Natural Bridge

Less than an hour from where we live is a natural bridge over a lazy stream. The area is a gorgeous oasis in the plains. Red rocks, green grass, water. What more do you need? We packed a picnic and headed a bit south to eat some lunch and soak in a little Wyoming beauty with Charlotte and Jake.

Think Spring?

Today I am thinking spring. I know, I know, we have a looong winter ahead of us, but now I am thinking about those first bright harbingers of spring, the tulips!



As soon as the morning sun burns off the chill in the air I will head out with Cordelia and get planting!


Cordelia did not eat the bulb, for the record.



Do you plant tulips?

Mind Blowing

Several years ago I took a break from school for one year. After a few months I began to have visions of my brain shriveling up and turning into something like the weird black stub that remains of an umbilical cord before it falls off to the great relief of one and all.
To counteract the impending brain shriveling I decided to give myself small research assignments, this process has continued on even though I have since gone back to school.

I discovered the joy of learning on my own. I highly recommend it. I tend to choose something that seems mysterious or mind-boggling. Yeah, I love to have my mind boggled. I find that learning about something totally random can put me into an extended state of awe and give me a much needed dose of humility.

I would like to make a little note here that I am in fact using the term “research assignment” pretty fast and loose here. Usually my research involves a few websites, reputable ones in my defense, and possibly a book or two. Under no circumstances have I become an expert on these research subjects. The outcome is that I usually hold my head and repeat the information to Eric and then go on and on about how amazing the world is.


For instance, did you know that the duck billed platypus is venomous! Freakish. It is an egg-laying, venomous, warm-blooded wonder of the natural world.




Or that the male angler fish will attach himself to his mate and live his life stuck to her like a parasite, talk about a clingy relationship (sorry bad joke).

Don’t even get me started on spagettification. Seriously don’t get me started, my explanation involves lots of hand gestures that don’t translate onto the Internet. Generally spaghettification is matter being stretched long and thin as it approaches a black hole. It literally blows my mind to realize how little I understand our world.

I guess that when I am feeling like I am having a bad day I really like to remind myself how many amazing things there are in the world for me to discover.

Autumn Hits Denver

I had a pretty rough day at work today. Very, very, very, boring. So, at lunch Eric and I took Bumblebee on a nice walk in the park. Since we adopted Bumblebee a couple of years ago Eric and I have taken her on a walk every single day. We have really become acutely aware of the changing seasons and even though we are out in it every day, there is still a moment when it seems that everything makes a decision to change. Its sort of like a few trees get a bright idea to change a bit early and there are always a few stragglers that hold onto their leaves well past a respectable date. You know the trees; they seem to lose their leaves in one shameful December day.

Anyway, our lunch-break walk in the park revealed that today is the day that most of the trees seem to have decided to usher fall in with one big lovely show. While Denver is a city, it does have some really great parks that help you forget it. Below are some photos from our afternoon walk.

I really love the loooong shadows in this picture. The leaves are reflecting the bright sun too.

I wish I could have gotten a better photo of this creek. The water was pulling the leaves to wherever it is headed. I love the way that leaves don't all just float on top of the water, but seem to divide the water into a top, middle, and bottom.

The grass is still green, but the leaves know what season it is.

I took this photo to really highlight the golden color of the leaves against the dark tree trunk.

The tree seemed to be taking a cue from the river and just let its leaves flow right into the water.

This shadow reminds me that the days are getting shorter.