June 2010 Free Wallpaper Calendar

Here we are on the cusp of the sweet month of June. The high country of Colorado will be mostly open to travel once again and I can not wait to get up to the "rare air" and shoot some scenery! But first I will be traveling back east to Ohio to take care of some family business. I will be gone until sometime the week of June 7. In the meantime, please accept your free June 2010 wallpaper calendar. See you soon in June!

download your free desktop wallpaper calendar for June 2010 here

Easy Instructions
After clicking on the above link
you will be at my Flickr page. Simply click on
"Download the Original size"
at the top left of the page.
The file will then download to your desktop!

Etsy Buy Handmade JulieMagersSoulen

Railroad Brakeman

Last summer we took a day trip to Georgetown, Colorado to experience riding the old steam locomotive train of the Georgetown Loop. The historic Georgetown Loop Railroad is a narrow gauge train that was completed in 1884. The three-foot wide track covers the two mile distance between Georgetown and Silver Plume, and gains an astounding 600 feet in elevation. The scenery was spectacular especially when crossing the Devil’s Gate High Bridge.

Besides the breathtaking scenery I was fascinated with watching the train's brakeman go about his activities. The brakeman's primary job was to assist with braking the train when the engineer wanted the train to slow down. His duties also included making sure the couplings between the cars were secure, and signaling the train during switching operations. Remember when you were a kid and waved at the guy in the caboose and he waved back. The brakeman did that too. Who doesn't like this guy!

Brakeman
The railroad brakeman in his colorful blue shirt and jaunty conductor's hat represents a bygone era of the Georgetown Loop Railroad.
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Train Signals
The brakeman of the narrow gauge locomotive signals the oncoming train engineer at Georgetown, CO.
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North American Wild Turkey

Now I know all of you are thinking what the heck is she doing talking about turkeys. It is not even anywhere near Thanksgiving. But springtime on Stellers Ridge is turkey time! The North American Wild Turkey believes that living here in the foothills of the Colorado Rockies is turkey heaven. Every spring they gather together in large groups to party down. The girls try their best to ignore the puffed up "gobblers," cackling amongst themselves that so and so is a jerk. But he keeps strutting and puffing and one by one they fall for the guy. Now tell me. Who could fall for a face like that!! It must be love.

Hen Party
A group of hen turkeys ignore a male turkey intent on their attention.

Hey Baby!
A young hen turkey investigates the large male turkey.

Turkey Trot
A male turkey struts his stuff after a fresh spring snow to attract a hen.

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Mountain Bluebell Snow

It is amazing that flowers and snow go together, but in the Colorado Rocky Mountains they are spring companions. When the heavy winter snows finally melt away the earth begins to awaken and the flowers burst forth from their winter slumber. The season is short and the flowers do not hesitate. Mountain Bluebells are among the first. The inevitable spring snows are heavy and laden with nourishing moisture and the bluebells are once again completely buried. But undaunted they emerge from the melting snow into the warm sun over and over.

Bluebell Snow
Mountain bluebells dangle above a fresh spring snowfall in the Colorado Rocky Mountains.
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Verdant Spring

It has been a long winter in the Colorado Rockies. But the earth is awakening slowly. Tiny snow drop flowers the size of a baby pea are usually the first to emerge from the blanket of pine needles. Along the dirt road I see tough little dandelions with their buttery yellow flowers. Unlike a suburban home owner I welcome the cheery little blossoms that pop up where ever a cow has munched and walked. This bright little succulent with its chartreuse colored flowers was the only bit of color along a stretch of road on a morning walk a few days ago. I do not know what it is called but the brilliant bright color stood out as a harbinger of spring in the mostly dull brown landscape. So I decided to call it "Verdant Spring". Has she finally arrived in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado?

Apparently not. I woke up this morning to almost a foot of heavy wet spring snow. The grape hyacinths of a couple days ago are totally covered. But the snow will be melted in a few days, and they will again poke up their royal blue blossoms. Cheers!

Verdant Spring
A macro photo of an early spring succulent with exotic looking yellow green flowers is one of the first plants to emerge in the northern Colorado Rockies.
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Here is a look at the entire plant. Does anyone know what this is?

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Graceful Resilience on Mother's Day

When you live in the Colorado Rocky Mountains you expect spring snows. I have long ago given up the notion to run outside and cover my freshly emerging spring flowers. They have to be tough! Grape hyacinths fit that bill perfectly. They gracefully bend low under the weight and then when the sun emerges to melt away the spring snow they slowly stand up again. They remind me that part of being a loving mom is graceful resilience with just a sprinkle of toughness. Wishing all you Moms out there a very Happy Mother's Day!

Snow Grapes
Deep royal blue grape hyacinths bend low under the weight of a fresh spring snow in the Colorado Rockies.
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Four and Twenty Blackbirds - Friday Feature

Sing a song of sixpence,
A pocket full of rye.
Four and twenty blackbirds,
Baked in a pie.

The old English nursery rhyme, Sing a Song of Sixpence, is the inspiration for today's Friday Feature. I have a fondness for crows and ravens. They are so intelligent that studies have shown that they have modest linguistic capabilities and even use tools. I see ravens fly overhead on my walks on a daily basis. They always seem curious and fly close by to utter a guttural greeting. I was amazed at how many charming "raven" items I could find on Etsy. It was hard to choose these few. Stop by their shops to see all of their wonderful work. You provide the pie.

A Sacred Sort of Protection
by Altered Abbey
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Garden Gate Locket, Black, Raven, Olive/Green
by M Stevenson Designs
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RAVEN SONG
by Barbara Carter
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Just Us Two
by Sherri Conley
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Poe's Raven Clutch in Silk Handmade
by Clutch That
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GothiCrow Haunting Cemetary Ceramic Coaster Set
by House of Six Cats
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Click here to see more "Four and Twenty Blackbirds" items on Etsy

Etsy Buy Handmade JulieMagersSoulen

Thank you Photo Grunt!

I wish to thank Steve Raley at Photo Grunt for recently featuring my work in his photography feature called "Tagline Roulette." I am very honored to be included in this esteemed group. He has chosen twelve remarkable photos with the keyword, Pacific. Check it out. You will not be disappointed.

Steve is a very talented photographer himself. I love his urban photography particularly the black and white. His street scenes transport you right into his shoes. You can feel the city vibration and grit coming right out of the photo. Turkish Delight Fog is one of my favorites. You can see more of Steve's work for yourself at his Etsy shop. Pay him a visit and you will be glad that you did.

Beach Log
The surf beaten giant log was aged to a gray patina with the silhouettes of other giant trees still standing in the distance against a blue sky.
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Smile Big

I have often wanted to compile a book of silly crazy photos that I have taken over the years on cross-country road trips. However I have not been that organized and most of them were with film and tossed in a box somewhere. But I did come up with a few that I found amusing. Is it just me?

Big Woody
An old school bus is transformed into an Ohio State University fan's tail gate dream celebrating the Buckeye's coaching icon, Woody Hayes. Crawford County, Ohio

Open Sundays
An old church decides that advertising is a good thing by hanging a banner stating, "Open Sundays." Port Angeles, Washington

Death of Lust
The sun sets in a small country pioneer cemetery while Lust sleeps for eternity. Now where is Greed, Envy, and Pride? Seneca County, Ohio
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Door to Nowhere
A door perched high up on a wall seemingly going nowhere stops one and begs a question; why? Fort Collins, Colorado.
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