Flower for the Day 3-31-14 Daffodil

Who can imagine the wonder of going in one night from no flowers to flowers. The

miracle happened after a day in the 70's.

These daffodils have been here for over 40 years.

 

When they are all in bloom they are quite a sight.

 

Bluebird Lake Backpack 1950

Here I am after finishing 8th grade at the Oak Street School in La Grange Park, Illinois. We are on a trip to Bluebird Lake in Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado. I am sitting with my gear. The backpack to my left is a light metal frame with an Army rucksack attached. My brother Bob and I purchased frames from Gerry (?Cunningham) out of his garage in Ward, Colorado before his company went national. It includes some soft sponge rubber shoulder pads that have been inserted onto the straps to save my shoulders.

To my left is a parka made of heavy white cotton which I had dyed blue because I thought it would look 'cool' and then sprayed with waterproofing. It worked most of the time.

To my right is an extra pair of Levis,  a white undershirt, and an Army Surplus down sleeping bag with a heavy cover. It kept me plenty warm. 
At the end of the sleeping bag are my calf high black leather hiking boots on which a local shoemaker has attached "new" Vibram soles. With these soles I can walk up almost any surface.

Oh to be wiry and quick again.

Flower for the Day 3-26-2014 Still only Crocuses

Crocuses are still the only flowers showing up although now in different colors.

They have withstood the latest snowfall. 

 

Minnesota Canoe Association Far North Symposium

I just returned from a week-end arctic canoe symposium. Here is what

I got:

           THEY ARE RIVERS

We are time. We are the much renowned 

saying of Heraclitus the  Obscure.

We are water, not diamonds that endure;

what ebbs and passes, not what holds its ground.

We are that greek who sees himself in the stream;

we are the stream. His brief reflection shimmers

in water which is made of shimmering mirrors,

in the dark glass that shimmers like a flame.

We are the stream, predestinate and vain,

heading down to the sea pursued by shadows.

Everything said goodbye, everything goes.

Memory no longer mints its coin.

An nevertheless there is something that remains,

and nevertheless there is something that complains.

     Jorge Luis Borges

translated byRobert Mezey and Richard Barnes

Flower for the Day 3-17-14 Crocus

The Flower for the Day program is starting for the year. These tiny crocuses showed up last Friday in time for

this week-ends snow fall. Crocuses are flowering plants that grow from tubular structures called corms. 

Corms are sometimes confused with bulbs. Corms are made up of solid structural tissue while bulbs are 

mostly made up of layers of fleshy scale that are modified leaves

 

The Flower for the Day program will continue as in previous years. As flowers of note

bloom in our garden I will send images and copy about them. I am responsible for 

any errors that appear. Please feel free to comment.  As before you can forward 

these to friends or use them as you wish.  If you wish to be removed from the Flower List

please let me know.

Don Sessions - AKA The Flower Guy

Bonus: The Backpack

This winter I have been scanning some older slide to digital. This

image shows a younger Flower Guy and sons Lee and Gordon on top of South Arapahoe Peak (elevation 13,400 feet) in the Indian Peaks Area southof Rocky Mountain National Park. For a complete view of the trip go to my Blog:

 www.donsessions.blogspot .com

Franke 18

The Backpack 1 Re-living a Classic Trip from August 1979

FOREWORD: In 1951 as a 15 year old at Cheley Camp I was able to go on a backpacking trip in the Indian Peaks area south of Rocky Mountain National Park which was a life changing experience for me. It was the end of a three year immersion into the peaks and back country of this part of the Rockies and I never got over it. Twenty-eight years later I decided that I should do it again with my sons Lee(age 15) and Gordon(age 13). We were joined by my friend Bob Franke and his son Keith (age13).

We started the trip at the Buckingham Campground out of Nederland on the way over Arapahoe Pass on an old CCC trail. That day we would run out of breath, break some eggs, and find a six pack of Coors in a stream. 
It was a memorable start for an extraordinary trip.

The Backpack 2 On the trail

Going up the Arapahoe Pass trail slowly. We were not acclimated to the altitude and we paid the price.

The Backpack 3 Fourth of July Mine

About 2 miles up the trail we came to the Fourth of July Mine site and stopped for lunch. It was strenuous for us flatlanders.

Who doesn't love old rusty boilers and machinery?  

The Fourth of July Mine was a silver mine was
an active silver mine which was discovered in 1872.
It was closed in 1880 when it became too costly to
mine the silver.





whi

The Backpack 4 Arapahoe Pass

We are still struggling uphill.

Toward the pass.

It was clear and warm with a cool breeze.

Here is Lee resting near the top of the pass. It was here that Gordon noticed something oozing out the bottom of his backpack. Unfortunately it was the eggs

which had not been packed correctly (mea culpa). There were only two eggs still intact. Gordon pitched those and we helped him clean out his pack. What a mess.