Coffee Muggers

Delta is not generally known as a town of high culture, but if you go 40 miles to the north in Grand Junction, you can find a band playing outside Coffee Muggers every Friday and Saturday night. Not sure if that is high culture or not, but it is fun!

Four

I never got into golf, but if I did, I imagine the scenery at this course outside of Delta could get distracting.

Far enough

One can imagine the settlers working their way across the land, looking at Grand Mesa, and saying; Far enough.

Lion & the Lamb

The Bible talks about a time when the lion will lay with the lamb. If the deer are laying with the horses, are we getting close?

High Country Ranching

With its bright white fence lining the road, this farm seems to be fit for Kentucky, but no, it is outside of Delta.

Morning Shadows

The sun has one last obstacle to over come before the day begins.

Chase

Recently, the Delta County fair grounds hosted a sheep herding contest. Basically the owner stands with a staff and whistles and yells at the dog, who in turn annoys the sheep making them run a specific course. It is fun to watch the dog when the sheep decide to split up. In this case, the dog is winning.

Old Friends

For 30 years, we have driven by this old mining building outside of Ouray. It has always stood firm, but this year it seems to be giving up as time marches on.

Spring Thaw

Lower twin falls peaks through the snow high in Yankee Boy Basin, letting us know that another season of playing in the high country is about to begin.

Good-bye and Thanks for the Ride!

Our son took a wrong turn yesterday morning and ended up at the bottom of a steep hill! But praise God he walked away with only a cut to his arm. My little Saturn ION did it's job! It protected Tim as he rolled down the hill. Thanks little Blue you served us well! Thankyou God for another chance for Tim!

Playing in the High Country

One of the great things about living in Delta is how much there is to do within an hour or two. Last weekend we ventured down to the high country outside of Ouray to see how far the roads have been opened. We were surprised how high we got. It is going to be a fun summer!

Seniors

On my October 12^th post, I showed you a faded hill. Well, the 2007 seniors have come of age, and the hill is alive again. This year, my son Tim contributed!

The Mountain View

In yesterday’s post of Mountain View Park, you were hard pressed to see the mountains. Well, they are there. Go to the edge of the park, and look south. There you will see a glimpse of the San Juan’s. Calling it Mountain View Park may be a bit of a stretch, but the place is nice in any case.

Mountain View Park

Back on November 27^th I posted a picture of a sign from downtown Delta and asked; which way should I go? The majority thought Mountain View Park, and I promised I would go there. The problem was that I cold not find it! That was the only sign, it did not show up on any maps I saw, and I forgot about it until now. On my morning walk, there was a road I wondered about, and I went exploring last week. It turns out that the road goes to Mountain View Park! There are no signs until you get to the park. I wonder how much use it gets……Now I need to find those lions!

Blackness

Everything around went black as the evening sky took center stage.

Sharp Seat

You had better be careful where you hang your barbwire before you sit down.

Another Kind of Light Show

Sometimes stillness can overwhelm......

Light Show

Last night, we were treated to a spectacular light show, as a massive lightning storm swung by to our west. I was heading out for a walk, but decided getting the camera out was a better idea. I think I was right!

Happy Mother's Day

Today is the first time where I am not able to call or visit and wish my Mom a happy Mother’s day, but I know she still hears me. We lost her to breast cancer last October, and she was a fighter to the end. I believe that this is the last picture ever taken of my Mom, and it was taken by an exceptionally close friend who took a week of vacation to fly out and help us with care giving. Mom did not like to have her picture taken, but somehow I think she knew this would be the last one, and when Matt pointed the camera, she rose to the occasion, giving us one last glimpse of who she really was, a woman with dignity. The cancer may have taken over her body, but not her spirit. The following morning she left us, and I look forward to the day I can again give her big hug, and wish her a Happy Mother’s Day, in person.

I miss you Mom.

Help Wanted

Earlier this week, the women of our church had a Garden Party, and the men of the church did the cooking, serving, and cleanup. Now being a formal event they decided to use the formal dishes that someone had graciously donated to the church. So, a formal setup for 160 women was put together. After the salads were served, the fun really began….washing the dishes. We had 10 people doing dishes constantly for over three hours…….I got volunteered to help clean up after a “Teachers Appreciation” dinner planned for tonight. You guessed it, they are using the good china again…..Does anyone want to graciously donate an industrial kitchen to our church?

Show Time

Perhaps I was wrong about the wedding. A pan to the left shows a more complete picture. Could it be that they are all here to take in a showing of “Wild Hogs”? Alas, this shot was taken at 4pm, and the show is not till 7pm. The owners are not anywhere to be found…… I think that the likely scenario is that they are all camped out at Wanda’s Place enjoying a cold one, waiting for the show to begin.

Could be an Interesting Wedding

My “run around town” Canon SD900 is in the shop, and I was using my wife’s SD400, which seems to double as a “Family Camera”. Apparently my son Tim has developed an eye for the unusual as well, and noticed this shot. I could not resist posting it. Thanks Tim!

You can take my ditch water when you pry it from my cold dead hands.......

A few weeks ago, there was a note on our community mail box that said “The irrigation water is in”. The word around town was that the ditches are running! Water is a very big deal in the Southwestern United States, and people go to great lengths to get it. City water is too expensive to use for irrigation, so ditches like run all across the county (I have been listening to my daughter too much). In the winter they are dry, but in the spring, when the water levels of the larger rivers rise, the weirs are opened up, and the ditches flow. Now the interesting thing is that they can not simply take the water they need from the river. The ditch companies own shares of these rivers, and the amount they can take out is strictly monitored. The ditch companies in turn sell shares of their water, and individuals have gates that allow a pre determined amount of water to be diverted into their personal ditches so they can water their yards, irrigate crops, etc. Depending on the ditch company, some shares can be traded or sold like stocks to other people, even in other states. Some of the more forward thinking companies locked the water shares to the property, not the person. I know of existing court cases regarding water rights, and people have died over the issue. One interesting thing is that a large percentage of the water flowing through Colorado is “owned” by cities in Nevada and California, and this has many Colorado cities rather nervous. I have heard that the Colorado River never makes it to the sea of Cortez as every last drop has been diverted before it gets there.Water is a big deal out here, and the “ditches are running” cry puts a smile on many faces. Let the green up begin!

Walking

This morning there is hardly a cloud in the sky, and the sun is intense. It looked somewhat warm from the house as I started my walk this morning, but now, back with my photo for the day, my hands are having a hard time navigating the keyboard. Funny, I did not see any ice out there…..

One of the benefits of working from home is that I don’t really need to rush to work. The ability to get out and experience a “crisp” Colorado spring morning is a real treat. My typical route takes me by a couple churches, schools, orchards, and fields being set to plant. It will be fun to watch the changes as the season roll by.

Fresh Leaves

I love the brilliant green of Springs first leaves.

The Battle

There is a battle going on in Delta. The Grand Mesa refuses to give up on winter, but the fields of the valley have her surrounded. It is only a matter of time before winters grip is released……

Blind

So I am sitting in my office this morning looking through my latest photographs, and nothing is jumping out at me. I notice out the window that Grand Mesa is cloud covered today, including high level and low level clouds. Still nothing jumps out at me in my collection……I wonder when I can get out today to take some more pics……why is my Canon D60 sitting on the desk…..boy those are interesting clouds……what picture should I publish……

Sometimes we are blind to the things right in front of our face. In my case, I blame it on a lack of coffee. However, after a few minutes, I figured out that I simply needed to go out on the front porch to get today’s shot of a cloud covered Grand Mesa. If you look close, you can also see a local formation known as Devil’s Thumb. Don’t be blind today!

Storms

The Colorado sky is big, and the storm clouds do their best to fill that void. It can make for some incredible cloud watching.

Looking Forward to Fall

At the end of our street is an apple and peach orchard, and the trees are in bloom. While I am not trying to hurry spring and summer along, fall is showing good promise! There is nothing quite like a fresh, cold, crisp Gala apple! You know, there really is not a season here I dont like.

Last Game

Delta JV played their last game last weekend. They had a good season, and we think they tied for first, but no one is quite sure………

Field of Dreams