These beautiful creatures...

Yep, you guessed it right, I am talking about orchids (again). But... instead of looking at them as a whole, let's get closer and search for details. Flowers are amazing creatures, and that's why we love them... but sometimes we can just zoom in and...

 

Everybody has a family... small or big...

Another Saturday and another hike around Barr Lake... I had some hopes when I started out from the parking lot, but I was trying to keep them low so I wouldn't be disappointed... But almost as soon I stepped out of the car, a juvenile bald eagle swooshed above overhead and disappeared into the trees. What a good sign, I thought, and turned around to say hello to prairie dogs that had surrounded the parking lot, ready to run down the holes they have all over the area...

 

Houston, reflections, shapes and shadows...

I've always loved traveling and exploring new places. It's so exciting to spend time in a new city, wander around and learn about it... I spent last weekend in Houston, Texas, but I was busy most of the time and didn't have a chance to explore... too bad...

 

Winter in Winter

The last time I was at the Denver Botanic Garden, I mostly enjoyed some summery blooms and the beautiful orchids (click here to refresh the memory - Summer in Winter). Later, when I stepped out of the conservatory that housed the tropical flowers, I discovered something different. Of course there were no blooming flowers there... but nevertheless, what I found was stunning... Dried seed pods, open and empty, also looked like some kind of exotic flower. Instead of heading home, I decided to stay and see if I can find something amusing...

 

Evening in Taos

We enjoyed visiting Taos museums that day (click here to see it - Two houses, two worlds... ). After we left the Art Museum at Fechin House, we decided to walk the streets. It was such a nice evening and we couldn't resist the temptation to see a little more of Taos...

 

Summer in Winter

February is finally here... Punxsutawney Phil, the famous groundhog weather watcher, was pulled from his warm burrow this morning and saw his shadow, predicting six more weeks of winter. Despite such a forecast, the weather here in Denver is warm and unwintery... But it's not summery either. And we're tired of the cold and snow and would love to escape somewhere. But where? Surprisingly I know the place :) Unsurprisingly it's a Botanic Garden ;) Right, February is the time when orchids start blooming in the Botanic Garden and bring the most summery feeling you can hope for...

 

Two houses, two worlds...

We had a busy morning driving around the town (click here to see - Morning in Taos ). At this point, we needed some rest and recharge. So we quickly cooked lunch and gobbled it :) Now we were ready to explore more...

 

Morning in Taos

As you may remember... our way to Taos was long and indirect (click here to refresh your memory - Adobe churches in Colorado and New Mexico...). But it wasn't really a hard drive, and after a restful night in our historic Airbnb (I promise to show it later) we woke up ready to explore... Since we were staying just a block off the main plaza, we decided on a short walk to look around...

 

Faded day...

An arctic storm slowly crept up and made its way to Colorado last Saturday with below freezing temperatures and light snow. When I opened my eyes that morning and peeked through the window, I was amazed by the light, fluffy snow that covered everything...

 

I miss summer...

January is never warm (and who expects warm weather in the winter, right?)... But this January feels especially hard. The cold bites deeper, and even more frigid air is forecasted for the coming weekend. It's sunny here in Colorado, but I am weary of this endless frost and the monotony of a landscape drained of color.

 

Silhouettes and clouds...

Another Saturday and another wilderness call... when you can't stay home but need to go somewhere and get some fresh cold air to recharge your batteries in anticipation of the week ahead. And Denver is a great place to do that because here you don't have to go very far. You can find what you need just in the middle of the city... All you need is to stop by some state park... Barr Lake park for example. In winter time you won't be able to enjoy the green lush trees surrounding the lake, but you can find something that you won't find in the summer - amazing tree silhouettes. Usually they are accompanied by some incredible reflections (click here to check it out - Spring Close-ups and reflections)... But not now... The water level is still surprisingly low (not as low as a couple months ago - Beautiful Saturday morning, but still low).

 

Chilly day...

Saturday morning was chilly... Hmm.. I guess it was even cold, with about 20F and fog, covering some streets and disappearing from others. Despite the forecast, there was no snow on the ground, but there was a lot of frost on the grass and trees. So I went to the Botanic Garden in hope to find some frost there. But to my surprise, there was none. But the road and trails were dusted with a light layer of snow...

 

All possible colors

Sometimes when summer comes, we are surrounded by flowers and look at them without even noticing them... They just become a part of everyday landscape and... our minds miss registering these bright creatures... But when it's cold outside (that's right, I am talking about winter time) and most of the colors are gone (yeap, winter again) we miss these colorful and beautiful flowers...