Musings on Mountains, Majesty, Men and Murder

Musings on Mountains, Majesty, Men and Murder...


The mountains and skies around me have been drama queens. We got our first snow this week which is a big event in Colorado. The skiers get hyped up, predicting when the resorts will open. Boots and sweaters come out. Everyone is excited.

Before the snow came rain, and through all of it...amazing skies.

Rainbows on the way to work.

A double rainbow to start my workday

Sunrises to knock your socks off.

 No filter. Just your basic sunrise in paradise.

 Pink mountains with pink clouds behind. 

Pretty amazing, huh?!

The cool front coming in.

Sun shining on the foreground, mountains behind shrouded in clouds. 

And then SNOW!

I woke up to a car covered in white.

Had to run down to the basement for the snow scraper!

LOVE my new windows. 

The front yard got a good dusting.

The Twin Sisters are in hiding...

The view from my parking lot at work is pretty amazing. The Collegiate Peaks off in the distance, with snow caps on!

I'm surrounded by mountain ranges!

By the end of the day most of the snow is gone.

I love these first fall snows. They dump a couple of inches of white stuff, then the sun comes out, the temperature rises and it's another gorgeous fall day. Soon enough the temps won't rise above 40º. I'm in no hurry to get there.

Thursday morning's temps.

I'm not too big on turning the heat on in the house overnight so, yes, 

it was 58º in the living room.

And men? Sigh.

Inspired by my friend Libby who obviously has a stronger constitution than I do, I briefly signed up for online dating. So briefly my picture never got approved before I took my profile down.  Less than 12 hours. And why did I stop before I even  started?
Take a look.

Give Theatreguy points for smiling. At least I know he has teeth.

Bandit? What are you planning on stealing? The silver?

And the other two?  I can't even. 

These may be lovely gentlemen but seriously. Are these the best pics you can come up with? Just what/who are you trying to attract? Here's my bit of advice for guys on dating sites. Put down the fish. Have someone else take your picture. Smile so I know you have teeth. Come up with a name that makes me believe you won't rape, rob or carve me up at the first coffee date. 

This guy had about twelve different names, all with the same lovely picture.

However, as bad as these might be... Libby made me feel better. These are a couple of her favorite shots from Texas.  

Just No.

Again. No. 

I'll pass.

And murder? Maybe that should be mercy.

On my way to work this morning I passed a truck on the side of the road, three men in their thirties standing next to it, with a doe on the ground, calmly staring straight ahead. My brain snapped; they had struck her. Then I realized she must be very hurt to not be running off. A quick glance in the rearview got me an image I won't soon forget. A hand raised, two men turning away slightly, a trigger pulled and a head flying back.

I believe that is the first time I have ever witnessed something be shot. I'll be just fine if it is the last.  I'm grateful one of those guys had a pistol- the poor deer did not need to suffer. I know it was the right thing to do. Just a rough way to start the day.

Deer in the road. It's a fact of life around here. 

It's not a matter of "if", it's a matter of "when" you will hit one.

This is Bunny's car after she hit a BIG buck a few years back. 
The sheriff had to put that one out of his misery.

So...I'm going back to looking at the mountains. Tonight's drive home was magnificent.
And when I got home?
The Twin Sisters shining in all of their glory.

Snow at the higher elevations, nothing near me. 

Life here in South Central Colorado is different. So very very different from where I grew up in Houston, Texas. I marvel at the path that brought me here. I marvel at the things that are part of my daily life. 

Bear scat on the road behind my cabin,  a black widow spider on the wall outside my office door, mountains everywhere, beautiful skies, and freezing temps, sometimes indoors AND out.  It's now my life.  

Lucky me.

Thank you

Thank you.  


Thursday is Thanksgiving and I have so much to be thankful for.

I came home today to packages. That happens more than you might expect and frequently (but not always)  I am not the one who did the ordering.

This giant package was waiting on my doorstep tonight. 

It's supposed to be an outdoor fireplace- assuming I can put it together. 

Thanks, Cathy! Stargazing will be much warmer now. 

I have mentioned before that there are bears and mountain lions around here. It's true, although they don't camp in the front yard or even show themselves much. Most of my experience has been from seeing them on the game camera.  A couple of times I have seen bears in the road as I'm driving to or from the cabin and Belle saw one down the street this past summer.

A game camera shot from 5 years ago. 

 The neighbor has filmed a mountain lion in the middle of the day on his porch but my contact has only been through the game camera lens.

And another from 4 years ago.

Nevertheless I have seen bear prints recently. One morning last week we had a little snow and while I was walking Carlos I noticed some very large dog prints. Then I realized they weren't dog.  The human looking back foot gave it away... I was walking in the steps of our local bear.  

Last weekend Carlos barked in the middle of the night. Since Carlos barks at the wind, at squirrels and not much else, I didn't even bother to get up.  Whatever was outside wasn't coming in.
The next morning I noticed the gravel in front of the porch was covered in deer hoof prints and  a couple of bear prints.  I feared the mama and baby deer that lounge in the side yard were his targets.

No deer visited for a couple of days and when I did finally have deer, it was just one. A mama. Baby was no where in sight.

Posts of these adventures went on Facebook and dear friend Ann asked if I was being safe while walking Carlos each morning. I assured her I wasn't scared and Carlos had jingly dog tags on and we were fine.

Bear bells for the two of us showed up before week's end.  Lights for Carlos's collar came the next day.  We now sound like Santa and Carlos will be the mysterious alien light that is spotted flitting through the woods.

A bell on my romper and a bell on Carlos's harness. 

The bears will know we are coming so they can get the condiments ready. 

I am tickled that everyone is concerned (Although those packages were addressed to Carlos so I'm pretty sure I know where Ann's loyalties lie...) but truthfully I am more likely to be injured driving to and from work dodging the deer than I am being eaten by wild animals. In Chaffee County (where I work) it is the leading cause of accidents. Between 1986 and 2004, there were 35,302 recorded incidents of vehicle collisions involving wildlife along state and interstate highways just in Colorado.
That's thirty five THOUSAND!!!  

Bunny managed to hit TWO deer in the span of eleven days. 

$4000 in car repairs and one dead buck for this little adventure. 

In the 2000s (17 years now) there have been 27 fatal bear attacks in the United States. That includes Alaska.
So my odds are with being killed by hitting a deer rather than being eaten outside my front door.

In spite of all the odds, good and bad, I'm grateful my friends worry. And care.

And what else am I grateful for?  After a week of just seeing a mama deer, this morning they both were back. Mama and Baby.  I'm not sure if I had a different mama on her own earlier or what. But today I had both of my friends back on the side of the house. All in one piece.

I was so worried about this little one, but today he was back with his mama- all in one piece. 

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I am also thankful for...in no particular order... many many people places and things:

My kids who have had a daunting year yet have come through for me and for each other in ways that I never expected. 

My friends who have fed me, entertained me, helped me pack (thank you Jill), helped me move (thank you Martha), helped me get a job (thanks again Martha)  and pretty much gone above and beyond what I would ever expect.  I am so beyond grateful for each and every one of you. 

My sweet mother who I am sure would prefer that I still live across the street from her rather than 1000 miles away. In spite of the fact that I abandoned her, she has been so supportive. 

My brother who has stepped in to be with mom when I can't, who has helped support me and has had my back. I'm also grateful for his kids who have helped be there for their grandmother. 

The roof (a tiny bit leaky) over my head and the view out my window. Wow. I'm really grateful for where I live.

My job where I literally work with the nicest people ever. 

My neighbors who also feed me, help me with projects, babysit Carlos and generally keep me from getting arrested and/or eaten. 

And my friends. Did I mention them? My friends are the BEST.

Happy happy Thanksgiving to all. I hope that you too have many things to be thankful for.  

😘

No. 63: Another New Restaurant

No. 63: Another New Restaurant

A couple of weeks ago when the fire near the cabin got scary bad, I left town. Spent the night in Denver and then met friend Monica in Colorado Springs for the day. Monica and I met when we both had horses at the same barn. Sadly, the horses are gone but thankfully the friendships remain.
She was up from Texas escaping the heat, I was in the Springs to see her and drop off the stupid Mercedes again. 
It needed to have its repairs repaired. 
Yep, you read that right. 
Bunny hit a deer in my car (um, and her car) back in November but I didn't get it fixed until June. When I picked up the car from the body shop, the hood was so catty whompus the guy parked next to me asked if I was just dropping my car off. Um, no. They've had it for ten days and this was the best they could do. So, back to the body shop affiliate in the Springs and they did a slightly better job in slightly less time. I'm still not 100% happy. But then again, it's the Mercedes. I doubt I'll ever be happy. One problem after the other. 

Anyway.
Monica met me at the Broadmoor Resort, one of the loveliest hotels around. The fam stayed there once a million years ago and it was delightful. It also happens to be Monica's favorite hotel in the Springs and we had lunch reservations at the Broadmoor's newish restaurant Restaurant 1858 at Seven Falls.

Walking up to the Broadmoor.

It is soooo pretty. *

The Broadmoor has a bit of a scam going with this one. To get into the restaurant, you have to buy a ticket to the Falls. Since neither one of us had seen Seven Falls before, that was ok, but still....

Also, there is no parking at the Seven Falls area, you must take a shuttle from the hotel.  That's all well and good but the restaurant called Monica's Texas phone and left a message that they would be opening later, something we didn't find out about until we got to the hotel. (Because, duh, we were in Colorado.)  Then the shuttle ran late so we finally arrived at the restaurant over an hour past our original reservation time. That means we spent quite a bit of time sitting at the shuttle stop.

                  

I made a new friend!

No worries, they still fed us!

Seven Falls is gorgeous. One big waterfall, 181 feet high, with seven distinct drops.  You can climb the 224 steps to the top or do what Monica and I did- ride the elevator up midway. That enabled us to skip 185 steps. We didn't do the last 39 steps.  And taking this info off of the Seven Falls website, I find it hard to believe we just skipped 39 steps. It looked like a WHOLE BUNCH more than that to the top.

My unprofessional pic of the falls. 

You can see the 7 drops though.

At the base of the falls is Restaurant 1858. It takes its name from the gold rush era. Although the Gold rush started in 1848, the restaurant went with a date ten years later. Who knows why?! I'm just repeating what their website said.
The restaurant is decorated in an old west Colorado theme and the food is fresh and locally sourced when possible.

Inside 1858.

We sat on the right. *

Monica's hamburger was grass fed beef. My nachos (hey, it's been a while since I've had any Mexican food-I had a hankering) were enormous. The food was great. The company was greater. 

It was a wonderful day spent with a dear friend. The restaurant was good but not one I would need to go back to.  The falls are beautiful but no more so than much of the free scenery in Colorado.


But it was an experience, and that's the whole point of my 60x60 list. 

* photos from their website

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Happy

Happy Thanksgiving!!!


Happy Thanksgiving to all.


I have been attempting to lure the turkeys from outside to inside, inside the oven to be exact, but it hasn't happened.

Peaceable Kingdom.

Deers and Turkeys

or....

Venison with a side of light and dark meat.

Since there are no turkeys in my house-or oven- Bunny and I are headed to Santa Fe for the holiday.  There is supposed to be snow when we head back on Friday but the forecast keeps changing so we are going to chance it. We are thankful for the revising forecasts!!

I've had company the last week which I was very thankful for. My friend Cathy came to see me all the way from Virginia. We lived together in San Miguel de Allende over 40 years ago and it has been 12 years since I have seen her. A wonderful visit in spite of.....

Bunny.  Love that girl but at this point I am encouraging her to start dating only guys that have auto/body repair mechanic experience  Let me just say I am thankful she was not hurt this time and that the deer is limping but not dead. Another buck, this time in my car. Damage doesn't look bad but according to the body shop it will be almost $4000 worth of repairs. 

Insurance companies will be blocking my phone number, I fear. I am  EXTREMELY thankful for car insurance. 

I hope everyone has a wonderful holiday and stay safe!! 

Watch for deer. 

Deja Vu, Deja Vu, Deja Vu...

Déjà Vu, Déjà Vu, Déjà Vu....

or...

NOT AGAIN!!!!

Well, she almost made it a full year without hitting anything. 

Bunny has not had the best track record when it comes to her car. 

Not too long after getting her car (January 2014) she backed into a friend. Springtime had a school acquaintance sideswiping her.  September 2014 she was run off the road and spun the Hummer.  December 2014 she backed into another school mate. But mostly since then she has been good. Over the summer in Texas she did have someone back end her but she was stopped at a light. It wasn't her fault. 

Because we have the most awesome body shop in Salida, Bunny waited until she got back here to get her back bumper repaired. She had it fixed mid October. Had just gotten it back all shiny and new.

And then. And then. 

Last Thursday night Bunny stayed in town to visit with a friend.  No school on Fridays here so she texted me at midnight and said she was on her way home.  Ten minutes later the phone rang. 

"I hit a deer."  

Are you ok? 

Yes.

Is the deer ok?

I don't think so.

Is the car ok?

I haven't looked. O! Here's the sheriff. Thank goodness. 

As she hung up on me I yelled to call if she needed me to come get her.   About five minutes later I got a text. 

"Come get me." 

22º out. Almost 1am by the time I got to her.

Car was not ok.

Just "superficial" damage. 

Deer was definitely not ok. The nice sheriff had to put him out of his misery.

Buck "sleeping" peacefully.

Bunny was shaken but unhurt.

$7000 worth of damage or, as the body shop says "not significant damage, mostly superficial". Huh? Seven thousand dollars is superficial?

Bunny is driving my car, I am in a rental.  Repair time is scheduled to be two to three weeks once the parts arrive. 

So now we are sweating repair time. Because three weeks puts us right at our scheduled departure time for Christmas. 

Yikes. 

And...

Apparently if you hit a deer here you can ask for a permit to keep it. Unless it is a trophy deer. Which is exactly what Bunny hit.  A 10 point buck. (In Texas. Or 5x5 buck here. 5x4½ after she hit it.)  Not allowed to keep it then. One of Bunny's friends tried to pick it up but the game warden showed and took it away. O well. 

Broken antler, 

definite gouge on the car from where it hit.

I was surprised how many people warned me to keep an eye on Bunny for PTSD since she hit and killed an animal.   I guess what with having hunter relatives and also being around soooo many people that have hit soooo many deer, it's pretty much been a non issue. She hasn't been nervous driving at night and is only angry that her car is going to take so long to be repaired. 

Wish some of those people had thought to mention that last year when she was run off the road. She is still anxious driving down our main road and practically freaks if I drive down faster than 10 mph. Definitely  PTSD from that accident although had I never really thought about it like that, until now.

The other surprise? How many people were more  concerned about the deer than the daughter. 

More......

More....


Sorry.
More pictures.

I wasn't going to but then I downloaded the ones from my camera and I couldn't help myself.

Also, I went out to take more pics of the eagles but couldn't find them. On my way home I saw elk instead! Soooo exciting.  First time I have ever seen them so close to the house. Only the second time I have seen them in this area.  And I had my camera with me. Happy day.

I was showing the elk pictures to my neighbor, explaining how they were all together so I couldn't really get a good shot. In fact, the little herd was all "women and children" and they were moving in this big field like a very tight school of fish. One would turn and they all would turn.
Neighbor patiently explained to me that they were running from something.
Now I could kick myself for not hanging around. I imagine if I had been patient, there would have been a mountain lion, too. Definitely made absolute sense when he said it as that is exactly how the elk appeared. Frightened, hyper alert, one unit.

 Look at their eyes. On the alert.

Exit, Stage Right.

And more Twin Sisters pics. Sorry. The sky has just been too, too.

 More snow and clouds.

I think these Sisters are drama queens. 

Look at that sky.

And not the Twin Sisters, but the mountains out the back door.  

I love the way the sun was just on the mountain top.

And of course, our yard ornaments.  They are so cute. And so unafraid.

 There are tiny green shoots coming up under this dead grass.

 The deer have been having a field day with the new growth.  Yum.

 Even the baby knows where to look.

Snowing. Settled in until it stops.

Next week I promise no more mountain or animal pics. Unless Carlos does something amazing.

Or elk and mountain lions show up dancing in tutus in my front yard. 

Have a great weekend.

Everything is Beautiful

Everything is Beautiful...Really


I live in the land of beauty. "America, the Beautiful"
(The song was written about the Pike's Peak area, a mere 100 miles away.)

I would love to say I'm an amazing photographer but reality is, I'm not.
I have a very good camera and a decent telephoto lens.
But truthfully here all that is required to take a GORGEOUS outdoor photo is a phone, a throw away camera, a Polaroid. ANYTHING will work. Not even sure eyesight is required. Just point and shoot and pretty much anywhere the camera eye lands will be a good pic.

Today I  thought I would share a few pics with you.
(So you can be jealous.)


First the Twin Sisters. This is the view out my front door.  It is also the view driving up the main road to the house. And the view from across the river at the dump.
Located in the Sangre de Cristo Mountain range, they have an elevation of a little over 13,000 feet. And they seem like they are literally right outside my front door. But they aren't.
My neighbor calls them the "Twisted Sisters" because a lot of our snow and wild weather comes straight across the top of them.
I call them Belle and Bunny.

I could take a picture every single day and they would all be gorgeous and all be different.
See?

 At dusk.

 As the sun rises.

 Covered in snow.

 Covered in clouds and snow.

 Sunset.

Good morning.

And from across the river, they are still amazing.

Or driving up the main road.  I stop probably once a week just to marvel at this view. Still.

See? Look at that sky. Those mountains.

And this was taken from inside my car with my iPhone. 

While driving.

Then there is the sky. It will stop you in your tracks.

Really. These are the colors. Not edited, filtered, nothing.

Just nature.

And the wild life. The deer are fat, happy and unafraid. 

 Isn't this baby adorable? 

This one, too.

I love this little deer train. 
Four of them? Five?
And this is what I mean. Great photo taken by the game camera.
No human involvement required.

There are American Bald Eagles that live on the river near where Carlos and I go walk.  Usually they are too far away to get a good picture, UNLESS I don't have my camera. One day they were in a tree right above me but I had no cell phone and no camera. That will never happen again.

These birds are enormous.

Once you know where to look, they are very easy to find. 

I was so excited the first time I spotted one.

And these two guys live near the dump. They wander the acreage there and while unbroken, they are obviously not too wild. I spoke to their owner (who owns the dump) and they are descendants of horses that his great grandfather owned, one of which was a U.S. Cavalry horse. Pretty cool, huh? 

"Got anything to eat in there?"

"I'm not getting out of the way until you come up with food."

There's beauty out there. I am beyond lucky to live where I do. But look around. It's everywhere.
Where do you find your beauty?


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O wait!!!!

I forgot my own personal wildlife.

Carlos