Mountain Top Christmas Tree

A Christmas tree burns brightly on a moonlit
mountain top, bringing cheer to all below.

The people who live on the other side of the mountain from us always have a beautiful Christmas tree lit up for the season. It stands as a bright beacon all across the valley and we are lucky enough to be able to see it from our bedroom window. 

Fall: A Time for New Beginnings

Regrettably, I've been on quite an extended leave of absence from this blog. Life has been very busy--and full of change--for this family. My daughter graduated from high school last May and just recently got her driver's license, a car of her own, and started classes at a nearby community college (30 miles away but nearby for us), where she's studying photography and journalism. Armed with my old camera and a new MacBook, she is now officially launched into adulthood and I am (mostly) free of parenting and chauffeur duties and school volunteer work so perhaps I'll be able to update this blog more often and devote more time to EcoPrints.


I'd like to get back into the swing by posting a photo to mark this first day of fall, as fall is my absolute favorite season.

Skyward Aspens

Autumn on Conifer Mountain

There is a harmony

In autumn, and a lustre in its sky,

Which through the summer is not heard or seen,

As if it could not be, as if it had not been!

- Percy Bysshe Shelley

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 Click on the image below to view more nature photos.

Winter Peak

Mountain Light #2

“Mountains are earth's undecaying monuments.”
~ Nathaniel Hawthorne

"Winter Peak"
(Click on Photo for Larger View)

A snow covered peak looms over Colorado's
Eisenhower Tunnel near the Continental Divide.

I thought a wintery shot would be nice for the 1st of December.

I snapped this photo as we were coming back from skiing last spring. Traffic was at a standstill, as it often is during the ski season, so I was afforded many opportunities to take photos from the car. It's not so bad being stuck in traffic when views like this are available.

Near as I can tell from the map, this mountain seems to be about 12,200 feet high.

View more photos at www.ecoprints.net

Curious Fox

A Walk on the Wild Side #2

"The field has eyes,

the wood has ears;

I will look, be silent,

and listen."

- Hieronymus Bosch


"Curious Fox"

(click on photo for larger view)

We have shared this mountain with the foxes for close to 20 years now and I never cease to be enthralled by their beauty, grace, curiosity and friendliness.  They will often sit or lay by us as we work around the house or property. Whether they are looking for companionship--or a handout--I can't say. Today this lady or fellow was highly interested in what my husband was doing on the deck.

October Snow

Mountain Living #3

We had a big snow storm last week that dumped nearly four feet of snow (45 inches) on our mountain--and a lot of other places along Colorado's front range. This is not extremely unusual for Colorado (6' in March of 1990; 4' in October 1997; 8' in March 2003) but it's not exactly welcome this early.

(Click on photos for larger view.)

 

Cars are buried.

  

 Camper is buried.

Daughter is buried. Well, almost. 

 

Deck is buried.

Roof is buried.

 

House is nearly buried.

Thank goodness for husbands!

We've had beautiful weather this week though--it's been sunny and warm and the snow is actually melting quite a bit. You've got to love Colorado!

Bull Elk

A Walk on the Wild Side #1

I had to stop for a beautiful bull elk and his girls as they crossed the road in front of me last night. Being the perfect gentleman, he let them cross first (he probably wanted to see whether or not it was safe for him) then, when they were all safely on the other side, he ran full speed to catch up with them tossing his head and kicking up his heels like a playful horse. I imagine he wanted to make sure he didn't lose any of his harem. It is rutting season, after all, when males compete for females (isn't that all the time, though?). You don't often see them running like that; he was magnificent.

It was too dark to get a shot last night but I have this photo of a young bull taken from my deck early one summer morning:

"Morning Walk"
(click on photo for a larger view)

Young Bull Elk on a Morning Walk

Aspen Gold

Autumn Splendor # 1

Autumn is by far my favorite time of year and unfortunately, due to illnesses running through our household this year, I missed it. And it missed me. Even here on the mountain, which is normally glorious, there was a dismal show of color. I imagine the foot of snow we received earlier in the season had something to do with the aspens simply going from green to brown.

But, thanks to the magic of photography, I have more than memories to go by.

Aspen Gold

(click on photo for a larger view)

Aspens from a previous fall near my home in Conifer, Colorado.

The National Parks -- America's Best Idea Indeed

The National Parks #1

Ken Burns and Dayton Duncan have done it again with another magnificent documentary series titled, "The National Parks: America's Best Idea," airing this week on PBS. And what a wonderful idea this was for a documentary. The film is all at once beautiful and informative, moving and inspiring. I was uplifted by the incredible scenery and the unfaltering commitment of  those who fought to preserve our public lands and brought to tears by those seeking to destroy them (the flooding of the Hetch Hetchy Valley in Yosemite comes to mind).  I could go on and on about the series but I'll defer to those who can express themselves much better than I.

• Awesome: Ken Burns masterfully captures story and splendor of our national parks
  
  
• Ken Burns on how democracy saved the best places for all
  
  
• New heights for Burns and PBS
  
  
• Ken Burns' 'National Parks' film has beauty, brains
  
  
• 'The National Parks': Ken Burns’ best
  
  

Purchase the DVD and book.

As a nature lover and a landscape photographer I owe a debt of gratitude to our National Parks and all our public lands. They have sustained me through good times and bad and have done much to feed my soul. Many thanks to Ken Burns and Dayton Duncan for creating such a beautiful and meaningful film about our most precious national treasures.

Part 2: National Parks Photos #1

Like millions of my fellow Americans, I, too, have found true inspiration in our National Parks and Monuments.

"Sunset Geyser"
(click on photo for a larger view)

Pink Cone Geyser, Yellowstone National Park

The Summer of Ladybugs

Mountain Living #2

(click on photos for a larger view)

This past summer we saw an infestation of ladybugs. They were everywhere. The air was thick with them. I couldn't walk from the house to the car without having to pick several out of my hair.

At first it was awe-inspiring--I had never
seen so many ladybugs in one place.

They would congregate together in huge bunches (apparently mating) when the sun was in and then take to the air en masse, filling the sky, when the sun came out.

The local news did a report on the phenomenon and said they would disperse in a few weeks.

They didn't.

The nights started to get cooler on the mountain and I was sure they would depart for greener (and warmer) pastures. They didn't.

We got a foot of snow last week and endured many cold, snowy days. Surely that would take care of them.

Au contraire. They are as numerous (if not more so) than ever and are still at it, eager to reproduce.

Now that the sun is out again, they are still filling the air!

I wonder if they will be around all winter??

A few videos from the summer

Winter Comes Early in the Mountains

Mountain Living #1

(click on photo for a larger view)

        First Day of Fall: September 22, 2009

Winter has come early to the mountain. Our first real snowfall dropped more than a foot of snow--and it's still coming down. It's lovely to watch--but I admit that I'm not quite ready for winter yet. The aspens haven't even started to turn here at the house.

And it's always strange to see snow clinging to green leaves. . .