Highway Bridge

Here is another shot of the Gunnison River as it crosses under (for now) the highway. Life in Delta would get very interesting if this bridges goes under water since it is the main entry point from the North. I took this shot from a berm that is built up along the river. The water has risen past the bottom of the berm, and water has started to collect a little in the parking lot behind me. I hope that is not a sign of things to come......

Camping Time

Campers are starting to arrive in Delta, but so is the water. We had a record snow pack in the high country this winter, and many of the reservoirs are filling up such that the operators are playing a tricky game, allowing just enough water to make room for the water to come, while at the same time not flooding Delta. I am glad I live up on a hill!

In The Valley

Delta sits in it's valley of green this spring.

Picture Day

Today was picture day for the girls softball league, and my youngest two daughters seemed to enjoy it. The weather could not have been more perfect.

Looking Back Toward Delta

I never tire of view of Dominguez Canyon as it pushes out to the foot of Grand Mesa. I hope you have enjoyed the trip.

Earth & Sky

Where earth & sky meet.

Still Fighting

If you look to the top of this old warrior, you will see that it still puts up the good fight.

Old & New

New and old life coexist in this very special place.

Play Ground

I think God is a better playground builder than man is any day. For what it's worth, Colleen (in the orange) made it up the pitch! You must zoom in for details.

Road Closed

The road to the Cactus Park overlook of Dominguez Canyon is rough enough this year with out these guys throwing their weight around! Zoom in an take a look at the young ones in the back who are learning to be road blocks.

Peaks On The Horizon

Back home in Delta, the peaks are a ways away, but not so far that you can't visit them often.

Peak-A-Boo

These peaks are playing that age old game of Peak-A-Boo with the clouds.

Lonesome Ranch

They call it Bristlecone View, but some would describe this place in South Park as Lonesome Ranch.

Fresh Snow

The peaks in South Park glisten under a fresh coat of spring snow.

Sheep Time

I stopped at a rest area in Glenwood Canyon, and all the bicycle riders were stopped watching the sheep get watered in the canyon. The variety of landscapes on this trip is very interesting. This shot was taken less than 2 hours after the previous two pictures.

A-Basin

Looking West from the summit of Loveland Pass, you can see the mountains above the Arapaho Basin ski area. As far as I know, it is the only one still open, and if the weather holds, it may stay open close to July 4th.

Loveland Pass

I just got back from a two night trip back to the Denver area, and of course I had the cameras with me. Over the next few days, I will give you an idea of what it is like between here and there. This shot was taken on the top of Loveland Pass. If you look closely you can see snowboarders carrying their boards up to the summit for a hard earned run. The up side, is that there are no lift ticket fees....or lifts.....

Storm Clouds

The sun sets in Delta as another storm settles in.

Back To The Hill

On May 20th of last year, I posted this same hill. Each year the road is closed, and the Seniors get to paint it. Last year, our son Tim put his mark on the world, and it was not long after that he survived a head on crash. God was truly watching over him that day, and I know it was for a reason. My prayer is that God will continue to watch over these seniors that are attempting to leave their marks as well.

Breakfast in China

I was looking for something different for breakfast this morning, and was unsuccessful. On the way, we saw this closed Chinese restaurant, and it got me thinking. So what do they eat for breakfast in China......I have no idea since I have never found a Chinese restaurant that is open for breakfast......

Kneaded Touch

If you got the bread and you are feeling a bit doughy, this may be the place for you.

Mirrors

Some fun house mirrors make you look fat, others thin, this one just makes you look a bit goofy around the edges.....or perhaps it is just a normal reflection.......

Happy Mothers Day!

Last weekend was out Church's Mother Daughter Banquet. All the women and girls had a nice sit down dinner, served buy the guys in the church. The church gym was decorated up as nice as a gym can be, and the event was enjoyed by all.

Today in the US, it is Mother's Day. Regardless of where you are, take the time to give you Mom a big hug today, you never know how many more chances you will have to do that! I miss you Mom.

Auction

You may recall an earlier post called "Tail Fins" that I posted on 9/26/06, or the series of hood ornaments I posted in 2007. Those shots came from the collection of one man, and in August, he he putting his entire collection up for auction. When he let me in the yard to photograph the hood ornaments, his passion for his collection was very evident. I suspect it will be a hard day for him.

Out-Of-Sink Erator

When you do a DP site, you almost always have a camera with you, and last weekend was no exception. I was helping serve at the annual Mother Daughter banquet our church puts on, and had my camera in the kitchen. Now, if you look over the 551 shots I have posted prior to this one, you will notice that this photograph does not really live up to the standards I have set for myself. That is because my camera was apparently hijacked sometime during the evening........

Well it only seems fair that I post the best of their work. Click on the image to see the detail of the wash cloth threads :)

I decided against the interior garbage can shots! Tomorrow I will post one of my shots from the event :)

Wrong Way

It is odd how inviting this looks, but every indication says I should not enter......

Horseback Rides

I suspect it has been a few years since rides were available.......

Quilts Etc.

It is the Etc. part that has me curious.......

Blooms

The snow has retreated to the upper most regions of the mesa, and Delta is all abloom this spring!

Iron Man

Iron Man has come to Delta, and decided to hand out in front of the Egyptian theater. As I was taking a picture of him, the fan on the right said Oh, please please take my picture with Iron Man! He did not ask for a copy or anything, he just wanted his picture taken! Well, here you go :)

Country Roads

Green returns to the valleys, and the country roads just ask to be explored.

What to do with an old steam shovel

Park it in a field and string barbed wire I guess......

may day, may day

It is May first, the tulips are starting to bloom, the grass is green, and it is snowing..........

Cardboard Dropoff

Every so often, a "free" city service pops up that turns out to be very handy, and Delta has the cardboard drop off. It turned out to be very handy when we moved here, and again as we do our basement finishing project. Thanks City of Delta, this service is appreciated!

On The Way to Dropping off Cardboard...

On the way to dropping off cardboard (more on that tomorrow), I could not help but stop & take a picture of the setting sun on this old feed store. Good lighting can make a world of difference on a subject!

Hyphens

Hyphens are a tool often overlooked by graffiti artists, but not in Delta.

Free Coffee

One of the nice things about living in "the sticks", is that people tend to be rather laid back and generous. I fly out of the Grand Junction airport once a month, and one thing I always do is to stop by the one store in the terminal to pickup a free cup of coffee. Does your airport have anyone giving away free coffee? Now I need to find the free lunch......

Between our basement finishing project, and travel to CA, I have been "out of pocket" a bit lately, but I hope to get back to regular posting starting today!

Waiting

Waiting for lunch, waiting for the train to pass, waiting for the snow to melt off the mesa. A lot of waiting for such a small place! It was however 77 degrees today, the sun was shining, and the top was down. There are worse places to wait!

Too Pooped to Participate

Sorry for the lack of posts this week. We have been finishing a basement for the past few months, and have entered the painting phase. All the sanding and such has left me too pooped to participate! I set down the primer last night, and we are getting close. All the activity around here has also been too much for Abby to watch :)

MJDLWBHDTC for short

My parting shot from the museum comes from looking into the back of a 1930 Model J Duesenberg LWB Hibbard & Darrin Transformable Cabriolet. It is a bit grainy since I was shooting hand held with a high ISO on my small camera, but this shot is fun to zoom in on any way. Take a look!

You will probably see more shots from the museum show up now and again, but that's all for now. I hope you enjoyed your visit to the Gateway Auto Museum, come again!

East Bound & Down

In the movie Smoky & the Bandit, there is a classic scene between the guy who wants 400 cases of Coors beer moved east very quickly, and "The Bandit" (Burt Reynolds). It goes like this:

"I need a car "
The assistant pulls out a wad of $100's, and peals off bunch.
"A fast car"
He peals off a bunch more
"Faster than that"
Again he peals off a bunch more

In the next scene, the Bandit drives this car out of the truck, into American history, and onto my wish list!

Mr. Hendricks, if you want to donate this to Bill's collection, feel free, but I must warn you, it will end up with more than the current 75 original miles, but hey, the people of Delta, and a few state troopers will get to see it! Perhaps this is not such a good idea........

It's all about the driver!

A magnifying glass as a windshield? I guess that would help with reaction times. Warning, objects in windshield are farther than they appear!

Oldsmobile F88

The crown jewel of the museum is this Oldsmobile F88. Now if you are thinking that you have never heard of this car before, there is a good reason. It was a 1954 GM concept car. 4 were built and 2 destroyed by GM when they decided not to take them production. One got out "into the wild", but was destroyed in a fire, and this one rumor has it, was snuck out in crates by the designer. It was bought by Hendricks at the Barrett-Jackson Auto Auction in January of 2005 for 3.2 million dollars. I wonder if he got a warranty....I wonder why GM never asked for it back......I wonder wonder who, oouu who, Who wrote the book of love........Could you consider this a monotone car? Wait, that was 1958.....Sorry, caught myself wandering around my mind again :)

Work of Art

You don't see many cars like this 1929 Packard model 645 Deluxe Eight Roadster on the road these days, and frankly, I think the world is somewhat deprived as a result. I could get into touring around Delta Colorado is this work of art, and I know my girls would love to ride in the rumble seat! Why don't we have rumble seats any more........

Gateway Auto Museum

Delta sits just to the east of nowhere, and about an hour and a half to the northwest of Delta is the town of Gateway. If you have ever driven there, you will most likely have determined that Gateway is in the middle of nowhere.

Nowhere it turns out, is a very pretty place, and long time readers of DDP may remember a series of pictures I posted in September of 2006 of that area. Well it turns out that there is another gem in Gateway, and that is the Gateway Auto Museum. This Museum holds around 1/3 of the auto collection of John Hendricks, the Founder of the Discovery Channel. It seems that he fell in love with the Gateway area, and has spent a good deal of time and money developing a destination resort in the town. It is well worth the visit.

Yesterday, the men's group at our church made a trip out to the museum, and for the next few days, I am going to show you some of the shots I took. We start with the curious mirror placement of a 1928 Cadillac Series 341 Dual Cowl Sport Phaeton.

I hope you enjoy your visit!

These Boots Were Made For... Planting?

So that would mean the next line of the song is: "So I'll plant right over you". It's got a beat, you can dance to it, I'll give it a 90...... :)

Who says show business is all that difficult!

After Remington

My wife & I went out for breakfast this morning, and I noticed another mural for the first time. This one is unique in that it is done on wood. It is funny, I have walked and drove by many times without noticing it! It is interesting to zoom in and look that this one. Take a look and let me know what jumps out at you.

Be Prepared

If you are not sure that your vehicle can make it to your destination, you can always carry a spare....

Singer in a Straight Jacket.

Perhaps the most memorable number in the show was this young lady doing a selection of her own choosing, wearing a straight jacket. Of course, there are not many songs that can be sung in a straight jacket, but she picked a good one, Willy Nelson's........Crazy

Well Done DHS Show Choir!