Another One for Jen A

I thought of Jen when I saw the snow on this wooden bench.  :D

Trip East: WV Forest

I am, for the moment, visiting friends back east.  This photo is from Morgantown, West Virginia.  I had forgotten and not forgotten how lovely the Appalachains are.  :)
So far, we've visited Blackwater Falls, Kentuck Knob, the WVU Arboretum, and tomorrow we're headed to the DC area to visit another friend.
I am taking lots of walks and having a great time. :D

Fall Anticipation

I can't wait to see the fall colors of the Appalachians!  Two days to go!
(This is the local, CO, color. :)

There Are Two Lights

Today I found that all the bulbs in my dining room light were burnt out. Two of the three had lovely burn patterns on the sides. Knowing how much some of you appreciate details, I managed to get a good photo for you. :D

Name That Bird

Yesterday, during the lovely snow, I spotted the above on my ash tree. At first, I thought it was an enormous woodpecker, since it was clinging to the tree in the same way a woodpecker does. After taking some photos I decided to look it up online and it seemed to lack one major woodpecker feature, red coloring on the head. It seems like it might be a yellow shafted Northern Flicker. The white and black spots on its breast were particularly beautiful.

Now I want to put out some suet and sunflower seeds. :)

Four Horsewomen, But No Apocalypse

Having a good time on horseback...





The scenery...





A large herd of elk -- these are the bachelor bucks on the fringes hoping to sneak in when the leader, a big seven point buck, wasn't looking.

Carlsbad Trip Photos

I didn't take many photos on the Carlsbad work trip because I was expecting to have some free time at the park. Ha!
Here are a few photos I took through the car window on the way there. I know there'll be some fans of the interesting cloud formations. ;)

Linden Procreation

During one of the meetings here at the office, I saw out the window a twirling leaf fall to the ground. It reminded me of the helicopter maple seeds, but I knew the tree outside is an American Linden. (It's actually one of the biggest/oldest Lindens in the state and the design of the new building is a response to the desire to keep it.) My curiosity aroused, I looked at the falling leaves when I left the meeting and here's what I found:
The leaf itself is wonderfully developed into a natural helicopter shape, with the seed, as ballast, growing down from the middle.

The whole tree (note that it is still green - it seems just a few leaf/seeds are falling right now).
The curb collects the pale golden curls.

Very cool, isn't it?