Settling In...

Cherry Creek State Park...snippet of the walking/biking path...

Storm on the move...

Sunset...

Sunset...just last night!

Soft tall grass in the late afternoon sun...

Well, it has been 3 weeks and 2 days since we moved north and 1500 feet lower in elevation. It feels longer. We are hardcore homebodies, so we tend to nuzzle right in to a new house once we get there. This move has taken us just a bit longer than 'usual', but, we are almost there. I can't quite put my finger on it. All of our 'systems' are set up and running, offices in working order, kitchen pantry is full. Edward has a huge space of his own to spread out and pretend that we don't live here (lol), most pictures which we want hung, are hung...maybe it will be when the first frost hits and we feel the house engulf us. We have been loving sitting outside in the early evenings and watching the sunset w/ the gorgeous vista which is set before us. Anywho, the lower altitude feels so much better. This is a great thing.

The state park is our back yard. We hear coyotes @ night singing their songs to one another, and it has afforded us a continual eye-full of such incredibly beautiful landscapes. (I already said that...worth repeating). The walking paths are welcoming and from our windows we can see the daily array of bikers, walkers, and horses. There is even a large area set aside for dogs and their owners. We have enjoyed every inch, thus far, of where we have placed our feet. There is so much more to see. With Autumn upon us, and the cooler weather approaching, we know that the park has more to give, so we continue to look forward! On my list of things to do, is taking pics of the horses who live right here!!!!

We are also loving being so close to Denver. There are so many choices of where to eat and shop, along with discovering the beautiful cities which hug Denver from every side. In essence, these City kids have the best of both worlds right now...we are just getting our feet wet.

Grateful would be a huge understatement, but grateful....

 'It is good to give thanks to the Lord,

to sing praises unto thy name, O Most High;

  to show forth thy loving kindness in the morning,

and thy faithfulness every night,

  with an instrument of ten strings and upon the psaltery,

upon the harp with a solemn sound.

For thou, O Lord, hast made me glad by your work;

I will triumph in the works of thy hands.

  How great are thy works, O Lord!

  Thy thoughts are very deep!'

Psalm 92:1-5

We Are Soaking it All In...

Looking into Garden of the Gods Park from the outer walking/bike path...

A very small portion of the damage from the recent floods...the water carved out a new river bed...

 We are soaking in as much as we can of this colorful Autumn. Last week, Mueller State Park. Yesterday, one of our many walks in Garden of the Gods National Park. It was a beautiful day. The sun is still warm and with barely a cloud in the sky, it was a great day to be outside. We stayed on the outer perimeter of the park, which is good for bikers and is not 'in the woods'. We are still seeing some incredible damage from the floods. The powerful force of the water carved out a new terrain in the lower outer edge of the park, and clean-up continues. Jimmy is used to me lagging behind to take photos as we go, and the space we give one another is appreciated. We are still walking together. I never quite know what the pics will look like until I get them up on the computer at which point I can see the vistas with a fresh eye and awe strikes my soul yet again. I am grateful that my range has broadened from so many macro shots to the expansive landscape set before me.

'Let the rivers clap their hands, Let the mountains sing together for joy.'

Psalm 98:8

The Broadmoor and Tonto...What????

'I Am Crow', by Kirby Sattler

Johnny Depp as 'Tonto' in the movie, 'The Lone Ranger'

'Nightfall', by Kirby Sattler

'Yellow Horse', by Kirby Sattler

'Red Braids', by Kirby Sattler

The Broadmoor

The Broadmoor

Summer days are sizzling up here in The Springs and it is nice to get out in the late afternoon and early evening for a walk. Jimmy and I decided to drive 'down' to the Broadmoor to do just that. There are shops, the grounds are beautiful, it beckons. We found out that the outdoor shops, with their very friendly staff, were a relatively recent addition to the historic Broadmoor. The additions to the hotel are seamless. We walked around, enjoyed each of the shops we visited, along with speaking to the  interesting shopkeepers along the way. However, the highlight of our little jaunt, was walking into a gallery, named, Hayden Hays. The gallery has 2 locations @ the Broadmoor. One houses more traditional themes while the other caters to a western and wildlife aesthetic. Together they compile a unique collection of oils, acrylics, watercolors, bronzes, etchings, lithographs, sketches, photographs and wood sculptures sure to please both the serious collector as well as the casual visitor. We, the casual visitors, were completely taken by some of the work we saw. This is the reason. We walked in and were immediately struck by the beautiful detailed, bronze sculptures of horses and wildlife, children at play, Indians in their glory. The artist, Kirby Sattler, paints magnificent, stunning, breathtaking portraits of Indians. This is an important quote from the artist:

'My paintings are interpretations based upon the nomadic tribes of the 19th century American Plains. The subjects are a variety of visual references and my imagination. I am not a historian, nor an ethnologist. Being of non-native blood, without personal history, it would be presumptuous to portray the subject I paint from any other view than as an artist with an innate interest in the world’s indigenous cultures. I purposely do not denote a tribal affiliation to the majority of my subjects, rather, I attempt to give the paintings an authentic appearance, provoke interest, satisfy my audience’s sensibilities of the subject without the constraints of having to adhere to historical accuracy.'

We entered into a lively discussion with the lovely gallery keeper, about these paintings by the gifted Kirby Sattler. They are painted with golden heavy bodied acrylics on linen canvas. They are not small, 22 x 20, 34 x 24, and the gold framing brings out their beauty. Here comes the real kicker, here it is people. It seems that Johnny Depp's make-up in the movie, 'The Lone Ranger', in the role of 'Tonto', was inspired by Mr. Sattler's painting, 'I Am Crow'!! REALLY??? You can clearly see, the proof is in the, well, make-up. Jimmy and Edward had just seen the movie over the weekend. I know that there has been a lively debate, if you will, about Johnny Depp playing Tonto, which added to 'the moment', of this golden nugget of information. 

So, our late afternoon/early evening stroll around The Broadmoor gave us much more than we bargained for, hence, 'The Broadmoor and Tonto'. We walked away knowing that we will go back for more, dig a little deeper into the whole area, and who knew, a blog post too boot!

Fountain at The Broadmoor