Weekend In Colorado aka 48 Hours of which some were spent in Colorado and others were spent driving there The tumbleweeds were lathered up against the fencerow wanting only snow to resemble a lace edged hemline on a gray dress. . Well, we got snow, and sun, and wind and rain all in about 15 minutes at the begining of our trip to Colorado. The clouds hung so low I felt like I could reach out the window, grab one and shove it in a baggie labeled �Souvenir from Colorado aka Whirlwind Tour/ March 28, 2003.�. The wind blew dusty snow across the road in snake like patterns and our van followed suit � we seemed to slither along through the adverse weather pattern without difficulties. I was expecting more snow once we got to Greeley, but there really wasn�t much at all. My snow boots remained dry and nestled in the van. We spent the first night in a Comfort Inn at Loveland. With a spectacular view of � Wal-Mart�not just any Wal-Mart�a Super Wal-Mart. Oh yah�there was supposed to be a babbling brook just outside the motel, of which we would have had a fabulous view of, except it was bone dry and held only dirt, rocks the required amount of paper bags, beer cans, broken glass and oddly, an abandoned bicycle. �Well, � my hubby said looking at our dismal view, �at least there is a walking trail!� I had to agree with him. Without a doubt a cement trail curved alongside the super scenic dry brook and meandered past such delightful sights as, the raw lumber skeleton of a soon to be chiropractors office, a parking lot with an unusually high scent of urine, and a car wash. Hooray�! We decided to eat and then watch a movie in the room. Saving our energy for tomorrow�although we had no real plan on what we were going to do. That worked for me. We went to the Three Margaritas where the food was awesome and the atmosphere was great. I had some kind of�well�soup or jambalaya�or�a combo of both. I do know I was very surprised when I looked at my bowl of food when the waiter arrived. For one thing it was about the size of my ass, for another there were several crab legs sticking out of the bowl and they appeared to be swimming in a sea of reddish broth along with several other sea creatures. The waiter winked at me handed me a serving spoon that appeared to be my eating utensil and said �We make it very Mexican!� then vanished in a puff of tabisco tinged air. My hubby giggled and remarked, �I thought you ordered the BIG bowl of soup� haha I grinned and dove right in. I loved it and only wish I could remember what the name of the dish was. My hubby laughed again and said he could only think of the movie The Bird Cage when Robin Williams brings in the soup with whole eggs floating in it and ladles out the soup saying, �It�s very Guatemalan�. hee hee Anyway, after a great meal a good margarita and a serenade of La Bamba we went back to our room and watched Drumline, which is just the kind of thing I needed to top off my night. Little did I know that the rat-a-tat-tat of the drums in the movie would be sweet music for our ears compared to the noises we would experience the next night. Tune in for more about our fabo whirlwind tour tomorrow! I think I found out what the name of the seafood dish was that I ate at the Mexican restaraunt. gulp Caldo de Mariscos: Seafood Soup A specialty of the Veracruz coast, seafood soup, in one variation or another, is found all over Mexico, where it is commonly sold in markets as a morning-after hangover remedy.(!!) Not surprisingly then, it is said to have originated in the hard-drinking, tough-talking harbor town of Alvarado. The success of this soup depends upon using a really good fish stock; the fish and shellfish found in this dish vary according to region and availability. Fresh lime wedges and strips of jalape�o chiles should be served on the side. Ingredients: 6 medium tomatoes, chopped 1/2 large onion, chopped 3 large cloves garlic, chopped 1/3 cup olive oil 3/4 teaspoon dried oregano 1/8 teaspoon ground cumin 1/2 teaspoon black pepper salt to taste 2 1/2 quarts fish stock (see NOTE) 2 dozen medium shrimp, peeled and deveined 1 1/2 pounds fish filets, cut into thick strips or chunks 8 meaty crab claws