Why am I awake?

I was somewhere deep in dream land when the voice on the clock radio shocked me into reality...it was 3:15 am.  It always takes me a few seconds to figure out why I am awake at an hour like that but when fishing is involved it does not take me long to be pulling my pants on and heading for the coffee pot.  

When we arrived at the lake it was just breaking dawn and the eastern sky was fabulous.   The early hours fishing were equally fantastic.  We caught 15 and kept our limit by 8:30 am.  The smallest was 17” and the longest was around 20”.  It makes getting up that early worth it all.

Something is Stirring

A person's word is his / her bond.  A promise can be the most important words a person will ever speak.  Once a promise is made you should avoid at all cost not keeping it.  You never want to be thought of as a "snake in the grass". 

The term "snake in the grass" describes a person that can't be trusted.  You never know when they may strike.

I happen to think real snakes in the grass are a very beautiful part of our natural world.  It’s too bad they have such a poor reputation. 

You Never Know What You'll Find

Well it is the season for mamas and babies, this time it's cows and calf elk at our property in the mountains.  While I didn't actually push the shutter button for this image, I did set the trail camera in a good place, so I did have some direct involvement with the creation of this photo.  The trail camera is a fascinating tool to see what is moving around in the mountains (day or night) that you don't see.  You never know what you will find when you review the memory card inside the camera.

Grandma's little helper

Grandma's little helper.  Now if I can just teach him to mow the lawn we'll be set.

Twins

There is something magical about babies...babies of any kind, except spiders that is.  These beautiful little twin fawns and their mother visited our yard today.  I was able to carefully and quietly follow them to a wooded area away from the houses and capture these images.  I felt lucky to have gotten them. 

Sacred Ground

Mary and I took a hike in Muller State Park, guided by one of the park rangers.  This tree was featured as part of the ranger’s presentation.  She called it a "Ute Indian Prayer Tree".  They have found 20 of them on Muller State Park.  The Ute Indians formed these trees as young saplings to grow in this shape.  All of the trees point toward Pikes Peak and are sacred to the Ute tribe that used to live in this area.  So if you ever come across a tree like this…stop and say a little prayer…you are in a sacred place.

A smile goes a long way.

How you greet someone, that first impression, makes all the difference in the world.  It can totally affect your future relationship with that person.  Make sure your first impression is a good one.  Smile, be professional, be courteous, and you will go much further than if you are a grouch.

A Handsome Moose Indeed

Such natural beauty, the face only his mother could love.

Magnificent Colors

When God designed the Peacock he couldn't have done it much better.  They are truly magnificent, and they strut around like they somehow know it.

No Matter what you do!

Sometimes, no matter what you do, it's just going to be a bad hair day.  Just make the best of it.

Aaaaaaaa Chooooooo

God Bless You.

Stealth at it's best

Basking in the warm afternoon sun, a perfect hunter, built for stealth, yet amazingly beautiful, 48 inches of pure muscle and yet very docile, until he strikes that is...

The Big One Year Party

Titus had his one year birthday party this weekend.  It was a great party and he had a ball eating his cake as you can see.

Want a Bite?

Fresh Rainbow Trout ready for the fillet knife can only be topped by perfectly seasoned fillets sizzling  on an Alder plank.  Truly a mouth watering delight.   Want a bite…darn...they're all gone.  I'll have to go catch some more.

You've Come A Long Way

This morning Andrea was inducted into the "Delta Mu Delta Society" honoring her college academic achievements.  Only the top 10% of the class who have completed at least 75% of the required credits and who have the highest GPA are nominated to be inducted. We are all very proud of her.

Delta Mu Delta
International Honor Society in Business

Delta Mu Delta was founded by the Dean from Harvard University and four professors from Yale University and New York University in November, 1913.

 In 1963 DMD was admitted to membership in the Association of College Honor Societies, ACHS, an organization whose objective is to maintain high standards for the recognition and promotion of academic excellence in higher education.

In 1992 the Society established an affiliation with the Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs, ACBSP.  Delta Mu Delta is the International Honor Society for business programs accredited by ACBSP at the baccalaureate, graduate and doctoral levels.

Valentines Day in June

Blooming hearts are everywhere, find your sweetheart and give him or her a kiss, it's Valentine’s Day in June.

Color Explosions

Brilliant bursts of color are exploding from every corner of Mary's garden.  It's amazing how ones temperament can be enhanced by just a few moments surrounded by such dazzling beauty. 

A great shot

Tyler is showing off with his new 20 ga. birthday present.  He did amazingly well busting those clay targets as they flew across the valley.  He missed very few, and I was very proud of him.

Dichotomy of Feelings

A burning crimson ball, even more spectacular through the smoky haze of unstoppable fires, is testimony to the tragedy raging to our south.  My feelings are surely dichotomized as I marvel at this radiant morning sky all the while knowing the true cause of this wonderment.   

Mothers will be mothers

As I sat watching this group of geese and goslings it struck me how similar all living creatures are.  Here is a group of mother geese taking their kids (goslings) to the park to play.  All the kids are playing together in a group (notice the different ages of the goslings) and the concerned mothers are following close behind, ever watchful.  If I were to walk down the path near the playground I would no doubt see the exact same thing with all of the children playing together and their mothers keeping a close watch.

Honk Honk

At first she was not sure if I was friend or foe.  I had to build a little trust and move very slowly.  I sat down and didn't look at her but just sat there pulling up some grass as if I didn't care if she was around.  I think she thought I was just another big funny looking goose feeding on the lawn.  I continued to inch a little closer until finally I snapped her photo.

A Great Fisherman

He stood there... perfectly still...no movement at all...not a twitch...not a blink...a statue.  If you didn't know better you would think he was made of stone. 

I watched him for what seemed like an eternity before he made his move.

His strike was lightning fast…
his aim...perfect.

After he swallowed the fish he did this little celebration dance.  He was one happy fisherman (fisherbird)  I've done that dance before so I know how he felt.





When his dance was finished he went back to his fishing position, fluffed his feathers to dry,  and waited for another unsuspecting morsel to swim by.

Teamwork, hard work, great fun!

More weekend photos of our wood working project.  Great teamwork, hard work, and great fun, and lots of future campfires.