Wednesday, September 30, 2020

Celebrating Fall

Our fall is brief but glorious at high altitude.
For a couple weeks we live in a golden world.


Temperatures start to drop below freezing in the night.
Wildflowers and perennials go to seed.
Bushes and trees put on a show.


On early-morning walks, we wear layers.
The forest floor turns russet and amber.
Sunlight streaming through lodgepoles has a golden cast.


Each day, there is work on the property preparing for winter.
Garden ornaments are stored.
Leaves are raked.


On sunny afternoons, we sit in sunshine on the deck with mugs of coffee.
We talk of winter as leaves drift down on our shoulders.


Tourists still visit Breckenridge, but they rarely venture onto the trails behind our house. 
If we do see people approaching, we veer into the forest.
Usually, we meet no one on our walks.


We're alert for bear and moose.
The bear are gorging, preparing for hibernation.
The bull moose are in rut, searching for mates.
The squirrels are busy storing food for the long winter.
Gray Jays, like little old men in overcoats, follow us as we walk.


Nothing remains the same.
We cherish this time of change.
We stay isolated, surrounded by beauty.
We enjoy the quiet.


Stay well - look for One Good Thing.

Thank You for visiting.

Barb

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Thursday, September 10, 2020

In the Blink of an Eye

Weather at high altitude changes in the blink of an eye.

A few days ago, on our hike, we found Arnica flowers blooming in sunshine.


Grasses and bushes were just starting to turn golden and russet.


We enjoyed meals on our deck, listening to the song of water in our stream.


We woke Wednesday, September 9, to 5" (12.7 cm) of snow.
Wind caused temperatures to fall 20 degrees below freezing.
Luckily, we heeded the forecast and covered the container plants.


Today, the sun shines and the melt begins.
It is just above freezing, but the air feels refreshing.
I'm bundled in coat, gloves, and scarf for my walk.


Trees are confused - is it fall or winter?
Most of the aspens are still green.
Only a few have fall colors.


Under blue sky, the ski trails glisten white in the sunshine.


Inside, we light a fire and smile.

The snow will melt quickly and give us needed moisture.
Perhaps we'll still enjoy some fall color before it turns white again.

Thank you for visiting.
Stay safe and well.

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PS I'm having to experiment with photo size on the new Blogger.

It's a learning experience!