Tag Archives: nature

Pandemic Outing…

Pandemic, , , , ,

Yesterday was a beautiful morning, so we drove to town, stopped at our favorite coffee shop for take-n-go drinks and took off.

Took off for a drive up a nearby mountain pass. The spring melt has the rivers flowing at near peak capacity.

Fresh Mountain River

The morning air, fresh and cool, offers the fragrance of spring. One could smell the earth, the heat generating from the rocks and the moisture in the shade under the trees. The sound of the water racing downhill, roaring over rock walls, splash landing at the base before flowing into the river filled the air. In one location, the cool spray carried gently by the breeze, brushed against my face.

The roar of water, rushing and gushing downhill

In another location, we sat nearby and absorbed the sensations of being by water, out in nature.

Honestly, at one site, I got dizzy sitting there. We were in the truck, parked close to the river’s edge. The sights and sounds were relaxing, refreshing yet simultaneously invigorating. As I sat and watched the water, I got the sense the vehicle was moving. It wasn’t. Yet the water was so intense, so fast and so mesmerizing, I lost track of everything else.

Are we moving?

Perhaps these photos will take you to these places also…

Spring… is coming to the mountains!

Light Hearted Living..., , ,

The air is filled with birds singing, happy for the promise of warmer weather.

Yesterday, while on my way to town, I saw my first bluebird of the season.

Yeah!

They are absolutely my favorite.

From now through summer I’ll have the pleasure of seeing the vibrant, electric blue darting in the tree branches, or flying in the air.

It always brings a smile to my face.

Let the warmer weather come.

Majesty

Ireland, Things to ponder...., ,
I sing for joy at the works of your hands

I stand in the wind facing east.

The sea roars as the consistent waves roll in, one after the other.

The sky is huge with layer after layer of clouds cloaking the evening sun.

I feel small against the vastness of these forces of nature.

Yet, I look into the heavens and know that I’m loved beyond comprehension.

The words from Psalm 8 filled my mind this day.

Psalm 8 from the NIV Bible

O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! You have set your glory above the heavens.
From the lips of children and infants you have ordained praise because of your enemies, to silence the foe and the avenger. 
When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him?
You made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor. 
You made him ruler over the works of your hands; you put everything under his feet:
all flocks and herds, and the beasts of the field, the birds of the air, and the fish of the sea, all that swim the paths of the seas. 
O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! 

Now Available…

Gabriel and the Bear, , ,

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to encounter a bear in the wild?

Gabriel and the Bear is now available on Amazon.

Story of a young boy’s first encounter with a bear

Read the story and you can experience the event through Gabriel’s eyes. At the end of the book, there’s a collection of bear facts to familiarize you with information relative to bears and living in close proximity to them.

Goodbye to Summer

Light Hearted Living..., , , , ,

We arrived home yesterday after spending the weekend celebrating the final summer holiday for 2019. Friends, who have an off-grid cabin and host an annual pig roast picnic on their property invited us for the weekend. After enjoying good food with fine companions, we settled in to enjoy a night high in the mountains complete with campfires and great conversation. 

The early morning in the mountains…

  • In the Mountains
  • Morning at camp
  • Morning Light

Camp site cleanup…

Outside Cleanup

Departure time…

Traveling view…

A morning in Ireland…

Ireland, Travel, , , , , ,

I’m captivated by the sheep dotting the countryside. Once out of town, in County Kerry, Ireland you’ll find many sheep. When we first arrived the little ones appeared quite fresh and so tiny. As we drive around I’ve noticed how much they have grown.

We left early, on our way to a bible study this week. The crisp morning air allowed us to see wide vistas. We drove along the coast and appreciated the view. We came to a spot that overlooks fields in the valley with the mountains in the background. Stopping on the narrow, twisty country roads is usually not an option. Yet we happened upon a driveway on our side of the road with a low gate on the opposite. We parked, got out, expected to take a couple photos and continue to the study.

I wasn’t prepared for what we encountered. The view was beautiful as expected, but sheep filled the field. As we stood at the fence enjoying the expanse before us, they bleated and moved towards us. This put me closer to the sheep of Ireland than I’ve been before. This was a special morning gift.

… and was a blessed start to the day.

 

 

February Memories

Light Hearted Living..., , , , ,

A dear friend from Wisconsin came for visit. Her pre-visit hope was to see lots of Colorado snow. She certainly got her wish! It snowed every day she was here. The grey skies had no impact on the amount of fun we had. Perhaps her next visit will include the bluebird skies we so often enjoy!

View on the way to the Pine Creek Cookhouse
Waiting for our meals
Relaxing after eating
Rushing Water and Winter Beauty

What’s in a name?

Things to ponder...., , , , , , , ,

Journey to the Heights

With a subtitle of… life is the journey

… is the name of this blogsite.

Mount Sopris & upvalley view
Mount Sopris & downvalley

Many times someone has asked me, why this name? It’s so long.

It is long, but I’ll share with the different meanings this name holds for me.

I grew up in the mid-west and lived my life east of the Mississippi River. I spent six years in Germany. I lived all those years at less than 1,000 feet above sea level, sometimes as low as 180 feet above sea level.

My current house sits at 7,400 feet in the Rocky Mountains. For me, this move was a “journey to the heights.”

Ironically, we live in an area referred to as “Missouri Heights.”

My faith expects me to grow and mature, representing the love of God and the life of Christ more and more. For those of you who personally know me, you recognize some days that truth is more evident than others. God obviously calls us to a higher level.

For me Journey to the Heights means all these things.

I’m blessed with better health living at a higher elevation with a drier climate than any I enjoyed earlier in my lift.

I’m blessed by being surrounded with natural beauty, constantly changing. One can watch the massive skies with the clouds and various colors throughout the day. Stars appear close enough to touch.

I’m blessed that God put me here, in this location for this time of my life and He is taking me to higher levels in my faith. This is a gift!

And so, I share Journey to the Heights with all who are curious about my thoughts, my writings, my life!

Irish Memories Linger…

Ireland, , , , , , , ,

We’ve been home a few weeks and thoughts of Ireland still resound in my mind.

Here are some photomontages of different aspects of Ireland that stand out for me.If one were to ask for a quick overview, I would respond by saying –

Green! It abounded. The first photo of the trees growing over the road, shaped by the bus traffic is a common sight.

 

Water and Beaches! They were everywhere. I loved the wind coming off the ocean; the ever-moving cloud scenes; the smell of the water and the freshness of the air. The beaches varied from being beautiful sand to rocky. It was very different seeing the Atlantic ocean looking in a westerly direction.

 

Sheep! They were everywhere. They appeared so different from the sheep I see in Colorado. They were shorter legged, more rounded in body and many were dyed to mark who they belonged to. They might be found in meadow fields, climbing rocky cliffs or close to the ocean. Except when we were in a city, we saw sheep everyday.

 

Tower Houses, Castles, Abbeys – old structures

From BeeHive house structures from 800AD, a lighthouse that’s been functioning for over 800 years, to medieval streets in the heart of cities — there were so many old structures. Some were still being used, some have been restored and some are in varying states of decay. It was difficult for me to comprehend just how old these structures are.

 

The Burren! This area was a surprise for me. From a distance it lacked the intense green so prevalent elsewhere. The surprise is how rich The Burren is with small plant growth; what a haven it is; and how rich it is in history.