Boulder, Colorado on fire again. Ash falling on InterNACHI's offices.

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This was the view from our parking lot at about 10 PM last night.

This photo was taken in a totally dark parking lot with no flash. Sony NEX 5 w/ISO set at 1600.

Be safe. Any homes in danger for any of you there?

Not us, but we’re still waiting to hear about the homes of friends. Many roads into the mountains in this area are still closed by the police and there’s not a lot of information available about specific areas. Here’s a shot I just took from the same spot as last night.

Never seen anything like it, though I’m sure Kenton has. Might take a trip up Flagstaff later on for a very cool sunset.

Here’s a panorama showing what the area looked like yesterday from Flagstaff Mtn. There are homes scattered all through the area you see in this photo. We could see homes burning in the distance and the flares caused by exploding propane tanks. 3500 acres burned, 3500 people evacuated. Many still don’t know whether their home is still standing.

Boulder’s water treatment plant on the hilltop in the foreground.

YIKES! Be Safe!

Slurry bomber dropping a load this afternoon.

Chopper lifting off from refilling tanks at a lake (earthen dam left side of photo).

Nice photos Kenton, stay safe overthere.

I’m praying for each of you there.(Stay Safe)

It’s only stuff.

Hope you guys are safe.

We’re not threatened here, John.

Living here is pretty nuts. You can be hiking in shorts in the mountains at noon and get hit by a snow blizzard by 3pm. More people die of hypothermia here in the summer (getting caught with summer tires and no winter clothes) than in winter. The cats here chase, catch and eat your kids. I had a mountain lion jump up over the rail of my 8-foot high deck. My neighbor called for his dog who came running into the house followed by a mountain lion. Bears will tear the doors off your house if they like what you are cooking for dinner. Power can go out for days. You can be buried in snow in May and get horribly sunburned in January. The canyon flash floods. For some, not used to living at altitude (2 miles above sea level), trying to climb a set of stairs can make you pass out. You can’t do weddings up here without oxygen bottles. Few guardrails. If you drive off a mountain road, you don’t just hit a mailbox, you die, which is good because if you only were injured, your cell phone doesn’t work up here, no one would find you, a storm is coming, and so are the bears and cats. You have to get along with your neighbors… because sooner or later, you’re gonna need them.

Then, why are you living there?

Great economy, 100% employment.
Gun rights protected.
Hi-tech employee pool.
Green, open space everywhere.
Pro-business government.
No traffic, not even a traffic light in my town.
Friendly people and very, very low crime rate.
Great outdoors.
Nobody here is into “fashion.”
More sun than Miami Beach.
Every business I launch makes money. Money flows like water here.
Everyone rides bicycles and we all do a Thursday night cruiser ride.
Snow melts off by 10am due to sun.
The very finest restaurants.
You do your thing, I’ll do mine culture.
11% humidity.
Women are all athletic and in great shape.
Private expressway direct to Denver International Airport.
4 seasons, all of them mild.
Low latitude, high altitude.
Lots of independent, can-do, thinkers here.
Mountain people are the best.

I live here for the beer. It’s also ridiculously safe.

I used to know a guy who’s go jogging in the woods with a hammer in his hand. He said the hammer was for the cougars. They don’t really attack humans, but Nick’s right that they love the taste of dog. I guess they’d eat a kid too if they were really asking for it.

But really, it’s the raccoons and foxes that dominate the streets at night.

· 300 days of sun a year
· skiing
· fishing
· hunting
· bicycling
· 4-wheeling
· great music scene and venues
· Conference on World Affairs and other University-related events
· attractive women (did Nick mention that?)
· attractive women
· wildlife (walk beside mountain goats and big horn sheep on Mt. Evans 45 min away)
· spectacular scenery
· access to institutions like the Bureau of Standards, NCAR, NOAA, 2 university libraries
· good restaurants
· good theaters
· 8 professional sports teams
· good beer (did Rob mention that?)

way more…

Can we stop advertising this place now? shhhh!