Thunderstorms moved through yesterday afternoon, messing up quite a few plans for the 4th of July. I heard this morning they evacuated City Park due to lightning then reopened later and went on with the fireworks display in the evening. Sometime during the night I awoke to more thunderstorms, lightning and rain. I went to my granddaughters yesterday afternoon for a BBQ. I over ate and ate more meat than my body is used to so I did not sleep well. Nor do I feel all that well today. When will I learn?
It has been cloudy, misty and cool. Had morning coffee at Starry Night then met a friend for breakfast. Went to Watson Lake this afternoon to journal. However I spent my time taking photos. This is Watson Lake with the mountains shrouded by low lying clouds. The small white dust spot on the right side of the image is a lone pelican. Again, the clouds draw me in. Hope you enjoyed your Wednesday.
As I turned onto Bingham Hill road I encountered a flock of 15 turkeys swaggering and fanning their tail feathers. I stopped, watched and listened to them. They are quite amusing. Took a dozen images but had too short of a lens for an image I would like to have had. A quarter mile down the road I came across a dozen mule deer grazing in the open field. Again I stopped to watch and listen. From there I drove to Watson Lake to sit at a favorite spot overlooking the lake. I soon heard the call of an eagle then watched it land on the ice with a fish in its talons. With binoculars I watched as the bird devoured the whole thing, leaving nothing. After the eagle flew away I sat in the quiet of the frozen lake. Behind me I could hear the sound of the Poudre River as it continued its journey eastward. So an afternoon drive became a series of spiritual experiences with nature. So glad I got out.
… I had my heart surgery, where they replaced my aortic valve. So, I thought I’d share my gratitude list with you today as it follows the theme of my last posting:
Thankful for a healthy heart and it’s as full as it is
Thankful for time with family and friends
Thankful for the opportunity to enjoy the things that have become such a gift in my life such as time with nature, photography, blogging, conversations with family and friends
Thankful for my prayer and meditation times
Thankful for my journals, fountain pens and the words I uncover with them
Thankful I can experience and enjoy each new sunrise and sunset
Thankful for another day to venture into a coffee shop to visit my favorite baristas
Thankful for the chance to read poetry, which I’d never done before
Thankful for the chance to try my hand at poetry, haiku
Thankful for the chance to create more of my photo books to share my photography and my words
Thankful for my home and the remodeling this past year
Thankful for blueberries in my Irish Oats 😂
Thankful for DQ Blizzards 😂
Thankful for my camera upgrade 2 years ago and a lust for the next upgrade 😂
Thankful that what I have is enough and in all honesty do not need anything more than what is already in my life
Thankful that there are still those who embrace love, compassion, serenity, joy, hope, peace and …. ❤️
Our first stop on our Peak to Peak highway drive on Sunday was Mary’s Lake. Hardly any breeze so the lake was smooth as glass. Every plant still in the shade, had a coat of light frost on it. Marys Lake is part of the Colorado-Big Thompson Project. There are 2 dikes on the shoreline of Mary’s Lake, located approximately 2 miles from Estes Park, Colorado. Mary’s Lake serves two primary purposes: it acts as an afterbay for the Mary’s Lake Power Plant, and it helps regulate Colorado-Big Thompson Project water on its way to the Estes Power Plant. I guess another purpose is to provide beautiful reflections.
Arrived at Fremont Lake yesterday afternoon to clear skies and warm weather. I do not have wifi or cellular at my campsite, which is something I expected. Lets me know how much I use both.
My drive was without trouble. I encountered a ton of road construction on I-80. Seems they were working on the interstate all the way from Laramie to Rock Springs, Wyoming. I would also say 70% of all traffic was semi trucks. Once I turned onto 191 the semi trucks disappeared and the traffic switched to RVs, Vans, and trailers. The interstate follows two separate railroad tracks so I saw almost continuous trains going both east and west.
My campsite
There are 39 campsites at the Fremont Lake Campground. All were taken except two which I didn’t expect. I chose #7 because it had shade trees while the other one was wide open but had a wonderful view of the lake. That turned out to be a good choice because of the protection by my sisters the trees and they helped isolate noise, letting me enjoy the quiet. My back was sore when I went to bed from all the driving but slept well until early morning. Camping is cheap for us seniors as it only cost me $15 for two nights.
Yesterday afternoon at Fremont Lake
I did some walking after setting up camp so I was able to get my steps in, and some. The area around the lake is a large boulder field and I’m talking big boulders. Wildlife is everywhere, deer, antelope, hawks and squirrels everywhere I turned. I did not remember how much boating there is on the lake. But, that was 19 years ago. I drove around yesterday evening to explore the area and took the above image while sitting on one of those large boulders. Such peace and quiet. I just may do it again this evening. The silence and quiet was a primary reason for this trip.
The drama of storm clouds and the sun about to rise after the rain
The wind began blowing hard about 4:39 am, followed by lightning and thunder. Then, a nice gentle rain began falling and rained for a good hour. I stayed dry. The trees protected me from the wind and some rain. So that was a good reason to choose this site. There is something magical for me to lay there warm, dry and listening to the rain. I did not sleep much after it began raining, so I’ve been up for a while. But, there’s always the afternoon power nap!
There is something about the scent of wet sage and having an antelope checking me out.
I drove into town with hopes to get my mocha latte fix, my internet fix and hopefully some early morning photos fix. Got all three! Now in a coffee shop call Pine Coffee Supply. It’s an old converted garage. They do their own roasting. I was here at 7:30 am when they opened and they have been busy every since I arrived. Could be because they are the only coffee shop in town. That’s the end of this update.
“Can you remember who you were before the world told you who you should be?”
Charles Bukowski
This is from last Friday. I made a trip to Loveland and stopped at Lake Loveland for a photo of the blue sky over the frozen lake. They were also doing some controlled burns west of town and you can see the smoke rising up in the foothills. Yesterday and today have been beautiful days but still on the coldish side for me. Please be careful at the Super Bowl parties and don’t over eat on chips and salsa or any other addictive foods that are spread out on the table. Enjoy your day!
cloudless eastern sky night departs new day begins peaceful time of day
ms
Not a cloud to be seen from the north to the south this morning. No wind. Very quiet and calming at the natural area. I find these experiences bring serenity and a peace to the world within me. Wish more of the world would start their day with moments like this. Time with nature.
