Wednesday Share - Fall River RMNP

"The trees reflected in the river—they are unconscious of a spiritual world so near to them. So are we." 

 Nathaniel Hawthorne

“Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD 

And whose trust is the LORD. 

For he will be like a tree planted by the water, 

That extends its roots by a stream 

And will not fear when the heat comes; 

But its leaves will be green, 

And it will not be anxious in a year of drought 

Nor cease to yield fruit."

Jeremiah 17:7-8

Be sure to enter my artwork giveaway at

A Joyful Cottage

Nancy

Thank you for visiting.  Today I'm joining these Memes:

Watery Wednesday 

Visit these sites for more beauty.

Tuesday Hop and A Joyful Cottage Giveaway

I've been off grid for a few days, out of town attending to business, but I'm baaack and ready to do the blog hop. 

For Barn Charm I found this archived photo of 
The Red Barn Pumpkin Farm in Eaton, Colorado. 
This was taken in the fall of 2010. 

This working pumpkin farm is the most charming place. I love the cute vintage trailer that the owners use as an office and resting place when the farm is open.

While many bloggers are posting photographs of daffodils and other blooms right now, here in the Rockies spring is still a delightful dream. But there is still beauty to be found in

 Rocky Mountain National Park.

This photo is my submission for Our World Tuesday.

Endo Valley, RMNP

Today is the debut of my new blog: A Joyful Cottage. <--- Click on the link right there to hop on over and enter our great international giveaway. The lucky winner will receive a Dennis Reinke art print. All the details for entering are on the blog, so get your little self to that site right now and join in the fun.

Blessings and hugs,

Nancy

Friday's Fence - Warm Memory

I took this photo last July in Taos, New Mexico. 

It was a lovely 80 degrees that day.

Today in Estes Park it's 17 degrees -- @ 7:00 AM.

I posted the image of this particular fence because it warms me.

Hope you're feeling warm today, too.

Nancy

For more great fence images hop on over to 

Thursday on the Homestead - Don't Judge a Day by Its Blog Hop

Holey moley, things are getting a little out of hand here on the Homestead. I'm honestly starting to track which day of the week it is by which blog hop I'm joining. And I spend my spare time (wait a minute! what spare time?) trying to figure out which blog hops go along with my planned post. And, oh yeah, do I have coordinating photographs? I mean, this is like putting a new outfit together. (Oh, I love that dress, but I have no shoes to go with it. And what about jewelry? Do I have the right style?)  And then there's this whole "word verification" thing that Google insists on supporting and which is making everybody crazy and. . .

I'm sorry, am I confusing you? Why don't I just shut up and we'll look at some photos and you can answer the question: "What do these images have in common?"

Front Yard Guests are the Best

Nothin' But Horseplay

Stock up with BYGO (I love it when my husband does the shopping).

Ok, so did you figure out the answer to the question?

Hey, I knew you'd get it. 

You're smart.

"One today is worth two tomorrows." 

Benjamin Franklin

Nancy
Today is Thursday (at least I think it is) and I'm joining:

and

Thursday Challenge

For more pretty photos by bloggers who won't confuse you like me, 

hop on over to those two sites.

Creation Sings

Loch Vale, Rocky Mountain National Park

"By reading the scriptures I am so renewed 

that all nature seems renewed around me and with me. 

The sky seems to be a pure, a cooler blue, 

the trees a deeper green. 

The whole world is charged with the glory of God 

and I feel fire and music under my feet."  

-- Thomas Merton

Listen to His song today and rejoice!
Nancy

Thank you for visiting.  Today I'm joining these Memes:

Watery Wednesday 

Visit these sites for more beauty.

In An Old Barn

Barn outside Lyons, CO

In an Old Barn

Tons upon tons the brown-green fragrant hay 

O'erbrims the mows beyond the time-warped eaves, 

Up to the rafters where the spider weaves,  

Though few flies wander his secluded way.  

Through a high chink one lonely golden ray,  

Wherein the dust is dancing, slants unstirred.  

In the dry hush some rustlings light are heard,  

Of winter-hidden mice at furtive play.  

Far down, the cattle in their shadowed stalls,  

Nose-deep in clover fodder's meadowy scent,  

Forget the snows that whelm their pasture streams,  

The frost that bites the world beyond their walls.  

Warm housed, they dream of summer, well content  

In day-long contemplation of their dreams.

-- Charles G. D. Roberts

Happy Tuesday!

Nancy

Today I'm joining all the wonderful bloggers @ 
Barn Charm. 

Sashay on over there and catch the barn fever.

and Our World TuesdayGet an Eyeful of Great Photos from Around the World

The Light of the World

A cross stands on the mountain behind our cabin.

High above us,

A symbol of triumphant love.

Then Jesus again spoke to them, saying, "I am the Light of the world; he who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life."

John 8:12

May your day be blessed with His Light. 
Nancy

Today I'm joining:

Visit Inspire Me Monday for more inspiration.

Imagine This

Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once we grow up.” - Pablo Picasso

Yesterday Dennis and I volunteered at the 20th Annual "Imagine This", an all-day program organized by the Estes Park Cultural Arts Center. The indoor event gave kids an appreciation for the art through hands-on activities like fiber arts, musical instruments stringed and percussion, face painting, the Secret Studio (a place for kids to make a work of art as a gift), and watercolor painting (which is what we provided). Jugglers and musicians performed, and  a local children's author Judy Archibald read her beautiful book The Mutt and the Mustang --  a wonderful true story about a little dog that learns to ride a mustang horse.

Our first student. This young man showed a lot of creativity.

Dennis helping a young girl get started on her painting.

This little girl was so adorable. Whenever she dipped her brush in the water and tapped it on the side of the container, she looked up at me with mischievous eyes and smiled. The water splashed my way and she thought that was pretty funny.

Kids of all ages painted. Dennis is working on a miniature.

This is Samuel with his finished painting. He did that all by himself. Daddy supervised, but Samuel did the actual painting. Isn't it beautiful?

Samuel was super cute. When I asked him to show me his painting so I could get a better shot, he hid behind it. Kinda shy. He melted my heart.

We worked with some great kids and enjoyed helping them create their own special painting.

Nancy

Thank you for visiting.  Today I'm joining :

Guest Blog @ "Remodelaholics"

I'm super excited and honored that our Extreme Cabin Makeover is being featured today on Remodelaholic.

The brainchild of Justin and Cassity, Remodelaholic is one very cool blog, filled with lots of DIY remodeling and decorating projects submitted by readers. There are tons of great photos and stories of folks just like us who have used their ingenuity and elbow grease to stamp their homes with their own personal style. If you have a DIY story, you can submit it for a possible future feature.

Remodelaholic really is a fantastic blog. Hey, don't take my word for it. Go see for yourself. Oh, and by the way, 7,000+ followers says something about how special Remodelaholics is, don't you think?


So scurry on over to Remodelaholic and see the extreme makeover of our 1926 cabin complete with before & after photos.  And if you'd like a tour of our 150 year-old barn turned studio, click here .

Blessings,

Nancy

Celebrate

Truckin' Flowers - Taos, NM

"Each day, awakening, are we asked to paint the sky blue? Need we coax the sun to rise or flowers to bloom? Need we teach birds to sing, or children to laugh, or lovers to kiss? No, though we think the world imperfect, it surrounds us each day with its perfections. We are asked only to appreciate them, and to show appreciation by living in peaceful harmony amidst them. The Creator does not ask that we create a perfect world; He asks that we celebrate it." ~Robert Brault

Go out and celebrate God's world today. 
Blessings,


Nancy


Thanks for visiting.  Hop on over to The Redeemed Gardener and enter his Veggie Seed Giveaway.


Today I'm joining these memes:

Take some time to visit these sites for links to great bloggers/photographers.

Rural Thursday - Where Homestead Foodies Go to Eat

"I don't like food that's too carefully arranged; it makes me think that the chef is spending too much time arranging and not enough time cooking. If I wanted a picture I'd buy a painting."
-- Andy Rooney 

Welcome to the Thursday edition of Eating Out. No, no. That's not right. I'm joining Rural Thursday today and that means I need to post something about our rural homestead. Only there's nothing much happening that I haven't already blogged about. But wait! I re-read the Rural Thursday rules and they say I can blog about "anything and everything that embraces living the simple life." So, I figure I can post about the simple pleasure of eating at the Meadow Mountain Cafe in Allenspark, Colorado. 

I've written here several times about Meadow Mountain, but I've never showed interior photos because. . .well. . .I never had any to show. But now I do. Recently Dennis and I drove the 16 miles from our home to have lunch there and the owner graciously allowed me to photograph the interior during an unusually slow time. I'm excited to take you on a tour of this wonderful rustic cafe that serves up some of the best fresh everything-made-from-scratch-including-the-bread cooking in the area. Delicious omelettes, fabulous pancackes (my favorite is the blueberry), incredible hamburgers, scrumptious soups and desserts to die for (just to name a few tempting items.).

Walk through the front door of this vintage cabin and the first thing you see is pine paneling and the work of local artists. That's my husband's painting of Jim Creek in the center. He gave the print to Roxie, the owner, several years ago. 

"Jim Creek" by Dennis Reinke

Indoor seating accommodates about 22 people: a table for six, 3 tables for four and  4 stools at the counter. In the summertime there's additional seating on the front porch, but there's usually a line waiting to get in. 
The food is just that good!

But here's the thing that makes Meadow Mountain Cafe unique -- at least in my book. Customers who have unoccupied seats at their table invite new arrivals to join them. Dennis and I do it all the time and others have welcomed us to their table, too. It's the friendliest, most hospitable restaurant atmosphere I've ever encountered, and we have met some very special people this way. 

A splendid pot-bellied stove warms the cafe and adds a homey touch. 

Carousel horses and other figurines offer whimsy. As does the salt & pepper collection.

And the restroom door.

The daily specials are hand-written on a chalkboard. (Love the artwork.)

I am in love with the spotless Meadow Mountain Cafe kitchen. 

That's Roxie's son Joe doing the cooking. 

The inside of the front door acts as a community bulletin board.

So there you have it: the marvelous Meadow Mountain Cafe. I have some fun exterior shots of the cafe, but they're for another day. If you get out this way, be sure to put Meadow Mountain on your must visit list. Just for the record, I received no compensation for this write up. We just love the food, the service, the patrons and the great family that works so hard to make eating here such a treat.


What's going on in your rural world?


Nancy
Rural Thursday links up some of the best rural and simple living blogs on the net. Check it out.