Connie in Ouray

 Bad news first so we can end on a high note:  Byron's dad has passed away, news we heard about at the Water Users meeting last Saturday.  No matter how old, how expected, it always hurts so much.    The Black Canyon of the Gunnison South Rim fire is now 45% contained, which is good, but 85% of the south rim has burned.  The pictures I've seen are devastating.  We heard on NPR last night that the Visitors Center is completely covered in flame retardant, to the point one worker said it might have been easier to rebuild than it will be to get rid of that red goo.  The park is still closed. Some good news is that the smoke is cleared.  Mike and I were up on the Sutton Mine trail Wednesday, and there was a haze, but it was humidity - lovely, much-needed humidity.  The trail was not dusty, even muddy in spots, and there wasn't the sound of crunching while walking on vegetation.  We're in the middle of the monsoons, and while we've not go...

 Ugh!  There are a number of big fires burning on the western slope, two northwest of us and southwest of Grand Junction, one that just crossed over from Utah, the South Rim fire at Black Canyon, and various others.  The ones most likely the cause of our smoke are the Turner Gulch Fire near Gateway and the one just crossing over into Colorado.  Wherever it's coming from, it's a stark reminder that we're in a deep, deep drought, and Ouray is under fire restrictions.  I can't imagine any of us up here on Mineral Farms Lane are going to tolerate an outdoor fire of any kind. Taken from Ridgway tonight Mike and I walked up the overlook - so dry!  It looked like early September in a drought year.  However, the hardiest of the wildflowers are out: Gunnison's mariposa lily aspen daisy wild geranium Indian paintbrush just starting to bloom cow parsnip

 We have a lot of smoke in the area from wildfires burning west of us.  It blew in last night and is still with us today.  Most of those wildfires, including the two at Black Canyon the Gunnison, were caused by dry lightning strikes.  I'm still keeping my important things together.

Between having norovirus June 21st - what a nasty virus! - and coming home from Seattle with covid July 2nd, which I now have passed on to Mike, it feels like life stresses are catching up to me.  That said, Seattle was really fun, especially since there are mountains.  Life in Ouray continues to be a love/hate with tourists - love the money they spend, don't particularly like having to dodge them on Main Street all the time.  I've been pretty isolated with those viruses, so when I do get to town, it's shocking to see so.many.people! Firefighters and other emergency personnel did a remarkable job getting and keeping the fire up Red Mountain Pass contained.  Since there wasn't a cloud in the sky, preliminary report is human-caused.   We will keep our to-go pile current and available until snowfall. There is the cutest fawn hanging out with its mom right around the Radles' house.  I got to see it yesterday, and it still has its spots.   No Oura...