Foggy Walk

I got up one day this week and when I went out to get the paper, I was struck by a scent and a feeling that I rarely experience here. Moisture was redolent in the air, taking me immediately to the south. A heavy fog hung over the trees, obscuring the neighbors, and I took a deep breath to smell and feel humidity that is almost never here, but always present in the southern states. As the morning progressed and the fog hung on, Molly was eager to accompany me on a walk to enjoy it while it lasted. By the time we finished our walk about three hours after I first walked out to get the newspaper, the fog and humidity had dissipated.

Ham Radio Operators

Currently, Warren Kennison is playing with us in Steel Pennies while Rob Clark travels the world. And in this configuration we are all ham radio operators: Warren, Dave, Terry and myself. Pretty unusual, I'd say! That might be a good name for a band, but Steel Pennies is better!

Carpet of Leaves

The cold weather we are having has ripped many of the leaves off of our trees. This ash tree outside of our sunroom window has a beautiful carpet of leaves underneath. This morning I read that biologists are saving seeds from all types of ash trees because a pest called the ash borer is killing all the trees and there is no known cure for it. So troubling, like the chestnut trees and the American elm.

Moose

Dave and I went and stayed in Breckenridge last weekend for our anniversary and one of the highlights of the weekend was the moose we saw when we went for a hike. We were on the Sawmill trail and a couple who were coming down the trail paused to tell us there was a moose ahead and to be cautious. We walked along keeping our eyes peeled and I finally spotted him across the stream, lying down and keeping an eye on us. We took some pictures and made sure to keep our distance.

We found from talking to the locals that there are two that hang around that trail, and they are well known to the people that live in Breck. We also stopped to read some signs that gave etiquette for being around mooses. It primarily said to stay away from them and that they are "unafraid but not friendly." I didn't really need to read that sign--I was too afraid to get very close and Dave was pretty cautious, too. It was great to see him though.

Fall

It's fall here; I wish it was still summer. I marked the change in seasons with some gourds on my table. Usually I put them in a basket but I think they look nice just sitting on the tablecloth. My favorite is that big, old turban squash sitting right in the middle.

Steel Pennies at the Grand Lake Fall Festival

The Steel Pennies were invited to play at the Grand Lake Fall Festival: 2 sets, with one on Saturday and the other on Sunday. As our regular fiddle player is out of town, traveling the world, Warren Kennison played with us--mostly on mandolin, with some guitar when Terry would play the dobro.

We had a real blast. We were the only band that played on both days and it was really fun, as we got a great reception from the festival attendees. Dave set up the first part of the Sunday set with about 10 gospel songs and that was a real hit. Here are some shots from the shows.

Memories of Dave and Jill's Wedding

Last summer Dave and I went to a beautiful wedding of our friends, Dave and Jill. It was one of the nicest weddings I have ever attended, at a gorgeous organic farm. The bride and groom gave out seed packets to all of the guests, and this summer I planted ours.

I chose a spot for the flowers where I initially planted cucumbers, which promptly died. The sunflowers like the space much more than the cucumbers had. There were two types: one was a solid yellow (almost looking like a Dahlia), while the other brown and gold type was called a 'tiger's eye.' You can see the difference between them in the shots below.