Rainy morning...

Saturday morning was a bit gloomy, but there was no rain, and all the flowers looked... um... as usual? Check it out here - May, Saturday, quiet time with flowers.... But Sunday morning brought some rain, and everything was covered in water droplets and... it looked absolutely stunning!

 

May, Saturday, quiet time with flowers...

I am not sure if I know a better way to relax and forget about a week of work... Strolling along the trails and admiring colorful flowers... what can be better? Beautiful poppied and intricate irises are everywhere today...

 

Different parks... different birds...

I wandered around different parks capturing different birds... City Park, Barr Lake State Park and Rocky Mountain Arsenal Wildlife Refuge... Probably the most exciting find was a Snow Egret. Sometimes this bird keeps its distance, but sometimes lets you get really close.. And it's fun to watch this bird in search of food :)

 

The scent of spring...

Early morning, right after a hearty breakfast and a big cup of coffee, is the best time to go outside and breathe in some fresh air... Actually, smelling some flowers is an even better idea...

 

Lily of the Valley...

A year ago, we stumbled upon a small, unexpected patch of lilies of the valley - and what a delightful surprise it was. We were wandering through Hudson Gardens when something tiny and white caught our attention. Sure enough, it was a little cluster of flowers rarely seen in Colorado (click here to see what we discovered last May - Beautiful flowers in a beautiful garden).

 

Where Bison Graze and Owls Hide

The first time I visited the Rocky Mountain Arsenal Wildlife Refuge, I didn’t get a good look at the bison (click here to see what I mean - Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge - first time here...). They were all far away, and I left a bit disappointed. So I decided to try again the following Saturday… and this time, I got lucky with a much closer encounter.

 

Pasque Flower Portraits: Rain, Snow, and Sunlight

I love this flower... I’ve seen it in the wild - it’s always a delightful find - and I’ve seen it at the Botanic Garden, where it’s just as striking. The genus Pulsatilla includes about 40 species of herbaceous perennials native to the meadows and prairies of North America, Europe, and Asia. Common names include pasque flower (or pasqueflower), wind flower, prairie crocus, Easter flower, and meadow anemone.

 

Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge - first time here...

I've never been to Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge before, and last Saturday I thought it was a good time to check it out. Located just outside of downtown (about 10 miles), it is one of the largest urban refuges in the country. It is a sanctuary away from the hustle and bustle of busy urban life where time moves at nature's pace. With its expansive views, wildlife viewing opportunities, and recreation activities, it's easy to take a nature escape!

 

Code Pink

I've already done "one flower show" in the past - One flower show... And I just realized that I've done it more than once :) - Sunny day... Sunflower day... How about "one color show" and let's go with pink ;)

 

Spring Birds...

Yep, spring is here - and so are the birds. Some of them will disappear in a month or two, while others will simply change growing up - like these adorable Canadian goose chicks. Aren’t they the sweetest?

 

The Tulips That Wouldn’t Give Up

I know you’re probably tired of seeing tulips by now… but I promise, this will be the last time I bring them up (at least for a while!). It’s just so hard to resist sharing them.

 

Oh, these frozen tulips...

Yeah, I know - just a few days ago I shared those beautiful tulip photos (click here to refresh your memory - Oh these beautiful tulips...) and I was really hoping we’d enjoy a few weeks of warm weather. But… this is Colorado, and sure enough, just a week later, we got snow.

 

Two days in Pueblo, day 2

The first day of our trip was long and full of discoveries. We wandered through downtown, visited the Weisbrod Aviation Museum, dined at an Italian restaurant, and explored Neon Alley. It was a perfect day on the road, and we really enjoyed it - check it out - Two days in Pueblo, day 1! Tired but buzzing with impressions, we returned to our B&B and relaxed in the parlor, sipping a drink… So cozy :)

 

Oh these beautiful tulips...

It is this time of the year when the tulips are in full bloom.. And... they are beautiful!

 

Two days in Pueblo, day 1

A few years ago we were driving to New Mexico and made a quick stop in Pueblo... I mean, we wanted to make it quick... but we ended up wandering around for a half a day instead of a planned couple of hours. You can find this story here - The most boring city in Colorado... Really?. We fell in love with this place and decided that one day we would be back for a whole weekend... It took us 7 years to find the time for a longer stay, but last week we finally did it ;)

 

It happened again!

There has never been a year in Colorado where it hasn't snowed while the flowers were blooming... And this year is no exception, so it happened late last week when a fresh (thankfully not heavy) snow covered the area and the flowers that were already blooming...

 

Colorful...

Another Saturday and another stop at the Denver Botanic Garden. Last week the first blooms were just starting to come out (click here - The first blooms... ). And just a week later everything looked so different... More flowers and more colors, and the first tulips were open and basking in the spring sun...

 

Graffiti of RiNo and river walk in Golden

I started that Saturday exploring the waking flowers at the Denver Botanic Garden (click here - The first blooms...) and ended it in Golden, walking along the Clear Creek. But in between those two events, there was something else - mural hunting in the heart of Denver....

 

The first blooms...

Last Saturday I started my day with a stroll around the Botanic Garden looking for flowers that had woken up after winter... and... there were some! Oh these little irises that were everywhere... Dark blue or light blue... only 3 or 4 inches tall, but they looked absolutely gorgeous!

 

Urban or wild...

As much as we enjoyed the morning stroll through the streets of Colorado Spring (click here to see - Sunday morning in Colorado Springs), we had something else on our minds, so we got in the car and headed to our next destination. Not really far from where we spent our morning, just a few miles away. We were moving from something old and traditional to something new and even exotic - the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Museum. Even the building actually looked out of place - too modern and unusual for a relatively old city. But they placed it wisely... in an area where there aren't many other buildings that would cause much discomfort...

 

Another beautiful morning and birds of Barr Lake

The best time to start the hike around Barr Lake is early in the morning. I mean it... as early as you can get out of bed, preferably right before sunrise... If you can do it, the reward is great... pure liquid gold spilling over the horizon line and everything looking like it was made of 24 karat gold.... Beautiful, isn't it?

 

Sunday morning in Colorado Springs

What could be better than waking up early on a sunny Sunday morning and hitting the highway to go somewhere for breakfast... That's what we did one Sunday a couple of weeks ago... When we left the small neighborhood restaurant, we grabbed a cup of hot chocolate and wandered aimlessly through the streets of the still sleepy city...

 

Challenging way back home...

As usual, we enjoyed a stroll through the streets of Taos as the sun went down (click here to refresh your memory - Evening in Taos) and headed back to the place we stayed during this trip. Actually, I think I should say a few words about this place, don’t you think? Normally we stay in the hotel when we are in the area, but this time we opted for AirBnB and we didn't regret it. We spent a couple of days looking at all properties nearby and eventually settled on the historic Mill House. Yeah... it doesn’t look impressive from the outside… an old adobe building that blends in with the surroundings… but inside, it was something else.

 

These beautiful creatures...

Yep, you guessed it right, I am talking about orchids (again). But... instead of looking at them as a whole, let's get closer and search for details. Flowers are amazing creatures, and that's why we love them... but sometimes we can just zoom in and...

 

Everybody has a family... small or big...

Another Saturday and another hike around Barr Lake... I had some hopes when I started out from the parking lot, but I was trying to keep them low so I wouldn't be disappointed... But almost as soon I stepped out of the car, a juvenile bald eagle swooshed above overhead and disappeared into the trees. What a good sign, I thought, and turned around to say hello to prairie dogs that had surrounded the parking lot, ready to run down the holes they have all over the area...

 

Houston, reflections, shapes and shadows...

I've always loved traveling and exploring new places. It's so exciting to spend time in a new city, wander around and learn about it... I spent last weekend in Houston, Texas, but I was busy most of the time and didn't have a chance to explore... too bad...

 

Winter in Winter

The last time I was at the Denver Botanic Garden, I mostly enjoyed some summery blooms and the beautiful orchids (click here to refresh the memory - Summer in Winter). Later, when I stepped out of the conservatory that housed the tropical flowers, I discovered something different. Of course there were no blooming flowers there... but nevertheless, what I found was stunning... Dried seed pods, open and empty, also looked like some kind of exotic flower. Instead of heading home, I decided to stay and see if I can find something amusing...

 

Evening in Taos

We enjoyed visiting Taos museums that day (click here to see it - Two houses, two worlds... ). After we left the Art Museum at Fechin House, we decided to walk the streets. It was such a nice evening and we couldn't resist the temptation to see a little more of Taos...

 

Summer in Winter

February is finally here... Punxsutawney Phil, the famous groundhog weather watcher, was pulled from his warm burrow this morning and saw his shadow, predicting six more weeks of winter. Despite such a forecast, the weather here in Denver is warm and unwintery... But it's not summery either. And we're tired of the cold and snow and would love to escape somewhere. But where? Surprisingly I know the place :) Unsurprisingly it's a Botanic Garden ;) Right, February is the time when orchids start blooming in the Botanic Garden and bring the most summery feeling you can hope for...

 

Two houses, two worlds...

We had a busy morning driving around the town (click here to see - Morning in Taos ). At this point, we needed some rest and recharge. So we quickly cooked lunch and gobbled it :) Now we were ready to explore more...

 

Morning in Taos

As you may remember... our way to Taos was long and indirect (click here to refresh your memory - Adobe churches in Colorado and New Mexico...). But it wasn't really a hard drive, and after a restful night in our historic Airbnb (I promise to show it later) we woke up ready to explore... Since we were staying just a block off the main plaza, we decided on a short walk to look around...

 

Faded day...

An arctic storm slowly crept up and made its way to Colorado last Saturday with below freezing temperatures and light snow. When I opened my eyes that morning and peeked through the window, I was amazed by the light, fluffy snow that covered everything...

 

I miss summer...

January is never warm (and who expects warm weather in the winter, right?)... But this January feels especially hard. The cold bites deeper, and even more frigid air is forecasted for the coming weekend. It's sunny here in Colorado, but I am weary of this endless frost and the monotony of a landscape drained of color.

 

Silhouettes and clouds...

Another Saturday and another wilderness call... when you can't stay home but need to go somewhere and get some fresh cold air to recharge your batteries in anticipation of the week ahead. And Denver is a great place to do that because here you don't have to go very far. You can find what you need just in the middle of the city... All you need is to stop by some state park... Barr Lake park for example. In winter time you won't be able to enjoy the green lush trees surrounding the lake, but you can find something that you won't find in the summer - amazing tree silhouettes. Usually they are accompanied by some incredible reflections (click here to check it out - Spring Close-ups and reflections)... But not now... The water level is still surprisingly low (not as low as a couple months ago - Beautiful Saturday morning, but still low).

 

Chilly day...

Saturday morning was chilly... Hmm.. I guess it was even cold, with about 20F and fog, covering some streets and disappearing from others. Despite the forecast, there was no snow on the ground, but there was a lot of frost on the grass and trees. So I went to the Botanic Garden in hope to find some frost there. But to my surprise, there was none. But the road and trails were dusted with a light layer of snow...

 

All possible colors

Sometimes when summer comes, we are surrounded by flowers and look at them without even noticing them... They just become a part of everyday landscape and... our minds miss registering these bright creatures... But when it's cold outside (that's right, I am talking about winter time) and most of the colors are gone (yeap, winter again) we miss these colorful and beautiful flowers...