Baccarat Louis XIII decanter. Photo: Lenny “Lensworth” Frieling

The Boulder Greenbriar has a long history, and a long history with Debi and me.  If Baccarat bottles could speak, the history of Boulder since 1873 and of the Greenbriar are told by a decanter. As we  are again celebrating an anniversary with a dinner at the Greenbriar, this one being our 41st Anniversary, it recalls this history in the tales of the Baccarat Louis Tres (Louis XIII) crystal decanter. 

The custom at the Greenbriar and elsewhere is giving the empty Baccarat  bottle to whoever finished it  At the time we thought the cognac  it to be quite expensive at about $20 an ounce. Currently, if found at all, it ranges from $150 to $250 an ounce. The custom of giving the empty bottle to the final consumer persists. 

The Historic Greenbriar Inn , Photo Courtesy Of The Greenbriar Inn

The bar itself has a long history, going back to 1873, when it was a general store for the town of Altona, Colorado. The Greenbriar is still in the town of Altona, where Left Hand Canyon meets North Broadway in Boulder Country . 

The Historic Greenbriar Inn Bar , Photo Courtesy Of The Greenbriar Inn

The Greenbriar Inn has been a Boulder County landmark for over 100 years. Originally constructed in 1873 as a home, general store, and post office, the building was located in the heart of the town of Altona, Colorado. Access would have been, I imagine, by horse and for the more fortunate, horse and buggy.  I doubt that Louis XIII was part of the offerings of the general store. The empty decanter we “earned” at the Greenbriar, under the tutelage of Sil, the boss of the bar for decades, evokes memories of our history with the Greenbriar and of the history of the Greenbriar and of Boulder.

Raw Oyster With A Pearl Forming At The Greenbriar Is Part Of The Baccarat History. Photo: Lenny “Lensworth” Frieling

This Baccarat Louis XIII crystal cognac bottle also evokes memories of previous anniversaries celebrated at the Greenbriar.  The custom at the Greenbriar was to give the empty Baccarat Louis XIII (“Louis Tres”) bottle to whoever bought the last shot in the bottle. I recall it being quite expensive, perhaps in the range of almost $20 a shot.  Decades ago I think we had to buy about 3 shots to get the bottle, and felt lucky that there was not more left in the bottle.  The hand blown Baccarat design echoes a 16th century metal flask discovered at the 17th century Battle of Jarnac site. I  have two particular memories of this special bottle. One is the dinner at the Greenbriar bar, where we finished this particular bottle and were gifted the empty glass maker’s celebrated creation. It took 20+ artisans to create the bottle. Hand blown, it remains a tribute to true craftspeople.  My second memory relates to a celebration of getting a complete dismissal of a federal cocaine case at a preliminary hearing. That story is generally confidential and shall remain so. Had it been inconvenient to bring in the Grand Jury to indict the client, my brilliance would have been largely irrelevent. 

On the event of our 41st Anniversary dinner at the Greenbriar I am reflecting upon what can help a marriage survive 41 years. It appears to me that the key element is “Fierce Loyalty.” People change. Relationships evolve and change. At the heart of it all is loyalty and commitment. That is what is at the heart of having the relationship survive the decades. For our dinner, we had the entire room at the Greenbriar to ourselves. All of the other diners had chosen to sit in the brighter, “outside” area. We had a magic moment with giving away a copy of “Lensworth,” my first book. We had already given red Year of the Horse envelopes with golden president series coins to all of the staff. As a parting gift, I gave a copy of my book to our waiter. He scanned through the Lensworth photographs and got to the one of St. Malo’s church. He lit up. His smile lit up the entire otherwise empty large room. He pulled out his phone to show us his picture of the Pope at the church. His smile made the anniversary dinner complete. The amazing Maryland oysters (we had two servings) did not hurt. 

Lenny “Lensworth” Frieling

Photographer | Storyteller | Visual Guide

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Lenny Frieling Pen Of Justice

• Multi-published and widely syndicated blogger and author.
• Most recently published by Amazon, his first book, "Lensworth"a book of his prize-winning photos.
• University lectures at University of Colorado, Boulder, Denver University Law School, Univ. of New Mexico, Las Vegas NM, and many other schools at all levels. Numerous lectures for the NORML Legal Committee
• Former Judge
• Media work, including starring in episodes of Fox’s Power of Attorney, well in excess of many hundreds media interviews, appearances, articles, and podcasts, including co-hosting Time For Hemp for two years.
• Life Member, NORML Legal Committee, Distinguished Counsel Circle.
• Photographer of the Year, AboutBoulder 2023
• First Chair and Originator of the Colorado Bar Association’s Cannabis Law Committee, a National first.
• Previous Chair, Boulder Criminal Defense Bar (8 years)
• Twice chair Executive Counsel, Colorado Bar Association Criminal Law Section
• Life Member, Colorado Criminal Defense Bar
• Board Member Emeritus, Colorado NORML, and prior chair during legalization, as well as pre and post legalization
• Chair, Colorado NORML, 7 years including during the successful effort to legalize recreational pot in Colorado
• Senior Counsel Emeritus to the Boulder Law firm Dolan + Zimmerman LLP : (720)-610-0951
• Board member, Author, and Editor for Criminal Law Articles for the Colorado Lawyer, primary publication of the Colorado Bar Assoc. 7 Years, in addition to having 2 Colorado Lawyer cover photos, and numerous articles for the Colorado Lawyer monthly publication.
• http://www.Lfrieling.com