Beautiful bighorn sheep were grazing alongside Highway 285 near Bailey, Colorado last Sunday.
A brave bighorn grazing alongside Colorado State Highway 285 south of Bailey, CO
I had my camera with me and The Grill-Meister was happy to pull the car over. One of the sheep let me get very close, and it seemed that he was either mildly annoyed or mildly amused by me. He moved slowly, turning this way and that. Posing for me, I think. What visual riches! It was an awesome experience.
So I had to write a haiku or two. Or three. Serious and not-so-serious.
ancient memories, yesterdays and tomorrows, in your horns and fur
Magnificence radiates from his bighorn body
regal, princely stare – you wondrous, animal, you! thank you for posing
Giving me the eye – is he annoyed? amused? contemplative?
what are you thinking? “get back, lady with camera – let me eat in peace!”
Little House in the Rockies is our tiny cabin retreat in Colorado.
We love it. It is sooooo very peaceful.
View from the back 40
Wildflower
Always a beautiful sunset
Cute young buck on Boreas Pass
Yellow-bellied marmot
I can sit for hours and watch the birds and wildlife.
I was there recently, and pretty much just watched, and thought, and wrote, and photographed.
Of note were the chipmunks. They posed for me! When I looked at the photos later, they reminded me of high school senior pictures. You know, the incredibly attractive youth with the bright future posing in the sunlight for the professional photographer that Mom paid to get a great photo for the graduation announcements? What do you think?
Nature is all the entertainment we need here at Little House in the Rockies, our little cabin in Central Colorado. It’s a wonderful getaway from the busyness and frenetic pace of everyday life, an oasis of mindfulness.
This morning, our entertainment was a rabbit, a cute little Peter Cottontail who hopped up to enjoy the seeds the careless birds were strewing from the feeder.
He was a shy little thing.
He hopped away when I approached with my camera, but I caught him mid-jump.
Rabbit, run! (No reference to the John Updike novel intended; well, not much, anyway.)
Nature is restoring me this spring in a way I didn’t even know I needed. Everything seems brighter, fresher, more vibrant than usual. Haiku time!
joy in: new green leaves sun-sparkles on spring grasses April’s waxing moon
Or perhaps the difference is me; maybe I am getting more in tune and responsive to the remarkable beauty and balance that surrounds us.
Anyway, these turtles at Lady Bird Lake in Austin tickled me, reminding me of the phrase,
I’ve got your back!
Literally. Don’t they just look like the two on the sides are comforting the pal in the middle, patting him or her on the back? I watched them for quite a while, and they didn’t move away from each other. Just three turtle friends hanging out in the late afternoon, watching the kayakers go by.
I told you in my Earth Day post that I saw some marvelous creatures alongside Lady Bird Lake in Austin. I was alone with my camera in this beautiful setting for a couple of hours, and it was glorious. Mindfulness was easy; my soul was fed by the natural setting.
I think a group of swans did a performance just for me. As I stood and watched, they changed direction, got in position, and swam by in a line. #Awesome. #Haiku-worthy. #Serendipity.
statuesque splendor swans sailing smoothly past me synchronicity
I’ve lately lamented on the lack of time for the Glover Gardens blog due to time-consuming springtime chores around Glover Gardens. I shouldn’t complain, though, because every hour spent in the spring garden pays off exponentially as the yard comes into full bloom. More on that soon!
Today is Earth Day, a great day to bask in the glory of our wonderful, life-giving planet. My celebration here in the blog comes in a set of nature photos I took recently during a road trip to visit our Musical Millennial at college in Austin. I was at Butler Shores Metropolitan Park, along the edge of Lady Bird Lake. I was killing time waiting for him to finish a rehearsal for the next day’s University of Texas Jazz Orchestra concert, using my new camera to stalk humans and animals around the park and practicing with the zoom lens. This post focuses on the animals, who were perfect models. Like this squirrel – can’t you just hear him saying: “Got nuts?”
It was a glorious couple of hours on a sunny, cool afternoon as I wandered through the park. Enjoying the sights and sounds of nature with only my camera as a companion was tranquil and restorative. Just looking at the photos brings me back there – won’t you join me?
A Walk Around Butler Shores Metropolitan Park
A spirited dog chased a frisbee, over and over.
She posed for me afterward. She acted just like the men in my family when I make them pose for a picture, resigned and mildly impatient: “Just get it over with!”
There were turtles all along the water, sunbathing. This one was like me, having a solo day at the park.
These turtles were having a social hangout. I watched them for ten minutes or more as they watched people gliding by in kayaks and canoes, and gently kicked their back legs to keep their log perch floating in their chosen trajectory.
A purple bearded iris was opening up in the sunlight.
Birds of all kinds were everywhere, darting about and singing. And seemingly, posing.
The swans did a whole routine for me, turning into synchronized swimmers. A haiku popped into my head when I was watching them, which I’m saving for a post later in the week.
Thanks for joining the animals and me on this little excursion through Butler Shores Metropolitan Park. And Happy Earth Day!
Nikon d3400, a starter DSLR that’s just right for me
I got a new camera for Christmas, the first one ever that has interchangeable lenses that detach and rates a case instead of rambling about in the bottom of my purse like my previous little point-n-shoot models. A respectable camera. A DSLR. I’m the family historian and photographer and have always been a shutterbug, but a very uneducated one. I didn’t even know what DSLR meant until I looked it up recently.
So – I have a lot to learn! I’m very excited about this new journey and wish I had more time to spend on absorbing the basics, but for now I’m mostly using the automatic settings.
I’m sharing all this to set up a photo for you. We had a snow day here in Southeast Texas in January, and then the sun came out at the end of the day. I took a very chilly walk about the neighborhood with my brand new camera and took photos of everything and nothing, just to play with the zoom lens. I was looking through my photos just now and found this one from that day, and it made me happy.
Trees and sunsets make me happy in general – how about you? They embody the reassurance of renewal; they speak to me through their beauty. Indulge me for a moment.
The trees are saying,
Sure, I lost my leaves for the winter, but don’t worry, I’ll get them back! I’ll grow a big canopy for you to picnic under come summer. I’ll be here for your future grandkids to climb.”
The sunset chimes in.
I’ll only be around for a few minutes – enjoy me! I’m here to remind you that while today was challenging, another day is on the way. My partner, the sunrise, will be here before you know it. Use the coming darkness to rest and reflect, and I’ll see you again tomorrow.”
Little House in the Rockies is our tiny cabin retreat in Colorado.
I’ve lately lamented on the lack of time for the Glover Gardens blog due to time-consuming springtime chores around Glover Gardens. I shouldn’t complain, though, because every hour spent in the spring garden pays off exponentially as the yard comes into full bloom. More on that soon!
