Mischievous Missy

I love it when a friend asks something of you and there is no hesitation, no thought, just an immediate response of 'YES, of course!' I received an email a few weeks back from my friend Janet asking me if someone they love very much could stay with us for a couple of days as she was passing through Denver. There it was, no hesitation, no thought, just an immediate, 'YES, of course!.' Well, fast forward to last Wednesday, when the lovely, Audra, showed up @ our front door. She has been on a cross-country adventure for the past two months and having quite the life experience for a 22 year old! We are now, part of her story, as she is of ours, and I venture to say, for the rest of both of our respective lives. I say it often, on Facebook, 'Come, I will feed you!' Well, our new sweet friend loves to eat, so it has been joy and a delight to feed her. We even made pasta together! She was so excited to learn 'how to', and then of course, knowing that there was food @ the end of the process was a huge thrill for her. It is clear, this has been a good visit. Audra has had, even as I write, some very important family time here as well. She has summited a mountain of 14,000 feet, she has made pasta for the first time and we went horseback riding together. The 12 Mile Stables, which I blogged about last year @ this time, came up in conversation, and lo and behold, she wanted to get up on one of those horses, as did I, so, on Sunday, off we rode into the sunset.

My horse, named Missy, turned out to be very very mischievous, as she kept on insisting on going off the 'assigned' path to grab large mouth fulls of greenery. I just did not have the strength to yank her very stubborn self back. As it turns out, it was quite humorous, and she was such a sweet girl. It seems that part of the reason why she was able to 'get away' w/ such behavior, was that my saddle was not in the center. I was leaning to the left, so no matter how hard I tried, Missy had the upper hand, and clearly she knew it. By the end of the ride through our Cherry Creek State Park, I was practically holding on for dear life as the saddle had slipped so far to the left!! Audra and her horse, named Kat, were riding behind me, so Audra had a good laugh or 10, watching me try to do the impossible!! We had so much fun, came home, made the pasta from the dough we had prepared earlier, and thankfully, neither of us was too sore the next day.

So, thank you Janet, for asking us to let Audra stay with us for a couple of days, which has now turned into almost a week. As a Family, we all have a new friend for life, and it is no surprise, we love her too!!

'Don't walk behind me; I may not lead.

 Don't walk in front of me; I may not follow. Just walk beside me and be my friend.'

Albert Camus

The view from 12 Mile Stables.. 

The lovely people in front of me and our Guide.. 

Me, enjoying the view, while leaning to the left...

On our way back to the stables, really leaning!!!

Audra, and Kat, after our adventure....

A sweet moment with Audra and Kat...

Missy, totally laughing at me, knowing she had made out like a bandit...

Pasta making, 101...

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

A Sunset for the Ages!!!!

Northwest from my office...

Northeast from Edward's room...

Northeast again...

Northwest, again, a few minutes later from my office...

Southwest towards the mountains..

A few moments later...

...and...

finally...jaw dropping event...

Walking trail @ Garden of the Gods Ntl Park..

It is crystal clear that the beautiful skies in Colorado are a photographers playground. Yesterday was a gorgeous Autumn day. Jimmy and I took a long walk in Garden Of the Gods National Park. Some of the walking trails are still closed from the recent floods, but we took a trail, just above our normal route. There were still some muddy/running water patches, which we also navigated, thankfully without issue. I took numerous pics, posted a couple. But as gorgeous as yesterday was, the sunset last night was beyond beautiful. People say that Colorado is 'God's country'. Well if ever there was any doubt, these pics should quell your doubts. I did minimal editing, really. I have never seen the light quite like this. So, may the photos speak for themselves!!!

'It is good to give thanks to the Lord
And to sing praises to Your name, O Most High; 

To declare Your loving kindness in the morning
And Your faithfulness by night'

 Psalm 92, 1-2

The Ever Changing Skyline...

Sunday

 Monday

 Tuesday

 Wednesday

 Sunday

 Wednesday
Sunday, Monday, Tuesday to this lovely Wednesday morning, we have seen blizzard conditions to gorgeous, bright, cloudless skies, literally. These are just a few shots of the ever changing view.

New Year, 2013....

This has been a most memorable year, 2012. We relocated from Rhode Island and kissed the ocean goodbye, we said hello to Colorado  and the majesty of her mountains, as we adjusted to living 6000 feet in the air, we lost Mom in August. We gained a deeper faith and hope, we made new friends. We have seen sunrises and sunsets of awesome beauty which were previously unimaginable to us. We saw the Canyon burn, and met heroes along the way. We have wept w/ the nation upon seeing Sandy and Newton, Ct. Yet and still we can say, 'Thus far the Lord has helped us', (1 Samuel 7:12). 'Whether through poverty, wealth, sickness, or health, whether at home or abroad, or on land, sea, or air, and whether in honor, dishonor, difficulties, joy, trials, triumph, prayer or temptation - 'Thus far the Lord has helped!' (Streams in the Desert, December 31).

It is our hope and prayer for you to have a blessed and healthy 2013, with glorious and miraculous prospects!!!!!

Acclimatising...

View from Target...the parking lot...can you even believe???

Notice Lowes down the hill...seriously...???

A little step back..

I mentioned it in the 'peppers' post, adjusting or acclimatising to living so far above sea level is very real. The air is dry and thin. The lack of air and humidity will most definitely effect you. One of the most important things you can do is to drink a ton of water. I am very tiny and have found myself drinking 40-70 ounces of water every day. (Can you even imagine...all the rest rooms I have 'visited' are lovely!) You have to or you will get dizzy, start cramping up, get headaches, have heart palpitations. It is a way of life. So, we are 1/2 way into week 3 here in Colorado Springs, and I am making the adjustments. BK sits by the sink, waits, and will have himself a long tall drink of water. It's interesting. Here is how Wikipedia describes a the effects of living in a high altitude on humans:

'Acclimatisation to high altitude continues for months or even years after initial ascent, and ultimately enables humans to survive in an environment that, without acclimatisation, would kill them. Humans who migrate permanently to a higher altitude naturally acclimatise to their new environment by developing an increase in the number of red blood cells to increase the oxygen carrying capacity of the blood, in order to compensate for lower levels of oxygen in the air.'

These pics, are you ready, were taken from the parking lot of our Super Target (love super Target)! This is the range of mountains I wake up to every morning. I am finding that the first word out of my mouth in the morning seems to be, 'Wow'...everyday.

WHAT??????

Red and yellow peppers, growing green!!!

And you thought that my first post after moving to the ever lover-ly Colorado Springs would be pictures of the grandeur of the mountains in the morning and the majestic sunsets which really do take your breath away or the details of the plane ride out here, and how well (whew) the kitties fared, or how Edward's blood sugars were all over the place the first week we arrived, or that you really do have to drink alot of water to stay hydrated, or that unpacking is much more fun than packing (thank you Ann), or that I am thrilled beyond words to have a closet in my office. I could tell you all about that, but, whaaaat???? Yes, people I am posting pics of peppers. For those of you who go food shopping, you know that the cost of fresh produce has sky-rocketed. Especially, peppers...the orange and yellow peppers are like investing in gold. So, when I walked into our 'new' supermarket and saw red, yellow and orange peppers on sale, 10 for $10, my heart sang. I cut them from the top, like a pumpkin, shake out all the seeds which are left, then slice them open, cut out the veins, slice them into 6-8 pieces, and simply roast them w/ some olive oil until they are tender, and crisp all at the same time. It is like eating candy, they are so sweet, and 'au natural'. When I cut open 2 of the peppers, I was a-gog, when I pulled out peppers growing inside of peppers...they were so beautiful, I could not pass up the opportunity to take some pics. Hence, my first post from Colorado, peppers growing inside of peppers. There is plenty of time for all those mountain shots. From what I can tell, they are not going anywhere, anytime soon......more to come!!

Wordless Wednesday

'Let the Mountains Sing'

Mixed Media
Amy Lilley