That's What I'm Talking About

2008-11-23T18:14:00.001-07:00

Don't screw this up America. Vote

2008-10-29T22:31:00.001-06:00

Buyer Beware: Throwback to Lawschool

2008-09-26T08:40:00.000-06:00

Long's Peak Hike - Rocky Mountain National Park

2008-08-11T08:34:00.004-06:00

Pics from our Long's Peak hike last week. 15 miles round trip. We left at 2am (on the trail) and were at the top by about 8am.

Awesome hike. Topped off with a Ptarmigan as we came down the trail from the boulder field campground.

Rolling Horses, Long's Peak, Ptarmigans and Big Fish

2008-08-08T18:56:00.001-06:00

No pics yet, but we are just finishing a week in Rocky Mountain National Park.

Katie had an adventure with a rolling horse (She's OK< the horse was just itchy?!?)

Sue and Dave climbed Long's Peak (14,256 feet) in 12 hours on Monday AND saw their first set of White tailed Ptarmigan... Life Bird... Oh Yeah.

Hiking galore, and lots of fish. Katie is turning into a flyfisherperson and Dave caught some humongous fish
on the big Thompson River and in the Horseshoe Park area of Rocky Mountain.

Trip Up Kennebec Pass La Plata Canyon

2008-07-29T21:26:00.002-06:00

We went drove up La Plata Canyon and up Kennebec Pass until we could drive no higher and this is where it took us. Proabably about 2 hours total from Heartwood CoHousing to the top.

The wildflowers were amazing. we also hiked out to Taylor Lake and had lunch.

Sharply dressed Man -- Nick's first Bike Ride

2008-05-30T09:15:00.001-06:00

Here's the video of Nick's first bike ride..

All dressed up and nowhere to go.. Here's why. Iron horse bike race cancelled 2008

2008-05-24T06:34:00.003-06:00

Here's the view from the top of on of the lifts at Purgatory. The radio reported 5 inches of snow at the base of DMR.

Not something you want to ride skinny tires through. Historically the race can rerouted to Purgatory for a "quick" 25 mile race uphill. Not this year. The Iron Horse Bike race and Tour is canceled in 2008. Other events will still happen. Criterium, time trial.

I'll just have to be satisfied with watching the Criterium tomorrow downtown. :(

Iron Horse not happening this year

2008-05-24T06:17:00.002-06:00

I was ready to try it, but not really psyched to be honest. I t has been snowing in the mountains for 2 days and raining and sleeting in town (4000 feet lower).

The official word just came down. No race today. So I guess I don't have to tempt nature, hypothermia and icy roads to see if I can ride to Silverton, CO.

There's always next year.

Hail, Bears and Bikes

2008-05-15T16:06:00.002-06:00

No video today, but had a Killer ride up 550 again today. Started at the base of Shalona Hill and rode all the way to some of Coal Bank Pass.

Why only some of Coal Bank? Later

On the way up to DMR I had a large black bear cross the highway about 30 yards in front of me. VERY Cool.

Got to DMR is 1:10 and continued on to Cascade Village. Made some bike adjustments and then decided to do Coal Bank Pass. No such Luck. I got 2 miles up and then BAM I got whacked by a Hail storm of sorts.

Turned around and got out of there and just rode back to the car. Was about 30 miles or so for the whole trip.

Coal Bank Pass Time Trial for Iron Horse Bicycle Classic

2008-05-13T09:09:00.002-06:00

Doing some more training. Yesterday I biked up Coal Bank Pass from Cascade Creek. 5.4 miles and something like 1800 feet elevation gain.

Anyone want to join me?

A Loss for words

2008-04-14T22:21:00.002-06:00

So how do you describe a life changing event to someone?

How do you explain the impact?

When you tell them that you have had two within two weeks do they believe you?

Do you care whether they believe you?

Well, it's happened to me. One in business and One in life.

I Am So Psyched.

It's just stupid. But so is most of TV

2008-03-28T09:04:00.003-06:00

I got an email from my cousin last night. She told me about a new show that NBC is promoting called, "The Baby Borrowers" The premise of the show is to take a real baby (not a doll) and place it with teenage "parents" and see how they cope with it. Here's an article about the BBC version of this show. The Baby Borrower's

Like I said. It's just stupid.

If you do not agree with this then you can send a letter. Natural Child.org has a open letter posted on its website.

Open Letter to NBC

Don't forget to vote with your wallet as well. Don't watch the show.

Comb Wash Utah -- WOW

2008-03-27T10:33:00.003-06:00

Pictures to follow. We took the kids camping for three days. What a trip. We four wheeled it out to a campsite (In the Subaru), then spent two days hiking around the canyons.

75 degrees and sun.

Now I've gone and done it.

2008-03-17T10:07:00.003-06:00

Well, I made the commitment...

Today I signed up for the IronHorse Classic. This is a race where bicycles leave Durango, Colorado and then ride to Silverton. 47 Miles and 5700 in elevation gain (I think). Race goes off on Memorial day weekend.

I've got 2.5 months to get in shape.

Excuse me... I have to go train.

http://www.ironhorsebicycleclassic.com/

A bad day in Durango

2008-02-22T17:58:00.004-07:00

We were downtown today at around 2:30 when we saw the beginning of this fire. It didn't go well. It blew out 3 store fronts and injured at least 3 people.

Updated at 6:15 from the Herald website...

An explosion caused by a fire that began in Seasons Rotisserie & Grill destroyed the local eatery and two neighboring businesses Friday afternoon. At least seven firefighters were injured.

Dave Abercrombie, spokesman for the Durango and Fire Rescue Authority, said the fire was reported at 1:39 p.m. after smoke and flames were seen coming from the roof of Seasons Restaurant. At approximately 2:30 p.m. the fronts of Seasons, 764 Main Ave.; Le Rendezvous, 750 Main Ave.; and Half-Price Tees, 758 Main Ave. exploded in a fireball, showering the street with flying glass, bricks and other debris.

“It looked like the whole roof of Le Rendezvous rose up,” said Tom Barnes, who witnessed the explosion from a roof on East Second Avenue. “The lead guy at the hose went pinwheeling. He disappeared into the smoke and we couldn’t see him.”

Three firefighters were blown from the roof by the explosion, according to DFRA spokesman Dave Imming.

Seven firefighters were taken to the hospital, said David Bruzzese, spokesman for Mercy Regional Medical Center. Six were listed in good condition and one in fair condition. At least three of the firefighters were admitted. As of 5:45 p.m. two firefighters had been treated and released.

Photo from the Durango Herald Website

Free Press?

2008-02-19T10:13:00.003-07:00

2008-02-19T10:06:00.001-07:00

New Family Photos: Haircuts and Valentines Day

Gobble Gobble

2008-02-12T17:12:00.001-07:00

Red Sox Truck Day is here....

2008-02-11T08:50:00.001-07:00

From over at Boston.com The Red Sox prepare to head for Spring Training.

Grand Junction Swim Team Road Trip

2008-02-09T20:35:00.000-07:00

I'm starting to use Facebook to upload photos to share. So if you are family or friend go check out facebook. If you join and become my friend then you'll get notified automatically when I post a new album.

Here's the most recent one from this weekend's swim meet in Grand Junction.

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=31036&l=7b12b&id=593778416

I guess it's official now. The jerks.

2008-02-09T20:28:00.000-07:00

Yup they finally gave me a license and then I was able to register my car. The license story is a long one and I won't bore you in this post. I will bore you later. But it is official. We've registered our cars here.

Bring a survival kit. What?

2008-02-02T21:13:00.000-07:00

More snow. It seems this is all I'm talking about this winter. Sue and the kids were gonna go skiing tomorrow. Maybe they still will, but here is what the weather service has to say about travel in the San Juan mountains tomorrow through Monday. (So I doubt it)

IF YOU ARE PLANNING TRAVEL THROUGH THE MOUNTAINS OF EASTERN UTAH
OR WESTERN COLORADO SUNDAY THROUGH MONDAY...BE PREPARED FOR
EXTREMELY POOR TRAVEL CONDITIONS. MOUNTAIN PASSES WILL BE ICY AND
SNOW PACKED WITH POOR VISIBILITIES FROM BLOWING SNOW. BE SURE TO
PACK A WINTER SURVIVAL KIT IN YOUR VEHICLE IF YOU MUST TRAVEL.

McCain - There will be other wars

2008-02-01T08:11:00.000-07:00

This speaks for itself. The Man Song

2008-01-29T21:54:00.001-07:00

Special Thanks to Chuck for forwarding this to me.

Buried in Snow

2008-01-28T13:46:00.000-07:00

Woke up this morning to another 12 inches (at least). Here's a couple of photos.

Great progress on the boathouse at Wah-tut-ca

2008-01-28T12:01:00.001-07:00

The Andrew Curry Green boathouse at Camp Wah-tut-ca in Northwood, NH is goin gangbusters. The above is the most recent picture. This boathouse is gonna be a great addition to the camp. I can't wait to see it in person someday.

Well I thought it was funny.

2008-01-27T21:40:00.000-07:00

Today was awesome...

We got up early. Packed the kids and the car and went skiing at Durango Mountain Resort (Purgatory). They really should have just kept that name. It's not DMR. It's "Purg". I digress

Put the kids in lessons and then skied all day. Then during the day the Snow came down and down and down. We basically skied in the equivalent of an east coast blizzard. Totally cool.

Sue and I treated ourselves to lunch at Dante's up near lift 3 on the back side of the mountain. There's a nice bar and restaurant upstairs. So if you want more than an overpriced burger go upstairs and get some good food. High marks for that eating establishment.

So what's funny? Well, when we were packing the car in a raging snowstorm, Sue was helping Nick get into his seat on the driver's side of the car and I opened the ski carrier on the top of the car and dumped about 6 inches of snow all over them.

Nick was not amused.

I was. But that didn't help the situation.

Overall, a great day. Come visit in the Winter and we'll get you up there for some real skiing.

Trip to Molas Pass this weekend.

2008-01-14T08:38:00.000-07:00

Sue is back east. (Maybe she'll post a blog entry about it. ;) ) So this weekend I grabbed Nick and Robin and went up to Molas Pass. (elevation 10,910ft /3325m).

The drive up was pretty cool with 8-15 foot snowbanks on either side of the road in places.We got up to the pass no problem and then had spectacular views. While we were up there we ran into a skier with a great set of bumper stickers on his truck..

If you ever thought about putting a sticker on your car and couldn't or wouldn't, then your worries are over. This guy has taken care of you. You can rest easy at night knowing that he has many to make up for the rest of us that didn't let our views be known. Cool Truck. Happy Skiing. High Marks to him for his truck.

Desert Sun Coffee Roasters

2008-01-07T08:54:00.000-07:00

Just showcasing the local coffee that we buy here. Desert Sun Coffee Roasters of Durango. Good stuff.

Last minute trip to California

2008-01-05T10:45:00.000-07:00

On December 27th we left Durango to drive to San Diego for a couple of days and then on to Joshua Tree National Park. We got as far as Phoenix the first night (500 miles) then got up the next day and headed for San Diego.

While in San Diego, we camped in a county park. We were in Lake Jennings county park which was surprisingly nice. I had expected that the park would be lousy and not kept up well, but it was nice. There were rangers on duty (at least 3 to cover the park) the sites were clean and bathrooms were adequate for a campground.

While in San Diego we went to three major places. San Diego Zoo, SeaWorld and the Torrey Pines Beach Area.

My favorite was the Torrey Pines area, but I think the kids really liked Seaworld. I'm gonna break up my posts on the trip into several so there aren't too many photos.

Links:

Joshua Tree NP photos
Torrey Pines State Reserve
Seaworld
San Diego Zoo

Torrey Pines State Reserve

2008-01-05T10:31:00.001-07:00

The kids first time seeing the Pacific. Nick had a great time running from the ocean. The girls and Sue collected Shells and Rocks. Oh yeah and then the sunset. Awesome.

San Diego Zoo

2008-01-05T10:02:00.001-07:00

Here are a few from the San Diego Zoo. I liked the zoo a lot, but zoos also give me a chance to take a few pictures. and I really enjoy that.

Seaworld

2008-01-05T09:50:00.000-07:00

The kids loved Seaworld. I thought it was just ok, but the shows were pretty good and I have to admit I like seeing tropical fish. In any event here are a couple of photos of everyone throughout the day.

Joshua Tree National Park was cold Brrrr.

2008-01-04T22:31:00.001-07:00

But beautiful. This is just a quick post. I promise to make a longer one after I review my photos and get my thoughts together. I took this picture on News Years Day 2008 at Indian Cove Campground in Joshua Tree National Park. We spent News Years Eve and News Year's Day there.

We all sat around the fire and made new years resolutions and burned little pieces of paper representing things that we wanted to let go of.

The only difficult part of this was that the parents (Me and Sue) were not adequately prepared for how cold it got. I woke up shivering in my not so warm sleeping bag. I guess that's what I get for trying to use a sleeping bag that it 25 years old.

Happy Holidays..

2007-12-24T09:41:00.001-07:00

Merry Christmas

America Rises: Pay Attention It's Important

2007-12-21T20:21:00.001-07:00

Christmas Pageant and kids

2007-12-20T13:24:00.000-07:00

Last night the kids were in a Christmas Pageant and here are some photos of it.

Last night the kids were in a Christmas Pageant and here are some photos of it. You can see some more photos at the following link. Cohousing blog

Had a Holiday Party here at Heartwood

2007-12-18T15:28:00.000-07:00

I am basically mirroring a post I made over at the new Heartwood Cohousing Blog. We had a Holiday party where the kids played their instruments and everyone sang for a while. Great Fun.

Holiday Party

99 inches of Snow = Ditching the kids and Skiing

2007-12-13T08:12:00.000-07:00

That statistic is Correct. Wolf Creek Ski Area got 99 inches of snow in the last 7 days.

Add to that $27 lift tickets for locals day and you have the formula for a good long day of powder skiing. To all my east Coast Friends and Family, you might be thinking... "What the hell is powder?" Well, did you know that out here they have snow that is soft . Snow doesn't have to be hard packed and icy... what a concept

What a fabulous day.

That snow bank behind the car is like 9 feet tall. And we couldn't get away without looking at my serious hathead... :)

Don't be this way.

2007-12-11T10:25:00.000-07:00

“They go on in strange paradox, decided only to be undecided, resolved to be irresolute, adamant for drift, solid for fluidity, all powerful to be impotent.”

--Winston Churchill

Don't be this way. Be Different. Do something

Read Al Gore's Nobel Prize Acceptance Speech.

SNOW and Christmas Trees and a Stuck Truck.

2007-12-03T10:10:00.000-07:00

Lots of pictures today. What a weekend.

First. We had a dusting of Snow here (maybe a couple of inches). BUT up at WolfCreek pass they had at least 32" and up on Coal Bank Pass there was 45".

We set out to cut our own christmas trees on Saturday. After a late start we headed west to Beaver Meadows and up into the snow. We got up to where there was 6 inches of snow on the road and then set the kids in sleds and pulled them behind the truck for a while. They had a blast.

Then we got to about 9000 feet. Yes the road was up at 900 feet. We all unloaded and scattered into the woods looking for trees.

And then to top it all off. On of the trucks we had started to slide off the road as we tried to turn around. We managed to get the second truck hooked up to a tow line and the truck popped right out of the ditch.

A Fun time was had by all of us. The Wallers, Garcias and Austins had a great start to the Christmas Season

Robin and Swim Team

2007-12-01T21:36:00.000-07:00

Oh Yes. Today was also a small Swim meet. Robin swims with the Durango Swim Club and we had a small meet today here in Durango. This had teams from around the local area (within 60 miles or so).

She did well and had 3 events. 100yard Backstroke, 100 yard breast stroke and 100 yard freestyle.

Snow Snow and more Snow...and a bunch of rain

2007-12-01T21:19:00.000-07:00

Well It felt like New England here today and yesterday. There was a cold cold rain that lasted most of the day. Now that rain was down here at Heartwood. Up in the mountains they measured the snow in FEET. Yup Wolf Creek got at least 32 inches and Purgatory had 20 inches as of this morning. Well it kept going all day and I expect that tomorrow will be a great skiing day.

Unfortunately, we are going into the woods tomorrow to get a christmas tree. Well maybe that won't be unfortunate, but it won't be skiing.

Got two of the kids passes all set and now we just have to go to Durango Mountain Resort (DMR) and get on our skis...

We're Baaack

2007-11-28T07:33:00.000-07:00

Woke up at 330am yesterday in NH and started the trek back to Colorado. We made it fine although it was a long day. Got in around 5:30 Mountain time.

Showed up here to snow on the ground (not much) and 45 degree weather. Sun is up today and the wood stove is cranking.

Now we take the kids to school and I'm back here to work.

Turkey Day is Over: Sun here Snow there.

2007-11-23T10:17:00.000-07:00

Day after Thanksgiving and this damn cold has caught up with me. I was Sick sick sick this morning and couldn't crawl our of bed to almost 12 noon. Unheard of for me. In any event. Turkey day was wonderful. We loved seeing everyone and doing the usual catching up. The kids are growing across the board. (Just like they are supposed to.)

My Sister in law and her husband are about to leave for a great opportunity to live in Nepal for the next couple of years. We certainly talked all about that. Kudos to them (I hope they're reading this :) ) If you are you know we're all wishing you the best on this trip.

Got a call from my neighbor this morning. I Guess Thanksgiving there was all sun and then they next morning there was 6 inches of snow on the ground. Cool...Except that I missed it. I would have liked to see that.

Buy Local. It's more important than you might think

2007-11-17T06:37:00.000-07:00

Werner is someone we know and he is deeply involved in sustainability and in encouraging local economies. I found this this morning while scanning through old articles with my Google Reader (Top notch tool by the way)

http://durangotelegraph.com/telegraph.php?inc=/07-11-08/coverstory_side.htm

Well we made it to NH

2007-11-17T06:18:00.000-07:00

OK so it's not an exciting post. They can't all be that way. We had a fine flight from Albuquerque to Manchester. No problems. It is always long, but the kids did great, we got to read or work on the plane and all went pretty well.

Now we're back for Thanksgiving and a few extra days.

One Thing...It's cold here. Sue and I went for a run yesterday afternoon (Friday) and it was freaky cold. Had to wear a hat and gloves to stay warm. Great run though. We found a trail that wrapped around South Down shores through Prescott Forest and then through the Condo Complex.

Change the World. One Hug at a Time

2007-11-12T23:22:00.000-07:00

This Video Has been Seen over 20 Million Times

News: We would like to thank and hug every one of you for making this video Youtube video of the year! Check out our video thank you message here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=99CuM6...
---------------------------------------- -------
Sometimes, a hug is all what we need. Free hugs is a real life controversial story of Juan Mann, A man whos sole mission was to reach out and hug a stranger to brighten up their lives.

In this age of social disconnectivity and lack of human contact, the effects of the Free Hugs campaign became phenomenal.

As this symbol of human hope spread accross the city, police and officials ordered the Free Hugs campaign BANNED. What we then witness is the true spirit of humanity come together in what can only be described as awe inspiring.

In the Spirit of the free hugs campaign, PASS THIS TO A FRIEND and HUG A STRANGER! After all, If you can reach just one person...

Music by Sick Puppies. Their album is out April 3rd called "Dressed Up As Life". Go out and support these guys.
(Visit http://sickpuppies.net or http://myspace.com/sickpuppies for the music)
---------------------------------------- ---------

PS. The response to this video has been nothing short of overwhelming and touching. Hugs to every single one of you who messaged. There has been thousands of emails from all over the world by people seeking to participate in the Free Hugs campaign and asking for permission. You do not need permission. This is the peoples movement, this is *your* movement. With nothing but your bare hands you can make THE difference.

Imagine all the people.

---------------------------------------- --------
http://www.freehugscampaign.org
http://www.myspace.com/freehugscampaign

Halo3 Myspace Video

2007-11-11T08:21:00.000-07:00

Are you addicted to Halo 3?

If it's not Halo 3 then it's something else that makes you have these conversations. Enjoy the video gamers.

http://view.break.com/390565 - Watch more free videos

What do you See?

2007-11-10T22:28:00.001-07:00

From http://www.pizdaus.com/pics/93BSS34UkAXi.jpg

New Mexico Geocaching today

2007-11-10T20:00:00.000-07:00

Wow did we have fun exploring New Mexico today. Glad we did. We set out to place a travel bug into a geocache in New Mexico. We were out to do this because the Travel bug wanted to go there and visit New Mexico.

We ended up discovering a natural arch, and amphitheater and finding 2 out of 4 caches.

The downside was I injured my ankle after coming off the steep section of the last climb. Probably a small strain.

Skunk in the Greenhouse!! Yikes

2007-11-10T19:51:00.000-07:00

So we get a call from our neighbor yesterday. "Hey do you know if baby skunks can spray?" Huh? we think. Why we ask. Well we have one in the live trap inside the greenhouse.

Uh oh.

Turns out we couldn't figure out whether the skunk could spray or not so. The next question is what do we do about it? Our answer was to take a plastic bag and put it over the trap then gently lift the trap up and wrap it in a blanket. Gently being the key.

The rest was sort of easy, but we carried the little guy out into the woods and carefully opened the trap and let him out. Turns out he was a Western Spotted Skunk. Did you know that western spotted skunks are known to be little skittish... Glad I didn't know that before we did this little operation.

Image from: http://www.washington.edu/burkemuseum/collections/mammalogy/mamwash/sppu.html

Yeah baby... Red Sox Rule

2007-10-29T21:20:00.000-06:00

It's pretty sweet. That is being in Colorado while the Red Sox roll over the Colorado Rockies. It was a lot of fun to watch. The Rockies just simply got outplayed...

Kathy was here and is a HUGE fan. Before we found TV she could watch the game on she was glued to the play by play on my computer and the streaming radio from WRKO through MLB.com

Minor thumbs down to MLB for not streaming the games over the internet. I guess they cannot comprehend that someone might not have TV. (Like me) We had to ask my neighbor (nicely) to let us watch the games. He graciously allowed us to. He had better seats though. He had tickets to game 4...

How STUPID can you be

2007-10-28T09:12:00.001-06:00

FEMA stages a fake news conference about the wildfires. You should be speechless about this. This is amazing... Can you see the FEMA folks sitting around in a meeting. Hmm Lets have a news conference... But we don't want to have to answer real questions that might make us look bad.

Some staffer speaks up... "I know. Let's just pretend to have reporters there we'll just ask easy questions..." Everyone nods heads in agreement.

Who needs honesty in government anyway.

At least they tried to make it interesting

2007-10-28T08:43:00.000-06:00

Watched the World Series last night while surrounded by Rockies Fans... You almost have to feel sorry for them (the fans that is).

Last night at least the game got interesting in the middle innings as the Rockies made a run at the Red Sox.

It was fun and Kathy sat through most of the game, but left in the 8th inning when the score was 9-5 Boston. I think she is still on East Coast time...

Owww Attacked by a cactus

2007-10-27T17:54:00.000-06:00

I was walking around the property yesterday and had a new experience with a cactus. The damn thing somehow managed to smack into the back of my leg while I was walking. It stung so much that I swatted at it with my left hand. I figured I had been bit by something and wanted whatever it was off me.

Well when I swatted at it I only managed to impale myself with 5-6 more stingers from the little bastard. Only today was I able to get the last of the barbs out of my hand.

More Canyonland Pictures

2007-10-26T20:14:00.001-06:00

Just a few more pictures from our campout last weekend at Canyonlands National Park.

Looks like I found Carlotta

2007-10-26T20:07:00.001-06:00

So I am wandering around the property today and while trying to take a picture of a brown creeper (a bird) I come around a tree and see this...

Yes a Cow skull hanging in a tree.

Hmmm. After asking around I find out that I found Carlotta.

Canyonlands Trip This weekend

2007-10-22T07:19:00.000-06:00

Needles photo from Canyonlands National Park. I'll try to get some more up soon.

More owls at Heartwood

2007-10-17T18:13:00.000-06:00

Check out the overhang between #2 and #3. On Julie Madden's overhang there was a Northern Pygmy Owl sitting and watching everything (including the dogs). I think it hit a window and was stunned because before this it crashed into a bush and let us get within a couple of feet before it flew to this awning.

A couple of the kids did get to see it.

Northern Saw-whet Owl - Totally Cool Photo

2007-10-14T14:03:00.000-06:00

Found this little guy with Nick while we were walking up the hill East of the Greenhouse. It's a Northern Saw-whet Owl. It was very compliant and hung around for a while. Sue, Nick and Scott got to see it, although we flushed it so he only got a brief glimpse.

My Bad... I had initially identified this owl as a Northern Pygmy Owl. I jumped to a conclusion and was wrong. It is certainly a Northern Saw-whet Owl.

Ahhhh A spider... Oh It's OK

2007-10-13T13:12:00.000-06:00

So this was cool. In the Fall the male Trantulas head off and start looking for females. Saw this one walking along the path today. It was about 2-3 inches across including the legs.

Fall Rocky Mountain Colors

2007-10-07T22:20:00.000-06:00

Here are a few photos we took over the last few days. The colors here in SouthWest Colorado in early October are fabulous.

Kennebec Pass trip

2007-10-07T22:09:00.001-06:00

We left late today and drove over to the St. Juan National Forest. We headed up Junction Creek on Forest Road 171. This is the road that goes up past the Animas Overlook. Keep Driving if you have the time. The road goes about 21 miles up into the mountains. It parallels Hermosa Creek (That will be on your right Waaay down there) and you get awesome long distance views of the Needles, Engineer mountain and the whole range.

We didn't make it up there early enough to get out and hike up to the pass, but we will, because the drive alone was worth it.

Turkeys at Heartwood.

2007-10-07T22:06:00.000-06:00

No not my neighbors.

As we were leaving to go hike/drive up toward Kennebec Pass just west of Durango this group of Turkeys crossed the access road right in from of us.

Mule Deer in our backyard

2007-10-07T08:10:00.001-06:00

Woke up this morning after a late night of celebrating Heartwood Cohousing's completion (The last house was built on the last lot) and saw this young male mule deer grazing in our backyard.

We knew they were around, but just hadn't seen any yet.

Frannie's Twin Sister?

2007-10-04T12:05:00.001-06:00

We were down at the Durango Oktoberfest and Out of Nowhere saw someone who looked just like Frannie... Could it be?

Rebecca Folsom House Concert

2007-10-02T20:39:00.000-06:00

One of my neighbors organized a house concert here at Heartwood Cohousing. She knew Rebecca Folsom. Well Rebecca came out and put on a great show. I hope she had as much fun as we all did.

Two of my favorites from that night were. "Let's be too loud" and "I will Love you"

Head over to her website and listen. Then go buy her CD. We did.

Some of you will know this person

2007-09-22T23:13:00.001-06:00

I couldn't resist sharing this cute photo. This was taken when a small plumbeous vireo bumped into our back window. The bird turned out fine and flew off.

Bear Tracks

2007-09-22T22:21:00.000-06:00

On Wednesday, Sue and I walked Al's tree loop and then around the main loop at Heartwood Cohousing. As we started around the west pasture trail we came across black bear tracks. The tracks measure 5" x 5" for the front paw and 5" x 9" for the back (that is including the claws).

Geyhound gets both High and Low marks

2007-09-19T14:35:00.000-06:00

Low Marks for corporate Greyhound. High Marks for the local agent here in Durango.

I recently needed to buy a ticket to get the Albuquerque from Durango. Cost me $50 bucks one way. Not a bad price. Turned out though that I didn't need the ticket. Soooo. I want my money back because I didn't use it.

In order to get a refund I am suppose to

1. go get the ticket
2. mail a request in to Greyhound
3. and then get my money back.

Stupid. I ordered the ticket online I should be able to refund it the same way, Or at least be able to call someone and make that happen. In addition they keep 20% of the ticket price as sort of administrative fee. Total BS.

High marks for the local agent. I went in there today expecting to get my ticket and then start this whole mail refund process. Turns out that the agent was able to refund me my money back to my credit card No Problem. So nice guy and job well done for him.

Overall Greyhound has some work to do though.

126,000 new wells... Come on

2007-09-19T06:45:00.000-06:00

Wrong direction folks. Instead of racing to get more wells drilled before the President leaves office...

With less than 17 months left in the Bush presidency, The Wilderness Society says the BLM is accelerating its push to lease land to energy companies. When The Wilderness Society released its first report last year, it counted 118,000 planned wells on public lands.

Can we please start acting like we're gonna live here for a while? How about a change of attitude. Let's stop dominating the land and other creatures and start trying to find a good give and take. Find a way to actually coexist.

That 126,000 figure also is ONLY on Public lands. It does not measure the number of wells scheduled for private lands.

Source: Durango Herald

Dead Cow...Surprised me too

2007-09-18T08:35:00.001-06:00

I am not a big fan of grazing on National Forest land. My personal opinion is that these large bovines have a fairly large impact on the ecology. Compared to the Concentrated feeding method the grazing is better though.

I wasn't really psyched to find this dead cow in the middle of a forest service road. The ravens had started to find it as well. It will probably be moved soon and I did let the Forest Service know.

Centennial Peak Sharks' Tooth Hike

2007-09-17T10:06:00.000-06:00

Here's a bunch of pictures from a hike we took on Sunday. We arrived right as the rain started falling, but that passed and we had a cloudy hike up to the top of the pass. Got a close look (Lousy photo) of a Pika along the trail.

Blogger Tag Cloud

2007-09-16T21:25:00.001-06:00

Credit where Credit is due...

That Tag cloud you see came from this website. It was easy to set up.

Blogger Tag Cloud

It works like a charm.

Michael Jackson is Dead

2007-09-16T20:06:00.000-06:00

My friend Doug was a fan. I had no idea.

I knew he liked Scotch, but I didn't know he was such a geek about it.

Huh? Doug loves Scotch and Michael Jackson has apparently written one of the great books reviewing various whiskeys. So read Michael Jackson's Obituary over at Doug's blog. Gischeleman's Blog

So are you wondering what the heck Gisheleman means? I was so I googled it and came up with this... A very Creative name for his blog.

"Gischeleman, to create with the mind. "

Source: http://www.gilwell.com/lenape/g.htm

Family Request for Photos of where we live.

2007-09-15T15:55:00.001-06:00

At the request of my family here are a couple of pictures of where we live. The upper left house is ours. The next photo is down the walkway towards the common house. The next photo is of the common house.

Just a little Catch up

2007-09-14T20:27:00.000-06:00

Yesterday I had another run at Horse Gulch on my Mountain bike. Very Cool. We did the loop and I only "almost" went over my handlebars once. Last time, I wasn't going fast enough to go over the handlebars. Sooo what does that mean? I am enjoying this more. My daughter had a great time too and is really learning some of the basics when it comes to mountain biking.

Then today I went for a run here at Heartwood and was easily able to get in a 3 mile run. There is a nice loop around the northwest side of the pasture and then up through the woods and around the hill. Door to Door 2.92 miles with two nice hills.

Animas River Clean Up

2007-09-13T13:08:00.000-06:00

This Saturday...Everyone welcome.

I can't make it. Got my own project to do down in the pasture that day. Here's the article from the Durango Telegraph.

Trout Unlimited is hoping to attract dozens of volunteers to the Animas this weekend for a large-scale, coordinated effort. Colorado Trout Unlimited schedules the Statewide River Clean-up for the fall because river flow is generally lower, making access to the rivers and clean-up efforts easier. “People should be saying, ‘The Animas is our river, and we’re going to grab the kids and go down and help,’” said Ty Churchwell, vice-president of the local TU chapter. “We’d love to see a bigger turnout this year, and the river sure could use the help.

The Animas River Clean-up will take place this Sat., Sept. 15, from 8 a.m. until noon, and volunteers should meet at Santa Rita Park. Snacks, refreshments, trash bags and rubber gloves will be provided. For more information, contact 903-3010.

New Standards. High Marks, Low Marks

2007-09-13T11:29:00.000-06:00

I'm running into a lot of businesses and government agencies here. Such is the case when you move. I've had some great interactions and some absolutely horrible interactions with people.

So new labels to apply. High Marks and Low Marks. Of Course I will explain why as I go forward.

So today... High Marks to the Durango Police Department. I had to go there today to get fingerprinted. No I didn't get arrested. I have to get fingerprinted because I need to change my name to satisfy the Colorado DMV. (That will be a different post Low Marks there for sure).

So fingerprinting at the DPD went very smoothly. Everyone there was courteous and efficient. Applause. High Marks.

Now I have to deal with Colorado Department of Motor Vehicles and their idiotic rules.

Vegetarian is the New Prius

2007-09-12T07:27:00.000-06:00

They noted that feeding animals for meat, dairy, and egg production requires
growing some ten times as much crops as we'd need if we just ate pasta primavera, faux chicken nuggets, and other
plant foods. On top of that, we have to transport the animals to slaughterhouses, slaughter them, refrigerate their
carcasses, and distribute their flesh all across the country. Producing a calorie of meat protein means burning more
than ten times as much fossil fuels--and spewing more than ten times as much heat-trapping carbon dioxide--as does
a calorie of plant protein. The researchers found that, when it's all added up, the average American does more to
reduce global warming emissions by going vegetarian than by switching to a Prius.

Vegetarian is the New Prius

Andrew Curry Green. 6 Years ago

2007-09-11T20:57:00.000-06:00

6 years ago tonite I was sitting in my house. The kids were asleep and the wife was out somewhere. I was thinking about what had just happened in New York that day. It was September 11th, 2001. I called a friend of mine to ask about Andrew because I knew that he occasionally flew to Los Angeles from Boston.

It turned out he was on the first plane.

Andrew Curry Green was a friend of mine.

Today I thought about him and his wife and his friends. I was glad to know him. And I'm still glad to know his wife and his friends.

We're building a boathouse at Camp Wah-tut-ca in Northwood New Hampshire in his name.

Key Foundation Andrew Curry Green Boathouse

Andrew Curry Green Fundraiser

Canning: A new experience for us

2007-09-10T21:23:00.000-06:00

We, (the royal we) Mostly Sue, have canned a few things this fall. We are trying to eat more locally and buy food at Farmer's markets, such as the Durango Farmer's market and the Bayfield Farmer's market.

Durango farmer's Market is in the parking lot of the First National Bank of Durango every Saturday until the End of October

Bayfield's Farmer's Market is at the Bayfield Roadside Park right off Route 160 on Saturday Mornings. I don't know how late into the season it goes. We recently bought awesome peaches there.

What have we canned or frozen. So far only some peaches, and some green beans. This local eating is something we are really enjoying along with our local foods pizza night.

Another one. Gilligan's Island Stairway to Heaven

2007-09-09T21:56:00.000-06:00

I like this "Acoustic Version"better. Gilligan's Island Stairway to Heaven

San Jaun BioEnergy "Biodiesel" Plant

2007-09-09T20:59:00.000-06:00

GREAT... This is cool a local biodiesel plant.

History was made Saturday at a groundbreaking for the region's first biodiesel and sunflower-crush plant.

I am happy to see this come to life. I don't personally use biodiesel or diesel, but may in the future.... stay tuned for that.

Source: Durango Herald

"Local Foods" pizza night

2007-09-09T20:46:00.001-06:00

Inspired by Barbara Kingsolver's Book, Animal, Vegetable, Miracle, the folks here at Heartwood Cohousing have started a Sunday night local pizza night. We all sign up for toppings or cheese or the crust and then all come together and stand around the kitchen cooking our pizzas and catching.

It is a blast! We've only lived here a few weeks and we love going every weekend that we can. I highly recommend reading the book and starting some sort of "tradition" like this.

You will get more out of this than just good local pizza.

Stairway to Heaven Gilligan's Island

2007-09-07T20:55:00.000-06:00

I heard about this at dinner tonite. You never know what you'll find on the internet...

Great morning here. 5 more birds

2007-09-07T08:12:00.000-06:00

Nashville Warber, Evening Grosbeak, Red-naped Sapsucker, Maintain Chickadee and Plumbeous Vireo. They all came through my back yard this morning. Raises the count to 34 here.

All My birding posts are over at antvireo.blogspot.com

Gotta get used to this Mountain Biking. Sheesh

2007-09-07T06:55:00.000-06:00

Went on another weekly mountain biking trip with my daughter's class. This one was in Durango as well. Last week we did horse gulch and this week, we did the South Rim Trail and came back down Big Canyon. Boy do we have a lot to learn about this.

Technically it is very different from any type of Mountain biking we have done before and it is physically hard for us on top of that. We still feel some of the altitude difference having moved here from at 500 feet elevation in New Hampshire.

Here's a link to a description of Durango Mountain biking with a section and pictures from someone else's trip to the Big Canyon and Horse Gulch area.

MTB around Durango

My bird list at Heartwood

2007-09-07T06:49:00.000-06:00

Over at my birding blog, Antwren I am keeping a life list of sorts for all the birds I see at Heartwood. As of this morning, 29.

That's what I'm Talking About

2007-09-05T20:59:00.000-06:00

Found another blog with the same name as mine. No big surprise.

http://julieedwards.blogspot.com/

Quantum Physics Made Relatively simple

2007-09-05T18:14:00.000-06:00

Get it... Made Relatively Simple. I thought it was funny that's the only reason I posted it.

http://bethe.cornell.edu/

What are you going to do?

2007-09-05T11:43:00.000-06:00

I had this movie trailer sent to me by a neighbor and friend. I have also recently read Blessed Unrest ("How the Largest Movement in the World Came into Being and Why No One Saw It Coming") by Paul Hawken. Highly recommended.

www.The ShiftMovie.com

Time to recognize that we are all part of the same organism... Earth

Ignacio Bike week draws bikers

2007-09-03T08:23:00.000-06:00

According to the Durango Herald the bike in Ignacio and Mancos has pulled in about 5000 bikers ( at least in the Ignacio area). We didn't notice them too much. But we are used to the Laconia Motorcycle Rally and that draws 10s of thousands of bikes. Back there in NH there was always the hum or the bikes through the late evening. As you might imagine there is a lot of economic impact from that event.

Vallecito Creek and local pizza

2007-09-02T21:12:00.000-06:00

Do they go together? No except they happened on the same day. Hiked up Vallecito creek in the San Juan National Forest today. Didn't get that far on account of weather (Thunderstorm) and a late start, but the intention was to get above the expert kayaking section of the gorge and fish up in the valley. Next time.

The local pizza thing is a new Sunday night thing at Heartwood. We each bring an ingredient that is "locally" grown. Ballpark a hundred miles or so. We ended up with great vege and meat pizzas and a desert pizza that had peaches on it.

Yesterday a Red Fox

2007-09-02T09:32:00.000-06:00

First for me here at heartwood cohousing. Had a Red Fox dart across the entry road and race across the East pasture today. This was at the same time we saw the turkeys way off in the west pasture.

Melodrama Lives on. Whohooo

2007-09-02T09:08:00.000-06:00

I last saw the Melodrama here in Durango last summer and LOVED IT. It was funny for all. I had my kids there and they all laughed the entire time.

So I was disappointed when I heard that there was a disagreement between the owner of the building and the owner of the Melodrama that was causing the show to end permanently.

Well this morning I read in the Durango Herald that the Melodrama is saved and will be showing again next summer at the Durango Arts Center. AWESOME.

Photo Credit: From the Durango Herald. YODIT GIDEY

Four Corners Folk Festival

2007-09-01T19:54:00.001-06:00

Awesome, except for the torrential downpour that happened around 2:30pm. The bands were great, but since we got rained out all of our stuff got soaked while we were watching a kid magic show, we packed up and left.

Four Corners Folk Festival

We really enjoyed hearing three groups before we left. Cadillac Sky, The Infamous Stringdusters, and Ollabelle.

My car Almost caught on fire today.

2007-08-31T21:44:00.000-06:00

Almost I say. I had just picked it up from the shop where it has some engine work done on it. I'm driving down the road and I smell gasoline...

Uh huh so what do you think... It's not me It must be that guy who just passed me. Nope. The smell doesn't go away and then the car stops... Hmmm.

Someone comes by and tells me that there is a large amount of something coming out of the engine compartment.

OK That's it. I pull over and sure enough it me and my car is spewing gas into the engine compartment. Apparently the gas line separated right where it curled over the top of the manifold. Clip just gave way.

No Fire. Thankfully and the shop came out and fixed it. Owner gave me his own car to drive for the day. Catastrophe averted