Home for the Holidays

Fall Food

I always post when we're "somewhere more ________ than home," but in my effort to appreciate home as much as being on the road, today's post features two fall food photos: Pomegranates from a surprise tree I found in the empty lot near our Laguna house, and homemade challah loaves.

Craftiness

While I've been working at the theatre, John's been busy improving the cabin and building things. A few pics of his handiwork.

A bench and tables for enjoying the views from the porch.

New stair rails made from local wood. (Thanks, Matt!)

A garden bed. (Chipmunks ate the flowers though.)

 New doors and screen doors, painted and varnished. 

We hung this light fixture that is a family heirloom.

And, of course, a rack for our fishing rods.

Seeds of Change is almost open

This week found me in final rehearsals and production meetings for the Young Audience Outreach Tour. Here are some candid, less-than-flattering shots of what I hope to be a great tour to 30,000+ students, each one eager and attentive to learn about the environment and themselves.

Production meeting includes Mac on props, Harry designing lights, tour managers Heidi and Aaron, Ian the composer, Natalie on sound and our director Melissa, plus...

puppeteer Anna, producer Johamy and wardrobe mistress Elly.  

Below, Nick poses as Nanny Goat, dressed here for the top of the show. 

We rehearsed several times at the Creede gym to get a feel for what some of the venues will be like on the road.

Touchstone's hat features a tiny bird.

Costume designer Kate works with Elly to help Lyndi get into her sleeping cap.

Nick and Lyndi are eager to get started.

The tour hits the road on Monday, with Aaron, Nick and Lyndsi headed to the Southwest. Look for them in Laguna Beach in November!

PS For pics of the opening show, go to: www.lojosimon.com/seedsofchange

Shallow Creek Trail

Hike along Shallow Creek on a picture-perfect day-off:

The water is so clear and the aspen bark so white against the blue sky.

The alpine views never disappoint.

 
Wildflowers are still in bloom along the trail...

... but here and there, aspens are beginning to turn as the weather gets colder. 

This morning, temps were in the high 30s. 

By the time we went out around 10 am, it was 57 degrees on the car thermometer, 

and by the time we finished hiking, we were stripping off our sweaty shirts in 75-degree sunshine.

Evidence of wildlife is abundant here. Giant beaver dams cause stream water to pool and quiet alongside picked-over elk carcasses.

 

With less than three weeks left before we head back to Laguna, we're already feeling a little nostalgic about having to leave behind all this beauty.

Seeds of Change

What brought us to Colorado? Rehearsal for Creede Repertory Theatre's Young Audience Outreach Tour of SEEDS OF CHANGE by me, with music by Ian LeRoy. Here are a few early rehearsal pix, starting with Michael and Nick. Since we have two tours, we have two casts: Michael and Ezinne ("Azy") tour Colorado and Kansas, while Nick and Lyndsi tour the Southwest.

The artistic team, led by Melissa Firlit, gathers for the first read-thru.

Azy and Lyndsi both play the role of Rosey Kate.

Ian, composer and music director, offers notes.

Costume designer Kate Mott shares an image of Rosey Kate's birthday dress.

And we have puppets! Puppeteer Anna shows the actors how to manipulate Ferdinand, the swordfish.

Azy and Michael practice choreography.

Lyndsi and Nick have a moment.

Continental Divide

Monday was a day off from rehearsal and a day out along the Continental Divide, which is about 20 miles from our cabin along Highway 149.

At the turnoff for Continental Reservoir, we stopped to say hello to some grazing cows. This one took a brief break from nursing to stare back at us.

And this one is The Laughing Cow!

I think this guy just wanted to make trouble.

 The Continental Divide Trail runs for more than 3,000 miles from Mexico to Canada. We only hiked a mile or so of it, but where we hiked it in the La Garita Wilderness, it runs for about 70 miles at about 11,000 feet.

A few other highlights of the day included spotting a Dusky Grouse and a Swainson's Hawk. John's been diligent about photographing all the many birds we've seen this summer, so be on the lookout for a bird-specific blog post soon.

Nature All Around Us

We had a hard rain last night, so today was the perfect day to explore some new nearby water features. We started out at Brown Lake, so named because the water is muddy and filled with algae. Despite the water color, the lake is perfectly picturesque as it reflects the cloudy sky.

The rain has helped the wildflowers bloom...

And greened up views in all directions.

Across from Brown Lake, John spotted our first waterfall of the day.

We hiked up to the top -- more like a rock scramble.

The steep hike was more than worth the effort.

And as much as I felt guilty for desecrating nature, we added our mark to this trail, which is apparently no less than a lover's lane in the wilderness.

From Brown Lake, we crossed the highway to discover South Clear Creek Falls.

The mist from the falls is cooling, and resilient plants spring forth from rocky cliffs.

The falls were so peaceful and relaxing.

Another perfect outing in Creede!