Yikes!

Once again, it's in the low 60s already. There is a 150-acre wildfire in Park County, the Snyder Creek fire, and while we don't have much wind at the moment, we will have a lot this afternoon. We're under a Red Flag warning for high fire danger until 8 p.m. Currently, the humidity is at 12%. I'm in shorts and a T-shirt; the kits are playing on the patio. Four days ago, I walked back home from the east, and saw that the Front Range was really starting to green up; the Back Range (the Indian Peaks) were still completely covered with a gleaming mantle of snow. After 4 days with temperatures in the 70s and 80s, you can see brown, rocky ridge striations in the Indian Peaks, along with the snow.
Besides the fire danger, the big concern now is flooding. - I know, they should be at opposite extremes, but in Colorado in the springtime, they go together. - The high country got over 48 feet of snow this season; and most places have over 100 inches of snow still in place. With the big warm-up of the past few days, the concerns are for avalanches, quick snow melts, and mudslides in areas that had fire within the last year. Boulder is one of the quickest flood spots in Colorado - we're in a little valley, and several creeks and ditches flow into this constricted area. The most notable is Boulder Creek, which flows past the south end of my apartment building. Boulder Creek has been known to rise 100 feet in less than 12 hours - so I'm always listening for any flood alert warnings. I was awakened this morning at six a.m. by a siren and a female voice saying something incomprehensible over a speaker - turns out it was a moving traffic violation, and the driver was still rolling along after a 4 mile drive with flashing lights behind them.... But I certainly woke up fast! - And immediately turned on the local TV station, and checked the computer for Boulder Creek water levels... but found nothing. Ah, well.... Such is life.

Southern Ute Tribe

Traditional Ute dance regalia

The new Cultural Center and Museum in Ignacio

The Circle of Life Skylight - SUCCM

Happy Mother's Day!

It's not yet 8 a.m. here, but the temperature is already in the 60s - we're expecting a high in the mid- to upper-80s, as we achieved yesterday. I have the window wide open, the door is wide open, and Nedi and Lovey are having a ball chasing birds, squirrels, and insects outside in the grass. I bought myself a small bouquet of brightly dyed daisies this morning, and they are sitting in a teal vase in the living room. They bring an explosion of color to the area - and, so far, the kits haven't discovered the flowers....
The Denver zoo has had quite a few additions in the past few weeks. Moms there have given us a new Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep and two Dall's sheep, one De Brazza's monkey, an orangutan, and a male Cape buffalo. Moms have also given us three red-ruffed lemurs, four Amur tiger cubs, and 13 turtle hatchlings. Denver is having a small baby boom!
In two weeks time we will know the results of the Black-Eyed Susan Stakes and the Preakness, the next two races in the fillies and colts Triple Crown. These races will be held at Pimlico Racetrack, familiarly called Old Hilltop, outside of Baltimore, Maryland. -
If I could be in two places at once, I would be here at home watching the Pimlico races, and I would also be in Ignacio, Colorado at the grand opening of the Southern Ute Cultural Center and Museum. The new building, planned by Johnpaul Jones, uses and repeats the Circle of Life motif. There are four cardinal directions that are sacred. Each of those directions carries with it symbolism and meaning. One of many oral traditional teachings is the representation of the life cycle of the human person. In the east we are at infancy stage, in the south we are at youth stage, in the west we are at adult stage, and toward the north we are in the elderly stage of life, thus representing the life cycle in correspondence to the directions. The Worldwide Opening Celebrations will take place on May 21 and 22. (See http://www.succm.org/ for further information.)

Animal Kingdom

Animal Kingdom winning the 137th Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs. Photo by Anne M. Eberhardt for The Bloodhorse.

Animal Kingdom Wins Derby Roses

It was, indeed, a wide open Kentucky Derby today. Animal Kingdom, who won with a rush, had never raced on dirt before; it was only the fifth race of the chestnut colt's career; and he hadn't raced in 6 weeks. The great Exterminator, who won the Derby in 1918, was the last colt to win with the Derby as his fifth race. And it was 55 years ago that Needles won the Derby after a six-week lay off.
*John Velasquez, the jockey on Animal Kingdom, is the regular rider for Uncle Mo, who was scratched from the race yesterday. Animal Kingdom was scheduled to have Robby Albarado on board, but Albarado took a fall at the track on Wednesday that broke his nose and required stitches in his forehead. The owners and trainers of Animal Kingdom were not sure that Albarado would be at 100% for today's race, so they switched to the rideless Velasquez.
*Animal Kingdom, a chestnut son of Brazilian sire Leroidesanimaux, was born on March 20 in Kentucky and races for Team Valor. His trainer is H. Graham Motion, who is also the trainer of Toby's Corner. His great-grandsires are Blushing Groom, Ahonoora (GB), Surumu (GER), and Dancing Brave. Animal Kingdom paid $43.80 on a $2 win ticket; Nehro ($8.80) was second; and Mucho Macho Man was third (paying $7). Shackleford, the blaze faced chestnut who led for most of the race, finished fourth. A $2 perfecta bet paid $329.80; the trifecta paid $3,952.40; and the $2 superfecta paid $48,126.+. A record crowd of 164,858 people were at Churchill Downs to see Animal Kingdom win in 2 minutes, 2.04 seconds.
*Archarcharch was pulling against jockey Jon Court for the entire race. The saddle slipped forward, and Archarcharch was out of contention after the first quarter-mile. Archarcharch was lame at the finish line. Jockey Court pulled him up, an inflatable cast was placed on his leg, and he loaded willingly onto the horse ambulance under his own power. X-rays taken as soon as he returned to his stall show that he suffered a lateral condylar fracture of the foreleg. He'll have corrective surgery tomorrow, and will start back in training as soon as the vets' give the OK.
*How did my picks do? I pretty much stank again this year! Master Of Hounds finished 5th; Santiva finished 6th; Soldat was 11th; Stay Thirsty was 12th; and Midnight Interlude came in 16th. Twice The Appeal, with Calvin Borel aboard, finished 10th. Rosie Napravnik on Pants On Fire, and Dialed In, the betting favorite, were never a threat to the winner.

In Memory of Sustainability

Susssie - Rest in Peace

Plum Pretty Wins Oaks

Before getting into the starting gate, the betting favorites at Churchill Downs were Joyful Victory, Zazu, and Kathmanblu. There was one jockey change, as Robby Albarado was unable to ride Bouquet Booth; John Velasquez took his mount. (Velasquez will also ride Albarado's mount Animal Kingdom in tomorrow's Derby.) Summer Soiree set the pace and led for 3/4 mile; then Plum Pretty, who was running easily, took over. St. John's River, who broke badly, came slipping through on the rail, and was steadily over-taking Plum Pretty. But there was the finish line. Plum Pretty won by a neck over St. John's River, while Zazu finished third. Joyful Victory was fighting her rider early in the race and finished fourth. Daisy Devine, after staying in the front flight of runners, finished eighth. Summer Soiree was tenth. Plum Pretty paid $14.60 to win; the perfecta paid $163.00; while the trifecta paid $831.60.
> Nineteen colts in the Kentucky Derby. One of the favorites (including mine) is stuck in the first post position - Archarcharch. It's been 25 years since Bill Shoemaker took Ferdinand from the one hole and won the Derby. That's an awfully long dry spell to try to ignore.
* If I were betting on looks alone, I would bet for: Archarcharch, Dialed In, Shackleford, and Twinspired.
* If I were betting on breeding only, I'd bet for: Archarcharch, Decisive Moment, Master Of Hounds, Soldat, and Pants On Fire.
* If I were at the track I would make my bets on (alphabetically): Master of Hounds, Midnight Interlude, Santiva, Soldat, and Stay Thirsty...
** I'll blog after the race has been run tomorrow, and you can see how poorly I've done.