Parting Shot

While the subject is not unique to Delta, the lack of humidity in this area does tend to make thing in the sky rather clear as this shot attests.

Good by 2006, hello 2007!

Where Have All The Flowers Gone?

Back on September 9^th, I predicted that the flowers would “succumb to another fall” before he made his move. I was right.

The Destination

It does not matter the time of year, bring your swim suite and relax in the world’s largest hot spring pool!

So what was the subject of the picture from the 26^th? Will you win the prize? Check this posts comments tomorrow morning for the winner.

Climb High

The road climbs high into the mountains, cresting at 8755 feet above sea level, passing many aspen along the way.

Any idea where we are headed? See the past two posts for more info.

Aspen at Altitude

These aspen trees, around an hour from home, have long since shed their leaves. They patiently wait for the warm spring that will surely bring them back to life.
Hint: You will not likely be able to figure out what yesterdays picture was without first figuring out where we were headed.
See yesterdays post for contest details.

What is this?

So what is this you ask…..I ask you the same thing, and there is a prize for the first and/or closest correct guess! I will decide who got close enough the soonest. Protests will be accepted, but most likely ignored. The judge’s (me) decision is final (more or less).

This unaltered picture was taken on a recent overnight trip, and the first person who correctly guesses what it is & where it was taken will get a matted copy (sorry, you will need to supply your own frame) of any one print they select that was published on Delta Daily Photo so far this year. The winner will get to select the print size (up to 8 ½” x 11”) and/or matting size (up 10” x 13”). There will be a total of 3 more photos in this series that may (or may not) help you figure out what and where this was taken. Good Luck!

I will not comment on any answers until after the final post has been available for a day. Friends and family who know where we went are not eligible to win!

The Reason For The Season

The reason for the season is all too often forgotten as life overwhelms us this time of year, so we sincerely offer this simple well known prayer for each of you this holiday season:

May The Lord bless you and keep you.

May the Lord make his face to shine upon you, and be gracious to you.

May the Lord lift up his countenance upon you, and give you peace.

God’s Speed in 2007,
Bill & Patrice

A Winter Wonderland

Grand Mesa is the world’s larges flat top mountain, leveling out over 10,000 feet. The top is covered with lakes and trees, and provides a perfect place for summer and winter activities. It may be warm down in Delta, but Cross Country skiing, show showing, skating, or snowmobiling are all easily an hour away, starting early in the fall, and lasting late into the spring.

Majestic

Mount Sneffles (now don't make fun of the name) rises over 14,000 feet some 50 miles to the south of Delta. It sits right in the middle, as if the king, of a wall of rock that dares you to pass. There are ways around, and if you are willing, the wonders that await you on the other side are worth the effort.

Fine Jewelers

So I have my grandfather’s old pocket watch that needs to be repaired. Considering that this shot was taken around 8:30am, I was not really sure these guys were really the ones to fix it. However, shortly after taking this shot, I noticed that the time was again correct, so my fears may be unfounded.

Over the river, and through the Dobies

A five speed in a Saturn Ion Quad. Enough said.

That’s Gonna leave a Stain

Does anyone know how to get rainbow stains out of carpet?

The Grid

Warning: keep your airplanes and helicopters out of this area. Tractors are ok however.

Clear Fields

The fields are clear, ready to be worked again in the spring.

First Church in the Corn

Ok, did anyone get the license plate number of that wise guy in the combine?

Light On The Dobies

The sun was playing games on the Dobies this cold afternoon, and the hills responded well. If you want to see more of my Dobie shots, click here.

Christmas Parade

Back on December 1^st, we had the town's Christmas "Parade of Lights". There were 67 floats! Not bad for such a small town. The streets were lined with many braving the cold night air. It is amazing what you can do with lights!

You can see the entire parade here.

Back In The Valley

The trip lasted just under 3 hours, and as we floated to these bridges, we knew it would soon be over, but I must tell you, it was a very unique trip. Thanks Riley for a completely unexpected adventure! Riley’s website is www.underthesunbelize.com. I don’t know if this trip is on his site, but you can always ask!

All my photos for the trip can be found here.

Back to our regularly scheduled programming.....

P.S. Dan, this will be my last river pic for a while :)

Peace Flows Like A River

It is amazing how the cares of the world go away in a place like this.

Cold

Did I mention it was cold out here? Don’t rock the boat!

Follow The Leader

Did you guys look at the calendar? Yea, head South, now!

The Oarsman

Riley was the oarsman for this trip, and a capable one at that. While these are not the largest rapids you will ever see, extreme care is needed when you are in single digit temps (for my non US friends, think -12). Fortunately, we did not get wet at all! One other benefit of having an expert oarsman is that he would position the boat exactly right based on where I was pointing the camera. As I was twisting to track the eagle, he was smoothly and quickly turning the craft to make so I did not need to twist my head off, or fall off the boat. That was very much appreciated!

The Rivers Edge

The cliffs at the rivers edge put on a show as well.

Row Row Row Your Boat

The Oars were mainly used for steering as the current kept us moving through this winter wonderland.

Fuzzy Eagle

The amount of wildlife you can see floating in December is amazing. We saw a number of Eagles, a Falcon, Blue Herrings, ducks, and deer. This shot, while a bit fuzzy, shows you one of our visitors. Considering that I was leaning backwards in a lawn chair, floating down a river, using a long lens, trying to track our friend, I thought it turned out ok.

On The Water

We got the boat launched with no issues, and the day could not have been better. It was cold, but we were dressed warm, there was very little wind, and the river was calm (at least this part). You can see the road we came down on the hill side ahead. What a day for a float!

What Could Possibly Go Wrong

I walked a bit on the road (no, I was not scared), and turned around to see where we had come from. This is not your typical boat launch.

Snow Boating

About an hour and 40 minutes after the chance meeting described in yesterday’s post I found myself riding through these snow covered canyons, pulling a boat. Dorothy mentioned that when they come through here in the summer, it is all desert, and it seems odd to be pulling a boat through the desert. I am thinking that this is just as odd. For the record, I had my Canon D60, a long lens, and my Sony HDR-HC1 (High Def Video camera) all snug in a large water cooler. Hey, it is a good idea!

A Chance Meeting

Yesterday morning, I was driving home at around 8:30am from a Men’s prayer breakfast at church, and I decided to pass someone who was moving slower than my desired rate of return. As I crossed the Gunnison River, the view to my right caught my eye. The outside temperature was about +9 Fahrenheit, and steam was rising off the river. I quickly went to the next road, and pulled off. I patiently waited for the road to clear (hello again) then backtracked to the bridge. Today’s photo is one of the results of that stop.

As I finished shooting, I saw a man walking across the bridge, carrying a picnic style water cooler. I asked if he needed a ride. He smiled and said no, I live over there, and I am just out taking pictures……I eyed the water cooler, and he smiled again, saying it keeps dry things dry, and wet things wet….Huh? He was carrying his camera in the cooler to protect it.

It turns out that Riley is an outfitter, and runs rafting trips on the Gunnison as one of his endeavors, which suddenly makes all this seem completely reasonable. We got talking, and he asked if I could row. I mentioned that I had been wanting to paddle the river all summer, but had not been able to. He asked if I wanted to do a float trip? I said sure, and he said how about in an hour……Hey I could get some great pictures I thought as it dawned on me how absurdly cold is was…….So an hour or so later I found my self with Riley & his wife Dorothy ( she was dropping us off, but not crazy enough to do the river with us) driving across snow packed roads to get to the put in point. Stay tuned for the next few days to see some pics from that adventure.

The things I do for DDP……….

A Blanket of White

The sounds of the motorcycles have faded away, and the tree that once tried to impress the cows with its color has given up. It now sits quietly, in stark contract to the fresh snow that blankets the Dobies, waiting for spring.

Flying Through Delta

This girl in this bronze statue on Main Street (taken a bit earlier this year) seems to be flying through town, but in fact she is flying on a bronze rope swing. Today is theme day, and today’s theme is: ”Taking a photo of a person from the waist down (like Bob do)”. I hope you enjoyed my contribution. To see what the rest of DP family is doing with this theme, check out the links below.



<Porto -Greenville -Evry -Queens -Seattle, WA, USA -Stayton , OR, USA -Albuquerque, NM (USA) -Joplin, MO (USA) -Singapore (Raymond) -Guadalajara, Mexico -Santiago, Chile -London (UK) -Jakarta (Indonesia) -Bandung (Indonesia) -Melbourne, Aust (John) -Phoenix, AZ (US) -Twin Cities, MN -Newcastle upon tyne(England) -St. Paul, MN (USA) Carol -Szentes (Hungary) -Tuzla (BiH) -St. Paul Kate -Dubai (U.A.E.) -Nelson (New Zealand) -Sharon, CT USA -Tenerife (Spain) -Auckland (New Zealand) -Budapest (Hungary) -Sydney, Australia (Sally) -Sequim, WA -East Lansing, MI (USA) -Vantaa; Finland -Singapore (Zannnie) -Paris (France) -Kuala Lumpur -Shanghai, China -Sydney Aust (Nathalie) -Hyde (UK) -Akita City, Japan -Tokyo (Japan) -Rotterdam -Manila (Philippines) -Not Strictly Seattle -Stavanger (Norway) -Hong Kong -Chattanooga, Tennessee -Barcelona (Spain) -Trujillo (Peru) -Naples Florida -Delta Colorado -Buenos Aires, Argentina -Cheltenham, England -

Orange Paint

Sometimes I wonder if God ever runs out of orange paint. He seems to use a lot of it around here! Not that I am complaining in this 100th DDP post.

(Back on November 22nd, Annie asked what happened next, and I promised an answer. Well with a little help from a long lens, this is it. Darkness came shortly after this.)

Realtor Puns

While I would give them a failing grade for presentation with this sign, they definitely get high marks in the pun department.

Music Spiral

There are a number of bronze sculptures in Delta, and I find this one rather interesting. It was dedicated to a young music teacher who died in an automobile crash a number of years back. A fitting tribute, don't you think?

So Many Choices

Should I go right, or should I go left…….

Premium Liquor

One wonders if the Premium is worth the extra 20 cents? Perhaps I should take a trip out to the West Elks to see what their premium runs for.

Perhaps a trip to France may be in order ........

A nice award winning Riesling from _______

How about a nice award winning Riesling from 2006…..Oh, you wanted the 2005 vintage?....hold on a minute….where was that black pen…oh well, blue will do…..Here is a nice award winning Riesling from 2005…….Perhaps the wine producers of France don’t need to worry yet :)

Wine Country

Look out France, here come the West Elks!

Leftover Apples

Fall is about over, but someone forgot to tell the apples it was time to get a move on. However, in the United States, the today is “Thanksgiving Day”, and these apples will have good company as “leftovers” tend to abound on this day.

Even if it is not the official day to be thankful in your country, you may want to consider doing so anyway. There is no better way to start any day! So, happy Thanksgiving to my entire DP family, and thank you all for the work you each put into your blogs, and the many kind comments you have left on my site over the past few months.

Bill

Peak A Boo Sunset

This sunset had better get going, as night is going to out run it!

Go With The Flow

Look closely to the left of the river, and you will notice rail road tracks. I guess if you follow the river, much of the rail bed work is done for you. Go with the flow!

Note, I think my son Tim may have taken this shot, as we were sharing his camera on a recent bike trip in Rabbit Valley. Biking with a Canon D60 is not recommended. I now have a Canon SD900 for these sorts of trips to avoid this confusion (seemed like a good excuse).

Northern Exposure

The Northern exposure of this very large sandstone formation does not get the direct light from the clear blue sky. I suspect this allows the lichen to take hold.

The Flintstone Mobile

This may have been one of Fred Flintstone’s later vehicles.

Desert Sands

About an hour and a half to the North West, the desert dominates in an area known as Rabbit Valley. There is a good deal of vegetation for the furry creatures that must inhabit this area, but the sand is never far away. Neither are the mountain bikes!

The Traveler

His face is weathered and cracked, and his eyes are full of wisdom. His armor has held up well, and the sun still brings him joy. It has been a long life, and he has traveled many miles, all on the hood of a 1951 DeSoto.

What do you want?

Waiting for my kids to finish up their horseback riding lesson, I felt as if I was being watched.

Build Just What You Need, No More, No Less – Part 2

Was the lot too small? Were building materials too expensive? Did the original owner not like to clean? All of the above? Regardless, this cute home down in town is not setup for every family, especially ours, but the current owners obviously love and care for it.

Taking In The View

A light drizzle was in the air, and the morning was crisp. That however did not stop these travelers from taking in the view.

Prudence

While I have not given it a great deal of thought, I don't think I have I any major issues with this policy posted on a local shop in Delta.

Fiercely Distracted

This bear appears very fierce, but somewhat distracted. Perhaps that gave the artist time to do his portrait for this mural.