Two Young Men

These two young males, known as "spikes" were members of a herd of approximately 60 elk that were grazing in my yard.  The snow was patchy and plenty of dry grass was available for them.  At this time of year, the females and calves from last spring hang out together in herds.  The large males tend to have a boys club off in the National Park somewhere.  These two are young adolescent males who will leave their mothers' herd in the summer and join the other boys to learn more about life as an elk.

New Snow

The morning after a new snow, the sun comes out and everything is so beautiful.  It may look cold, but with the sun shining at 40 degrees, it is a wonderful time to enjoy the beauty of the snow.  This photo is taken at the riverwalk downtown Estes Park.  The walkways and bridges wind through town between the river and stores and the contrast of  bare limbed Aspens, Narrowleaf Cottonwoods, and Spruce trees is striking.

For a Texas transplant, it offers another "riverwalk" opportunity that is a stark contrast to the scenery along the San Antonio Riverwalk.  I love them both.

Outdoor Days

Winter in the Houston-Galveston area is, for the most part, a pleasant time of year.  Although there are cold snaps at times with temperatures dipping below freezing overnight, there are also many days in the 60s and 70s when outdoor activities are really enjoyable.  No heat, and almost no misquitoes.  Like the day I took this photo--sit outdoors at the coffee shop under the live oak trees--even wear your shorts if you are warm natured.  Enjoying this time of year helps to make the HOT HOT the summer a bit more bearable.

Pedestrian Crossing

In addition to the herds of elk that pass through the neighborhood, small groups of mule deer seem to be always on hand.  This guy doesn't care that I'm driving down the street, he's in the crosswalk!  Caution is required on all streets in Estes Park because wildlife is everywhere.  Yesterday, I saw a mule deer doe standing right along the side of my street as I came around a curve.  It caught me by surprise, but she seemed to be watching for cars and crossed the street after I passed.  Both the elk and deer seem little concerned with the cars and will eat grass within a few feet of the street, not even flinching when a car passes.  Of course, at times there are some unfortunate incidents.  But they are wonderful to watch and we just try to be careful of them. 

Lawn Service

How's this for free lawn service--complete with fertilization.    Note that there are a few yearling males with this group of females.  They have grown small spike antlers, which they will lose in the spring just before starting to grow next year's antlers which are sure to be a larger set.  At this time of year the adult males hang out together separate from the females.  They can sometimes be seen in the National Park lands with their band of boys.

Winter in East Texas

East Texas is a land of pine forest covered hills and swampy cypress filled river bottoms.  Winter ranges from mild in the southern reaches to much harsher in the north nearer the Arkansas and Oklahoma borders.  But winter in these areas is nothing like winter in Colorado.  Here is a photo of bald cypress trees in an artesian lake on a foggy January morning--no ice or snow to be seen.  The thermometer will drop below freezing in the overnight at times, but high temperatures may even reach into the 70s at times.

Fastest Plows in the West

After the snow fell most of the night, the snowplows are busy at work the next morning in Rocky Mountain National Park.  By late morning, Trailridge Drive is open all the way to Many Parks Curve, the extent of its accessibility in the winter months.  Beyond that, the snows are too deep and winds too high to keep that part of the road open from late October to late May.  But the lower elevations of the Park are available for sightseeing, sledding, snowshoeing, and cross country skiing.

Back Yard Bunny

Here is my back yard bunny.  He (or she) doesn't seem to mind the cold or snow. I watched him sit in the back yard by the rocks for several hours while it snowed on him.  He finally went in his bunny burrough.

Internet Access Again!

What a beautiful day for a walk.  What a difference a couple of days makes.  Look at these brave folks out walking their dogs on Saturday.  When the snow is over and that blue sky and sunshine appears, it seems worth it to have had to wait indoors for the end of the snow storm. 

I have been one of those busy retirees for the past week and haven't had internet access to allow posting.  Finally!  I'm off and running again--I have missed posting the blog. 

Retirement!

Today is the day--my last day to work for NASA.  Retirement sounds good--I'm throwing away my alarm clock!  But, after 32 years of working here, it will certainly seem strange for a while.  It has been a great ride with lots of exciting projects to work on. 

So I depart the workforce with this photo of two retirees.  I am sitting just outside the hatch of the Space Shuttle Atlantis as it was being readied for flight.  Now that the Space Shuttles are retired, within the next couple of years they will be on display in locations across the U.S.  Atlantis will be put on display at the John F. Kennedy Space Center's Visitor Center where you will be able to get a close up view. 

So off to the adventure of retirement!!

Convict Cabins Site

This photo was taken  in Rocky Mountain National Park near the site of the convict cabins.  When construction of Old Fall River Road was beginning, the National Park recruited 38 convicts from the Colorado State Penitentiary to work on the road.  To house them, they built what came to be known as the Convict Cabins.  A marker now identifies the spot where these cabins stood.  These and many other old lodges and cabins that once stood within the boundaries of the National Park have been removed to return the park to a natural state.

A Birds Eye View

It was a good view of a bird's eye for me (and the rest of him). This Red Tailed Hawk had an injured wing and could not live in the wild.  He is residing in a large cage at the Armand Bayou Nature Center in the  Clear Lake Area south of Houston. Red Tailed Hawks are common in Texas. They are a raptor that weighs up to 3.5 lbs. with the females being larger than the males. They prefer live prey in the form of small mammals, birds, reptiles and fish. My grandparents usually referred to them as "chicken hawks".

I have often seen them soaring (grocery shopping) outside my office windows.  Although, even then, I am usually viewing them from below, and it makes one wonder about their name.  But in the photo above, it is clear that the top of their tail feathers are a nice red color.  And those keen eyes designed to look for prey really check you out when you are looking into the cage.

Merry Christmas

A short post today to say Merry Christmas to all.  Here's a light hearted holiday photo--log cabin, Christmas decor in bike basket, snowed in dog house.  Hopefully the dog was in the (human) house.  Couldn't resist this quaint photo op.





Downtown Christmas Lights

Estes Park decorates the downtown trees beautifully for Christmas.  This night was a very quiet one downtown, not much traffic.  A great time to walk around and see the lights.  Downtown is decorated from November to January, giving everyone who visits during these couple of months plenty of opportunities to experience this fairyland.

Winter Scene in the Park

How's this for a nice winter scene.   I took this photo along Bear Lake Road in Rocky Mountain National Park.  It was a rather protected hillside with only a little snow.  The contrast of the aspens against the hillside and the shadows in the snow with the dry grasses peeking through made a really crisp shot.   Click twice on the photo for a better, bigger view.

Southern Winter Birds

Houston is a great bird watching area in November and December.  We see clouds of migrating birds that stop to rest before pushing on to points south.  They take over all the trees and power lines in shopping areas and malls.  Some species, especially grackles, go for the fast food places--I'm sure french fries are not the best nutrition for birds but they seem to love them.  

Around the yard, we have year round residents--mockingbirds, sparrows, cardinals, blue jays, doves, and of course, more of the boat tail grackles.  The pair of cardinals in the photos have been visiting the feeder and bath.  The male is camera shy--he always keeps a part of the feeder between me and him.  The female, less so.  She sat on the edge of the bath and watched me for a long time.  But after a while, I guess she decided that I was slow moving and boring and that it was her tub time.

Walking on Water

See me walking on water at Bear Lake in Rocky Mountain National Park.  OK, so it's frozen water.   Even so, it seemed a bit scary to me.  I could see many footprints and tracks of cross country ski's on the lake, even out in the middle.   I just kind of edged out there, knowing I was over the water, but wanting to stay over the shallows.  Breaking though that ice and snow would not be a good thing.  Sometimes it's smart to be a chicken.

Autumn to Winter

We've been having a challenge getting to autumn in Houston; it's been warmish for the past several months with a few cooler periods.  But in the past week, suddenly we have colored leaves. The areas like those in the top photo that are prairie-like with native grasses have the autumn look also.  The grassess are topped with seed heads that blow in the wind--reminds me of the reference to "amber waves of grain" in the National Anthem.   Much of our autumn color (if we have it) results from Chinese Tallow trees shown in the bottom photo.  Normally they are considered an invasive imported "trash tree", but they offer the best fall color in this area.  Also, the red oaks, red maples, barton pears, and crepe myrtles can get in on the act.  

The old joke is that, in Houston last year, winter was on a Thursday.  But in fact, autumn (if it happens at all) is the most fleeting.  I expect to see the fall color fade fast--last night temps went into the upper 20s on the north and outlying areas of Houston.  Here in the Bay Area, primarily due to our proximity to Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, it was in the mid-30's.  Still, a fair resemblance to winter for Houston.

Up Close and Personal

How I love my zoom lens! 

This Texas Whitetail Deer female was just determined to pose for me.  Although I am not so close to her as it would seem, just zooming big time.  Nevertheless, I love to get photos like these and then study them closely to see the real details of the fur, eyes, whiskers, etc.  My real inclination is to pet these animals, but they would never stand for that.  Photos come in a close second.  Shooting them is not even on my list.

Lovely Postcard Scenes

The snow is falling in Estes Park regularly now.  It creates such soft beautiful scenes--smoothing out the look of the rocky slopes, lying on the needles of the evergreen trees, covering the streams.  And when the sun comes out, how bright and sparkling it can be (almost blinding at times).