time for me to get ready for work, and time for them to drive all the way back to Denver.
We didn't get much time together today, but it was QUALITY time.
I'm very, very grateful.
After they left I got a shower and had dinner and killed a little time before the show.
The show went well. I saw that it's supposed to be about ten degrees when we get into Sioux Falls tomorrow. Sigh.
HOWEVER, on my birthday it's supposed to jump up to 35 degrees!
A present from my parents, I like to imagine.
------------------------------------------------------------
As you're reading this it's probably Thursday morning, and I'm dragging myself out of bed at 5am, to catch the bus at 6am, to get to Denver Airport by 8am. From there at least it's a straight shot to Sioux Falls, where we hope to reach the hotel by 1:30pm.
It's going to be so VERY cold, but I still want to at least walk to the Sioux Falls co-op. I think I can stand 20 minutes.
And on our Golden Day (Sunday, the day after my birthday) since it's supposed to be nice I hope to treat myself to lunch or something.
Sioux Falls is a new city for me, and I don't want to neglect it just because the weather is uncomfortable.
It was only a mile from the hotel, but the high was 20F and that is VERY cold.
So I wore my down coat under my peacoat, and gloves and a hat.
Even so, my fingertips were burning and painful with cold just from that short walk. Sheesh.
The restaurant is very small and at least 50% of the floorspace is taken up with a big bar.
At 3pm on a random Sunday it was packed in there, with only one seat available at the bar.
I had a seat and admired the decor: misc art and posters on the walls, and a flock of white, black, and ivory paper cranes criss-crossing the ceiling.
I was sorely tempted to order a drink but refrained, already feeling nauseous and headachy from the altitude (normal for me).
No need to make it harder for my body to adjust.
I got the "Shuga's favorite tray", which is a sort of sampler of their more popular dishes: Mediterranean spreads with pitas; caprese bruschetta; spicy Thai coconut shrimp soup; nicoise salad; and a mini-slice of their gooey butter cake.
Close-ups of the soup, which was my favorite, and the butter cake, which was both photogenic and delicious.
It was such a cute presentation that the two women sitting on either side of me at the bar immediately started exclaiming over it and looking for it on the menu. The food was simple but very good and wonderfully prepared; everything had distinct flavor and texture, and each sample was exactly the right size so that by the time I was done eating I felt refreshed and comfortable instead of over-full, if that makes sense. Also I only ate half the pitas and spreads, and left some butter cake behind too as it was pretty dense.
From there I walked a few blocks to Bread and Butter, a locally owned grocery.
They had a good selection of things, especially local breads and pastries, but ultimately not quite what I was looking for and the produce was rather ragged. So I took an Uber to Natural Grocers, which might seem "extra" but the temp was dropping and I just got here from 80-degree Florida, and I didn't feel well enough or acclimated enough to walk there in 20-degree weather today.
I was dumbfounded at all the interesting products at this grocery store!
Puffed cereal grains of all kinds (millet, corn, barley, buckwheat, oats, rice, sorghum, and more).
Venison and elk in the fridge.
Tofu made from pumpkin seeds.
Local kombucha and sodas.
Goat and sheep cheeses and yogurts...in fact they had more goat cheese yogurts than cow yogurt!!
And the selection of vegan snacks and goods was astounding. I immediately sent pics to my sister Kate, who loves new vegan food innovations. We squealed excitedly over every new food item as I went up and down the aisles like a total food nerd.
It was a lot of fun. New foods are so exciting, innovations in food are exciting!
I have traveled so much that sometimes it feels like I've "seen it all" in the U.S., but I REALLY haven't.
There's so much out there that's new and different and yet to be discovered!
After what seemed like hours I finally tore myself away and checked out and took an Uber back to the hotel (by now temps were in the single digits). Here is my haul:
After trying them:
- The dried veggies: these are wonderful, I would love to see those in supermarkets. They are unfucked-with, unprocessed, freeze-dried veggies, and they were delicious and nonperishable and would be perfect travel snacks.
- Water lily seed puffs: good but have a very strange aftertaste that will not appeal to everyone. I got used to it after a while. The texture is very nice, like popcorn but lighter and fluffier. This brand offered other flavors that might do a better job of masking the aftertaste.
- The carrot chickpea stew was a true stew, not a soup, so it was very thick. A lot of good herbal flavors from lemongrass and red peppers and ginger, and there was also rice and lentil in there. It is oil-free so you could add a flavorful oil as a drizzle and that would be really good. I liked this a lot, would eat again for sure :)
- Elderberry drink: tastes like any all-natural juice drink, like blackberry or cherry juice, rich and dark and tart. I enjoyed it but at the price point would not buy again.
- Sheep's milk yogurt: very good! It had that "funk" that you'd expect from goat cheese, but it was not nearly as strong as goat so it was like a mild earthy background flavor. Since this was plain yogurt it was tangy, and it was SUPER smooth, no chunks at all and very nearly a liquid. I enjoyed it with blackberries.
- Vegan nori power wraps: weird! You can definitely tell that tomato paste is an important ingredient, lol. It's made with sprouted grains which give a nice chewy and filling texture. More spicy than I expected. Too expensive to buy again but it was fun to try :)
- Bacon-flavored mung beans: Very good! These would make a great sub for Bacon Bits. You can hardly tell they're mung beans, they're just crunchy little salty bacony goodness. A nice nutritious alternative to nuts and seeds.
For the rest of the night I unpacked and chatted with my siblings and Jameson and Katie (PT), and just took it easy.
Staying up late was hard, but had to be done.
------------------------------------------------------------------
Monday! I woke up way too early because my body thinks it's on the east coast.
Had breakfast (we have a microwave, yay!) and tried the sheep's milk yogurt.
After breakfast I did two solid hours of data entry, then crashed again for a little while my phone updated.
I do feel better today, but still excessively tired, so will take it easy. Also it's only six degrees outside so there's that. Probably won't be exploring much...
When it was time for sound check I bundled up and walked to the theatre.
It was a short distance but SO cold. Luckily not windy at all.
Just before I got to the theatre I was greeted by this cute rabbit.
The theatre itself.
The pit here is really big, lots of space, which is always a good thing.
I got set up and distributed my homemade caramels to any crew folks that I could find.
Somewhere in there our drummer mentioned that our Golden Day is going to be on Sunday in Sioux Falls...I was shocked, because on the route sheet it said the golden day was in Florida the day after we left Sioux Falls. Turns out the route sheet had been updated on the Tootsie site way back at the beginning of the new year, but the update hadn't been announced so I'd missed it :( I will have to look it over for other important changes.
Anyway, we had sound check and it was fine. It is certainly harder to breathe here but what can ya do.
Only three shows, and we will do our best!
The evening show went well.
The band box must have been stored outdoors over the layoff, because my spray bottle was frozen again (this happened in Des Moines last year as well).
This is going to sound stupid but I also noticed this red piece of confetti on the floor.
It has been next to my spot for literally the last three cities. I don't know if it's getting caught on a mic stand each load out, or if someone is intentionally placing it, but somehow this tiny piece of foil paper is traveling with me. In this theatre pit there is a chalked star on the floor, I don't know why. But I figure, this piece of confetti deserves recognition. Clearly it worked just as hard as any of us to be here :p
The show went well, it was a really enthusiastic audience. The band even got applause after the entr'acte!
A bunch of us in the band walked back together, for safety or warmth I'm not sure which.
It was hovering around 0°F, and by the time I got to the hotel my eyebrows and eyelashes had frost on them from my breath coming off my mask.
-----------------------------------------------------------
Tuesday, breakfast and updating the Sioux Falls Foodie Finds sheet since I now know the Golden Day will be there instead of in Florida. Womp womp. (For those just joining us, Golden Day = a true day off with no travel between cities, loading in or out, or shows).
Temps were in the teens, so I decided to walk to 7-eleven to see if I could find some Core Power shakes and some nuts (answer is yes). From there I went to Monument Valley Park. I didn't go all the way through the park because I was hungry and had to pee, but wanted to at least see the train tracks, because this is where the circus used to park us when we performed in CO Springs.
Of course I had to crawl through a "hobo hole" in the fence and take pictures of the actual tracks.
So many fond memories here. At this time of year Monument Valley Park is not worth photos, but in my memories we were there in the summer and it was vibrant with flowers and landscaping and people biking and running and playing Pokemon and having picnics in the grass. We always had some problems with plebs and homeless people climbing onto our train in this yard because it was adjacent to this park, so I would take our crash tools (a crowbar and mallet, usually stored in the train car hallway) into my room. We couldn't always lock the outer doors to our train cars, and if someone came onto our car in the middle of the night the last thing I wanted was for them to have immediate access to a freaking crowbar.
ANYWAY, the joys of train life. I also remember fire pits where we shared food with tramps and sang and drank, and excursions into town to check out restaurants and shops and the Garden of the Gods. Good times in 2013, 2015, and 2016.
After a little time reminiscing and trading fond memories with Jameson via text, I walked back and had lunch.
Did two hours of data entry again, then watched anime and made plans with my sister for Wednesday afternoon.
Before the evening show we had a little photo op in honor of our 100th show (this year only; counting last year, this is show 352!)
I was making stupid faces the entire time, which is a shame because apparently there was a "serious" photo and I missed the memo :p
The goofy photo.
By the way, there are THREE backstage mascots in this picture.
The Buc-ee beaver is the obvious one. Can you find the other two?
I made time for a photo op with my favorite mascot, of course.
The show went well, though I think we are not selling well here. The people who do come to see our show thoroughly enjoyed it.
------------------------------------------------------------
Wednesday and our last day of shows here in CO Springs.
I got up early so I could get some work done before meeting with my sister and her brood for lunch.
We met at Homa's Cafe, a little restaurant in the lobby of a hotel.
In addition to sandwiches and salads and whatnot, they also had hand pies.
I had wanted the venison hand pie and a veggie one, but of course they were out of those. Honestly, why do I bother planning ahead half the time? So I got the St. Ives and the Momo instead.
The St. Ives had brisket, sweet potatoes, peppers, and swiss cheese.
The Momo had chicken, lemongrass, potatoes, misc veggies, and cheese.
Both were very good, and just the right size that I wasn't overfull.
The kids had egg-and-cheese hand pies.
Kayle just had her baby two weeks ago, and she looks great but tired (obviously!).
Her daughter Elliotte was excited to give me a birthday present: some matcha cookies, and some wine-flavored gummies. Yum!
We ate and got caught up with each other, and then I got to hold the new baby for the first time.
Her name is Melrose.
We strolled down to a nearby park that had a cool-looking play set.
Elliotte dove right in and wanted to climb everything, her dad hovering worriedly around her and trying to keep her from cracking her crazy little skull. Drexel was a lot more shy and observant, preferring to watch other kids play for a while until he finally warmed up and wanted to climb too. I got to help :)
Here is Elliotte enjoying time on a hammock-like part of the play area.
She's getting so tall! Goodness.
When the kids were starting to wear out we walked to a nearby candy store and got ice cream (a poor choice, it was kinda weird..."chewy" is a word you never want associated with ice cream, lol). But there was a good photo op and Elliotte and i took it.
We walked to my hotel because the kids needed diaper changes.
While Kayle's husband went to get the car we chatted some more and the kids watched a little tv.
Too soon it was time for me to get ready for work, and time for them to drive all the way back to Denver.
We didn't get much time together today, but it was QUALITY time.
I'm very, very grateful.
After they left I got a shower and had dinner and killed a little time before the show.
The show went well. I saw that it's supposed to be about ten degrees when we get into Sioux Falls tomorrow. Sigh.
HOWEVER, on my birthday it's supposed to jump up to 35 degrees!
A present from my parents, I like to imagine.
------------------------------------------------------------
As you're reading this it's probably Thursday morning, and I'm dragging myself out of bed at 5am, to catch the bus at 6am, to get to Denver Airport by 8am. From there at least it's a straight shot to Sioux Falls, where we hope to reach the hotel by 1:30pm.
It's going to be so VERY cold, but I still want to at least walk to the Sioux Falls co-op. I think I can stand 20 minutes.
And on our Golden Day (Sunday, the day after my birthday) since it's supposed to be nice I hope to treat myself to lunch or something.
Sioux Falls is a new city for me, and I don't want to neglect it just because the weather is uncomfortable.
