When Autumn Leaves Start to Fall

Chet Atkins playing Autumn Leaves is the perfect accompaniment for the photos I took yesterday when John drove us up the road to Rocky Mountain National Park to see the changing colors. The aspen trees always look splendid, but their Fall colors are my favorites.


It was a long day, since it began with me singing at both services at our church, First Christian in Loveland. We were there from about eight in the morning, or somewhat before that actually, until nearly one in the afternoon by the time we cleared the parking lot. I was wishing I had eaten breakfast, but I keep crackers in the back seat of the car and had two of those between services (great crackers, by the way—Crackerfuls, Four Cheese flavor). We took a lunch up the hill about twenty minutes to the park entrance, just the other side of Estes Park. We know how lucky we are to live that close.

The drive up along the canyon, following Big Thompson River was beautiful, but I always love rivers, and this one is popular with fly fishermen. On our way back down later we stopped and talked with one who said he was having a very good day, and didn't mind that I included his photo in my blog. He said the fish were biting, but not as much as he had hoped. Still, any day on the river is a good day. 

When we arrived in Rocky Mountain National Park we knew we were a couple of weeks too late to get the best of the fall colors, but it's taken the physical therapist a couple of weeks to get me to the point where I could get in and out of the car, climbing around taking pictures. We were lucky we made it when we did, since a storm front came in last night, and I understand the rain and snow pretty much did in most of the last of the leaves. If we hadn't made it last night, it would have had to wait for next year. I think we went through that last year, didn't we? 

My hip was a little extra sore this morning, but when I look at photos like this, it's worth it. I took about 300 photos, but lucky you... I've condensed my favorites into a short slideshow for you. And since nobody does it better, I downloaded Chet Atkins' version of Autumn Leaves as the accompanying music. He played as crisp and clear as the autumn air.

The Accidental Conference

Thank you Robin D. Owens. Thank you John Harrell. If it weren't for the two of them, I would have spent my weekend writing at home instead of being at the Crested Butte Writer's Conference. Attending wasn't in our budget, but when Robin wanted a passenger for the six-hour trip, I mentioned it to John, not expecting a positive response. I'm blessed to have his wholehearted support for my writing. He said it was an important opportunity.

It was. As I mentioned in my last post, I had three appointments to discuss my fantasy novel, A Different Song. Two were with agents, and one with an editor. All three asked to see more of the novel. One asked me to email the entire manuscript. I got all that done today. Not only that, but I honestly enjoyed these people. Yes, they were professionals, but all were unpretentious. I loved the questions they asked. I loved having answers for them.

What will happen? I don't pretend to know. I could have three rejections, or I could end up with an editor and an agent. If so, I know these are people I could work with, editorial beasts to help me improve this novel while writing the sequels. In fact, I need to mention world building.

The most exciting workshop of the weekend, and there were several to choose from, had to be the world building workshop given by Michael Braff, Del Rey Spectra Books editor. His information on constructing your characters' world, from history and customs to religion and a timeline, was amazing. It's a good thing I type over a hundred words a minute. He talks fast and doesn't waste words. My notes are fabulous. I won't be having my characters falling out of context in the sequels. Thanks, Mike.

There are more stories to tell, writers published and not whom I met and enjoyed. I'm going to spend a few evenings sharing the weekend in my blog. I did look down several times today, though, and my feet really are still touching the floor. It just doesn't feel like it.

I Need a Business Card?

Preparation for representing myself in something as important as pitching my novel has been an eye opener. Everyone in the industry seems to have an opinion about the best way to go about it. I've been getting so many tips I can't keep up with them, but I've been trying to choose the smartest and prioritize.

• Condense my novel into four sentences. I'm still working on that one.
• Dress professionally. How about from the waist up? Does that count? Good jeans can be professional, as long as they're paired with a great top and blazer—right?
• Edit your first chapter until it's as exciting and completely polished as you can make it, with particular attention to the first 140 words. Some people say 120, some 100. If those aren't pretty close to perfect, you're bound for the slush pile. That's what I'm reading.
• Don't sweat. Be calm. Don't rush into your pitch. Spend some time building rapport first. Remember, you'll probably have a whole ten minutes together.

I could go on, but there are so many of these lists available, I hate to be just one more. A major detail was obvious once I came across it. Don't forget to have a professional business card to present. Oops. Why didn't I think about needing a business card?

This week I took time out of my editing to design a card. The photo above is the one I chose from my collection of glorious Colorado pictures I've taken. I'll end up printing note cards to match. Luckily, the cards will arrive with three days to spare.

I now have a whole week left before I face the editor. I'm actually beginning to look forward to this.

Photo Update

This is sort of a tribute to having two cameras. When I only had one camera, I never got the photos that we'd see from the car, like elk roaming close to the neighborhood, or concerts in church. So many times we'd say to each other that some day we were going to get a very small but decent camera to keep in the car all the time so that when we wanted one, it would be there.

About two months ago, more or less, we were in CostCo and saw a huge discount on one of the small cameras they keep out for people to test. What's that called, a floor model? Whatever it is, we saved about 40% by purchasing it. It had a couple of very small scratches, but was otherwise perfect. It's not as fancy (or as heavy) as my good digital, but it's the same basic brand, a Panasonic Lumix. Here are the first photos we took with it, interspersed with photos I took around the house on it's big brother, the Lumix DMC-FZ18. I can tell the difference. If I blew them up to 8x10 or larger, anyone could.

I'm going to start with the photos of the elk. This morning they came closer to the house than ever before. I'd guess they were about .2 miles by road, or less as the crow flies. We don't have any crows, though...

{Editor's comment... I've been trying to download photos to Blogger for over an hour, and I'm giving up for tonight. I guess they're having some type of problem with the site, since I've done it many times before without getting an error message. I'll try again in the morning. For now, at least this much will let you know what's coming, and that I am trying.}

I spent several hours during the morning and again during the afternoon, and finally (at son Ben's suggestion) went to his slide show page and did it that way. I got it done, but am not sure I know how to connect it. So hopefully, you're going to click here and see a slideshow. If you don't see it here, just wait (again) until he gets up. Remember, he's in Holland, and they're eight hours ahead of my time zone. When we connect, he can walk me through it. I'm pretty frustrated at this point. I really do have other things I was supposed to be doing today.

Wednesday, April 14th, 1:15 p.m. here (and 9:15 p.m. in Holland)— Ben was so good as to look at what I had done and send me the fix, so if you were here and tried to see the slide show, you got a message that said "Access Denied." Sorry. I think I mentioned that there's no fool like an old fool? Well, try it again. It should work now. If it doesn't, this entire blog post is going to disappear. That will fix it.

Our Week in the Snow

I love it here. There's so much variety, so much to see and do, even if you're not overly physical—I'm going to admit that I consider walking my biggest physical endeavor. I'm not doing a slide show this time, but showing big photos of this last week, three outings including my early morning walk today out in the snow with the camera.

I want to say up front that I thank God every day that I live in these beautiful surroundings with my good husband in my comfortable home. I am blessed.

The first day's snow was a surprise. It hadn't been on the forecast, and trust me, I look online daily, and John checks the paper. I'm one of those people who lived without four seasons for so long that I celebrate each one (except Summer—I had enough of that one). I look for the signs and watch for snow. Also, since we do live a way from the stores, we only shop about once a week, and keep a list of what we're out of the rest of the time. If we see that snow is expected, we'll go ahead and shop early for things like eggs, milk, and bread.

I took a few photos from the decks, first the back deck, which is by the front door (above)...

Then by the front decks by the slide doors (below)...

I started some laundry, and then we headed out with the grocery store list to make sure we weren't going to run out of anything. It's silly, since we don't get all that much snow, but we like to be cautious. We also like to take the camera along. We ran into a small herd of elk right down the road, so I was glad we'd headed out with the camera in tow.

The next morning we were a little more prepared to see that it had snowed again, but I was a little amazed to see that it was still snowing. It snowed all day, in fact, and although our little community has its own road plows, the highways leading up to us didn't get cleared until very late in the day, so we were technically snowed in for part of the morning. (Did I care?) The overnight difference in our patio furniture's coverage was comical, but we won't be using it for months.

I enjoyed watching the snow come down all day. The great thing about living where we do is that through all the big windows we have an incredible view, and it never stops changing.

We had visitors, as always, and they never seem to mind if I take a photo or two (or ten).

They sure have grown this year. These are two of those that were born this Spring, believe it or not.

You can hardly see the fire pit, and I think it'll be awhile before we have any s'mores out here with our friends.

I went around and turned on the inside lights so the house would glow in the pre-dawn light. I love the camera I use because it's so good with low-level light. (It's a Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ18.) These next photos were all taken just as dawn was breaking this morning, after another night of snow.

John was really pleased with me because when I was done tromping around with my camera I brought in his newspaper. I guess we each have our own priorities.

This is the deck on the other side of the house, and we're not likely to use it until Spring, either.

Nobody uses the swing, but I'm not climbing up there to take it down. Besides, it could be considered "atmosphere." I'm willing to share my atmosphere... It's supposed to keep snowing through tomorrow. I love this. I'm not saying I'd love it so much if I were raising little kids who had to be carted to school, or if were heading to work in it. I'm not dumb. I'm retired. I can sit back and enjoy it.

Saying Goodbye, Returning Home

How can we stand to say goodbye to our children and grandchildren when the visits are so sweet and too infrequent? I've often said that I'm easier to love when I don't live too close. Is it really a joke? Probably not. Like most people, I have more than my share of quirks. Our visits might be short, but they're poignant and blessed, and saying goodbye is always hard.

We worked hard to give them wings, and although we still worry at times and keep them close in prayer and phone calls, some days the miles seem endless. So how exactly can we handle the goodbyes? The last few photos of this slide show pretty much say it all. When you see what we come home to after a visit, you'll understand our contentment with home and hearth. Our roots have been transplanted deeply into this good Colorado soil, and the foothills welcome us home with the deer and the sunsets. I wouldn't choose to live anywhere else.

The Timberlane Farm Museum, Loveland, Colorado

It's been a strange week, but I'm back at the keyboard now, and want to start with the outside photos I took at Timberlane Farm Museum in Loveland, Colorado. We decided to drive out there while Ellen was visiting last week. Actually, it was her choice, and since John and I had never been there, it was a great decision.

I'll admit my stupidity up front. I failed to charge my camera batteries the night before, so I got still-shots outside, and video inside the farmhouses, which is the more interesting portion of the tour. Unfortunately, I'm still having problems downloading video. When I get it downloaded (hopefully soon, as I have been working on a solution) I'll put the videos where they should go, and then do a blog with links to guide you back. Fair enough?

The Timberlane Farm dates back to 1861, and is currently a museum that is being painstakingly reconstructed. We were given a personal tour, and although there was no charge, we left donations. It wasn't that we felt obligated. It was a feeling of wanting to join in the beautiful work being done on the site. Having just come from Europe, where there history is overwhelming, it seems important that we hang on to our own history. This property is some of Loveland's history at its best, and the work they are doing is remarkable.

These photos are from the farm part of the property, and don't include the two farm houses that we toured. The Timberlane Farm Museum has restored and furnished the two Timberlane Farm homes to period correct condition. I'll add those vodeos soon (God willing and the creek don't rise).

Ellen and John and I wandered around for awhile before the owner's assistant, Maureen, not shown in any of my photos, came out and gave us a wonderful tour. These pictures are all of the outside buildings and animals.

This old building is one that's scheduled to be rebuilt. So much work has already been done, but there's much still slated to do. We were happy to add our donations at the end of the tour.

John, of course, loved the old farm machinery and equipment, the tools and tractors. It was pretty close to a perfect day. If I'd charged my batteries the night before, it would indeed have been perfect.

I loved the chicken coop. They sell eggs, and the chickens seem clean and happy. One of the laying hens is called an Ameraucana, and lays bluish green eggs. I didn't know that was possible for regular eggs.

This is the Ameraucana chicken. She was sure running around happy and healthy looking, but seemed disappointed once she realized that Maureen wasn't bringing her food.

They have lots of animals at the farm, including pigs...

Cattle...

And beautiful horses. I think Ellen wanted to ride off into the sunset, but it was only noontime.

For some reason, I found their tack room particularly inviting. Maybe it was because I had been out in the sun too long. I'm not a sun worshipper, and loved the cool depths and wonderful smells of hay and leather in the tack room.

From here we went into the two beautifully restored farm houses where I had to switch to the video camera. I guess you can call this a cliff hanger...

Time With My Sister

No, I haven't been keeping my blog up this week. I'm behind, and just having too much fun with my sister to worry about it too much. Her husband was kind enough (and busy enough with work) to send her here for her birthday week while he spent the time in Reno at the office. (He commutes from California.)

We've had a marvelous week, and I've taken photos to share—once the fun stops. She flies out tomorrow, so you can expect to see more of our European trip and the fun we had this week appearing shortly. For today, however, we're heading up to the mountains to see how much of the fall foliage has already changed colors.

Loveland, Colorado—Sculptures in Bloom

It's good to be proud of your city. Whenever we have visitors, we love to take them to town and show off our favorite park, Benson Sculpture Gardens. Loveland was the first city in Colorado to adopt an Art in Public Places ordinance of one percent of all the city's capital construction projects of $50,000 or more for the purchase of art. Sculpture is a huge part of the city, whether you're looking at public buildings or private residences, offices or parks. They're nestled in among the most beautifully appropriate landscapes imaginable. Sterling dragonflies rise above marshlands. A bronze moose kneels to drink from a real lake.

The last article I read showed that the City of Loveland owned over $7 million in artwork, 72% of it having been donated. The people here obviously approved of the ordinance. It shows that when government takes a small step, in this case, one percent of its own construction costs, people will add to those efforts. So yes, we're all proud of our parks, and Benson Park is our favorite place to walk. Every single time we go, we see a new statue. This time, as we took John's cousin Laura Mae and her husband Bill, there were several new ones, but I think I liked the giraffe best. He looks so stately.

The flowers were absolutely beautiful yesterday, too. I never fail to appreciate how green the grass is, and how lush and healthy all the plants are.

Tiger lilies are one of my very favorite flowers, and one of the few I can recognize on site. I wonder if the deer would eat them if I planted some up here in the foothills.

Somebody please tell me what this is, because I see it growing wild around here quite a bit, but never have been able to tell for certain what it is, other than beautiful.

I've been told that the bees are dying out in many places, but there were quite a few pollinating the various flowers in the park yesterday, so I guess our blooms are safe for another year.

These roses are of some very fragrant variety. I've been discouraged in recent years to see a perfect rose and lean over it only to discover that it has had the perfume bred out of its soul. I'd rather have the fragrance and a few wrinkles on the petals than perfection and sterile scent, but that's just me.

Here's another unidentifiable flowering plant. As they mature, the flowers cluster along the stem in little balls like this. I can't find it in my book. Maybe I need a new book...

Here are Laura Mae and Bill walking by the new giraffe sculpture. Laura Mae said she really didn't want to do much walking because of her arthritis, so we told her she could just look from the car. Once she saw what was out there, though, she couldn't resist, and ended up covering quite a bit on foot. Bill was entranced. Laura Mae said he's always loved statues, and never before found so many in one park like this.

This has always been one of my favorites because the kids look like they're having such fun. I also appreciate how the landscaping is done, with the white rocks giving the appearance of snow.

If you ever come to see us, be prepared to either stand in the circle of children to have your photo taken, or listen to John moan and whine. I think he's planning on making a collage some day of all our friends playing ring-around-the-rosy with the bronze children. We've had quite a bit of fun coaxing friends and family to grab the hands of the kids and "look like you're running!" So far everyone has (eventually) cooperated. John is happy.

By the end of our afternoon in the park, Laura Mae and I went to sit in the car while John took Bill down the hill with the camera, so he could contemplate one last sculpture. As they disappeared together I heard John say, "You owe it to yourself to see this one last statue, Bill."
They didn't come back for quite awhile.