Thanksgiving! A few of the blessings in my life.

                                             Myself, Jan, Ryan Keating and Adam Black

From a recent much too brief hike at Roxborough State Park the day after our local Rocky Mountain Chapter's wonderful Symposium. Adam was the terrific Keynote speaker--I am so grateful to have him as a friend. Ryan has been a blessing: he built the crevice garden at my home--not to mention dozens of other gardens I admire--starting with Yampa River Botanic Park's incredible crevice garden he created over a decade ago that goes from strength to strength. He helped transform Chatfield Farm's crevice garden into one of the most extraordinary gardens I've ever seen--full of treasures as well as fine rock work. And great new things are in store for Ryan and Adam--that I'm sure of! And Jan has my back, quite literally here: a blessing for me in my life every day.

I can't believe this is the only picture I took with Scott and Michelle Beuerlein on our visit to Cincinnati. Scott organized the Symposium on Native Plants I spoke at last Saturday: it was his 40th symposium he'd organized in just over a dozen years or so--practically all of them sell-outs (this one sold out months ago--almost 300 attendees!). An ordinary human would be wiped out--but Scott and Michelle took Sunday off to tour Jan and me around Cincinnati--a city I've come to love. Scott is casting a long, long, long shadow on American Horticulture--his interviews in that magazine alone are riveting, as are his other essays. And you should follow his Rants! How fortunate I am to have treasured friends like these across our continent (and beyond). Much to be thankful for! (By the way, if you go to Cincy, reserve a day for Union Station: that stunning monument of Art Deco is chockablock full of museums, restaurants--and yes, trains! I caution against their gift shop, however, which robbed me of nearly $100!)

At our e Rocky Mountain Chapter meeting, Steve Aegerter received recognition from the North American Rock Garden Society--he's helped transform our chapter, which had been sputtering, into a dynamo once again. Our symposia had limped along for decades with 50 or so attendees--THIS year at his command we charged people to attend and had 97 attendees (we did have lunches and plant sales and more goodies Steve cooked up.). Steve is the very embodiment of "bon vivant"--as the screen behind him demonstrates. He and his wife Kathy have become two of our closest friends (along with another couple nearby) with whom every few weeks we enjoy Gin and Tonics and delicious repasts in one another's gardens in the golden light of afternoon.

I am lucky to work at an extraordinary place full of fantastically talented people. Chief among these is the fellow with the black hat--definitely the wrong color. Mike Kintgen has been a terrific friend, exemplary colleague and joy to me. These two gentlemen brighten my life day in week out!  

On Dia de los Muertos early this month most of my clan ZOOMED together to honor my eldest nephew, Andoni Taylor, whom we lost this past spring. I hastily assembled this Ofrenda (you can't believe the masterpieces my beloved nieces put together) with tokens symbolic of Andoni's passion for music, food, photography and so much more, as well as Indian pottery and bells betokening his father whom we lost three years ago on December 1, 2022. This is the first Thanksgiving (except for 1978) we are not spending with any of Jan or my closer families. We shall have a postponed Turkey day Saturday with dear friends from Oregon, and we're girding ourselves for a transcontinental trip to Chile in five days--don't feel too sorry for us!

                            A random shot of the Colorado foothills I took last August

I am grateful for too many things: this blog post would stretch on for several miles if I were to speak of the many people, places and tokens that grace my life day in, day out. But having been born and having lived MOST of my life in Colorado has to be one of the greatest. My two charismatic and adorable children I am sad not to be with today...

Earlier this week I noticed that Prairiebreak had over two million site visits. As I travel around the country I am always surprised when friends or strangers thank me for some post they've read or tell me that they follow my blog.  I too resent the various oligarchs who own these media I patronize all too frequently. I know idiots abuse Facebook, Instagram, and probably Blogspot and all the rest. I hate to admit it, but Social Media are for me a delight and solace. I don't anticipate taking vows in a monastery to giving them up any time soon. So I guess I should be thankful to them--and to you, whoever you are, who has made it to the end of this post. Have a blessed Thanksgiving...