Ornaments On The Tree / Day and Night

 

Song:  My Immortal

Group:  Evanescence

I received the snow owl I had been awaiting.

It fits the animal theme of my tree...

and it makes for a good tree topper (close enough).

I had also gotten two peacocks to decorate the sides of the tree.

I also put on the ornaments I had received as gifts...

as well as the ones I had bought.

For the animals I had received from my elder sister...

I placed them deep into the tree so as to make them appear as if they were

hiding among the branches.

This way...

as you look around the tree in the daytime...

there are hidden surprises in the alcoves of the branches.

At night...

none of the ornaments really stand out...

except the snow owl.

I've heard owls hooting in winter here...

so this snow owl fits my forest well.

I love turning on the tree lights at night.

Its lights are comforting...

especially as I sit up in the loft looking down upon it.

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I will soon winterize the Japanese Maple...

as it frequently gets below freezing now at night.

Perhaps tomorrow.

Kebler Pass - Autumn Colors

  

Song:  Reflections Of My Life

Group:  Marmalade

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This blog post was erroneously flagged as inappropriate...

none of the rules of which I had breached.

It was most likely flagged by AI...

still of which is in its infancy.

I never post inappropriate content.

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At about 2 PM...

I decided to go to Kebler Pass for some Autumn pictures.

I had wanted to time it so I could get the sun shinning through the leaves...

instead of having it just reflected off them...

as well as hopefully getting a beautiful sunset.

At home...

the temperature was in the low 50s F (11 C).

By the time we got home...

it was in the mid 30s F ( .55 C ).

As it is some 3.5 hours west of me...

it is one of the first places to turn colors this Autumn...

other than far north.

Bandi and I were about half an hour west of home here.

Bandi was so excited the whole trip.

She loved just hanging her body out of the rear driver side window.

She loves the wind in her face.

   

You can see in the sideview mirror how far Bandi hangs out of the window.

As she had stood up almost the whole journey...

once we got home...

she wriggled about on my bed...

so happy to be home...

and then almost immediately...

went to sleep...

while snoring loudly  :)

I stopped at a lookout point to take some photos...

still more than two hours from Kebler Pass.

After but ten minutes or so...

I hit the road once again.

I would have to go over multiple mountain passes before reaching my destination...

but the whole way was so beautiful.

This mountain pass was particularly high in elevation.

The tree line was ending as it was so high.

This was over the highest pass I would go over...

until I again went over it on the way back at night.

There was one section of the pass where they had a blinking highway sign warning of cows.

They wandered freely on a section of about ten miles.

I would encounter them wandering the road even more on the way back...

at night.

I had to be extra careful...

as they would sometimes be in the middle of the road.

One of my rest stops.

I stretched my legs...

and Bandi used the bathroom (and I gave her water).

The town of Crested Butte is nearby.

At the end of town heading into the mountains...

 is the starting point of Kebler Pass.

This area is also famous of having some of the best Spring wildflower blooming

in the whole state of Colorado.

I will be sure to visit this place during the height of the blooms...

one of these Springs.

The beginning of Kebler Pass.

Most of Kebler Pass is unpaved...

but perfectly passable...

except in Winter.

I was entering the most beautiful area of the pass.

I seemed to have had driven through a tunnel of luminescent yellows.

About halfway down the highway...

I turned around...

as I had gone through the pass itself...

and the sun was going down.

I wanted to catch the last of the colors with the sun to my back.

My original plan was to catch a beautiful sunset on the pass...

but the sky was clear...

and so...

with no clouds...

there was no beautiful sunset.

On my way back.

Almost back into Crested Butte.

I stopped in Crested Butte for gas and took this final Autumn color shot.

On the way back through the mountain passes...

I would drive through some small mountain towns.

I loved passing through them as many of the residents were burning wood 

in their wood stoves.

It is these wood stoves that had lightly scented the air

with the wonderful aroma of burning wood.

I love that smell...

as it reminds me of my childhood...

of camping in the wilderness as a young teen...

and of the temples and country side of Japan in the early 60s.

One of many cows in the road

I had encountered on the way back through the area

which had flashing highway signs warning of cows in the road.

I had taken this last photo before it got too dark.

I was still only halfway home here.

I still had a few mountain passes to go through...

but as I enjoy driving...

it was still an adventure.

The included song...

I had played over and over...

as I sang to it through the mountain passes.

I had kept my windows fully opened most of the way home...

until it got into the 30s F.

But...

when I finally got within a few miles of home...

I reopened them so Bandi could hang out of the rear window...

for she had recognized that we were near home.

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Once the colors fully turn here at home...

I will be taking more photos and video of the trees of my mountain...

from my trike.

I plan to visit the many beautiful places in Colorado...

a little at a time.

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I had a wonderful time...

but I was tired when I got home after 10 PM.

I was so tired that I decided to write this article on the following day...

for not long after I lay in bed...

I, too, was fast asleep...

beside Bandi...

and I am sure...

snoring away just as was she.