Gorgeous beginning of summer

The gorgeous beginning of summer is in full regalia. We still have chilly nights -35! and clearly there's still snow around, but daytime highs are mid 60's with much glorious sunshine. Long daylight here. Light at 4:45am and the birds start singing right on cue. And there are a lot of birds here...

Ohio Creek overflowing

Gunnison River

The massive winter snow is melting from the peaks causing some mighty high water levels in the rivers. The Gunnison river is actually closed to rafters etc right now from the middle of town and beyond due to safety concerns. Many rivers in the state are in the same condition with the historic levels of winter snowfall.

I can see you mama elk 

"My" fox coming back to visit

new colt and mommy

male grouse showing his protective "eye"

Yak not cow

Lots of animal sightings, both wild and domestic, but I'm on the lookout for moose and bear. I've seen quite a few bear over the years, but yet to see the elusive neighborhood moose. Maybe this year is the year.

We made the trek to Montrose a couple times in a week, which for those who are familiar is a fairly far distance. It was the airport we flew into and then a recall for the jeep. The price you pay for living in a very small community which has limited services. Anyway, we pass by Blue Mesa Reservoir coming and going, which is the largest lake in the state (20 miles in length), and a gorgeous one at that. The water level is still below normal from last year's drought, but predictions say end of July it should be totally full.

And this is our body of water at Star Mt., a modest pond on our common ground, Mark was testing the waters to see if any trout survived what was a harsh winter, and sadly it appears not. He has new fish ordered though hopefully they will be delivered soon.

Anndd the hanging baskets are up. Cross fingers our small creatures stay out. Last summer they ate half the flowers...

Mark is back in Miami but returns in 10 days hooray. My days go by in a flash with projects inside and out, plus book alert: I'm spending a lot of time talking to publishers and PR people. My book is rapidly getting to the "it's real stage". Very surreal... I'll share more info as I get closer.

Santa Fe family visit and Star Mt. greening up

I know you must be in shock to see two posts within a week. Things just move fast around Star Mt. ya know.

The magic mountain spring. Freshest water anywhere. As the snowpack melt is full on, the force of the water coming out is fierce. This photo does not do it justice. My water containers were about blown out of my hand, and so cold my hands were going numb.

Two deer were traveling with this pack. They don't usually run with each other.

Lots of elk and now deer everywhere. I'v got eyes peeled for Flap (our adopted deer) but no sign yet. She is really in the elderly category at this point, at least 11 years old mother of a dozen fawns. Very much hoping she's still alive and kicking, although the minute she shows up, she eats my few flowers out front.

Our resident bluebird pair were here to greet us. They are busy sprucing up their nest from multi years under our deck. Also on the lookout for the resident pair of robins who plop into a bluebird abandoned nest under the deck every year, which given they are twice the size of bluebirds, is mostly unsuccessful. The hummingbirds are here in droves so now three feeders are up.

Love this shot but I think Lisa was just freezing in the wind

And the Reed family made it in- our first company of the season. So great of them to drive over from Santa Fe. A short trip but tried to pack in what we could. Layla was the cutest and we enjoyed watching her bounce around Star Mt. At 4 you enjoy everything and have endless energy.

Nice we had toys and things from Penny and Jules for Layla to borrow

Yes, it's chilly as you can tell by the jackets but it warms up fast. At least been above freezing the last 2 nights. I realize that's just a tad different than a lot of the sweltering areas. I'm a happy camper to be out of Florida, I cannot lie. Gotta enjoy every minute here. Spring, summer, fall all wrapped into 4 months.

Amazing views in every directions and the wildflowers are slowly coming up. I kinda go crazy with the camera when they bloom. Expect a lot of flower photography. And I realize, as usual, I'm not in any shot nor is Mark. We were both here and present I promise. Til next time...

Arrived at Star Mountain

The Anthracites

It always feels a bit like reuniting with family to come back to Star Mt. The sheer magnificence of this place takes my breath away. Right now we have snowy white peaks on every mountain top, aspen leafing out by the day with that newly minted lime color, the beginnings of the first wildflowers, coyote howling at night, and elk and deer wandering through.

And not to forget- the hummingbirds are here. One greeted me as we drove up buzzing around our daffodils. Nice to see the flowers, I missed them last year as I got here an entire month later. One of the first items of business was boiling up that sugar water. That's a long journey from Mexico they make.

I better not forget another creature that made it's appearance our first day. The marmot aka groundhog. A normally shy animal (you can see how far away I had to shoot the photo) but that day it decided it wanted in, as in our house. The first photo shows the paw prints on our front window. It kept up the banging on the window for quite a few minutes until I went up close and scared it away. Crazy!

Getting lots of photos of elk, they're all over Star Mt. at the moment. It's a regular occurrence come every late May. They are all female come to give birth in early June. They've had babies in our woods every single year we've been here, which is 10 years now. Home construction has been quite active and I fear it will affect how many elk and how long they'll stay. Star Mt. is in the middle of a mini boom after a lot of years of no activity. Other people have discovered the magic here.

The Castles

We've had snow flurries off and on the last couple days. Even for here that's pretty late. Temps are still below freezing at night which is normal. You don't dare plant anything until after June 10. Everything is a bit late this year due to the winter that refused to end. Not record snowfall but way up the scale in inches for the 2018/2019 winter.

Our first company of the summer is coming this weekend. Lisa, Charles, Chase, Heli, and little Layla will drive over from Santa Fe. It's always great to see them and I predict fun will be had. They timed it so Mark will still be here. It's his last summer to do this crazy commute every couple of weeks back and forth from Florida. The reason it's his last? He's finally retiring at the end of the year. Yippee!

Seattle Visit

Just came back from a great visit with Mom and Anne and family in Seattle. Mom turned 91 and going strong! Lovely weather with lots of sunshine (something that doesn't always happen there).

Mom lives with Anne but in her own little place in the backyard. They knocked down a free standing garage and built a wonderful apartment in its stead. So cute and the garden is thriving.

Zia!

Many neighborhood walks walking Zia were had. It is Spring for sure and temps were moderate (60's high). I had to dig through my closet in Florida to come up with appropriate clothing. My shorts and flip flops were not going to work. Speaking of Florida, I got back from the trip to find summer had arrived. 90 and giant humidity. This is the reason summer is quiet in Naples. You don't want to be there if you can help it.

Serious plant decisions

Fun ferry trip over to Bainbridge Island. Shopping and lunch for Mom's birthday. If you haven't been in this part of the world, car ferries are a everyday thing here as there are many outlying islands with a good portion of the population living there and commuting to Seattle. I watched large groups of cyclists line up to take the ferry back home after a work day so it's not just cars that head over.

The family group minus Justine. She opted out of dinner to study for two tests Mighty impressive that. She missed a great dinner (Tilth) .Owner Maria Hines has a James Beard award and was on Iron Chef against Morimoto (she beat him).

Back in Naples for our 47th anniversary. Amazing!

And back to Star Mt. in a couple of weeks. Can't believe it's time already. They are still having snow which is not unheard of but a bit unusual. I'm in for a big transition but a welcome one. Back to you from there...