Oh Deer...

When I take a second to plan for my walk (i.e., choosing the correct camera and lens) the results sometimes pay off.  I still can't find my spare battery for my Canon or my iPod, but that's another story.

Stormy skies (or the aftermath of stormy skies) - 10-20mm wide angle.

Feeling funky and fun ~ Lensbaby Scout and Fisheye op

But on most - since I try and hit the trail quite early - the 70-300mm w/a double image stabilizer - a lens I never would have bought for myself (the Mister can be quite generous) is usually a good choice. Because that's when the wildlife is about and in full wake up and grab some breakfast mode.  The timing (and the lens choice) did not fail me this morning.

I found this little girl

And then she found me and said, "I'm outta' here!"

But the best find was this trio ~ Mama and her twin Bambis.

She was a good Mama.  It didn't take her long to spot me.

The she was like, "We're outta' here, kids!"

"Come on!"

Exit Stage Left!

I said Left!

Sigh... Rebels - they were kicking up their little Bambi heels like gazelles!

I assure you ~ it was worth getting sand in my Keens. :)

And on a closing note... I've been inspired to start carrying "The Duck o' the Day" with me on my hikes again. (Rather than every shot being at dinner with a glass of wine. They enjoy nature, too.) It's a little challenge I like to give myself to find the most interesting backdrops/bokey. I've had a few printed on canvas wraps and oh my... I've created a monster (myself).  I see a whole new market opening up ~ baby nurseries, toddler's rooms/baths, people who won't grow up and have big houses... *wink*

So Water Baby and I did a little trial run on the trail this morning.

Oh hang on to your qwackers.. there will be more to come over the days and weeks!  

It feels good to back where I belong.  In nature.

A Journey of a Thousand Miles. Or a Thousand Pounds.

I read an article recently about finding stress relief in your comfort zone. What does that mean you may ask? The author suggested reaching back into your childhood to the things that brought you comfort and revisiting them.  This may not apply to everyone, but there usually is a thread there ~ some bread crumbs you can follow. For some people it's movies, maybe a particular genre like comedy.  Maybe it's baking for you. For others it's skiing as fast as they can down a snowy slope. Some lose themselves in books.

And yet others wander. And all who wander are not lost. Sometimes they find themselves.

Sometimes in their own backyard.

The article got me thinking ~ and I guess I'm one who finds solace and comfort in nature. I know that since I have carved out time to resume my morning walks I can't imagine not walking every morning now. So I followed the breadcrumbs. 

It may sound odd, but I don't really remember a lot of my childhood. Yes, it was that uneventful. But I did find a crumb or two and remembered that with my older siblings 11, 9 and 7 years older than I and my little sister still a baby, I spent a lot of time alone. And I do remember walking the fields of the farm and finding little secret paths; riding my bicycle on dusty gravel roads exploring. In looking back I guess it was a little lonely but at the time it was all I knew. One thing for sure ~ it sparked my imagination.

So I guess finding myself as an adult in nature is natural. And nature still inspires me. 

And this little guy seemed to want to be my guide today.

He paced from one side of the path to the other

as if he was expecting someone (me?) ~ or worried

about something (me?).  

Bless his little heart. Y

I practiced my "catching birds in flight" skills.

Or non-skills...

And not unlike a snake in the grass (which is what I thought when I heard rustling in the weeds next to me)

A very clever pheasant in the grass evaded my lens.  Crafty bugger.

 But the shot that really got away

was when I pulled my Jeep into the park entrance 

and saw this little one eating a yucca blossom.

Ack. Adorable.

But of course there was no place to pull over

and there were antsy drivers behind me.

Damn.

So I came home to my morning smoothie

Strawberries, bananas, peaches...

with a little vanilla bean yogurt...

with a little almond milk.

So now ~ to explain the whole "journey of a thousand miles or pounds" thing...

Part of it is a metaphor for the miles I started walking when I was 5 or 6 up to the mile I walked in the park this morning.

And where will the path lead in the future?

And maybe it's not a thousand pounds. It's not even a hundred pounds. But it is more poundage than I'm going public with at this point. But the weight loss path is mine once more. Yay! 

My first test was resisting the Mister's mashed potatoes last night. If I were to list my all time favorite foods pizza and mashed potatoes would pretty much be tied for #1. Thus making them the most difficult for me to resist.

But resist I did!!

And although I can't really remember the last time 

I stepped on the scale (it was within the last week)

I've lost 2 lbs. 

And find myself in a new (lower) digit.

So yay me.

And as if Mister Potato Head and his mashies last night were not torture enough ~ he goes off to a client's all day leaving me with leftover mashed potatoes taunting me in the fridge.

I will resist!  Because 2 lbs. is 2 lbs.  And every journey starts with that one little step. 

Wildfires and Wildlife and Wild Woman

It seems that no matter how early my day starts I sit down to write later and later. For me, that is a good sign. One that I am finally - for the first time in months - relaxing a little bit. And living my life a little more like a "normal" person rather than a work-crazed machine. Yay me. :)

Today started about 3:30 am, but it is amazing how fast the time goes. I did catch my first sunrise in awhile.

But unfortunately when I looked out my studio window (on the other side of the house) all I saw was haze.

Not so much haze as smoke from wildfires

burning north of us in Rocky Mountain National Park

It has been hot the last couple of days

Unusually hot for early in June.

And conditions were ripe for wildfires ~

extreme heat, dry vegetation and wind.

There are currently 4 wildfires burning in Colorado.

So I feel blessed that at sunrise today this was my path

But my thoughts were never far from friends to the south near one of the wildfires

And it occurred to me that we live on the edge of a wild 880 acre state park and are vulnerable. Perhaps an evacuation plan would be a good idea for us to develop.

I saw my lonely little friend again

And she saw me.

I have no idea if she is the same doe I saw the other day. But I am surprised to see a deer alone. I don't recall seeing a doe all alone before. I hope she's ok...

And it was nice to know the sentinel was at his post.

"Don't go in there."

Even after last night's delicious fish tacos from The Spicy Radish

I returned home super hungry. So it was time for some avocado eggs. The avocados were *ahem* quite ripe, so I did my best.

Yesterday I stocked up on smoothie ingredients so breakfast the rest of the week is on.

Blueberries and peaches and lemons

and oranges and bananas and pineapples - oh my.

Even cranky chicken approves.

And on a totally different note.

I used to take SPs all the time (before they were called "selfies").

Then I gained weight and I stopped liking myself.

I'm slowly working my way back.

She says popping another chocolate covered peanut.

Nuts are healthy, right?

Hot. And Cold.

I used to be upset when I would come upon a beautiful image like this

and not have the "right" lens. Today I just enjoyed it for what it was ~ a beautiful, quiet moment in nature. She watched me as I walked by and didn't move an inch. So we shared our minute or two and went back to our own lives.

I had given up on the yuccas blooming this year (they tend to bloom every other year). So I was happy to see a few buds. The ladybug was, too. 

  

I returned to my Jeep at 7:31 am and it was already 75 degrees.  The forecast high for today is 98 degrees. On June 10. Oh lordie. What will August bring?

On my short drive home I knew one thing.  It was smoothie time.

A repeat from last week ~ slightly tweaked ~

and ever so yum

I might need a bigger blender...

I'm making them for two these days.

No.

It's not what you think.

I've got the Mister hooked on them, too.

Pineapple Banana Ginger Smoothie

Super easy recipe 

This time I finely grated the ginger to almost liquid form, added more pineapple, I am helping my blender's workload by adding crushed ice and ~

remember those bananas I froze the other day?

Oh em gee. What a difference frozen bananas make in a smoothie!

First of all, the bananas will last forever in frozen form. Well, at least longer than they do on the counter. And they help make the smoothie nice and cold. You can bet I'm stocking up on bananas next time I'm at the market!

So damn good I had two.

Ok.

Three.
But it was a small glass.