BBQ / Lake George / 11 Mile Canyon Reservoir

 

Relaxing Guitar Music

YouTube Channel:  Prayer Pray

I had a load of laundry in the wash...

and as I waited for the cycle to end...

Bandi and I just relaxed on my bed (our bed :)...

with the windows open.

It was in the mid 60s F (18.3 C)...

and there was a fresh mountain breeze blowing about 5 - 10 MPH.

I also had the kitchen and one of the great room's windows open...

which had allowed a gentle cross breeze which filled the house with its coolness...

and freshness.

My bedroom is Bandi's favorite room.

She loves to relax on the bed...

and on me.

Whenever she hears a noise...

she will rush over to one of the windows to investigate.

As it is Spring...

there are birds chirping in the trees.

Bandi would look in the direction of the chirping...

but after a while...

she realized that they weren't intruders...

so she just relaxed on the bed and enjoyed the cool breeze.

This is Bandi's view out the side window.

It is also my view whenever I turn my head to the left while in bed.

During Autumn...

this view is particularly stunning.

As we were lying in bed while drinking in the mountain breeze...

I suddenly got a craving for BBQ.

So...

I decided upon a BBQ place less than 30 minutes away.

It is near Lake George...and 11 Mile Canyon Reservoir...

which lies 11 miles west of the town of Lake George (where the BBQ place is).

I stopped in to eat BBQ before Bandi and I continued on to Lake George...

and then on to 11 Mile Canyon Reservoir.

I had a delicious pulled pork and beef brisket combo plate.

The meat was succulent...

and the BBQ sauce was so mouth watering.

This will be my go to BBQ place from now on.

Just before leaving...

I gave Bandi some water to drink.

This is Lake George.

I continued beyond the small lake and headed West along a country backroad.

There was another small lake for the nearby residents 

on the way to 11 Mile Canyon Reservoir.

I drove on until I reached the southernmost shore of 11 Mile Canyon Reservoir

(I had been there once before).

The countryside was just so peaceful.

As I drove...

I belted out slightly out of tune vocals to my favorite songs.

The temperature here was 20 degrees warmer than my home...

but, I didn't use the air conditioner 

as Bandi was loving having half her body out the window as I drove.

The southernmost section of 11 Mile Canyon Reservoir in view.

This is how far out the window Bandi loves to hang out of it when I drive...

but she usually does this on the driver's side rear window.

There are many coves along the shoreline of the reservoir.

I drove past the southern portion all the way until I rounded the northern most portion.

This is how Bandi loves to ride in the car...

halfway out of it.

She just loves our country drives...

with the wind in her face.

There were some Pronghorn Antelope near the road.

I drove around the northern most section of the reservoir to reach a different road 

going back to the town I had just come from via a southern entrance road.

I then headed back to the town to catch the highway back home.

We were almost back to town here.

Once we got back home...

Bandi went back to lie on our bed...

and went to sleep.

Not only from the excitement of our trip...

but her insistence to stand the whole way...

with her body half way out a window must have also tired her out.

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Although I love to plan things out in life...

I also love the freedom to be spontaneous whenever I get an urge to do so.

This is just one of the privileges of being comfortably retired...

being free to do whatever I please...and whenever I please.

I will be visiting many more places in the future...

as the weather has warmed.

My elder sister and her husband are planning to visit sometime soon.

I will be sure to take them to some of the beautiful locations around here.

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As I am finishing this article...

I realize how tired I am from my little country drive.

I am going to open up my bedroom windows

and enjoy the cool mountain breeze as I watch a movie until I get sleepy.

Yes...

life is good.

Chasing Clouds

 

YouTube Channel:  ThatClassicalVibe

Today...

as I was taking the kitchen garbage to the community center trash collection point...

I noticed how beautiful the clouds were.

And so...

I turned a short drive into a one hour long country drive

(Bandi got excited as we drove up the main road toward our country adventure).

I love clouds...

so...

I decided to pursue the fluffiest ones slightly West and mostly South...

and turn it into a mellow country drive.

The temperature was up in the low 70s F (22.2 C) as it was in the afternoon.

This was the highest temperature I had experienced here.

Even in the dead of summer...

it usually never goes higher than the high 70s F where I live

(in a rare heat wave...low 80s...according to my research...

I have yet to experience Summer here to any real degree)...

and at night in Summer...

it usually goes down to the 40s F (6 or 7 C) relatively quickly.

When this happens...

I will just close the windows in the daytime...

and open them at night so I may have a cool cross breeze.

This should keep my home cool throughout the next day...

even in a heat wave.

At my altitude...

with its very low humidity (usually in the 20s)...

heat dissipates very quickly...

and so, the air doesn't retain the daytime heat well once the sun sets.

If not...

I will get a room air conditioner...

but I don't think it will be necessary...

the mountain breezes are always refreshing.

This was on my way down the ridge line.

On my way to dropping off the garbage...

I took this photo from the community center driveway (it is a long semi-oblong).

Just before and after the turnoff for the road leading south...

there is this Llama farm.

They were funny...

they must have thought I had a treat for them...

so some of them started approaching.

Sorry, Llamas...

I had no treats for you.

There are numerous little ranches which have Cattle...

Yaks, Llamas, Alpacas, Goats, and Horses along the road to Woodland Park

(where I do my shopping)...

and of course...

there is a Donkey grazing field towards the other nearby town...

but all of the Donkeys were set free to roam wild until winter once again comes

(I will visit them once they are returned to their winter grazing land).

Bandi and I on our way south...

as we continued chasing clouds.

The more we headed south...

the warmer the air had gotten.

I love the climate of cooler weather where I live.

It is usually 10 to 20 degrees cooler where I live in comparison to the lower elevations

of some of the other towns...

and certainly with Colorado Springs 

(their elevation is 6,035 ft (1,839 meters)...

while I am at 9,650 ft (2,941 meters).

High altitude living has always been my dream.

I am a cool/cold weather kind of guy.

Perhaps the relatively small amount of Nordic genes of my paternal lineage 

expressed themselves in me  :)

It was at this point that I turned around and headed back home.

I had not planned on being gone long...

and so...

I hadn't taken any water for Bandi.

So...

I just made it a short country drive...

but...

Bandi and I still had a good time with the wind blowing through the car...

and with my favorite music playing...

and Bandi had a great time looking at the various animals along the way.

We were on our way back here...

 less than a 15 minute drive from home.

There were some horses out in their pasture.

This is the same place I had earlier seen a herd of deer crossing the road.

-----------------

While it is our intellect...

our foresight that formulates our plan for life...

 our dreams of our chosen paradise motivate us to achieve them...

and gives us the prime direction through which to guide our lives to that achievement.

You need both.

Keep the dream alive...

and take the positive action required to achieve it...

and your paradise will eventually become a reality.

Late Night Drive

 

YouTube Channel:  Peaceful Meditation Sound

I needed to do some food shopping at Walmart...

so after looking out at the mountains from the 3rd deck at home

and seeing sunset was near...

I thought it the perfect time to drive into town.

I caught the sunset on my drive into town.

I was just down and near the base of the mountain...

and only halfway to the highway...

when I had seen this spectacular sunset.

I pulled over and took these shots.

The day was beautiful...

but the night was magical.

The temperature was mid 60s F (18.3 C) when I left...

and was in the mid 50s F (12.7 C) when I returned

(perfect temperature).

I drove there and back with all of my car windows fully open...

my hair being gently tussled by the breeze...

and with Bandi's face fully in the wind as she hung out the rear window.

Only music and a very few other things in life make me so deeply happy inside...

as do colors...

especially in the sky.

What a serene and transcending setting and sight.

The feel of the colors of a beautiful sunset is just indescribably beautiful...

but you know I will try:

It is the sound of a monk's flute on a distant ridge as it blends in with the wind...

it is the steady and comforting hum of a low chord as a magnificent chorus 

sings in unison as they highlight the upper register with the harmonious sound of the angels...

it is an internal resonant thrum that reverberates and calms your body and mind...

as you enter the flow.

This is to truly experience a sunset.

It is one of the many great simple pleasures in life that I live for...

just one of the many that gives so much meaning to life.

The constant and refreshing mountain breeze...

in combination with these beautiful and deep colors filling the sky...

 had set the tone for a beautiful drive while I listened and sang to

 my playlist on the car speakers throughout my drive.

After completing my shopping and eating something at a drive through...

I then drove the half hour back home with a sated appetite and a light heart.

About halfway home...

there is this wolf preserve.

They breed and take care of native wolves.

There is a special release of wolves into the Rocky Mountains...

more to the north and west...

but they ultimately want to have more wolves in the ecosystem.

Anyway...

I love driving past here on the way home at night...

they keep these colored lights on.

It is always a magical sight.

I had just pulled off the road to take these pictures.

All the way there and back...

the air was...as always...

so fresh and clean...

so crisp and refreshingly cool.

I just love driving here at all times of the day or night.

I usually drive with all of the windows open...

especially in good weather.

Distant memories flood my mind as I drive and listen to music...

but even more often...

beautiful projected scenes of a possible future appear before me.

It is so relaxing taking simple country drives.

The music just comes alive...

and it makes me so reflective.  

There are hardly any cars on the road...

even in the daytime...

but at night time...

the road becomes mine almost exclusively.

And so...

I then own the night.

-------

Yes...

life is so beautiful...

especially as you reach your golden years.

It has some of the most wonderful of times...

the most magical...

as you may revisit the most memorable times in your life

from a secure and serene standpoint.

As you age...

you value time...

natural beauty...

and good people so much more...

and so, each moment is appreciated and treasured.

This simple country drive had so relaxed me

that I am soon going to bed for some blissful rest.

My windows will be open as the ever cool and gentle mountain breeze lulls me to sleep.

Look forwards to your retirement...

it is even better than I had ever imagined.

Breathe in the cool mountain air...

feel it upon your face...

revel in the serenity of your surroundings...

and fully embrace the magical colors of the night.

The only way to live life fully...

is to fill it with pure magic...

and this night was just that.

Life is so wonderful living in the countryside.

I am just so happy here...

so very...very happy.

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Imagine your place of serenity...

and keep it as your carrot throughout life.

And once you achieve it...

fully appreciate it.

It is the only way to truly live.