Slow morning, snow morning...

Sometimes you wake up in the morning, open the curtains, and are surprised to see that everything around you is covered in fresh snow... And you quickly get dressed and go outside to take a walk, breathe in the frosty air, and enjoy the untouched white snow before it's spoiled by the footprints of people and animals...

 

Face to face...

Last Saturday I had a late start… I didn’t get out of bed until eight-something and decided to allow myself a lazy morning. And when I finally left the house, I realized that the weather wasn’t nice either… It was windy and really chilly. You know, the kind of chill you can feel in your bones, when it doesn’t matter how many clothes you put on… you just don’t want to stay outside. So I decided to hide inside the covered (and nicely warmed) gallery at the Denver Botanic Garden. Orchids were calling, and I couldn’t find a better way to start a late and lazy day…

 

Around the lake...

That morning I was driving past Washington Park when something made me slow down, pull over, and step out of the car. No plan. Just a walk around the lake. Just to look. Just to breathe the cool December air.

 

Beautiful, beautiful. beautiful...

January is the month when no one expects to see many flowers... Well, if you live in Australia, that's a different story... Hawaii is another exception too... but generally, we know that January is not the time for flowers... And even more so, no one expects to see exotic flowers, at least not outdoors... but indoors, things are different indoors, aren't they?

 

December beauties...

We enjoy bright flowers all summer long, but in the winter there are no flowers at all (well, not exactly true, but they are definitely scarce). Still, even during cold, short winter days you can find something beautiful, and sometimes even something bright… like these nandina leaves, still clinging to the branches and still glowing red.

 

What a view...

I have no idea what this Northern Harrier saw while soaring high in the sky, but the view across the lake was simply amazing...

 

First snow...

Well... you get me... technically it was the second snow of the winter. But... the first one covered ground more than a month ago and... felt more like fall snow than a winter one ;) This morning, though, a light snowfall blanketed the ground and finally created that real winter feeling...

 

The last spark...

With the arrival of winter, replacing fall, everything around us becomes duller...  Each day there are fewer colors, and everything looks gloomy and faded. But not so long ago, everything seemed brighter and more attractive.

 

Morning birds

What can be better than walking around the lake early in the morning and watching birds...The birds that have just woken up and started their day?

 

Colors of joy...

Remember, just a few weeks ago (well... actually, a couple of months ago) everything looked completely different. The colors were vibrant and brought so much joy!

 

The first frost...

Do you know that feeling when you wake up in the morning and look out the window to find everything covered in tiny white crystals? All the flowers and leaves look different and simply beautiful. Well... it's also the perfect time to go out and take your camera with you ;)

 

Little things to remember...

When I look back and try to remember what it was like when the days were warmer and longer... I mostly remember the little things... Bright flowers and birds, mostly. The weather was  milder too, but flowers take up more space in my memories...

 

Bright yellow...

The days are colder now, and we’re waiting for the first real snow. The leaves are gone, the branches are bare, and everything looks a little faded and dull. But, believe it or not, just a couple of months ago the world looked completely different - bright, golden, glowing yellow. I still remember that vibrant day when we drove up into the mountains to see the fall foliage at its peak. We started on Squaw Pass Road and headed toward Echo Lake - Beautiful Sunday high in the mountains.

 

Everybody is flying, swimming or perching ;)

Barr Lake is one of my favorite places to spend a few hours walking around the water and enjoying the fresh air and abundant wildlife. The lake is famous for being a winter home for bald eagles (don’t believe me? check it out - Bald Eagles on Barr Lake), but in November you can find all kinds of birds here - waterfowl, raptors, and everything in between. So, walking along the trail, we hoped to see them all…

 

Code orange...

It was an absolutely gorgeous Saturday morning, and I was heading toward Belmar Lake. Unfortunately, I was late for the sunrise (which was simply stunning), and by the time I arrived, the sky wasn’t even close to what I had seen on my way there. But, surprisingly, as I walked around the lake, I discovered that some orange colors still lingered in the sky and made it glow…

 

Chalk Lake and Salida - Labor Day weekend. Part 4

We left the Leadville National Fish Hatchery (click here to refresh your memory - Unexpected adventure - Labor Day weekend. Part 3) and headed toward a ghost town. We’ve been to St. Elmo before and simply wanted to see this abandoned settlement again. Well… an unpleasant surprise awaited us. The dirt road to the town has become nearly impassable. It was rough the last time we drove it, but now it’s basically an off-road trail. So, after talking to people in a well-dusted car who were coming back from there, we made a U-turn and continued toward Salida instead.
But before getting there, we made a short stop at Chalk Lake, a small body of water surrounded by rugged cliffs.

 

Beautiful Sunday high in the mountains

I can’t believe it’s already November. It feels like just last week we were driving up into the mountains to chase the fall colors, and yet, somehow, a whole month has slipped by. Still, that Sunday stays vivid in my memory - chilly, crisp, sunlit, and painted in gold.

 

Rain and gold leaves

We really enjoyed the foggy landscapes along the road (click here to see where it all started - On the Way...). The rain had returned, low clouds, golden leaves... everything looked simply beautiful!

 

Some small gems...

People usually come to the Botanic Garden to admire the flowers, and there are plenty of them all summer long. But in September, you'll see fewer bright and colorful blooms. But... they're still there, and fall flowers are different from spring and summer ones...

 

On the Way...

Someone once asked me what’s the best time to visit New Mexico. Well… it depends. I guess any time is good, but fall is twice as good as any other season. It’s not as hot as summer, and if you time your visit right, you can enjoy the beautiful and vibrant fall colors.

So, we planned carefully, hoping to catch that perfect moment when the Colorado mountains had already shed their golden beauty, but the colors were just beginning farther south. On October 11th, we jumped in the car and headed toward New Mexico. The forecast didn’t look too bad, but once we passed Walsenburg, the clear blue sky began to change. We were stunned to see a cloud shaped like a tornado stretching across the horizon. Well… this trip was already promising a bit of adventure.

 

Fall in the Garden...

Yeah... it’s October, and everything tells us that fall is here. The foliage is changing colors and... surprisingly, the flowers are still blooming. But let’s stop for a second and look at the leaves... bright red with brownish edges... aren’t they simply beautiful?

 

Beautiful Morning, Reflections, and Fall Colors

Another Saturday, another trip to Pine Valley Ranch Park. The night before was windy, so I didn’t expect to see any reflections in the lake, but to my surprise, the air was still and all the beauty was perfectly doubled. No complaints here! I grabbed a few shots, trying to capture the mountain slopes, evergreens, blue sky, and those stunning clouds.

 

Still blooming...

It's that time of year when we forget about the little flowers and look only at the big trees. Chasing the fall colors and enjoying their vibrancy, we hardly notice the little sparkles at ground level.

 

Mountains Dressed in Gold

When I returned to the car after hiking around Beaver Brook Reservoir (click here - Beautiful morning... fall morning...), I realized I wasn’t ready to go home yet. So I decided to drive up Squaw Pass Road and take in some fall colors... those beautiful mountain colors.

 

Unexpected adventure - Labor Day weekend. Part 3

Our first day on the road was full of travel and experiences, and everything went exactly how we'd like it to... Click here to find out how it all ended - Buena Vista and hummingbirds. The next morning, we decided to return to Leadville to visit the museums and stroll the streets of old mining town. Then we drove a few miles off the main road to visit the Leadville National Fish Hatchery, which we'd never been to before...