A Full-time Life

ROADTRIP

 For Sunday Stills and Mosaic Monday (scroll down).  Thanks to the hosts! 

 

We couldn't wish for a better theme for the SUNDAY STILLS weekly photo challenge than ROADS. It's just tailor-made for us.  Because we've been just completed a wonderful ROADtrip!  So thanks guys...perfect timing.

The top picture is the Colorado we usually see from the road when we first reach this beautiful State.  It's last year's picture though, because this time (1) we flew from Florida to Denver and (2) the State was so smoky from all the terrible fires that it wouldn't have looked this beautiful anyway.

The MOSAIC (for) MONDAY is composed of "drive-by" pictures (all featuring roads) from this year's roadtrip.  It was a short one (for us) but we drove many new roads and saw much new territory in the ten days... a great experience.  (Thanks Geoff and Lisa for making it possible.)

 

Top row:  Great Sand Dunes National Park; bottom of Canyon De Chelly (with the Jeep we hired for a guided tour); Monument Valley

Bottom row:  Monument Valley, Mesa Verde National Park, View from Rabbit Hill (during our visit at the kids home before the roadtrip)

THE LEGEND OF SPIDER WOMAN

These pictures are from Canyon De Chelly National Monument, part of our recent roadtrip to the Four Corners area.   (Shared with the blogging community at SKYWATCH FRIDAY.)

 

Spider Rock, Canyon De Chelly, Navajo Nation 

 Geologists say that formation of this 800 foot tall red sandstone monolith began 230 million years ago.  Dine' (Navajo) legend says that it was the home of Spider Woman, one of their Deities.    

Spider Woman possessed supernatural powers and protected the people.  She also taught them the art of weaving.   Her web stretched between these spires.

For many years, ancestors of today's Navajo people lived in caves and sandstone dwellings within the canyons that now comprise this national monument.

This is the White House, one of the ruins that we visited.

ONE REASON....

 

We've been on a mini-roadtrip through parts of the Four Corners area.   One reason that posts were few-and-far-between is that exploring at this altitude was hard on these tourists from the flatlands.   I didn't have much energy at the end of the day!

 

 

 view from Park Point, Mesa Verde National Park

Our home in Florida is about seven feet (7) above sea-level.  Walking at seven thousand feet (7,000) plus takes a little more work.   

 

 

  (OK, I admit it, breathing at this altitude takes more work!)

 

 

FOR:  SIGNS SIGNS.  (It's nice to be back.)

BACKYARD BIRDING

FOR WORLD BIRD WEDNESDAY

We see wonderful and (to us) exotic birds in Florida, but because of the way we live there, we have no backyard birds to watch.  We have to drive to the good spots.

So we love it when we visit our kids and can  birdwatch from the patio -- or even the dining room or kitchen.  Geoff and Lisa have created a lovely birding spot in a corner of their yard.

In Oregon, I tried all last summer to get a picture of a redwing with no success -- the ones here in Colorado practically begged me to take their picture.

 

Finches, blue jays (different from the ones we see in Oregon) and mourning doves were also frequent visitors.  Goldfinch and flickers dropped in too (but no pictures of those guys).  

It's lovely to have backyard birds again -- even if we're only visiting the backyard.

LAUGHING IT UP IN LOVELAND

FOR:  OUR WORLD TUESDAY

 

We visit Loveland's Benson Sculpture Park * each time we're in Colorado. Our kids live nearby in Longmont and we used to stay in an RV Park in Loveland when we visited them once or twice a year .     We discovered the park by accident, but now it's a ritual we can't miss.   The City adds sculptures every year and we enjoy searching for the new ones -- and re-visiting old favorites.

The joyful swinging girl above is one of those favorites.  This picture was taken last summer  -- it wasn't quite as bright and sunny this year because lingering smoke from the Colorado range fires created a hazy atmosphere.  

The fires aren't close enough to Longmont or Loveland to be a danger, but it is a worry.  It's very dry all over the State.

But we had fun even if it wasn't quite as bright and blue as usual. 

Great company and a lot of laughs. One way that you know your kids aren't really "kids" any longer is that they are just as willing to be silly as you are. 

 

 

 

 In fact, I think the silliness was their idea!

 * Follow the link to see an album of our favorites.  

MOUNTAINS! ONCE AGAIN

For SKYWATCH FRIDAY

Rocky Mountain National Park, June 2012

 

There is nothing in the world like seeing MOUNTAINS again after you've spent months in the flatlands.  It's great to be in Colorado.

 

Front-range view from Rabbit Hill, near Lyons

 

 

SEASONS END

There will be a short blog-break In OUR WORLD.   Our Winter/Spring season in Florida is over and we're getting ready to travel.    

 

 Our Canal Cottage is sure to be in good hands with this nosy neighbor keeping an eye on things.  

 

Thank you to the hosts of Our World and to everyone who visited our Full-Time Life this winter.   See you soon  -- from a different time zone!

 

LILY POND

 For   WEEKEND REFLECTIONS a lone waterlily that provided a little color spot in this marshy pond.

 

Thank you James.