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)

What's Next? Watch Out Pulitzer!

Lucky Dumbass Dad

You are looking at a star in the making. The next Hemingway. Shakespeare and MAD magazine rolled in to one. A future Pulitzer Prize winner. OK, you're looking at a dumbass. But! A dumbass that just got accepted to write for one of the biggest web sites in the world! Now that you've regained consciousness and had a chance to digest that info and say "What? That moron?" Yes, this moron. Late last night I was looking for ways to maximize this blog's internet exposure and went to a web site called Technorati. I filled out a form and presto! They sampled my writing and sent me some stuff, I did what was needed and I start writing for them today or Monday. Technorati is a big deal, folks, but don't hold it against them that they'd hire a knucklehead like me. Technorati is big because they hire knuckleheads like me. Two words : Cheap labor. Besides I can't afford to pay them any more than we agreed to if they'd put me to work. I'll keep you informed as to what's going on as soon as I know what's going on. Well.....I am off to a baby shower for Heather's cousin and then to get some 8 by 10 glossies made. I'm sure I'll signing them by the millions ones for my adoring throngs Mom. Adios y'all!

Texas Tidbits : Forged of a Hotter Fire

Texas. It's like a whole other country, as the saying goes. Or, as John Wayne said, "Texas is the damnedest lady I ever saw." Both of those observations are bullseye accurate. Willie Nelson once told me during an interview, "I could be dead ass asleep on the bus and when we cross that Texas line, I can feel it." That Willie sure has a way with words, doesn't he? Being a Texan in a land far away, like I am, in Maine, gives me, perhaps a different perspective than many still-in-Texas Texans. Don't get me wrong, I love Maine. It's a great place to live and raise a family. The scenery here is very much like East Texas, pine trees everywhere, lots of lakes, ponds, creeks and rivers and good, down-to-Earth, proud people that talk funny. I miss Texas. A lot. It's home. It's like my Mother, a part of me that is eternal and undeniable. A piece of my soul, a blessing from God. Something that nobody can ever take away from me. Texas is me. And you. And your kids and neighbors and fellow parishiners at church. Texas is Us. Even the Yankees that call Texas  'home", they are Texas and Texans, and  like James Bowie, Davy Crockett, Sam Houston, and Stephen F. Austin, once foreigners, now us, Texans. You know, American by birth, Texan by the Grace of God. The following link is to a piece written by legendary Texan and football coach, Bum Phillips. Bum, like Willie, has a way with words. Take a few minutes to read it, alone if you can, think about it, then pass it on to your kids or grandkids, your friends (especially if they live in another part of the country), whomever. As Texans, when we talk about Texas, we don't brag, we do so with a deep-rooted pride and reverence. Because we are forged of a hotter fire.

From The Fryin' Pan Into The Fire

A couple of days ago I wrote about impending doom a much overdue visit from my Mother-in-Law. As it turns out, there is a God!!!!, she had to postpone her trip by the Grace of The Almighty  due to car trouble. This turn of events caused  me to do cartwheels my wife great sadness and despair. I thought I was safe from all that is evil and wrong with the world. I.Was.Wrong. My weekend of sloth and gluttony has turned into The Weekend From Hell. I know you married guys are wondering, "How could a nice weekend of sloth and gluttony turn into a weekend from hell, when your Mother-in-Law is 200 miles away having car trouble and can't come to torture and degrade you visit?" Let me 'splain. Although I'm happier than a stoned fat kid at a McDonald's all you can eat buffet saddened my M-I-L can't make it, a fate worse than paying alimony to an ex-wife that married a plastic surgeon has befallen me. I.Have.To.Go.Back.To.School.Shopping.! But wait! There's more! I am (or should be) committed... to attend a baby shower! Don't get me wrong, as a father of four (ages 3-31, God help me), I love kids, I really do (especially with a little salt and mustard....rimshot). But, less than a month before my 54th birthday, I thought my days of going to baby showers were over! At least until my own daughters had babies. But my wife threatened me with unspeakable acts of violence asked me nicely to go, so I said OK. Upon further review, I never thought I'd miss my Mother-in-Law, but I do. Go figure. Anyway...posting will be sporadic, at best, today for the previously mentioned reasons. Rummage through the archives because there's lots mof stuff in there and I'm sure you'll find something that'll make you say to yourself, "That's 10 minutes of my life I'll never get back". But it's Friday, what a better way to kill time at work than to read some worthless drivel potential Pulitzer Prize-winning social commentary? Here are a few of my popular posts from the recent past:

•  Texas Tidbits : Fort Worth - Ah Luv Yew
• Plus One :Tennessee - The Volunteer State 
• Maine Minutiae : Fat Guy Convention, Sardine Drop, Bingo & Ed McMahon
• Colorado Chronicles : Colorado Springs