By Eilene Lyon At the end of my freshman year at Fort Lewis College, in 2005, I did a 10-week internship in the Natural Resources department at Mesa Verde National Park. One of the full-time employees, Marilyn Colyer, invited me to join a bat survey in the La Plata Mountains. Though wandering the forest at... Continue Reading →
Hummer Update
By Eilene Lyon My last post, about the black-chinned hummingbird nest under our deck, proved quite popular! Therefore I must offer an update and a few more photos. Last week, they were covered in pinfeathers and had barely begun opening their eyes. Through the week, I spied on the nestlings as they stretched and exercised... Continue Reading →
Where Wolves?
By Eilene Lyon Introduction I have seen only one wolf in the wild. It was in Denali National Park. Not deep in the wilderness, but at the park entrance, crossing a road into the campground. It was big, it was black, it was unquestionably a wolf. It was one of those whiplash moments where you... Continue Reading →
A Doggie (DNA) Christmas
Week 51: #52 Ancestors - Holidays By Eilene Lyon Santa’s Surprises Sometimes a pet story is too cute not to share. While The Putterer was in town, I got out all the gifts I needed to wrap. When I took them upstairs to put under the tree, I discovered that Sterling had snuck into my... Continue Reading →
From the Vault: Mount St. Helens
By Eilene Lyon May 18, 2021 The “From the Vault” series features an artifact or family photo from my collection to illustrate a tale from my distant past. On this day 41 years ago, I was just a few weeks from the pinnacle of many a teen’s life – high school graduation. It also happened... Continue Reading →
One Way Or Another
By Eilene Lyon My partner and I sat in the Bass Tracker on the calm waters of Saguaro Lake – actually an impoundment of the Salt River near Scottsdale, Arizona – scanning the skies. In this narrow section, a sheer cliff rose ahead of us, and hills on both sides. Suddenly, a bald eagle bolted... Continue Reading →
Death By Diphtheria
Week 44: #52 Ancestors – Scary Stuff By Eilene Lyon Confronting our own mortality is one of the scariest things we ever do. My research into the 19th-century lives of my ancestors and kin has revealed many awful ways to die. I’ve previously discussed milk sickness and tuberculosis. A few recent coincidences led me to... Continue Reading →
The Slide Years: Seismic
By Eilene Lyon The Slide Years is a series in which I select an image my dad took from 1957-1982 with Kodachrome slide film, then I write a stream-of-consciousness essay – a sort of mini-memoir. The freight-train rumble woke me out of a sound sleep at 3:04 a.m. on February 4, 1976. Wait a minute,... Continue Reading →
The Drought Diaries: Innovation
By Eilene Lyon The Drought Diaries has been on hiatus, but the issue is at the forefront of my mind once again as we head into another season of extreme drought here in the southwestern U.S. Runoff from the area snowpack is expected to occur quickly and at a lower volume than average. There has... Continue Reading →