I flew to Denver yesterday morning and then drove down to Colorado Springs to spend the day with Madison. It was so good to see her, to spend time with her, to chat, and to get some long overdue hugs. We met at Colorado Mountain Brewery for lunch and I got to see Madison’s red hair for the first time. Over the years I’ve seen Madison with about every conceivable color of hair. Her natural hair always had a bit of a red tint to it, but she really want all out with this color. It’s cute. I told her she looked like a Scottish lass.
After lunch Madison took me to UCCS for a quick visit of the campus. She wanted to show me the place in the library she studies with a breathtaking view of the mountains and Pike’s Peak out the window. From there we headed to her apartment and I got to hang out and chat for a while.
Madison’s friend Mike showed up a while later. Mike is a graduate of the Air Force Academy and agreed to take us for a personal tour of the base. It was a gorgeous day for it. Mike gave us the low down on what life is like at the academy as we hung out by the iconic cadet’s chapel. Unfortunately, we found the doors locked due to the government shut down. We tried to sneak in through a side door when we saw a cadet entering. Mike did his best to convince an officer to let us sneak up to take a few pictures, but the request was denied. Bummer.
We headed downtown to a restaurant called the Rabbit Hole. You enter through what looks like a subway entrance. The restaurant is below ground and has a rather cavern-like feel. The menu features a lot of unique dishes using wild game. I was tempted by the rabbit meatloaf, but opted for the pork cordon bleu. We enjoyed a leisurely meal and conversation before heading back to pick up my car. I headed to Denver where I crashed by the airport for my early morning flight to Texas.
I have to admit that I felt a little sad this morning. I enjoyed my time with Madison immensely, but am reminded at how infrequent these personal visits have become since she moved to Colorado. I miss her and her “Maddy hugs.” Fortunately, we’re gathering in Colorado for Thanksgiving with her so it’s only going to be a few weeks until I get another fix.