Dark skies and distant views.....

Utah is our neighbor and the heat index is getting safer so we spent a few days wandering about.    We "camped" at Dead Horse St Park, about 40 min from Moab.    I enjoy watching the families in their small campers and tents and remember when we did the same.   Now, I need my shower and my comfy bed.  

  This is a designated very "Dark Sky" part of the country and our first night around the campfire was  rewarded with the ISS zipping across overhead.   Always an awe inspiring moment.   Some had their cameras and tripods out to capture the Milky Way and movement of the stars.   I have a great app on my phone and I'm slowly

learning more about the constellations and main attractions up there.

  

 Arches NP was a short drive and we did the 2 mi walk to Landscape Arch.    We did this one several years ago.     Part of the arch collapsed 15 years ago and they no longer allow closer views.  

Dead Horse SP has a trail that goes from the Visitors Center , out to the point and back.    It's about 4+ miles total.    We thought it would be well marked but found that cairns were our only guide.   It crossed slick rock (no footprints to follow) and scrubby desert.    We weren't far from the road on one side or the canyon on the other side so there was no real danger of wandering in the desert for days. It was a challenge sometimes to find the cairns and the right direction.    This is one lookout over the Colorado.     The park gets it's name from a time when wild horses were herded out to the point, the best were taken and the rest left to die without water.    It's a rugged, beautiful area with a sad history.   

 Various ancient people left their marks over the centuries before us.  

 Another day, we took a shortcut from Canyonlands NP to Moab.    About a 2+ hour Jeep ride along Shafer Trail.    We've done this in the past and the views of the Colorado are breathtaking.  Thelma and Louise sailed off a precipice like this.    The ride is rough but not particularly a nail biter.   In the pic above, you can pick out a large raft with several people and supplies near the large sandbar.    Biking, jeeping, long rafting trips and climbing are popular Moab attractions.  

We hope to head back to Utah in a couple weeks for more wandering....

Meanwhile, the Newtown HS Marching Band is gathering up awards once again.    Parents are the workforce behind this  talented organization.    Jon is the unofficial photographer and captures the on and off-field moments.     He submits some of the pics to The Bee, Newtown's weekly paper.   Last week, it was Mason's turn to shine.    Various Miller children have been in the pages of the paper going back to when Michael was in 4th grade and was featured as a budding inventor.....(over 40 years ago !!  )  

Quick trip.......

Way back in the early 70's, my dad complained to the local power company about the pile of telephone poles that they left near his front yard, along the road.    After a year or two, he gave up and moved them to his workshop area and started carving them up.   They mostly became totem poles, patterned after the native art of the various  tribes in Canada and Alaska.

He shipped one to me from California to Connecticut and it stayed in our house for about 30 years.    It moved to Jon's when we moved to Florida.   He kept it outside where it slowly deteriorated. 

  

And then it came to life again.  

 

 And now, it is totally restored by Dad's great grandsons and I'm sure he is  just beaming.    Well done !!

Labor Day found us once again in Newtown, CT for the annual Labor Day parade.   The biggest and probably one of the oldest continuous parades in the state,  we marched and were actively involved for many many years.    Last year was the first time we had returned for it since we moved and altho it was hot and humid, we loved every minute.   Especially since our favorite band members were marching.    This year, the weather was threatening but they managed to just squeak it all in before the rain drops fell.  

This is the oldest house on Main Street, built in 1750 and now maintained by the Historical society.  

 My favorite fife and drum band.

 My favorite parade watcher....

One of the local assisted living communities was in the parade.   A nice lady brought over a freshly baked pie, neatly  boxed and gave it to us.   I declined and said someone else might appreciate it and she said, " we have 300 to give out !"..... I noticed more seniors holding pies walking to our cars..... It's going to take more than a pie to entice me to move in but it was a grand gesture.  

The day before, we traveled over to West Point for the annual Labor Day concert at Trophy Point.   As I mentioned last year, we used to drive over for their Sunday night concerts and the LD extravaganza for many years.     Returning once again is just the best thing ever.    In a natural amphitheater, the setting is perfect.     It requires that an early arrival insures decent seating.    We took a picnic and a deck of cards for cut- throat games of Hearts.   Plus walks around the historic buildings, statues and cannons.   

The rousing 1812 Overture with cannons is the moving finale followed by the best fireworks right over our head.  We agree every year that it's the best show ever.     P captured the final part of the Overture and all of the fireworks if you are so inclined.   Here
    Since this is with an iPhone, the sound is just OK, not of the heart stirring magnificence of a live concert....but you get the idea.   The artillery cannons are located behind and below the band.

It was a great weekend.......!!

Family time.........

 We headed east to the Front Range on Friday.      We decided to spend a day in Boulder.   Over the years, we have spent a good amount of time in that unique place......3 of the family are alums of CU.   We stayed at a B&B within walking distance to Pearl Street.     Boulder Bookstore is a mainstay (1973) and a wonderful quiet  from the street mimes and musicians.    It's liberal offerings probably reflect the community and they were giving out free "Resist" stickers at the counter.   As usual, I indulged in some books .    I also learned about  1.20.21 and should have gotten a sticker but superstition got in the way.

 But the best thing of all was this wonderful little girl.    Ashlee is 3 months already.   Nicholas and Kelsey brought her up from OK to let us cuddle and delight in her smiles.   How fortunate we all are to have this sweet, cuddly, bright eyed baby in our family.  

 
    We ate, we laughed and all of us girls (minus Ashlee who went out for sushi with her dad and 6'5" uncle Alex ) went to see "Anastasia" at the Denver Center for the Performing Arts.   We usually try and go once a year and it's always a wonderful girls day out.    Live theatre lingers nicely in the mind.

And then we came home to our hummingbirds, the mountain views and a few signs of fall.

Into the mountains...

 We had plans to head to  western Canada this week.   Our goal was Kootenay National Park with time near Glacier NP in Montana and stops in Idaho.     As the time got closer to load up the RV and head out, we started questioning our plan to leave the mountains and drive 1000 miles to go see the mountains.     We live in a beautiful amazing part of the world and there is so much here that is just waiting for our hiking shoes and Jeep.      So, we are staying home.



We found our hiking shoes and poles and headed into the mountains.    We opted to go easy on our joints and lungs and do a lovely stroll around Crystal Lake.    At 9600 ft,  it is a comfortable elevation.    It's a popular place for plein-air artists and fisherman.      It was 50 degrees and we managed to walk less than a mile when we saw this remnant of an avalanche.    If we had been in our 20's , we might have been able to climb 1000 ft and go around it but we are not in our 20's, 30's .........

 We headed back and came to the trailhead for Mt Hayden.     It was obviously a vertical trail but we were warmed up so decided to see how our 75+ yr old lungs were working.    We did well..... it was a deep pine forest, soft underfoot with needles and quiet.     We climbed for 30 min or so and then came the rock slides and downed trees.    We managed to maneuver around for a bit and then gave up.     But it was a nice workout and we could easily have gone further.

 On Sunday, we headed south to Silverton for a late breakfast.    The train (Durango-Silverton) is running again this year.   Last year, the cinders from the coal were blamed for a massive fire in the Durango area.     The train rides stopped and I was surprised to see them again this year.     The private company is being sued by everyone but it is a big tourist attraction and gives Silverton a vitality and big financial support.

It's one of the few places that you can ride your ATV on the main streets.

And again, we headed out ..... this time, we had 3 Jeeps and we headed up  Corkscrew Gulch trail.   The damage from all the snow/avalanches is massive this year and some trails are still closed.    We are at the height of tourist season and the mountain towns of Ouray and Silverton and Telluride depend on a steady flow of hikers and jeepers.   

 

 Our group portrait at the top of the trail..... about 12000 ft.     From the right, Paul, Sue Ellen, Matt, Gisela (holding Beau), Randy and yours truly......I see it's a little blurry enlarged....But maybe at this time in our lives, a bit of a blur is kinder...........not my camera.

 Always a favorite view of Red Mountain....

We were not alone on the top.....

 We had planned on heading over to Velocity Basin ( that snow covered basin slightly right of center in the picture ) but it was obvious that it would not be a prime picnic spot this year. ..... there is a lovely lake and lots of wildflowers underneath all that snow.       So we found a less traveled trail and had our picnic with this as our view.    

Summer days

 We've been wandering a few Jeep trails but many are not open high up due to the massive snows this year.     But wildflowers are in their full glory at lower levels.   The lupine and Mules ears are prolific.   I learned that the lupins only turn purple on the top after they are pollinated.

 Andy at the Black Canyon and a view of the Gunnison and the Painted Wall.

 

My favorite teenagers came to visit.     We did the Astronomy night at the Black Canyon.   After a very interesting lecture, in which THEY understood most everything, we stumbled up the road ( this is a designated Dark Skies area, and it is ! ) to telescopes focused on unknown ( to me ) stars and objects in the heavens.   I would have been happy to just see Saturn but apparently, astronomy geeks like the more obscure sights.     The boys seemed to enjoy it and that's all that counts.    

We played a lot of pickle ball.    Their grandfather initiated them into the game a few years ago and they have come to love playing and it's fun to watch their boundless energy and agility on the courts.   I filled in as a 4th sometimes but I was better suited on the golf course with Mason.     He's learning fast and can hit a driver almost 200 yards.   He has yet to manage the frustrations of the game.....no outward bursts but he suffers inside.    

We're making  tentative plans for some wandering about but mostly just enjoying the beautiful days of Colorado.      And avoiding the nasty wasps that wounded me with 2 very painful bites.    

Favorites.....

Five weeks and growing...... Ashlee has gained a couple pounds and is still petite but so alert.    And she has a wardrobe that all of us girls can envy......!

I'm trying out some new golf balls.    Around here, the Magna Calloway's are gaining in popularity.    Some say they don't go as far.....other's say they sit higher in the rough.    My opinion is still being formed.    The one on the right is the Magna and is just a tad bigger.   

We wandered over to Black Canyon .     This National Park is not as well known but gaining in popularity and was busy on the day we explored.   It is only about 30 min from us.    We took the winding 16% grade road down to the bottom of the canyon to hear the well informed ranger.   She gave a talk on the history of the tunnel that was chiseled  through about 6 miles of rock in the early 1900's to irrigate the Uncompaghre Valley that we live in.     Without this water from the Gunnison River, we would be a high desert valley with no agriculture and certainly no golf courses.    

 Meanwhile, the water has given us our beautiful roses and peonies and my favorite hosta.  

The summer solstice brought snow to our beautiful San Juans.     Unusual for late June but this has been a strange season.     Tomorrow, Andy and Mason join us and we look forward to some golf, lots of pickle ball,  concerts in the mountains, a bit of hiking and more fun stuff.....And many trips to the market to feed teenage appetites.  

Of birds and blessings...........

The feeding station continues to receive rave reviews and repeat customers.     And now we have a newcomer ...... a western tanager.    Apparently it is related to the cardinal and gets it's red head from a pigment found in it's diet of insects.    Info that I have read says nothing about enjoying grape jelly and oranges.          We raised the feeding station and have had no more nightly marauders that remove the bowl of jelly.     We did put a heavy rock in the pie dish to keep it stable in the strong winds of late.       

 Speaking of winds, we tried to play golf today and watched as our balls were puppets of the vicious winds.   We gave up after 9 holes, slightly wind and sun burned.      We always get spring winds but lately they have been up to 30 mph and ravage anything loose .....we suspect one of the outdoor decorative pillows is in Utah.     The snow in the mountains has now become an extreme menace and there are valid  concerns about flooding and more rockslides.    You may have seen pictures of the house sized boulder that come down south of Telluride, on the road we take back and forth to AZ.    More snow for the mountains tonight  and freezing temps down here.    My beautiful roses froze the other night..... the plant is fine but the flowers are gone.     This has really been a bizarre spring but at least we don't have tornadoes.

The aches and pains are all gone ..... I give all the credit to strict plant based eating.   You are what you eat !!




And now to the miracle news.....We've been holding our breaths for weeks and finally I can share a bit of our joy.         This dainty little miss joined our family as our first great grand baby.     She's still a bit shy.       Her parents have been through unimaginable stresses the past few years as they watched hopeful joy turn to indescribable grief when the birth mothers made other choices.     This little one's birth mother was very brave but is content with her decision and the initial legal hurdles are over and we are overjoyed.        Welcome little one !

Spring ....

Our beautiful part of the world is generally immune to  really really bad weather events.    No worries of tornados, hurricanes or earthquakes.     We get rain, hail and snow and lots of wind in the spring.    This year the San Juan mountains are at 159% of snow pack. ( Update:   Just read in the Denver Post that snow pack is 5 times what it was last year !!)  And it keeps falling.    We've never seen the peaks so blanketed.    There have been record numbers of avalanches and now as the melt slowly starts, the rocks start falling.   For those of you familiar with beautiful Glenwood Canyon, you know the steep corridor that has been carved by the Colorado River and that allows the trains and I-70 to  cut hundreds of miles off a route across the state.   It has been plagued with rockslides and closures this month/winter.    Luckily,no cars have been crushed but I'm always looking up and wary as we pass thru.....as if I could stop a bus sized boulder from making me into a pancake.   

We're not sure when we'll be able to find the Jeep trails open ..... the hoards descend in late June and the brave snowplowers somehow manage to get the trails passable but this year, they expect at least a 2 week delay, if not more.    But under all that snow, the wildflowers are just waiting waiting to pop up and give us a glorious show.    

Our resident and singular heron continues to hang around.    His wing span is huge as he swoops down and then with dainty strides on his long legs, he concentrates on the tiny fishes that he choses for dinner.     He did have a mate they tell me but now he is alone and stays all winter.    The geese and ducks are showing off their young.   Very cute.    One day, I saw a mother mallard sitting stoically on the edge of the fairway with golfers about 3 feet away.    She did not move.    Once she felt safe, she got up and 8 ducklings waddled out from under her.     I love all the nature we have around the pond in our back yard.   

 More flowers....the lilac is getting a bit bigger but for a 10 year old bush, it seems stunted.   But it blooms and if it does ever grow, it will block my view so I"m hoping it's just a short version.

George Burns is doing well as are all the newly planted roses......the older residents are getting their buds.  

I have discovered the Bullock Oriole.    It is a brilliantly large orange/black bird in the males species but the female is smaller and non-distinct.     I saw one at the hummingbird feeder and did some research.    Then I put out a feeding station for them and have been rewarded with lots of birds.

 Since they are attracted to the feeders, I put their food close by.    They like oranges and grape jelly.   Every morning I replace the hollowed out oranges and add more jelly.  

Doris Day continues it's extravagant blooms ..... good name for this rose.  
We bought three baskets for the large pots in the front of the house.    I used to make up my own arrangements, put new soil in and plant.   The results were good but now, I just buy them already planted and sit them in the large pots.    But, we've had freezing weather the last week so mostly they get lifted out and spend their nights in the garage.  

Golf has had to be cancelled for many days due to heavy rains.    We also had hail/sleet yesterday.      I get my morning walks in but it is chilly.    I listen to audio books as I walk and it is a great motivator to get out there and find out who the killer was..... I listen to Louise Penny mysteries and am about 2/3rd through the series.... she does keep writing so maybe I won't run out.  

I"m also working my way through "Big Magic"..... I both read and listen to it.   Written by  Elizabeth Gilbert who wrote "Eat Pray Love".     It is the best I've read on creativity......highly recommend.   

On the health front, and at this age, isn't that what's always out front.......I've been plagued by generalized joint pain.     It is annoying and uncomfortable and I'm not sure why ...... aside from an achy hip now and then and my irritable MCL in my knee, I am generally pain free.   My hands are gnarly and ugly due to arthritis and if I golf  or knit too much, they complain.     I decided that the only reason I could come up with for the flare of discomfort was a lousy diet.   Yes, we are plant-based but that doesn't mean we are perfect.    We occasionally throw in the Gardein meatballs and Beyond Beef burgers and I do like cheap chocolate and occasional butter.    I avoid most oils in cooking and foods  and no meat or dairy.    If we do go out, we give in and eat as well as we can....and if you invite us to dinner , we will eat your meat dish (sorry, can't eat ribs since they look like ribs....same with chicken parts ).   So, I am back to very basic eating , trying to eliminate the inflammation that has taken over my body. It's been 4 days of very clean eating and I'm starting  to see results. 

.     I am scheduled to play golf tomorrow so will give in and take Advil.    Otherwise, my aging body parts all work just fine and I think I"m good for at least another 50 years. 

Life is good but not necessarily blog worthy.........

We've been busy ......     Drove 6 hours to Salt Lake City on the 22nd so one of us could have our eyes fixed by the expert.        He has a condition called pseudo exfoliation and this apparently makes for tricky and complex cataract extraction.    The Eye Institute in SLC was impressive and he was able to have the one eye done on Wed and the other on Thursday and then we ( I ) drove the 6 hours back home.      The recovery has been uneventful and he says he can see our beautiful mountains clearly once again.     

Otherwise, spring is in full bloom around here.    All the trees are blooming and fragrant.   Lilacs are prolific everywhere.    The distinctive Columbines are beginning their show.    Peonies are budding and some tulips remain altho the daffodils are long gone.      And the hummingbirds came back earlier than usual.    We have the black chinned variety and they are feisty and territorial.

The garden center finally received their 500 rose bushes and we picked out 4 lovelies to fill the holes that Jon created for them.     This gorgeous one is called "About Face".    We also picked out a theatrical bunch, "Ingrid Bergman (deep velvety red), "Doris Day" ( large sunny yellow )  and a red and white variegated "George Burns".     Roses do very well in this climate without aphids and many diseases.    I had Japanese beetles when I planted them in Connecticut.

Golf league has started  and the course is in great shape with the help of all the winter snow.    I'm playing at least 3 times a week and could play more but it does use up much of the day.    Today, I managed to finally break 100.......  !!      When we moved here, I had a very high handicap.....it continues to trend downward and I'm mostly pleased with my game.    I'm a good putter, which saves me many strokes since I really don't hit it very far off the tee.    But even that is improving and today I shared my friend's new driver  and finally hit my drives equal to hers.    It's tempting but I'll probably stick with my current one.     I did spend $7.50 for new spikes for my golf shoes and I walk with a new spring in my step....  It's the little things......