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Welcome to Our Photo Gallery & Travelblog
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June 2007: Moab, Utah; the Dolores River in Colorade;
29 June 07: The train ride was long, bumpy, and sooty, but we did see some beautiful scenery including gorgeous gorges along the Animas River. We saw a few big horned sheep up on a hill along the train tracks, but no other wildlife. Both Durango and Silverton are tourist towns. The aviary outside our RV continues to grow with several pairs of house finches, a pair of evening grosbeaks, and a pair of nuthatches visiting often. The three baby swallows in a nest by the pond are growing bigger and will soon be pushing each other out of their abode. Their mouths are always open waiting for food! Occasionally, I see a goldfinch flying by and the red-winged blackbirds linger in the reeds by the ponds. Harry would like this campground. Sadie continues to live in her caves. We will venture back out to see more cliff dwellings tomorrow at Mesa Verde NP.
27 June 07: We just returned from our first outing in Mesa Verde NP. It's huge and there are many cliff dwellings to see. The entrance ticket is good for 7 days which is a good thing because there's much more to see. We have our tickets for the Durango-Silverton train ride on Friday. 22 June 07: I am coming out of my funk over losing Harry Cat. I actually did some cleaning in the RV and sat by the river and photographed hummingbirds. There are only three kinds of hummers in Colorado: rufous, black-chinned, and ruby-throated. They are all broad-tailed. I was fortunate enough to get a decent photo of all three kinds today. I'll get them uploaded to my Backyard Birds gallery soon. 21 June 07: I picked-up Harry's remains yesterday. After reviewing all of the diagnostic lab reports, the Veterinarian concluded that he died from cardiac disease. About four years ago, Harry came home very weak, stumbling, and out-of-sorts with his third eyelid showing. I took him to the vet who evaluated him and found nothing, so she concluded that he had suffered a head trauma eventhough there were no outside wounds. I am wondering if perhaps he had suffered a mild heart attack then. His personality changed after that; he became fearful of moving wheels, kids and most people, and he began to slow way down. We just attributed this to getting older, perhaps it was much more than that. I have applied for five teaching jobs in the Harrisonburg VA area. Three are at James Madison University. I did enjoy college teaching and did not become overinvolved or obsessed with it like I do public school teaching. Tom agrees that if I get a full-time job there, we can live there as long as I want to work. We will continue to search for land and build a small energy-efficient retirement home on the West Coast. I do not want to be 3,000 miles away from my family for extended periods of time. As we get older, we need each other more. Nephew Phillip and I are cleaning the RV some in preparation for our move to Mesa Verde this coming Sunday. We will be there for two weeks and we plan to visit the Ancestral Pueblo cliff dwellings and ride the train from Durango to Silverton, old gold mining towns. Hopefully, we will have cell phone service! 16 June 07: We have been lethargic. Tom and Phil continue to take early morning treks with the goal of reaching the mountaintop. I watch the hummingbirds. The pair of evening grosbeaks that was visiting us in our previous site has not found the feeder in its new location. Robins, an occasional stellar jay, and tiny chipmunks visit. Sadie Cat chased one of those tiny chipmunks yesterday! We are thinking about rescuing another cat like Harry from the shelter in Brookings. We'll wait until after the wedding in October so we do not have to abandon it during that time. We think that Harry Cat would like us to give another orphan cat a good home. I called my Dad yesterday. He and Mom are doing OK. His first cataract surgery was "a piece of cake." 12 June 07: The sky is crying for Harry Cat; it's raining. 11 June 07: Today was Harry Cat's last day with us. He could not drink or eat. He purred on the Vet's table where we said good-bye. Tom and I are crying buckets of tears for that kitty found at a gas station some 12 years ago. He has been a pal to Tom with whom he batted pine cones and watched soccer games and sunsets. He has been a great friend to me purring in my ear as he slept on his own pillow next to mine. We miss him. 09 June 07: The medications are not helping Harry Cat and he is fading fast. Our truck, Ruby, is having battery-alternator problems so Tom will take her to the Ford Dealer in Cortez early Monday morning. It is about 10 degrees cooler here up in the mountains than it is in the town of Dolores CO which is about 2,000 feet lower in altitude. We attempted to drive to Telluride this morning, but Ruby's battery light scared us back home then we ventured on to the town of Cortez to the nearest Walmart for food. I did catch sight of some amazing snow-capped mountains in the San Juan Mountain Range and an elk. We will venture that way again when Ruby is repaired and won't leave us stranded in bear country! Stellar jays, humming birds, and a pair of evening grosbeaks has been frequent visitors to our feeder. We often see black-billed magpies on the fence posts surrounding farmland here. Tomorrow, we are moving to a site that backs-up to the river in hopes that our satellite will work there. It is way past time to change the photo on the home page of this site! 07 June 07: When we arrived at our campground where we had made reservations, we said, "Uh, no thanks." The campground was just too small and not inviting. So we ventured on to Priest Gulch Campground which is located in the pines and aspens on the Dolores River in southwest Colorado. We have no TV, no phone service, and the WiFi internet connection works some of the time, but we do have peace and quiet. The nearest Walmart is 32 miles away in Cortez, CO. There are many folks here from New Mexico, Arizona, and Texas who make their annual trek north to get away from the summer heat. We have been making day trips back and forth to the Vet in Dolores where Harry Cat has been diagnosed with pleural effusion, most likely caused by lymphoma cancer. Fluid has been drained from his chest cavity and he is on two medications. We will not put him through tough chemotherapy medications for which he would have to be hospitalized. He's 12 and he has had a very active, good life. He has also provided us with many good times. Surprise! Snow showers today intermittent with sunshine, and it is cold! Temperatures reached 30 F. last night. The humming bird sugar water was covered with ice chunks this morning. Phil is sleeping in his tent and doubled up on sleeping bags. He said he was AOK. The air here is moist and good for our sinuses. We are all acclimating to the high elevation of 8,000 ' plus. 03 June 07: Phil and I ventured back out to Arches NP in the early morn'. More photos to edit and upload ... He began toying with the video camera today and seemed to enjoy it. We haven't used it in the three years we've been towing, so we're glad to get it out of the closet, dusted off, and in the hands of someone who will make use of it. Tomorrow is a clean-up, pack-up, and get ready to tow day. We're heading into southern Colorado on Tuesday. 02 June 07: Gnats! I forgot to whine about the massive hordes of gnats in the national parks that swarm to moist body parts like eyes, ears, noses, and mouths. Phil and I went into Arches NP in the late evening. The setting sun really brings out the colors in the rocks and casts interesting shadows. Phil and I will venture back out to Arches to catch the early morning sun tomorrow. Hopefully, I will have time to upload some photos in a new galley, Utah ROCKS!, next week. |
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