Our Nature

Mailbox Monday: Hand-crafted Barn

2012-01-30T19:52:00.000-05:00

Mailbox Monday: Hand-painted Sea Turtles

2012-01-23T06:38:00.000-05:00

Sometimes It's Hard to Wait

2012-01-22T10:08:00.000-05:00

One of my kindergartners came to school wearing his brother's old Cub Scout T-shirt, neckerchief and neckerchief clip. He was so proud to be wearing it, especially the neckerchief.

After lunch, the kids have a designated opportunity to use the restroom before we go to the playground. This child went in but long after all the others were back in line and ready to go, he did not appear. I sent a boy to check on him and the answer was that he was not ready to come out. Minutes passed. I led the class in reciting the alphabet and counting to 100 and counting by 10's to 100. We played rhyming games and phonics games. Still he did not come out to join us. It had been fifteen minutes and he was not out. It was then that I remembered he had complained of a stomach ache before lunch. I feared the worst. I led the whole class inside to the bathroom where I knocked.

"What do you need?" I asked.
I was totally unprepared for his answer:
"I can't get my neckerchief on."
He had been trying all that time to get his neckerchief on!

I said, "Come on, we can do that on the playground."

He said, "I can hardly wait to be a Bug Scout!"

So, that's when I lost it.
He truly thought "Cub" was "Bug."

Stars in Our Eyes

2012-01-21T14:53:00.000-05:00

Our son had told us about the astronomy ap he had on his phone. This year, I added one to my phone, called Night Sky and we are having so much fun with it. It uses your phone's GPS and compass. With these tools, the program shows you on the screen the planets and constellations in the sky above your head. We take it when we walk around the block in the evening. It shows on the screen the horizon and as I move the phone, the patterns of the "stars" appear with many, but not all, names. It is the easiest we have ever been able to identify what we were looking at, because it customizes to what is over OUR heads.

In one walk, we were able to find Venus, Uranus, Jupiter and Neptune. The next morning, we could find Saturn, Mars and Pluto. Mercury was the only planet, or former planet (Pluto), that we missed. Not a bad day's work!

So the newest ap is called Sputnik! and it works similarly to predict and identify satellites and the Space Station as they pass over us. There is a moment when the sun reflects off of them increasing their magnitude, which is the brightness. This ap reported that Iridium 95 would be passing over at 6:28:58AM today and that the magnitude would be an amazing -5.7, which is VERY bright. We decided to give it a shot. B is always up then anyway and I am usually up. It was very cloudy last night but it was clear enough this morning to drive up to the highway so that we could actually get a view south, as our trees block a lot of sky. We parked and got out in a church driveway and looked south at approximately 23 degrees above the horizon, as instructed by the ap. There was a countdown on the ap which was completed by a series of beeps that told us to "pay attention now." There was also a screen that showed Saturn and Spica and other "stars" in relation to the track of the satellite. We saw it! It was pretty quick and I am not sure we could locate one of much less magnitude, but it was worth the effort.

Disclaimer: the picture above was found online without a copy write.

Cabbage Dew is Beautiful

2012-01-19T06:43:00.000-05:00

The dew on the red cabbages beads up and reflects the light so beautifully.

The cabbages, especially the red ones, have been growing pretty fast. As you can see, at this point they are mostly giant outer leaves.

I measured the diameter of one of these at 30 inches last weekend. See my sunglasses below for some sense of proportion.

I've Seen Fire and I've Seen Rain

2012-01-18T06:32:00.000-05:00

First, it finally rained---and mostly filled up the fire pit on the porch. Then it turned cold. On Saturday morning, we found it frozen!

These little candles were floating in ice, too.

Ice is nice---occasionally.

Exploring Fort Island

2012-01-17T06:20:00.000-05:00

The island off Crystal River that we explored at Christmas was called Fort Island. A search on-line did not reveal any of the history of the place. The name sounds like just maybe there used to be a fort out there, don't you think?

We walked on four different docks/piers in the King's Bay area. There were also some lovely homesites. It was such a beautiful area and a beautiful, cool day.

It looks like a fun place to explore by canoe or kayak.

Mailbox Monday: Something to Crow About

2012-01-16T08:19:00.000-05:00

The rooster was hand-painted.

Letting Off Steam

2012-01-15T11:18:00.000-05:00

On our drive home after Christmas, we stopped at Crystal River to eat at Charlie's, a seafood restaurant right on the dock. It was such a lovely day that we decided to take a drive down the nine-mile road to the Gulf. This was a new place for us and we enjoyed exploring. The road out to the islands gave views of the nuclear power plant at Red Level. We drove through the salt marshes of needle grass and spartina and.....

out to the water.

All along the way, we noticed the siren towers.

A visitor could easily find themselves having a freaky Friday if they had not read the sign.

A Baby Tree for a Baby Boy

2012-01-14T08:39:00.001-05:00

For Christmas, our younger son gave his brother (the forester) and sister-in-law a baby longleaf pine tree to plant in honor of their baby to be born in March. Since they live in an apartment, we were asked to care for the tree for a while. B took the tree out of the gallon pot and put it into a much larger one. It is probably a seven gallon pot. It is out in our garden plot in full sun.

As you can see, longleafs start out looking much like tall grass. This grass stage will last for the first three to five years. The root system is being developed at this time, hence the large pot. Longleafs are one of our native trees. It appears to be a happy baby.

Grappling With the Truth of a Heavy Load

2012-01-12T06:50:00.000-05:00

I just had to share this picture I took of this giant grappling claw at the sawmill in Metcalf. It is used for unloading logs from trucks or onto flat cars on trains. I just thought it looked so friendly. It reminds me of a praying mantis somehow. I have seen them tilt their heads like that. And with a name like "Mack," how can it be not friendly?

Goldfish Don't Wave

2012-01-11T06:57:00.000-05:00

Over the winter holiday, I brought home my yellow-bellied slider (turtle) from my kindergarten classroom aquarium to live in the little pond by our front door. Two weeks was just too long to leave her untended. I saw her a few times in the pond, but after we returned from our Christmas out of town, she had not been sighted, Knowing the children would miss her, I bought ten small goldfish and put them in the school aquarium.

The first morning back to school, the children first noticed that I had changed a classroom helper job from "turtle feeder" to "fish feeder." They were intrigued and then noticed the fish ---and no turtle. They were full of questions. I still believed that the turtle might be hanging out in the mud in the bottom so I told them if she wakes up and appears, we can decide if we want the fish and turtle to trade places. They were fine with that.

But later in the morning, I overheard a discussion that was to the effect that when they used to put their finger up to the glass, the turtle would wave ---she would wiggle her claws-- but that the fish don't wave. I had to point out that fish don't have feet or arms to wave with and maybe they wave with their fins.

One warm day over the weekend, I looked out and saw the turtle floating in the pond! Phew!

Mashes Sands in January Fog

2012-01-10T07:11:00.000-05:00

We took a little wander down to the coast on Sunday afternoon.
We met the dense fog that had burned off at home before 11 o'clock. It remained in place at the coast all day. B tried his fishing luck at a couple of spots without even a nibble.

We had not been out on the "new" fishing pier there. It is nicely done. The fishermen there were not catching either.

Since there was so little to see out on the water, the interesting sights were at our feet. I am always interested in the patterns that a plant may make in the sand when the wind whips it around.

At the beginning of our beach walk, we were noticing that while there were lots of mammal tracks in the sand, there was little marine life visible. When we walked around the other side to a different point, we found more of what we had expected before. This tiny shell (that I think was a conch) was the only one of its kind that we saw.

There were a number of sand dollars, but we thought the patterns and colors on this one were so striking.

This small sea urchin was mostly spineless.

I laughed at how similar this sponge and the fisherman's glove looked.

Before we headed back, we explored a city park in Panacea. There was a nice dock into the bay and the fog had lifted here but you could see the dark cloud bank out on the points.

It was such a nice afternoon!

Mailbox Monday: Scooby Sled

2012-01-09T06:23:00.000-05:00

A litte short on snow, though.

Gleaning for Second Harvest

2012-01-08T11:57:00.001-05:00

On Wednesday, the landowner for our community garden plot submitted an offer to Second Harvest: if volunteers would come harvest on Saturday, he would donate the greens in his garden to a program that sends food home in backpacks with elementary children in our community who qualify for free school lunches. We read about it in the newspaper on Friday and decided that that was something we could help with. Our friend also met us there to help.

The horses were curious about all the activity in their normally quiet neighborhood.

In Saturday morning's paper, it said that about two dozen people were expected to come out and help.

At one point, I counted 45 people working.

We pulled and cut turnips, mustard, and collards. Large black crates were filled, one after another, and then loaded onto the trailer pulled by the tractor.

All the mustard greens in the crate below were grown in the plot tended by B's scout troop. Those were donated also.

When all was said and done, this large truck was almost full of loose greens. That's a LOT of greens.

It is a good idea and it felt worthwhile to support.

Long Horn

2012-01-07T07:21:00.001-05:00

This bull was out to pasture near Wacissa recently. He was quite patient while I took a couple of pictures. From this angle, his horns look big.

But from the frontal view, you can really get a sense of just how long they actually are!

He reminds me of the children's book, Ferdinand. Ferdinand was a peaceful bull that loved to smell the flowers.

Harry Possum in the Kitchen

2012-01-05T07:03:00.000-05:00

On Thanksgiving Eve, a family member was rudely awakened by the constant barking of a neighbor's dog that had come up on the patio in the middle of the night. It was quickly determined that the dog was barking at a possum that was also on the patio. The family member, wishing to be relieved of the noise, went out and squirted the dog with the hose. For good measure, he also squirted the possum. Unfortunately, the glass doors had been left open and the possum took it's escape---inside!

Another couple of family members were enlisted to help remove said possum as it explored the kitchen. It was promptly dispatched with the aid of a broom. The possum has been named, Harry Possum. The family members are going by the collective "possum herders."

For Christmas this year, I found these little possum mama models for each of them. I took the picture...in the kitchen.

And for the record, the word is.....wet possums smell really bad!

Torreya on New Year's Eve

2012-01-03T09:52:00.001-05:00

We had a picnic and hiked a couple of trails at Torreya State Park on New Year's Eve. The leaves on this oak were still very much into fall down by the Apalachicola River.

The river reflects the drought, as well as the partly cloudy sky.

The trilliums were just getting started.

B spotted one that had four leaves: a quadrillium?

I found this abandoned snail shell in the leaves and placed it on a log for the picture.

It was a beautiful day for a hike and we had a wonderful time.

Mailbox Monday: A Friendly Frosty

2012-01-02T08:20:00.000-05:00

Bales and Bails

2012-01-01T10:58:00.000-05:00

For those party animals--- and their animals:

Broccoli!

2011-12-31T08:06:00.000-05:00

We cut our first broccoli on Christmas Eve. It was quite large and delicious! As this is a new crop for us to grow, we are very pleased.

A week later, we cut another-- and it was even larger and just as tasty.

We thought this more mature, blooming broccoli head (in our neighbor's garden) was beautiful and had to wonder how it would taste.

The New Library

2011-12-30T09:18:00.000-05:00

There is a new public library in town and it is on our side of town, very near my school. It is designed to be reminiscent of the Spanish missions that were in the area. We like the look.

Fox Squirrel

2011-12-29T21:36:00.000-05:00

We happened upon this fox squirrel up a tree in Jefferson County as we were taking a new-to-us back way to Monticello.

What a tail!! It just went on and on!

And then it took a flying leap!

We are participating in a survey of fox squirrels in Florida. So far, we have reported two and our son has reported some also. If you see one, you can report it at:

https://public.myfwc.com/hsc/foxsquirrel/GetLatLong.aspx

I Picked Antlers

2011-12-24T12:30:00.000-05:00

When I was decorating the house for Christmas, a collection of deer antlers in the garage caught my eye. Three of them are from mule deer and are sizeable. I tied red cord around the ends and hung them with a large S-hook from my picking ladder that stands in our living room. It is from my home town and was used for many years to harvest citrus.

I also took the antlers to school and the kids were very impressed!---as was a dad in a large pick-up truck who saw me taking them from my car. We read Imogene's Antlers, a fun story of a little girl who wakes up one morning to discover that she has grown antlers--big ones! caribou-sized! The kids enjoyed holding my antlers up to their heads and looking in the mirror.

Kitchen Tree

2011-12-23T19:54:00.000-05:00

I decorated the house early in December, but I proposed to do things a little differently. Instead of buying a big, fresh tree as we have in the past few years, we decided we were happy with some simpler decorations. We put a tall, lit pencil tree on the screen porch just outside the glass doors, so we can see it from the living room. (Pencil trees, by the way, are those artificial trees that are tall and skinny and have a trunk with real bark on it.) I put another, smaller pencil tree in the kitchen. All of the ornaments on this tree are food-related-- mostly gingerbread.

This little, ceramic guy is made from Georgia red clay. Each year, I make them with my kindergartners. They cut the rolled clay with a cookie cutter, poking holes in the arms for the wire that will go in after they are fired in the school's kiln. Once cooled, acrylic puffy paint is the frosting and, sometimes, I have them use black sharpie pens for the black dot details. Oh, and to keep straight, whose is whose, each child puts their initials on the back by pressing alphabet macaroni letters into the wet clay. The macaoni burns up in the kiln but the impression of the initial is left in the clay.

This Rat Snake Lost His Hiss

2011-12-22T12:45:00.000-05:00

We came upon this smallish, gray rat snake on our walk around the neighborhood. We thought at first it was just chilly ....

but, no, it was rigor mortis instead: dead instead.

Who Cooks For You?

2011-12-21T19:10:00.000-05:00

This beautiful barred owl was hanging out over the restroom building at the St. Marks Refuge.

if you click on the picture, you can check out the talons.

This was one patient owl as I snapped lots of pictures, most of which were not clear in the deep shade and with my lens extended. I think this is the longest I have been able to observe a barred owl. We frequently hear and, sometimes see, them in our neighborhood but we cannot see them well for any length of time. This was a thrill.

Seeing Red: Redfish!

2011-12-20T07:00:00.000-05:00

This beautiful 26-inch redfish was caught near the St. Mark's Lighthouse on Sunday.

These are scales that even the Rainbow Fish (of children's stories) would be envious to have.

This fish was right at the top of the legal limit of not less than 18" or more than 27"; there is no closed season; and a limit of one fish per person per day. These fish grow rapidly, reaching 12" in the first year.

Below is a fun, short video of bull redfish striking topwater lures.

http://www.orvisnews.com/en/FlyFishing/Amazing-Video-Bull-Redfish-on-Top.aspx?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+OrvisFlyFishingBlog+%28OrvisNews.com+Fly+Fishing+Blog%29

Mailbox Monday: Star Wars Christmas

2011-12-19T06:49:00.000-05:00

When the Light is Right

2011-12-18T12:53:00.000-05:00

When the light is right on the salt marshes at St. Marks, the colors can be stunning.

Koger Cokes Case

2011-12-17T07:36:00.000-05:00

This display was in a Kogers grocery on the north side of Atlanta. Coke and Sprite cases were stacked in a most creative and impressive way.

Beary Christmas!

Toccoa Trout Fishing

2011-12-16T20:48:00.000-05:00

At Thanksgiving, our three guys got to get in a little trout fishing, despite the drizzly weather.
This was not a pretty spot, but it was easily accessible and they were successful.

Picture credit goes to Daniel. Nice job!

Working for Peanuts

2011-12-15T06:49:00.000-05:00

In the Ingles grocery in north Georgia, we came across this bag of peanuts. Without a doubt, I have never seen a 50 pound bag of peanuts. The price was $60. We had heard that the price of peanuts had shot up considerably due to the summer and fall drought in the south.

Exploring Blue Ridge

2011-12-14T19:21:00.000-05:00

While the guys went fly fishing, we girls went to town--- after taking turns in the quirky water-heated showers. "Town" was Blue Ridge, Georgia on the Toccoa River. We happened upon their little Christmas lighting festival on the the Saturday after Thanksgiving. We had a good time walking through the shops.

This giant topiary moose was a popular place for pictures.

I liked this bench, too.

This restaurant has an impressive entrance.

I was standing admiring these large ice sculptures when I met up with two of my former students with their family. What a surprise for us all! It turns out they have a vacation house in the area.

There was another surprise: live reindeer pulling a sleigh (on wheels).

An old train would take you on a ride to a nearby town for additional shopping options.

It was a fun few hours.

Rising to the Occasion

2011-12-13T06:46:00.000-05:00

We went off for an afternoon of exploring around the Thankscabin's countryside. We left some frozen bread dough to rise on top of the refrigerator while we were gone. It DID! I laughed that it looked like the deer/reindeer was eating it. The nose actually made a little dent in the dough.

The water bottle on the table gives a little more sense of the size of the dough.

It made decent bread sticks.

Mailbox Monday: The Rainbow Connection

2011-12-12T06:15:00.000-05:00

This was on the bank of the Toccoa River.

Over the River and Through the Woods....

2011-12-11T06:57:00.000-05:00

During our Thanksgiving stay in north Georgia, we took a little Sunday drive through the area. We used this one lane bridge to cross the Toccoa River.

There were some nice "little cabins" along the banks.

Thanksgiving Turkeys!

2011-12-10T15:27:00.000-05:00

When many were up going to Black Friday sales, our family was on our way to a cabin in north Georgia. We had three nights there with our grown "kids." It was wonderful!

It was pretty gloomy out...

But cozy inside.

On Saturday morning, there were rustling sounds in the leaves below us and we hoped for the bear that we had seen in photographs.

After quite a while of searching, the noise-makers became visible.

They worked their way around the property and finally on the other side, where it appears that someone feeds them.

Eventually, we were able to count nine. They were very large and very beautiful.

On Sunday, we saw more at another place where we went to hike. These were on the run, in the drizzling rain.

I think wild turkeys are a feast for the eyes as well as the belly!

The Stove Hood Saga

2011-12-09T06:52:00.000-05:00

It has been over a year since I began my search for a new stove hood for our kitchen. The one we had was original to the house. It was white and all the other appliances were black. At one time the stove had a stainless steel top. I once used Greased Lightning to clean it and went on to clean the stove hood with it also. Big mistake. It clearly says on the label not to use it on painted surfaces. Well... it blistered the white paint on the stove hood. From there, it got really ugly as the metal began to rust.

The difficulty was that I did not want halogen lights, which put out enough heat to burn your hand on the hood; in Florida, heat is the enemy. It needed to be 30" wide and black. I wanted the underneath to be fairly flat making it more cleanable than the open model that we had. Oh, and I did not want to pay a fortune for it. I looked locally, first, and eventually, online but I could not find what I wanted.

Last December 23rd, my mother presented me with a check marked "stove hood," for our Christmas gift. When she gave it to me, I said, "Why not wait until tomorrow night, Christmas Eve?" which is when we traditionally open gifts. She was adamant. She had her fatal stroke at 11:11 the next morning.

That check was probably the last thing she wrote. It was months before I could do anything with it. Eventually, I photocopied it and deposited the check in our bank account.

On Veteran's Day, B and I went to a local appliance store and made our request. The clerk was a little taken aback but he went to their sources and finally came up with only two that met the criteria. We selected one and it was here the following week.

This past weekend, B installed it -----and it was a bear to work with! It involved work in the attic as well as in the kitchen.

But it looks wonderful, works well (and quietly) and has compact fluorescent bulbs.

Thank you, B!
And thank you, Mama!

This Sculpture is Something to Crow About

2011-12-08T06:07:00.000-05:00

We were intrigued by this giant, metal sculpture near Troy, Alabama.

It is made from automobile bumpers---you know, from when they used to be made of steel and actually held up during a bump. Of course it occured to me that these could be the result of drivers that were playing chicken!

Here is the front view. Yes, it appears there is a car under the signs!

Forest Research Project

2011-12-07T06:22:00.000-05:00

On a recent Sunday on our truck ride through the national forest, we came upon a long series of these curious data collectors. You will probably have to click on the picture to see the clear plastic dinner plate that has been "nailed" into the ground to cover the four little bottles that are buried in the sand. There were dozens, all evenly spaced out along a stretch of dirt road.

We had recently read that the hairy crazy ants have been found in 20 counties in Florida, and we had to wonder if this was being used to look for them. If not them, then probably some other insect.

Craning Our Necks

2011-12-06T06:24:00.000-05:00

As B and I walked around our neighborhood this weekend, we heard strange bird calls. Looking up, we saw four large cranes fly over our heads. We have never seen sandhill cranes in our county, but we have in a nearby one once many years ago. We are familiar with them from our visits to central Florida where they are common. To complicate things, whooping cranes have been ultralight plane-led to the St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge (due south of us) in an attempt to establish a wintering ground there.

I consulted with some experts and received mixed opinions on whether they were more likely sandhills or whoopers. The evening light was going and we live in a heavily wooded area so we only caught the briefest of glimpses of them. And we were so surprised by the cranes that we did not make very good observations. We are not even sure if they were gray or white. They were calling to each other as they flew; the recordings online of the flight calls, are so similar that that was no help either.

For more information about the St. Mark's Whoopers, see

http://www.stmarksrefuge.org/cranes.cfm

There is a nice little amateur video of the cranes that arrived last December 15---- another reason to question whether or not we saw whoopers: this is December.

I guess it will remain a mystery which birds we saw. Either way, it was a rare and exciting sight for here!

Mailbox Monday: Festive for Fall

2011-12-05T06:33:00.000-05:00

One-Leg Day at St. Marks

2011-11-23T05:53:00.000-05:00

We took a quick trip down to St. Marks on Sunday evening. These wading birds were enjoying the last of the warm afternoon light. Each of them was standing on one skinny leg. I know the second from the left was a black-necked stilt but the other three are unidentified.

This great blue heron supported its heavy body on only one leg.

There was not the slightest movement of air and the no-see-'ums were out in swarming clouds! And they were hungry! I had to wonder if there was a connection: tuck up one leg for less exposure to the biting bugs.

Weird Vegetation

2011-11-22T19:43:00.000-05:00

This first set of pictures was made at St. Marks in May. The tan vegetation was later identified as algae on the bases of the grass.

We thought it was very odd-looking.

This is the same spot later in September. The tall, rosy-stemmed shrubs are giant pigweed or southern water hemp (Amaranthus australis).

They grow quite large (10 feet and more) and are numerous in the salt marshes at St. Marks.

In looking up this plant, it appears to have had some name changes through the centuries, reflecting botanists' efforts to better categorize into families and genuses and species, etc. This last name was only acquired in 1955.

Mailbox Monday: Happy Thanksgiving!

2011-11-21T07:03:00.000-05:00

Bummer! Busted Barrel

2011-11-09T17:45:00.000-05:00

One day in the late summer, we went out to discover our rain barrel had committed kamikaze. One minute it was sitting on its stand holding its 55 gallons of rain water and the next, the sidewalk was flooded and the barrel was all "busted."

It took us a few weeks to find another one at what we considered a reasonable price, but we did. It was identical--- and we bought two. They are hooked up to gutters in the front and back of the house. We LOVE that the slightest shower will fill the barrels. Then we use garden hoses to water specific areas and plants. With as little rain as we have had this year, every drop counts.

Mailbox Monday: Horsing Around

2011-11-07T21:15:00.000-05:00

We suspect a plasma cutter was used to produce this detailed design.

Big Moth

2011-11-03T17:09:00.000-04:00

This large moth was on a brick column at my school one weekend. The patterns on it are so intricate. I can imagine that the coloring and pattern would provide good camouflage on many trees. I did not notice at the time, but there is a brick-colored spot behind its head. When I zoom way in, it looks as though I am looking right through to the brick.

The Lake is Down, the Poison Ivy is Up and There is a Reward Offered

2011-11-01T06:40:00.000-04:00

On Sunday afternoon, the weather was so nice that we took a drive into Jefferson County. We stopped to walk the boardwalk along one end of Lake Miccosukee. Because of the extended drought, the large lake is down to a series of sinkholes that are no longer connected.

This fish was quite stationary. We believe it to be a mudfish. It was good-sized: over a foot long.

I was hoping to find some fall leaves to take back to show my kindergartners on Monday but the prettiest fall colors were found on the poison ivy!

As we were leaving, B noticed this notice that was duct taped to the sign:

Here is a closer look:

Was this kind of an obituary for its kin?

Mailbox Monday: Pictograms

2011-10-31T19:10:00.000-04:00

The knob is a polished stone.

Blue-Stripe Ribbon Snake

2011-10-27T20:08:00.000-04:00

Down at the lighthouse at St. Marks, we stopped to look at this snake that was dead in the road. Back home, we identified it as a blue-stripe ribbon snake.

We read that it in Florida, it has a rather small area where it may be found, and where we found it was just right. Well, except of course in the road was not the best place, since it had been run over!

The 900th Post: Monarchs on the Move

2011-10-25T20:15:00.001-04:00

On Sunday afternoon, we went down to the St. Marks lighthouse again to check on the migrating butterflies. The last time we went, it was very windy and there were next to no butterflies at all. The Monarch Festival was this past Saturday, but we were tied up with other commitments. Anyway, since we go so frequently, we usually avoid the crowded days.

Sunday was just about perfect, weather-wise, and the butterflies were out feeding themselves silly on the wildflowers along the dikes. While the one above was visiting the horsemint, most were found on the saltbushes. The honey-like fragrance of the saltbush flowers was carried by the breeze, adding to our enjoyment. The butterflies seek the sunshine, so the harsh light can make photography tricky but I got a few shots worth sharing.

The blue in the picture above was actually the sky reflecting off the pond water, while the blue in the one below is the sky.

There were dozens and dozens of monarchs by the shoreline, having one last meal before they began the long flight across the Gulf to Mexico. We counted 35 in this one bush--- and that was not likely all of them.

We even saw one monarch that had been tagged for tracking it. There were also sulfurs and skippers and fritillaries.

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It has been almost four years since our kids came to us and said they thought we were "interesting enough" that we should write a blog. It would be hard to imagine higher praise from your young adult children! They set us up on Blogspot and so it began. This post, as titled, is the 900th published one.

Who knew a quiet girl would have so much to say?

Mailbox Monday: Tin Roof and Tin Man

2011-10-24T06:40:00.000-04:00

This nice, home-made mailbox has its own tinman standing guard.

Disoriented

2011-10-18T06:53:00.000-04:00

I went home to see my dad and brother last weekend. It is close to 300 miles from here.

Sometimes it seems even further.

Sunday morning, I woke up in the bedroom where I spent most of my childhood nights, to the sound of sandhill cranes. They do not even visit Tallahassee and I do not recall them ever being a part of my childhood. When did they start wandering through the neighborhood?

As I left for Tallahassee, down the road a couple of houses, I passed a fall display, complete with scarecrows, pumpkins, and hay bales. Somehow, it just doesn't seem to work with the background of tropical palms, hibiscus and banana plants.

Mailbox Monday: Watering Can

2011-10-17T20:24:00.000-04:00

Have They No Shame?

2011-10-13T20:13:00.000-04:00

B and I were in Wallyworld picking up some turtle food when he noticed this product on the shelf.

Yes, it is a stick.

(For your pet bird to perch on.)

Pardon me: It is a "natural branch."

For four dollars and sixteen cents, plus tax.

It is also imported from China.

The part that really cracks me up is that it states on the card that no tools are required.

Little Gray Fox

2011-10-11T06:46:00.000-04:00

This little guy was crossing the road near our garden and stopped to look both ways before taking off at a run and disappearing into the cover of vegetation.

Interestingly, there were two spotted fawns just ahead of it.
Also, one morning last week, I observed a red fox running across a wide lawn as I drove to school.

Mailbox Monday: State Pride

2011-10-10T06:20:00.000-04:00

Spoonbills

2011-10-06T19:40:00.000-04:00

I love spoonbills and they are infrequent visitors to our area, so spotting this trio in a very secluded spot at the St. Marks Refuge was such a treat. This was as close as I could get and I had to shoot between lots of vegetation to get this. Clicking on the picture will help you see the unique bill that gives them their name. We have only seen them down there a couple of other times in the past decades. As I said, they are "infrequent."

You Could Get Crabs

2011-10-05T06:25:00.000-04:00

You could get crabs in these port-a-potties at the coast. But not the kind you think of.

As we drove by, I saw at least a dozen fiddler crabs skitter up under the doors.

I took the picture below of fiddler crabs another time but it demonstrates why you might want to sit very carefully.

Mailbox Monday: Immodest Mermaids

2011-10-03T06:16:00.000-04:00

My sister, who sent me the picture, named this mailbox Conjoined Mad Mermaids.

Now You See Me, Now You Don't

2011-10-02T19:29:00.000-04:00

These large Rocky Mountain mammals were in a case in the visitors' center for Mt. Evans.

We looked and looked--and looked!-- for mountain goats, bighorn sheep, elk, mule deer and moose. We saw the last three, but never a goat or sheep. The word we finally got was that they do not come down to lower elevations when they have their babies and it was that time. Some people had seen some sheep high on Mt. Evans the day we were there, but we did not.

Below was our only moose sighting. It was far, far from where we were on a road and this is the best shot I got.

So we will just have to go back!

Dead, But Most Are Still Standing

2011-10-01T09:36:00.000-04:00

The pine beetle has really taken a toll in the evergreens in Colorado. Dead trees are everywhere, sometimes in large stands. These mountains should be green, but they are covered in dead trees.

There is evidence of foresters' work to reduce some of the fuel around; we saw large stacks of wood that was cut. We are told that the piles and stacks are burned after the first snow falls.

But we also saw the remains of a (relatively old) fire. (To read the sign, click on the picture.)

In the Betty Ford Alpine Garden in Vail, we came upon this sculpture, created in response to the millions of dead and dying trees in Colorado.

As you can see, these are very large trees.

It is very sad to see the change.

Colorado Birds

2011-09-29T20:52:00.000-04:00

I was expecting to see more and different birds on our Colorado trip than we actually saw. We see many birds around our Tallahassee yard, neighborhood, town and surrounding countryside and I had assumed that it would be that way in Colorado. It was not the case. There were times when could hear birds that remained unseeen, but there was just not a lot of birds to be found. Here are what we saw:
Song Sparrows
Robins
Various Ducks, mostly mallards
Dippers
Black vultures
Crows and, perhaps, ravens
We think we saw a golden eagle

We saw a few of these Western Tanagers around water. They were always solitary. Their colors are stunning.

These magpies are common.

We thought they were so striking.

We were surprised to spot this bunch of white pelicans on a fresh-water, mountain lake. We knew that the white pelicans that we occasionally see in Florida, summer in Utah, but we had heard it was at the Great Salt Lakes out there. While we might see them in brackish water here, we have never seen them on a fresh-water lake.

Another surprise was coming upon a flock of large turkeys in the Rocky Mountain National Park one evening, which helps to explain the lack of quality in the pictures. They were also constantly moving. I don't think there were two that were the same color.

We had never seen a wild turkey with this coloring.

On the road to Maroon Bells, we came upon this mama grouse and her babies. We are pretty sure of this ID. I wanted it to be a ptarmigan, but I think it is a grouse. Either way, an unusual sight for us.

Elk

2011-09-28T07:01:00.000-04:00

Apparently, elk are quite abundant in Colorado. The roads are even equipped with these solar-lit warning signs.

We were also interested in the escape ramps for wildlife that find themselves on the wrong side of the highway fence. We saw lots of these.

This huge sculpture in antler form adorns a lawn at the Betty Ford Garden in Vail.

This large skull and rack was atop a store.

The first elk we saw in Colorado was on our third day there. We went in the evening to the Rocky Mountain National Park, hoping to avoid human congestion and to see more wildlife. As we were leaving and it was getting dark, a cow was grazing quite near the entry gate.

If you gotta go, you gotta go.

The next day, we saw these guys enjoying the sun at a much higher altitude.

These elk were out enjoying the slopes. The young calves were running and sliding on the snow.

There are lots of elk in the picture that were not on the snow.

If you click on the picture below, you can see the profile of elk with large racks against the cloudless blue sky.

Marmots!

2011-09-27T06:24:00.000-04:00

Colorado is full of marmots! We saw the big fellows everywhere! (They are the size of large house cats.)

Out West, the name marmot refers to a large ground squirrel. In the East, it is an appropriate name for groundhogs, also called woodchucks. Marmots are found around the globe, especially in mountainous areas. I read that in 2010, Alaska changed Groundhog Day to Marmot Day to recognize the number of marmots in the state.

Here is one on the very top of Mt. Evans-- 14,240 feet above sea level. Marmots bask to build brown fat that protects them from long and severely cold winters.

The fields around the Snow Mountain Ranch were full of their burrows.

Take a look in the window of the old building.

They were on the tundra in the alpine areas. Marmots are mostly vegetarian.

This one was unconcerned by all the attention it was getting.

The same one as above was on a ledge, licking the rock below us. We assume it was to obtain minerals.

Mailbox Monday: Just Say "Neigh" to Junk Mail

2011-09-26T18:15:00.000-04:00

Diamondback!

2011-09-25T17:37:00.000-04:00

I had not been home long from school one afternoon recently when B came to the backdoor and said, "Get your camera!"

That it was a snake, was not a surprise. That it was a young diamondback, was a big surprise. It is the first rattlesnake we have found on our property.

It was so young that is had no rattles nor even a button, just a black spot on the tip of its tail. It was only about 16 inches long.

It was just beside the entrance to the garage when B spotted it.

Hose, hook and hiss: all have similar form here.

The following day, we came upon its sibling, dead in the road at the end of our block. Same length. Same black spot with no rattles. Hmmmm. Sssssssounds like a hatch.

Skink's Got the Blues

2011-09-21T20:47:00.000-04:00

We see a lot of these skinks, but this one had a tail dipped in pure cobalt.

You Know You Are Not In Florida When...

2011-09-20T19:58:00.000-04:00

You know you are not in Florida when the personal ATV's have tracks.

This is the weather---and it's July!

You pass an old gold mine by the highway.

Your B & B hosts post this helpful reminder,

and made a bench from snow skis,

and use ski boots for flower pots.

And here are further signs that you have left Florida, for sure.

And when you have been a week and have not seen a single reptile, you know you are not in Florida anymore.

Mailbox Monday: Rural Route Pattern

2011-09-19T19:34:00.000-04:00

Kind of Creepy!

2011-09-18T07:57:00.000-04:00

Coming down from Mt. Evans, we came around a curve and, there up the slope by a driveway, was this neat, full-sized covered-wagon.

A closer inspection revealed the wagon had a driver.

The German Test-driver

2011-09-17T08:15:00.000-04:00

B and I had noticed the odd-looking car in the parking lot at the summit of Mt. Evans. B recognized that it was covered in plates to disguise it. When we stopped at a scenic overlook, the driver pulled in also. I asked him about his car. He said he and the car had flown from Germany for a test-drive through various conditions in the United States to record how the newest model was responding. He said it is an AMG-SL by Mercedes. This part of the test was for high altitudes.

We think we saw at least one other identical car on the mountain road. They did not get any racing competition from us!

I checked the website: it will sell for $190,000. I can think of a lot of things I would do with $190,000 before I would buy a car.

Bristlecone Pines

2011-09-15T07:15:00.000-04:00

On our next to last day in Colorado, we went to Mt. Evans. The drive up to the summit is not for the faint of heart or the weak of brakes.

We stopped at this visitors' center to see the Alpine gardens and the bristlecone pines that grow there. Want to feel young? Go see the bristlecones! These trees are up to 2,000 years old, though the ones in California (a different subspecies) have lived to just under 5,000.

This tree is 800 years old.

Bristlecones can be identified by the tiny dots of sap on the needles.

Mt. Evans

2011-09-13T20:50:00.000-04:00

The entry gate stands at 8,150 feet above sea level. The top rises to 14,240. The road between is only fifteen miles. That is quite a grade, with a few switchbacks. It is probably the scariest driving I have ever done. The road is quite narrow. There are no shoulders or guardrails. If you click on the picture below, you will see the oncoming car. I took my half out of the middle until we met a car. If it was a suburban, I just stopped as far over as I dared. The craziest thing was that the place was crawling with bikers--both kinds. The pedalers were truly crawling and gasping by the time they reached the summit.

The views are incredible.

At one time, there was a house on top of Mt. Evans.

This is what was left after the propane tank exploded.

It is real, this altitude sickness. We did not stay all that long at the summit. Floridians are used to much more air and water in our air. And besides the afternoon thunderstorms were starting to roll in.

But what an experience! Everyone (but the truly acrophobic) should do this at least once.

Mailbox Monday: Mosaic Mailbox

2011-09-12T06:20:00.000-04:00

A Teacher's Memories of 9/11

2011-09-11T07:19:00.000-04:00

This morning, I looked in my old journals to see what I had written about September 11th. I was very surprised when I found nothing. Not a word. But then I realized that it was so painful, so shocking that (like my mother's death) I have recorded nothing on paper. There were simply no words at the time that expressed my response to it. And too, there was so much print and discussion devoted to it. What could be said that had not already been recorded?

Every American on the planet, old enough to remember, knows where they were on September 11th, ten years ago. We remember when we first learned of the series of attacks on our country. The disbelief. The shock. The fear of "what next? where next?". These feelings would continue in those coming weeks and indeed, in a way, we would never be the same again.

I was in my classroom with my new crop of kindergartners. The school intercom announced that all teachers should read their email and that is how I learned of the plane crashes. There was an empty classroom adjoining my office. Someone had turned on the TV on low in there and I watched it while my children had lunch in the cafeteria. Some parents checked their children out of school and took them home. I had a faithful volunteer who sent me a message that he would not be in to help, but would instead be flying to the Pentagon for duty as an Air Force Reservist. I remember thinking, "All these people are trying to get out of D. C. ---and he is flying in." (He lost friends that day.) I also had a kindergartner who was on a trip to Washington with her family and it was days before we knew that they were fine. I have a number of relatives in the D. C. area and, gradually, we would learn that they were all safe as well.

On September 12, we all came back to school again. We were told to let the children draw pictures of the attack if they wanted to. I remember thinking one little boy had seen WAY too much television coverage as he drew the people jumping out of the windows of the burning towers.

I chose the following song as part of our morning activities:

When the world seems like it's falling down,

Don't let the blues get to you,

Chase away your frown.

Your troubles won't last forever,

So get yourself together!

Come on and sing a happy song.....

The life of a five-year-old usually moves on quickly and I needed to be prepared to keep up.

But it was years before a plane could cast its noonday shadow on the playground (where I was out with my class) and not cast a shadow on my heart.

Those sweet things are now in high school. I see a couple of them off and on. I wonder what they remember about those days. And I wonder if the love and respect, compassion and forgiveness that I teach to each class each day can help to stop the evil and destruction, hatred and greed in a world that is so large.

It's certainly worth a try.

Leadville, CO

2011-09-10T18:23:00.004-04:00

Leadville claims to be the highest incorporated city in the United States (10,430 feet elevation). One of its nicknames is The Two Mile City. It was a wild boomtown in the 1880s and made its fortune in silver, which was mined in a heavy carbonate of lead. Because so many Colorado towns already had silver in their names, the locals settled on Leadville.

In the 1860s, gold was discovered nearby and thousands came to the valley for their share. There is said to have been more than 6,000 prospectors; roughly eight million dollars in gold was taken. It lasted about six years.

Silver replaced it in 1877 with the discovery of one of the richest and most famous silver districts. By 1880, it was one of the world's largest silver mining camps with a population of over 40,000. (Less than 3,000 live there now.) Leadville produced over seven million dollars worth of the metal. This old photo shows workers loading silver bars.

With the likes of resident Doc Holliday and other less notorious outlaws, Leadville has seen some wild, Wilde days. In 1882, Oscar Wilde lectured at the opera house while on tour. Wilde later recounted a visit to a local saloon, "where I saw the only rational method of art criticism I have ever come across. Over the piano was printed a notice--'Please do not shoot the pianist. He is doing his best.'" Apparently, the town was full of saloons and red-light districts. It has been estimated that at its peak, the town was consuming over 200 kegs of beer a day. During World War II, Leadville was a popular spot for visits by soldiers at nearby Camp hale, but only after the town acted to curb prostitution; until then, the Army had declared the town off-limits for its personnel.

The sidewalks are raised high from the road.

I liked the hitching rings.

These full-size hatchets were door pulls on a cabinet in one shop we visited.

We had been told we had to eat dinner in Leadville at a place called Quincy's Steaks and Spirits. Well, our timing was a little off and we arrived mid-afternoon. It rained off and on as we skipped between the little shops on the main street, passing the time. In fact as we waited for the restaurant to open at five, it rained so that we sat on the wall in our raincoats with the hoods up so as to be one of the first inside. We were hungry, having had little for lunch, and we were not at our destination for the night.

We found the restaurant to be all it had been advertised to be. It had the feeling of an old saloon and I swear it could have been an updated Miss Kitty efficiently running the place. (For you youngsters, she was a character on the popular TV show, Gunsmoke.) On the ends of each booth were jacket hooks. B's red rain jacket is hanging in the picture. Note the tin tiled ceiling and the antique chandelier.

The menu is limited to steak or vegetable lasagna for entrees, with potato, salad and rolls. Beer, wine and other spirits were available. It was a good meal for a great price and served in a very reasonable time. Within a minute of opening their door, they had filled every table. Apparently, the word spreads. There are one or two other locations in the state.

Leadville was a fun place.

Making a Pass Or Two At Colorado

2011-09-09T07:07:00.000-04:00

On our Colorado trip, we drove both Independence Pass and Loveland Pass. These are very high and narrow old roads that take advantage of natural openings in the mountains. They both peak above the tree line and it was very windy and raining at both places when we were there.

Click on the picture below so that you can read both signs.

Below is looking around one of the numerous hairpin turns; many were blind, but this one was open. Guardrails were few and far between.

Here are a few shots from Independence Pass. The first is at the peak at the Continental Divide. It is a little higher than Loveland Pass

This is coming down looking at our road ahead.

Not bad scenery for your white-knuckle driving.

A Few More Maroon Bells Notes

2011-09-08T06:54:00.000-04:00

As we hiked through the valley at the Maroon Bells, we heard voices on the slope above us.

A zoom lens shows the hikers standing where (we assume) an avalanche had made a clearing of crushed rock.

Check out these big evergreens.

I think it is a fir; the cones were blue, blue.

This stump reminded me of a unicorn or a goat or a turkey head.

Our trail followed the stream for a ways.

Close the center at the top of the picture below, you can see the snow in the crevice on the mountainside that may well be the source of the stream.

Put Maroon Bells on your life list to see for yourself!

The Flowers at the Maroon Bells

2011-09-06T06:54:00.000-04:00

In the West, we are totally out of our element and knew very few of the flowers and trees we saw. (Whereas in the southeast, we are able to identify most of what we see.) We did not let that keep us from enjoying all of the stunning beauty all around us. On our hike at the Maroon Bells, we reveled in the wildflowers galore! We saw all of these ---and more!

We climbed to a high meadow where columbine bloomed everywhere we looked.

What a wonderful memory of our trip!

Mailbox Monday: A MAC Attack in Celebration of Labor Day

2011-09-05T18:46:00.000-04:00

or should I say, "An Apple a day, keeps the bills away?"

The Maroon Bells

2011-09-04T20:59:00.000-04:00

We had been greatly encouraged to go to the Maroon Bells hiking area outside of Aspen, Colorado. It is such a popular area that in the summer months, anyone going between the hours of 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. must take a shuttle bus from Aspen for a fee. We like to stop and take pictures and go at our own pace so we determined that we would go outside of those hours. We were in by about 8 a.m. I liked the sign at the entrance toll booth.

Here was our first sighting of the Bells, the twin mountains in the middle that someone thought were shaped like big cowbells.

From the parking area, a fine gravel path leads along one side of the glacier-formed lake. This early in the morning, the water was pretty calm and served beautifully as a reflection pool. (Can we say "symmetry"?)

Here is looking back in the opposite direction.

The views along the sides of the walkway were not too shabby either.

The lake water was crystal clear.

There was a beaver lodge on one end.

This mountain stream feeds the lake.

As we were coming back from our hike, a weasel came running out of the vegetation by the trail and ran up the path straight at me. I froze and it stopped just short of two feet in front of my two feet. (All I could think of was rabies!) It looked up at me for a second and ran into the vegetation to my left and re-emerged back on the trail behind me. It can be seen climbing the steps of the bridge in the picture below. It went under the bridge and vanished. The ranger in the parking lot said that was a rare sighting. It was sure rare for us, as we had never seen a weasel before.

We have just finished watching the Robert Redford film, Jeremiah Johnson. We were surprised to recognize the Maroon Bells as the backdrop in several scenes. This place was certainly a highlight of our trip and a couple more entries will be upcoming showing more of it.

The Grottos

2011-09-01T20:57:00.000-04:00

Up the mountain and out of the town of Aspen, we drove through glens of the trees for which the town is named. There is a purity in the green and white. I have never seen them in their golden glory in the fall. That is on the life list.

We went in search of a place called "The Grottos."

It is a very scenic hiking area with the main attractions being a waterfall and large cracks and crevices in rocks, some of which are said to hold ice, year round.

Here is some ice we saw on a hot day in July. The photo looks more like the map of some midwestern state --maybe Iowa--since the bright light reflected off the closest ground and is lost in the white background of this format.

Many of the crevices were wide enough to lose a child or dog in ---and quite deep.

Here is the waterfall.

Trees grow right out of the huge slabs of rock.

We were there on July 17.

There were no rangers or any other employees to be seen. There were children running around by themselves, without even another child with them, much less an adult. My comment was that they must not like those children very much.

About Aspen

2011-08-31T06:52:00.000-04:00

We found Sunday afternoon in Aspen to be fairly laid back. Here are some things that caught our eyes as we walked around there.

In front of the Fire Museum, we found a plaque designating the area as a park to memorialize a Mr. Clapper; the plaque was at the base of a large bell ---with a clapper, of course.

This friendly guy waves to all who walk by his lovely townhouse.

He is, however, a dummy---and I mean that in the nicest possible way.

I was baffled by the potty sign.

See no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil--life-size, in bronze.

This appeared to be a life-sized, stuffed bison. We saw a herd off the interstate, not too far from there, but none of them were skateboarding.

These bears were made of nails!

I had never remembered seeing a Subaru quite like this. (B read recently that they did not sell well.)

While we were walking around, it started to rain, but the drops dried almost as soon as they fell.

Announcement!

2011-08-30T20:41:00.000-04:00

We can't quite believe it yet, but we have learned that we are to be grandparents in March!

Mailbox Monday: Aspen Copper

2011-08-29T06:55:00.000-04:00

You know you are in Aspen when the mailbox is copper -----and it is still there. In Florida, thieves are ripping air conditioners apart to steal the copper for resale.

Thirty-five Years Goes By Fast!

2011-08-28T09:26:00.000-04:00

Thirty-five years goes by fast! It has occurred to me that that sounds like an old person talking but I don't think of myself as old at all.

Thirty-five years ago today, I put on my long-sleeved(!) white dress, took my daddy's arm and walked down the chapel aisle to B. We made a few promises and left as a married couple.

I think we are closer than most couples. We enjoy being together and spend most of our free time together. My sister and brother-in-law sent us a card that shows a tough-looking couple arm-wrestling on a table. The inside reads, "Still holding hands!" It was a hilarious picture.

But we do often hold hands when we walk. It is good to have a partner to walk through life with you--- to hold your hand.

Happy anniversary, B!

Very Early Basalt Log Homestead

2011-08-27T08:02:00.000-04:00

We were looking for a lunch spot in Basalt and happened up a hill into a modern neighborhood. Smack in the middle of it was this quaint, ancient-looking log homestead. There were signs warning against trespassing so we stayed in the car for pictures. The tree made for less than ideal viewing. The ore-cart was nice.

The timbers were large.

Notice the square notch work. It is disappointing that in the noonday sun, the sod roof ---which truly made this home so interesting for us---does not really show up.

At the Basalt Sunday Market

2011-08-26T07:31:00.000-04:00

While staying in Carbondale, we ventured toward Aspen, Colorado. Along the way we came upon a sign on the highway directing us to the Sunday market in Basalt. I had heard good things from our daughter-in-law about Basalt, and so I was curious. We spent several hours in the town before going on.

We parked near this very tall, carved tree stump. Nice work on the fisherman and big fish. There were other sculptures around town.

We found interesting booths at the Sunday market.

I would call that a serious pizza peel.

If you could read the sticker on the vehicle below, it would say, "Real trucks don't have spark plugs."

This one sure had an insect-like face.

So this was a smooth(ie) ride:

The vendor hooked a blender cup onto the back of the bike on a stand and the customer got on and pedaled.

The blades turned in the cup, and before no time---voila!---a smoothie was born!

But check out the handle bars. (Kind of creepy.)

We came across this sign stuck on a tuxedo on a "man-nequin" in a consignment shop.

Loved the trout bench!

We had a good time exploring Basalt. I could live in Basalt.....in the summer.

When the Sun Shines on Mt. Sopris

2011-08-25T06:57:00.000-04:00

Driving around in Carbondale after our evening dinner and walk, we paused to admire the local mountain, Mt. Sopris, which peaks at 12,953 ft above sea level. As the sun was setting, only the top was still in the sunshine.

This was the sky further west.

It was one of those "thankful to be there to see that!" moments.

Carbondale, Colorado: A Fun Town

2011-08-24T06:49:00.000-04:00

I had read that Carbondale had won some award for being a great place to live. So when we were working out our route, I picked there to spend a night. In the end, we spent two.

We went into town for dinner at a little cafe called the Village Smithy. It is on the site of one of the town's old blacksmiths. This ore cart full of flowers was out by the entrance.

This iron gate shows the blacksmith at work at an anvil.

This double gate was at the bottom of the yard off from the open dining area where we ate in the pleasant evening air.

Across the street from the restaurant was this barber shop. I am thinking that THE Floyd's of Mayberry (from the Andy Griffith Show, of course) did not have solar panels on the roof, nor did Floyd do coloring, manicures or pedicures.

On the same street was this little establishment.

This sign in front of a shop made me smile.....

But this one cracked me up!

And just WHO was driving this truck?

We enjoyed our evening in town and the two nights we slept in Carbondale.

Glenwood Canyon

2011-08-23T06:22:00.000-04:00

I guess I had not done my homework well enough as I did not see Glenwood Canyon coming until we were deep into its belly. Oh my goodness! It is quite a place. I only wish there had been some place we could pull over; we found none. As I drove the interstate, B took pictures through the windshield.

On the left in the picture below, you can see the rushing Colorado River that has carved out this canyon over the eons. What you can barely see are the other lanes that head east. At times, the roads were all but stacked to accomodate the narrows.

Below is the only shot we got of the sign for the exit to No Name, Colorado.

Mailbox Monday: Colorful Colorado Mailbox

2011-08-22T06:36:00.000-04:00

This colorful house in Carbondale, Colorado had a colorful mailbox that was painted to match.

The Betty Ford Alpine Garden in Vail

2011-08-19T21:10:00.000-04:00

I had discovered the Betty Ford Alpine Garden in Vail, Colorado in a AAA tour guide. It turned out to be a little tricky to find: the GPS was hopeless. But we eventually got there and it was well worth the effort. Below is the large iron gate that serves as the entryway.

It is a beautiful garden planted to honor Betty Ford, who had just recently died when we were there.

Look at the wooden rails.

Columbine is the state flower and there were many colors of columbine in the garden. (This carved stone sparrow was huge.)

These flowers below are not identified, but do not appear to be columbine.

The poppies were just extraordinary!

and just look at the lupines!

Such a gift, as the garden is open free to the public.

A Train Ride on the Georgetown Loop

2011-08-17T21:38:00.000-04:00

We got sidetracked! We took the interstate exit ramp and stopped in the small town of Georgetown, Colorado at the visitors' information office. It was a good move. For it was here that we learned more about the train ride that originates in that town and were given a coupon worth $4 off each ticket for that day only. We were told we could go without reservations, so we decided to go --without reservations.

The ride is in old, open cars; you can opt for a roof or not. We thought the view would be better in the open ones, even though it was overly sunny and warm. These cars used to run on the narrow gauge rail at Pike's Peak.

There were engines on both ends of the train.

The narrow gauge track was built to connect these two mining towns. The towns are only two miles apart but the altitude difference is something close to 500 feet, so the track was built four miles long to make the grade, so to speak.

It was a steam engine that burned oil. I said I wondered how many carbon credits we needed for that little fun run.

This is the engine house at Silver Plume.

There were a few other cars on the sidetracks there. We liked the snowplow on this one.

The club car below had beautiful leather seats inside.

The workers know their stuff. They are all historical buffs and gave every appearance of enjoying themselves. This guy punched our ticket.

The trip takes 90 minutes and was a blast. We went under the high bridge and then over it (that is the loop part of the name.)

What an adventure: riding a narrow gauge steam train through the Rockies!

Check that off my life list!

Mailbox Monday: The Wagon Wheel System

2011-08-15T06:57:00.000-04:00

We came across this mailbox system on the road down from Mt. Evans in Colorado. It was perched on the side of a steep hill and the boxes were at car window level.

The wheel turns to allow access to each box. I think it is pure genius.

Snow Mountain Ranch YMCA

2011-08-14T13:02:00.000-04:00

On our trip in Colorado, we spent two consecutive nights in the YMCA lodges, one on each side of the Rocky Mountain National Park. Snow Mountain Ranch is further from the park than the one at Estes Park. It is also very much more like its name: a ranch. The property has been ranch land since the gold rush days and some of the old buildings still stand.

Many have been repaired with newer materials which rather stand out.

We found the old farm equipment charming.

As at the other YMCA, there were many activities for families, but we did not participate, except to eat.
This is the arts and crafts building.

The buildings are very spread out in the valley and up a slope, where the cabins are. A large stable provides riding opportunities.

The picture below was made from the cabin road.

Along with cabins and lodges, there are camping areas, as well as a village of yerts.

As I mentioned, the place is spread out: there are three thousand acres. Buses were carrying campers to different activities. We were interested in the ski racks on the sides of the buses, which is convenient for the winter visitors. I don't remember seeing that in Florida!

Adams Falls

2011-08-13T20:40:00.002-04:00

Way over on the southwest side of the Rocky Mountain National Park, we hiked to Adams Falls. It was a short, but hot, hike and we opted not to go on to the lakes that lie beyond the falls. By the falls, the mist was cool and the noise of the rushing water blocked out all other sounds. These are large trees and boulders in the pictures.

One of the interesting features of this waterfall is the turn. The water came cascading over what is, no doubt, rock bottom and hit a canyon wall on which we stood; then it squeezes through a very narrow turn and continues on its way toward the large lake (Grand Lake) below.