The conspirators return!

We can finally break our silence of the last few days! 

Sandy's sister-in-law, Saskia, let Sandy know about 10 days ago that she was planning a surprise 60th birthday party for her husband (and Sandy's brother) Les. So we decided to be part of the surprise, traveling to Poway, CA, from Mancos to be there when Les got back from taking the kids to T-ball practice Wednesday night. 

Les reads our blog, so we couldn't leave any hints here. We couldn't e-mail Saskia, because he might see that. We could phone her on her cell phone, but she couldn't talk if he was there; she had it on vibrate so he wouldn't know how many calls she was getting in planning the event.

And she/we pulled it off! The cars were all hidden on an adjacent lot and there were maybe 30 people inside the house when Les walked in with the kids. He was stunned/bewildered/flummoxed at all the people in his house. He didn't recognize Sandy at first ... it's been 15 years since they last saw each other ... the pic above is when he did a second take and realized his sister was one of that crowd.

Saskia is a Wonder Woman! She put together a great party, with abundant good food and beverages and activities for all the kids in attendance ... all this on the day after her own birthday, which we didn't know about till we got there.

And, she readily put up these two strangers she'd never met from Colorado! That enabled us to have a quiet morning with the family, visiting and catching up and sharing pictures, before we headed out midday yesterday. The kids were even given a holiday from school so we could get to know them a little and enjoy their presence.

So, now that we're back in Kingman on the way home, we can break our silence and say, thank you so much, Saskia and Les and Zach and Char and Matt and Nick for a wonderful visit and the opportunity to share in Les's celebration of life! tv

Another beautiful, varied day

This morning we were offered a tour of some ranch property above Mancos, up near the Ramparts. It was a beautiful morning to be up in the forest.

The reflections on the ponds were wonderful (especially when I see two of my sweetheart) and the morning sun was golden on the new grass in the forest.

And then this afternoon we dropped by "12 Hours of Mesa Verde." Not being mountain bikers, we really knew nothing about this event, except for a few references on Facebook. 

Imagine ... there were 400 entrants (at $75 apiece) and the fairgrounds was full! It's a neat arrangement, allowing them to park, camp, organize, etc. at the fairgrounds, then ride under the highway to the course on the north side of US 160. The picture next to the top shows outgoing and returning riders at the underpass.

Some of the trail is through the trees (top pic), and some of it includes views of Point Lookout (shown), Mesa Verde, the La Platas and Ute Mountain. Everybody seemed to be having a great time ... I sure didn't see any obesity riding that course! tv

SWOS Generation Impact awards

Last night was the grants presentation ceremony for Generation Impact and what a proud evening it was!

Generation Impact is a group of SW Open School students, working with math teacher Colin Biard, who have formed a philanthropy group, originally under the auspices of El Pomar, but now on their own with El Pomar funding. In this third year, the students have developed their own mission statement, put on fundraising activities and solicited grant applications from nonprofits. The students developed their own criteria for reviewing the applications and they then awarded service hours as well as money, sometimes a combination of both. Over the last three years, their grants have totaled more than $27,000 and more than 900 hours!

At the end of the ceremony, the GI students mobbed Colin with a group hug. 

The keynote address was given by Matt Kefauver, Cortez city councilman, teacher and businessman. Matt gave a moving account of his own experiences in learning about giving time and money in support of things he believed in. It was very on target; I hope to get a copy of his remarks.

Another of the reasons I appreciate the opportunity to be associated with SWOS! tv

Love It! Wildflowers,Aspens and Green Grass

The Indian Paintbrush are popping out all over.   The Aspens with their striking black and white bark stand tall in green fields with a backdrop of snow topped mountains.  It's spring in Colorado. Love it!!! sf

Branding "party"

On Cinco de Mayo we had the opportunity to go to a ranch near town while they were branding the new crop of calves. "Branding" is actually a fairly complex operation, involving elaborate critter management, branding itself, inoculation, dehorning and ear-notching. I avoided the blood-spurting, flesh-flaming pictures!

This is an old ranch, and the old wooden corral fences, the apple trees and the fields stretching toward Point Lookout and the sunset make it a beautiful setting. The cowgirl in the pink cap, looking out through the fence with a calf, is 86! tv

Monday, Monday, Monday ...

How can one week have so many Mondays? I hope Wednesday truly was "hump day," cuz I'm tuckered out and still have full calendars today and tomorrow!

Ever have one of those days where it feels like you stepped on a banana peel in the morning and just kept sliding the whole day long? I feel like I've had three banana peel days in a row.

So. Enough whining! It was a lovely, still 45 degrees under a totally clear sky when Scooby Doo and I took our dawn stroll ... can't complain about that. 

There's at least six hummingbirds drinking breakfast at the feeder on the portico right now; great to see them back. I was going to have the feeder hung out May 1, but a search of the house did not reveal the secure but as yet unremembered place where I put the feeders at the end of last season. Ah, the joys of senility! In the meantime, the little slurpers were hovering outside the windows, looking in and sending messages, "Hey, where's the syrup? We're baaaack! Get with it, Tom!" Amazing how they know where the sucker lives and come back for more each year! tv

Got air?

Air quality in the Four Corners has been deteriorating for many years. It wasn't all that good when the left picture was taken in October 2006 ... the object in the mists in the distance is Shiprock, taken from Far View within Mesa Verde National Park. 

The picture on the right is the same view, taken yesterday. This is just the visibility factor, without consideration of the substances that are floating through the air. I commend Juliet Eilperin's April 23 Washington Post story (www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/04/22/AR2009042203685.html) for an assessment of what we're experiencing this spring.  The associated graphic at www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/graphic/2009/04/23/GR2009042300171.html is telling. tv