Friday, August 6
People, peaches and more . . .

How perfect is this - lounging under the awning of the Totee, our faithful little travel trailer writing away while Rowdy occupies the chair next to me and Chris plays the keyboard after a near perfect day of actual leisure. Birds are massed at our feeders, very bold they are, caring not that we are sharing the yard with them. We have added quite a few birds to our trip list without really doing any birding, including the Lewis’ woodpecker that is too big for the feeder but nonetheless clings precariously upside down desperately trying to snatch a sunflower seed from his ridiculous stance. We’ve also added evening grosbeaks, red-winged blackbirds, Canada geese, common grackle, Steller’s Jay, Black-blled magpie, pine siskin and barn swallow.

We lounged and read this morning after a good breakfast of toast and melon - a new one found at the local outdoor market where it was called an Israeli melon. It’s large with an light orange netted rind and creamy flesh. I’d love to find them at home, may have to grow my own next year.

Midday found us back at the springs - what a delightful place! Besides the sheer wonder of the hot mineral waters, the intricately landscaped terraces and individually designed pools overlooking the San Juan River, there is the fun of meeting people from everywhere. Yesterday, one of our notable meetings was a teenage girl who is originally from Togo in West Africa. She came to the U.S. with her parents at age five, still speaks her native French but has not a trace of accent in her English. A charming young lady, she told me she is a “half-breed” because her father is Togan(?) and her mother white. We saw her today body surfing the river rapids with a new friend.

I had a nice talk today with a woman who lives in Pagosa Springs. From her, I got a new perspective on the resort springs that we habituate. I already knew that it was a relatively new development, but she’s been there only 11 years and remembers joining a tour when the resort consisted of only two redwood tubs. I think it’s a marvel what they’ve done with it.

So we soaked, watched tubers (no, not potatoes), fisherpeople, swimmers and kayakers on the river, sat out and read and soaked some more. Don’t know how it could get any better. We also got information on the county fair that is this weekend - can’t wait to experience that.

Yesterday, we shared what may be the best peach I’ve ever eaten, especially if rarity is a factor in flavor. Just before we left home, we found that we had a peach crop this year after all. Sounds logical that we should know whether our trees had borne fruit or not; however, when you have one (really, only one!) peach and that one is hiding up against the trunk, then it is not quite so obvious an issue. I presume that it was protected from frost by being snugged up to the tree like that. It was not quite ripe when we left, but no way was I leaving home without it and it ripened to a fare-thee-well - yummmm!

Wildlife, northern lights, census . . .

On the way home, we took a wander up a forest road and encountered a number of deer. They seem not the slightest spooky, simply ignoring us when we stop to take a photo. One doe had two large spotted fawns who came gamboling over to her for a spot of nursing. Yesterday while walking by the river, we saw two does just out of the rv park and a wee tyke of a garter snake. The area evidently has a number of bears also. I’m sure that critters are prowling the rv park while we try to sleep. I say “try” because Rowdy seems to sense the wildlife out there and is anxious to let me know about it . . . all night long.

I wondered if we might glimpse the northern lights that are reported to be putting on a great show right now, but so far, we have not. Once years ago, Chino friends called us to say that the lights were visible there and sure enough, we rushed outside and enjoyed the show. I remember seeing them twice in Phoenix when I was a child; I’m sure that must be an extreme rarity.

Absurd, but Chris just got another call asking him to work on the “last” leg of the census. It sounds as if the timing for this exercise will not work for him as it will likely be over before we return home. Can it be true what they say: that conflicting questionnaires have been turned in for one household? The mind fair reels (but then my mind does lots of reeling anyway).

Mountain weather . . .

I thought our mountain weather at home is crazy but here is far odder. Yesterday, the forecast was for a high of 80 degrees but at midday it was down to 56, storming and windy, so I says, says I, it’s obviously not getting up to the forecast temperature - ha! A couple of hours later, it was clear and 80.

My intention for getting away from home is partially to get back to my genealogy research and to my Spanish studies, both of which become eclipsed with homeowner duties and other distractions. Kinda wondering how I thought that Colorado would be any less distracting; we shall see. So far, it has not happened but there’s time aplenty. Of course it would help if I’d stop journaling and blogging, but heck fire, I enjoy that, too.