Pfannkuchen mit Blaubeeren

Colorado is a large state (eighth by area) with an amazing concentration of stunning places to visit in those 104,093.7 square miles. It’s no surprise there are places I have never travelled to, even as one born and reared in Colorado and residing here for 2/3 of my life. So I carved out an autumn vacation and headed out on a road trip.

I’m writing about Paonia first, not because it was my first or my most favorite place, but because it was poignant.

I stayed at the Bross Hotel Bed and Breakfast––first welcoming travelers 115 years ago––where innkeepers Suzanne Tripp and Mike Yengling now embody hospitality. (You can read about the fascinating history here.) Beautifully restored, it is as warm and welcoming as the Paonia mountain backdrop is grand.

My wife would have adored this place. We would have loved traveling there together in another time. But, alas, I was alone.

I was reminded how much Elizabeth loved history––and hospitality. She told me the story about waitressing at a restaurant and meeting some travelers from Germany. So Elizabeth could make them feel at home, she learned to say one phrase in German: Wollen Sie Pfannkuchen mit Blaubeeren? She said it with that charming lilt and lift in her voice. Would you like pancakes with blueberries?

I was thinking about Elizabeth while drinking my coffee outside when Mike brought to me the most gorgeous breakfast tray, piled high with Blaubeeren Pfannkuchen, layered with lemon curd, and garnished with blueberry filling, and fresh blueberries, and whipped cream, and poppy seeds, and lemon zest.

My tears in that moment were of profound gratitude––and poignant grief, yet again. Indeed, Elizabeth’s death was a year and seven months ago, and I set out on my autumn journey knowing full well that it wouldn’t be easy, doing something like this alone for the first time in 30+ years.

But the beautifully appointed room on the third floor had a few healing messages for me, decorated with a couple of those pithy signs that make you think:

One said: We Rise by Lifting Others
The other: Life doesn’t have to be perfect to be wonderful.

I thought about those messages a lot during the rest of my autumn journey, grateful for my anchoring at the Bross Hotel, the welcoming of Mike and Suzanne, and the lovingly-served and delicious blueberry pancakes.

And I just now realized that I was staying in Room #9––The Blueberry Hill Room.