Big Sky Country

Back in 1962 Montana set out a tourism promotion and called the state "Big Sky Country". Miles of flat land and nothing but the distant horizon and vast open sky is the daily view. Well, Wyoming can also call itself a big sky country...if not officially.  Songs, books, and resorts have been named after the big sky. While Grand Tetons present a firm anchor with their pointed and craggy peaks to contrast with the soft and succulent sky, there is still a whole lot of blue canopy that covers your head.  

The morning air was cool and great to inhale.  The afternoon air was dry but fresh.  By late afternoon clouds would begin to form. (If I lived there I would open up a chapstick booth as that is the what is used in vast commodities as people fling back their heads and gazed open-mouthed at the heavens.)  

There are people who feel vulnerable and naked if standing in the middle of a meadow with a vast expanse of the earth all around them.  They feel safer in the shadows of a highrise in a city somewhere.  I, on the other hand, feel as if I can breathe once again.  As if my life has opened to a natural rhythm and freedom.  As if I am in an invisible embrace of the earth.

And while I was exhausted at 9:00 P.M. when the sunsets began, I did get a few sunset photos on a late moose hunt

North to Colorado

I am supposed to be exercising and here I sit blogging. Hubby is off at a booth in the museum talking about bugs(insects), but after two loads of laundry, washing dishes, finishing my bill paying, I passed to peruse my photos.

We met up with the brother and his wife and went to the mountains of Colorado to their home for a few days before heading out to Jackson Hole, Wyoming for a week of fly fishing (just the guys) and hiking (guys and gals). There was good food, a bit of shopping and even a pedicure that we managed to squeeze into the days. Then we headed south to Berthoud, Colorado for dinner with my youngest brother and his wife and then on to Denver where we stayed for a few days with my sister and her husband. Still digesting all the emotion and activity and may get around to posting photos when I have actually come back to earth. The trip to find where we scattered my parents' ashes is a full story in itself. 

The weather in the mountains of Colorado was rich in green.  They had rain and this made for unusual plant color in late July.  Weather was hot and dry, and just as hard to endure as our humid heat because it was up closer to the sun!

Below are some photos I took while we walked around my brother's mountain house.  

This green is the back "lawn."  Gorgeous!

This above was taken at a nearby resort ranch.

Great place for weddings.

Flowers were abundant due to the rains.

This was my view on an early morning walk before the others got up.  The mist formed over the waters each morning.  I did not run into elk, moose or wolves...but they lived here.  I saw an early morning Bald Eagle fly over the yard as well as a Blue Heron, western Blue Birds, sparrows, and hummingbirds. Even got a few photos.

Bits and Bobs in No Order

Bob 1:  Currently getting ready for a two-week trip to Colorado and Wyoming. Hubby bid on a fly fishing day at a charitable auction and "won." My family lives in Colorado, so we will be spending some good family time.

Bit 1:  Was that not the best Women's World Cup series ever?  Even the losing teams played really well and 5 foot 11 inches Sara van Veenendaal was marvelous.  

Bob 2:  Taking my second all-day meadow field trip tomorrow.  So looking forward to the heat, humidity, and ticks.  Photos to follow in the distant future.

Bit 2:  Binge watching he seven seasons of The Closer while paying bills and folding laundry.  Had forgotten how much I enjoyed it years ago.

Bob 3:  Still working on learning my camera.  It is a challenge, but I keep telling myself that I am supposed to be encouraging challenges at my age.  (Newer photos on my other Blog.)

Bit 3:  I have lost most of my parsley and since we seem to have kept the rabbit outside the fence, thus, this has to be an opossum?  Did you know that its ancestors go back 65 million years?

Bob 4:  Upon our return from big sky country, we have two days of company, and after that, we have a dog visiting for two weeks.

Bit 4:  Hubby is in fine health once again!  We both hope we can endure the higher altitudes while trying to keep up with my slightly younger brother who is a runner and his wife who is a water aerobics instructor!

Wishing you balance in your life as the summer moves upon us like a wet blanket.

Do You Think It is Old Age?

Hubby got a funny little cough about 12 days ago. It was infrequent and dry, but unusual for him. We had spent days in the week prior with the public interacting at a Master Gardener's booth ...

... and then the week before that we were with the Grands canoeing and spelunking and "cabining" in the Shenandoah valley. 

We even squeezed in one small hike.  No one was sick on the trip and some of us had lots more energy than others at the end of the day. 

Anyway, his cough did morph into a cold which put him in bed for 6 days. A mild fever on one of the days came and went pretty fast. He started to get up and about this past weekend, cough still hits him once or twice a day and he is slowly building up his stamina. I think as we age, if we spend days in bed, we weaken dramatically.

Actually, I was going to write something about aging and illnesses and after I looked at all the pictures above, I think we did darn good!  Getting ready for some hiking in Colorado next!  (I really have to pace myself...don't let the photos above fool you.)