Life on the High Plains

We got to do something so incredibly awesome a couple weeks ago. Can you guess where we were? Taking a stroll across the Golden Gate Bridge.  Our tour driver dropped us off on one side of the bridge then we walked back across the 1.7 miles and actually beat the bus by several minutes.  Look at that traffic! It was one of those experiences that felt surreal.  The whole time I was thinking "am I really doing this?" It's so sad to think there are people who are so desperate and broken that they actually choose to end their lives on this bridge. I certainly hope I never go to such a dark place.  I don't really like city vacationing, mainly because of the volume of people, but San Francisco was certainly fun--so much to see and do!  Walking across the Golden Gate Bridge is one more check on my bucket list. Happy Skywatch Friday!

Somebody left me a gift in the family room a few days ago. Yes, it's a baby bunny.  A dead baby bunny.   Gross.   Sad.   Really sad.   All baby bunnies have sanctuary on our land so I need to find who's responsible.   Who's the culprit?     Was it this sweet boy?     Look at those eyes.  There's no way Keira could have done this. Is this one sneaking out the dog door at night?  We never had a dead baby bunny in the house until this one came along.     Actually, there's only one known baby bunny hater is this house.  I'm not naming any names, but I think you know who I'm referring to.    Yep, I've found the culprit.   

Have you ever found yourself in some place that you really shouldn't be? Irv and I found ourselves on top of a mountain during a big electric storm yesterday. We left about 9:30 for a nice, relaxing hike along the 7 Bridges trail.   There we were just plodding along on a beautiful, sunny, and very warm day.   Enjoying God's beauty and... stopping to smell the flowers along the way.     Then we got to the end of the 7 Bridges trail and decided to head up an unfamiliar trail--Trail 622.     The terrain changed quite dramatically here.     And we soon realized we weren't properly prepared for getting over these rocks.  Plus, do you see how that sky has changed?  We were sure we were going to get sprinkled on.   Well, we got sprinkled on with about 5 1/2 drops before the full on downpour started.  With the first flash of lightning and clap of thunder we knew we were in troubl...

Now that is a tree!  Loved the redwoods in Muir Woods near San Francisco   We got an extra special treat--a critter sighting!     Beautiful, serene, and majestic!   I'd love to go back sometime when there aren't so many people around.   Happy Skywatch Friday!

Where to begin? After a recent business trip to California Irv joined me in San Francisco for a few days.  The first thing on the agenda was a visit to The Rock.  Thankfully we had purchased our tour tickets well in advance because tickets were sold out through the end of August.   The Park Service does a fantastic job of shuttling people back and forth to the island.  It was a quick ferry ride--about 1 1/2 miles from Pier 33.   We were greeted by this sign.  Kind of an ominous indicator of what this place once was.  We were a little confused about the Indians Welcome graffiti, but we soon learned what that was all about.   Ready for a history lesson?   From the Alcatraz Rules and Regulations - "You are entitled to food, clothing, shelter, and medical attention.  Anything else you get is a privilege."     There was a little hike up to the cell house, about 1,300 feet.  The skeleton of a...

Failure! My veggie patch is struggling this year.  Too much rain, not enough sun, too cold, an abundance of weeds, uninvited guests.  Take your pick. It's the middle of July.  These beds should be overflowing with veggies by now.  Of course the garden did get planted several weeks later than usual this year because of the weather. Here's my zucchini.  This is one thing that I've always been able to grow like crazy.  Usually these plants would be jungle-like.  Look at them--they're pathetic.  However, they do have blossoms on them so there's hope for at least a few.   When we moved out here we planted all these wild rose bushes that we got from the local conservation district.  They've done good and they look beautiful along the back fence.  This year they're taking over.  They've moved into the aisles of my garden.  Annoying, especially since I can't pull them once they get too big.  Take to ge...

I got distracted this evening.  (I know I owe you all a post on our San Francisco adventure and that will be coming as soon as I have a chance to organize my thoughts and photos.) I went outside to put the geese and their pen and close the front gate.  Then I looked at the beautiful front yard that my husband mowed this afternoon.  What grabbed my attention was my overgrown front garden. Keira and I pulled a few weeds. Then we took the time to "smell the roses" and enjoy some of our beautiful flowers.  I don't know what it is that I have planted in this barrel, but it's beautiful.  There's a columbine in the center that is also doing very well.   Now those who live in the south might not be too impressed by this hosta, but it's huge for those of us who live in the high desert of Colorado.  When we first moved out here 11 years ago I planted a ton of hostas.  One by one they died out as we went through years of drought.  Only...

  The Deborah Butterfield Nature of Horses Exhibit at the Denver Botanic Garden.         Simple. Different.  Creative.  Outside the box.  Simply Amazing! Happy Skywatch Friday!