Life Like a Vacation

Yesterday's morning jaunt to Rocky Mountain National Park reminded me, again, why I love living here.

Barely in the Park ten minutes, we spied these two bucks on the mountainside.

The gloriously gold aspen greeted us.

Majestic snow-capped mountains tower over Endo Valley.

The Alluvial Fan showed its lovely Autumn colors.

Not to keen on being photographed, this spike made a run for it.

This bull elk didn't seem to mind the camera at all.

When I came back a little later, he watched me from his resting spot in the grass. 

A magnificent fenced-off area of Endo Valley soothed our souls. 

Mallards, nestled in a far corner of the water, pleasantly surprised us.

Trees clothed in Fall finery lined the drive back to Estes Park.

This morning we ate breakfast at The Other Side restaurant. Our twenty-something server, from Texas, has resided in Estes five years. We asked him how he likes living here. He grinned, looked out the window next to us, and waved his hand toward the mountains. "It's a great place to live," he gushed. "Every morning I wake up and get to see all this.  I feel like I'm on vacation every day."


I couldn't have put it better myself.

Autumn Days in RMNP and The Farmette

There's a subtle change in the air and in the landscape. The days are shorter and mornings are cooler. Bull elk are beginning to bugle in preparation for rutting. From our apartment I hear their strange sounds in the distance. This morning in RMNP I photographed a bull on a mountainside.  The third one I've caught on camera in the past week. They're such magnificent animals. I may start a whole page just devoted to the elk. (The bush in the foreground of the photo is full of fall color.)

Our backyard has changed from green, pink and purple -- to tan, brown and gold. 

Yesterday Dennis participated in the Lyons Farmette Plein Air.  A benefit for the Boulder County Arts Alliance. The farmette is a delightful place and I enjoyed capturing the event with my camera. The artists' work hung on trees and fences.

Dennis enjoyed painting the irrigation canal. 

Betsy, the farmette owner and host (along with her husband Mike) dubbed the painting Redneck Riviera, which is what they call the canal.

It's always a pleasure to meet the other artists. Seeing them paint with chickens scratching around them brought a smile to my face.

The gardens of the farmette are beautiful. So many lovely flowers to paint.

 

After Dennis finished painting, we took advantage of the delicious catered food and the fantastic music.

I love the quaintness of the farmette.

The farmette animals seem to love it, too.

Even on the farmette, autumn has arrived.

Tomorrow we head off on a road trip to the Western slope. More joy!