Crystal Fire in Northern Colorado

Although I am not sure if I have the words to write about our close proximity to this fire, I did want to share my past week with you through my camera lens.

Quick Facts on the Crystal Fire as of April 8, 2011
(from Larimer County Emergency Information)

Fire Start Date: 04/01/2011
Cause: Under Investigation
Fire Size: 3,200 acres
Contained: 55%
Total Personnel: Approximately 398
Additional resources: 5 crews, 4 helicopters, 27 engines
Burned Residences: 15

Crystal Fire in Redstone Canyon
The Crystal Fire though looking tame in this photo taken on Monday
comes to life again on Tuesday with high winds.
(The house at the bottom of the photo belongs to one of our volunteer firefighters and is safe as of this post.)

Crystal Fire Horse
A horse grazes near the smoldering mountain pine forest of the Crystal Fire.
(The horse is safe. Valley residents did not have time with this fast moving fire to trailer their horses to a safe location and instead set them free in the open range. The horses run from the fire and are later caught and returned home.)

Crystal Fire in Black and White
The pilots of these helicopters made numerous trips through the smoke to drop their load of water on the fire's hot spots.

Helicopter Bucket Drop
A helicopter bucket drop on the Crystal Fire in Redstone Canyon, Colorado.

Helicopter Tanker
A helicopter tanker flies over my home on its trip from the reservoir to drop its load of water on the Crystal Fire.

Etsy JulieMagersSoulen

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Going Home to a Warm Wood Stove

My trip down the mountain was to pick up a a perishable package that had been left at the little rural post office ten miles away. The truck plowed through the drifts that had blown across the road during the night. Unconcerned but focused, I slowly inched the truck forward and down the steep hill. Ten years of navigating this narrow twisting mountain road has taught me caution, but I know every bend by heart.

Mission accomplished. The dogs were happy to have gotten out of the house for awhile, and I was satisfied and loaded up with a box of citrus fruit. As we bumped our way back up the mountain my thoughts drifted to the warm wood stove waiting for me to warm my toes by. Our primary source of heat is our reliable Vermont Castings EPA certified wood stove. All summer long we work culling out the dead and dying trees, and improving the health of our forest. Our wood pile steadily grows all summer to provide us with high quality wood heat that wraps around you like a soft warm blanket on a cold winter day.

Going Home
A narrow mountain road disappears up into the Rocky Mountains of northern Colorado on a winter day after the road has been freshly plowed.
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Fire Ripple
The heat shimmers through the glass face of the wood stove warming our home.
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For those that might be wondering, we do have several installed propane heaters and two gas fireplaces for back up heat when we are not home to stoke the wood stove. But I'll take my wood stove any day!

Etsy Buy Handmade JulieMagersSoulen

Sunday Morning Gallery - The Nature of Abstraction

Fine art photography has grown into a true art form of its own. One only has to look in the finest art galleries to find "photos" of fantasy worlds, surreal landscapes, or abstract art. The digital age has given powerful tools to the skilled photographer to be able to create something beyond what the lens sees in reality. Because of this creative well spring, I have become more and more fascinated with abstractions in nature photography. It seems the only limits are the ones we place on ourselves.

I hope you enjoy my dabbling and let me know what you think.

A summer weed goes to seed in the golden light.

Friends in colorful summer shirts sit at a glass patio table creating an instant Monet.

A springtime tree in bud creates fractals in the blue sky.

The winter woodstove shimmers with heat.