Color Weekend

Farmers Market Finale



Family





Toyota commercial



Fall





Jurassic Park



More fall









Cute boy explaining a "sea lake". In actuality it was a very low Lost Lake.



Yes, that is snow.



Sasquatch sighting



Sasquatch sighting #2

7 Days Autumn 2012

Follow this link for the whole set, the whole run, and fun comments. Flickr Set

7 Days is a photo project wherein members take a self portrait for 7 days every change of the season. Here are mine for this season.

Day 1 - Feelin' Good

Celebrating the equinox among the oaks and quakies.



Day 2 - View From the Hammock Chair (Stripes)

Loose interpretation of the theme, the headboard looks stripey.

Lots of changes in the back yard this last year. Relocated the clothesline, started raised beds, apricot and peach tree gone - dead from bores, new rosebush, reconditioning soil in rock planter, and a new lavender plant blooming a second time this season. The garden "bed" is to be 90% garlic this fall. It is neatly composted and ready for planting immédiatement.



Day 3 - Trifocals

Trying hard to get used to these suckers.



Day 4 - Cleaning

Meh. It was time.



Day 5 - Spots

Got rained out at the farmers market. We all bailed by about 10am. Oh well. Rain and wind in the desert results in dirty spots all over your vehicles. How charming, huh? Here I am among the grit. Lovely, I know.



Day 6 - For realz

This whole week I have spent recovering from surgery. I almost skipped 7 Days because lately I have just not been up to it. Some days are good photo days, others are not. I have had a lot of "not" in the last year. Today I thought I would get serious and dust off the tripod.

Top left: Sunrise over Confluence Lake. This is a rehabilitated area in my town. It used to be a huge sugar beet processing area and waste water treatment ponds. Ew. Now it is a recreational site that offers 2.5 miles of trails along the rivers to and around the confluence of said rivers, fishing, outdoor picnicking/bbq-ing, wedding gazebo, horse trails, a newly designed and constructed fenced dog park, and playgrounds, etc. It's just a lovely spot no matter what time of day or activity. Fun fact: Elaine and Anya have been there.

Top right: More fall color. Bonnie, I swear I am not rubbing it in but I am showing it off. This the Grand Mesa, one of our many mountains. It is a high mesa with peaks that reach 11K+ and is remarkably shaped like a giant capital Y with the bottom of the Y pointing east. This south face boasts only a 1/4 of the overall fall color this mountain displays. And this shot? Is only about 1/4 of the south face. Wow.

Bottom left: Pumpkin spice latte. 'Nough said.

Bottom right: My hubby is up at 3:30 a.m. every morning. My kids and I are up and out the door by 7:30 a.m. every morning. The ENTIRE TOWN is out and about at least by 8 a.m. going to work or dropping kids off at school. WHY then, does my favorite store not open until 9?? It is simply bad business. I'd even help sweep the sidewalk if they'd just open the doors at 8 instead.



Day 7 - Cathedral

I have wanted to share my cathedral with 7 Days for a long time. The cottonwoods in the back yard form the shape of a cathedral window. I find sanctuary in my yard, so it's fitting. I also shot a Sounds of the Neighborhood video but the format isn't accepted on Flickr. I spent an hour trying to figure out how to snip, convert and otherwise make it acceptable to no avail. I are not that smart. So it's on YouTube. (Link below)

Loved this run, so very much. Thank you.



If you watch: You are hearing Friday morning state highway noise, and chickens. I was feeding the ladies. We live across the river from town so are buffered somewhat from the view, but the highway is loud. Too bad a train wasn't going through. That would have been the pièce de résistance.

Autumnal Equinox

Another Saturday afternoon on the mountain. I LOVE WHERE WE LIVE! Just had to say that.







Grizzly Adams LOL (photo by Rhetta)



Interesting find: a Bearing Tree marker on a tree nearby a survey marker marking a section, done around 1985. Have never ever seen one before.



Oak leaves (photo by Rhetta) She and I had some treasured mother/daughter time taking pictures. I love her perspective. She views fall color like fireworks and is certain that fairies paint all of the leaves individually.





The living tree in the photo above is an apricot tree. Look how it towers over that cabin. In fact, the very much dead-looking tree in the foreground, a weeping willow, had one live branch on it. Talking about hanging on.

Blink Twice - We enjoyed a supper out at a new restaurant in the town of Mesa. The acoustics left something to be desired but the food was mouthwatering and the outdoor portion was inviting, including: a pergola with ourdoor seating (Rhetta dubbed it a wine garden), bean bag toss, and plenty of space for kids to run around and make noise if they so please. It also has a full bar and a gluten-free menu. Named after the coffeehouse that preceded it, Blink - as in "blink and you will miss it", Blink Twice is right next door. Blink twice and you'll miss this one, too.

Happy Autumnal Equinox.

Grandpa Larry

Larry was a family friend, but we called him Grandpa Larry. He loved us and he loved the kids with the love only a grandpa can give. He enjoyed working with wood, making over a thousand birdhouses in his retirement years. He also loved his dogs, Buddy and Bonnie, and of course his wife, Helen.

He and Helen (my friend long before) were married in their later years. I was asked to witness the ceremony, an experience I hold dear to my heart. Years later they were still very much in love.

'05


Buddy met Rhetta when Helen and Larry moved to Colorado from New Mexico. They made fast friends.



We were blessed to be able to visit almost annually. Larry just adored the children. Willon loved to yabber away at Larry, a willing pair of ears.

'08


'09






His wonderful attitude toward life lives on in our memories. His body will go to science, and what remains will be cremated and mixed with Buddy's ashes to be sprinkled in the high country he and Buddy loved and shared so often on their walks.

I miss you already.

'11

Photobomb!

This is all new behavior for Rhetta. She's such a clown this year!

Rob was next to me trying so very hard not to crack up.

Willon is so lovably cute, of course.



Before I forget, Rhetta made up a joke while we were sightseeing in the mountains yesterday. It was a bit windy/curvy and Willon was feeling ill. We talked about being carsick, which he never was thank goodness. So, Willon says he's carsick and Rhetta says she's seasick. We said, seasick? She said, yeah, I'm seasick from all this seeing. Then she cracked up! Very proud parenting moment.

Quakies 2012

Headed out the Grand Mesa scenic byway this afternoon to shoot some fall color. Stopped at some favorite spots and shot some favorite trees. It isn't yet the peak of color but it didn't disappoint.











I let Rhetta take a few pictures with my camera. Can someone please tell me how this can be my 9 year old??



While she did that I messed around with Instagram. I re-e-e-ally need better than a 3.2mp on my phone.





Mosaic Maker - a compilation of Rhetta's and my favorite shots.

Matryoshka

...or The One Time I didn't Answer Her Question Myself

Preface: We attended a wedding reception/party. The hosts were kind enough to accept that we brought our kids and that they were the only kids there. Sometime during the course of this soirée the hostess revealed a hidden toy room under the stairs.

I'm not kidding! A hidden room! They were enchanted.

This house... the house was immaculate, we were all partying (except Rob, he was our DD) and my children were occupied. It was very surreal.

They played with every toy in that nook. When I got there they had played out the gheegah (or "gheedunk") and turned to the shelves that were actually the door.

I have no idea if it was OK for them to play with the matryoshkas but it seemed like that's what they were for. Dunno. All I know is for once I did not answer Rhetta's question.

It was like I wasn't even there.

Rhetta saw me but went right to playing anyway.

Transcript:

R: Now look who's here.
...
R: What's this magical bookcase for?

W: I don't know! Probably... something big. This is toys.

R: Are these toys?

W: Mhmm. These are tons of toys.

R: (Whispers as the larger matryoshka) Quick! Get inside me!

Then they comtinue, if you have been observing closely, to play with their individual matryoshkas in totally different ways. Rhetta finishes one, notices I exist, and the moment is over.

Some Summer Goodness

Family friends came to visit. They and our kids somehow congregated in Willon's room. Here are most of them.



A little to the left are the rest of them. Soooo much fun hosting this family! Don't miss the baby in the closet.



Drove up to the Ute Trail trailhead and walked along the Rim Trail for a mile or so. If you look extrememly closely you can spot the river in the very center of the shot, waaaaay down at the bottom of the Gunnison Gorge.



Funny face contest winner! Except for Rob, but he didn't know he was playing.



First week of Kindergarten was a success. They had a teddy bear picnic and he took his stuffed Thomas the Tank Engine. Also, they all wore blue shirts to celebrate their school winning the National Blue Ribbon Award. Woo!



First week of 4th grade was exhausting. And poor Mr. Arthur Brown (bear) somehow contracted chicken pox.



Finally, more blessed rain. I hope it is a wet, wet, winter.