Colorado Chronicles : Mile High Oasis

What would you an oasis located smack dab in the middle of over 2 million people at an elevation of 5280 feet? I call it the Denver Botanic Gardens. A fledgling idea between local gardeners, botanists and civic leaders in 1951, one location change and fifty-six years later, the DBG are one of the premier botanic gardens in the United States. The site was originally in another part of town, but it was not a very secure location and vandals were constantly stealing and trampling the goodies and by 1959, planting at the current location had begun. A few years later in 1966, the Boettcher Memorial Tropical Conservatory at The Gardens, housing tropical and sub-tropical plants was dedicated, and with that the Denver Botanic Gardens became a year round attraction. DBG also has two other sites in its family, one of them in nearby Chatfield, the other at Mount Goliath, where at over 10,000 feet in elevation, there are only forty frost-free days a year! At DBG you'll find a gift shop, the Helen Fowler Library, a calendar of events and exhibits and more. Heck, you can even rent the facility for special occasions! In short, Denver Botanic Gardens is much more than just a neat place to go see the natural beauty that makes Colorado what it is. DBG is truly a Mile High Oasis.

Texas Tidbits : A Rose By Any Other Name Would Smell as Sweet

,

If I were a ramblin' gamblin' man, and I've been known to do a little of both, I'd lay down good money that the most popular flower in the United States is the rose. As the title of this post suggest, the rose could have been named the "sweaty gym socks flower" and it would still smell like something that The Almighty adorns Paradise with. Ahhhhhh...the rose, a symbol of love and devotion, a symbol of rememberance and just a great addition to any flower garden. Which brings us to the Rose Capital of the World, Tyler, Texas.  A brief history : Tyler is situated in an ideal location for growing all kinds of smellin'-good, tasty and/or ornamental plants as the climate is pretty moderate with rainfall occurring throughout the year. For these reasons, succulent peaches were once to Tyler and Smith County what the elegant rose is today, but in the early 20th Century the blight decimated the peach crop in the area. Enter La Rosa. At this time, roses were already popular in East Texas, so it was a natural fit for it to fill a major void in agricultural production and revenue for Tyler.  A little north of South Loop 323 at the Glenwood (I think) intersection, lies one of the most magnificent floral displays on Earth - The Tyler Minicipal Rose Garden . The Rose Garden is fourteen acres of horticultural heaven featuring about five hundred varieties of the rose, with some of the antique rose varieties dating back to 1867! Since opening in 1952, the Rose Garden has been ooooo'ed and ahhhhh'ed over by millions of people from around the world. A predecessor to the Rose Garden is the Texas Rose Festival, held in mid- October, is now entering its ninth decade as a showcase for the flower that has made Tyler, Texas The Rose Capital of the World. A rose by any other name......                             

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!