Thursday, April 8, 2010

Springtime in the Rockies

 Mountain Living #4

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These were the views from our house yesterday. April is our "transition month" here on the mountain.One day it can be 20 degrees, complete with a raging blizzard, while the next can be sunny and 70. It's hard to know how to dress these days.


(Video may take a while to load.)


The poor birds (Gray-Crowned Rosy Finches) seemed glad for the grub.

Winter is on the way out, but it's not quite spring yet (as you can see by the depth of snow on the ground).


Today, though, the sun came out and began warming the earth.





 The piles of snow are slowly starting to disappear.





Perhaps spring is on the way at last!


Melt! Melt! Melt!





31 comments:

Linda said...

I'm so glad that we don't have any of that white stuff on the ground here anymore but that's probably because it never looks as pretty as it does in your part of the country!

Beautiful shots even though they make me a little cold all over again!

Lisa (Mountain Photog) said...

LOL! Thanks, Linda. I'm pretty sick of the snow at this point myself. It's been such a cold winter--we've gone through all our wood. I guess I know what we'll be doing this summer.

Such exciting news about your photo being chosen for an exhibit at the West Hartford Art League! Congratulations! It's a wonderful shot!

Patti said...

The snow is pretty but it's time for it to go. It's Spring!

We live on a hilltop, but not 2 miles high. Wow.l

I'm here from Linda's place. My husband and I are going to go see her photo in the exhibit. We live in CT as well.

Patti said...

P.S. Cute video of the birds at the feeders.

Lisa (Mountain Photog) said...

Hi Patti! Thanks for stopping by! I love Linda's blog--I just don't always get a chance to comment on her posts. I agree that it's time for the snow to go. The last it won't be gone until the end of May, though. It's a long winter in the mountains.

The birds get so excited about the feeders when it snows. LOL!

Kilauea Poetry said...

Oh my gosh..this was a treat!! Fabulous- especialy with the little finches. This is the best vid I've seen in a long time.. I think your shots below are just lovely with the shadows too-wow!

Lisa (Mountain Photog) said...

You're so sweet, Regina! Thanks!

Though I have to laugh about the video--I am definitely not a videographer. Most of the time I pan way too quickly, the camera shakes, it's blurry. . . And it took me forever to piece the clips together. I never did figure out how to fade the ending. It's very abrupt. I'm much more comfortable working with pictures--but I enjoy taking video!

Dianne said...

all the shadows on the snow are so pretty
and I love the birds eating
you're surrounded by beauty and the thing I really love about you is that you know it and appreciate it and take care of it

Lisa (Mountain Photog) said...

Thanks, Dianne! And what a nice thing to say. I do feel luck to live here, though at this time of year the snow does get old. But soon it will be gone and the flowers will be in bloom and the hummers will be here and fickle April will be forgotten. :)

Kilauea Poetry said...

I plan on showing my husband when he gets in later! You did a fine job.. it looks just like heaven while there gathering round as the snow falls- serious..I really haven't seen anything like it!!
(btw)was so funny..your comment on the dogs (the small one is my brother-in-laws)cause I was a little worried about some folks thinking it was over the top- thanks

Lisa (Mountain Photog) said...

I appreciate the kind words, Regina. :) Though the first clip is so short because my card was full. LOL! I definitely loved the dog--he added a real touch of humor. LOL!

Michaela said...

Wow, you still have lots of snow! (On what elevation level are you living?)
When I look at your video I feel bad on complaining about our weather. Okay, it's still kinda cold here but we don't have snow anymore and the world around us is slowly turning greener, every day a little more.
Greetings from Sweden!
:))

Cherie said...

Looks like you're getting an international following! (Pardon any misspelled words. I'm at a library computer, and it doesn't have the automatic spellcheck on which I rely. lol) The video is wonderful. I love to see those frantic birds though I suppose it's not so great for them that they feel that way. Thank you for sharing your view with us. I'll be making my first presentation with a movie maker program, next week for a "communication event" project in my Biblical interpretation class. I'm both anxious and gleeful at the prospect at the same time. :)

ruma said...

Views of the Nature are really beautiful.
My hands seem to reach there.

Your photography is very splendid.

I thank for your always admiring my calligraphy.

From the Far East.
Best regards.
ruma

Lisa (Mountain Photog) said...

Greetings HBFG! Thanks for coming all the way from Sweden to visit my blog! :) I'm at an elevation of 9,800 feet. When we first moved here 20 years ago neighbors said we had two seasons, winter and July. That's not too far from the truth. LOL! I'm glad spring is starting to come around where you live. :) What latitude are you in Sweden?

-- Lisa

That's the one nice thing about photography, Cherie--it transcends all language. :) I always enjoy meeting people from other parts of the world. My daughter has a friend, an exchange student from Spain, and I love hearing about how she lives there. It always strikes me how similar we all are even with all the outer differences we might have. What movie maker program are you using? I've been using Windows Movie Maker. It's definitely a bit more of a challenge for me to create and edit video than still photos. I'm just not used to working in that medium at all. You'll have to let me know how your project comes out!

I can say the same for your part of the world, Ruma! Your photos are breathtaking. I love viewing your Japanese landscapes. Beauty is everywhere, that's for sure. And I thank you for being so faithful to my blog as well.

-- Lisa

Kilauea Poetry said...

Hit there..hey, check your (Summer of Ladybugs) post- I left a comment. Hope your having a wonderful afternoon! Regina-

Lisa (Mountain Photog) said...

I just saw that, Regina! Thanks! I am having a productive afternoon, which is good. How about you?

Dan said...

I LIKE YOUR VIDEO OF THE BIRDS FEEDING, THEY ARE STARTING TO COME BACK TO MINE HERE IN WHITEHORSE YUKON.
P.S. WE STILL HAVE SNOW TO BUT IT IS MELTING

Lisa (Mountain Photog) said...

Thanks, Dan! Spring comes slowly when you're latitude--and altitude--challenged. LOL!

Kat_RN said...

I grew up on the Utah side of the Rockies. Those mountains are still in my blood. I miss the mountains and the people but not the snow. Your photos reminded me of winter play. Thanks.
Kat

Lisa (Mountain Photog) said...

Hi Kat! I'm glad I could take you down memory lane a bit. I love the mountains, and the snow. . .up to a point. I am ready for spring now, though.

ruma said...

Thank you for visiting my blog.
And, I thank for your always admiring my calligraphy.

Happy weekend.
From the Far East.
Best regards.
ruma

Rick said...

Thanks for dropping by my blog and following. Figured I'd better have a look here - nice surprise. I really miss the mountains - lived near them when we lived near Calgary for many years (can't say I miss the snow in April, May, June, Aug, Sept - not to mention the WINTER months! :) Never a dull moment with the weather though.

Hope spring comes by you soon.

Lisa (Mountain Photog) said...

Hi Rick! Thanks for stopping by following me, too. :) It's always nice to hear from our Canadian neighbors! LOL on the snow all summer! I bet Calgary was beautiful, though.

I haven't had a chance to look through them all and comment yet but your photos are amazing! Really beautiful. I loved the photo of your windows at night. And your project is ambitious to say the least. I'm impressed. I can't even manage to post a picture a week. . .

Lisa (Mountain Photog) said...

Thanks for visiting here, too, Ruma! You have a great weekend as well. :)

joey said...

Thank you for following my blog ... it's been a joy visiting yours also. Love the awesome fox photo!

Lisa (Mountain Photog) said...

Thank you so much Joey! And thanks for stopping by and for following me, too! I love your montages! I'm looking forward to spending some more time looking through your posts. :)

Barb said...

Hi Lisa,
I actually am coming to visit you from Becky's blog. I see you're a fellow Colorado resident. I live in Breckenridge at 10,200' so I can sympathize with you! We have less snowpack this year, but I won't see ground around my house for another month.

Lisa (Mountain Photog) said...

A Breck person! Nice to meet you Barb! I have friends who lived in Breck for a while but are now in Reno.

Yes, we too still have quite a bit of snow on the ground. That's spring at altitude, eh? It's been snowing on and off all day today, as a matter of fact. Ah, well, it's worth it, isn't it?

Thanks for stopping by! I'll have to take a look at your blog. :)

becky said...

Lisa,
Still a lot of snow where you are... but I can't help but envy the sunshine!! Where you get late snow, we often get late rain & overall grayness! I'd like to spend more time in Colorado- what a beautiful state you have... AND how lucky you are to live where there is such abundant wildlife. I get can't over those foxes in your past photos! I wanted to email you a response to the comment you left on my blog, but couldn't find a "contact me," so I answered you back on my blog. Your website is beautiful- liked your bio & links to environmental organizations. Oh, and of course your photos!
:) B

Lisa (Mountain Photog) said...

I'm glad you liked my web site, Becky! I'm working on doing more with it but it's a slow process.

I do love Colorado. There are so many different and varied geographic areas--grassy plains, forests, mountains, valleys, deserts, canyon lands, rivers, lakes. . . No ocean though. Ah, well, you can't have everything. We do have a lot of wonderful wildlife around the house.

Oh, and for future reference, I have an email link on my profile now. :)

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