Silvery aspen in a golden meadow Most scientists believe Bigfoot doesn’t exist, the universe wasn’t made in seven days and there aren’t really pots of gold at the end of rainbows but those legendary myths are unique metaphors that express a certain truthfulness not found in literal interpretations. North out of Evergreen, we went up […]
Storm over Waterton Canyon The Platte River spills down from the mountains and carves an extraordinary gorge through the Rampart Range that concludes with a rugged canyon known as Waterton. This is where the South Platte emerges from the foothills and onto the boggy wetlands just southwest of Denver. The gravel service road that follows […]
White Pelican Most people associate the white pelican with an ocean habitat so it may be surprising to learn that they are quite common in landlocked Colorado during the summer. They spend winter on the coasts but breed only on inland lakes and reservoirs throughout the northern Great Plains and the mountain west. When some […]
A most unpleasant spring storm On Mom’s special day, Mother Nature unleashed her fury. In the middle of May we got hit with the most unpleasant storm of the year. After an unusually dry winter, the snow came in waves of large, moist flakes that poured down from above like rain. The surprise blizzard disrupted […]
“Longs Peak, Colorado” Acrylic My childhood was spent roaming the sandhills of western Nebraska. We rode horses, swam the river and climbed Courthouse Rock. I come from a family of creative artists. Our little house on the prairie overflowed with color and creativity. Mom paints her garden with a floral palette while Dad is a […]
Duck It’s an iconic image, a glossy-green-headed drake flying above the lake on a summer morning, then skimming across the surface for a splash landing. Next, the quintessential duck call that is the mallard’s quack. I snapped this picture of a glistening duck at Evergreen Lake. The mallard duck is a very common bird around […]
Snowstorm at Evergreen Lake “My idea of travel is a downward travel really. Getting to know where you are better and exploring feelings that you know more deeply. I always think that ‘knowing something by heart’ gives you a depth of possibility which is more powerful than seeing new sights, however marvelous and exciting they […]
Dispersing clouds over Bergen Peak On an early morning in Colorado’s Front Range foothills, Founders Trail was blurred in a haze of smokey fog. Dawn broke dark and cold because the sun’s warm rays struggled to reach the earth’s shrouded surface. As the day progressed, a west wind was funneled through the pass, dispersing the […]
Garden of the Gods, Colorado “Once upon a time there was a great flood which covered all but the top of Manitou’s Mountain. When the water subsided, the Great Spirit turned the floating carcasses of the drowned animals into sandstone, and rolled them down into a garden valley below where they remained as mute evidences […]
Melancholy Mood, Elk Meadow Angel’s Landing, Zion Canyon, Utah Zion National Park, Utah Lonesome Wilderness, Beaver Brook After the Storm, Beaver Brook Stagecoach Gulch Blue River Clear Creek Edwards, Colorado Hobbs Peak Park Spring Runoff Gore Range Peaks Ten Mile Range Peaks […]
Lake Minatare Lighthouse Western Nebraska is known for its corn, cattle and lighthouses. Well, at least one lighthouse. The Plains Lighthouse is situated on Lake Minatare’s Lakeview Point Peninsula. The 4-story structure was built towards the end of the Great Depression by the Veterans Conservation Corps, a new deal agency that provided jobs to unemployed […]
Painted Lady Butterflies During a sunny Saturday while searching for the elusive Genesee bison, a seemingly insignificant insect stole the show. In one day, we must have seen a thousand painted lady butterflies perched on purple thistle and yellow rabbitbrush. The painted lady prefers the warmer climate associated with the desert southwest and Mexico but […]
Flooded Bear Creek in Evergreen, Colorado “Be thou the rainbow in the storms of life. The evening beam that smiles the clouds away, and tints tomorrow with prophetic ray.” ~ Lord George Gordon Byron Colorado has suffered from a horrendous drought for about fourteen years. The summers are hot and arid while the winters have […]
Courthouse and Jail House Rocks Located just south of Bridgeport in the panhandle of Nebraska at the eastern terminus of the Wildcat Hills, Courthouse and Jail House Rocks ascend 400 feet above the North Platte River Valley. For me, the rocks are an enduring symbol of the pioneer spirit, hope and home. During the Westward […]