Simple pleasures

 Laundry room.

There's a lovely commons room with big couches and chairs...and outside the windows you can see it was still a cool 80...due to get to 100 again that day!

Some people were outside chatting, but few came inside this big room. 

There are always a few smokers in their designated shady area.

I sat while the washers were going, but as soon as the hour long driers started, I went back upstairs. For the same price I got 15 minutes more of drying time, but perhaps the temperature is a bit lower, because everything was just right when my first laundry was finished. Except I had to fold and hang up things still!

My son, Tai, says the highest peak is Heron Peak. I'm not tired of taking pictures of it yet...sorry if you are tired of seeing them!

Sharing with Thankful Thursday

Cortez Balloon Fest

 

In the quiet of Sunday morning, a whoosh whoosh sound breaks the peace...as two hot air balloons traveled effortlessly across the canyons of Cortez above my son's home last Sunday morning. Photo by Tai Rogers.

Due to erratic winds, the floats were canceled on Saturday morning. The rest of these photos are from the internet.

Friday night had been a glow fest, as well as a drone air show.

Sharing with Wordless Wednesday (almost)

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Update on moving anxieties...

I've daily looked for a letter regarding North Carolina stopping my medicaid coverage, so I could officially apply for it here in Colorado...which will help with paying my drug costs.

But no letters have come even with the little yellow stickers of my forwarding address. I may get few bills by mail these days, but now living here past 2 weeks, I am a bit worried. 

So I'll go to the post office tomorrow and see what might be hanging things up.

If it's not one thing...

The good news is that I received a refund of most of my deposit money from my old apartment ..less the mandatory cost of carpet cleaning. When I moved in 11 years ago they had just laid new carpet down, so it stands to reason it needed it. However, that wasn't the policy when I moved in.  

Now to go bank shopping to deposit the check somewhere here.

Exploring in the neighborhood

 The Durango Public Library

Early photo from the internet shows the back of the building, next to the Animas River

The path behind the flowers goes along the river.

The Animas River just visible through the fence to the right.

Internet photo with small trees of the entrance to the library

Taken Aug 8, 2026, the sign is hard to see behind the trees.

Someone was working on these garden features in front of the library.

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I saw an interesting talk was to be given by zoom as well as in person on Sat. afternoon, about early Spanish explorers in this area looking for a good route to California. I signed up for the zoom, but the sound quality left a lot to be desired. And I was glad to not have gone in person to hear the talk, as they handed out fans to everyone because of the heat.

I'll visit this museum when it's cooler!

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Down the street I saw this:

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This photo is from the internet.

There is a Farmer's Market which closes off Main Ave. Saturday morning. I almost went to it...but would have had to climb a steep hill to my car after I was tired, so decided to try it some other Saturday.

I'm good driving around, while breathing with my portable oxygen generator...and can walk a little ways carrying it. This old bod is working to acclimate to the altitude. Plus the air quality has been moderate to poor, getting worse in evenings. Fires and ozone levels are what are reported on the warnings.

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I saw the La Plata County Fairgrounds, and nearby the very big Durango Community Recreation Center

I had a lovely fun visitor outside my window as I composed this on Sunday morning. A female (or juvenile) hummingbird looked in the closed window...at herself in the reflection perhaps. She flew towards the glass, checking it out, then moved on to the next window in the building. I hope she finds some nectar, probably a bit further down than the 4th floor of a brick building!

Sharing with Tuesday's Treasures!

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And speaking of Tom, who frequently shares posts from Rochester NY...I just wanted to mention a newsletter I read (daily?) 

Keith Kron from Keith Kron What Really Matters <keithkron@substack.com>

Keith is a UU minister, who recently moved to Rochester. His comments Monday had to do with how friendly the people are, and different cultures in different cities. 

"In Rochester, the majority of people out on a walk say hello. Or at least nod. That’s not the case in Providence. I’ve been thinking about why.

My continued experience having been to all 50 state and Puerto Rico, ten Canadian provinces, and ten countries is that people are people. It doesn’t matter where you are. Once you get to know them, this is easier to see...."

Now I should watch and form my own opinion of the level of friendliness in Durango, my new home.

 

East by Southwest

 A Japanese restaurant was the chosen site for a combo birthday and thank-you dinner for my son and his wife.

Dinner at the East by Southwest restaurant last night was super. I had tempura shrimp and veggies, Tai had vegetarian sushi, and Kendra had duck spring rolls (I got one) and Ramen with pork. That was after mojitos and edamame and beet fries. We left nary a crumb!  

A trash photo perhaps. I was anticipating delicious food, and my blackberry mojito (without spirits.)

The restaurant was pretty close to where I now live in Durango. My son and his wife often come here to take visitors out to dinner. They say they have a good Mexican and Thai restaurant in Cortez, where they live about 46 miles west of here. We stopped and picked up ice cream to take to the apartment where I served brownies a la mode for desert. (Regular vanilla ice cream!)

Then Tai and Kendra flattened more boxes and took them out for recycling. It makes the place begin to look like its lived in.

A nearby grocery with organic produce.

Yesterday I felt like I was coming down with something. But my son hooked me into his Netflix so I watched Remarkably Bright Creatures...or whatever it is with Sally Field. So lovely. 

So I took it easy, didn't do much, lots of lying around and eating tiny meals. That's what the body seemed to want.