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.

FALL IN NEW ENGLAND

Though we live in the East during the fall months, it has been years since we have traveled to New England to see the fall colors.  This year we signed up with VBT for a bike trip to Cape Cod and Martha's Vineyard in Early October.  Since this was a place we had never visited my husband found a bridge tournament in Sturbridge, MA the week before, so we made it a real vacation.

The colors of the leaves were beautiful and vibrant on the sunny day we traveled north, and I took many photos from the car as we barreled along the highways at high speed - not the best way!!

When we arrived at our hotel in Sturbridge we took a short walk to work out the kinks and found this lovely lake not far from where we were staying.

Having a free day before we planned to play bridge we drove to Lexington to see new friends who we had met the year before on a bike trip to Sicily.  They had a wonderful farm that has been in the family since 1884, and we found Jim at their "stand" fronted by this incredible array of pumpkins.

We wandered through the store with mouths watering at the beautiful fruit and vegetable there for purchase.  I wished I lived nearer because I knew I would never again just go to the grocery store!

Jim Wilson met us and gave us a tour of the "behind-the-scenes". Having already spied the case of pastries, all made on site I was hoping to see where they were made.

We did - in this exceptionally well equipped kitchen where this "Halloween House" was under construction.   I would have loved to be there to see it finished and on display.

Before going outside to see some of the fields and the displays for the Halloween Hay Ride for children, we passed through the green house filled with Poinsettias soon to be ready for market.  A wonderful experience andwonderful people who do so much for their community.

After a special lunch with Jim and Cindy Wilson we rode through Lexington before returning to
Sturbridge, and this statue in the center of the square exemplified the history or our country and the revolution that was fought here,

Back in Sturbridge we checked out the location for the bridge tournament the next morning, which was by the shore of this lovely lake.

CAPE COD TO PTOWN IN THE RAIN

Our first day in Cape Cod we were "blessed" with rain, so we decided, after moving into our motel, to drive to Provincetown,

 The rain brought out the colors of the trees so there were some advantages.

We had been told that the sand dunes at the end of the peninsula were large and on a good day you could take a jeep tour through them.  They were still beautiful from the road,

The main street of Provincetown was paved in brick, and the shops decorated for the fall Holiday.

There were all kinds of shops, restaurants and art galleries -

And window displays.

We also went to the town docks where the fishing fleet was base and enjoyed this statue of a humpback whale, the collection of colorful floats, and of course the working fishing boats.

Driving back "up-island" we stopped near dusk, at the Highland Light (also called the Cape Cod Light).  Built in 1857 it is the oldest and tallest of the many that were built over time to serve as warning beacons of the dangerous shoals off shore.

I loved the old weathered rail fence by the light and the marshes near-by