Star Mountain 2026

 

Marvelous to be back in the mountains. We come back in May, always aware that the weather is not stable and freezing temps along with a flurry of snow are possible at any point. Freeze date in our area is June 10. All things are green and wildflowers bursting forth. The flowers are early, as expected, as a record low winter snowpack makes for a condensed blooming season. "Our" cattle have arrived two days ago which is super early. Our cattle rancher Burt knows grass will be eaten up quickly and unless decent rainfall occurs he will have to sell his cattle earlier than the normal October time frame. It's a fairly grim forecast overall. But you wouldn't know it right now - all looks normal except the low amount of snow on the surrounding peaks. Prayers for soaking rain!

We did have a snow event and freezing temps which lasted all of a brief morning. Fun to see. And the hummingbirds (who were waiting for us as we arrived) did not seem too bothered.

We've seen a wide range of the  wild animals that we coexist with. Elk, deer, coyote, great horned owl, grouse, hawks, rabbits, no moose yet but a neighbor did see a bear go into our woods last week. The birds are also here in mass. They start their day singing at 5:20am...a tad early for me.

red tail hawk overlooking the hummingbird feeders

I made it up to Crested Butte with my friend Kim to investigate how the town is holding up. It was astonishingly quiet as summer season has not quite gotten here.  Many restaurants were closed but happily one of our favorites (Ryce) was open and welcoming. The never ending staff shortage is still in effect in CB with many restaurants closed on Tuesday and Wednesdays.  We did find a new ice cream place to try. Well, Kim was the main experimenter. She said good not great. I personally had never heard of New Zealand ice cream - who knew... 

Mark and friend Steve (Kim's husband) are off on a fishing trip in the Black Canyon. It involves a mile hike down to the water, two nights out camping, and food provided by the fishing guide. Hope they're having a great time and catching lots of fish.

We have a big trip coming up - Portugal.  we've never been so quite excited. I'll be back to share the photos.

I'm baack.

 

Pink Cassia - Florida's version of a cherry tree

I have officially broken the record for longest time between blog posts. First let me say, I am still alive and kickin'. This will be a fast condensed update of happenings since the beginning of the year.

Long time Maryland friends Bob and Vicki visited in January. Golf, shopping, and restaurants made for a fun time!

March brought Paul and Sherry for Mark's member/guest golf tournament. This is the miracle man (double lung transplant). He is great and looks fantastic- I think you would agree. Mark is cooking on his discada. Kinda of huge cast iron wok. Yum. Sherry and I found a bit of fun ourselves...

Late March brought us to Huntsville, Alabama to visit friends and Colorado neighbors Steve and Kim. So much fun. Wonderful hospitality, great food, and lots of trekking to see this southern city, which is also home to NASA (They are retired aerospace engineers). Quick trip to Jack Daniels headquarters in Tennessee. Fascinating even if you're not a bourbon drinker. And watching the Artemis II launch (on TV) with them was a special experience. Steve's last project was literally the rocket ship. Impressive for sure.

April and Easter brought Tiffany, Chris, Penny, and Jules down for spring break. The week zoomed by. Lots of beach and pool action. We were lucky with weather - mostly rain stayed away. Always sad when their visits end...

visiting historic (1700's) Chatham Manor near Fredericksburg

Last week we finally visited Heather at her farm in Stafford, VA. Amazing! Aubrey and Braden are loving it there with all there is to do and see. There are so many fruit trees, berry plants, vegetables, grapes, that I couldn't keep them straight. It's a BIG project for sure. You'll see there are little animals around, now full grown geese, ducklings, and soon to be chicks. Those are rainbow eggs - a little hard to see. It's quite rural as you can see, and Brian commutes into the office twice a week, otherwise works from home. We stayed in nearby historic Fredericksburg which is a darling town.

And that's it for now. We are back to Colorado in two weeks and I will be posting sooner than later- promise.

Happy New Year!

 

Posting our holiday adventures now that the new year is here. It was a great time for sure!

We were at Tiffany, Chris, and the girls new house for Christmas outside Atlanta. Drove this time - 9 1/2hrs from Naples. It's a toss up these days whether flying or driving is more painful. Weather was cold to start then jumped up to crazy warm temps. Got to break in their new Solo stove.

Lots of wrapping presents, last minute shopping, and a special dinner out before Christmas. Sadly, the restaurant (Ray's at Killer Creek) did not live up to expectations in food or service but we always enjoy being together!

Christmas Eve shenanigans. Gingerbread cookies and wonderful table spread with west coast oysters and Chris's artistic charcuterie.

Electric scooter for Juliet!

Wishes for a joyous and peaceful new year for everyone. 



xoxo

xoxo