As Fall Fades, the Deer Return

Standing on our deck in my bare feet, sipping hot coffee, while admiring the pre-dawn sky, I felt so grateful to know that we'll always have stars, even after all of the leaves fall.  There is nothing that makes me feel like I am a part of this vast universe like looking at the star-studded sky here in Marysvale, where the sky is blacker, and the constellations brighter.  My heart felt heavy this morning, and I needed the reminder that there are certain parts of nature that are with us always. Yes, I'm feeling melancholy the more the signs of autumn fade into the first signs of winter.

Yesterday on our drive through the canyon, I drove a little slower.  I reminded Bridger to take it all in.  "The leaves won't be here much longer."  He wasn't too sad about it.  There are still plenty of leaves to enjoy.  I've just been noticing as more of the leaves turn to rust, the trees are exposing more of their bare bark and limbs.  The trees of winter are preparing to take their stand.

I love fall foliage.  Each delicate leaf, perfect in its imperfection speaks to me.  I love the splashes of color on our rocky mountains, and the trees in their autumnal grandeur, and even the fallen leaves, slowly decomposing on the forest floor.  I'm going to miss them.

One thing I can count on during this time of year, is our deer returning.  How my heart soared to see them grazing in the yard at the edge of the trees.  I know they eat our trees and grass.  I know that some of our pine trees will never recover from the deer feeding on them.  I still love it when they honor us with their presence.

Our neighbors all the way up the canyon talk of their deer.  Pam's have names.  The deer rest on her porch in the shade, and love to feast on watermelon rinds and corn.  Most of us love the deer.  Those who love their gardens and fruit trees protect them with fences.

The matriarch of the canyon who seems to think of Pam's deck as home.

Meet a couple of our more recent guests...

Handsome little buck

One last look before he heads into the trees...

Until next time!

Marysvale: Up Close and Natural

Rustic, Rural, and Real...

That's Marysvale!

Welcome to Marysvale.  See that green roof just beyond the yellow flowers in the distance?  It is our privilege to call that house our home.  Marysvale is a sleepy little town nestled at the mouth of Bullion Canyon.  I love the dark night sky here that doesn't compete with neon or city lights.  I love the pastoral scenes, and the good people.  I love the sagebrush, flowers, trees, and even the weeds.  I love the deer, the turkeys, the rabbits, the fox, and the owl that visit our home.

This old building is my ONE MILE turnaround spot.

Today, I just want to share some of the pictures I have captured trying to "live in the moment" here.  You may laugh at my weeds and "my" shack, but it's all good.  This place feels like home to me, even the wild, unkempt parts.  Every season captivates me.  I love the sunshine, the rain, the snow, the fog, the sunsets, and the sunrises.  Everything feels so fresh and clean here.  It is a good life.  A good life indeed.

(The pictures are in no particular order, and
some of the captions were written when the
pictures were taken.)

Several metal crafters live nearby.
Margaret, this one's for you!

Even the weeds capture my curiosity.

How can you not fall in love with this place?

"Grandma" lives on my friend Pam's porch.  She seemed quite perturbed
when I interrupted her nap to take her picture.

Wish I could identify all of the flora and fauna.  Queen
Anne's Lace?

Hiking to Bullion Falls is a favorite activity.

My goal is to capture the beauty of the Rocky
Mountain Bluebird.  This picture fails at that miserably.

When the fog settles over our mountain like a soft, white, winter shawl, I'm glad to be indoors, enjoying the view where it's warm.

It's not the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia, but it has a beauty of its own.

The remnants of yesterday's raindrops are dripping off the eaves The sun slips in and out of the clouds as the thick fog that had settled over the valley floor and wrapped around the base of the mountains slowly rises toward the light blue sky. The trees have the open pasture surrounded in a halo of golden leaves. If only autumn could linger in the canyon a little longer.

Quaking aspens...the gold mines may lie empty and dormant, but Bullion Canyon is still full of gold in the fall.

Happy Fall, y'all! Everything I love is here...the golden aspens, the reddening Rocky Mountain maples, the cool mornings, the perfect days. I look forward to wearing sweaters with my jeans, sitting on the deck in the predawn hour, listening to the aspens flutter in the breeze, and taking pictures of all that makes me happy. Of all the seasons, I fall in love the hardest for fall.

When our owl came back, it felt like a blessing from nature that all was right with the world.