Christmas in Colorado

Winter in Colorado offers its own special beauty and the holiday season gives us a chance to reflect on the past year while we look forward to the next.  The pictures in this post represent the first snow in the high country of what has been a relatively mild winter in our Grand Valley.  As warm weather aficionados, we are grateful that the snow has given way to cloudy, but warmer days.  May you enjoy this Christmas Season with family and friends and may these pictures remind you of good times past and present.  May the coming year be rich in blessings and pleasant adventures.

Merry Christmas - Feliz Navidad!

Frozen in Time

The end of fall is marked by the migration of birds flying south to escape the chill of winter.  The pictures in this essay were all taken around a frozen brace of connected ponds near our hotel in Ft. Collins.  We had gathered with family to celebrate that wonderful American holiday - Thanksgiving - and bundled up to enjoy a few frigid minutes in the cold air.  My son and I shared the camera for some of these shots.  Passing it back and forth, we savored the time together -- sometimes surprised at how two people, each with a decidedly different perspective, can enjoy the singular beauty of our shared world.  I love the textures created when fluid water and colorful fall vegetation are frozen together in time.

Reflections on Autumn

The change of seasons is always a time for reflection.  Fall tends to elicit a mix of emotions in most of us.  There is melancholy for the loss of a warm summer days, the dread of cold and winter, but the excitement and anticipation of the high spirited holiday season.  The colors slowly turn from mixed green to yellow, to bright orange and crimson.  The pictures in this post present several perspectives on those varied colors and emotions.

 

City Reflections

The San Juan's in Full Color

Colorado is one of the most beautiful places in the country to watch the colors change.  Every corner of the state gives you a different perspective on the annual spectacle.  The beauty of the San Juan mountains only enhances the fall colors -- with a reminder that they are temporary and winter follows closely.

 

My Favorite Vaga!