A Full-time Life

Category: The Whole USA

  • FLY-BY SKIES 2012

    for SKYWATCH FRIDAY -  Thank you to the host team.!

     It was a flying trip across country for us this year, with one great stop in the middle.  The first leg of our journey we flew from Fort Myers to Denver. 

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    Colorado from the air

     Then, after our wonderful weeks visiting at our kids' home and car-tripping in the Four Corners, we flew from Denver to Portland.  We both had window seats this time (really, both of us — our cheap flights separated us to opposite sides of the aisle, but we both got window seats, so we had no complaints!)

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    Leaving Denver

    The smoke in both the above pictures is from one of the several range fires that were still burning in Colorado at the time.  

    And, below, arriving in Portland….. Bill had the side with iconic Portland Mt. Hood — but I had the camera.  This is one of the Washington State Mountains, we're not sure which. Mt. Adams.  (Per Geoff's comment below – thank you!)

     

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    Arriving Portland

    It was a lot less travel time than a cross-country roadtrip — but not as scenic.  I'm glad I was able to snap this handful of memories.

    We still have many pictures from the beautiful (and very photogenic) Southwest and I'm definitely not through posting about that roadtrip — watch out for the whiplash effect in the next few posts as this blog seesaws back and forth between Colorado and the Pacific Northwest!

  • HOW TO WALK UP RABBIT HILL

    For Shadow Shot Sunday and Mosaic Monday.  Thank you to the hosts.

     Look up.  Gaze at the majestic peaks and shadows of Colorado's front range….and on the prairie stretching toward the mountains.   See the early morning shadows cast by other hikers.

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    On Rabbit Hill, Boulder County Colorado, June 2012

      When you can tear your eyes away from the big picture, look down.  Notice the small but beautiful vignettes and fleeting shadows at your feet:


    Rabbit mountain 6 8 121

    (If you're a novice at this altitude, looking down to take pictures is also a good excuse to rest for a minute.)

  • PRAIRIE MORNING

     For Camera Critters

    This prairie dog at the bottom of Rabbit Hill was not at all sure he liked sharing his home territory with us.

     

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    Prairie Dog, Colorado June 2012

     

    We could hear whistles coming from the den.  I think they were asking the watch"dog" if it was OK to come out again.    "Is it safe?  Are they gone yet?"    

    We soon were, leaving these busy little animals to their peaceful prairie home.

     

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    FOR CAMERA CRITTERS.  Thanks to Misty Dawn for hosting.

  • SAND AND SKY

    For SKYWATCH FRIDAY.    Thanks to the host team.

     

    Sand and sky

    Great Sand Dunes National Park June 2012

     

    Let your mind wander as you gaze at these, the tallest sand dunes in North America and soon it becomes difficult to know where the sand ends and the clouds begin.    Or is it the other way round?

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    Information provided by the park tells us:    While patterns in the sand may be temporarily changed by raindrops, breezes, melting snow and human footsteps, forces that affect the dunes system as a whole — winds, mountain watershed, and locally shallow groundwater levels keep it remarkably stable.  One Park ranger says he loves this Park because  "..the Great Sand Dunes provide consistency in a changing world."

    Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve, Colorado

  • FOUR CORNERS AND (more from) CANYON DE CHELLY

    For Our World - thank you to the hosting team.

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    Ruins, Canyon De Chelly

     

    Earlier this month in OUR WORLD, we explored parts of the FOUR CORNERS area that we'd missed on earlier trips.  We spent time in four states — Colorado, Arizona, Utah, and  New Mexico —  and much of the time we were in a (sort-of)  different country — the semi-autonomous Native American-governed territory of the Navajo Nation.   

     Canyon De Chelly is the only National Monument that isn't actually federally owned.  All of the land belongs to the Navajo…it is jointly administered by the Tribe and the National Park Service.     Ancient Pueblan people farmed in these canyons and Navajo families still do.  

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    Right now though it's very dry and hot in the canyons and invasive cottonwoods and other species are drinking up a lot of what water there is.  Farming can't be easy.

    Because of traditions handed down through their mythology, Navajo people do not usually enter buildings of the ancients.  The Standing Cow ruin (above) is an exception.  The foundation of this ancient round building was excavated years ago and used to construct a stone hogan.  One couple lived in it while they looked after their fields.  Our guide told us that the woman lived there until she died.      (I will do another post later with more pictures of the Canyon's pictographs and petroglyphs.)

     

      P1060131 invasive green The Canyon with invasive Cottonwoods along the creek bed

     

     Here are two more  links with information about the Canyon.

     NATIONAL PARK SERVICE LINK

     NATIONAL PARK SERVICE GEOLOGY

     

    WIKI LINK

  • THE LEGEND OF SPIDER WOMAN

    These pictures are from Canyon De Chelly National Monument, part of our recent roadtrip to the Four Corners area.   (Shared with the blogging community at SKYWATCH FRIDAY.)

     

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    Spider Rock, Canyon De Chelly, Navajo Nation 

     Geologists say that formation of this 800 foot tall red sandstone monolith began 230 million years ago.  Dine' (Navajo) legend says that it was the home of Spider Woman, one of their Deities.    

    Spider Woman possessed supernatural powers and protected the people.  She also taught them the art of weaving.   Her web stretched between these spires.


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    For many years, ancestors of today's Navajo people lived in caves and sandstone dwellings within the canyons that now comprise this national monument.

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    This is the White House, one of the ruins that we visited.

  • LAUGHING IT UP IN LOVELAND

    FOR:  OUR WORLD TUESDAY

      ROPE SWING

    We visit Loveland's Benson Sculpture Park * each time we're in Colorado. Our kids live nearby in Longmont and we used to stay in an RV Park in Loveland when we visited them once or twice a year .     We discovered the park by accident, but now it's a ritual we can't miss.   The City adds sculptures every year and we enjoy searching for the new ones — and re-visiting old favorites.

    The joyful swinging girl above is one of those favorites.  This picture was taken last summer  – it wasn't quite as bright and sunny this year because lingering smoke from the Colorado range fires created a hazy atmosphere.  

    Lisa and the laughing guysThe fires aren't close enough to Longmont or Loveland to be a danger, but it is a worry.  It's very dry all over the State.

    But we had fun even if it wasn't quite as bright and blue as usual. 

    Great company and a lot of laughs. One way that you know your kids aren't really "kids" any longer is that they are just as willing to be silly as you are. 

     

      Benson pk sculpture garden2

     

    Benson pk sculpture garden3

     In fact, I think the silliness was their idea!


     * Follow the link to see an album of our favorites.  

  • MOUNTAINS! ONCE AGAIN

    For SKYWATCH FRIDAY

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    Rocky Mountain National Park, June 2012

     

    There is nothing in the world like seeing MOUNTAINS again after you've spent months in the flatlands.  It's great to be in Colorado.

     

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    Front-range view from Rabbit Hill, near Lyons

     

     

  • PERCHING BIRDS

    Shared with Camera Critters.   

    BIRD STRIP
    Seawalls, pilings and posts are all great places to photograph seabirds.  They're at rest, so even a slow photographer usually has time to get a decent picture.  

    Because of that, I'm always happy to see birds on posts …  but some people are not too thrilled to have them perching there ……

      GULL ON POST

     

    Trying not to be a "potty mouth" here, but the white streaking on the pole above is a pretty good example of why some people are offended. Some places have pointed caps on the poles to try to keep the birds off but ….

    Fake gull Lng beach

     

     … the City of Long Beach California took another tack…they rented out the tops of their poles to fake gulls.  Pretty good imitations.

     

    For CAMERA CRITTERS.  Thanks Misty!

     

    All of the real birds in this post perch in Florida.

     

     

     

     

     

  • HUG A TREE

     

     It's Earth Day. To celebrate — and remember — and acknowledge — here are just a few of the many trees we've been lucky enough to fall in love with in our travels.

     

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    This post is linked to MOSAIC MONDAY, hosted by Mary at Dear Little Red House.  Thank you!

    L to R top California, Texas, Oregon.   bottom:  Georgia, Vermont, Texas