Lewis

Our little teacup Yorkie joined us about the same time I quit my job and started my own business, Loran's Heart.  Word to the wise, don't get a puppy when you need to be able to concentrate on learning new things.

We have always had larger dogs which makes little Lewis kind of a challenge to figure out when it comes to training him.  He's so stinking cute though that it has saved his existence here more than once.

It's been a dry, fairly warm winter so far here in Utah.  No complaints from me about that!

How are things where you are now that we have officially moved in to 2012?

Early morning sun

"The only words that ever satisfied me as describing nature are the terms used in fairy books, charm, spell, enchantment." ~ G. K. Chesteron

Sometimes the right words are hard to find but I do love the sun lighting up this massive rock in the morning.

Hope everyone has an enchanted holiday season!

Fall light

The light is waning and the trees are changing.  Soon it will be winter.

The sky is always beautiful.

Golden gifts from nature

I love the colors of autumn.  Because they are fleeting, they are all the more precious.

It took about 30 tries to catch the leaves falling in the wind with my camera.

A small stand of water is all that's left in the creek this time of year.

"Nothing gold can stay," said Robert Frost.  Sometimes I wish it could.

Dinosaur National Monument

After five years of being closed, the Monument has re-opened the Dinosaur Quarry Exhibit Hall!  Tourism suffered when it was closed but hopefully now we will experience a revival.  The building, built on bentonite soil, shifted to the point where it was condemned because it was unsafe.  Ken Salazar came out last week for the opening, but unfortunately, I missed his speech.  Apparently it was a good one.

My daughter and I went out with some friends to visit the area.  There were at least a thousand sandhill cranes down by the Green River.

See all those little dots?  Makes me wish I had a bigger zoom lens!

I did manage to catch a pair of sandcranes flying by.  They live for up to 23 years in the wild and mate for life.

The building and the site looks the same, but different.  We were pleased to see the improvements didn't detract from our memories of the place.

Twelve different species are represented in the wall.

Here's a view of Split Mountain.  The Green River "split" the mountain. It's a great float trip on a raft!

There's nothing quite like a beautiful fall day.  Visit skies from around the world here.

Time flies when you switch jobs!

I did it.  I resigned from my job as a Family Resource Facilitator after four years of helping families with challenging children.  I launched right into a new business of my own.  It's been all-consuming, setting it up and getting it going.  I'm running in three different directions.  I guess that's why it's recommended to have a plan before starting up a business.  It will all work out.

Most surprising natural event of the fall?

Six inches of snow!?!

It snowed for three days!  It's melted now but it's been pretty darn chilly ever since.

Wonder what winter will be like.....I'll pop in again soon.

Running a half-marathon through Dry Fork Canyon

No, it wasn't me that ran 13 miles on Saturday!  It was my daughter, Amber.  Some of my more devoted followers may remember me posting cross-country race pictures of her when she was in high school. Now she is in college studying Exercise Science.  She stays very fit and active by running regularly.  This was her first half-marathon.  

Crossing the bridge over Ashley Creek

Reflections in the irrigating pond

The canyon has lots of spectacular rock formations.

My mother likes the abstract forms in the rocks.  She's an artist who likes to paint abstracts.

The day was chilly and cloudy.  Fall is on its way.

Canyon swallows live here.

And here she comes crossing the finish line!  Awesome job!  I had fun taking pictures all the way down the canyon too.