Let's Gab: September 2022

In September 2022, a woman sits on a rocky hillside with her small dog on her lap, overlooking a scenic mountain lake and forested landscape under a cloudy sky—perfect for a quiet Lets Gab moment.

Happy fall, friends! September was the first month in seemingly ages that I actually just stayed put. Didn’t step on any planes or go on any far off adventures.

Instead, I made a list of every touristy thing one would do in Colorado and crossed them all off as I showed two rounds of visitors – my Dutch friends and then my parents – around the area.

A small, sunlit room with wooden floors, a window with blinds, several potted plants, a covered pet crate, a guitar case, art supplies, and a cushioned chair—an inviting space where Lets Gab began in September 2022.

Which first required us to revamp the small third bedroom in the house we rent, which had become a dumping ground for odds and ends. We snagged the daybed on Facebook Marketplace for $40 (and probably spent an equal amount in baking soda and bleach trying to get the cigarette smell out).

A small bedroom with two single beds, one white and one beige, wooden floor, a ceiling fan, a window with blinds, and several green plants—perfect for cozy conversations like Lets Gab since September 2022.

And then it was off the the races doing all the most “American” things we could think of to show our Dutch friends the best time during their first trip to the heart of America. Which included…

Thursday night ladies night at the Grizzly Rose dance hall, which felt like a scene from Footloose.

A crowd of people line dancing in a large indoor venue with colorful lights and neon signs, while two people sit at a table in the foreground, capturing the lively spirit of Lets Gab in September 2022.

Four women standing together indoors at a venue with stage lighting, smiling at the camera during Lets Gab in September 2022. Two have shirts tied around their waists.

And eating all-American bagels (although these could be considered “fusion” cuisine with that amount of hagelslag).

In this Lets Gab moment from September 2022, a person sprinkles chocolate sprinkles on a cream cheese bagel on a white plate, with butter, a pack of chocolate sprinkles, and a knife nearby.

And drinking out of red solo cups.

Three adults stand in a kitchen drinking from red cups as a dog looks up at them, capturing a casual Lets Gab moment in September 2022.

And celebrating America’s fascination with Oktoberfest. While I didn’t necessarily come in last for the Stein Hoisting competition, I will be working out my shoulder muscles all year for my comeback in 2023.

Three people stand behind an Oktoberfest banner, each holding up a large mug of beer with both hands during a September 2022 Lets Gab beer-holding contest on stage.

A person in a white t-shirt drinks from a large glass mug, obscuring their face, inside a brightly lit restaurant during Lets Gab, September 2022.

A group of people sitting around a wooden table in a bar during Lets Gab, smiling and raising large beer mugs for a toast. September 2022.

And my favorite Colorado past time, hiking! What we hoped would be a drive up my first 14-er, Mount Evans, turned into a hike when the road was closed.

But with Zucchini Corn Salad waiting for us at the bottom, we survived.

No sooner did they jetset back to Holland than our parents landed in town. So we hiked out to peep the pretty yellow leaves at Guanella Pass.

And woke up far too early on a Saturday to go do the Snow Shape pre-ski season workout at Red Rocks.

And…put up the tree. The Halloween Tree. (Not pictured: the glow in the dark toy meat cleaver found at Goodwill that is now the tree topper.)

Back in the headquarters, we’re full steam ahead with testing and shooting recipes for the holidays. We’ve got some new ones, like Beetroot Carpaccio, and reshooting some oldies, like this Grapefruit Brulee.

I’ve also been working on recreating a bunch of my favorite recipes from my trip to Croatia and Bosnia Herzegovina last month, like this cevapi “sausage” sandwich, and the ajvar roasted pepper sauce.