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.

Late summer sky

"In summer, the song sings itself." - William Carlos Williams

Visit SkyWatch Friday to hear more songs.

Three years and one month ago, 517 posts later

I started my blog on July 22, 2008 at Janie's suggestion.  She has found a great niche with her horse riding adventures.  I began my blog with our trip to Thailand, Nepal and Bhutan.  As I searched for other like-minded bloggers I found others who love travel and nature.  I guess I found a little niche too.

It's amazing that we are able to connect all over the world through electrons.  Meeting new friends around the globe is an experience I am grateful to have.  I can be an armchair traveler and see so many spectacular places.

I plan to continue my little blog and will keep on posting pictures of the beautiful places and people I encounter along the way.  If I veer off in another direction, well, there are always more blogs to write, pictures to take and things to do!

I am grateful for this place I call home

This is my very first attempt at an iMovie.  It is filled with imperfections but for once in my life I'm ok with that.  I made the effort.  The next effort will be better.  It takes time to learn new skills.  Instant gratification is ultimately not as rewarding as sustained effort.

I am so very grateful for where I live!

Burnt Offering Ceremony

May all beings be free from suffering and the root causes of suffering.

Sunrise Skywatch

I woke up to this dazzling sunrise this morning!

I'm so grateful for where I live, that I have a camera and a computer so I can share my photos, and for my friends and family!

There is something splendid in each moment if we just look for it.

SkyWatch Friday is full of exquisite sky shots from all over the world.

Another trip to the Big Horns Begins

Some of my blog readers may remember a trip we made to Wyoming two years ago.  It began with a kind of redneck way to load the four wheelers.  Check out two years ago here.  Trust me, it's a must-see.

This year was much more "civilized."  Cousin Ken insisted that I document the improvements.  He has a very skilled friend who designed customized racks for our pickup bed.  After Ken kindly drove from Scottsdale to deliver the racks, he helped Gary install them.  He also brought ramps so that Gary could drive the four wheelers up.  Those suckers are too steep for me to want to drive my bike up on to them!  Gary almost ran over Ken who managed to jump up on to the roof of the cab.  He got there just in the nick of time and avoided getting squished.  Who knew an old guy could move so fast?

These things take practice.

Here I think Ken is commenting on his near-death experience.

Now to get the second bike up on the rack.

Of course, the ramps need to be moved.

Gary is lined up and waiting for the go-ahead this time.

This just looks so steep to me even though Ken insists I've been on a hill this steep.  I dunno....

Success and happy faces!

Thanks to Ken for all his help!

The next day we took off for Big Wonderful Wyoming.

Work redefined

"My work is loving the world." - Mary Oliver

There are so many amazing people and beautiful things to appreciate in our world. 

I've made this is my new job description!

Gratitude for the gifts of summer

Flowers seem intended for the solace of ordinary humanity.  ~John Ruskin

Flowers are those little colorful beacons of the sun from which we get sunshine when dark, somber skies blanket our thoughts.  ~Dodinsky

Every flower is a soul blossoming in nature.  ~Gerard de Nerval

I perhaps owe having become a painter to flowers.  ~Claude Monet

Let us dance in the sun, wearing wild flowers in our hair...  ~Susan Polis Shutz

A New Greenhouse: Chapter Three

There was still one panel left to be installed but the greenhouse needed plants!  Lulu came to check it out inside.

The finished house!  Obviously some landscaping needs to be done around the outside.

More has been planted:  flowers, tomatoes, peppers, onions, beans and carrots.  Herbs include:  basil, oregano, thyme, and cilantro.  Can't wait to harvest everything and eat some fresh, homegrown veggies!

This is where the greenhouse is sitting in relationship to the house.  It doesn't actually have a chimney on it.  Hopefully this house will shelter our garden from hail, wind and snow so we can eat lots of fresh goodness in a couple of months!

See more skies at SkyWatchFriday!