Outdoors

I went down to Evergreen Lake last Friday to see if it was beginning to freeze. The overcast sky had left the lake without color. It was cold, gray and foreboding, but it was still liquid. Not even a white cap curled the surface.

On Monday, Oct. 15, Mike Krieger phoned to let me know that he and Kathy had their first Clark’s nutcracker at their bird feeder near Bailey. These big, gray, black and white members of the crow family look like a small gray crow with black wings and tail. They are strange birds that act like they couldn’t decide whether to be a crow or a woodpecker.

Over the years, my late husband, Bill, and I drove the highway to the summit of Mount Evans many, many times. It was one of our favorite places. We loved the high mountains, and Mount Evans was one of the good guys because he wore a white hat (of snow).

Driving into town last week, I was amazed by the least chipmunk activity. Darting back and forth across the road with cheeks bulging, they were carrying great quantities of seeds and berries into their dens for winter food.