Colorado Chronicles - Nature's "Gold Rush"

Gold Rush*

Many posts on this blog mention the fact that at one time or another over the past 150 years or so, Colorado has had a sporadic gold rush in this place or that. I have not, however, made mention of the "gold rush" that comes like clockwork every year, year after year. It's as dependable as, well, an old clock. The gold rush of which I speak has nary a thing to do with mines or miners. It has to do with trees, namely aspen trees. In my experience while living in Colorado on and off for over 20 years, mid-September seems to be about the time that the aspens start their annual change of color from green to, eventually, gold. In my eyes, the golden leaves of the autumn aspen tree are worth more to me than any amount of gold ore dug out of the mountains underneath them. It's one of the most beautiful displays of Nature's artwork you'll ever see. If you're planning a vacation to Colorado soon or maybe even in the future, mid-September is a great time to do so. The seasons are changing along with aspens, so the weather is neither too hot nor too cold to enjoy a leisurely drive or hike through the Rockies to witness this spectacle. To help with planning your trip to Colorado, I found this place, this place  and this place, all of which contain useful information for doing so. Nature's Gold Rush, over 1 billion aspen trees strong....... and growing.

*Photo from photography-on-the-net.com

New Blog Added to Stuff I Read!

I just added a new blog to the sidebar under "Stuff I Read"! It's called Texas Tweeties and the guy who runs the place is Bob Zeller. He found my back up site for Three States Plus One over on Wordpress and left a comment on a post I wrote about San Angelo. Stop by and pay Bob a visit and leave a comment when you get a chance. He'll be happy to hear form you, I'm sure. He's got some cool stuff about The Concho City on his blog, including some info on birding, which I really enjoy doing myself. Thanks for visiting us here on TSPO, Bob, and good birding to you!

Maine Minutiae : The Kaleidoscope of Autumn

Coming to a Forest Near You

See that photo to the left? That's the way the entire state of Maine will look in a few weeks - an explosion of autumn's reds, rusts, oranges and yellows will colorize the countryside from Presque Isle to Portland , and from Eastport to Jackman. Sometimes the red leaves on a group of trees look as though the forest is ablaze. And it is - ablaze with the annual rite of fall, the farewell to summer and the prelude to a long, hard, cold, colorless winter, except for the cream color of snow. Rather than view this change with a "dang, summer's over too soon" attitude, I see it as a step closer to spring when the renewal of all things barren and sparse, slowly but surely blooming into a cascade of colors signifying a new beginning to the life around us. Fall also signals pennant races in baseball to see who will square off in the World Series and, not a moment too soon, football! I choose not to lament the all-to-quick passage of spring and summer, but to look forward to the interim kaleidoscope that is autumn and the boring white of winter's snow. Someone who apparently agrees with me, at least as regards to fall, is the writer of this article on the ten best road trips to enjoy the ever-changing foliage of autumn in this beautiful place called Maine.

Texas Tidbits : What I Like About Texas (Thanks to Gary P. Nunn)

Many years ago in a former life, I was a radio kind of guy. Simply put, I got paid to be stupid and play music. You know...I got paid to tell crummy jokes, sound happy (which I was) and spin records. Easy money. Not a lot of money, but easy money. And chicks. Lots of chicks, a perk of the job. Anyway, I was very fortunate to have met and interviewed some of country music's all-time greats - Hank Williams, Jr., Willie Nelson, Ernest Tubb, Reba McEntire, Garth Brooks, Merle Haggard and so on. One of the interviews I did was live on my show with a gentleman named Gary P. Nunn of Iowa Park, Texas. Gary P. is not a household name to many country music fans, but his is the main voice in one of the greatest and most recognizable songs ever, with Jerry Jeff Walker,  London Homesick Blues (I wanna go home with the armadilla....). Gary P. has written and recorded with his band, The Bunkhouse Band, some real good songs and I highly recommend that you look him up and give him a listen. Very Texas. One of Gary's songs that I really like is called "What I Like About Texas" . In about four minutes, Gary P. sums up what so many have tried to say but have come up short in doing. With the deft touch of Rembrandt with a guitar, Nunn creates a mental masterpiece of images so vivid in your mind's eye, you are there when he sings of the Alamo or Nacogdoches. "You ask me "What I Like About Texas" ? I could tell ya, but we'd be here all night long", so sayeth Gary P. Nunn.

(Hat tip : Tommy Hailey on Facebook)