All you have to decide

Nostalgia

Tonight I'm feeling incredibly nostalgic for the people and events of the first half of the year after seeing some of my friend's photos. It's a funny thing - incredible longing, but you can't go back. Even a return to the same place would have a different feel. I guess nostalgia is good because it shows that you have had true meaning and good people in your life. I can be guilty of spending my time looking back rather than appreciating the present. Even in the seasons that you would like to fast forward through, there is good to be found. I guess the key is to be fully present in each phase of life! I have a dear friend who does this so well. She says that it is "hard to be somewhere else when the now is so exciting!"

I don't want to leave here, I don't want to stay. It feels like pinching to me either way. The places I long for the most are the places where I've been. They are calling out to me like a long lost friend....

I've been painting pictures of Egypt and leaving out what it lacked
The future seems so hard and I want to go back
But the places that used to fit me cannot hold the things I've learned
Those roads were closed off to me while my back was turned.

The past is so tangible, I know it by heart, familiar things are never easy to discard. I was longing for some freedom, but now I hesitate to go, I am caught between the promise and the things I know....
(Sara Groves, Painting Pictures of Egypt)

Old friend

This is my dear old friend, P.V. I saw him when I went home to PA in October for the first time in almost 5 years. He is 30 years old which is pretty old for a horse. His personality hasn't changed. Spunky and sweet, he loves people, being fed carrots and apples and he is very curious. He's at the top of the pecking order at the barn - the old man is in charge. His muzzle still smells the same. Oh, so good!

Caden and Alyssa, my cousin Sarah's kids, had their first horse ride on P.V. I don't know who enjoyed it most - them, me or PV!

This is just after I gave P.V. a much needed bath....5 years of dirt doesn't come off in one bath, but he looked so much better afterward! As in his youth, he was invigorated by the bath making him want to run and toss his head. He was rewarded for tolerating his bath by eating grass on the side of the fence where it IS greener!

This is where I usually found P.V. when I arrived at the barn. Although there are several stalls in the same enclosure as the field they could run and graze in, these 3 horses prefer to hang out together in the same stall. Here you can see P.V. and his buddy, Synbad.

P.V. is looking at those big round hay bales wrapped in plastic. He has always been afraid of them and, even at a distance, is looking at them with suspicion! We went for an hour long trail ride - what a trooper! It was just walking, but I was pretty impressed with his stamina as an old horse who has not being ridden for years.

Chilly Pikes Peak

Sedona tries to get closer to the beauty by putting her head out the window! I like her silhouette against the darkening sky.

Fall in Colorado

Fall in Colorado fall is characterized by stark contrasts of yellow aspens, pines, azure blue sky, and mountains. It's different from Pennsylvania where rolling hills with yellows, reds and oranges mix with the lush greens provided by lots of rainfall. The picture below has some reds that are unusual for Colorado.

This post is a little late now that we are in winter rather than fall, but isn't it spectacular? My camera fails to capture the full vibrant beauty of the fall landscape, but this is a glimpse. The fall foliage is mostly aspens so you have to go where they are....this stretch of highway between Divide and Cripple Creek is loaded with glorious vistas of changing aspens.

Can you see anything in the above photo? I think it looks like there is a "10" in the leaf color - it gets a 10/10!!!

Sedona enjoyed the views too, but was disappointed when she had to admire them from the car. At this stop, she got out and explored with her nose.

September fun

This past weekend Barb, Cely and I spent a carefree and fun day together playing, hiking and eating. The day started with breakfast in Green Mountain Falls, a little town about 10 miles into the mountains. It was sunny, but a little cool and crisp with the smell of fall in the air. We hiked off our breakfast for about 3 hours with little breaks for tree climbing and photo shoots. Afterward, we were on a quest for something sweet and ended up sharing a piece of carrot cake that the waiter said was "half the size of his head"! And worth every calorie!!

Cely gets points for climbing style!

My imaginary tree seat

"Would you just throw the stick?!"

My friend, Elissa, was helping me throw the stick for Sedona.

I've never been to a Labor Day party like this one! It was a 50's hip hop theme with root beer floats, games and dancing. There were lots of poodle skirts and saddle shoes. This is Jennifer, my roommate, with Preston, her boyfriend (he stayed in character pretty well that day as Prestina, a 50's girl, but he actually looks much better as a guy!), Elissa, Jennifer's niece, and Olivia.

Natural beauty

Many of my photos recently have been Colorado landscapes. After being away, I'm looking at this land through fresh eyes and appreciating it again as if it were new to me. Garden of the Gods is a worthy tourist attraction here. I enjoy walking there in the evening in the less populated areas.

Fall is approaching and Pikes Peak has some snow on it!

Sunset over the mountains

Going, going, gone!

Three of us went out for a beautiful hike in the mountains in Woodland Park yesterday. We interspersed having some fun and taking pictures with our hiking. I thought it would be fun to hang from this pretty little Aspen tree....