Hiking in Eldorado Springs, CO

Looking back down the path...

Hiking upward and westward in the area of South Boulder and Bear Peaks.
Scott takes a break on the step, while Jay checks out the path ahead.

The air is a little thinner, but it's a beautiful view from inside the pine trees looking out.
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Christmas at Estes Park, CO

Aspen Lodge in Estes Park, CO

Great food and beautiful scenery!
Nativity scene in downtown Estes Park
Sunset on Christmas Eve in Estes Park
We saw the big star on the mountain light up as the sun set in Estes Park
Elk are grazing near the road and just as curious about us as we were about them.

Stacy and Scott out walking around
the prairie dogs.

Single?

The old driver at the airport park-n-ride shouted "are you single?" as I stepped out of my car. Stunned, I looked around with that 'who me?' expression on my face. Is it starting to show, I wondered? I'm suddenly lost in my own thoughts thinking about what the world sees when they look at me. It was only 5:00 a.m. I hadn't yet had my first cup of coffee and I'm not exactly use to such an affront. Apparently, I didn't respond quick enough as he yelled it again. "Ma'am, are you single?" With an affirmative reply from me, he then said "okay, I'll take you." Great! He'll take me. Thank God, I respond to him. He paused for just a second and looked up at me over the top of his glasses. Then in a very kindly, grandfatherly manner he gave me his business card with the information as to how to retreive my car upon my return, explaining to me exactly what I needed to do step by step. I think he felt sorry for me.

Traveling three days before Christmas requires patience, a sense of humor and a good book. The airport was a loud, jarring, angry, harried mob scene. It all sort of swirled around me and I let the stream of people just carry me along with them. It was kind of fun!

Rocky Mountain Christmas!

I'm headed out in a few minutes to the airport. The contents for my suitcase still in piles on the table, the last of which just came out of the dryer. I have four white turtleneck taking up the bulk of my space. Not identical. Each has their own level of warmth and comfort and a varying degree of wear and tear. The thin, old favorite that has been washed a thousand times; the newer one I'm not yet sure about. On a cold day I might even wear two which is why on a five day trip I'm pretty sure I'm going to need all four.

Merry Christmas all --- Hug and kiss the ones you are with!

Just me in...

I'm going to move. Tomorrow, there will be a ‘For Sale’ sign in front of my house and I'll be making an offer on a turn of the century home in Red Wing. I've gone through a metamorphosis in a relatively short time as I struggled and fought a fairly straightforward decision. It's not as if I morphed into a werewolf or anything. Rather an irrational, emotional woman afflicted with a racking dose of self doubt, wrapped in debilitating, old fashioned fear. For some reason I attached a move to Red Wing to an end of something instead of a beginning. It’s true; there is an end as I leave a little house behind. However, I’m simply moving 25 miles away and my Cannon Falls friends will continue to be just that.

I’ve been looking at my home from the perspective of a potential buyer. It’s a bit unnerving to know your bathroom, bedroom, reading material, refrigerator contents are left open to the scrutinizing eye of a stranger. In the middle of a home tour with my realtor in Red Wing, the phone rang suddenly, answering machine kicked on and we stood with our hands clasped over our mouth holding back laughter as a message was left. I made a note to self to turn mine off or down or something. Also, what to do about my dog? He wants to be in every picture I try to take for the realtor listing. Do people want to see a house that has a dog in the picture? What if it’s a kind of cute dog?

The Lake

O joy! that in our embers Is something that doth live.
-William Wordsworth














A lake carries you
into recesses of feeling
otherwise impenetrable.
- William Wordsworth



A lake is the landscape's most beautiful and expressive feature.
It is earth's eye; looking into which the beholder measures the depth of his own nature.
- Henry David Thoreau









To The Lake
In Spring of youth it was my lot
To haunt of the wide world a spot
The which I could not love the less -
So lovely was the loneliness


Of a wild lake, with black rock bound,
And the tall pines that towered around.
But when the night had thrown her pall
Upon that spot, as upon all,
And the mystic wind went by Murmuring in melody -
Then - ah, then, I would awake
To the terror of the lone lake.






Yet that terror was not fright,
But a tremulous delight -
A feeling not the jewelled mine
Could teach or bribe me to define -














Nor Love - although the love were thine.
Death was in that poisonous wave, And in its gulf a fitting grave
For him who thence could solace bring
To his lone imagining -
Whose solitary soul could make
An Eden of that dim lake.

Edgar Allan Poe

Diary of a dog

Diary of a dog
8:00 a.m. - barked at the door to get outside.
8:05 a.m. barked at the door to get inside.
8:06 a.m. back in bed asleep.
10:00 a.m. barked at the door to get outside.
10:05 a.m. grazed, chewed on grass, followed 'master' around the yard.
10:30 a.m. gagged and choked on grass that was chewed.
10:35 a.m. horrible wretching, very scary and 'master' just yelled at me.
10:40 a.m. barked a lot at squirrels - was fun.
11:00 a.m. annoyed by constant mowing.
11:05 a.m. more gagging and throwing up of previously ingested grass.
11:10 a.m. found sunny spot to sleep
11:15 a.m. it's a good day to be a dog, but secretly wish 'master' would go away.
12:30 p.m. gate left open, snuck out while 'master' was hanging laundry

Back home in Minnesota

The leaves are changing colors and falling so fast I almost missed it.
It's good to be home!

A rose

ROSES

You love the roses - so do I. I wish

They sky would rain down roses, as they rain

From off the shaken bush. Why will it not?

Then all the valley would be pink and white

And soft to tread on. They would fall as light

As feathers, smelling sweet; and it would be

Like sleeping and like waking, all at once!

George Eliot 1819-1880

Lake Michigan - Wisconsin side

Fall color in Michigan

Not yet peak in Michigan, but a beautiful beginning...
The last of the buttercup squash came home with me to Minnesota.
The big ones have already been harvested. They are delicious!
Jacob getting his home work done late Sunday night.

Beautiful colors around the yard.

A big friendly dog makes a great companion in the woods!

Sunday in Michigan

Plenty of food and drink for all the hard workers...
The view of the new deck from the edge of the woods.
The deck crew - floor is in!
One deck off the master bedroom with a walkway to the main deck.
Great crew!

The neighbors Art sale in Michigan

Saturday

Greg's friends gather to cut down some trees in his woods.
Jacob helps out with the mowing.

The dogs all gather to greet a friend coming up the drive.
My favorite pastime when I visit - walking the drive way with Lisa and the dogs!
Buster racing to give me a friendly greeting.
A view from the road.

We have lots of cooking to do for all the help coming.
The walk back to the house...very peaceful place even
with all the guys working in the woods around us.
They are chopping enough wood to last the winter.