Charlotte Plains - day 1 & artesian bore water

Photos from bottom up
1 Sunrise from our bedroom at CP. Early starts - up 5.30 and off before 6 on 1st morning - to the artesian bore at southern end of property and about 5 miles from the homestead.
2 The bore
3 some facts - quite amazing .
4 G in the very hot water. 5 minutes is about enough.
5 Reid dredging the bore drain

Adelaide to Cunnamulla

Left Catherine's farm at 5 am and made the 1100 odd mile trip to Cunnamulla in 2 days as planned. Photos from bottom up : _
1. The lovely sheep station Ululoo homesteas outside Hallett , SA , last visited by G 45 years ago on introduction of Bob and Ros Melrose. Just been sold after being in family for 6 generations.
2 Typical country as we head NW to Broken Hill.
3 Old post office in Bourke. Saw the fascinating exhibition centre there after spending night in Cobar.
4 Meeting up with our hosts for week ahead, Robyn & Reid Russell of Charlotte Plains, at Cunnamulla Races.
5 Just in time for the last 2 races. No 1 - Clang-a-bang - was the winner of the Cunnamulla Cup - last race of the day.

Aussie trip - Sydney & Adelaide

We arived in Sydney on 23/9 , after being diverted through Brisbane, in the worst sand storm seen there in living momory ! But we were `rescued ` at Sydney airport by Katy's dad Murray and whisked up to Bateau Bay. After a wonderfully relaxing 3 days staying in Murray and Judy's home there , we did a one way car hire and returned to Sydney to fly to Adelaide. Catherine , Fiona and Matt laid on a welcome party for us and entertained us magnificently, first based at Catherine's house in Adelaide and then at her farm an hour or so north at Mount Pleasant.Hopefully we made some useful contribution to the list of jobs Catherine had prepared ( at our insistence ).

Photos from top down
View from Crackneck Point , Bateau Bay looking south in direstion of Sydney
Our son Duncan's fiancee's parents Murray and Judy on deck of their lovely home one block from Bateau Bay and Shelley Beach
Catherine , with M , at her farm ( admiring bonfire ) looking over the creek which runs through her 23 acrre farm
Fiona ( Catherine's daughter ) on Charlie training for Adelaide Show in 6 weeks
G's birthday dinner - Matt , Fiona , Catherine , G & M
View from just south of `The Entrance` looking North
M at sunrise on the steps leading down to the beach venue of Duncan and Katy's wedding on 21/11

snowmass balloonfest

Last weekend before leaving for Australia. 3 good driving shifts to boost funds . Quite a spectacle and nice way to spend a day working watching it .

Photos from bottom
1 from 270 Meadow Ranch
2 , 3 & 4 Taken by Mary on her way by bike to watch our `little buddy` Gaby playing soccer.

Next blog entry from `down under` hopefully.

Jane & Johannes visit - Sept 2009

270 Meadow Ranch seems v quiet today. J & J left yesterday ( 9/11 of all days )after a memorable 9 day visit. To say that they remained active from first to last moment would be a massive understatement.
For the record
Day 1 Bike from Meadow Ranch up Divide and down Snowmass Creek to Old Snowmass , down to the Rio Grande trail and the Smithy in Carbondale for huge breakfast , bus back up valley into Aspen , biked round Aspen and back to Snowmass via Owl Creek Rd. Then changed to mountain bikes and did 1st half of Rim Trail as a desert ! J & J doing yoga hand stands on the Yin Yang looking straight up to Capitol and Mt Daly
Day 2 Mountain biked from Marble and back via the Crystal and Lead King Basin loop - up to over 10,000 ft at top of pass. Stunning views all day.
Day 3 Government Trail on montain bikes from East Snowmass Creek all the way to Aspen via Buttermilk and Aspen Highlands. M and I very chuffed to have achieved that . A first for us. Very technical in places and a fair bit of walking and pushing. A breeze for J & J .
Day 4 Hiked up Pine Creek to Cathedral Lake and Johannes took in ( running ) Leahy Peak at over 13,000 ft.
Day 5 Breakfast in Basalt kind courtesy of J & J and then met my bus driving pal Dave J who took Johannes off for a day's rock climbing near Rifle. Epic he said. M, Jane and I had a lovely hike up to Savage Lakes past Ruedi Reservoir.
Day 6 J & J had a day with Alan & Darlene ( who were at Meghan & Dennis' wedding )hiking the Lost Man Trail loop. Bridge in evening.
Day 7 I was bus driving all day and a rest day ( until evening ! ) for M and Jane. Johannes hired a racing bike in Aspen and cycled to top of Independence Pass ( 12,093 ) ft from 270 Meadow Ranch ( 8,130 ft ) - around 25 miles one way. Left at 6 and made it in 2hr 40. Quite a feat. We all did 2nd half of Rim Trail in the evening finishing at the Rec Center, M & Johnanes biking back to 270.
Day 8 Left 270 at 4.15am and drove through Aspen ( looking unsuccessfully for bears in the side alleys ) and up Independence Pass reaching the La Plata trailhead at 5.40. Started hiking with head torches and reached peak ( a 14er ) at 10. The 1st 14er for M & I since we did Longs Peak when M was pregnant with Meghan in 1979!
Day 9 Last day. Biked up to Spencers for a superb breakfast and then up Wood Rood for last mountain bike trail - the Tom Blake - which crosses Snowmass Mtn. Comes out at Owl Creek road and then an easy ride back to 270. Off to airport (10 minutes away ) at 1.30 and a sad farewell. Since then we've had much reminiscence on these lovely adventures. Haste ye back !

Photos from bottom up AND CLICK ON INDIVIDUAL PHOTO FOR BETTER IMAGE:.
1 Snowmass Creek heading down for breakfast with Snowmass Peak, Capitol and Daly in background.
2 ` Bed Hard ` - sorry - private family joke.
3 J & J - outside Ruby Park RFTA station in downtown Aspen with Aspen Mtn in background.
4,5 & 6 Lead King Basin loop - note M's technique in creek - and she didn't get wet.
7 Jane giving the flowers at 270 a bit of TLC.
8 Rim Trail , above Snowmass Village, 2nd leg - Sinclair to Horseranch.
9 On top of La Plata ( 14,336 ft ).
10 and back to the Buick without incident - lightning storms always a danger .
11 J & J at Aspen airport with Aspen Mtn in background.

Summer 09 - pre Jane and Johannes visit

It has been a remarkable summer with the other non-music festival activities being the icing on the cake. Managed to squeeze these in between bus driving and gardening shifts respectively.

Photos from the bottom -
1.Edward and Kiba our lodgers for 1st half of 09 - a delightful couple from South Carolina, but sadly transferred by TSA to Lafayette, Louisiana
2.Hiking with our current long term lodger Mike on trail up to Cathedral Lake
3.Hiking with our cycling friends Mike and Joan from Cincinnati
4.Crystal Mill and a quarter way into the epic Lead King Basin bike trail round
5.Lance Armstrong powering his way to victory in the mountain bike race at Snowmass
6.Our neighbour and guide for the day Beige at start of hike to Capitol Lake - Mt Daly on left and Capitol Peak ( a 14er ) in centre. The Lake sits right underneath it
7.This beautiful pond on way to Thomas Lakes - another day hike M & I did on our own.
8 & 9 with the abundance of wild flowers on the way.

Summer - 2009 - music festival

The Aspen music festival & school has again been the highlight of our summer. Huge new dimension for us though has been having a brilliant young oboist Amanda staying with us for the full 9 weeks of the festival. Apart from the very substantial perks of free access to all concerts, recitals and masterclasses , and regular inspiring oboe lessons in-house for me , not to mention having with us my resident personal reed maker , she was an absolute delight to have here. When she left a week ago , the house seemed very quiet in more ways than one. Her practicing was like having a daily professional concert in your living room.

We went to something in the Festival virtually every day . What we looked forward to more than anything was the weekly opera masterclass at the Wheeler Opera House See photos. Simply brilliant . We'd cycle into Aspen early each Saturday morning , get our free tickets , enjoy coffee and muffins in the square outside Paradise Bakery in donwntown Aspen, and take our seats ( always in the very front row ) at 10 am for 8 or so excerpts from different operas on which the students would then be critiqued on their performance and do it , or parts of it, again. Sheer bliss. Stars of the future opera world we have no doubt.

Then another superb bike ride home and often in to Aspen again for a concert in the evening. Just day after day and night after night of stunning performances.

What we didn't get free access to were the 3 operas ( this year La Boheme , Britten's Rape of Lucretia , and Don Giovanni ) , and we splashed out a bit for seats for all 3 . Again quite magnificent - all directed by the brilliant Juillard, and Aspen Opera director Ed Berkeley - see photo. The Britten we enjoyed particulary bringing back stirring memories of Turn of the Screw in Glasgow all those years ago.

Concerts at the Benedict Music `tent` we enjoyed from inside and out . The latter often enjoyed with picnic , wine and delightful company - see photos of both .

Will try to cover all the other activities of a memorable summer in separate entry. Jane and Johannes arrive in a few days , so I need to get on with it.