Smiling at Altitude

Five days have slipped by and I wonder what we've done, so I look through photos I've taken on my phone and I've noticed they have a common thread..."Things that make me smile and place me in a state of awe."  So here are some of those moments...

Wondering how others see me as I am
driving down the road, I snapped this selfie
after needing my readers for a moment.
Definitely not a trend setting fashion in
eyewear.  But I think it's working for me!

Here, I show my enthusiasm for being back in the mountains while not
blinding you with exposure to my chest, that has not seen the sun for a
number of years...win - win!

While on an evening drive up to Ute Pass, looking back to the Gore Range
made us stop and just stare for a moment.  What the dwindling light is masking
in the foreground are the wildflowers making their debut.

Cloud gazing!

This serpentine series of switchbacks gets you from the bottom of Dillon
Lake dam to near the top and your heart a-pumping!  Always a sense of
accomplishment for a flatlander.

This momma fox stands guard as her two kits romp in the dust at dusk.  Oh,
this is right next to someone's home and in the middle of the housing
subdivision we are staying in.

It's no secret that golf makes me smile (most of the time), but due to the
elevation changes, this hole drops a bunch, which makes a good drive seem
even gooder!

Yes, golf deserves two photo spots, not because the normal green fee here is
about $120, but because I played for $36!  HA!!!

A selfie while waiting to be picked up after a round of mountain golf.  Amazing
what the lack of oxygen to the brain will get you to think of to do.

Our friends Connie and Curt are actually from back home, but we see them
more here than there, but we've agreed to fix that.  Two years in a row now
that we've met up at the Colorado BBQ Challenge in Frisco.

What will they "Fest" on next?  

Between beer, BBQ, the arts, wildflowers, and now grilled cheese, there is never a lack of activities to pursue.  Haven't seen Pedicure Races, but there are Outhouse Races.  There are Wine Festivals, but haven't seen Whining Contests...yet.  Who knows what is next to rear its head here in the Rocky Mountains to attract tourists dollars and make the locals take the back roads to get across town?  Whatever it is, we'll check it out while we're here!

But that's the glamorous side to house sitting, taking in the sights and sounds, the culture and the terrain, but we also have normal stuff that comes up on occasion too.  For example, a young man that is staying down the street from us, lost his dog, so we got involved in that hunt over the course of a few days.  Looking for a French Bulldog, that has a taste of freedom, with abundant wildlife as a distraction is a challenge.  He's been spotted a few times, but I'm still not sure if he's been found.  

Quitter's we are not, so we will continue to carry on here in the mountains, putting up with the wonderful mostly blue skies, the free concerts in the parks, and trails and fish that tempt us into the wild.  Adventure awaits...

My Zen from the Road:  There are some things you observe that just captivate you.  You find yourself staring, whether in awe, for the beauty, or just because.  Here are a few "just because's" from the last couple of days.  

These were to be videos, but I have not accomplished getting them imported, so imagine...

The first features some ants that kept me company while waiting on Beth to pick me up from golf.  Incredible, tenacious little creatures.  There were three ants, each attempting to carry an object (piece of grass, something woody, and a dead bug) up a stone wall to their nest inside it.  These objects were all bigger and more awkward than I could imagine them being successful at, but each was.  In some cases, crawling up backwards or hanging upside-down.

The next one is what I wake up to every morning.  Have always loved a big sprinkler.  The golf course behind the house gets watered each morning by these massive sprinklers that have the morning sun dancing off each droplet...love it.

And finally, the owners here have an awesome tea pot that make me want to start drinking tea!  It has the color and shape of an elephant drawn on it and when it comes to a boil, the steam coming out goes through a special something to create an elephants "trumpeting" sound...hysterical!