I believe this statue is meant to honor the search and rescuers after the collapse of the world trade center.

The Names of All Who Died

 

This monument in the 9/11 memorial garden in Broomfield, lists the name of every single person who died on this tragic day. Visitors left flowers and other items out of respect for those who died.

9/11 memorial in Broomfield, Colorado

 

I visited this 9/11 memorial last September. Broomfield's 9/11 memorial garden was created last September, just in time for the 5th anniversary of this tragic event

Dogs at Play

 

Trinity and Sam

 

Here's a winter photo of Trinity with her boyfriend Sampson.

Trinity Digs for China

 

This photo was taken during one of the Blizzards of December. I don't recall exactly which one. Lately I've been re-visiting some winter photos in Picasa. I am amazed at some of the results just by applying various filters or cropping out dead space in the photos.

Lisa Enjoying Winter

 

Christmas for cowgirls on the wide open range!

A bit belated in the posting process considering Spring has already arrived, but I love the cloud formations and the patterns in the snow and any picture with my dog in it:)

Trinity and her blanky

 

 

 

As you can see, Trinity loves the blanket that my parents sent her for Christmas. Mostly, she likes to delicately rip it apart and swallow small delectible sections at a time. But tonight, she was lying so close to it that I could help but wrap her up in it. She didn't seem to mind. Maybe she was just wondering what I would taste like in small, delectible sections:)

Pretty soon, I'll have one of these!

I am so excited! Back in the day, I was a gaming addict (I use that term loosely). I actually had to give up gaming all together in order to finish University. Calculus vs. Computer Gaming, it was no competition. Hopefully by now I've learned to control my urges:) At any rate, I don't have to go to Calculus class anymore.

My credit card company offers point rewards for dollars spent. You can trade the points in for a variety of items from travel to electronics or even adventure vacations. My heart's desire was a Coral Pink Nintendo DS Lite (I didn't have enough points for the cool telescope anyhow...). Nintendo is definitely my gaming platform of choice, so I look forward to trying it out.

Song of the Lark

An interesting novel, to be sure. I'm not unfamiliar with Willa Cather, the author of this book. "My Antonia" remains one of my favorite novels of all time. I could simply relate to the characters and really enjoyed her poetically insightful writing style. I've also read "O'Pioneers". Maybe it's because I read those novels so long ago, that this one seems so different. The story had a lengthy set-up process. It took almost 200 pages for something to happen. Prior to this water-shed moment, I felt I was a voyeur peeking through the curtains at this little girl's life. Probably the only thing that kept me interested was the setting of the novel. The early part of the heroine's life was spent in a fictitious Colorado town called "Moonstone". While Moonstone was made up, many other locations in the novel (like La Junta, Denver, and Pueblo) really do exist. Being a Colorado transplant, I am fascinated to learn that some things just don't change: the arid climate, the sparse vegetation, the treatment of Mexicans.

'nother sheepy picture

I'm blue do-da-dee-da-da-da da-duh-dee-da-da-da

My Current Reading List

I'm a multi-tasker when it comes to reading. There are so many books that are on my radar, I usually read more than one at a time. For now, Portrait of the Artist of a Young Man is on hold. I want to follow along with a book on tape and try to absorb some of the things I missed the first 'listen' around. Then I want to read it stand-alone, without narration. This may be very far in the future indeed.

Currently I am reading 'The Story and Its Writer' (wish this blog had underline available) by Ann Charters. It's a collection of respected short stories by authors like Cather, Chekhov, and Joyce to name a few. Probably my first endeavor into publication will be a short story. Reading this collection of short stories has given me a lot of ideas as well as entertainment and inspiration. This type of book can be read along with other works. Since each story represents its own entity and does not tie to the others, I make slow progress through the book, allowing me to focus other time on novels.

I have plans to start two books simultaneously this week. The first is called, Boundaries by Dr. Henry Cloud and somebody named Townsend:) I'm interested in establishing boundaries in relationships to cultivate healthy intimacy. Several friends have recommended this book, and I reading and discovering which principles I need to apply to my own life will prove to be a growth experience.

The second book I plan to start "Song of the Lark" by Willa Cather, will be read for a book discussion group I am trying out at a local library. Several times I have tried to begin this novel before, only to drop out early on due to limitations on my time. I have read 3 other novels of Cather's, each of which struck deep emotional chords with me, and I am hopeful that this novel will be no different.

Write and let me know what you are reading and how it is impacting your life.

Snow on a 50 degree day

 

The weather was great on this hike. The temperature was a strong high 50 in the sun and much less in the shade. Snow is still quite prevalent in the foothills despite warmer temperatures. Here's a picture of the South Platte about 2.5 miles up the canyon.

Rocky Top

 

I really enjoyed the geologic aspect of this hike. I'd love to get into some rockhounding this summer.

Ahoy, Ahoy!

 

Sheep off the starboard bow. Act quick maties! Okay...so I'm not really sure what the starboard bow of a boat is, but I wanted to give another prospective on how close these sheep actually were to us, and how little our presense bothered them.

Mama and Baby

 

Here's an even closer shot of the mama and baby. I zoomed in for this one. I don't like to get physically close to these animals in my pursuit of photography, since it may disturb their grazing. Also, Big Horn Sheep can be aggressive, especially males, when people try to get too close to them. Who wouldn't be?

Up Close and Personal with Sheep!

 

Walking up Waterton Canyon last weekend, I had a close encounter with Rocky Mountain Big Horn Sheep. This was a female and her baby. These sheep were very friendly, leading me to think they had been fed. Maybe not. Maybe they are just used to a lot of foot traffic while they eat.

Trinity in South St. Vrain Canyon

 

View of Canyon Wall

 

This is a view of the canyon wall at one of my favorite pull offs in South St. Vrain Canyon. I like this particular pull off because its a great swim hole in the Spring and Summer and a wonderful writing destination all year round.

Decaying Carcas

 

Found this decaying carcas of a large omnivore at a pull off on South St. Vrain Canyon.

Ice Rink at outdoor shopping mall

 

Drive Up South St. Vrain Canyon