Wildfires

There are two serious wildfires in our area of Colorado. The Fourmile Canyon Fire west of Boulder started one week ago on Monday, September 6. It destroyed over 170 homes and other structures and has burned thousands of acres of forested land. It has been contained but continues to burn.

Yesterday morning a second fire started west of Loveland. This fire has burned two homes so far and several acres. For a few days last week we had to keep our house tightly closed because of intense smoke in Estes Park from the Boulder fire. This week we can see smoke over the mountains to the east but it isn't blowing this way. Both fires were apparently unintentionally started by humans (not lightning strikes.) Fires are a hazard of mountain living and home owners are cautioned to minimize the risk to their homes in a variety of ways. Above is a photo taken from our deck of the smoke, which looked like a lovely cloud, from the Boulder fire. We saw smoke from the Loveland fire yesterday but haven't seen any today.

Longs Peak Festival

For the past few days Estes Park has been the scene of the annual Longs Peak Scottish-Irish Highland Festival. Unlike last year, the weather has been gorgeous throughout the event. Mom and Peggy went with me to the parade on Saturday morning and it was lots of fun to watch the bands, clans, dogs of the British Isles and more. Wayne and I spent the afternoon at the fair grounds. We wandered through many of the exhibits, listened to a concert by the Brigadoons from Nova Scotia, saw sheep herding demonstrations, a jousting tournament and dancers. Wayne had his annual mug of Guinness and I sampled a delicious scone with strawberries and cream. It was a delightful day.

Summer Family Fun

I am surprised to see that I haven't posted since June 6 - I hadn't realized how long it had been until I opened my blog this evening. The past few weeks have been busy with visitors, a family reunion, and a trip to Wyoming and I've put everything else on hold.

For several days before the reunion week-end we had ten extra people (our children, their spouses and our six grandchildren) staying at our house. It was a wee bit crowded but we managed nicely. I always think of their visits as "happy chaos!" We celebrated Grace's 12th birthday, hiked, camped, played games, ate a lot, and generally had a lovely time together. One of the major highlights was attending the Rockies/Cardinals baseball game at Coors Field in Denver. Chris had arranged for a private suite with an abundance of food. The weather was perfect and to make the day a total success, the Rockies won.

Then on Saturday, July 10, we hosted the twenty-five family members who were able to make it. We had a delicious Mexican buffet catered by a local cafe. The weather cooperated (thank goodness) so we could be mostly outside on the deck, porch and in the yard. The family members ranged in age from one to eighty-eight (my mom) and I think everyone had a wonderful time - I know I did.

Phyllis with grandchildren and great grandchildren

The Whole Thomas Reunion Clan

Taking the High Road

Trail Ridge Road has been open for about a week now so Wayne and I decided to drive up to the Visitors' Center this afternoon. We discovered that this was not the best day we could have chosen. The highway is undergoing resurfacing so was quite rutted and bumpy. Being a Sunday and a "free entrance" day, it was also quite crowded. But we enjoyed the awesome views, as always. The high elevations still have a heavy snowpack and the warm weather the past few days has caused the creeks and rivers to run very high. There has been some minor flooding in town including the post office parking lot and the nine-hole golf course. Wayne tells me that two fairways are under water so it will be closed until the Big Thompson River subsides. I hear thunder rumbling in the distance and the sky is darkening so we'll be getting rain within the hour - not good for the already swollen rivers.

Potting Geraniums

We couldn't hold out any longer ... we bought some flowers today and planted some of them (the deep red geraniums) this evening. The four hanging baskets look beautiful on the porch. We also bought a flat of pansies in all their typical colors but will wait to plant them until we return from Omaha. Mom has offered to come over and water them while we're gone. It feels like summer has finally arrived. Wayne knocked down a wasp nest in a recessed area of the porch roof. We don't want them bothering us or any guests. I spend a lot of time on our porch and deck - I'm sitting out here as I write this post.

I took Mom and a friend to see the owl nest last evening. We had good views of the babies but didn't spot the mother. She was probably napping on a hidden tree branch. She must spend all night finding food for them. They are big babies and did a lot of stretching and wing flapping on the edge of the nest while we watched.

Owls, Beavers, Fire

Part 1: OWLS

Yesterday was one of the more exciting days of wildlife viewing for Wayne and me. After dinner with friends at a local barbecue restaurant, we drove to a spot where we knew there was a great horned owl nest. We had good views of the nest with its two owlets' fuzzy heads as well as the mother keeping watch from a nearby branch. These are big owls with hearty appetites. They take prey including rabbits, mice, squirrels, skunks, birds, fish and small pets (dogs and cats.) Several years ago one of my friends let her dog outside at night and it was carried off by a great horned owl who dropped it, probably because it was a little too heavy for the owl. With its leg broken, the dog made its way back to their front porch where my friend found it, bloody and quivering with fright, the next morning. The vet showed my friend the talon wounds on its back. The dog recovered but declined to go outside voluntarily afterwards.

Part 2: BEAVERS

After leaving the owl nest we drove to observe any beaver activity at the ponds on Fish Creek. The female was swimming in the pond around the lodge while the male, downstream a bit, was busy gnawing on a fair sized aspen. He seemed unconcerned by the audience and took occasional breaks to swim in the creek and eat bark and twig snacks. It was a lovely evening so we stayed on the roadside taking photos and chatting with other observers for over an hour. There was speculation about which way the tree would fall when, suddenly, the male beaver dived into the creek and a split second later the tree toppled onto the power lines along the road.

Part 3: FIRE
There were several loud booms accompanied by fire, smoke and showers of sparks as we scrambled away from the tree and power lines. The tree continued to burn where it rested on the wires. I called 911 and we stayed until several fire, electric company, and sheriff responders arrived. I plan to go over there today and see what has become of the tree.

beaver lodge and pond

Unpatriotic Elk

We've had a herd of about twenty-five bull elk hanging around our yard for the past couple of days. They are quite handsome with their sleek summer coats and antlers in velvet. When I hung the flag out again this morning they were nowhere in sight, but when I glanced out the window an hour later they were browsing very close to the house. I kept a close watch on them so I could shoo them away if they got too close to our fenced aspen and maple trees. (The elk are the very reason for the fences!) I saw one bull start rubbing his velvet clad antlers on the fence and hurried out, armed only with a walking stick to chase him away. He bolted and so did the elk yanking on the flag. He dropped the flag to the ground (not very tasty, I guess) but he'd already bent the metal pole and bracket. In the future, I plan to keep my flag inside while those unpatriotic elk are in the neighborhood. Here are a few photos.

Memorial Day

The Memorial Day week-end is the start of our tourist season in Estes Park. For the locals, that means doing grocery shopping and other errands very early before the parking lots and shops are crowded. The flowering trees are in bloom, even in the parking lot of our supermarket. I was there before 7 a.m. to buy food for our "at home cook-out" later today. Mom will be joining us. We'll have steak (veggie burger for me), grilled vegetables, deviled eggs, coleslaw, fruit, pickles, and chips. I popped into the new bakery, Aisle 2, while I was out and bought two loaves of bread and a small bag of macadamia nut/white chocolate cookies. We'll have those and berry sherbet for dessert - yum!

The weather is beautifully sunny with a hint of a breeze...just enough to ruffle the flag on our porch. Between kitchen chores, I'll be working on a small quilt I'm making for our nephew's baby girl due in August. It's very simple but the fabric is sweet and adorable. I also plan to spend some time on the porch with my book and tea - a perfect combination!

Lunch at The Boulder Dushanbe Teahouse

This has been a perfectly lovely day. Yesterday, the wind howled and we had a few snow showers, but today dawned bright, warm and calm. I've been driving a friend to periodic medical appointments in Boulder, an hour's drive from Estes Park. She is my mom's neighbor and friend as well. Today was the last appointment and she wanted to treat Mom and me to lunch while we were in Boulder. We ate at The Boulder Dushanbe Teahouse, a unique and beautiful restaurant that serves delicious meals. In addition, it has an extensive tea menu, some quite exotic. The Teahouse, with it's fascinating history, was a gift from the people of Tajikistan to the city of Boulder. We had a wonderful lunch - I ordered a chicken curry wrap and Cloud Mist Green Tea. Here are some photos.

Camera Shy Hummingbirds

You can see the blur of the hummer's wings in the photo above.

The snow is gone from the lower valley and the rivers and creeks are running high. Our driveway had its own little pond for several days. The weather has been warm and sunny and I've been able to sit outside on the porch with my tea and book during the afternoons. The hummingbirds are frequenting the feeders but they are camera shy. I did get a few (less than great) shots of them.

I finished the landscape quilt and I'm planning another. I've also finished scanning my own slides and I've started on Mom's which go back sixty years! Our local quilt guild, Estes Valley Quilt Guild, has a new president and board. I've met with them twice this week to untangle a few issues and I am optimistic for the coming year. It's a great group of women with a lot of talent. I've made some of my best friends through my quilt groups.

May Snow and Creating Trees

Even though we've lived in Colorado for over ten years, I'm always a wee bit surprised by these late spring snowstorms. This was the scene from my south window when I got up this morning - beautiful, awesome, gorgeous, etc. Our grand total the last two days is 20-24 inches of heavy wet snow. The hummingbird feeders were frozen so I had to bring them in for a quick thaw in warm water before hanging them back outside. Two hummers were waiting for their breakfasts and they continue to hang around for more.

I've been busy this week and this is the one day I have nothing special on my agenda so I'll be in the loft working on my landscape quilt. I've added one border and some aspen trees. It took awhile to do the tedious job of cutting and attaching the trunks and leaves. I have a few finishing touches to add (perhaps a fallen log or rock outcrop) and the final border. Here is the quilt so far.

Landscape Quilt Class

The landscape quilt class, taught by Carolyn Mangler, was well worth the time and money. I'm very happy with my piece (so far) and I've learned some interesting and useful techniques that will apply to other projects. My piece isn't complete but it is well underway. I'll be placing a tree (don't know what kind yet, perhaps a Ponderosa Pine) in the foreground and adding a couple of borders. Then I'll have to quilt and bind it before donating it to Trail Ridge Quilters. I plan to make one for myself, as well. The technique is creative, enjoyable and not too difficult to master. The photo above shows the work in progress. I'll take another photo when it's finished.

Quilt Festival - Denver

Logs and Leaves by Joyce Lyon Saia

Three quilter friends and I made the two hour drive to Denver yesterday to attend the International Quilt Festival. We spent several hours viewing the quilt display and shopping in the Merchants' Mall. We had a late lunch, stopped at a new (for us) quilt shop, then headed home. It was a wonderful day. I found a few more fabrics for the landscape quilt class I'm taking tomorrow. It should be a lot of fun . I'm hoping to come home with a nearly finished quilt top and learn some new techniques during its creation. Above and below are a few of the quilts from the display that I found especially appealing.

Spring in My Step by Ann L Petersen


Mon Grand Pere by Ruth Powers


Zack by Klonda Holt