The Cold front

Click the pics before it snows and I have to leave.

The other night was pumpkin carving night to turn the pumpkins into jack-o'-lanterns. The kids had lots of artistic ideas but needed a little help with the implementation, so this is my grandson and dad working on the pumpkins together.

 By 9 o'clock this morning, the wind was starting to blow, and by lunchtime was blowing about 30 miles an hour. The leaves were blowing off the trees, and it looked like the cold front that had been predicted for the last week was upon us.

This is how it almost always happens in Colorado, a cold front comes through late in the Fall and blows most of the leaves off the trees, which causes Fall to be officially over, and snow can be expected anytime.

It's about now that Fall has been completely forgotten, and all the people that strap various pieces of lumber to their feet start discussing the chances of the Colorado ski areas opening up by Thanksgiving. Even though this almost always happens because most ski areas nowadays have snow-making equipment, and it's cold enough in the mountains to keep the homemade snow frozen.

But getting those downhill runs open by Thanksgiving is extremely important to the snow bunnies because snow lovers have already planned their mini-vacations during that time-frame.

The timing of the first snowfall is also important to me, but for the opposite reason. I want to be as far from snow building up on the ground as possible.

 Unlike the shredders who get stoked on sliding down a steep snow-covered cliff as fast as humanly possible, all the while yelling "DUDE!!!" to each other at the top of their lungs, I consider sliding in the snow dangerous at all levels. Whether my truck is sliding in the snow, or my worn-out sneakers are sliding in the snow, it's never good and seldom ends well.

So with any luck, by the time the first snowflakes come dancing out of the Colorado sky and alight silently on the ground. I shall be safely, comfortably, and happily boondocked in the desert beside a stately Saguaro cactus sipping an ice-cold beer.... One has to remain hydrated living in the desert.

Theboondork

My granddaughter drawing a face on her pumpkin, so mom can help cut it out.

My grandson working on his pumpkin.

Making a jack-o'-lantern is hard work, fortunately you only have to do it once a year.

Nobody wants to reach inside of a pumpkin.... You don't know WHAT might be in there.

The finished jack-o'-lanterns. Artistic, and scary.