Saturday, August 14
Townin’ it and stuff

One wonders how one can be so totally and utterly out of touch with the reality of one’s life; at least one does if one is me. No need to look back at what I may have written earlier about this trip. I know it included some claptrap about leisure, catching up on correspondence, reading, getting back to my Spanish studies and who know what other complete absurdities. Obviously, one will have to return home to do any of that because one’s thoughts now run more in the vein of “Shucks, here I am in Colorado. It would be a shame not to enjoy all this that is around me while I can.” And of course that makes perfect sense; however, one continues to be amazed that one could somehow think otherwise.

We have just spent an enjoyable (but chillier by the second) time visiting with a couple from Van, Texas, who stopped by with their dog, Claire, to listen to Chris playing keyboard. Lou and Marsha lived for 40 years in Tucson before retiring down south. They are seeking a new RV place to have their annual family reunion, one that will provide the grandkids with amusements. Obviously people of impeccable taste, they bought both of Chris’ cds.

We stuck close to town today, began with a massage for me at the Healing Waters Wellness Center across the street from the Springs Resort. The on-call therapist happened to be a naturopath and director of the clinic. Amber offered up a fine therapeutic massage whilst Chris trooped off up onto a nearby mountain.

Timing his return perfectly, he walked in the door as I was settling up. I had ordered a town day, so we set off on foot to peruse some shops along the main drag. I know that Melissa will identify with this need.

One, Handcrafted Interiors, was a gallery of creativity beyond any I have ever seen. If I had been watching Fourth of July fireworks, I couldn’t have oohed and ahhed any more. Every piece, from lamps to fine art to wall hangings to tables, was exquisite and truly the epitome of handcrafted creative uniqueness. Even Chris was taken with it all.

There were no others that could begin to compare with this one, so we didn’t dawdle much anywhere else.

We lunched in the shade of the trees over the outdoor deck at Kip’s Grill and Cantina where again unusual was the name of the game. Delicious tacos, but unlike any I’ve ever heard of. Mine was a green chile stuffed with mozzarella cheese ensconced on a bed of chopped sirloin and topped with mounds of chopped cabbage, tomatoes and jalapenos and bedded on two lightly grilled flour tortillas. Plenty tasty enough to return many times. No wonder the place is always packed.

Family history forever lurks . . .

I wanted to stop at the museum to thank the lady there for the assistance she gave us last year when we were searching out cousin Jerry’s ancestors. She was as nice and helpful as we remembered. In the course of comparing notes, we discovered several other possible ancestral connections with her. One was particularly intriguing. There was something about her Wilsons coming from Texas to Prescott, and it sounded more and more as if there will be a tie between her family and Johnny’s family for whom I have just completed a beginning genealogy. Can’t wait to see how this plays out.

When we had originally checked in with her (Ann Oldham) last year, we were looking for information about Jerry’s ancestral William Henry Walker and Lewis Beemer Rhodimer, brother to my great grandfather, Charles Bradner Rhodimer. Jerry has given me a bit more to work on with some collateral family members who were also in Pagosa in the early days. We (Chris, really) managed to find the cemetery again and we put fresh flowers on Mr. Walker’s grave. The American flag we put there last time was still in fine shape, amazingly. He served from Iowa during the Civil War.

A stop and soak at the springs was just the ticket to round out what passes for a leisurely day for us.

High hikes and bear scares . . .

Yesterday, Chris took off on his own for a long hike to get above treeline and enjoy the tundra at more than 12,000 feet. He enjoyed it so much and got two life birds and two new trip birds in the process: Hammond flycatcher, Cassin's vireo, blue-gray gnatcatcher and Brewer's blackbird. We've also added a gray jay.

I stuck around home to catch up on some correspondence and odds and ends, but couldn’t sit still for long, so headed off on a walk that evolved into a climb up a nearby hill. I was completely unencumbered by binocs or camera; when I attained the peak I had tackled and saw fresh bear scat, I wondered what I might do should I then encounter bruin, the originator of said scat, when I had not even so much as a cell phone with which to bonk him on the nose. To my great gratitude, said ursa did not appear anywhere on my path back home.

Etc. . .

I find it fascinating that the Pagosa Springs municipality provides heat to its residents by utilizing the abundant hot water that pours forth from the earth. In some cases, residents have their own private heating systems, much like Prescott residents who have their own water well. I’m told that even the sidewalks are warmed in winter from this steaming aquifer.

I neglected to mention earlier that while hiking at about 10,000 feet elevation, we encountered a horned toad and snapped this pic. I was completely flamboozled that such a creature would be up here in the mountains. Evidently, they actually reside here or else this little feller was quite a traveler, creating a visual for me of his trek from the desert, dodging predators and trucks to at last enjoy a summer vacation from the desert heat.

On our way to the Pagosa burying ground, I spotted a little beaver dam on a creek right in town just at the boundary of someone’s back yard so of course we had to circle back and get a picture of it.









While Chris was playing the keyboard outside, one particular hummingbird perched atop the feeder pole and chirped away with the music. We have yet to figure out the whys of this: although our seed feeder at the other park was mobbed by birds, there has not been a single one come by to dine on our offerings here. We are in similar circumstances right by a river, but are being snubbed. The hummers, however, have no such qualms and are entertaining us with their antics.







And last and definitely least, Chris snatched the camera and caught mom and Rowdy having a Sunday sleep-in.