BLM - Rescued

In Utah the BLM (Bureau of Land Management) rounds up the wild horses from BLM land and adopts them out to locals.  We went to see up close and my heart just melted.  With shaggy coats that looked more like llama tuffs than what should be on a horse I wanted to bring one home with me.  Watery big brown eyes looked right into my soul and resisted the hands of humans, instead searching for the wildness of the land they’d just been taken from.  Imagine, a hundred years ago, when huge herds of these magnificent animals roamed all of our southwest.

All supplies from Cottage Arts can be found here

Deer Creek Reservoir

All supplies from Cottage Arts

Photo taken at Deer Creek Reservoir, Utah

Day Trippin'

When family and friends came to visit in the early fall of 2008 we took them on a Day Trip to Cedar Breaks National Monument.  What a gorgeous day.  The sky was that intense desert blue with soft white puffy clouds bouncing around which set the backdrop for those fabulous red rock HooDoos.  You just couldn't help but feeling good being in the beautiful outdoors.  I loved this picture of Chrissy and I, she looks so put out.  (Granted she hates having her picture taken but actually the sun was in our eyes as well so that says a lot for the expression, even though she has threatened to break my camera on occasion.)

I used a combo of kits from Cottage Arts, please check my gallery page here for a complete list.

Curious

Loved the animals in the Kolab Reservoir near Zion National Park

Kit is Wild West Page Pak by Cottage Arts

Strength

Using Cottage Arts Digital Kit - Majestic Oak

Peace...

a simple drive in the countryside with no destination in mind...  sometimes, when my mind is still and the beauty of nature is surrounding me peace comes...  I let my soul be still, listening to the everyday sounds around me...  wind whistling through the grasses, geese off in the distance, the neigh of one horse to another...  time to  simply enjoy the offerings that are there for me to take...  my mind wanders, my breathing becomes slow and steady and the stress that had been pressing downward suddenly lifts and removes itself from my shoulders...   life, if only I would allow myself the time to really look around me...

Supplies are all from the Autumn Fields digital collection at Cottage Arts 

Please see my gallery page here for links to all supplies

Fall In Zion

The new Harvest Medley Papers and Elements kits at Cottage Arts were just perfect for my Zion Park pictures I took last week. How nice to be able to walk the trails with out lots of tourists like in the summer months. Such a beautiful park!

Utah Beauty - Four Seasons

My friend Beth Rimmer has been at it again. I just love her kits they always have a degree of tilt on them! This one has beautiful background papers but lots of bits of whimsy to use as well in the Keep Looking Up! Embellies kit. I wanted to use this quote which is from the Its Only Words Challenge at Digitals this month and Beth's kit along with my scenic view of Utah seemed to fit perfectly. The background is Road shot photo I took at Navajo Lake blended with two of the papers from Beth's Keep Looking Up! Papers kit. The word art is supplied free if you join the challenge, so get hopping and join in the fun!

My journaling reads:
Road trips have become a part of our retirement. Hunting out the well known spots, as well as the off the beaten track sights and scenery. It amazes us both at how much beauty and diversity are here in our own country. Beautiful skies, and landscapes just begging for my camera to hold them for others to see. These pictures were taken throughout the four seasons within 100 miles of our home.

Dixie Downs

I did this for the Ad Challenge at Digitals, you're to take this ad and interpret it into a page.
So here's my take on it.

I used a kit from Michelle Pieters called Garden of Dreams, it had just the right shades of brown and beige to accompany my photos. These were shot on Saturday at Dixie Downs which is a very small horsetrack in Hurricane, Utah. It was a fun experience and there's nothing like being up close to these magnificent animals! These were the trials for the races with a purse on the 18th. Apparently there are races in small towns like this around the state so if time permits we may venture on to explore another town and see another race.

Corn Fest

Late last summer we heard about a small community about 45 minutes East of St George that hosted a Corn Fest. Fresh corn just sounded too good to pass up so we took off one morning just to see what was what. Enterprise is a very small farming community that produces some of the sweetest most flavorful corn I've had for years. They brought wagons directly from the fields and loaded bags for you as you waited. Several of the neighborhood had lunch for sale including Navajo tacos, a real treat and a first for us both. We can't wait until this August, we'll be there with mouths salivating just thinking of the sweet corn waiting for our table.

I used Alessandra Designs darling action LadyBug Action Bundle for the little red ladybugs and then two of her papers (blended) from her Four Seasons: Autumn

Artsy Photo Masks

Utah in the Winter has been a new experience and nothing could top it more than this gorgeous sky that showed up the other night. I was busy at the computer and happened to look up, ran and grabbed the camera and shot some breath taking winter skies. Not long after that Beth asked if I had something to try her new Artsy Photo Masks with, I knew I had just the thing. When I applied the mask instantly this verse from the America the Beautiful came to mind. Wonderful how things just seem to fall into place sometimes!

This page also uses Across the Years Papers 10, 14 and 18 blended together. I'm getting to the point I rarely make a page anymore where I don't blend papers or apply masks. A New Year's resolution I made was to learn new things to add to my bag of tricks. It's just amazing though how much I've learned the past few years. For any of you just beginning with a graphics program my words of advice would be to just keep playing and playing. The more you play the more you discover, the more you discover the more you use over and over again. Which in turn leads to your comfort level. When you're comfortable with your program what once was hard and time consuming now you'll do without much thought. I'm especially fond of learning shortcuts, it's just so cool to know which keystrokes will make you zoom along faster. Geez what a fun hobby this is!

Mom has this little spot just as you park at her Apartment Complex and I've always loved the look of the path and Street Lamps. It's short!, just a few feet but taken at this angle it lets the imagination wander and feel like the path extends forever. So, don't be stopped by what you see when you take photos, instead take what the mind sees but isn't there. Amazing what Beth's photo masks do for an ordinary photo. The quote is my own, you're more than welcome to use it, I'd love if you'd credit me though.
This page also used Beth's Popsicle Toes paper 9 with a Photo Filter applied -

Snowy Update

I was so sure the snow would be here and gone in a flash, little did I know that we would get inches last night.

I It started about 4 in the afternoon and snowed way into the night.

When I came home from town today Green Springs Golf course was vacant of golfers but perched on a mound was this Snowman! What a cute idea.

It's Snowing in Southern Utah

Well not today but earlier this week it snowed all day! Make me feel like I was home, only thing is here it's the moutains that surround us that are covered with powdered snow the lowlands are clear, the best of both worlds. I had to take these photos those, Palm Trees are not suppose to have snow are they? I heard on the radio this morning that you'd best be getting the Palm blankets on, I thought they were joking. Lo and behold on my way home today what do I see but palms with blankets tucked securely around the top portion (the neck I would say) just under where the frongs start. I wonder what happens to all the rest of the poor little naked Palm necks out there in this cold weather, I sure hope they don't die, that's one of my favorite things to see around here. Here's a few shots I took around our neighborhood the other day. Of course being the idiot I am with a camera I had to walk down to the golf course just so I could show family and friends who've been here it really did have snow on it. It's like anywhere else though. You become accustomed to your surroundings and forget to see the beauty. I never realized how tall the hills are behind our housing development until they have this beautiful veil of white on them. As I was stopped at the stoplight on the way home the intersection was a perfect view of Best Buy and the shopping center, and there rising majestically behind their rooftops were these beautiful snowcaps, I just hadn't realized how close or how tall they are! When I got a little further you could see the ledges leading into Zion each line of rock dusted with poweder. How beautiful it is!!

Utah Fall Foliage

Yesterday we took a ride so I could shoot some pics of the fall foliage up near the canyons. Wow talk about pretty! The contrast between the colors of the leaves and the formations of the rocks were really something! We also stopped at Navajo Lake. We drove by it (from above) last time we were out driving around, this time we actually drove down to the lake. Beautiful and such a surprise amongst all the dryness. Can't wait to go back next year and rent a boat so we can go out on it. Most everything was already closed, I imagine the season ends the last day of September.

My Morning Walk

These little bunnies grace the houses around our neighborhood in the early hours of the morning. This guy must have figured I wasn't much of a threat because he sat around and let me shoot pictures of him.

The golf course is on the main road (Green Springs) it's only a block from our house. I wanted to walk over to the street that curves around the East end of the course up through the homes. It was uphill and my body was saying huff puff, what are you doing????? Next time maybe I'll make it all the way up the hill, but it was a new place, new sites, and just fun to look at the homes.

The hot air balloon I spotted on the way back. When you see the mountains behind the balloon that's actually the backdrop for Washington City. It's a direct line from our place to there. Looking the other direction, down the golf course, are the mountains on the other side that frame the backdrop for the golf course. If I could change anything about our house I would have a private backyard (ours is open on both sides to the neighbors) and I would have a view of the mountains, you can't see them from the house because of the houses around us. I'd love to see the sunsets and sunrises. If I wake up early enough tomorrow I'll head out a half hour sooner so I can catch the sunrise. They are beautiful here.

Zion's Tunnels

This is my second page on our trip to Zion, I had so many people comment on the tunnel and it's window view from outside the tunnel I decided I'd like to remember this in a page. Here's the journaling:

We approached this first tunnel and were through it in a blink, but further along Zion's winding road was the second tunnel and this is the one I remembered from before. There is no place to stop as you go through, which is a shame because pictures from the inside looking out would speak volumes. The top photo is a shot of one of the carved arched windows within the tunnel, I'm not sure how many there are but several. We had made a couple of the switchbacks after exiting the tunnel and by the time I could pull off on a turnout this is what I saw. Looking up I could make out the outside of the window (shown by the magnifying glass in the middle photo), enlarged so you can get the feel for the beauty of the design in the top photo. The bottom is the first, shorter tunnel we went through. The Zion Mt Carmel tunnel (the actual name) is 1.1 miles long. In the early 1900's Navajo Sandstone was blasted and cut (2000' thick) to form the tunnel. Impressive to say the least. The drop off on the south side was 800', it's just beyond my comprehension doing something of this magnitude at this period of time.
I used Spellweaver's Harmony kit, it's at Digitals if you'd like to check it out.

Perched on Zion's Rim

Wow here's the first page I've done since the move. It seems like forever!! And it's great to be back creating! Yesterday we started out in the morning to go to Colorado City, ended up going on to Kanab then on to Glen Canyon Dam, Page and Lake Powell. Paul wanted to come back a different way so when we got back to Kanab around 3:30 we headed up on to the East side of Zion and came through the canyon. I had only been once before and it was late when we went through, dusk and past so I hardly got to see anything past the entrance on the west end. Today was glorious. So little traffic, such wonderful weather. We could stop whenever we wanted and take pictures (or I could - smiles, he was a real good sport about stopping every few feet, lol). Soon it will be packed with people this was so great, like having the park more to a small group of visitors. It is the best way to see the park - East to West - when people visit this is how we will take them, the heavy traffic flows from I-15 West through the park. Now, you aren't able to go to the Lodge unless you have a certain pass. You must park and take a shuttle (free). We had traveled over 325 miles by this time so opted to skip this until the next trip, when I think we'll go up and stay overnight. You can pick up the shuttle from anywhere on either side, get on and off as much as you want and it stops at all the spots in Springdale and then at all the spots within the park that you cannot drive to. I wish they would do this at all the parks, Yosemite would be so much better if there were only shuttles on the inside instead of so many cars, super super idea!

Journaling on this page reads:
As we approached the entrance to Zion National Park we stopped to take the first of
many photos of this magnificent area. There was this charming little fellow sitting in
the tree near me. As I started to snap his photo he darted off only to land on the edge
of the railing. Perched on the rim, taking in the beauty of the scenery around him,
just like me, but this is his home, an everyday place, but to me, it’s amazing, awe-
inspiring, just breathtaking. So majestic al, the day was perfect, a beautiful May day
with sparse cars and cooler weather. I’m so glad we decided to go for a drive.

All supplies were from Cottage Arts - please check them out, you'll be so glad you did!

I'm Retired!

Our new home in Washington Utah.

I thought I should put an update on the blog so those of you that stop by won't wonder if I've dropped from the face of the Earth! As of Friday I am officially a retired person. Wow exciting, scary and a new adventure all rolled into one! We are living in the midst of boxes and packing tape at the moment. Saturday we'll load the U-Haul and be on our way to our new home base in Washington Utah. We have lots of adventures lined up. A long trip to Boston and the surrounding area visiting relatives, friends and seeing the area for the first time myself. To Washington State in July to share the fireworks with my Grandkids, kids and family and friends. We'll extend the back portion of that trip to perhaps portions of Idaho, Wyoming, Montana and Colorado. I'm sure all the mess in Utah will sit patiently and wait for our return!

Stop back by I'll have photos of the progress and our new home!

Morning Sunrise, Washington Utah

This was taken at the corner just before you get on Interstate 15 by our house when we left for our last trip to Fresno last Month. The sun was just rising above the mountains and by the time we had filled the car with gas the intensity of the beauty had increased tenfold. And just think, this will soon be a daily occurrence. I hope I don't become so adjusted to the beauty that I fail to see it each and every day!

Can you believe it???

I move 45 minutes from Mt St Helens in Washington State only to be 5 minutes from St Helens of Washington in Utah. it was just too much we just had to stop in and get the scoop on this place! I was sure we were going to be told the owners were from Washington State, I was anxious to find out where. To my surprise it wasn't that at all. The owners wife's name is Helen and since they live in Washington City the name just kind of sprang together. No matter, it's still was fun to stop and it will be fun to go again each time visitors from home come to see us. Besides that the service was just as friendly as ever and the food was super.

Additional blog in the works!

I've been asked from friends and family to do a new blog updating it with pictures of the move, our travels and just day to day goings on, to keep in touch with the friends I've made here in California and the family and friends I left in Washington State. It's in the making I'm trying to think of a catchy name, anyone have any ideas????

Road to Nowhere!

We were traveling from Washington to Southern Utah in the summer of 2004. North of Salt Lake City we stopped at a cool rest stop that had this wonderful Visitor Center. The volunteer there told us we "Must" see Antelope Island State Park. We were told about all the antelope, bison and other animals that inhabited the Island. We were sold it was a 'must see'. Antelope Island is the largest of the Great Salt Lake's 10 islands. By going on the causeway you cross the lake to the Island, it seemed to stretch forever. Now mind you this was late July, the lake was low and the scenery not as lush as I'm sure it would have been had we stopped in the fall months.

Well needless to say this guy here in the photo was about the only almost-live animal we saw! I can't say I regret going because I'd never seen the Great Salt Lake and it was amazing to me to think that it could be so big, be actually saltwater and be totally surrounded by land.

We found this bison with the hands painted on him and were both in hysterics posing with him. You can't see it in this picture but right next to him was a sign that said 'The Road to Nowhere'. Well I think they got that one just about right.

Get this kit

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RICH TAPESTRY MEMORIES
Beth Rimmer is to be the featured designer at Digitals October 5-19 and you will be able to download a few pieces of this fabulous kit each day. It is sooooo worth it. I just love the colors and elements.