Well-Traveled: Vail Valley, Colorado

For some reason I have felt especially patriotic all summer. I wish I could credit this to the fact that it's an election year, but no, I think it's definitely due to the Olympics. I was a competitive ice skater from the time I was six years old until I was fourteen, when a car accident ended any hopes I had of winning an Olympic gold. The next best thing over the years has been to live vicariously through the ever-astounding Olympians. Whenever I see the American flag being raised and hear our national anthem being played during a medal ceremony, I feel so proud.

Since June I've visited many, many festivals on behalf of Taigan, and I've been on the lookout for an unusual rendition of an American flag to purchase. I've found a number of interesting takes on Old Glory, but my favorites so far have all been mixed media. I spotted two of them at the same fair in Laguna, California-one flag was made of vintage china salt shakers with the states painted on them; the other was made entirely of enamel flower brooches.

"American Flag" by Margaret Hemsley

"Old Glory Flowering" by Michael Courville

Recently I found another American flag made of California license plates at a festival in Vail. I was in the Vail Valley hosting a house party at my home in Beaver Creek, Colorado: five couples for five nights, a violation of that old rule that after three days, guests and fish begin to smell bad. But hey, I asked for it, and loved every second of it. Beaver Creek is my favorite place for a summer break. For starters, it's a great place to entertain. But there is also something so American about the west, so patriotic and pure, and this summer the place fit particularly well with my mood.

American flag art by Aaron Foster

Since my gathering of guests coincided with the Olympic games in London, I decided to make it a red-white-and-blue kind of party, even though the entire visit was filled with rosé, and admittedly a French rosé-Triennes-at that. We enjoyed several cases of the stuff and wiped out the supply at the wine store!

Our time together included lots of good spirited competition. After all, we couldn't let the Olympians have all the fun! We played Rumikub, Croquet Golf (a new game from Nine Holes Anywhere), charades, and backgammon. I "kept score" throughout the trip, and the two overall winners-one girl and one guy-won red and blue watches from Peter Elliot.

A Croquet Golf set, by Nine Holes Anywhere

One evening our long-time friends the Slifers (Rodney is the former mayor of Vail, Beth is the founder of Slifer Designs) invited our whole house party to their place for cocktails. The Slifers live just over Sweet Basil Restaurant, one of my all-time favorite spots for lunch, on the main drag in Vail Village. It was at one of their dinner parties 15 years ago that I met such patriots as President Gerald Ford, Ross Perot, John Glenn, and Jack Kemp-and I am talking about a small dinner party!

After cocktails we walked to Larkspur for dinner where the wonderful chef-owner Thomas Salomunovich shucked oysters for us in the kitchen. Thomas did this as a "pay back" for me as I had turned him on to Shigoku oysters during ski season. We had a tasting of Shigokus, Miyagis, Kusshis, and Kumomotos, and the Shigokus won best of show. Our group then continued on to the Gerald Ford Amphitheatre for the annual International Evening of Dance. The performances were simply spectacular, 14 pieces by dancers from companies such as ABT, Boston Ballet, and Alvin Ailey. The part I loved most? When Zachary Catazaro and Ashley Bouder of New York City Ballet danced Balanchine's "Stars and Stripes" pas de deux.

On the last day of our house party we enjoyed a fly fishing outing. Honestly I don't know why I go fishing each year, as I have never caught one fish and would never ever touch one if I did! After a day of no fish but plenty of laughs and fun-including when my great friend Libby Page was almost taken down river as her waders filled up-we headed home for an early dinner. My table was set with the Olympics in mind. I pulled out my hand-painted blue-and-white checked tablecloth, done by Liz Wain years ago, and added tons of bright blue delphiniums, red-handled steak knives from Berti, and red-and-white "damask" enamelware plates from Golden Rabbit. As a final touch I covered the table with blue votive candle holders from Corzine and Co., the candle flames flickering in the breeze. After a dinner of watermelon salad, Perini Ranch tenderloin, roasted potatoes, and sliced Bradley tomatoes (brought out in a suitcase from Tennessee), we retired to the living room with slices of my very own homemade all-American apple pie and glasses of bubbly to drink a toast to the good old U.S. of A.!