Upside Ann

 Zupe living his best life and running the 100 meter race.  I'm proud of him.  He ran the entire way.  Though he was pretty cute as a youngster stopping along the path to wave at people he knew.   I remain thankful that he is not a competitive personality and seems to be just as pleased with his fifth place ribbon as his first (soft ball toss - field of 1).  

I'm listening now to the sound of a chain saw ripping through a tree.  The tree in front of the house my parents built when they were first married.  The house I lived in for my first 9 years.  This maple tree - now at least 70 years old and visibly aging- was special to my mother.  Even in her last days she would lead me to the window to look at that tree, its trunk twisted and gnarled, and tell me about choosing it at the nursery.  "You don't want that tree!  Why would you want that tree?" the arborist asked.  "Look at the trunk.  It is twisted.  This tree here has a nice straight trunk."   And that is what my mother wanted.  A tree with character. Farewell dear tree.  If there is a rainbow bridge for flora, I am sure that Margie is waiting for you there to let you know that you were special and chosen... to once again picnic under your canopy. Wood Street Maple, 2026:  There is nothing special about this photograph...

 I have something near a million photos from RMNP.  It is hard to pick which one? eight-hundred twenty-one thousand six hundred seven? to put in my blog. I have a few panographic photos I took with my iPhone.  I don't think I actually understand how to do it correctly so that I don't create a bowl-shape in the near distance.  Maybe it is inevitable? Maybe I should watch that hour-long video on YouTube about how to take them?  Even with that funky element, I really like the feeling of expanse that the approach captures in a landscape.  (Maybe I even like the feeling that the observer is at the center of the world?) There will be more photos from Estes Park to come.  On Tuesdays I'm just going back through time and last summer we only spent part of one day in the park.  The bulk of my photos were taken in 2024.  As time moves forward it is likely that my Tuesday Travel start to move along with it.  I cannot stay here in Chicken-town foreve...

 Last year in Colorado - back when my shoes were new - but still quite dusty from all the dry areas we'd walked.  Not as dry as my friend's footstep here... It is probably a velociraptor.  My only hope of outrunning him was giving him was to give him a 70 million year head start!

I was taking the moment I had this fine Sunday morning to prepare my Monday post.  I'll PROBABLY have time on Monday, but I do have time today.  Anyway- I used the term head start (spoiler) and I was unsure whether that would be a compound word or two words.  Spell check to the rescue! (Hmmm - now I am remembering that little paperclip guy who would pop-up to give Microsoft hints - pause for google search - there he is, "Clippy"!  I wonder what became of him...) As it turns out head start can be one compound word when referencing the early education program: HeadStart.  It gets two capitalized letters - wow!  But I was not making that reference. Spell check offered a third option which I really need to find a way to use: heads tart!  I want to write about that but not eat it.  And.....why?