David E. Steiner

Retired USAF, Teacher, Dad, Grandfather, Curmudgeon

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The Weather

 

We complain a lot about the weather, in case you hadn't noticed. The wind is, in fact, pretty stiff here in the winter and we can get heavy rains, snow, and it's often just plain cold in December and January. Sometimes we'd all like to borrow Dorothy's ruby slippers.

But we forget all that in the summer and take pretty much for granted the cool nights, balmy days and refreshing afternoon showers of our mountain summers.

All you need to be reminded is a quick trip to Longmont or Boulder or Denver, where, on most any summer afternoon, you can walk across a street and feel the asphalt give under your feet.

You might also encounter one of the thunderstorms and the hail that have injured several plains dwellers this summer. Those are our little showers, all grown up.

And some places are even worse in the summer. Take New York City, for example, on the 6th of July. It's not just the humidity, folks, it's the heat. The hottest 6th of July since 1911. 98° in the middle of Manhattan --- well, anybody who willingly takes PeoplExpress to go into that deserves everything he gets, I suppose.

Don't get me wrong. We really enjoyed the celebration of the Statue of Liberty’s 100th anniversary. Wouldn't have missed it. And sweating is a nice, normal human function which has its place when you chop wood or go hiking. But let's face it, sweating 24 hours a day for a week in New York City is a silly thing to do to yourself!

Now, if you are really into masochism, you can crawl into a subway (jammed) on which the air conditioning isn't working, or onto a bus (jammed) which never had air conditioning to begin with. These are even sillier things to do to yourself. I know; I have done both.

So I hope you didn't get this by mail, so you can step outside and take a deep breath. Look at this beautiful weather. Savor it, friend. It's not that easy to find. If the rest of the world had ruby slippers our mountains would be a very crowded place.

 

 

Columns

© 1985 – 2003, David E. Steiner

Allenspark Wind Columns:

Introduction

Why Allenspark?

Going Riding [August, 1985]

Electricity

Used Cars

Peace and Quiet [1986]

Liberals & Conservatives

Going to the Movies

The Screened Porch

The Beginning of The Season

The Weather

The Hilltop Guild Bazaar

The End of The Season

The Gift of Time

The Beavers

Addresses [1987]

Hiking

Watching the Trees Grow

Postal Rates

Changes in Estes Park

Square Dancing at the Pow Wow

Back to the Hilltop Guild Bazaar

The Solstices

Bird Feeders

Elevators

The Estes Park Hardware Store [1988]

Visitors

Limousine Service

A Memorial Service

A Hummingbird

Garbage

A Hiking Trip

The Estes Park Public Library

Wild Life

Riparian Rights [1989]

Weather

Fences

Commuting

Mountain Friendliness

A Motorcycle Trip

Satellite Television

“Weaving Mountain Memories”

Hotel Rates in the Old Days

The Price of Propane [1990]

The Front Range Almanac

June

Modes of Transportation

Miller Moths

My 50th Column

Modern Conveniences

Rock Climbing

On the Death of Otto Walter, Postmaster

Otto’s Memorial Service

A Big Owl Pot-Luck Dinner

A Whine About Telephone Service [1991]

After the Persian Gulf War

Some Changes in the WIND

The Trip to the Mountains

The Mountains in the Summer

Visitors

Of Dogs, Music, and Children

Muhlenburg County

To My Grandson

The Sale of Longs Peak Inn

World War II  [1992]

Murphy’s Law and the Computer

The South St. Vrain Canyon

“Whiteout”

The Hazards of Volunteering

Crime in Our Valley

Infestations

On the Death of Charles Eagle Plume

Can We All Get Along?

A Partridge in a Pear Tree

Lost Horizon [1993]

Walking

Rumors About a Visit by the Pope

Progress?

More About Fences

Woodpeckers

The Visit of Pope John Paul II

Forest Fires

The New Sewage System

The Snow Pool

The Good Old Days [1994]

The WIND’s 20th Anniversary

The Bunce School

The Shooting Gallery

The Estes Park Museum

Our Government

U.S. West Takes a Hit

The Year of the Hummingbirds

A New “Yield” Sign

Growth in Allenspark

Private Telephones?

The Salvation Army

Creation Science [1995]

Devolutionizing Big Government

Risks

Airports

Fort D.A. Russell

Domestic Terrorism

Old and New

Barney Graves

Life in the Wilderness

What’s In a Name?

Arthur C. Clarke

 

The Estes Park Trail-Gazette Columns:

July 1983

Carpentry

Estes Cone

Johnny Grant

Observations in Estes Park

The Bath House

Waving

The Sutherland’s Ice House

How Old is Charles Eagle Plume?

Dogs

Christmas Trees

Tree Murder

Mountain Driving

Garbage

Mail Boxes

More About Mail Boxes

“Are you related to ....?”

Spring

An Accident

The Wild Cat

A July Reunion

A Visit to Baldpate Inn

Opening Cabins

Summer

The Times, They Have Changed

Death and Transfiguration

The Population Explosion

The March of Time

Faith-Based Social Services

Looking for Pitch

Recent Writings I

Recent Writings II

Recent Writings III

Recent Writings IV

Recent Writings V

Recent Writings VI

 

 

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