Let it...

Snow.

We hiked the Royal Arches Trail in Chatauqua during the snowfall and I snapped some shots of October's Winter Wonderland.

The view from the trail head. You can't see our final destination.

It's lost in the mist.

Snow frosting pines and rocks.

Snowbend.

Confused deciduous trees, under the impression that it's still fall.

It looks something like Nature imitating Jackson Pollock...

Evergreen vs. Deciduous, with Jack Frost as mediator.

Sheltering Pines.

Snowy Flatirons.

Rock formations and icicles.

No campfires for frigid fingers.

Lichen and Snow.

The Royal Arch,

And a tenacious pine.

The view off the mountain top was something like looking into a glass of milk. I felt like Coraline, at the end of Other Mother's world.

photos: LCT Boulder 2009

Life. 2.0

Feeling a little out of focus.

But still Fabulous.

And feeling indebted to Anna Spiro at AbsolutelyBeautifulThings for introducing me to Rodney. Anna is a gem. Go visit her blog. Insta-pick-me-up.

photo: RodneySmith.com

Life.

I adore this Rodney Smith photo. It makes me want to throw on a ballgown and crawl barefoot on the roof and just see what there is to see. It also reminds me of a Rothko painting because, at least on the right half of the image, the sky and the roof almost seem on the same plane. If you have a little time to kill, or are looking for an exercise in surrealizations, avail yourself of Rodney Smith. I wish I had enough cash to splurge on his book, but alas. One must be frugal.

I'm feeling a little restless. A little all dressed up...and stranded on the rooftop. I guess this is not surprising, considering I voluntarily and spontaneously uprooted myself not a month ago. And now all that fidgety energy is bouncing off the walls of my soul, caterwauling for some constructive productivity. Whatever could be lying over that horizon?

Photo: Rodney Smith portfolio image, from the inimitable collection of Mr. Smith, found at rodneysmith.com.

It's So Easy Being Green.

My cousin leant me the use of her old Schwinn 3-speed to tool around Boulder until I can amass enough green to buy a bike of my own. For right now, this classic beauty is all the green I need. The nice man at University Bikes (he had a wedding ring, mom. i checked.) told me not to ride her down any hills, not to go fast, and not to brake hard, because she's got no rear brake. Calling to mind my father's Mazda from the late 80's, it occurs to me that my family likes to live on the edge by using deathtraps as regular modes of transportation...

I've named her Elphaba, because she's unpredictable, she's got character, and she rides like the wind. And she's green.

"And since folks here, to an absurd degree, seem fixated on... verdigree," she suits me just fine.

photo: LCT Boulder 2009

Welcome to Boulder.

Okay, gang. This is what it's all about:

That's what the Flatirons look like when the rain is dissipating. Somewhere between ancient heavenly lace being lifted from the rock face and a divine techie (that's old-school, theatre techie, not modern cyber-genius techie) going overboard with a smoke machine for a grand deus-ex-machina entrance, sits the rainy day on the edge of the Rockies. In 30 minutes, the sun will be out.

I'm finally someplace where grey days have magic again. It's kind of nice.

Photo: LCT Boulder 2009

Prettiness Feeds the Soul.

I've been aching to put up a little something pretty... just for the heck of it. After all that travelogue, it's nice to find a little superficial joy in some lovely flowers, a stunning hat, and a dress that is to die for.

Step Four: Make for Home like a Bandit.

On Day Four, the sun rose before I could hit the road. (ok. I was busy watching Wednesday night's episode of Glee on my computer.) 7ish hours to go, with broad swathes of Nebraska ahead of me. Exits come only once every 15 miles, and they don't really resemble "exits" at all. The terrain finally flattened out, though I paralleled the river basin so the trees were abundant. As were the wheat and corn.

Nebraska's speed limit is largely 75mph.

Also, everyone travels 80mph in Nebraska.

Also, there are no troopers in Nebraska. Not until you hit the Colorado border, and then they were all on the other side of the highway divide.

Colorado mimics Nebraska for miles, and then before you know it, you're rolling with the landscape, like it's rousing itself after all those miles of being flat. And all of a sudden, the earth stretches and rises high.

More church-snapping out the window.

You get to see so many of these when you drive across the country, they almost seem like little creatures who roll about and cluster with their friends, or sag into the ground, or just stare at you while you drive past.

Ladies and Gentlemen, The Bale-Rockettes of Nebraska.

Destination: Rocky Mountains.

Photos: LCT, Nebraska and Colorado, 2009.