Please join The Evergreen Design Center on Friday, July 29th from 5:00 until 8:00 as they welcome Melanie Warinske (Nuchols), former president of the Evergreen Chamber and one of Colorado’s most original artists at their July Artist Reception. Melanie’s powerful combination of metal, wood and found objects are centerpieces of private homes and corporate offices throughout the country. The Evergreen Design Center is privileged to show her work  at the Evergreen Design Center Friday the 29th.
Receptions are an informal and family-friendly way to spend a summer evening. Here is the schedule of other great local artists coming to the Evergreen Design Center this summer:

Friday, August 26th J. Chester Armstrong, wood sculptor
Friday, September 30th Denise West, oil and watercolor painter

Here are a few pictures from the Soda Creek Fire last week.  Some of the smoke and some of the burn area after the fire on Highway 103.  Fortunately, it didn’t get very big and our fabulous firefighters knocked it down right away!

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Now that the ice has completely melted and we’ve had some great warm weather, some wind, a few fires, another few inches of snow, then some more wind and now some real spring weather, I thought I’d post some photos of some interesting ice. There were at times some large cracks showing and there was one day when part of the main skating rink was flooded because of an obvious crack somewhere under all the snow. Fortunately, it didn’t affect the skating much.

Also, part of the southern boardwalk had additional 4×4 supports put in that couldn’t stand up to the ice.

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Time to Clear Your Land to Keep the Fire Danger Down!

We Hired Dastardly Deeds to rake our yard today. We live in a Ponderosa Forest in Evergreen and the ground is covered in dead grass and pine needles. It’s a tinderbox here like most everywhere else in the state. So, it’s time to get out and rake and clean up your yard to keep the fire danger down.

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Here are a few things you can do immediately to start making your land safer:

1. Rake your yard.
2. Move all dead wood and firewood away from your house.
3. Water your grass.
4. Trim branches from near your house.
5. Cut down trees that are too close to your house.

Here are a few things to do today to be ready in case you need to evacuate:

1. Gather important papers.
2. Gather computers and/or hard drives.
3. Gather important artwork/photos.
4. Pack an emergency bag with clothes and necessities.
5. Think about where you’ll go if you need to go.
6. Make a list of things to gather and leave it in an obvious place in your house.  In case you’re not home, you can tell a neighbor what to get.
7. Make a home video inventory of everything in your house.  Go slow enough so you can recognize everything in your house.  You’ll need this for insurance reasons to know what to replace. Keep this video and documents in a safe place like a safety deposit box.
8. Get an online back up service for important, irreplaceable files like photos or QuickBooks files.

Let us know what other ideas you have…

I took a walk the other day around the lake.  The sun was out and the weather was really great!  The lake was about to close and unfortunately, it is now closed.  We had a great winter of ice skating and playing on the ice and snowy walks.  This is the first time in a long time that I felt the winter went by so quickly.  In fact I wish we still had more time to ice skate.  I just hope that the ski season doesn’t end so quickly.

Here’re some photos from my walk.

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I went up to Echo Lake this weekend to play and practice in the snow and ice and here are a couple pictures from the day.  It was really pretty cold and windy.

This was at 8:00 AM, after it had already warmed up a bit…

Luckylure Holiday Center in Evergreen will donate to Alpine Rescue Team $10 for the sale of a $100 tree and $5 for the sale of a $50 tree. All a purchaser has to do is present the attached coupon. It says Monday through Thursday, but it’s actually good any day! The Luckylure Holiday Center is a kid-friendly, local atmosphere that makes getting your annual tree a fun excursion for everyone. You can see all of the Luckylure holiday activities at coloradochristmastrees.com.

Lucky Lure Christmas Tree Donation Coupon. Print and bring to LuckyLure!

While hiking around the woods and hills of Genesee this weekend on a training, we came across someone’s cemetery for their pets. Of the 3 crosses, one didn’t look like there was anything on it and another was dated 2001 and the third was dated 2005, so they’ve been here a while.

I wonder about the family that found this special, mostly private place for their pets final resting place and hope that it has brought them some peace.  It’s a very nice place – secluded and very peaceful…  And I’ve already forgotten how to get there.

Tory, Brandi and unknown - final resting place

Apples on the apple tree at Evergreen Lake

So who would have ever thought or knew there was an apple tree at Evergreen lake.  I wouldn’t have believed it myself had I not actually walked up to it and picked an apple!  Of course, it’s so close to the road and the apples don’t look too great, but it’s there, and apparently has been there for many years. There are a lot of dead branches lower down, and it’s obviously not been taken care of.

I’ve walked around the lake many, many times over the years and never noticed it until it was noticed by my mother-in-law and a friend while they were birding the other day.  They never noticed it either, but it’s not surprising because it’s not on the trail or near where anyone would walk.  Long time resident, Sylvia Brockner says it’s been there since at least the 60′s.  Does anyone know more story about this?

If you drive by the lake on Hwy 74, you see this tree every time.  As you come down the hill to the lake from the north, just after you pass the turn off to Upper Bear, you’ll see it hanging over the guardrail on the lake side of the highway. But, you can’t tell it’s an apple tree unless you check it out up close.

Here’s a Google Map showing the location of the tree.

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