A 10-minute not all inclusive video trip to Denver, Colorado for Thanksgiving. See also the slideshow here

A Stroll Along the bottom of old Lake Bonneville

I was out before dawn this morning to walk the nature preserve outside Annie and Dan's back door. Later at the the Colorado History Museum came across this Navajo song.

In the general chaos of Grandma and Grandpa's visit to the Greenleafs in Denver this Tuesday, home to Jack the Yorkie and Diamond the Jack Russel, no one even noticed he was gone. Until I saw the big, hand-lettered sign as I was heading out on an errand. "LOST YORKIE, PURPLE COLLAR, BLUE COAT". I caught Annie on her cell as she and Hilda were headed to get their nails done. "OMG", says Annie, "That's Jack!". They did a "U", called the number, and learned neighbors a block away had found him exploring their garage.

Hilda can't go visiting without she has to arrive with plenty of gifts. Despite the back of the Explorer being crammed with our two bikes, baggage for two for two weeks, and already plenty of gifts for the Denver folks, we must stop at farm stands before even hitting Highway 50 for mandarins, apples, and strawberries at stands like this one. Last in was half a flat of strawberries. Apparently too precariously perched on top of all the other stuff, the first good curve on highway 49 and they tipped to rumble pachinco-like through all the other stuff. We were pulling them out from under the seats on stops all the way across Nevada and Utah. Sure smelled good, though!

Just into Utah, looking back into Nevada

Hilda and I loaded up the dented old Explorer last week and headed out across the Great Basin, landing here in Denver four days later. We are visiting daughter Annie and her family for Thanksgiving. Besides good family time with Dana and Hannah, it turns out that their new home backs up onto a 70-mile bike path that follows the Highline Canal through parks, ranches, and nature preserves. I'm in heaven.

A few days ago while Tanner and I were out for an early morning pee we watched several deer, just gray shapes in the pre-dawn light, moving silently through the gray shapes of the oaks. Seeing them like that I was struck with their wildness and independence. Inside, Tanner on my lap and cup of coffee going, I pondered critters a bit - wild and not so wild. Today I came across this quotation, which puts into fine words the thoughts I was trying to knit together.

It struck her about two weeks ago. We had found a roadside vegetable garden and shed just down the road toward Pilot Hill. You know, the kind with baskets piled with heirloom tomatoes, a box with a scrawled note saying "Please pay here", and outside rows of tomato plants, corn, peppers, squash, and further up the side of the hill apple and pear trees. Then down the road just a bit further we discovered an Asian family tending an acre or so of strawberries.