End of Summer

Winter or Spring?

Driving around in Las Vegas yesterday, I saw a fruit tree in full, fluffy bloom and realized spring has already started here. At my home in Colorado, winter has yet to start. The first snow was late in October of last year, and there have been only two additional snow storms since. And I don't mean major snow, there hasn't even been a skiff of snow or drop of rain in all these months.

Nature is cruel, and this is the cruelest year. There was a small storm went through there the other day. Not 20 miles away, in Loveland, Colorado, a foot of snow fell over the course of two days. Maybe 2 inches fell at my place. One of the TV stations had a map showing where the snow was falling, and it was all over the place, except a narrow strip, and that turned out to be along the Big Thompson River where my house sits.

Might as put a label on the map: Home of Major Wild Fires in 2013. I was hoping the reason for the gap was the radar wasn't reaching into the canyon walls, but looking at the DOT road cameras confirmed that indeed, snow was not falling in my immediate area.

Here is what it looks like: the river is frozen over because it has been cold, but no snow on the ground.

I won't give up hope, though. March and April can be our wettest months, so we've got a chance of getting some moisture to start out the summer.

September on the Big Thompson

Lovely weather here in northern Colorado. The river is at a good height for fishing. That's our pumphouse. I drained the irrigation system yesterday, hope it's not too early in the year. Pray for rain!

Rocky Mountain National Park Bobcat

Bobcats are very shy, so I'm surprised this one sat still long enough to be photographed.

Winter on the Big Thompson