Cloud Atlas

It is the start of monsoon season here in the west. Sounds weird, doesn't it? I think of deserts and dryness but not monsoons.
We have been seeing some amazing skies the last couple of nights during our Brody walk. Enjoy. Photos by Kevin

Back to Durango

We took another trip in to Durango, Colorado today, about 30 miles north of Aztec, New
 Mexico.
There is a narrow gauge steam train that runs between Durango and Silverton. We didn't take the train as we had already driven to Silverton two weeks ago, but we went into the train museum which was full of interesting stuff.
As well as train paraphenalia, locomotives, model train sets there was this

 

It was part of an exhibit showing how the area and the trains had been used in movie making back in the 50's. It also made me think of my son Jeff, a huge John Wayne fan.

And no train museum is complete without taxidermy. These animals represent creatures you might see on your train trip and have all been collected by the Parks and Wildlife people (cough, cough). I would be a taxidermy collector if I lived in the states where it is allowed. Can't get this stuff over the border, though.

And then there are dioramas, all hand carved and painted by one individual.

This diorama is a replica of the small town where a gentleman (who's name escapes me) lived in Colorado when he was six years old. It was a mining town then but it is a ghost town now. He started building this when he retired. He carved everything...buildings, figures, trees, and painted everything

And of course the huge model railroad with working trains and roundhouses and other neat stuff. Or perhaps you would like to tour a private rail car. 40 tons of modern luxury, if by modern you mean by the standards of the day in the late 1800's.

There are a  lot of places I've been but even more I haven't. Driving around this part of New Mexico I am struck by 4 things there seem to be more of here, per capita, than any place we've been so far.
:  laundromats, I mean big laundromats
:  Pawn shops
:  drive in restaurants. The A&W here brings back memories of road trips to Manitoba. The waitresses don't come out to the car on roller skates, though
:  Dollar stores

Today we drove 2 hours north to Silverton, Colorado to visit with our nephew, Robert. He has recently moved from Michigan and is settling in nicely. The view out his kitchen window is something to be envious of. Here are some shots I took with my phone while Kevin drove.

photos Kevin took

Kevin occasionally lets me drive :) When I do, he shoots photos out the car window. Here is some of his work.

 In the Castle Valley, just northeast of Moab, Utah

 Montana, just over the border from Alberta

 Castle Valley, Utah

 Montana

Montana. There's a reason they call it Big Sky Country

Out for a Sunday drive on a holiday weekend

Today was a bit of history. Located in the town of Aztec is the Aztec Ruins, a National Monument, incorrectly named by the Spaniards who discovered them. The ruins were thought to have been built by the Hopi people around 1000 A.D. The site covers 3 acres and took 30 years to build, without draft horses or other technological tools. It is still considered sacred by the Hopi and they believe their ancestors still reside there. The site was abandoned about 600 years ago and was covered by sand. It was partially excavated and the main kiva rebuilt. You can find more information at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aztec_Ruins_National_Monument

Next stop was the Navajo Lake/Dam. Lots of pontoon boats, speed boats, tubing and picnicers on this lovely long weekend. The dam is on the San Juan River, a tributary of the Colorado River. It was completed in 1962 and was originally simply for water storage. It drowned a sacred Navajo site. It is now used to generate electricity for the town of Farmington and provide a recreational area.

Heading for New Mexico

This is a big, beautiful world. Driving through this gorgeous scenery from Edmonton to Aztec, New Mexico I am struck by similarities. The Rockies look like the Rockies, no matter what state or province you are in. I think that is a good reminder that as citizens, we are not so different from each other. I hope I never get tired of staring out the window. A view that stretches for hundreds of miles in every direction around us; driving underneath the biggest storm supercell that was so close I felt like I could reach out and touch it;.the pre-historic feel of the shale cliffs of Utah...it is a beautiful world.

 East Glacier, Montana

 East Glacier, Montana

Spanish Fork, Utah

 Moab, Utah

 Moab, Utah

Red Cliffs Inn, Moab, Utah

Grandpa's Radio

A long, long time ago, in a place called St. Thomas, Cindy and I were small. My maternal grandmother lived with us and she, and my parents, worked shift work at the local hospital so one of them could always be home with us.
My grandma bought my parents the gift of a Grazioso Stereo Console which probably cost her at least a month's salary. She purchased it in 1956 and a couple of months ago it made the journey from my parents' basement in Windsor to my retro family room.
Google is God - through a few enquiries we found George Found (no pun intended) who restores, primarily, the radios in vintage automobiles. He said he could get this console operational and, in fact, he did. It's playing now...am, fm and shortwave. The front door pulls down to reveal a record player that also works. It has a plug in the back for an additional antenna and a remote speaker. It sounds great.
Ah, nostalgia....it's a wonderful thing. Enjoy some photos of George's shop and his amazing collection of vintage radios and other sound equipment.