Rotary Park on the Animas River

 

Some boulders show a way to get down to the river, if I were maybe 15.

Fie on iPhone's plant identification! Fie! I'm pretty sure this is a form of Black Locust. One identifer wanted it to be Poplar or Cottonwood. They may be around here, but those are sure the wrong leaves!

And Rocky Mountain NPR just posted this...about this very park!

"DURANGO, Colo. — A green plant along the Animas River Trail caught Catherine Grillos’ attention. She bent down, pulled several leaves from the ground and held them up excitedly.

“Ha, there’s burdock over here,” Grillos said. “These are going to make the best pesto.”

Grillos, a forager and chef, sees ingredients where many people see weeds. She gathers plants around Durango and turns them into drinks, salads, crackers, ice cream and pesto.

A 2018 field guide by self-sufficiency author Caleb Warnock catalogs 437 edible wild plants across the Rocky Mountain West, including berries, roots, nuts, greens, flowers and seeds. The guide covers eight states, including Colorado and New Mexico.

At Rotary Park, Grillos pointed out plantain, clover and dandelions growing within a few feet of one another.

“Just where I’m sitting now, all this food is available,” she said. “And it’s free.”

Rotary Park is part of Durango’s Organically Managed Parks Program. The city maintains the park using organic fertilizers and herbicides instead of synthetic chemicals."

I admit to not planning to forage, but this is the fist park I've visited, so I love that it's organically sustained.

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Especially for AC!

My treasures

 Keeping the gold, looking to meet new friends...

One fabulous treasure in this lifetime has been my friend, Helen, who celebrated her 87th last week.

Another of my besties, Teresa, with her granddaughter Madison...remembering a picnic at Mt. Mitchell NC.

My Alpaca Peruvian shawl, here worn by me at my son Russ' wedding in 2000. It was packed and I thought lost, but I just rediscovered it at the bottom of a box. My youngest son, Tai, gave it to me on his return from a college trip to Peru. Huge sentimental value here! (I know, I very seldom have had a perm for my hair...it's a one off!)

Dragon wishes for a wonderful life for each of my readers!

 Tai working on his stuff, (preparing for teaching in a week) while I'm sitting at the desk in the corner by the window. Yep, my shoes are discarded, because my feet hurt! (Taken Thursday afternoon.)

I noticed how high the ceilings are here. (More later about this).

Looking  the other direction from the kitchen with the desk in that far corner, which is where I do most of my blogging, and reading other's publications! (Taken Friday morning.)

If you notice the bare walls, it's because we can't hang anything on them. No pictures! I have several boxes of them ready to hang, and now they'll just get put into tubs to store them. I'm glad I brought three tall bookcases with me, which give something high to look at along the wall. All the walls are plaster or concrete! So it's very quiet here, and I'm calling this my cave home. My tree-enclosed apartment in Black Mountain was named The Nest.

My son Russ suggests trying Command Strips. I've used them on wallboard walls, but these spackled plaster or concrete block ones may be a challenge.

Sharing with Tom's Tuesday Treasures!

I am especially glad of the divine gift of laughter; it has made the world human and lovable, despite all its pain and wrong.

W.E.B. DU BOIS

Sunday afternoon, after a lovely 59 degrees at dawn. I now have 2 times of day...go out before 11, then stay inside and close the blinds until 7:30 pm when the sun sets. Windows can open usually by midnight!

I wanted to try this coffee shop, but they were closed on Sunday when I drove by. The school building is Smiley and the coffee shop used to be called Smiley's...but now is Blue Wing.

Between my building at the corner of E. 3rd Ave and 14th St, and Blue Wing Coffee Shop in Smiley School building, is this lovely little old home.

I'll be sharing many of the beautiful old homes on E. 3rd Ave here in Durango.

Through the screen, 3 of the Four Firs I love to see each morning. So far I've seen crows and blue birds flying by. It's a hoot to see some fly to the roof right above my window...whoosh!

Monday murals

 Recently I captured two other photographer's work of different murals. So bringing them forward here...

In Asheville NC.

In Manitou Springs, CO

Some Monday soon I'll have some murals from Durango to share. As I drive slowly through town I see glimpses, and know I'll have to park and go see them closer to be able to share.

Connecting with Sami's Monday Murals.

I'll sneak in another photo that shows I'm trying different techniques taking my window photos.

Camera up against screen.

Enlarged view with camera against screen.

From yesterday, Sunday, Aug. 2, 2026 Below is the temperature at almost 4 pm. I hadn't been out since 10:45, when it was 76 degrees.

Today's quote:

Throw your dream into space like a kite, and you do not know what it will bring back, a new life, a new friend, a new love, or a new country. -Anais Nin, author (1903-1977)

I'm looking around

 

I think this is Hogsback Mountain...west of Durango, outside my windows at dawn (through the screens)

AC, is there any way I can get the phone camera to not bring the screens into the photos? Remember I just have an iPhone 12.

And Saturday I did a quick run to find my way to two spots I want to visit...the first one for Sunday!

There is at least one UU deer enjoying the hedges!

I also found that in the same neighborhood is the Senior Center. It's right next to the Senior High School...different kind of seniors!

I'll check it out soon!

And I've not been sharing many quotes lately. Did you miss them?

At some point in life, the world’s beauty becomes enough.

TONI MORRISON

Wildlife came across my path this week

Happy August to all! It's the birth month of 2 daughters-in-law, my second son, and his mother-in-law, and myself. Four Leos/one Virgo! Wheee!

Happy Lammas to those who celebrate first harvest!

Standing in my son's living room in southwest Colorado, I saw an unusual group of deer grazing on the wildflowers and enjoying the shade. (It was close to 100 degrees)

I thought it strange to have an older stag, a younger stag, and a doe walking along together.

Our dog was barking behind the glass, and the deer looked directly a the window for a bit, but then just did their thing.

A couple of more came along the road and they all took off.

Sharing with Saturday's Critters!

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Here in my new state of Colorado, I'm finding adjustment to three things...only one of which I tried to prepare for. Namely the thinner oxygen at elevation over a mile high. So  I am tube fed a bit of 02 constantly.

What I didn't expect was the time difference...two hours behind all the people I connect with in EDT on the east side of the US. 

And the biggie of the sun's brightness. A mile closer to the sun, thinner air...and it's glaringly brighter. Sunglasses and hat required outside...and just sitting at the computer, I've changed the brightness setting higher, in hopes I am able to see things on it compared to the glaring sunlight coming in the window. 

Mornings I try to have windows open, even at night if I wake after it cools around midnight. But by 2 pm it's in the 90s outside my west facing windows, so we close them up as well as the vertical blinds. But the light seeps in at the edges, and bothers me. Will I devise some kind of shading, or just get used to it's glare?

The life of Barb in Durango continues

The old photos!

 Hi to those who enjoy old photos, which we term Sepia...and weekly we gather whatever we wish to share on Saturday!

Yep I'm a day early, since I don't want to miss Saturday Critters, and it's pretty hard to find old photos that are also critters.

This is my Sepia Saturday contribution. 

A couple of artists, Frida Kahlo and …

BIG OOPS. I JUST LOOKED AT HIM AND THOUGHT WHAT’S PICASSO DOING WITH FRIDA?

My mistake thinking he was Diego Rivera!

I love portraits of the generations, but don't know who these women were.

I wasn't here for this pyramid of Heym family members.

On bottom is Norm DeWolfe, Doug Heym, and Rick Heym.

The ladies are Carolyn Heym and Sally Heym.

Top are my sons, Marty (brunette) and Russ (blond.)

My ex is Doug Heym. I took back my maiden name when we divorced.

The Sepia Saturday prompt.

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I am doing better, and slowly getting this "cave in Durango" to look nice and homey. Thanks totally to my son and his wife. They came and rearranged the furniture, then unloaded boxes to shelves, and went out to pick up lunch. 

I had a short nap, and found some of my blogs won't let me reply to comments. Hope that's temporary, because I do love the conversations that occur here...making this true social media.

At least I have ac which makes the 90+ temps each day bearable keeping it around 70 inside.

I went out for about a half hour this morning to a local grocery store, then drove back a different way. I can't wait to have the energy to drive around more and find what's where. So far I saw the court house and post office. And a health food store. The last and maybe the post office will be useful.

The little Durango-Silverton train (narrow gauge but full size cars) just whistled its way by. It passes several times a day...but not at night.

There are several engines pulling the trains, this one yesterday, while today an orange one did the job.

It looked like all the cars were open air, but different set-ups. Some trains had about 10 cars, some just 4...of the few that I've stopped to watch go by from my windows.

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PS, it's Colorado Day here...the 150th birthday of the state. So all I know about it is that the Animas Museum here in Durango is open free today. I don't think I'll make it to the museum today though.