I've been spending my online time getting information about the Hurricane Ivan damage in Lower Alabama . That is a favorite vacation destination for us and we have lots of wonderful memories of warm Gulf waters in September, squeezing a few more weeks out of summer after the beaches empty. I check in on local topics at a Gulf Shores board from time to time to see what is going on. Most of the conversation lately has been about the elections and the planned development of the area. Some were heatedly against it but the city councils seemed intent on plowing ahead with condo on the water. One 40 story condo was planned - most are 3-15 stories tall.

Now, so much of it is gone or ruined. This is where we always stayed. The pool is not there.

I'm beginning to understand "Gone" in a new way.

Yesterday the drumming monk walked by my house, singing this time. Either there is something Very Significant about his return or maybe he just lives nearby.

This morning, I saw my breath on the porch outside. I was standing there next to it. I'm not ready for cool or cold weather but there is a seduction going on in the way the air is cooler and easy to breathe, the flowers are brilliant, and the shadows are getting longer. I'm being lured into a new season that it hard to resist.

I am a man, and whatever concerns humanity is of interest to me.

Terence
Roman comic dramatist (185 BC - 159 BC)

Found Magazine:
we collect FOUND stuff: love letters, birthday cards, kids' homework, to-do lists, ticket stubs, poetry on napkins, telephone bills, doodles- anything that gives a glimpse into someone else's life. anything goes...

Ahhh....

There are 2 fawns relaxing in our yard outside the back door. This is one of the benefits of living 4 blocks from the first eastern wrinkle of the Rocky Mountains.

I thought I noticed an area of the garden that was used for bedding recently.

I used to frequent the Astronomy Picture of the Day but after a while, got bored with planets, stars and gases and pictures of places I won't get back to for a long time. But hey! I just found the
Earth Science Picture of the Day and I like what I see. Today's was about a Lenticular and Cumulus Cloud duo. How cool is that? I figure if you're going to be here for a while, learn about the area, right?

I saw winter today. Several months ago, we booked a couple of rooms in Vail to see Lance Armstrong at a pro cycling race. The race was cancelled and our reservations could not be, so Sweetie and I took a couple of days off to ride up I-70. We've always whizzed by Vail on our way to Glenwood Springs Hot Springs Pool but never stayed there. It's fine. Reminded me a little of the European parts of Disneyworld, but it's fine. The walk along the creek is nice.
Last night we went to sleep to rain and woke up to a dusting of snow but going over Vail Pass we saw real winter. Not just a dusting of snow on the the evergreens, but a couple of inches on the ground. It cleared out a bit but picked up again at the Eisenhower Tunnel.
Luckily, the sun came out as we rolled into home sweet home.