Bluegrass, lemongrass, and ghosts

We loved the Occidental Hotel in Buffalo Wyoming!

We decided to take a last minute mini-vacation over the Fourth of July Holiday, a driving tour that took us to five states in five days. It was a little crazy, but what a trip it was! Our adventure would start with flying into Colorado where we would rent a car and drive to Wyoming, head north to Montana, ease on over to North Dakota, turn south and visit South Dakota - then head back east so we could fly home from Denver.

When we first decided to go through Wyoming, I Googled hotels and found the Occidental Hotel. The hotel had good reviews, and really sounded like fun so I called to ask about availability. It turns out that there was a cancellation just before I called, and we were able to reserve the "General Sheridan" Suite.

When we arrived at the hotel it was like stepping into a time warp. The hotel had creaky floors, rooms that weren't exactly soundproof, and decor that made it feel like we were stepping into a museum. It was awesome. I think it was haunted, too. It just felt that way.

We stayed in the General Sheridan Room, where (we were told) the general actually stayed. It was wonderful, and had a glorious feather bed with a beautiful antique brass headboard.

After checking in, we had an amazing dinner in the hotel's restaurant, The Virginian. It was upscale dining in a private dining room. The meal was five-star quality, and was truly an event from salad to dessert.

After dinner we went to the hotel saloon for the evening's entertainment. We found out that we had won the lottery because we were in the hotel on a Thursday night. For years the locals have been getting together on Thursday night for a bluegrass jam session which was free to the public. The place was packed! Some of the performers were really really good, adult beverages were plentiful, and we had a wonderful time.

But, my forever memory of this hotel has only a little to do with the hotel. It had to do with my wonderful husband. Here's how it happened...

One of my all-time favorite romantic movie moments is at the end of the 1964 movie "Unsinkable Molly Brown." (Yes, I know that the movie doesn't follow the incredible activist Margaret Brown, but that's for another blog.) My husband has endured this movie on several occasions because he knows I love it. In my opinion, that's the basis of a good marriage. In this fictional movie, Molly Brown returns to Denver as a heroine having saved countless lives after the sinking of the Titanic. She looks for her estranged husband on her return, and the audience is led to believe he isn't there. Then, at the end of the movie, John J. Brown, who has strategically been hiding behind the door, dramatically throws his hat across the room and onto the brass four-poster bed, symbolizing his lasting love and forgiveness. It is an extremely cheesy movie moment but it makes me tear up every time I watch it. I know, I know. Just give me this one. Anyway...

After we checked into the hotel and found our room, I went to unpack. I walked put of the bathroom toward the bedroom and there was no husband in sight. Then - right on cue, a hat goes sailing across the room and lands on the center of the big brass bed.

Sigh.

It just doesn't get any better.