Under a Red Roof

Painted

November 26, 2017 in Cooking + Baking, Eating, Exploring by Colleen | Permalink

Perfectly painted skies for the beginnings of our Thanksgiving adventure. West to Buena Vista!

Breakfast, mmmmm…bacon.

We followed Cottonwood Creek on foot and by car to its namesake lake; dancing sun pennies, enveloping ice, ruby red rose hips, and the silence of near solitude every bit worth the effort.

Forgoing the hullabaloo of large family gatherings to enjoy a Thanksgiving for two (+ one beloved pup) in a wee cabin in the woods. Stuffing in progress in my favorite cast iron pan: apple, celery, cranberry, minus the onion I left at home. It doesn’t have to be perfect to be wonderful. True that. The pie, however, was both, my best yet.

Feeling nostalgic for the wooden cabins of my youth – humble dwellings of strong character, flanked by massive tanks of propane.

More humble dwellings and every manner of delight at Cottonwood Hot Springs – fish jumping, lily pads floating, creek rushing, crows soaring. We soaked for hours and hours, sunrise to the waxing crescent of moon and sky thick with a ribbon of Milky Way stars. My love for this life and this place ever-expanding, like the universe itself.

St. Elmo – slipping, not only from the Buena Vista temperatures of spring-like warmth, but more than a century in the past. Sneakers sliding on full winter ice while gawping at Mountain Lion tracks – the wonder of a single day.

Playing with darkness, eager to do some book and youtube learning to capture the wonders of night. How crazy is that green?!

Tags: Colorado, Gardening + Nature

Winter.Fall.Spring.Summer

November 13, 2017 in Eating, Exploring, Friendship by Colleen | Permalink

winter

For reasons unknown, Miss Juniper Beulah no longer enjoys lounging on the couch with us come evening. She jumps up, lies down for a minute, looks nervously about, and promptly dashes to other territory. She WILL, however, quite happily, lie on the bed all the live-long day if given the opportunity. So, on book reading and software writing nights when we are keen on her company, we forgo the living room and hop into bed for family cuddles. I tackle my giant pile of magazines, which, frugal gal that I am, are nearly all from the library – my favorite Womankind and Sunset the fine exceptions; Juniper licks, wiggles, and farts; and the hubster type, type, types like a fat little pigeon (Cows!). It is very, very nice.

They taste like apples! Teeny-tiny apples.

spring

summer

Jeffie, my brother from another mother and game for practically anything pal. We ate waaaaay more delicious food than we ought (this is at The Warehouse – I had the pork belly. WOW!!). We also volunteered at GameCon (FUN!), talked our throats sore, hiked, walked, geocached, played with Juni B., watched a movie, and generally basked in each other’s company. Here’s to twenty-eight years of good times. Huzzah!

We also drove to Denver where my parents watched Juniper while we saw our dear friend’s daughter perform in Mary Poppins at the Northglenn Community Center (You can still buy tickets). The costumes! The voices! Especially Mary Poppins, hers was divine. And the weather – winter.fall.spring.summer – what a week!

Tumbledown

November 3, 2017 in Exploring by Colleen | Permalink

Hiking in the tumbledown of North Cheyenne Creek on the Seven Bridges Trail Sunday morning. Our cheerful threesome among the few souls out before the sun had fully risen. We reveled in air heady with the scent of pine and earth, our laughter punctuated by Chickadee song. Mother Nature, in her usual awe inspiring fashion, made a dazzling display of ice and rock in the rush. The water, to my great amazement, flows voluminously at this time of year, with scarcely any snowfall. How is this even possible? I imagine some cosmic pump thrumming in the depths, lifting water up and up, only to gurgle and sing on down again. How lucky we are that it does and so reliably, too. Yet another marvel of the universe in my own backyard.

Tags: Colorado Springs

Joyful and Free

October 16, 2017 in Drinking, Eating, Exploring, Watching by Colleen | Permalink

Sometimes I question my choice of middle name for that pooch of ours. Beulah is meaningful, but JOY, now that would really nail it! Our girl such a joy-filled creature! Saying good morning: wiggle, wiggle, wiggles of joy. Coming home from the store: wiggle, wiggle, wiggles of joy. Walking? Oh my heavens the JOY of walking! The JOY of eating, and cuddling, and licking, and running, and playing, too. She brings it out in us, too.

I bought her a new collar (the other got sprayed by a skunk – not fun!!). Neon pink with reflective bones, eek! Also, new socks for winter weather, and damn if they don’t look like she’s wearing high heels! The silliness. And how cute she looks in her little coat, too!

A beautiful day in the neighborhood…

Our nephew came down to see us this past weekend, but I didn’t get a picture – rats! We had a grand time of hiking and eating and talking and eating some more. Ms. Juni B. enjoyed her first meal inside at a restaurant – Pub Dog, if you don’t know it. It is the first in the country to allow pets at the table indoors. Though the food was quite tasty, it was a bit of sensory overload – dog sniffs and food sniffs and so many people, too!

A trip down the Rabbit Hole after seeing the highly anticipated (at least for us) Blade Runner 2049, both of which we rather liked. Get the Chicken and Biscuit and the Tweedle Bee. Yessirrreee!

Oh, and almost mandatory photo of Pike’s Peak. Lovely from every angle, that one…

Woke up to that sliver of moon this morning, peering just above the trees.

Some little one is a sad, sad camper this morning, having left a rather sporty jacket and these two dolls at the park.

And finally, what kind of a duck are YOU?

Tags: Colorado Springs, Restaurants

Leaf Parade

October 2, 2017 in Exploring by Colleen | Permalink

Breaking from the prison of the day-to-day to look at leaves! How funny that sounds, the simplicity of it. And then there is the actuality, nature in full flame, with only time to burn. This is in Canon City, by the by – pretty cool looking for an actual prison.

Rolling down highway 69. These fantastic clouds obscure my favorite Sangre de Cristo Mountains, but not so much as to hide that magical dusting of snow!

A fine time in Westcliffe (where we will be back for dark skies!), with lunch at Sangrita (under new ownership!) – the best of the best burgers for the hubster and a massive pork chop for me. We also shared a right fabulous slice of apple pie heaven. Juni B. is at our feet, of course. She’s our new American Express. We don’t leave home without her!