By Eilene Lyon I've been slow to restart the blog this month. It seems the yard is constantly calling me to do something...anything but sit at my computer. Watering, weeding, dead-heading, feeding hummers, sitting on my butt with an iced chai latte. You get the idea. Let's begin with the birds and the bees. The... Continue Reading →
The Land of Enchantment
By Eilene Lyon My niece came for a visit in late February. I suggested a possible trip to Santa Fe. She countered with a visit to the Meow Wolf art installation there. I booked us into a Fort Marcy Compound condo for two nights. On our first afternoon, after getting settled into our rooms, we... Continue Reading →
The Drought Diaries: No Snow
By Eilene Lyon Last winter in southwestern Colorado was not great. I spent much more time riding my mountain bike than I did on skis. That was a problem here, but not widespread. This winter has been something different entirely. The Rocky Mountain West, and all the way to California has seen a dearth of... Continue Reading →
Artful Durango: River Trail 2
By Eilene Lyon For this issue of art along the River Trail through Durango, I'll be focusing on pieces in and near Santa Rita Park, just south of downtown. I previously featured a couple works in the park itself: a metal sculpture by Mick Reber and a bronze of two miners. Everything in this post... Continue Reading →
The Skywatchers
By Eilene Lyon Last month I captured a fleeting phenomenon in the sky south of my house, seen in the header image: altostratus undulatus clouds. Trigger daily dose of awe! While I adore observing unusual cloud formations—mammatus, lenticular, mackerel—for our ancestors, watching the sky served an important function: weather forecasting. Whereas we now have weather... Continue Reading →
Of Spiders and Hawks
By Eilene Lyon Note: Just before Christmas 2024, I encountered a male tarantula roaming our neighborhood. In Southwestern Colorado, October is the month we usually see tarantulas crossing the road. Why? Read on… Our local tarantula species (Aphonopelma vogelae), considered a “mini-tarantula,” is an unintimidating creature. They seem oblivious to the presence of humans and... Continue Reading →
Feathered Follies 2
By Eilene Lyon It's time for some shots from our feeder-cam! I've had to take it down for the summer because of a bear wandering the neighborhood. He dismantled my compost bin twice, so I've purchased a new, bear-proof (?) one--not cheap at $250. (I always blame he-bears for being delinquent, but very well could... Continue Reading →
The Canadian Rockies
By Eilene Lyon Our time in Canada (9 days) was all about the scenery. But first, we had a problem to deal with. While driving over Beartooth Pass in Wyoming, we started hearing a grinding noise from the van’s rear brakes. Being a Friday, The Putterer arranged for a Monday emergency appointment at the Ford... Continue Reading →
Rifle Falls
By Eilene Lyon We recently took a scenic tour of the Rocky Mountains, with the Canadian Rockies as the apex of the trip. Total mileage: 4,400, very little of it on freeways. The only planned stop, and reserved camp site, was for our first night, at Rifle Falls State Park. The campground has a dozen... Continue Reading →