Butterfly Pavilion

Butterfly Pavilion, in Westminster, Colorado, is making a positive impact on people's lives every day. The demand for hands-on learning has never been greater and the Pavilion provides  visitors with many opportunities for this.

In addition, Butterfly Pavilion has broken records in zoo attendance.

Butterfly Pavilion makes a good field trip for K-12 classes. Their exhibits and programs inspire a new understanding of science. Internationally, the Butterfly Pavilion works with students in Mongolia to understand the ecology of three threatened species. Through this project and others like it, they are encouraging the next generation of advocates for conservation.

excerpted from Butterfly Pavilion flyer

Election
Whether Trump or Harris wins, remember you will be better off than the average Russian or Chinese.

MYSTERIES IN THE SKY
As early as the 1940s, people started seeing and reporting odd and unusual  things in the sky. In the 50s the number of reports increased. In the 60s the number of reports exploded and became a game of attention getting to report to seeing a flying-saucer or even being aboard while spacemen perform experiments on you.

Today, reports are much more serious and are believable. Paul McKeag, former board member of the Highlands Ranch historical society said, "I have never seen one, but I've had close family members that have seen them."

When he was about five years old, his parents had friends from out of state visit. One night he had gone to bed when his parents heard the cattle making strange noises. When McKeag and his parents got up in the morning to look, the cattle were circling around and there was a sulfur smell in the air. They noticed a disc shaped object not making any noise, but slowly rotating. He remembered them telling him that they watched it for some time before it shot straight up in the air. So mysteries in the sky remain.
from Centennial Citizen

MURDER ON MONEY MOUNTAIN
Friday we took a jaunt to Northern Colorado to check on Murder on Mountain Mountain at several outlets including the University of Northern Colorado at Greeley. We enjoyed meeting the students there. It was a successful trip.
                                                                                        

Mining Accident
In a business trip to Cripple Creek, Colorado a couple weeks ago, I had no feeling that the quiet town would return to its rough and tough reputation of the gold rush days.

An elevator breakdown stranded a dozen tourists about 500 feet under ground. The one hour mine tour lasted close to seven hours. The tour guide was killed by a door jam which left the elevator inoperative at the 1,000 feet deep level.

The staff of the Colorado Thoughts, passes their  sympathy and condolences to the family of  Patrick Weier including Weier's seven year old son.

It is sad, that sad days from the past continue in these times with modern equipment and machinery. The need for modern methods and up to date equipment is obvious. No matter how careful private owner and managers are, there is still a need for outside supervision.  

Murder on Money Mountain
Life continued at a more frenzied pace. Cleaning out the debris and starting replacements for the burned buildings put craftsmen from Colorado Springs to work. This time bricks appeared where paper and wooden frames had been the norm. Abandoned mines made convenient holes to dump charcoal and partially burned timbers.

Rose Townson had two crews of ten men each building one-woman cribs in a row where previous ones had stood. The Cripple Creek Times managed to move to a small job press and published their Sunday paper on time. Lumber was being delivered to now empty lots where Nolans Saloon had stood as an anchor on Myers at Third Avenue. A piano player beat out "Roll Out the Barell" as carpenters pounded nails to build walls for a new saloon. 

(The above is an excerpt Murder on Money Mountain, my third historical mystery, which is in bookstores and on Amazon.com)

Strange Creature
The male and female Babirusa both  have four horns on their noses. Think of a Rhinoceros  with two horns on its' nose, except the babirusa has two extra tusks..

The Babirusa's canine teeth grow throughout the wild pig's life until they break the skin of the nose and turn back and eventually pierce the skull. This is not a common occurrence because the tusks are fragile and break easily in the riggers of the Babirusa life in the life.

October
October and the autumn foliage will soon be gone.

And becomes leaves that need to be raked.

Mountain Autumn
Some people campaign that the aspen in autumn are all yellow and lack the varied colors of eastern forests. To me, the vast acres of yellow (and some scattered orange) is over-whelming and the bigness of the west is emphasized by the miles of golden aspen in autumn.

My Favorite Season
Perfect weather, good fishing, the Broncos are only three games behind, and kids are in school.

Murder on Money Mountain
Now available in most bookstores and Amazon. Family, suspense, and courtroom intrigue, what else more could you want? Okay some actual history from Cripple Creek, Colorado, 1893.