LEISURE

What is this life if, full of care,

We have no time to stand and stare.

No time to stand beneath the boughs
And stare as long as sheep or cows.

No time to see, when woods we pass,

Where squirrels hide their nuts in grass.

No time to see, in broad daylight,

Streams full of stars, like stars at night.

No time to turn at Beauty's glance,

And watch her feet, how they can dance.

No time to wait till her mouth can

Enrich that smile her eyes began.

A poor life this if, full of care,

We have no time to stand and stare.

                                       William Henry Davies

I have been reminded lately how important it is to take time to notice the beauty around us.

Hope you make some time to "stand and stare" this weekend.

Golden Blooms

Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote "What is a weed? A plant whose virtues have not yet been discovered."

 The drought conditions in our area have left us without much color this fall season.

These pretty little flowers along with goldenrod, usually thought of as weeds, are providing most of the color along the roadsides. I think they are beautiful. David brought a bouquet from the deer camp and I put them in a watering can on the back porch to greet me each day.

They make me smile!

Winding up Wyoming

This will be the last of the wonderful Wyoming vacation photos. I could probably post from now until Christmas with all the pictures I took, but that would be a little like being invited over for dinner and being subjected to vacation videos! This is our lovely daughter with the amazing Tetons in the background.



This is a view we had most every where we went. You can just see one of the glaciers on the top of the mountain and the trees…..well words cannot describe.




We visited Mormon Row one morning. It was cloudy and drizzling so the mountains were a little hazy in the background. These barns are some of the most photographed buildings in the area. There was quite a Mormon settlement here at one time and I could imagine their life here at the foot of the Tetons. Their property was purchased to become part of the Grand Teton National Park.





Can you imagine having this view every day? They were farmers, raising hay and farm animals. I imagine their life was hard but also very happy.


Now a few pictures of Yellowstone……



One of the springs called the Heart because of the shape. This one is a really pretty blue, but not all were as pleasant. Some were downright smelly and ugly!



I was amazed at the terrain. I have read and seen pictures but I could not have imagined how beautiful it is in reality. Here are buffalo grazing and the steam coming from the earth in the background along the rim.



The falls in the Yellowstone Canyon. It was breathtaking!



We took a hike along the South Rim of the Canyon and here we are at Artist Point, taking a break before heading back. We had climbed down to the bottom of the falls (over 325 steps!) and once you go down….well that means you have to come back up…..  As I said earlier, the air is mighty thin in those parts and a rest to replenish oxygen was in order.




This is one of my favorite places on the Lewis river. There is a small waterfall close to here, but the river winding through the flats, clear as a mirror with small rapids here and there is just beautiful to me. Fly fishing is a popular sport in this area.



Here is one of  the tour buses from Yellowstone. A cool ride!



Beautiful aspens against the sky. God does know how to mix His colors!


I hope you have enjoyed visiting the west with me. It was a trip I will not soon forget!

Wyoming Wildlife

As promised, some pictures of the awesome wildlife in the Grand Teton and Yellowstone National Park. Everywhere we traveled, we were on the lookout for the animals. Anytime two or more cars were stopped on the side of the road, you could be sure they had some form of wildlife in their sights!

This black bear was happily eating berries by the roadside and we, with about 50 others, found a safe spot and snapped away.



One afternoon as we were driving through the Grand Teton Park, we saw this herd of buffalo grazing alongside the road. This is what I see in my minds eye when I think of the plains of Wyoming. They were as magnificent as I expected. I could certainly imagine thousands of these animals thundering across the prairie, shaking the earth.





As we were leaving, the sky began to look pretty ominous but looks can be deceiving in this part of the world. This is really miles and miles away. We never got any of this rain.





This fellow was the best surprise. Our daughter’s one wish was to see a moose on this trip. As a matter of fact, we traveled several miles to different parts of the Park following one report after another of “moose sightings”.  She was the one who actually saw this big guy first (and they are BIG). We kept a respectful distance, making sure not to disturb any of the animals, but I think they are used to being photographed and admired. I was so glad she got her wish! There was also a female and a baby who was laying down in the grass. ( I always think they look like they are smiling, don't you?)






How would you like to have an elk cut your grass? We asked a resident if they ever had to mow and she replied, “no, and we don’t have to fertilize either” :)



How about looking out your window and seeing this lady? We couldn’t figure what she was so interested in, but after I looked at this picture, I think she thought there was another elk in the reflection in the window. We saw many more especially at dusk or a little after. At night, there were so many elk on the highway, we had to drive slowly to keep from hitting them. Too bad it was too dark to get good pictures of them. We heard them calling each other and it is the most beautiful sound. It was a real treat to see them up close.

Ok, I think you will recognize the rest, I will just be quiet and let you visit the animals.









 






When I look at these animals, I think they are my favorite part of the trip. Then I look at the amazing mountains, water falls, lakes, rivers, flats, plains and think they are my favorite. Then there are the trees, flowers, berries……and you see it is impossible to choose. God revealed Himself in His amazing creation and I was in love with it all.  I will share one more post and hope you are not tired of vacation pictures just yet!

Wyoming

The mountains are calling and I must go. John Muir




Oh, where to begin!  The beauty we saw on our trip west is almost beyond words. The Grand Tetons were magnificent. This picture was taken as the sun hit the mountains and there were clouds as well. I am not sure which caused this unusual effect, but it was enough to make us stop and take notice.



This picture was taken from the porch at our cabin in Jackson Hole. There were Canadian geese flying into this little creek each afternoon. It was so peaceful and serene even though we were at the edge of town.

 


Jackson Hole has a large elk refuge just at the edge of town where the elk come down to winter. The antlers are collected each spring by the Boy Scouts. These arches anchor the four corners of the park downtown.





The aspens were in full color! Here is David on one of our hikes.  The colors were brilliant yellow and orange and everywhere I looked, there was a picture to be taken.





 One of my favorite drives through the Grand Teton National Park. We spent quite a bit of time driving and looking at the wildlife in the park. I will share pictures of the animals we saw in my next post.







 We hiked the beautiful Jenny Lake and this is just one of many, many awesome views of the lake.





 
A mini water fall on the way to the main falls.




Here we are at the main water fall about half way around the lake. For this Louisiana girl who lives almost below sea level, the air is pretty thin up on the mountain. We stopped to catch our breath and enjoy the beauty for a while.







 Even the grasses in the flats were beautiful.






I know this is a long post, but I am having trouble editing to just a few pictures!  Wildlife in the park will be coming up later this week.

GO WEST, YOUNG MAN

Recently, my nephew was blessed to go elk hunting in Colorado. This beautiful picture is one of my favorites from his album, although I wish I could take credit for it.  I think he looks like an explorer in what was virgin territory for him and his friend. From all accounts, they had a great time and came home with wonderful memories and a great set of elk horns!


Dear husband and I along with our daughter and son-in-law are headed west for the next few days as well. We plan to visit the Grand Tetons and Yellowstone, staying in Jackson Hole, WY. It will be quite a change for us. It is hard to pack coats, sweaters and jackets when it is 90 degrees, but we are excited at the prospect of seeing similar scenery as in the picture above.


We will be spending as much time outdoors, hiking and enjoying God's beautiful world, as possible. I will hopefully, have some pictures to share when I return.

Until then, have a great weekend.