Buon Natale e Felice anno nuovo

25 Dicembre Christmas day!
Merry Christmas everyone and I hope you have a wonderful day with family and friends, taking time out from opening presents to remember what we are celebrating.
I had too much time here in Denver, trying to conquer this cold virus and not being able to ski as a result. I was able to really experience the crowds in the malls and our national shopping habit. I must admit, the numbers of people I encountered were much fewer than years past as the economic crunch has seriously affected consumption. The sales were very tempting, though.
I was able to read a couple of books, hang out at Starbucks and people watch and spend some time with my oldest niece who has found a great niche here in Denver. I went on a quixotic search for a fedora hat, searching all through Denver thrift shops and clothing stores without success. They are going to miss the next wave of fashion!
I felt like I was one of the extras in "The Big Night" on this trip, having eaten well at Jasper's restaurant with authentic ingredients and recipes and then being truly disappointed at an "ameritalian" restaurant in Denver with terrible olive oil, a sweet, peppery pasta sauce developed for the american palate, aii! it's almost too sad to comment! The good news is Jasper is not going out of business and is as busy as the imitation, unlike in the movie. I must admit, the only reason I went to this restaurant in Denver is because the french restaurant with great reviews was not open for lunch.
Gasoline is extremely cheap here and it was almost a pleasure to fill up the tank. It seems almost free! With oil now at 35 dollars a barrel, it may even go lower. The dollar has tanked lately, so by my calculations, a gallon of gas in Italy now costs $6.36 or exactly 4X as much as the $1.39 which i found in KC.
I hope everyone has a blessed holiday season! I really enjoyed seeing all my friends and family on my trek from east to west! Tocca a te! which means it's your turn to come visit me in Italy, now.
The pictures are of an elk herd in their winter home, which is the golf course in Estes, gas price in Denver, a view of the mountains and snow fence from near the Denver airport and the huge Bass Pro Shop which is near I-70 and 270 in Denver showing the crowd on Christmas Eve and mutual observers at the fish tank.