Last week while we were in Steamboat, we checked out Steamboat Lake State Park and Pearl Lake State Park, about twenty-five miles north of town. We heard bird calls from the treetops we couldn’t identify, but never got the birds in the field glasses so we didn’t know what we were hearing. I recorded the calls, though, and over the next few days searched the birding program on the computer for it. I finally found it. Red Crossbills. Red Crossbills. We’ve never seen that bird. So tonight after work, we went straight back to Pearl Lake State Park. It’s still closed for the season, but we could hike in. High country forest. We got there and it was silent; not a bird to be heard. Judy asked what the crossbill call sounded like, so I played it back for her on the digital recorder. As soon as I played it, red crossbills flew in from all over and answered the call. We got great looks at them. Life bird. Gorgeous park too.
Steamboat
Done with the Boulder County Fairgrounds in Longmont. South on Sunday morning through the Denver Metro area and up the grades at Genesee and Floyd Hill on Interstate 70, through Idaho Springs, past the giant water wheel, and hang a right on US 40 over Berthoud Pass. A cruise through Winter Park, Granby, Hot Sulphur Springs, and Kremmling. Over Rabbit Ears pass and coast down to Steamboat Springs by lunch. Last week while we were here, the Orioles sucked all the food out of the hummingbird feeders. When the window feeder had been drained, one particular Oriole would cling to the window ledge directly opposite me and squawk until I refilled it. This week, we’re still surrounded by Orioles, Kingbirds, Robins, and Swallows, but the only birds on the hummingbird feeder have been black chinned hummingbirds. This week’s bonus bird… Yellow Warblers. Saw several, and heard maybe a dozen.
Something fun
The AICPA (American Institute of Certified Public Accountants) got wind of what we do and assigned someone to check us out. They do an article in the Journal of Accountancy each month, singling out a CPA or practice to feature. We got the inside back cover of the May issue.
Longmont
A year or so ago I wrote about the conversation I had with Teigan, where she analyzed what we have done, moving out of our house and into the motorhome, and concluded she doesn’t want to live in her car when she grows up. Well, now we’ve had that conversation with Conner too. He got a chance to give the coach a good look; explore the interior; his verdict…. Grandma. You live in a Monster Truck! So our poor granddaughter grows up thinking her grandparents are always on the move, probably in the witness protection program, living in their car, but our grandson probably thinks he has the coolest grandparents in the world, living in a monster truck.
This week
Well, I was telling you everywhere we were and what we were doing, but I lost track. We were in Glenwood headed for Taos, when we found out Taos had rescheduled, so we headed to Steamboat Springs to see if we could start them early, but there were still a few more days before we could do that, so we went to Yampa River State Park. That Sunday night we moved to a park right in Steamboat and met with Warren as he passed through on his way to Craig to do a job for us there because originally we didn’t have room for it in our schedule, when we found out we couldn’t start the Steamboat job early after all, so actually we had no jobs schedule for the week, so we drove down to the County Fairgrounds in Longmont so we could be near the kids while we didn’t have any jobs scheduled, and as soon as we got here, heard from the Grand Lake job (which is right up in the Steamboat Springs neighborhood) that needed some attention so it could be finished. We arranged to stay here through Saturday, drive back to Steamboat Springs on Sunday, do the Steamboat job on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, move to Grand Lake and do that job on Thursday and Friday, then head South for Creede on Saturday. Meanwhile, arriving at Becky’s house is like coming home from college. We arrive at the door, bundles of laundry in our arms, asking if we can use the shower, and what’s for dinner. There is something that feels really good about that. Got to attend an elementary school band concert. Tony plays the flute. Impressive for a gang of eight, nine and ten year-olds who only started their instruments this year.