Along Piney Creek

On a hunch this morning, 

I took a walk down to the creek bed, 

and there he was:  

the beautiful six point buck 

that has been gracing our neighborhood these past few weeks.

I followed him quietly through the park that follows Piney Creek.  

Patches of snow still linger in the shadowed places from the snowfall last weekend.

Piney Creek Trail winds downstream along Piney Creek 

from the Ponderosa Preserve to Red-Tailed Hawk Park.  

It is one of the many trails and parks in Aurora, Colorado, 

and it is a rare day that wildlife cannot be spotted.

I have walked here hundreds of times with my camera ready!

Male mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus) usually show up in the park during the fall.  

Does and their young can be spotted throughout the year.

These deer get their name from their large mule-like ears.

Locals often refer to these deer as "muleys."

  

Even when you can't spot deer feeding or bedded down, 

you can nearly always find their two-toed tracks.

Mule deer are among a number of groups of mammals included in the ungulates,
mammals that have hooves.
Muleys have an even number of toes, and they belong to the Order Artiodactyla.

  

Deer move on the tips of their toes and are fast and agile.

While males can run, they are often seen pronking or slotting 

which means landing on all four feet at once.

Colorado's prolonged drought has left many bare and sandy spots in the park.

Sometimes mule deer are called black-tailed deer.

Their cousins, the white-tailed deer, are found most often to the east of the Rocky Mountains, 

while muleys are found to the west of the Mississippi River.

Mule deer have much larger ears than white-tailed deer, 

and their tails are tipped in black unlike the white-tailed deer.

The mule deer is also larger than its cousin with a height of 31 - 42 inches (80 -106 cm.) at the shoulders and 3.9 - 6.9 feet (1.2 - 2.1m.) from head-to-tail (including the tail).

Adult males average 200 pounds (92 kg.)

as reported in Wikipedia:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mule_deer

As fall slides into winter, the park seems empty.

Whenever I see these cottonwood branches naked against the sky, 

I think of Shakespeare's Sonnet 73:  

"Bare ruined choirs, where late the sweet birds sang."

Male mule deer have bifurcated antlers, 

meaning the antlers fork as they grow.
  

Their white-tailed cousins have antlers that branch 

from a single, main antler or beam.

Male muleys shed their antlers in late winter after mating season and begin growing new ones almost immediately.
  

The males use their antlers during the fall rut or mating season 

to compete for females.
  

Does usually give birth to two fawns in the spring. 

The fawns stay with their mothers until they are weaned in the fall.

Mule deer forage on weeds and the leaves and twigs of woody shrubs.

  

They usually don't eat a lot of grass, 

but I have observed muleys devouring new grass after a hungry winter.

When snow and ice cover their usual sources of food, 

the mule deer's metabolism will slow, 

allowing them to survive in an environment with less food.

Depending on the season, mule deer will also eat berries, apples, nuts, and conifers.

They will also supplement their diets with landscaped plants and trees around houses.

The main predators of mule deer in our area are coyotes and mountain lions.

Some are killed when they attempt to cross roads and highways.

Humans are a also a main predator.

Mule deer can hear very faint sounds.

They have excellent peripheral vision, but they do not spot motionless objects well.

Mule deer depend on their strong sense of smell to detect danger.

They also depend on their natural camouflage and alertness to avoid predators.

Mule deer are most active during dawn and dusk.

During the middle of the day, they like to bed down in protected areas near water and forage.

I am always excited to spot the silhouette of muley ears camouflaged in tall grasses or brush!

 

Sadly, Colorado and other western states are seeing declines 
in their mule deer populations.

The cause of their decline is not known for certain, 

but it is probably a combination of severe winters and drought, habitat loss with increasing development, and the fragmentation of migration corridors.

Predation may also contribute to decreasing numbers of muleys.

Sportsmen, wildlife managers, and conservation organizations are working together throughout the west to stop the decline in mule deer populations.

It would be tragic to lose this beautiful, gentle species.

as reported in The Denver Post:  http://www.denverpost.com/outdoors/ci_20630849/colorado-among-states-struggling-stop-decline-mule-deer  

007 Payback

Sometimes payback is a B#$^&,
and sometimes it's pure pleasure.

Two weeks ago Terry took me to see Cloud Atlas 

with the understanding that I'd go to a movie of his choosing next.  

He picked the latest 007 movie, Skyfall. 

Like this was tough duty!

  

I was reading Ian Fleming before the Bond movies hit the theaters.

My first Bond movie was Goldfinger

and, as a very young teen, 

I was completely entranced with the myth of Jill Masterson dying 

from asphyxiation in a coat of gold paint.

I have enjoyed many 007 adventures since.
This movie did not disappoint!

Skyfall is a must see!

The movie is a spy action thriller, but it transcends the genre and becomes a compelling drama with well-defined characters whose struggles hook you from the beginning.

The movie begins with James Bond and another agent trying to recover a stolen M16 hard drive containing the identities of NATO agents working undercover in terrorist groups.  If they cannot recover the hard drive, the covert agents will be identified and killed.

The mastermind behind the theft is Raoul Silva.  He is a former M16 agent who has a personal vendetta against M, the head of M16, the British spy agency.  Raoul strikes with escalating cyber and physical attacks on M16 headquarters.  Bond's assignment is to stop Silva.

M16 Headquarters
     http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Secret_Intelligence_Service_building_from_Vauxhall_Cross_-_geograph.org.uk_-_1011946.jpg

Silva is not the only the only challenge for Bond and M.  They are both struggling with age and relevance in changing times.  It is a conflict between the old and the new, with the future direction of M16 at stake.

The opening chase scene will leave you breathless!

It gives motorcycle tricks and fist fights on train tops new meaning; 

and a plunge into deep water descends 

into a dark and symbol-rich subconscious.

It sets the tone for action throughout the movie.

Aston Martin DB5 Stunt Car Used in Skyfall

http://pads.ph/?p=802

The cinematography captures you from the beginning.  

The film is visually gorgeous from Istanbul, to Shanghai, London, and Scotland.

The action is juxtaposed against unforgettable images:

tumbling oranges in a crowded bazaar, 

tiled roofs, 

a biting shovel,

a pool of blue in a dark sky, 

pulsating electric jellyfish, 

fire floating on water, 

a komodo dragon pit, 

a darkly luxurious casino 

where men menace in tuxedoes and women entice in sleek gowns,

rain lashing over gloomy gray buildings,

cold, sere, bleak moors.

The action cuts across quiet, tense moments:  

sexy, fear-laden, deadly.

The conversation is sparse and subtle, 

but colored with double entendre and wit.

Not a word is wasted.

   

The cast is excellent!

Daniel Craig is James Bond, an older, injured 007. 

Still powerful, unflappable, sexy, experienced, with the skills to meet any challenge.

Daniel Craig
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:DanielCraigOrangeBritishAcademyFilmAwards07.jpg

Judi Dench is M, the head of M16.

Strong, cool, terse, and able to take the heat for her toughest calls.

Judi Denchhttp://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Judi_Dench_at_the_BAFTAs_2007.jpg

Javier Bardem is the villain Raoul Silva.

Creepy, hypnotic, a cat toying with mice in its claws.

Javier Bardem
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Javier_Bardem_%28Berlin_Film_Festival_2007%29.jpg

Add in Naomie Harris (Eve Moneypenny), 

Ben Whishaw (Q), 

Bérénice Marlohe (Séverine), 

and Ralph Fiennes (Gareth Mallory), 

and you have a winning mix of characters you will not forget.

I thoroughly enjoyed this movie on many levels.
I'm just going to have to see it again.

IMAX Cinema, Waterloo
http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/3178538

And in case you wondered.
I did not bring a hotdog in my purse to the theater.
I've climbed up a steep learning curve.
Slap the STUBS and credit card on the snack counter.
Order the Producer's Pick (last weeks Manager's Special):
two very good hotdogs and a large cola
with a small popcorn upsized to a medium
in a carrier.

What's another $22 bucks?  Afterall,
it covers a souvenir Twilight bag and a Hobbit cup.  

Iceberg Alley Labrador

When people think of Iceberg Alley, they usually think of St. Anthony, Newfoundland.

St. Anthony, Newfoundland

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Anthony,_Newfoundland_and_Labrador

But this small town is only one spot along the alley.  

Icebergs and floes sweep down from Northern Canada and Greenland, 

past the coast of Labrador,

and along the eastern coast of Newfoundland 

from the tip of the Great Northern Peninsula 

to Torbay and St. John's on the Avalon.

In 2011, when I finally had the opportunity to realize my dream of visiting Iceberg Alley, my husband, two of my sisters, and I chased icebergs in and out of little coves in Labrador.

But first we had to get there!

One way is to take a ferry from St. Barbe, Newfoundland, 

across the Straight of Belle Isle, to Blanc Sablon, Quebec.

(Dramamine recommended, if you get seasick like me.)

This takes about one hour and forty-five minutes, depending on weather and ice conditions.

That's crossing the water time, not waiting in line to board the ferry, boarding, and exiting!

Essence of a Newfoundlander!

Waiting in line for a ferry can be tedious, but you'd be surprised at what you can spot!

I love this shot because it captures the spirit of a Newfoundlander.

Newfies are practical to their bone marrow.

And they make the most of any situation.

Into the Belly of the Whale

It's not as hard as it looks!
It used to be much more difficult to drive your car onto the ferries of old.

Lots of people head immediately for a warm breakfast.
(L to R:  me, Terry, Barb, Bertie)




Life Rafts with The Great Northern Peninsula on the Horizon



You think it can't happen!

My sisters have been stuck in ice for several days on a crossing
from Nova Scotia to Newfoundland.

Some of my cousins were put out on the ice until helicopters could rescue the passengers.
That time the ship did not go down!


But the M. V. William Carson, a ferry I sailed on a number of times,

sank in 500 feet of water not that far from where I took this picture of the life rafts.


Rumor has it that the storied William Carson carried 4,000 cases of beer to the bottom.
Rumor also has it that many a Newfie has spent time scheming how to salvage that beer!

I ALWAYS know where the life rafts are!

First Labrador Iceberg!

I'm not sure which was more exciting:  spotting the iceberg or getting close to Labrador!

 A closer look!

Blanc Sablon, Quebec

Turn left to go deeper into Quebec.
Turn right for Labrador.
We turned right!

And it is a Big Land!

Scratch another item off that Bucket List.
I am finally standing on solid ground in Labrador!

Iceberg in Forteau, Labrador


On the Hunt in an Empty Land

Iceberg in the Straight of Belle Isle
The Great Northern Peninsula on the Horizon

Bunchberry or Creeping Dogwood
with Granite

Red Bay, Labrador

Today Red Bay is fishing village.
As early as 1550 it was a major Basque whaling area.
On-land and underwater archeological discoveries in Red Bay
have established it as a major site
for understanding Basque whaling activities during the 1500s.


Caribou Lichen

Tracey Hill Walking Trail

If you're game, you can climb 670 steps over 1,436 meters

 to reach the top of Tracey Hill, some 150 meters above Red Bay.

This vantage point has been used over the centuries

to spot whales, seals, birds, icebergs, and ice floes,

as well as ships and planes during wars.

We were able to see some large icebergs and floes 

from the top of Tracey Hill overlooking Red Bay.

A hot cup of coffee would have been great after a 2.9 kilometer hike 

to the top of  Tracey Hill and back!

But the closest Timmies is a 596 kilometer drive over dirt road to Labrador City 

(The pavement ends in Red Bay). 

Alternatively, you could go to St. Anthony, a shorter 250 kilometer drive,

 as well as a 1 hour and 45 minute ferry ride, 

not including waiting, boarding, and exiting!

We settled for coffee on the Apollo, an adventure in itself!

(The computer defeats me!  
I can't get my photo and text centered - nor the text the right size.
C'est la vie!)

This is so not American!

Pinware River

This river is renowned as a site for Atlantic salmon fly-fishing.

Civic Pride!

The Ferry Comes for the Return Trip

Good-Bye Labrador!

Je Me Souviendrai Toujours!

I will come back!

You Tube:  Icebergs Newfoundland and Labrador (1:18)

Building Bridges to Nowhere

Black Forest, Colorado

A number of years ago,

Sunrise got a new principal, Eric,

and he took our staff 

to La Foret 

for some team building experiences.

http://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.

phpsearch=Black+Forest

%2C+Colorado&title=Special%3ASearch

La Foret is a conference and retreat center

located in the beautiful dark ponderosa pines 

of the Black Forest near Colorado Springs.

Prairie Bluebells

Mertensia lanceolata

Black Forest, Colorado

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:

Mertensia_lanceolata,_Black_Forest,_CO.jpg

We had to do things 

like 

stand on the top of telephone poles,

climb big trees, 

and walk on tightropes.

This was a source of considerable angst 

among those of us who did not like heights!

Hanging on for Dear Life!

http://commons.wikimedia.or

/wiki/File:Treehugger.j

I managed

with a lot of tears,

shaking,

and the help of

incredibly supportive teammates.

We also played games and completed some problem solving exercises. 

One such problem solving exercise my team did 

I'll call Building Bridges to Nowhere 

(since I can't remember the actual name).

This exercise involved getting a team of seven or eight people 

from a base out to the last of
a series of three wooden islands built in a large meadow.

The facilitator gave us two long narrow boards 

which we then had to use to get all of our team 

from the base to the farthest wooden island.


The challenge was to do it
without a board
or any team member's foot
touching the ground.

The facilitator was there to observe our progress.



http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Picea_abies_old_boards_on_a_barn.JPG

Well, with a lot of giggling, shouting,
and close hugs on skinny boards,
we made it to the last island!

The facilitator gathered us around her on the ground for a debrief.
The gist of the conversation went like this:

F:  I have facilitated this exercise many times, and I have never seen anything like this.

T:  Damn!  Not only are we gooOOD, we are original!
      High fives all around!  ^5!  ^5! ^5!

F:  I work mostly with corporate groups;
     although I worked with at least one high school group.                
     You are the first elementary teachers I've had the opportunity to work with.

T:  Woop!  Woop!  ^5!  ^5!  ^5!

F:  Corporate participants always begin by sitting down and making a plan.
     You didn't even have a brief discussion.
     Let alone make a plan.
     You just grabbled the boards and started piling on them to the first island.

T:  That's how it is when you're elementary teachers!  You're always working on the fly!

F:  A group of executives will appoint a leader
     who will direct each team member on what to do.
     You did not have a leader.

T:  We're all in this together!  Woop!  Woop!  ^5!  ^5!  ^5!

F:  You were supposed to get to the last island without anyone's foot touching the ground.
      Says she, giving you-know-who the LOOK.

Moi, Thinking:  It's not like I fell on the ground!  
        I pulled that foot back on the board as soon as I felt a whisker of a grass blade!

T, Looking at moi.  You did your best!  That's all we ask!  ^5!  ^5!  ^5!

Moi, Thinking:  I love my teammates!  
         We have each others backs!
         No corporate backstabbers here!
         ^5!  ^5!  ^5!

F.  Now engineers are interesting.
     Not only will they make a plan and appoint a leader,
     they'll carefully examine the two boards,
     measure them, and
     discuss how to use leverage, force, and momentum
     to achieve their goal.

The Plan

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Fases_VE.jpg

F, Continuing:  I'm not sure any of you realized the two boards were different lengths.

T.  What?  

      (The team grabs the boards and stands them up side by side.) 

      OMG!  They are different lengths!  Who knew?

      (Looks are exchanged all around.   ?  ?  ?)

      "Hey," says one, "We made it to the last island!  

      That's what we do!  

      We elementary teachers get it done!"

      Woop!  Woop!  ^5!  ^5!  ^5! 

F.  I'll grant you that.  

     It may have been ugly,

     and you didn't follow all the rules,

     (looks at moi),

     but you all did pile onto the last island - 

     quite noisily.

T/F:  Smiles all around.
        A successful problem solving exercise!  

         Woop!  Woop!  ^5!  ^5!  ^5!

Now you, patient reader, 

may wonder where this is all going.

This is the perfect analogy 

for my blog and me.

I am an intuitive, daring 

elementary teacher (retired!)

who does not hesitate 

to leap into the unknown!

http://commons.wikimedia.org/

wiki/File:Leaping_Lizards_Silhouette.png 

That's how I started my blog,
and that's how I lost it!

Consequently,
I spent a lot of fruitless time
trying to find it.
Elementary teachers love
natural consequences!

I am now ready to confess where I found it:

Open gmail.
Go across the choices to MORE.
Click on more.
Scroll down to Blogger.
Click on Blogger.


Le voilà!
My blog!
Oh là là!


I could save myself a lot of grief if I looked a little before I leaped,
maybe channeled my brother, The Engineer, more.

But that is not my nature.

Fortunately, as I've gone through this process of learning to blog,
Some super people have had my back.

Many thanks to Sophie Doodle, Ron, and Jim!
Ever-patient and ready with answers.
http://fromsophiesview.blogspot.com/    and    http://jabacue.blogspot.com/

And to the EP-guy
who has never failed to have my back in thirty years,
Über thanks!

Even though he did say to me,
when I was writing The Sinking of the HMS Bounty,
"You might as well write about a shipwreck,
since you are one."

I had been neglecting a few things.
I was in the flow!

Love you, Babe!