I am surrounded by mountains. Rather than  in Phoenix where the mountains circled a massive basin these mountains are so   close that I am at the base of one of them and feel as if  this town is held in the  palm.    It is 8am and just    becoming light. The mountains are snow capped and  mist is rising.

Last night walking to my room from the bar   I came across four deer grazing outside of my room. Yesterday three elk stood   gently inside a clutch of trees. So still that they became trees themselves.   There are wild bears here too. Deer and Elk and Bears and  Mountains and a conference of writers.