• landscape,  moonrise,  sunsets

    Even though I’d forgotten

    August 3, 2015
    Glowing Sunset
    Glowing Sunset

    Last Friday evening was to be a full moon. I forgot. But things worked out for me anyway. Friday was a day filled with clear blue skies, nary a cloud to be seen and hot. Even with that in mind I jumped in the car to drive out east on some country dirt road for some quiet and open space. I spent a good hour taking everything in, refreshing my soul, as they say. Without clouds to reflect the sun there was no red sky.

    I started home around 8:30 pm, after the sun had dropped behind the Rocky Mountain horizon. My route home was to drive south south on County Road 13. Just as I crested the ridge about a quarter mile down the road, I was greeted with a gorgeous view of the rising full moon in the east. I raced ahead and stopped at a couple of places where I figured I could get a decent photo. I have one decent image but, stopping, turning off the engine and taking it all in was what I needed. I was given a wonderful gift for a short period of time, even though I’d forgotten it was to be  full moon.

    Full Moon
    Full Moon
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  • landscape,  sunsets

    I Had Visitors Come to Colorado

    June 24, 2015
    Sunset
    After Sunset

    This past week I had the chance to meet up with fellow photography Tom Dills and his wife Kathy. They were on vacation, exploring Colorado for the first time. The last part of their itinerary included a few days in Fort Collins. I gladly took them for a short tour of the Colorado Front Range and the eastern plains. Our landscape is very different from the wooded area in North Carolina. We also met for dinner a couple for nights as they explored the town of Fort Collins. We enjoyed dinner at a couple  restaurants in town. They are good people and I enjoyed visiting with them. There were only a couple of times when Tom and I wandered off in our conversation about photography gear and software, leaving Kathy to listening mode.

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  • clouds,  landscape

    May 17, 2015
    Building Storm Clouds
    Building Storm Clouds over Fossil Creek Reservoir

    Colorado State University is having their graduations this weekend. Since I live only four blocks from campus I decided to vacate the area and avoid the traffic. I spent the earlier part of the day at the Fossil Creek Reservoir Nature Area. It is a massive area of almost 1,400 acres reserved for birds. You will find geese, eagles, grebes, hawks, ospreys, meadowlarks, robins and those cute little birds that dart everywhere. I walked to one of the viewing sites and just spent quiet time there. Later on in the afternoon I drove out east for more quiet and to have a grand  view of the mountains and our afternoon storm clouds. It’s been a good month for clouds. Each and every day we are given a new set of clouds to enjoy.

    The second image was farther east along a farmer’s field. You can see the rain falling as the system moves eastward.

    Rain Clouds
    Rain Clouds
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  • clouds,  flowers,  mountains

    Storm Clouds

    May 14, 2015
    Storm Clouds in the West
    Storm Clouds in the West

    The weatherman was right. They predicted thunderstorms for yesterday afternoon and sure enough clouds  built up in the west over the mountains. It began to rain along the foothills then moved out  out to the east. I took the above image at the Cathy Fromme Nature Area then drove out east in anticipation of some good clouds. But I watched the storm build up and obscure the mountains with a refreshing half inch rain. And the plants are loving it. It was all good and the weatherman was right.

    Blue Flowers
    Blue Flowers

     

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  • Avian,  lake,  sunsets

    Last Nights Concert

    April 30, 2015
    Sunset over Timnath Reservoir
    Sunset over Timnath Reservoir

    Went to the concert at Timnath Reservoir along County Road 13 last night. Performing artists were by the Red-winged Blackbirds, Yellow-headed Blackbirds, meadowlarks, at least two grackles, and  croaking frogs. I pleased to see for the first time a special performance put on by several Western Grebes.

    Western Grebes in a rushing courtship
    Western Grebes in a “rushing” courtship

    I witnessed several pairs of grebes rise in the water and scurry across as in the image above. Excuse the poor image as they were beyond the reach of my lens. This dance was a new experience for me. As it is a mating time I guessed it to be some courtship and had to look it up when I got home. This courtship happens entirely in the water and is known as “rushing,” where two birds turn to one side, lunge forward in synchrony, their bodies completely out of the water, and race across the water side by side with their necks curved gracefully forward. It was awesome and a great way to finish my day.

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  • landscape,  sunsets

    Unusual Color Cast

    November 30, 2014
    Sunset Along Front Range

    Back on November 6th was a full moon. I happen to notice the rise of the full moon was forecast for 5:04 pm and the sunset was forecast for 4:59 pm. I needed to find a place to experience this. I chose County Road 13 which is a dirt road about 10 miles east of town. It was a bit cooler than I expected but I was dressed for it. There are a couple of trees that I enjoy using in my sunrise images so I thought I’d use them for the moonrise images. After quickly setting up I began the wait. For some this is a boring time but I sort of enjoy it. I listen to and watch the birds near me. I was setup to catch the moon on the eastern horizon but all the activity in nature was happening behind me in the west. On the west side of the road were the gulls, ducks, geese, red-winged blackbirds, a huge owl, a red-tailed hawk, and about a dozen pelicans were having a party on and along the shores of Timnath Lake. I didn’t get the email about the party.

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  • landscape,  mountains,  sunrises

    Pastel Colors

    August 26, 2013

    Sunrise on the Colorado Front Range
    Sunrise on the Colorado Front Range

    This past Saturday morning I rose before sunrise and drove out to a favorite location to enjoy the morning sunrise. I like this location for several reasons. There are some isolated trees in a farmers field that I enjoy working into some images. There are two wetland/marshes where I can find plenty of red-winged blackbirds and yellow headed blackbirds feeding on insects during the early summer mornings and evenings. On this particular morning I had walked through an open fence and into the farmers field about 20 feet, setup my tripod low the the ground and started pressing the shutter. The sun was just starting to crest the horizon when I heard a vehicle stop just behind my car. As I stood up I noticed it was a police car. I grabbed the camera and tripod and walked over to meet him. He was friendly and just checking on my car which was parked off the road and gave me a warning that I was on private property. I quickly went back to my previous location in time to shoot the sunrise. It is always good for us to turn around and look to the west just as the sun begins to rise as the sky can present us with beautiful pastel colors.

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  • landscape,  mountains,  sunsets

    Front Range Sunset

    February 26, 2013

    Front Range Sunset

    After two days of snow and an accumulation of 7-14 inches, depending on where you were in the city of Fort Collins, we had clear skies and sunshine. It was 6 degrees yesterday when I crawled out of bed at 6:00 am. The high temperatures never rose above freezing. But with the warm Colorado sunshine the snow quickly melts as natures prepares for the next snowfall. We are expecting 30% chance of snow again today.

    As the above image shows most of my images are not of iconic or exotic places. They are taken close to home. I try to get out and explore whats’ near and always coming across new places, at least to me. I wander through the nature areas, local parks and the Old Town area of Fort Collins. If I have my camera with me I know there is an image to be made. Anyway here is the Colorado Front Range just after sunset last night. It was 18 when I took this shot. I must admit, as I walked back to the car I was wishing I was shooting a sunset in Key West. Maybe someday.

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