By Eilene Lyon In late April, I spent a week on Maui with a friend I’ve known since high school. We rented a two-bedroom condo about a quarter-mile from the beach north of Lahaina in the Kaanapali area. You may recall the devastating fires that hit Lahaina in 2023, killing over 100 people. I confess... Continue Reading →
In the Yard
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 →