Summit Lake After a delicious Father’s Day breakfast served in bed by my two boys, we decided to drive to the summit of Mount Evans. To get to the top is a 30 mile drive from our front door. As we ascended the highest paved road in North America, our first wildlife sighting was a […]
Yellow-Bellied Marmot Yellow-bellied marmots inhabit the high mountains of Colorado. Living in burrows dug underneath rocky outcrops, they seem to prefer to make their homes in the most spectacular of alpine settings. Also known as the rockchuck, they are the most gregarious animals on the tundra. Warm days are spent sunning, feeding, playing and napping. The […]
“Garden of the Gods Pikes Peak” Colored Pencil At first, this unforgettable landscape was a place I could barely remember. Rising out of dark greenery, Garden of the Gods is a glorious gateway to soulful Pikes Peak. The red sandstone slabs stand out sharply against the rugged vegetation resting below. Above, rumbling with thunder, the […]
“Stellars Jay” Colored Pencil Perched in a conifer forest at 8,200 feet, a solitary Stellar’s Jay contemplates its familiar surroundings. Unassuming and reticent near home, this intelligent bird takes on a much different public persona. When on the search for food it reveals itself by squawking boisterously. Now bold and confident, the Stellar’s Jay will […]
Elk Meadow twilight “Here comes the rain again. Falling on my head like a memory.” ~ Annie Lennox Since it has rained almost every day, this spring has supplied us with a silent calm before the sunny season explodes with activity. Currently composed from an everlasting arrangement of cool coloration, the meadow is in a […]
“Early Spring Evergreen” Colored Pencil It’s early spring in Evergreen and a few mule deer are grazing peacefully on the fresh, green grass. Always alert, the young bucks are curious but cautious as they move carefully through the soggy park. The weather is nicer now but definitely damp as this year’s wet monsoon has left […]
Common Sense Horsemanship “A horse is a thing of beauty… none will tire of looking at him as long as he displays himself in his splendor.” ~ Xenophon circa 360 BC Clinicians Bern and Kay Miller are traversing the panhandle of Nebraska sharing a common sense approach to horse care with all who will listen. […]
“Elijah” Colored Pencil It’s been ten years since we lost Elijah. He became so sick we had to have him put down. It was one of the most difficult, heartbreaking experiences of my life. They said “He was just a dog,” but he was more than that. He was my best friend. We climbed some of Colorado’s […]
Golden-mantled Ground Squirrel Crowned with a russet headband, the golden-mantled ground squirrel is a lost soul living at the forest’s edge. Usually stationed on a fallen log, this solitary creature lives most of his life alone, quietly observing the activity happening all around him. Always alert, he’s an inquisitive animal that seems to tolerate a […]
“Dragon Duel” Colored Pencil “Riddles my weapons. Answers my shield. Though you battle with wit, I’ll never yield.” Slowly the clamped teeth loosened. The watching dragons collectively sighed in disappointment. But the confrontation was not over. “My wit is quite sharp,” responded the leader, “as sharp as my claws and teeth. One wound means your […]
Mount Sneffels is the Queen of the San Juan Mountains At the Dallas Divide, a restrained landscape of lower hay fields gives way to riotous slopes of quaking aspen and colorful wildflowers. Rising above tree line is a sweep of rugged terrain composed of banded layers of rock, steep crags and serrated ridges. Positioned majestically […]
“Trout Lake” Colored Pencil On a dreary Sunday below Lizard Head Pass, Mother Nature delivered an unforgettable sermon from the mount. It was springtime in the San Juans where steady showers epitomize the wet monsoon. A turbulent squall washed the landscape clean, unveiling a patina of saturated colors. Frugal guardians of precious metal, the sullen […]
“The Red Bridge” Colored Pencil An organic landscape is reorganized by geometric structure. The pages are shuffled producing a book filled with memories and bound by imagination. Billowy clouds in a dramatic sky oversee pointed peaks and a rush of rolling hills. At the forest’s edge, a reflective pond is a watery mirror that flows […]
Mule Deer Fawns It’s early autumn in Evergreen, Colorado and animals are on the move. Hiking along the edges of Bear Creek Canyon, I’m lucky enough to experience some remarkable wildlife encounters. Up on top, a pair of mule deer fawns and their mother skirt the wide ridge. They forage furiously as their winter survival […]