When I first planted Poppies on Danny Drive we needed a new roof. The roofer accidentally planted his ladder right on top of the plant. That was the death of that poppy. Last year I planted three starts or whatever you call young plants. Two made it through the winter. Look at part of the poppy yield!
At first only buds …Looks like teeth on that bud and deep purple columbine in the background.As this one sheds the bud covering, in a nod to Lawrence, a-oneAnd a-two, And a-three!When all this finishes, there ought to be a sequence of about 12!
These remind me of the paper flowers the kids used to make in grade school!
Cut they last a few days in the house, but one got too hot in our car yesterday and was baked and wilted by the time we delivered it to our daughter. ;-( Maybe I will try to take her another one this week before they are gone!
While we were traveling the daffodils all continued to bloom out and finished before we returned home. The purple columbine had begun before we left. They are in full swing now! I am writing this May 7, 2019 (more photos will follow in days to come).
Even with fence, rabbits had chopped tulip leaf salad while we were gone!
ColumbineColumbine with White Dutch Iris and rosebud in back
I was excited to see poppies I planted last year finally coming to life! I’ve been watching 3 Buds from my office window.
And then on closer inspection this morning, NINE buds! I can’t wait for these ;-D
You are likely tired of my garden tour. Suffice it to say the monarch caterpillars will have an abundant crop of milkweed to chomp on this summer. The oregano wants harvesting. The phlox is almost full blown. The purple iris (or as Mom would call them ‘Flags’) will open this week.
Fort Collins has a neat district called Old Town. Found these two sculptures there that made me laugh out loud. So descriptive of some of my friends and I. Instead of making lemonade, “You Might As Well Dance!”
Only wish I had taken a photo from the other side where her petticoats showed! ;-D
And if in Old Town for lunch you might as well have a cold one, too! Mine was the stout, in more ways than one!
We had a free morning and decided to take a short drive that our friend Betty had suggested. We were not disappointed! The Poudre River Canyon was cold but lovely. There had been a couple of inches of snow the night before, so everything was crusted with white.
The cold morning was gray and the higher the car climbed the thicker the snow became.
And there it was! One of my favorite photos of the month long journey!
I don’t always realize what will be my favorite until the adventure ends. Here it is!
Thank you Betty for the heads up! As the day went along it warmed up, snow melted and the majesty was as if it had never happened.
I hope not! We had been to the Rocky Mountains before, but wanted to refresh our experience there. Was truly hoping to see wildlife, but they did not get the memo about tourist shows.
“Congratulations! Today is your day. You’re off to Great Places! You’re off and away!”
I do not photoshop my photos. Occasionally I crop them and perhaps adjust the shading, but I leave that editing to others to perform. The rocks were seriously changing!
Our first glimpse, and I mean a fast glimpse, was leaving Cheyenne. We were 5.7 miles from the Colorado border. Half an hour later, there they were! We saw places to pull over and put chains on vehicles. Did not have any and thankfully did not need any. We were amazed at how the weather cooperated with us this entire trip! No big storms, (they were either behind us and over when we arrive places.)
From Estes Park, Colorado
We entered through the Fall River entrance at 8,240 feet. Drove past Sheep Lakes, West Horseshoe Park, Deer Mountain trailhead. At Hidden Valley we had to turn around because the road was still closed due to wintery conditions. About 9,000 feet and I was feeling ill. We got out to take photos and I had trouble walking and was dizzy. At the Beaver Meadows exit, 7,840 feet, the elk were posing for us! I was relieved to get to a lower altitude.
We mostly chose to make memories. This is a wonderful National Park. Often wish we lived closer. It would be fun to explore the seasons there, but not so much the summer crowds!
I lift up my eyes to the mountains— where does my help come from? My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth. He will not let your foot slip— he who watches over you will not slumber; indeed, he who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. The LORD watches over you— the LORD is your shade at your right hand; the sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon by night. The LORD will keep you from all harm— he will watch over your life; the LORD will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore.
We are tired of staying at the same hotel chain. And the quality of the chain has become so unpredictable. We decided to try some thing new. This is a shameless plug. This was BRAND NEW! Our first stay at a Tru hotel by Hilton. Great for a single traveler. CRAMPED for a couple! We did like the hooks on the wall and the great shower though! Not certain how we might book it next time to try to get extra space in our area? It was designed with young people in mind, including the huge lobby area with pool table and plenty of quiet booths for business work and phone calls.
We lit out of town the next morning after doing an interview with fact finding Hilton staff. They made it worth our while with a payment for our time. Pretty sweet for retirees on a journey! Cheyenne to Ft. Collins, Colorado 47 miles, (plus mileage into and through part of Rocky Mountain National Park).
We drove from river land into high desert and approached mountains. “Arid prairies give way to craggy bluffs, table-like mesas, rocky pillars and stark buttes that loom across the landscape.” https://traveltips.usatoday.com/landforms-geographic-features-nebraska-59083.html There were almost more terrain changes than we could process. Our senses were highly tuned to watching out the windows and marveling at the differences 100 miles could make. Overall that day we saw countless Sandhill Cranes, 11 Hawks, 2 Eagle nests and wild Turkeys.
I already posted about Gothenburg and the Pony Express, decorating fences with cattle skulls and some of the other sights. Below is Chimney Rock in Nebraska. It rises about 300 feet above the North Platte River valley. It’s peak is 4,228 feet above sea level. It was a landmark for those traveling west in the mid-19th century. The shape has changed over the years due to lightning strikes, storms and erosion. At the Visitor Center run by History Nebraska, a woman told us of the recent five foot snow in her area. One man had to hook the tractor to the car and drag it to the road. Then loaded his family on the tractor wagon and took them to the car so they could get out to go to school!
Trust me, I WILL stay on the sidewalk!Chimney Rock
Yes, you should plan a trip next spring to this wonder of the world. The Sandhill Crane migration is the largest in the world and well worth your time. Your sense of adventure will rise to a new height as you marvel at these birds. Fly, take a bus, drive, get there any way that you can to witness this extraordinary event. We planned to spend two nights there so we could be certain to witness one sunrise and one sunset. We did not book any special tours or bird blinds and yet we saw plenty. If I had not seen them in New Mexico I likely would have missed them in the fields at first.
Here is a very short clip
Here is a clip from Geographic.
This video is phenomenal. Yes, 8 minutes long, but their photography captures what I could not. Even Bob was challenged in the low light conditions of sunrise and sunset along with the skittishness of the birds themselves! We supported the Sandhill Trust while we were there.
Then off to Cheyenne Wyoming, 338 miles away. As we drove through Nebraska along the Platte River we saw fields with birds, and then more birds!
16 states, slept in 10 of those in at least 3 different motel chains. All but one night was pretty good sleep! 48 years of marriage and this was the longest trip we had ever taken since our one year anniversary trip moving from California to Ohio. In all those miles there was only one moment when we both thought we were about to be in an auto accident through no fault of our own. We still marvel at how were kept safe, day after day, hour after hour.
Most children have an hour or two a day when they get cranky. Low blood sugar, need for parental attention, whatever. And adults can get that way, too! Eating routines disrupted, NO NAPS, navigating strange places, being in the car for hours on end together days on end. We had those moments. Most were navigated with humor, kindness, and sometimes snacks or coffee stops.
Realizing neither of us knew the way at every moment in time, we were able to not take things personally. Accepting the fact that those moments were going to occur almost daily helped, too.
Seeing something new and wonderful or just reflecting on the vast differences between today’s scenery in contrast to yesterday helped restore a sense of wonder.
Things such as is this typical grain storage or caused by the trade wars? We had no answers, just a sense of wonder at the abundance the agricultural families of our country produce. We saw many of these seeming impromptu storage set-ups. There were abundant silos, but these appeared in plenty.
Tire tracks from truck deliveries!Does the fan provide circulation to keep it from spoiling?
We discovered during the trip that we were uneducated in so many areas, prone to still be human, able to travel together long distances and still in love after all these years. Determined to face the chapter of older adults as joyfully as possible we seemed to have at minimum one good laugh a day. Now I wish I had written down those comic moments!
Cincinnati through Louisville to St. Louis. Day #1, 358 miles. We saw the flooded Mississippi and ate toasted ravioli at award winning Zia’s on the Hill.
That day we also saw an eagle in flight and my favorite, the great blue heron!
This is above the St. Louis walkway along the river. The wind and waves were such that the top steps were under water and waves kept splashing up when boats went past.
I kept applying what I saw to myself. Flooding puts river banks and pastures under water. Some say this refreshes the land like no other phenomenon, dropping fresh silt on the soil. Flood me Lord with Your Living Water and Presence in my everyday moments. Open my ears so that when You speak, I will hear You clearly and move towards obedience.
Day #2 St. Louis to Topeka to Kansas City, Missouri, 309 some miles. We stopped in Kansas City Kansas to look around and stumbled upon graffiti artists. Here is a local diva having her photo taken before their art.
Bar-B-Que lunch at Mr. Gates. The after church crowd joined us. I had fun watching and older gentleman watch me make a mess with barbecue sauce all over my face. He was waiting for his family to place their orders and bring his food. They were all dressed to the nines! When I finished they had just placed his tray in front of him. I teased him that it was my turn to watch him eat and not make a mess. Turns out he was blind in one eye and in his nineties. He was a retired preacher and song leader, sort of retired. His son was now in the pulpit. All his sons were preachers. We talked about how important it is to try to inspire the younger ones. I left him to enjoy his lunch with blessings upon the rest of his day and silently upon his life and legacy.
The Bar-B-Que was delicious going down and gave me fits all night! What a way to go though ;-D.
Treasures in Plain Sight, A Christian Blog 