Impression Evergreen

Vesper Sparrow So far this summer, the bird I’m seeing most frequently in our foothills is the decidedly nondescript vesper sparrow. His name is Latin for ‘evening’ a time when this bird loves to sing. At first glance, this stout sparrow looks rather drab but if you take the time to look closely, you’ll discover that he’s really quite beautiful. His overall light-brown color is intensified by a bright orange patch on the shoulder. A pattern of dark streaks helps him to blend perfectly into the environment. Barely visible in the vast meadow to even the keenest observer, his exuberant song is what gives his presence away. If you happen to cross paths with him, he’s not shy and he can be photographed rather easily. He tolerates a friendly encounter and watches curiously with his white-ringed eyes. He hops down the dirt trail searching for his favorite foods, insects and seeds. If you get too close though, he will flash his white outer tail feathers as he alights to a nearby m...

Janeway, Colorado "Though the white man may take this land, it and everything on it will never make him happy and his endeavors will forever fail." ~ Ute Indian curse after being forcibly removed from the Crystal River Valley Once upon a time, coal was king... During the late 1800s, combustible carbon powered locomotives and fired smelters from Aspen to Pueblo. So when "Black Gold" was discovered in Colorado's central Rockies, prospectors, investors and miners saturated the Western Slope. Treaties were broken and the region's native inhabitants, the Utes, were forced to leave their homeland for reservations further removed. Situated in a rugged ravine, Janeway was a rowdy rest-area for frontiersmen heading into the high country. Originally known as Mobley's Camp, in 1877 the settlement was renamed after its affable innkeeper, Mary Jane Francis. The charming Mary Jane was the most popular resident in this fledgling town of fifty that included a...

"A Coaching Moment" Colored Pencil Kansas State head coach Bill Snyder barks the game plan to his quarterback before the next series of plays. It's a road game for the Wildcats, at night, in a hostile environment. Colorful words are sometimes exchanged in the heat of battle. It's a coaching moment. The silver helmet gleams from the stadium lights creating interesting shadows across the player's face. A violet and yellow color scheme is complimented by sharp contrasts of dark and light. The focus of this simplified drawing is on the unmistakable man in charge. Bill Snyder has silver hair and wire rimmed glasses but don't let his understated appearance fool you. In reality, this guy is a cold-blooded competitor dishing out defeats, one after the other, to some of the nations best college football teams. Snyder arrived at Manhattan, Kansas in 1989 and took control of college football's losingest program. The meticulous, workaholic demanded consistency ...

Buddha reinterpreted the theory of karma The kids on my soccer team have asked me if I believe in karma. They always use the word as a synonym for luck. They think good karma means good luck. Sometimes after a loss they blame it on "bad karma" and resign themselves to the belief that karma is something beyond their control. They believe the outcome of their game had already been determined. A fatalistic point of view that couldn't be farther from the truth. The Buddhist states that the present is influenced by the past and the future will be based on choices you make now. Your choices are made of your own volition, so you control your own destiny. You have free will. The theory of karma originated in ancient India and is central to Hinduism. Buddha later reinterpreted and explained the doctrine. He taught that karma is a complex, non-linear, unseen natural law that flows freely through the universe. The Buddhist version was exported to the United States where its tr...