It's Spring

 

It's springtime in the Rockies

Full Moon

A Full Moon on snow- bright enough to ski by.

Purple Haze

Sunset was lovely last night.


Looking up the Crystal River Valley


But the reflected light was probably the best of all...


Soft cotton candy sunset.....

Holiday elk

For Christmas
The Elk

Come walking

Frost

Fall

This is still my favorite time of year, sparkling blue sky, cool mornings, brilliant color all around....

BB seems to like it too.

This is Luverboy diving for a stuffed toy on the drive. It just seemed to me that this was like a little parfait of greens and greys with a Puli at the bottom of the glass....

drive to Denver

Last Friday I drove to Denver. The scrub oak has already turned and the leaves are starting to turn on the Aspens; but above tree line it was snow.

A good 4 inches or more of snow.

rain

The seasons are changing what started as rain ended as snow on the mountain.

blue mountain green sage

Kandinsky didn't lie. Sometimes when the morning fog is thick enough the mountains turn blue.

Spring thaw is really starting and the sage brush is starting to appear. This is probably the best time of year to walk through the sage. The snow is crusty enough to support your weight. It's too cold for bugs (like ticks- ticks love sage) and you have paths between the brush. Once the snow melts it will be much harder to pick your way through the scrub and cactus.

Good Morning Sopris

This is Mount Sopris above Carbondale. Named for "General" Sopris who "discovered" the hot springs in Glenwood.

It has a "rock glacier" and misses being a "Thirteener" by 47 feet at 12,953 feet altitude. It's one end of the Elk Mountain range- Mnt Elbert the highest mountain in Colorado is at the other end of the Elk Mountains. We're at around 7000 feet at the ranch. Although I've climbed around the Elk Mountains a bit I've never made the hike. I did "ski" up Elbert many years ago but that's another story.


It's warmer this morning (out of the minus' column)



Jinks is looking perky and Ginny is following him more and more instead of the other way 'round.

I've heard the "eep eep eep" of elk the past two nights. They normally come back through here for Christmas and New Years.

Quality of Life

Sunday was an especially beautiful day



Jinks was feeling alert-



I imagine there is very little which is better than a sunny day on the deck with a fresh marrow bone.



At least that seemed to be the consensus. Lunch was very quiet except for the scraping of tooth to bone and the occassional "Get outta my space".



And the after lunch walk - well I think that's approval from all the family.

the other world cup

For those interested in the Skiing version. Go Canucks!

weather

Yesterday afternoon things got grey. That's a front coming in over Mount Sopris.



Here's the result the next morning.



We're expecting anther front coming in this afternoon; but the mornings are lovely.

dusk to dawn

Mount Sopris views.

For 10 years I lived in New York in the West Village. There wasn't a day that went by that I didn't dream of sandstone under my feet instead of concrete; sagebrush in the air instead of burnt pretzels, fourteeners instead of skyscrapers.



I was going to stay in the City until I earned enough money to leave.



One day I realized I would never have enough money to leave.



So I left.