Mother Nature has definitely been in the news a lot this week. We are keeping all those impacted by the effects of Hurricane Ida in our thoughts and prayers and hope you are safe.
The ‘Ranch foreman’ went out of town this week to celebrate her Dad’s birthday with a mini-family reunion in the Glenwood Springs area. While it was great getting away from city noise and pollution, it was stunning to see how nature has been actively showing her deadly force in our region. The images around Glenwood Canyon were incredibly alarming and it will take years to repair the damage done along I-70 in the Grizzly Creek burn scar area just outside Glenwood. One cannot discount Mother Nature’s sheer force with water being particularly dangerous.
It rained most of Dad’s actual birthday and we saw the damage from mudslides in the region on our way to lunch. The nearby Crystal River was once again muddy red in spots, though clear at Redstone.
Back along The Roaring Fork behind my brother’s house, catch and release is the rule though we managed to find a fish we could keep from a local art shop.
For the most part, the aspens haven’t really begun to change though there were a few places where a small spot or two did. Since I was driving on a highway that needed 100% attention, I have no photographic evidence to share so you’ll just have to take my word for it.
The days spent with family were extra special this year as we revelled in nature’s beauty as well as celebrated a big milestone. We hope you are able to get out this weekend to enjoy what this beautiful month has to offer. Stay safe whatever you do.
Live, love, bark! 🐾
I felt like I was in a jacuzzi writing this👍💖😍 loved it
Thanks for swinging by. Hope your jacuzzi experience was a good one-we 💙 visitors.
Lulu: “Oh, yes, the weather has been crazy this year! Mama and Dada were watching footage of the flooding in Ida in New York City and they said they’ve never seen anything like it.”
Charlee: “Never ever?”
Lulu: “Never ever.”
Chaplin: “And Mama and Dada are like, what, a thousand years old?”
Lulu: “Close to that, I think.”
Charlee: “Definitely a crazy year, then!”
Crazy is almost understated when it comes to the weather.
Nature beauty purify humans from heart and it is nice post too.
Thank you. Wishing you a lovely weekend.
Thanks
If it weren’t for nature, we wouldn’t be here.
That was quite the trip!
Happy Belated Birthday Greetings to your Dad!!
That fish is quite the trophy!
(We’ve been rather AWOL lately, due to internet issues…phooey.)
So sorry you’ve experienced internet problems. Hope things get resolved soon.
You’re right it was a great trip! Thanks for the belated wishes. Have a great holiday weekend!
A belated happy birthday to your father…so glad you could get together round him for the celebration.
Many thanks! This was an extra special get-together. Have a great weekend!
Mother Nature wreaks enough havoc, but at least if gifts us so much beauty on the flip.
And when it’s the rough side of nature, the beauty is even more appreciated. Here’s to a terrific Labor Day weekend.
Amen to that, all of it. Peace and more agreeable weather Monika.
A toast I can definitely embrace. Cheers!
Salud!
Happy Belated 91st to your Dad!! I’m glad he was able to have his family around him for a cozy celebration!! And yes, he does look great for 91! Are you sure he’s not still 71?!
Many thanks. I keep wondering about his age myself! 😊 We hope you have an excellent Labor Day weekend. Stay safe and dry.
Glad you enjoyed a family celebration! Pretty photos but of course damage from the rain and floods is not pretty. Lots of that from storm Ida but we’re always thankful to live up on a hill when floods are happening everywhere. We are finally getting some COOLER (less than 100) temps around here and it feels GREAT!
Hugs, Teddy and Mom Pam
We hope things out your way begin to mellow out, both in terms of temps and moisture. Stay safe and dry!
Happy Birthday to your Dad, he looks great for 91 years old!
Awesome that you all were able to be together and enjoy family and beautiful nature! <3
Why…thank you! It was great communing with family and nature!
Most welcome 🙂Happy weekend!
Oh that wooden fish, though.
Love and licks,
Cupcake
Isn’t it something?
Unfortunately, the vast majority of human beings does not care enough for nature,
I’m beginning to think you’re right. 😢
🙁
Your dad looks like my (much older) brother, also 91! Good genes! We’ve had a dose of flooding here. What awesome power water has. Fires scare me. We don’t get them around here (except for houses). I’m glad you had great family time! Do you take the pups with you or are they at puppy camp? I have cats. I’d never travel with them. It would make me nuts.
Sadly they did not join me. My brother has two Chessies and a Maine Coon cat who rules the roost.
Definitely no need for extra drama! I’m sure they enjoyed their vacation too!
They were very happy to see me when I got home. 😍
Happy Birthday to the Dadster! Loved the photos. We used to camp at Redstone, just up from the kilns. Used to make a point of heading up canyon into Marble to that BBQ place at the end of the road. Yum. Once again, I’m jelly that you can get away like that – no similar escape spots nearby here and any place further is burning right now.
The kilns are amazing as is the history of the town. I actually stayed at the Redstone Castle which was quite the to-do. Incredible place.
Thanks for the BD wishes. I think it was his best birthday yet.
Just checked – Redstone Castle suites currently starting at $565/nt and up. I’d book a week or so but NO DOGS! (Phew, that was close.)
It was probably 20 years ago but still pricey even back then. Luckily I was a guest of a generous friend. 😉
IT’s listed for sale at just under $20 million. A little over my budget. Fabulous looking spot. The story of Osgood’s wives as reported on the website is hilarious. He may have been rich but he had very bad luck with women
They used to herd elk in the meadow for ‘sportsman’ Teddy Roosevelt. If only I had that kind of change laying around. The leather wallpaper in the library is incredible!
I’d never been to Marble before and that BBQ joint…what a fun place! With tasty food, rustic surroundings and a gracious and accommodating staff, it was a great birthday lunch. Wish I’d had more time to explore with my camera but it just makes me want to go back. Apparently the same folks own another spot in Aspen. Marble…where nature’s beauty is front and center and cell phone coverage nonexistent. Redstone is another terrific little town and I want to do a whole post just on those coke ovens. Have a safe Labor Day weekend. Sending loads of good juju for getting the fires under control.
P.S. Early BD greetings to the AJF from me and the hooligans. Planning anything special for her big day?
Next time you head to Marble figure a way to take a 4-wheeler or ATV so you can go past the end of the road. There is some spectacular off-roading just past the town culminating in a visit to Crystal Mill (Google it!) Incredible scenery! I think you can also take a Jeep tour nowadays. Beyond the mill the trail is gnarly to the point of down right frightening and best left to pros. I’ll try to take the AJF for sushi for her B-Day and maybe convince the tolerant daughter to emerge from her Covid-safe lair where she has been hiding for months. Thanks for the good juju. We’ve been sweating bullets because the son’s Tahoe house was directly in the path of the flames and we expected it would be a goner for sure since it’s in the forest. Now it looks like maybe, just maybe it will be OK now that the weather has improved up there. 🤞
Have my fingers and paws crossed for your family and all stay safe. 🤞🏻
Happy 91 to your dad, and wishing him many more fishing expeditions in that river. Yes, he looks great.
That fish needed an orthodontist.
Thanks for the kind wishes. Fish aren’t known for their good teeth. 😉
He doesn’t look close to 91. Great genes.
Yes Mother Nature can give you such beauty and then sometimes she is angry and gives you havoc.
Have a fabulous day and weekend. Scritches to all the pups, and a smooch to Norman. ♥
He’s in great shape for sure. You’re so right, Mother Nature can turn on a dime. Happy weekend with tail wiggles from the Ranch hands.
Gorgeous photos. And we got a good dose of Ida this week and first hand experience with how much damage water can do. Nowhere hear what Louisianna is dealing with, but a reminder of Mother Nature’s unstoppable power.
Thank you. Rushing water can be quite scary. We hope you guys are through the worst of it now.
The water isn’t a big problem anymore, just damage from fallen trees, power lines, etc., but well on the way to getting back to normal, thankfully.
Hopefully things will be back to normal soon.
Hopefully power lines and other damaged infrastructure get repaired quickly. Have a safe Labor Day weekend.
Colorado is so very beautiful…how wonderful to enjoy its beauty with family!
It’s a real blessing.
Great time of year in CO, even if the Aspens are still green…
This time of year is the best in Colorado whether or not the aspen are changing or not. I love September here!
what a great photo of your dad!!! This is sure a pretty part of colorado… I’d love to see these parts one day
Thank you!
It’s so gorgeous over there around Glenwood. You guys really should take a day trip over to Marble or Redstone. It’s so amazing.
hugs to your dad… and we send power to all peeps and pets who had such a hard time…. we hope at least for a good fall when the summer was such a bluff….
The pictures I’ve seen about the flooding back east are jaw-dropping. I pray for their safety. Have a great weekend and thanks for the birthday hugs. 🙂
Your dad looks fabulous! The damage is scary. So many places affected by various iterations of Mother Nature’s fury.
Glad you are safe, though!
Thanks. Yes, he’s in amazing shape and is happiest when he’s surrounded by family and fishable waters. Mother nature is truly on the warpath. Have a lovely weekend.
I bet he is.
Mother Nature is not in a good mood. At. All.
And to you!
Looks darn good at 91.
Thanks-he really does. And keeps us all inspired about aging. Have a good weekend. Stay cool-I’ve been hearing about the heat index in your parts. Yikes! 🥵
We are used to it as they say. 🥵
I hope I never get ‘used’ to a heat index that’s over 100!!
Hahaha. That’s what we said when we moved here from Sonoma California. We finally did though.
I don’t have much of a choice, really. 100 is an average summer day here. Honestly, it really doesn’t matter where you go in Australia, be thankful for your location because some places hit 48 c – 50c mid summer. The heat I can live with, it’s the constant wind that really bugs me. I am not sure if as I get older I become less tolerant, but the wind seems to be getting more intrusive these last few years..
We lived on the Texas coast and the wind there never stopped, so I know what you mean. It became a real challenge to ignore it. Thanks for the comment. 😊
Wind is my least favorite weather phenomena. I’d rather it be wintery cold than windy!
I’m with you Monika. Wind tends to be very disruptive.
Me too.