Ornithologist's Nightmare in Idaho/GIA song

I have been listening to the song "Idaho" by Gregory Alan Isakov. Great musician with a confusing and hard name to remember.  His lyrics are brilliant:




When I was typing in "Idaho" this article caught my ornithological eye...

The video is graphic if you are bothered by images of a bunch of dead birds.  Avian Cholera is suspected but all I can think of is the fact that this must have scared the people near the place where this tragedy happened.

Manitou Cliff Dwelling Pictures: Colorado Springs, Colorado: Tiny Cliff Houses

Here is a picture I took of the porch.  I was impressed with this place, but found out later that it was moved here from its original location.

One of the highlights of the tourist traps in Colorado Springs would have to be the Manitou Cliff Dwellings. These ancient dwellings are over 700 years old and were moved to this place in 1907. The dwellings are authentic and were moved to this place from SW Colorado so they could be preserved.
 It is a small place with even smaller doors. I commented that the Anasazi must have been a tiny based upon their door openings.  The cool thing about visiting this place right after a large snow storm is being able to escape the crowds.  We were the only people visiting the place and got a chance to explore the dwellings without having to deal with any other people. The workers at the park were busy clearing the ice from the sidewalks, but the sun was doing a good job on its own.  The workers kept warning us to be careful on the ice, but little did they know we are from Minnesota, and dealing with ice is a reality at least six months out of the year. It was easy to see that the cold and snow are pretty rare in this part of Colorado.  Here is a picture of some of the details I found interesting while visiting the cliff houses.

Check out the homemade window bars made from tree branches
.

Here is a picture of the kiva. 

Pikes Peak, Colorado Springs, Colorado pictures

I visited Colorado a few weeks ago and wanted to add some more pictures from the trip. The drive up to Pike's Peak was fun and a little bit nerve racking. As a lowlander from Brainerd, Minnesota, I still get sweaty palms when dealing with heights.  But I will admit that I am much more comfortable dealing with heights associated with natural structures when compared to dealing with tall buildings or other human made structures.

Here is a picture of me standing by the Sasquatch crossing sign on the road up Pike's Peak:

I guess this is the most snow this area of Colorado has seen for quite a while.  It was the fourth snowiest season on record for this part of the state.  I noticed that the temperatures were quite mild when compared to the below zero bitter cold we experience in Minnesota. I could get used to living in a milder climate as the snow wasn't such a big deal when the temperatures were so mild.

I was hoping to do some hiking during the drive up to Pike's Peak, but with the recent snowfall most of the trails were closed.  The coupons on the site worked and helped with the cost, which was eight dollars per adult.

Link to Interview with Author Daniel Woodrell

https://litreactor.com/interviews/a-conversation-with-daniel-woodrell


Check out this great interview with Missouri author Daniel Woodrell.  He is the author of many novels and short stories.  His books deal with life in Southern Missouri and many readers place them in the crime and thriller genre.  I learned about his writing from an episode of "No Reservations" with Anthony Bourdain. I have been a fan of Bourdain's shows and writing for quite some time, and I enjoy getting a chance to check out the authors he recommends. I wasn't disappointed by the work of Woodrell and would love to read more of his writing.  Check out the link above for a great a interview by lit reactor with the novelist.



Here is another link to information on author Daniel Woodrell via Narrative Magazine.  They also have a couple of his short stories that you can read for free online.

Las Vegas: this morning

6 am on the strip and I am walking to Walgreens to get one last pack of cheap smokes before going to the airport. There was a bunch of drunk dudes in front of me. They walked up to a tourist guy from Ohio (guessing), who was stopped and taking a picture of the Linq's Ferris Wheel with his ipad. Drunk dude says to tourist guy that was taking the pictures and says:
"Man, that the biggest phone I ever seen...where you get a phone that big?"

Sober tourist with black socks and sandals replies:
"Ummm.....It's an ipad."

Drunk dude bursts out laughing and is like...
"I was wondering where the H%&@ you got a phone that big... How you going to keep that thing in your pocket?"(laughing hysterically)

It was a fun morning walk to get some smokes.

Jim Harrison, Men's Journal - Season of the Wolf: 1994

Great article on Jim Harrison from back in the year of my high school graduation, 1994:  
Here is the link and some pictures from the original article below:





From the article, " As we descend on the other side of the Patagonias, the air is cool and the landscape is lovely, green in the pine trees but otherwise sheathed in shades of black and brown. Harrison stops here and there to point out sites that figure in "The Beige Dolorosa," one of the novellas in his new book. Psychological healing is often a theme in his work now. The lead character in that story is a college professor whose life falls apart and who winds up on a ranch near Patagonia, learning to ride and do physical work and take walks in the mountains and change his life."

Garden of the Gods, Colorado Springs, Colorado Trip

Here is the drive up to Garden of the Gods.  It wasn't very busy due to all the snow they had received, so we got a chance to hike the trails without having to deal with a bunch of people. One lady stopped me to take a picture and commented on my In-N-Out Burger stocking hat.  I had the same thing happen to me last year in Florida.  It seems like the chain generates some serious fans all around the U.S. but it only has locations out West.  I get mine animal style.

I think this was supposed to be an image of two camels kissing or something, but I was just surprised by all the birds that make their home in the sandstone rocks.

The city keeps the trails and property at Garden of the Gods maintained. I read a plaque stating that the reason it is free and open to the public is based upon the wishes of Charles Elliot Perkins. Here is a link to more information on Perkins and the history of this amazing place.

Pueblo, Colorado

Drove up to Colorado Springs and Garden of the Gods yesterday.  Also made it partly up Pike's Peak but due to recent snowfall it was closed towards to the top of the mountain. This area of Colorado is high desert.   Not many trees... and mass amounts of suburban sprawl. It is amazing how many track houses they can fit on these once beautiful open plains. If you are passing through this area I would recommend checking out Colorado Springs, but don't bother leaving the interstate when driving through Pueblo.

Netflix March 2015 New Releases

 Winter is almost over, but I still find we are watching quite a few new shows at night.
Here's the full list of March releases:

Available 3/1

"Patch Adams" (1998)
"Finding Neverland" (2004)
"The Brothers Grimm" (2005)
"Teen Witch" (1989)
"30 for 30: Of Miracles and Men"
"Evelyn" (2002)
"Mercy Rule" (2014)
"Monster High 13 Wishes" (2013)
"Monster High: Ghouls Rule" (2012)
"Rules of Engagement" (2000)

Available 3/5

"Food Chains" (2014)
"The ABCs of Death 2" (2014)

Available 3/6

"Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt" (Netflix Original)
"My Own Man" (Netflix Original)
"Aziz Ansari: Live at Madison Square Garden" (Netflix Original)

Available 3/7

"Archer" season five
"Glee" season five
"Mr. Pip" (2012)

Available 3/9

"The Angriest Man in Brooklyn" (2014)
"Tyler Perry's the Single Mom's Club" (2014)
"After the Fall" (2014)
"Cesar Chavez" (2014)

Available 3/10

"Monster High: Haunted" (2015)

Available 3/11

"How to Train Your Dragon 2" (2014)

Available 3/15

"3rd Rock from the Sun" (the complete series)
"A Different World" (the complete series)
"Marvel & ESPN Films Present: 1 of 1: Genesis" (2014)

Available 3/17

"You're Not You" (2014)
"Dummy" (2002)

Available 3/19

"Life Itself" (2014)

Available 3/20

"Bloodline" (Netflix Original)
"God's Not Dead" (2014)

Available 3/22

"Mad Men" season seven, part one

Available 3/23

"November Man" (2014)

Available 3/25

"Turn" season 1
"Garfunkel and Oats" season one

Available 3/27

"Trailer Park Boys" season nine (Netflix Original)
"Frankie & Alice" (2010)

Available 3/31

"Ask Me Anything" (2014)
"The Man with the Iron Fists" (2012)

Iceland Surfing: Strange Rumblings: Globe

Check out this video clip of surfing in Iceland. It looks like Superior in terms of dodging ice bergs and wearing 8 mm suits with boots, hoods, and just trying to keep ice from forming on your face. The cold water surf movement is super cool, but I find that it may be better for the younger generation.  Going into cold water is one way to test the old ticker, and it may not be wise to do after a certain age. Globe did a great job on this film but it does look like they used the same introduction screen as Wes Anderson's
"The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou" starring Bill Murray. Still a great clip, and if you haven't see the Wes Anderson film you don't know what you are missing. Bill Murray is brilliant as a parody of the late great Jacques Cousteau.

Here is the video of the Globe crew surfing in Iceland: