A SWOSian week

No pictures yet today; it's been too busy (and too cold and snowy) a week to do much picture-taking, but it was one in which I was very conscious of how much I'd rather be out taking pictures with Sandy! 

It seems like the week was totally occupied with SWOS ... Southwest Open School, the publicly chartered alternative high school I'm on the board of. I think the frustrating part of the role is the way it reminded me of what I gladly left behind when I retired from the guvmint at the end of 1995 ... bureaucracy. It seems like every nonprofit board I'm on faces the same tasks ... bylaws, contracts, position descriptions, performance standards, evaluation procedures, etc., not to mention budgets. And frequently, when you get into it far enough, you find that the mechanisms essential to these processes have not been put in place and need to be reinvented (sometimes overnight) in order to move on. I'd rather be out taking pictures with Sandy!

There's the other side, too ... the side that keeps me in the game. Sandy and I sat in on three sophomore portfolio presentations Wednesday, presentations given by sophomore ("lower house" students) who are applying for admission to "upper house." They present their portfolios to a panel of staff of their choice and two upper house students of their choice. I was so proud, both of the sophomores and of the way the upper house students carried out their duties!

SWOS students have almost always been to one or two other high schools, and to hear their comparisons, and to hear them say they finally started WANTING to go to school at SWOS, is really rewarding. 

The SWOS board meeting last night had lots of meaty issues to cover, several of them ones that we are behind the curve on. I chaired in the absence of the president, and we managed to get through the agenda in less than two hours. What a relief!

Tonight is the SWOS prom, which should be one of the rewarding parts of being on the SWOS board. We're going to go, and it will be fun to see how the kids look at this event. They seem to recreate themselves at every event.

Next Tuesday is senior portfolio presentation ... a BIGGY for the seniors. I was so impressed by this occasion last year and I'm looking forward to it again. Just reading the portfolios thoroughly takes me a couple of hours in advance (I'll be on a panel interviewing three seniors), but they're so rich, so laden with personal insights the students have gained, as well as demonstrations of their capability. Not like my high school experience of 50 years ago!

Beautiful dawn starting to show; this April storm is over. The grass will be bright green and I've heard it may get up into the 60s for several days. Before the next snow storm. tv

April in Colorado! Brrrrr

Today was a snowy and very cold day in our part of Colorado.    The snow was beautiful , or as beautiful as snow can be in April!    We have been  sprinkled with snowflakes off and on throughout the day but the sun is shining now and the weather man promises warm temperatures for the weekend!   Great news, as I am anxious to bring out my sandals and enjoy a little sunshine. So all of you friends in warmer climates. . while we are thawing . . . . enjoy your warm weather !   But remember when you are roasting in the heat this summer . . cool and comfortable Colorado is the place to be!      Love it. . I do!        sf

Sacrificial Flowers!

Living in northern Nevada for many years, the urge to plant flowers and vegetable seedlings always preceded common sense as we knew that late frosts happened and most likely they would have to be replaced. These were called our "sacrificial flowers", worth the losing to see their beauty for however many days they were with us. The flowers I planted a few warm days ago were covered by a snowflakes today, their spectacular color nestled in a bed of white. They have survived so far. They may survive tomorrow. Or maybe not. I cherish their glorious burst of color today. Seize the moment! Even if it is just involves a few struggling pansies. sf

Morning at Bauer Lake

Early mornings are such a delight! Coffee cups and cameras in hand, Tom and I headed out to Bauer Lake at 7 AM this morning. We were surprised at the photo opportunities that presented themselves, in spite of the cloudy skies. Tom was able to capture "keepers"; exceptional mountain/lake views that are good possibility for photo cards . Some of my shots had a mysterious blue cast to them and reflections in the lake, geese floating by, the Sleeping Ute and Point Lookout on the horizon and fields starting to show the green promise of spring made it a morning of fun photography. We left with cold hands and even a few snowflakes on the hood of the Jeep but warm hearts for the seemingly unlimited beauty of the world around us. sf

Picture-taking ... on a full stomach

After the Mush meeting at Kennebec, we saw a beautiful sunset forming in the west (and where else would it be?) and pursued it all the way to a road south of Cortez, where we caught a whole series of pictures of the colors in the sky above and beyond the Sleeping Ute (for nonlocals, the recumbent warrior's toe is visible at the far left of this image) and really enjoyed the transitions taking place before our eyes. tv

Aren't Friends Wonderful??

Not only did we have a great dinner meeting with the Mancos Mush committee at the Kennebec Cafe, but we newlyweds were delightfully surprised with a beautiful cake in celebration of our wedding. While all of the hugs and good wishes that we received from these nice folks were so appreciated, the cake was not only extraordinarily gorgeous( covered with yellow rose petals) but was also out of this world delicious! Sooo. . goood. . both the cake and these friends! Just gave me the warm fuzzies. . not to mention a happy tummy! sf

Spring

One sign of spring around here is the return of the buzzards. Not as pretty as the return of the hummingbirds, but more obvious in the sky. There must have been 30 of them circling south of the Mancos River yesterday evening ... probably enjoying all the carcasses coming out of the melting snow.

On a brighter side, much brighter, there are beautiful little flowers opening up in the bed just east of the house; the renter has been helping them along by lifting the snow pile off them. They're bright and cheery! tv