The Grand Mesa & Winter Solstice

Drove on up the Grand Mesa early Friday morning. We only witnessed 9 hours and 20 minutes of day light on the Winter Solstice so ya gotta start out early, right?

Only about 100 yards into it, picked up some trash. Then, further along the trail was an empty Cliff Bar wrapper. Only a short distance from that, couldn't believe my eyes, Snickers Bar wrapper. I was so pissed and started cussing about it. I Stopped Myself, Regrouped, Carved In This Heart, Sure hope the next "hiker" that walks through this same vortex has a much better experience than I.

Went down to the Gunnison Bluffs mid week and it felt as if it was 60F out. The single track is July dusty and the Gunnison River was SCARY low. But damn was it ever beautiful and quite.

House/Dog Sitting

I shot this photo with Romping And Rolling in mind. This is Bear and he really had nothing to do with me. He was in hunting mode!!! He easily tripled my miles as he was sniffing out birds, following raccoon scents, just knew Bambi would be hiding behind every boulder, or he had his paws crossed that the elusive bunny would scurry on by. Bear Had A Gr8 Day!!

The Scones came through town and played a show in the Radio Room. It just happened to be the last show of 2018 and IT WAS A SELL OUT. In Fact, The Last Two Concerts Were Sell Outs!! The Scones were basically a 60's psychedelic band without the psychedelic vibe. Don't get me wrong, they were entertaining.

Just for PERTH - Here ( https://www.radiofreeamerica.com/show/jazzway-blvd-kafm-community-radio ) is my Jazz/R&B/Funk radio show. Starts with the Lavern & Shirley theme song as a tribute to Penny Marshall. RIP

This Years Flakes 

I received an incredible amount of support during this show. I only played music. Meaning, no SNL sound bites, no trivia questions, etc. The phone rang often and an amazing amount of text messages came through. Talk About Stoked

Back up to the Grand Mesa on Saturday. Originally was supposed to be a group outting for a full moon snowshoe event. That morphed into a daytime trip. Then, it was just The Dude, SY, & Myself. Classic

The Creek Is Flowing and NOT Frozen Over 

I enjoyed the hell out of myself. There was a well defined trail but I would tend to break my own trail. I stomped zig zags across the frozen ponds and simply entertained myself. I would wait for The Dude & SY to catch up and catch their breaths. I truly don't mind waiting as its so beautiful up here.

Do You See Snoopy??

A number of times, when I knew the section, I would break off trial and power up and over a hill through the trees. Its so peaceful that I could always hear the other two talking. Damn, I so dig snowshoeing in the trees. The Boy Dog loved it when I would break trail for him.

This moment was really difficult to wrap my head around. The photo above is from a lake. Like NO water in the lake. From the treeline, one of my busting through the trees, this looks like an empty pool for skaters. Plus, this shot was very close to 10,000ft ( 3,048 meters ) in December. What the hell will the folks in Las Vegas do for water?!? Hell, what will California do???

* Just For Me Here * Nothing To See * Thanx 4 Stopping By * Just For Me

I woke up just after 3am this morning with a full bladder and looking for a wiz. I pretended that I would fall back asleep but that is just a floundering notion. So I got up and stumbled on down the hallway. As I went through my morning routine, looking out the bay window, sure felt like Mr Moon was really bright. Like more than usual. Holy Sh*t!!! Its Snowing.

A flood of emotions ran through my veins. Mostly, its anger thats fueling my frustration. I am so damn pissed that I have no one to share these special moments with. Like when cutting those snowflakes. I had someone to share those with last Christmas. Falling Snow, I had The Boy Dog to charge into the day with and make first tracks in the park. Now, just standing there wondering what is my Phuc-N purpose.

After an appropriate time, while walking around the neighborhood this morning, I sent photos of the winter wonderland. Its what we do. Send snow photos to those in CA and FL. But I miss the human contact, tactile touch, and the feeling thats reciprocated. To look into someones eyes and truly feel connected. To lay with somebody and feel vulnerable yet comforted with words, smiles, or a connection without a spoken phrase.

At the same time, I am so frustrated by the baggage and BS that accompanies "relationships" when communication breaks down and the constant reassurance falling on deaf ears. I am still angry knowing that my best foot lead the way and yet there is nothing to show for it and it wasn't even good enough. I am beyond disappointed by the fact that I sat in front of a bond fire without an an understanding of why I am in this position. Thats what I am so pissed about, no closure.

My friends are hosting their annual Christmas Eve open house and I will go, I will tell friendly faces what they want to hear, I will enjoy the socializing that comes with all of that, I will do my absolute best to NOT be a superficial prick, & its always been an evening that I have looked forward to.

But here is the bummer. Their ENTIRE neighborhood participates in lining the quiet streets with luminaries. They actually pay the Excel City Folks to shut off ALL the street lamps and if you are out of town, YOU MUST inform your neighbor so that they can line your driveway, street corner, etc with luminaries. So every year, past 10 years or so, The Boy Dog & I would walk for hours, loop after loop, hang out in someones yard and watch the cars go on by at a snails pace.

I would then load him up in the car, unzip the ice chest, and present him with a fresh soup bone full of tasty bone marrow. The Boy Dog would work that sucker over while I went back inside to socialize with the new wave of guest. Best Boy Ever

Tonight, I wish that The Boy Dog was here, I wish I could share my glove and provide warmth to another hand, its snowing and I wish I could hear the crunch under OUR boots as we walk in sync, I ache for giggles, I am angry that I am alone.

As I just typed that, I realize that mothers have lost their daughters. Homeless are hungry. Pets are neglected. Someone just received the terminal news speech. A home just burnt to the ground with ire replaceable photos and memories. In the bigger picture, I have my health, my legs walked me through the fresh blanket of powder, my vision is stellar, and my practice this thriving.

I am just not looking forward to Christmas morning what so ever. But I don't have a choice. It will be here tomorrow and so will I.

The Boy Dog 2009