Our last company visit and fall arrives

Our last company has come and gone. Hands down the quietest summer we've ever had. Understandable... Paul and Sherry came back for hunting week and lots of fun was had even if hunting was not successful. Went for a drive to see fall color, a little early as it turns out. Paul did get to see Emerald Lake for the first time in years. This time it was not full of paddle boaters and canoes, more the quiet water we know. CB still busy, not sure why, but we managed to enjoy lunch and a little shopping.

Leaves are turning by the day and coyote and owls are making their noises heard every night. This has been a drought year so the grass was about done, earlier than normal. Our rancher came to take the cattle out yesterday - for greener pastures. It's always fun to see the cowboys at work. They are real hard working cowboys keeping a way of life going that doesn't exist in most places.   Yippee, no more manure and gates open until next July!

We only have 3 weeks left before our trek back to Florida. I don't know if all the seasonal people will come back this year as normal. The virus certainly has impacted every aspect of people's lives. Numbers are not terrible where we are in Florida but still... What a contrast between there and here. Not a single positive case in our small county here in Colorado since Sept 1. So awesome... crossing fingers it will continue through the winter.

Maryland, Aubrey and Braden, and Monarch Butterflies

Great trip to our old stomping grounds - Maryland. We got to see our old house and club (Mark was in the member guest golf tournament) and visit Heather, Brian, Aubrey, and Braden the COVID way. Hard to believe -we moved away almost 12 years ago.

Aubrey and Braden are the cutest kids ever but perhaps I'm a bit prejudiced. We were in their driveway with a handy tent covering us while the rain came down. Plan B of course. These days it could be C, D, or E with all the craziness going on.

We stayed with good friends Vicki and Bob and while Bob and Mark played golf, we took off for some fun. Absolutely gorgeous park called Quiet Waters was almost deserted as we walked.

I can now say I've been able to visit a dedicated monarch butterfly enthusiast who raises them and sets them free. It's all to help in the fight to save them. They are not listed as endangered (that may happen December 2020) but they are certainly very reduced in numbers, mostly from environmental causes. Vicki's friend Sandy is doing an amazing job of raising them in all their various stages. We each got to  release one in Sandy's gorgeous gardens. It's all about the milkweed folks...

The start of the new season - fall

 

A quiet week with fall close at hand. A dusting of snow on the high peaks and 30's at night. The aspen have not changed yet but that will happen soon enough. Everything moves fast around here. Very short seasons except for the winter. That's one realllly long season- 5 months or more.

Fun visit to CB having breakfast outside at Paradise Cafe. It's quieted down with most of the tourists leaving. School has started in most places or will soon in whatever form that is. Crazy world right now.

A baby rufus hummingbird. Most of the adults have been gone for two weeks. Hope he can manage on his own. We're down to only a few hummingbirds of any kind. They all seem to have an internal compass on when its time to go (back to Mexico in this case).

Full moon. That mysterious magical orb that shows itself every month in all its glory. It's extra amazing in our non light polluted area.

Cattle are everywhere as are the ranchers. Only a few weeks left before the big roundup happens. Thousands of cattle are brought down from every corner of our mountains and valleys to be sold or put in pastures for the winter.

Flap has come by to visit again. She looks in good shape, turning her coat to winter gray right now.

Deer are everywhere especially in our fenced in property. They're interested in all our remaining green plants.

Nice sighting of bighorn sheep. None of the big male rams though, just females. They live here even during the -20 degree winter.

We're off to Maryland next week for a member guest men's tournament at our old club and to have a socially distanced visit with  4 month old Braden and Aubrey who's now 2. First visit with Braden!

Family visit part 2

 What a wonderful visit -done and gone in a blink of an eye. We'll miss you Anne, Jean, and Justine. Happy trails back to Seattle.

A grand hike behind our lovely neighbor's property. Access to public lands. So pristine and quiet. Lots of wildlife lives here (bear, moose, elk, deer) but our only sighting was a coyote. Something anyway. An amazingly close view of the Castles.

One spectacular meal at Soupcon. 5 course with wine pairing extravaganza. A perfect event for the last night of their visit. This memory will last a long time!

Haying season has been full on for weeks now. It's a major late summer event with the ranchers here. Some they keep for winter feed and some they sell, mostly to Kentucky racehorse farms. Our valley is renowned for excellent quality of hay. Something about the river water or the soil or the organic manure fertilizer - who knows.

Yep, the cows are still around for another 6 weeks. They've done a bang up job at eating all the Star Mt. grass down. I won't lie, it will be nice when the manure is gone, but wow, the summer has gone by in a flash.

Family visit part 1

Amazing family visit happening at Star Mt. this week. Anne, Jean, and Justine are here from Seattle. That's the famous Crystal Mill above which was a jeeping day trip for all of us. We're trying to cram in all things fun while they're here.

Zipped into CB after stopping at the magic spring first. The Stash was calling and there was a nice Sunday farmer's market as well. Anne was eyeing the oxygen bar too but sadly a note on door said closed and be back later.

The new patio is sure getting a lot of use. Great decision Mark! I get credit for the bug zappers although we haven't really had any bugs to speak of to zap - fun anyway.

Our day trip to Crystal and Marble was a big success. Jeeping up to Crystal Mill, Mark fishing a bit in Crystal river (that's Jean walking the river looking for Mark's location), and seeing the gorgeous marble that the town was named after was impressive. Lincoln Memorial and tomb of the unknown soldier both were made from that marble. And that's the first "no Drones" sign I've seen. The world is just a bit different these days...

Lunch was excellent at the only place in town - Slow Groovin BBQ. We put this up against most barbecue places we've been too. And of course we had to have wildlife along the way back. That's Jean's photo of the bear. He had a very long lens to snap the photo after Mark (eagle eye man) saw the bear from a good distance away. And lastly, a herd of sheep wandering all over the road to round it out.  All agreed a good day.

Next, lessons on shooting a bb gun. That bb gun of Mark's is ancient but still works just fine. We had some good target shooters in the bunch too. I was the only one who didn't participate but maybe next time. That's all for now folks. I'll be back with part 2.