OUR RENTED HOUSE IN THE SUMMER

Having seen our rented house in the last winter, we had no idea what the grounds looked like.

It was a delightful sight for our eyes in the summer, once we got it cleaned up.

We got back before all of the Ornamental Poppies had finished blooming, and enjoyed other flowers as  they came out.

                                 The Potentilla came out with a mass of yellow flowers.

Pink Peonies bloomed by the back deck, and Raspberry bushes began to bear fruit by the garage.

The bushes outside the kitchen windows broke out in bloom, and I rediscovered some of my pots

to plant with annual flowers.

We continued to enjoy the green of the trees across the fields and the ever changing shades of the hills beyond.

Visits from the wildlife are a pleasure, the occasional deer, rabbits, chipmonks, etc.

And the rainbows which accompany the afternoon showers

And one afternoon this beautiful rainbow, which as the sky darkened became the most vivid double rainbow I have ever seen,

FOGGY SURF CITY

Now that we have been back on long Beach Island for 3 weeks and we are settled in for the spring at least, I though it was time to add to my blog.  My flowers are planted, and neighbors are returning from Florida, and we have had several beach walks.

 Taking off the first time, we could hardly see the ocean from the dunes, the fog was so thick.

We thought we were totally alone until we barely saw a fellow beach stroller coming out of the mist.

But this "castles" in the sand were evidence that children at least had been there that morning.

And we finally can upon 2 fishermen who had cast their lines into the mist in hope of snaring the "big one".

 Several days later the fog had lifted enough that a stand up paddle boarder was enjoying the waves.

Beach replenishment had begun in the community to the south of us, and this fisherman sat near the water's edge with his poles, while the dredge remained further out awaiting it next supply of sand.

Our next beach walk was enjoyed in sunshine, with a still pretty much deserted beach, and delightful change from what it will be like in another month.

 

At This time it is still left the the local fisherman seeking this best fishing spot, and walked like us who can still enjoy the solitude and peacefulness of the ocean's edge.

The rocks covered the moss gleamed in the sunshine as a warning not to try to scale their slippery surface.


Memorial day weekend has come and gone and we were blessed with beautiful weather, a bit cool and windy but with blue sky and sunshine. A visit of the replicas of the Nina and Pinta at the Viking Village was a special attraction for the locals and visitors who were on our island.

LOOKING BACK TO OUR COLORADO MOVE

We are back in our shore home for several months, and I decided to check my blog which again I have again neglected for 3 months. It was a busy time in Crested Butte, we sold our home there, but unlike my friend and blogger extraordinary, Ralph Berglund I did not record the process. It was stressful and exhausting with a lot of work in a limited time. We moved ourselves, something you don't want to do when you are almost 80 and 82, and finding a place to live in the interim wasn't easy in a Colorado ski town.

 We loved our home there where we spent 18 wonderful years enjoying skiing with family and friends, but it was becoming more than we could handle as we aged.

Having lived many places across the country during our 57 years of married life we had accumulated
too many treasures, which I wasn't willing to abandon in a hurry to the buyers.  Rather I wanted to sell/give them to people who needed or would enjoy them.

My husband, Chuck pulled the proverbial rabbit out of the hat by finding an unfurnished home in Gunnison (the town 35 miles south where we and most everyone in the mountains does their shopping) that had just come on the market to rent.  We grabbed it up for a year so we have time to make some decisions as to what is next.

It has an open floor plan, 4 bedrooms, a 2 car garage, and most importantly a shed in the back of the lot that where we stored the things that we have to get rid of this summer.

Big picture windows look out on the field and mountains behind us that bring in the morning light.

The kitchen is adequate, especially for an old woman who is tired of cooking' and there is room for a table and the ever important wine rack.

There is also a separate dining room off of the kitchen, though my pictures of it somehow didn't accompany me to NJ,  and a large room for Chuck 's office and my desk, and believe it or not a small one for my computer and large printer and assorted photography "stuff" - how could we ask for more in a rental.  ( Perhaps we can extend our year!!)

In the evening I can enjoy the sunset colors on the field and hills behind our house,

And watch the moon rise in the evening.  How can one ask for more!!?

SNOWBIKES & FOXES

This has been a very unusual winter here in Colorado, as it has been in most of the country, except different. Here it has been warm far the Rocky Mountains, and our snowfall very minimal while the East is inundated with the white stuff. We have friends in the Boston area, and there they don't know what to do with all the feet of snow Mother Nature has dumped on them. Wish they could send it to us!!

However looking out our window one day several weeks ago we saw several bikers enjoying the course across the street,on their bikes.

That was until they had to go back up the hill.

However once they had completed the difficult climb, and were rested, they took off for higher ground.

Meanwhile back at our house a couple of young red foxes had decided our yard might just be a good place to hunt.

As the day wore on the the sun got lower, this fox decided that the Aspen trees were a good place to "hide".

This one decided to keep watch from this pine tree while the sun went lower.

It became a good place to take a rest!

    Several days later when we got our most recent snow this fox, perhaps the same one, revisited this pine, deciding it was a good place to take temporary shelter from the falling snow flakes.

But when he saw me taking his picture -

He decided to come out and look his handsomest!!

ANOTHER WINTER IN CRESTED BUTTE & A TRIP TO MONTROSE

We are back in the Rockies - finally adjusted to the altitude and enjoying this winter wonderland.  We skied for the first time today and picked a beautiful, blue sky, Sunday morning to take our 1st runs of the season.  I almost think we might regret our decision to make this our last year of downhill skiing - but we think it is time to slow down and if not smell the roses in the winter perhaps enjoy the snow at a slower speed..

The views from our home remain enticingly beautiful. Looking out the window behind our bed is this peaceful scene.

Through the slider at the foot of our bed is this view of Snodgrass across the street, with the groomed 

cross-country trails.

Our living room downstairs offers a view of the mountain peak behind the Goldlink Ski Runs.

Our kitchen affords this view of the White Mountains across the East River Valley.

But one of my favorite photos from our home is this one of the  "Shadows on Snoddgrass" and the outhouse behind the Horse Corral across the street.

Montrose is the first town of size (in the Colorado mountains) to the West of us and when we

travel there for doctor appointments of shopping I always have my camera.

This time as we approached Blue Mesa Reservoir we entered a low cloud formation.

My photographs are usually taken on the fly, while my husband speeds along at 50 or so m shots.

As we got near the end of this weather, the blue sky began to appear over the frosted trees.

The snow on the top of the red rocks looked like icing.

And out my window I grabbed this photo of an eagle flying overhead.