poetry

buying cold

buying cold

she tells me doubtfully
it’s pretty dark
it’s back in the trees
that area holds onto snow

I grin

she suggests a different place
now this place over here –
this one’s sunny and bright
dry (but windy)
it melts out a lot earlier

I explain patiently
we’re looking for a little refrigerator
where we can escape the Plains
cold and wet is what we want

a place where all the PurpleAir disks glow green
where snow is measured in feet
where water sits right below the surface
ready to douse a spark

where the aspen are plump with sap
and the spring’s gushing never slows
a place to counter glare and ash and salmon skies
numb to the mercury’s fever

poetry

Thunder Pass

Thunder Pass

we go to the mountains
to be awed
humbled by all the creations
more beautiful than ourselves
violet-blue delphinium
rose-pink queen’s crown
Snow Lake gleaming blue-grey
in midday sun
midway between summer and fall

we fall hopelessly in love
with big spaces
uncontrollable forces
feeling tiny and peaceful
blissfully letting go
of the illusion of control

we put one foot in front of the other
trusting the path
open to anything
thankful for each wondrous bit
of color light sound being
that passes our way

poetry

even as the cities burn, beauty

even as the cities burn, beauty

on the little peak
in the warm late afternoon light
aspen leaves fired green
hermit thrushes burbling
clouds silhouetting the Divide
my heart empty
and body whole
in a welcoming place
I couldn’t stop saying aloud
it’s all so beautiful

poetry

Jumbo Mountain Speaks

Jumbo Mountain Speaks

come rest your weariness
here on these hard rocks
with a stiff wind
that will buffet your body
proving the heart
entombed in your aching chest
still beats

face west
toward the long white wall of peaks
back to the cities
the fires the glass
those are fights for another hour

feel your hardness
drain into the rocks beneath your palms
your porous bones no match
for their fixed crystals
you were not meant for this
a soft bleeding body
that weeps water, not ice

just sit and be
while the wind works its way into you
until your rage flickers out
and there’s a new space
between your ribs

I know what it’s like
to feel your heart mined out
set upon by pickaxes
swarmed by the rapacious
proving up on false claims
of their right to strip the world
of whatever life they like

and I know
how to lie still
every night
and stare unblinking
into quiet stillness
until my shoulders ease

it takes a long time
for the ore to lose its currency
the forest to gain a voice
and the scars to grow over
but you can see
all the little aspen now
their young leaves
fizzing with joy
reminding you
that evil subsides
when value systems
shift

poetry

solstice, mountains

solstice, mountains

on almost-the-longest-day
we walk in sun for hours
scoop snow with our bare hands
cradle an unexpected bit of home
that puts December right

our sons confirm
we are mountain people
at home in the big bare peaks
where you easily see where you’ve been
and have a good view of where you’re going
here you can read the weather well
just by glancing up into unobstructed blue
all the way round the rough horizon
the high point of the peak is unequivocal:
you’ve absolutely reached your goal
standing there silently
we trace the ribbon of trail
all the way back home

photography

Hummingbirds to Mountains

Yesterday we got our first consistent hummingbird visitors to the feeder, and despite the fact that they were females (female hummingbirds are often unidentifiable) I was able to determine that they were Broad-tailed Hummingbirds through the use of photography. Later in the day, we were also presented with the most wonderful sunset color over the mountains. This light gold background provided many opportunities for photography. Here are some of the best photos.

This is the first photo of the female Broad-tailed Hummingbird. The feeder wire got in the way a bit, but you can still see the bird.
In this photo you can see the small white eye-ring, which separates the female Broad-tailed from the female Rufous Hummingbird.
The sunset was incredible, with the light touch of gold shining on the snow of the mountains.
The mountains are in a period that is perfect for photography, where there is still plenty of snow yet rocks are exposed, giving the mountains craggy, unforbidding looks.
The clouds lit up too, and in this photo you can imagine a giant cosmic Leonardo Da Vinci painting the background for this event.
The trees also provide nice photos, looking through the tangled branches on to soft gold light.
photography

Mountains and Butterbutts

First of all, I want to apologize for making this a late post, but a lot of things were happening yesterday. Anyway, two days ago we were out on the deck, and I realized that the light on the mountains was wonderful. It seems like the light on the mountains is always wonderful, and I could take hundreds of pictures of this single view, but I took some more. Also, I observed some small birds flitting around the house, and I managed to get some photos. I determined the birds to be Yellow-rumped Warblers, which we birders call “Butterbutts” in response to the name. The photos aren’t the best, but here they are.

This is the photo of the Yellow-rumped Warbler. It is not very good, but you can see the yellow throat and the bluish-gray back.
This is one view of the mountains with the light on the top and ridge of the peaks.
Here is a zoomed-out view of the valley and the mountains.
Here is a close-up view of this mountain, which is actually unnamed.
The light on the mountains at this time was just wonderful
The clouds above the mountains provided wonderful patterns and lighting.
photography

Gray Jays and Mountains

Yesterday we went on a short hike up the road near our cabin, and we observed the first Gray Jays of the trip! These birds are very intelligent, familiar, and are actually the national bird of Canada! They are somewhat common at high elevations, and are also called Canada Jays and “camp robbers” because they have recognized campsites as sources of food and steal food from the occupants. Also during the day the clouds over the mountains parted and created apparent pools of light on the mountainsides. Here are the photos!

Gray Jays are very trusting, and this one flew up to the sundial on the deck right in front of me!
This jay took almost no notice of me, as it was busy foraging.
For some reason, this jay was did not seem to notice the sundial, which made me think that they are commonly seen here, even though this was our first sighting.
After perching on the sundial, the jay flew down to the snow and actively foraged for seeds.
In this photo, the jay was successful in finding some food.
We continuously have a wonderful view from the deck, but the soft light enhanced the photographic opportunities.
These mountains are unnamed, but you can see on the left the slope rising up to Homestake Peak.
The green blanket of forest transitions surprisingly quickly from dense trees to snow and rocks on the slopes of these mountains.
This is the most complete view of the mountains from the deck in this sequence, and you can see Homestake Peak on the left and a the trees near our cabin in the foreground.
poetry

meringue mountains

meringue mountains

the black peaks sport a smooth white mantle
glossy in afternoon sun
the texture of whipped egg whites
not yet baked to toasty brown
cornices stretch along ridges
like pulled marshmallow cream

from here the slopes seem airbrushed smooth
but put yourself there
stung by angular crystals
blasted by wind with nothing in its way
all sculpted and smoothed
by a chisel and hand
we’re too small to see

photography

Sunset and Turquoise Lake Ice

As you saw on the Rambles page, we went on a walk near Turquoise Lake yesterday. The shoreline was coated with lots of ice, providing several photographic opportunities, such as ice shards, minute cracks, and flowing water. Then, near the end of the day, we had a wonderful sunset, just above the mountains, providing more photos. Here are some of my best photos from both events.

A lizard-shaped hole in the ice at Turquoise Lake revealed water flowing down the shore to the lake.
Not all of the water was iced over; in several places there were mini-rivers, often with very nice reflections and red-colored sand underneath.
Due to the profusion of ice, we found many piles of ice shards, like small icicles, that made a very pleasing sound as they rubbed against each other.
From the cabin, we had an amazing sunset just over the mountains.
The sunset was blueish, purple, pink, and orange at the same time.
The darkness of the mountains was very nicely offset by the soft sunset light.