riding thermals

it is chilly and gray and sloppy and windy today in steamboat. morning dawned, but just barely, and i could hardly tell that daylight had arrived.

i am looking out of my office window, across town at the ski area (we may have the best view in the valley up here in the library), and there is one lone crow riding thermals high above the town. the sound of cars splishing down streets comes up from below, and this crow just continues to rise above it.

the top of the mountain is socked in, and occasionally the clouds part to show a very light trace of snow up there. this type of weather in colorado, especially after the past 3 summers, is indeed a godsend.

the leaves on the cottonwoods and aspens are solidly in their yellow colors now, with some oranges appearing here and there. in a week or two some of these trees will turn red, and the mountainsides will be a riot of color. splashes of crimson, like drops of blood from a crow rising high above them.