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Cyndi Palmer: If you don’t like the weather, wait five minutes

Cyndi Palmer
A Face in the Crowd

As a Colorado native, I’m enjoying the chaotic spring weather, but feel for those of you who have tired of the sleet, hail and snow.

Patience, young grasshoppers. The summer, and the flood of visitors, will be here before we know it.

For now, I just relish what’s left of springtime in Colorado. Every day, I hear the songs of tree frogs more and more at the end of our county road and I delight in the bird life and rivers that have grown in abundance. Last year, I came across a salamander slithering across the road. So, I’m on the lookout for them this year as well.



It’s time to whip out those batches of simple syrup (one cup sugar, four cups water – boiled) as many people in the county have noticed our treasured hummingbird population has already started to return. With regular snows still coming and flower nectar as their natural food source, they’ll appreciate the help while we all wait for summer to sizzle.

I noticed that the Colorado River through Pioneer Park at Hot Sulphur Springs is pushing its banks and I’ll bet those fish are happy the level has risen. The sight made me think of our young artists from East Grand Middle School’s seventh-grade science class who made posters showcasing what they learned about water habitat and wildlife through a classroom visit by the Colorado River Headwaters chapter of Trout Unlimited and the Colorado Riparian Association.



Almost 70 patrons came out to the Granby and Fraser Valley libraries to vote for their favorite poster entries. Congratulations go out to Joe Rupp who won $100 for his colorful poster. He put the first-place prize in his fund to help buy a laptop computer. Patrick O’Connell won second place and $75, Gabriel Balahnic won the $50 third place, and Kayleigh Busse won $25 and a chocolate fish.

If our rushing rivers have you thinking of the overflowing rafting and boating opportunities in and around Grand County, you may want to check out the Winter Park Pub next Wednesday (May 21). Owner Jeff Williams is hosting a kayak movie from the series called “Hotel Charley,” starting at 7 p.m. I guess Teddy Roosevelt nicknamed the river, after it almost killed him in Brazil. There is a $10 cover to see the movie, a work by Clear H2O Films.

To smooth over some murky waters, my sincere apologies go out to Bob Freeman, owner of the Sagebrush BBQ and Grill in Grand Lake. In my efforts to give the place a little plug, spotlighting recent bar renovations in my May 9 column, I mistakenly named Dave Freeman as the owner. Bob has been a co-owner since 2002 and has been a full owner since Oct. 13, 2005.

Food for thought: “The water is your friend. You don’t have to fight with water, just share the same spirit as the water, and it will help you move.” – Aleksandr Popov, former Russian Olympic (gold-winning) swimmer.


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