One of the happiest times of my life was when I was first

One of the happiest times of my life was when I was first employed by the Bureau of Land Management. I had landed a permanent job as a botanist, covering the whole southwest part of Colorado. I had a pretty young wife, who was my best friend. It was a consequential period, when I was establishing a place in this world. Every few years when there has been a wet winter, I head out there again, to reacquaint myself with all the plant species I learned by heart then, and spent so much time identifying and studying. I also wander again in the same desert and canyon landscapes I explored 45 years ago.

The trip this spring was not a disappointment. Some areas were more green than others, but the area around the Dolores River, near Big Gypsum and Little Gypsum Valleys and Silvey’s Pocket was the best I remember seeing. It is important to know genus and species of the plants, in order to learn more about them, but what has come with age that I did not have in my twenties, is to not take it too seriously. The plants have been here for a long time, and will be here after I am gone. They exist in spite of our classification schemes.

When we were walking down towards the truck in the evening a couple of nights ago, the Abronia sand verbena was releasing its night time fragrance. The air was still and this unique pleasant fragrance covered a wide area. I noticed Jess walk by one, stop, smell it, and I detected a border collie smile as she walked on. She was enjoying the moment and the rare good smell of the Abronia.

The last time I encountered the fragrance of the Abronia in the canyons was around twenty years ago, when my border collies Ben and Maggie and I backpacked down into Bull Canyon, a few miles north of where I was on this trip. That was also a lush spring, and the memory of the good experience has stayed with me.

In all honesty I think I have recaptured that pure happiness I had when I was young. Life is good in retirement, I have kindred hearted border collies to travel with me, and we spend much of our time exploring the wild. All those trips out makes me more ready to do some dancing at the Rose on the weekends, or at the swing dances.

Black and white border collie standing on large rock formations surrounded by desert shrubs

Black and white border collie standing on a large rock amid red sandstone formations and flowering desert plants

Two black and white border collies standing on a large rock surrounded by desert vegetation and red rock cliffs in the background

Twisting reddish-brown branches with small green leaves and clusters of light pink flowers growing close to the ground among dry grey twigs and rocky soil

A twisted tree with green foliage standing in front of layered red rock formations and surrounded by various shrubs and grasses in a desert canyon landscape

Small cactus with green pads and two bright red-orange flowers blooming amidst rocky desert soil

Person wearing a wide-brimmed hat and jacket walking on a dirt path surrounded by leafless trees during dusk

Sunlit orange sandstone cliffs with scattered vegetation rising above a green valley under a clear blue sky

Silhouetted trees against a dark night sky filled with countless stars and a visible band of the Milky Way galaxy

Collage of southwestern Colorado desert scenes featuring juniper trees on rocky terrain, a man with a border collie dog with mountains in the background, red desert flowers growing by a dried log, and a border collie standing on large rocks near a canyon wall

Rocky canyon landscape with tall cliff and yellow wildflowers in the foreground, accompanied by close-ups of red cactus flowers, yellow desert daisies, reddish stems, and pale purple flowers with yellow centers

gnarled tree with sparse branches near red rock cliffs overlooking a valley with distant mountains under a clear sky

illuminated camping tent under a night sky filled with countless stars and the Milky Way, surrounded by silhouetted trees

Collage of various wildflowers including clusters of small purple flowers, light purple flowers with thin petals, and white flowers with yellow centers set against a natural outdoor background

Orange wildflowers growing on rocky desert ground with a blue sky and reddish rock cliffs in the background

Dry desert landscape with scattered green trees and small purple flowers under a bright blue sky, distant snow-capped mountains on the horizon

Desert plants with small white flowers growing among reddish rocks on the left and a close-up of delicate white flowers with pink buds and green leaves on the right

A twisted juniper tree growing in a rocky desert landscape and close-up of yellow wildflowers among dry grasses and cactus spines

Delicate thin stems with small seed pods on the left and a cluster of orange wildflowers with unopened buds on the right against a dark background

Clusters of white and purple flowers on the left and small orange flowers growing in a rocky desert setting on the right

Close-up of yellow wildflowers with brown centers growing among dry vegetation and cactus in a natural outdoor setting

illuminated camping tent in a dark canyon under a star-filled night sky with the Milky Way visible

Man in a beige jacket and cowboy hat standing in a green shrubland with a black and white border collie sitting nearby, with snow-capped mountains and a wide valley in the background

“Wherever you go, go with all your heart"