Song: Marriage d'Amour
Composer: Paul de Senneville
I had gotten up in the morning after
Bandi and my fantastic Autumn mountain journey...
still tired...
and sore throughout my body.
I was so tired that I didn't even feel like cooking anything...
and so...
I decided to take a quick drive into the nearest town
to try a cafe there for breakfast.
I took a couple of more photos at home just before leaving.
The reason I love taking so many photos of Autumn
lies more in the impermanency of the beauty...
the slight bittersweet feeling knowing that the colors will too soon leave...
just as a child whom you had deeply loved holding and seeing grow...
leaves home to start his or her own life...
or the puppy you once had shared many a rambunctious day with...
who you then notice moves more slowly and sleeps more often...
and who you then know is no longer a puppy...
but one whom will...
in the not so distant future...
soon pass.
The one advantage here is that although Winter is just around the corner...
and not only will the colors fade...
but the leaves will soon drop...
not only do the trees take on a new beauty under the Winter snows...
but the cycle will renew itself with the light green growth of Spring...
and to darken and fully leaf out in Summer...
only to, once again, turn into the luminescent yellows of Autumn.
So...
just as sunsets are unique...
and so...
are never tiring to experience...
so are the Autumn colors.
And when they come to my area...
it is a festive display...
one to take in and to fully appreciate in all of its grand beauty.
It is but a short drive into the town of Cripple Creek from the main road.
And it is filled with beautiful sights the whole way.
I stopped in a gas station at the beginning of town.
I got Bandi a new...
and much better car cushion.
The old one wasn't large enough...
and kept sliding out of position.
I got one that covers the whole width of the car...
so Bandi has a cushion to rest upon at all times.
It is also much more comfortable...
as it is much more plush.
She is just so cute and fun loving.
I parked near the entrance to the cafe...
and walked into a nice and cozy atmosphere.
As it was still early...
initially, I was the only one there.
My car is just to the left of this photo...
as taken from the inside of the cafe.
I had ordered a Chorizo Breakfast Burrito...
and a White Hot Chocolate.
It was good and filling.
Driving back home was just as beautiful.
We headed back onto the mountain road leading to home.
You can see how much Bandi loves car rides.
She sticks her head and upper body out of the rear drivers side window.
She loves sniffing the air...
and watching the sights...
especially of any nearby wildlife.
After arriving at home...
I decided to take some photos of the colors and sights from inside, through the windows...
and from the decks.
This is through the great room windows as seen from the loft computer desk.
As you can see...
the Aspen colors are deepening in the trees to the front.
A wide angle lens view from the computer desk chair.
I then walked out to the second deck to take more shots.
I then walked around to the back side of the house looking towards Bandi's
Bathroom forest area.
And I walked back to the front of the second floor deck to take more shots.
This is a picture of the far ridge in front of my home.
In the clearings...
I will sometimes see deer.
This path down the ridge on my property leads through an Aspen grove...
and into the forests beyond.
The colors of the Aspens completely surround my home.
I love the feeling...
as if I am floating on a sea of colors.
I went inside to show some of my views from inside my home.
This is the kitchen sink window.
I love looking outside as I wash the dishes after eating...
all the while listening to my playlist on the fireplace mantle speaker set.
This is my bedroom side window...
from my bed.
In the coming years...
I will be able to see the front Japanese Maple from my pillow in bed.
I had planted it just to the right of the flagpole.
I am looking forward to see it really branch out...
and then seeing the brilliant scarlet of its leaves filling the foreground...
while the luminescent yellows of the Aspens fill in the background.
This set of windows are the bay windows at the back of my bedroom.
I then went into one of the guest bedrooms.
It also has beautiful views from its windows.
This guest bedroom side window faces the rear side of the house...
towards Bandi's forest.
These next three shots are from the guest bedroom's rear bay windows.
The view is actually much more clear than these photos show.
The camera focused on the window screens.
There are windows in each room...
brilliantly placed so each room may have cross breezes with just the opening
of the windows present.
Another view out the kitchen sink window.
And another out of the kitchen sink window.
This is of the window to the right of my eating area.
This is out of the front door windows.
I went back up to the loft to take some window shots.
I then took three differing angle shots through the loft octagonal window.
I walked out onto the third floor deck to take a few shots.
When I opened up the third floor door to the deck...
Bandi immediately went out on to the deck...
and refused to leave it when I went back inside.
She just loves the commanding view of our property...
and the combination of the fresh and cool mountain breeze
as it blends with the warmth of the sun.
I called for her to come inside...
but she just stayed out on the deck for a while.
So I just took more inside shots until she decided to come in on her own.
I just never tire of the great room window views from the loft.
I can see more reds in some of the trees on the far ridge.
The colors deepen...
change subtly from day to day.
This is the window in the toilet room of the loft master bathroom.
This window is placed just above the jetted large tub in the loft master bathroom.
And this shot is out the loft rear windows.
I took a wide angle shot from the third floor deck.
And I took a shot towards the rear of the third deck.
This blurry and out of focus shot is of the washroom window.
I then went down to the first floor entertainment / guest room...
and took some photos out of its windows.
I then went out to the jacuzzi tub on the first floor deck.
The above three shots are the views as if someone were inside of the hot tub.
I then walked around on the first floor deck to take more shots.
This was looking back at the hot tub...
and to the stairs leading down into the forest from the first floor deck.
And I simply turned around to show the stairs leading up to the second deck from the first.
I took this shot just before going back into the door
leading into the first floor entertainment / guest room from the deck.
The above two photos were taken from the exercise room on the first floor.
Another wide angle lens shot from the loft.
-------------
I then rested in bed for a while...
until this mad craving for hot dogs came over me.
I don't normally eat "junk food"...
but after an especially long and vigorous workout...
I just have to have a good burger, pizza, or some hot dogs.
Even a few days after my mountain triking journey...
I am still sore...
especially in my legs.
Anyway...
before leaving...
I just had to take a few more shots outside my home.
I know how quickly this beauty will fade...
and I just had to capture the rapturous feeling
these colors induce when at their height of coloring.
I walked out onto the upper driveway and took some shots.
In my mind...
the inner child inside me kept repeating...
'Colors...Colors...Everywhere!'...
his voice was filled with toddler like excitement and wonder.
Vivid colors make me so happy inside.
And all of these colors...
right at home.
(Once my Japanese Maples mature some...
a sea of scarlet will be blending in with the yellows).
I then decide to go to Safeway in Woodland Park to pick up some hot dogs...
among other items.
After shopping...
I took more photos on the way back.
I love how the brilliant yellow of the Aspens accent...
and seem to pop out of, the sea of dark green of the pine trees.
Pikes Peak is in the left background.
The nearer I got to home...
the more numerous were the Aspens amid the pines.
I was also treated to an inverted sea of white fluffy clouds all the way home.
After getting home from grocery shopping...
I unload the car from the junction of the upper and lower driveways...
after which I continue on to the garage down below...
to park inside.
Although the colors of the trees don't change much in a day's time...
the angle of the sun does...
and so...
the differing play of light on or through the leaves
displays differing effects on the colors...
and so...
induces differing feelings within the viewers.
I unloaded the groceries...
and began my sinful meal to sate a deep craving.
My favorite way to eat hot dogs...
...is to first put on some sweet hot mustard...
...and then adding some of my HOCA pickles to the top
(pickled Habaneros, Onions, Carrots).
(My recipe is in an earlier article...
they are so good!)
To completely sate my junk food craving...
I also had to finish off with some cookies.
A last look out one of my great room windows in front of my recliner.
My appetite being sated...
my body becoming weary and sleepy...
I gave one last look out at the wonderful view before going to bed early...
but not before my inner child once again excitedly blurted out...
"Colors...Colors...Everywhere!"
------------------
Never become the bitter old person who had long before
allowed his or her inner child to be buried under cynicism...
the negative people or situations which rob some of their inner happiness.
With so many of the great simple pleasures in life to be so easily had...
and fully embraced...and so...truly experienced...
it is they that keep the inner child happy and well fed.
The inner child should never age...
for it is the purity of the inner child which guides our lives to our own happiness.
Yes...
from those who know me best...
I am most frequently in my inner child and dog mode...
or facet.
I live in my inner child and dog facets
because it is only they who know how to truly live life.
I live life with a light and free heart...
and feel with a depth only the pure hearted may feel
(the inner child and dogs).
I live for beauty...
love...
laughter...
dream fulfillment...
and all of the great simple pleasures of life.
But...
also yes...
when necessary...
my facets switch to meet the needs of the moment...
to plan and execute the paths necessary to achieve my dreams...
but always alive and well within...
my inner child is constantly cheering me on my path...
constantly reveling in the moments of pure joy and beauty...
laughing and smiling with the pure heart that only my inner child and dogs have...
and within so closely my heart...
do they constantly live.
---------
By the gods...
never allow 'maturity' to obscure your vision...
cloud and dull your senses...
becoming bored at the 'same old sights and things'.
I listen to the same song...
sometimes for hours on end...
over and over...
only because...
if I love something...
I always love it.
I never tire of beauty.
--------
Bandi gets so excited every time we drive up and down the 'same old mountain roads'.
She wags her tail and goes from open car window to open car window in constant search
of new sights, sounds, smells...
and even the different feelings the wind gives her.
She positively devours each and every meal...
wagging her tail and salivating as she licks her bowl clean.
She loves scanning the forest...
even as she is using the bathroom.
Not even for a moment does Bandi hang her head and solemnly walk...
not being absorbed by her surroundings...
for always is Bandi happy and excited by everything.
Be your own version of Bandi.
---------
Remember your happiest times as a small child...
a child with dreams to dream...
and with a new world to explore and experience.
Keep the child alive within...
and you will always be kept in a state of wonder
and deep appreciation for everything around you.
It is the only way to truly live.
----------
I must say again...
life is only lived once.
We all have our different seasons...
from our birth in Spring...
our working years of Summer...
our retirement years of Autumn...
and finally...
our death in Winter.
Never think that we shall live forever...
for you will then not appreciate each of our seasons...
thinking there will always be another year of seasons.
No...
but...
once you know each season comes but once in life...
you will strive to truly observe and appreciate all of the great beauty around us.
Learn from your dog and inner child facets...
let them lead you through a wonderful life of open hearted love for all things beautiful.
