 Every once and a while a dog comes into your life and steals your heart. Summer was such a dog. I fell in love with her the first time I saw her and was hopelessly devoted to her. She was a complicated soul who needed some guidance, though, and we quickly learned how demanding a special needs dog can be. In addition to giving us unbelievable joy, she tested us and made us stronger. Over the years, we figured out a way to make it work and she was an integral part of our family and a constant companion. Yesterday, we lost our Summer and the void she leaves is enormous. We love you Summer and hope that you enjoy reuniting with Midnight and getting to know Dewey. We miss you and you will be in our hearts forever... --Rachel, Andy and Tiva                                    Hollyhock Weevil -- Apion (Rhopalapion) longirostre It's been a long month of hanging out at my house while I recover from hip surgery. My limited mobility means not much photography "in the field" but I'm still taking a picture a day and getting to know the animals that frequent my yard during the hot summer months. By far the most intriguing are these tiny Hollyhock Weevils!         Broad-tailed Hummingbird After years of faithfully keeping hummingbird food in our yard we are reaping the rewards. This feisty (and itchy) male decided to call our tree his home for a day...      Western Blue Bird Andy and I have gone up to the top of Trail Ridge Road in Rocky Mountain National Park every year since 1986. We usually go in late summer, though, so there isn't too much snow at the top. This year we have gone a few times already so that we can enjoy the park through the seasons. Here are some of our favorite pictures from our latest visit in June.
 For the past 4 years now, Andy and I have traveled to San Francisco in early June. The trip is a great opportunity to see my father and his wife and for Andy to run the Dipsea Race. He has placed 5th, 8th and 6th in his first three attempts in this unique "handicapped" style race so it is a highlight of his year. This year, however, Andy suffered a kidney stone on our first day there! While it wasn't the trip we were expecting, the stone passed in a "relatively" quickly 56 hours and we were able to enjoy some of the vacation. Whew! Sometimes it is good to come home!   Eastern Screech Owlets Andy and I are creatures of habit. We walk the same route every night when we walk the dogs. This late spring was a bit different, though. I wanted to check on the flowers to the south of our house and so we changed our route a bit. Several nights, along our more unusual route, we heard a strange sound. We knew it was from an owl, but which one? We poured over bird books and the Internet. One night we got a glimpse of some small owlets but they were too high in a tree to ID. For a week or more we included that area into our nightly walk. Most nights we could hear them but still no positive ID. Then Andy took a quick jog by that area in the morning. Hark! Owlets! Eastern Screech Owls to be precise. We photographed these two a couple times (and their parents, below, were never far). One evening we saw 5-6 babies but it was too dark to photograph. They are gone from the area, now, but their memory will keep me going until next year when we hope hey will be back!
Maybe we should be getting used to rain in Colorado but I must say, we've had some pretty extraordinary rains lately. First there was last September (when we received 9" in one night and 18" in one week) and two weeks ago we had 3/4" in 20 minutes. Then, last Friday the heavens REALLY opened up -- 1.7" in 30 minutes! The pictures don't do it justice but you might appreciate the video. For now, we are drying out again and hoping that another flood or drought doesn't come our way...     Last September, Andy and I spent a morning watching the sunrise at Maroon Bells. For those of you unfamiliar with the area, Maroon Bells are some mountains near Aspen, CO. There is a lake near the trail head of the area and it offers one of the most stunning views in Colorado. The peaks themselves are quite treacherous and people are warned from going on them (bad for both rock and mountain climbing). Their beauty, however, is unsurpassed. Literally hundreds of photographers were there by the time we arrived at 6:20 am.   What happened over the next 3 hours was stunning. Which view is your favorite? Isn't it fascinating how the light changed? I hope you enjoy the pictures! Click on an image to enlarge.        After the sunrise was complete, we walked around the area and found another lake and more incredible views!    The school year is finally winding down in Boulder and I'm finally catching up on stuff. Today is also a special day because 25 years ago Andy and I were married! Wow, how time flies and how this spring is flying by, too. This blog post doesn't really have a theme, just lost of cool pictures that I've taken over the past couple of weeks. I hope you enjoy them! I start out with a couple of images from the Greenwood Wildlife Rehabilitation Center. Spring is baby season! (Click on images to enlarge).   Next up are hummingbirds -- they are now back and hungry!   We got some late snow this year and I got up early to take a picture of the Flatirons in the snow. Little did I know that I would see a fox streaking by with a vole. I think her babies were anxiously waiting for breakfast.  Last weekend Andy and I went up into the mountains and we saw some bighorn sheep and met some very well fed ground squirrels...     Then, yesterday I spied on the family of owls that I've been watching this spring. I couldn't find the owlets but did spy on the mother keeping tabs on the area.  Last night Andy reminded me that there was a lunar eclipse. It was cloudy the last time there was one so I wondered if it was worth setting the alarm. I decided to drink a big glass of water and take my chances. Unfortunately by 11pm I was awake. Luckily I was able to go back to sleep and nature called me again at 1:50am. I quickly opened the shades to see the moon and it was incredible! Wow! Fumbling in the dark I gathered my tripod and camera and set everything up. After a few pictures I noticed that I didn't have a disk in the camera! Oops! After more fumbling everything was set. My pictures weren't as "sharp" as I usually like to get them but the wind and the moon's darkness were new to me. Here's my best shot. You can certainly see why they call it a "blood moon". It took me several hours to settle down (and warm up) after I was done at 2:45am but it was definitely worth the sleepless night...  There are a couple of owls that live in some cottonwood trees near a trail in Gunbarrel (near Boulder) and for the past 4 years they have raised their babies there. All the local photographers know about the location now so I had to join in on the fun. I've visited several times and have never been disappointed. Even in daylight they hoot to let you know their presence! The oldest owlet fledged the nest yesterday. I didn't see it but in the afternoon he was still super cautious to be so high up in the tree. After looking at his wings I could see why! While he still has some maturing to do, his siblings are glad to have a bit of extra space. I know there are way too many pictures but here they are. (click on any image to enlarge and see slideshow). This year Andy and I stayed in Boulder the entire winter so by March we were ready to head south for a few days over spring break. We had trouble figuring out where to go so I said to Andy, "Pick a race!" He chose the Carlsbad 5000, a "world record" fast course and the trip was set. On our first day we had a great time exploring the San Diego Zoo Safari (formally called the San Diego Wild Animal Park). No cages at this zoo! We saw gorillas being gorillas (including a new mom nursing her 2 week old baby who was born via c-section and had required incubation so had just been reunited with her mom). The lions and elephants where incredible, too. Below are some of my favorite pictures of the park. (click on any image to enlarge and view as a slide show)
For the past two and half years now I've taken a "picture a day" and since I mostly like to take wildlife pictures, and I'm an accidental wildlife photographer, my encounters with new animals is sometimes limited. So, one of my friends suggested that I take pictures for the Greenwood Wildlife Rehabilitation Center (http://greenwoodwildlife.org). What a treat! I get to take pictures of awesome critters who need a little help getting back on their feet and the center gets some (hopefully) good pictures to use in their marketing materials.  Greenwood is located just east of Lyons, CO. The first day I toured the facility I was blown away by how prepared they were for the over 2,000 animals (over 130 different species) they expect to receive during the year. Everything in it's place and a resident bunny outside waiting for the party... (click on any image to see larger versions of all images in this section)      On my second visit I got to see baby squirrels being fed by volunteers. They were so small their eyes hadn't opened yet! I also photographed a Grosbeak who had a broken wing... (click on any image to see larger versions of all images in this section) Note that all of the scratches on the volunteer were not from the squirrels... or at least not from these ones!     On my third visit I photographed (and attended) a training session about squirrels. The baby squirrels had opened their eyes and were becoming feisty. Here Greenwood staff members show how to feed and handle the baby squirrels. (click on any image to see larger versions of all images in this section)   A few years ago we learned that Tiva has hip dysplasia in one of her hips. In order to delay surgery, we put her on a steady training regimen that includes lots of walking and swimming. Since the lakes freeze here in the winter, the easiest way to insure that she gets lots of swim time is for her to swim in a hot tub! She loves her weekly dips and Summer joins her, too. When she gets home she usually goes crazy in the yard! Here are pictures of her swimming, of her getting a bath afterwards (Thanks Melinda Ciricillo for the photo!), and of her drying herself off (once in the snow and another time in the sun)!     When I was growing up in North Carolina, March 1st, my birthday, signified the first day of spring. After my birthday I knew the flowers would pop up and soon it would be hot. In Colorado, however, March 1st is the beginning of snow season... This year Andy and I went snowshoeing at Rocky Mountain National Park for my birthday. It was a blizzard and in the teens in Boulder, calm and cool when we started and 43 degrees when we finished a couple of hours later! Driving back to Boulder the temperature plummeted and we were back in winter. That night, something magical happened to the trees on Flagstaff. Here are some pictures to show the season's finest. (Click on an image to enlarge and view all as a slideshow)     Andy and I went up to Brainard Lake for a quick snowshoe this morning. Even though it was windy, the snow was good and scenery was beautiful. On the way home we decided to take a small detour to view some of the damage from last September's flood. We ended up seeing wild turkeys and a bobcat! So glad we took the long way home... (Click on an image to enlarge and view all as a slideshow)      Piper has been retired for 3 years now and it was time to move on. I loved visiting him every day at his pasture in Niwot but I am never going to ride another horse (or maybe not ride again) if he's in my life. I still think he has something to offer someone but I didn't want to move him to a stall and the opportunities for casual/trail riding around here are limited. So, Piper is off to Tennessee to live with my friend Lyssa. After the cold we had in Colorado last week I think he'll be glad to go. Today he passed through Paris, Detroit, Memphis and Reno -- all in Texas! He should arrive to Tennessee tomorrow morning. My thoughts are with you Piper!     Welcome to my blog site! My goal this year is to share my favorite pictures with friends and family who are not on Facebook. I'll post every couple of weeks, on average, and hopefully you'll enjoy my pictures. To start out the year I'm sharing some of my favorite pictures of Tiva. (Click on an image to enlarge and view as a slideshow.)     |
