Summer is Over!

Faithful Blog Readers:

Driving home from Denver on October 5th I encountered the first serious snowstorm of the season as I drove over Red Mountain Pass, which is one of Colorado's gnarliest roads, and just happens to be one of my major routes to the grocery store, the airport, and most any other service I need. There were still a few golden aspen leaves peeking through the snow, but the view reminded me that winter is here!

Now, on October 8th, as I sit in my office writing to you, it is snowing gently and lazily outside. My fireplace is burning merrily and I am realizing that summer is over and the time is nigh for doing a better job of communicating with friends and family the world around.

The summer was wonderful---filled with visits from friends and family, plenty of fly fishing, and lots of time spent out of doors, enjoying my beautiful mountains.

Describing summer in Silverton is difficult so I'll share some pictures instead. (You may wish to click on some pictures to see details better.) A late summer trip over Ophir Pass to Telluride with friend Ruth Ann in her jeep. She is very short so I was the "shifter" when we needed to shift into 4WH and 4WL---here is shot of the actual pass.

Fishing was a big part of my summer. Below is a snap of my favorite place---the Canyon of the Upper Rio Grande River (yep---the one that separates Mexico and the US has its headwaters in San Juan County where I live!). My fishing friend and I descend 200 feet into this canyon on a rope, wearing all our fishing gear with our rods tied to our backs. It is a gorgeous place, and for some reason no-one else is ever there! This year I finally developed the skill of casting my fly where I wanted it (most of the time) and improved my stealth so I caught more and bigger fish than previously. Great fun!

Suzie and my lovely little grand-daughter, Audrey Grace, were here for ten days in August and we did a number of strange activities. (Suz and I seem to lean toward unusual activities---we've even been to the National Dental Museum and the International Weightlifting Hall of Fame and Museum!). Anyway, we dug some traditional Moore Family rhubarb roots to send to James in Pennsylvania to be planted in their yard so they can have rhubarb pie! Here are the roots and the "girls"...

While Suz was here we tried out my new window washing contraption. When one lives in the lovely mountains, one ought to be able to see out of their windows, right? Here is Suzie washing skillfully on the outside of the second-story windows. (We did the inside, too!) We thought perhaps we could hire out...the tarp-covered thing is an antique oak buffet I was in the process of stripping, which is now finished and looking lovely, and will soon display my mom's blue and white china.

Of course, as a grandmother, I feel compelled to tout my grandchildren's talents. Here is Audrey, reading. Note the skilled way she holds her book with her feet to facilitate turning the pages! She is so good at reading she can even read with the book upside down!

Summer in the high country always means a few picnics in out-of-the-way places. We went to Animas Forks, an old ghost town up the river, while Suzie and Audrey were here. They nicely posed in front of Walsh mansion (what's left of it)---the Walsh family was a successful mining family in the 1800s and owned the Hope diamond at one time.

I was thrilled to have all family members plus friends here for the 4th of July week. We had nine adults, two small children, and one delightful puppy for about ten days so lots happened. One thing I never accomplished was a family picture when we were dry but here are Suzanne, Travis, and their families plus friends Jenn and Gus from Pennsylvania in the Ouray Hotsprings Pool, having a good time! (Maggie, Finn and Travis are left and center, James, Suzie and Audrey are center back, and Gus and Jenn on the right. ) In case you are counting, Maggie's brother Quentin and his wife Karen and their puppy joined us a few days later.
Grandson Finn celebrated his second birthday while in Silverton and received a tricycle and wagon, hand-made by the Pennsylvania Amish. Here are Finn and Audrey, all loaded up and ready to go adventuring (with supervision, of course!).

Off to see the world! Our family all seems to enjoy seeing the world---

Travis and family will soon be moving home from Australia (Maggie and Finn are here now, getting settled in their new home in Denver). I am off to Peru in mid-October to see what the Andes have that the Rockies don't....meanwhile the Colorado Rockies are trying to make us all proud in the World Series...life speeds along with never quite enough time for all the wonderful opportunities that present themselves.

Have a wonderful fall and watch for a Peru posting after November 2nd when I return from the upper Amazon River basin!
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