Road Closed

The road was still blocked by snow in the high country, but walking is just as fun! Those clouds do look like they want to add to the snow however!

Obstacles

Getting to and from Silver basin is not without difficulty. Decisions such as going over the suspect looking bridge or through the river must be made….

Follow The Leader

Suburbans are not typically the best 4 wheelers, but our little caravan did just fine.

Storm Clouds

Storm clouds surrounded Silver Basin, but they could not obscure the distant peaks.

Glacier Milk

In some places, water this color is called Glacier Milk. What ever you call it, the flowers seem to like it!

This was taken on a trip to Silver Basin (Above Ouray) last Saturday. We have a foreign exchange student from Japan living with us for a month, and we are doing a tour of some of the places near Delta. I will be posting more shots from the Silver Basin trip as well as some of the other trips we take, and hope you enjoy the tour.

Looking West

There are nights I walk outside at sunset, and simply say "wow".

Rotating Stock

Sometimes moving the older stock to the front does not help it move faster.....

Lost Creek

I was able to do some backpacking in Lost Creek this month, and was treated to a very special sunset.

Waiting Is Good

There is a good reason that the game did not start until 6:30pm!

Waiting For The Game

My daughter Kelly is ready to play softball!

A Very Grand Mesa

Grand Mesa lived up to it's name on this warm summer evening.

Night Vision

July brought the Christian Night Vision concert to Olathe again this year, and even though a strong gust of wind shut down the main stage, a smaller stage was setup within a hour, and the event continued with a number of main stream Christian artists including "Mercy Me". It seems that God even approved buy sending a good backdrop!

Fireside

A stream side picnic is a good way to spend a summer afternoon in the mountains of Colorado.

Cascade Falls

I wonder how many "Cascade Falls" there are in Colorado. This one down at the edge of town in Ouray is worth the 5 min walk.

Window Washing

Sometimes having a car between you and the parade is a good idea!

All Wet

Life kind of got in the way of my postings, but I am back at it, picking up back on the 4th of July in Ouray. The parade seems to get to be more of a water fight each year, and this year was not exception. This guy seems somewhat out gunned!

The North Side of Town

There are a series of small mesas around Delta, and they can give you a different perspective of town.

Yet Another Sunset

Sunsets in Delta are routinely spectacular!

Waiting For The Cameraman

My wife decided to go with me on a photo drive one evening, and she decided not to venture down to the river bank with me, so I shot her....so to speak :)

Reflections

The waters are not quite still as the sun sinks in the west.

Happy 4th of July

We spent the day down in Ouray for a good old fashion 4th of July, complete with parade, fighter jet fly over, games, a cookout, and fireworks. There is nothing like the rumble of fireworks as they roll down the canyon. Zoom in for details in this shot!

Blankets

It seems the most of the summer, there is some vendor setup in the parking lot of the Delta Super, and this summer evening is no exception. Zoom in for detail.

Barns

Growing up I recall playing in an old barn of this sort that I am not sure we were supposed to be in. It has been a few years.

Complex Rules

I was having a hard time following the rules of my girls softball team until I realized that we were following the complex rules. Perhaps next year they will play at a park with simple rules, and our dog can play short stop.......

Today is theme day, and the theme is "NO Signs". Check out others here:

Click here to view thumbnails for all participants

Sundown

Gold rules the day, for a few minutes anyway.

Trails

The trail to Mountain View park gets a bit interesting along the way.

Summer Ice

The water levels of the Gunnison have gone down, and it is back to it's meandering ways.

Redneck Kitchen

Background: The relatives on my father's side of the family are fairly straight forward Belgian with Italian roots. My mothers side however is a mix of Polish & Hillbilly. My wife has a French Canadian background.

During our remodel of our house outside of Denver these past 2 weeks, we put all the appliances out on the road to get picked up as we were replacing them. When my friend from Minnesota saw my daughter Rose cooking on a grill that was on the ground, he got the idea of grabbing the dolly, and pulling the stove back off the road to use as a table.

So, my French Canadian, Belgian, Italian, Polish, Hillbilly daughter saw no issue using a glass cook top oven to hold the propane grill hooked up to our motorhome to cook the evening meal. I guess the Hillbilly kicked in, and we got the Redneck Kitchen. Said with all due respect :)

Now, it is my friend from Minnesota I should worry about, as it was his idea!

Girls Softball

We have two of our girls in softball this spring, and it is great fun to watch. One would think it would be boring, but that is far from the case. It is fast pitch softball, base stealing is allowed, and throwing is more natural than catching. I don't ever think I have witnessed a player get three strikes (not foul balls) and score in the same at bat before, but it can happen in this league, especially when 4 errors are made in one play! It goes like this:

Swing and strike III...but the pitch was wild, and the catcher missed!
RUN! Who me? RUN!
Wild throw to first!
Hey I made it!
RUN! Who me?
Missed throw to 2nd!
Hey I made it!
RUN! Who me?
Wild throw to third!
Hey I made it! Do I keep running?
YES!!!
SCORE!

Unfortunately we were on the wrong side of that play, but it was one of the funniest plays I have ever watched :)

We Want A Pitcher

Not a fast spinning rubber wheel that plugs into an electric outlet behind the pitchers mound......hey, that thing is rather cool, I wonder if I could make one.........

Apocalypse Now

As I made the final approach home, I was somewhat surprised buy a "thump thump thump" followed by this helicopter cresting the trees right in front of me. My first glimpse was head on as it pulled steaply up. It had a bar across the front which at first glance looked like a bracket to hold canons (not cameras) . It turns out to be a crop duster! I turned down the next road to try to get a better shot, but alas, I had the wrong camera for this job, and nothing could capture that first feeling.

In any case, zoom in and take a look. I had never seen anything like this before.

You never know what you will find on an early morning bike ride. I hope you have enjoyed my ride around Delta over the past nine days.

Elks in the Distance

The Elk Mountains make for a calming early morning backdrop.

Bovine Careers

When you need to check the health of your grass, simply call in Quality Control cow for an opinion!

Hard Up For A Beach

Delta is not blessed with very many swim beaches, but you need to be rather desperate to play in an irrigation ditch!

How To Photograph a Skunk

As I rode down the trail, I noticed a black animal ahead, so of course I pulled out the camera and gave chase. About the time I figured out what it was, the back end was pointed my way, and I peddled hard with one hand on the handle bars, the other on the camera. Sorry it is a bit blurry, but I was not ready to stop to steady the camera :)

For the record, it missed me!

Trail Closed

This trail leads down to the geo-cache I posted shots of a few months back, and today I got an alert about the cache that the contents are spread all over the place and the container gone, due to the flood. Fortunately, that is the only damage I have heard of so far this spring.

Note, I will be away for the next week or two, and don't know when I will be back to comment on your blogs. Hopefully I have pre-posted enough pictures to cover the time I will be gone.

Still Life

There is no movement in the ponds early this morning.

Early Morning Picnic

A warm summer morning is the perfect time for a picnic for the regulars at the park.

Silver Linings

They say every cloud has a silver lining, and this one is no exception, giving promise to a new day.

This is the first in a series taken over a one hour bike ride around Delta last Sunday morning. I need to get the bike out more!

Put Your Left Foot In

Take your Left foot out, put your left foot in, and shake it all about....You on the right, I said your LEFT foot......

Sun On The Silos

These grain silos are a major landmark in town, and more so when the sun shines bright!

Train Sounds

There is a train that runs through Delta hauling coal from the mines to the east. Near as I can tell, there is an old set of cars, and a new set of cars. This was the old set, and you could hear it coming. The new set of cars glides past with very little sound. It is nice for the drive in theater when they run the new cars during movie times!

Getting Ready for the Game

Irrigation water is in good supply this year, and the grass on the ball diamonds is getting the benefit. My lens also got some of it :)

Sunset versus Gas Prices

Even the sunset has a hard time making you forget about the price of gas these days.

Calm Water

The water in Confluence Lake makes you forget the raging river not so far away.

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.