East 2010 Day 7 Lost Angel Road, CO

6-20-2010 0610 Lost Angel Road, Boulder, CO.
Sunrise in paradise..big long wavelength orange rays of it, making words like suffusing and bathing and filling and exploding even inadequate for the event that brings life to the world. The little aspen grove that survived the fire 21 years ago (aspen is apparently one of those organisms that is actually one big tree genetically) is quaking and shimmering in the morning breeze. And meadowlarks abound now that the forest is gone. Her garden is heavily protected against critters with nicotine bearing flowers to detract them from attention. The paths between the cooking and living house, the various workshops, and the sleeping and laundry house are human sized. They go around boulders and follow natural contours. They are made wide enough for feet. They are the paths we followed in Ladakh, along Black Bear Creek, and across college quadrangles despite the administrations attempt to discourage them. They are a pleasure to follow, particularly behind an adventurous little dog. But we keep the little dog pretty close in the early and latish hours. There are bigger critters than she at large.
Sala now knows the difference between a fir and a pine, and has the cones to prove it. We are re-acquainted with chokecherry and flax, and have bent to smell the wild rose. We've been informed on subjects ranging from global warming to the use of a road grader as a snow plow. If someone told me that I would have to spend my life here, it would be no burden. And yet....this morning after the coffee and the conversation, we will pack up the car, and the dog, and head down the hill and out onto US I 70.
We talked, or rather I asked and was answered, more about the Boulder Magic...Roland was born here, and is on a first name basis with the various mined out gold lodes, the various City and County commissioners, and about 75 miles of dirt roads that he maintains. He feels things are now at a point where they are circling the wagons (or to be exact, have bought up the land for the green belt) and beginning to tax new arrivals. I'm still not exactly sure how they did it, but he feels a lot has to do with being so closely East of the Continental Divide in location, location, location. Probably so...
There goes the meadowlark again. Time to pack up.
best regards

alan