Sunset on Water

The holidays are past. I had a wonderful Christmas with my family and a great New Years Day celebration too. I am rested and ready to jump back into photography. I have many goals for this new year and am happy that I have all of you to be my guides for this journey. I appreciate your comments on my work more than you know. So without further adieu...

The sun sets early in northern Colorado at the beginning of the year. In the summer four-thirty in the afternoon would be early enough in the day for many outdoor activities to still be done. But in the middle of the winter it is time to head for home and sip wine by the fire. That is exactly what I had planned on doing when I drove the serpentine road around the frozen lake. But my eye kept wandering from the road to the beautiful light reflected on the ice so I pulled the truck over to the roadside to take a few shots. I hope you enjoy the serene vista of a frozen lake at sunset in the Colorado Rocky Mountains.

Mahogany Ice
A hillside covered in Mountain Mahogany drops steeply to an ice covered lake reflecting the setting sun.
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Sunset on Water
The approaching evening of a cold winter day paints the frozen Rocky Mountain lake in the subtle tones of a peach and pink alpine glow.
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Happy Holidays to all my Friends

The holidays are here and it is one of my favorite times of year. I will be taking time off to spend with my family the next couple weeks. My Mom is visiting from Ohio, my husband has a little time off, and my daughter is with us. So I plan on playing games, taking long walks, baking cookies, and maybe even building a snowman. I wish each one of you a very merry and festive celebration with your loved ones and only the best for the coming new year. I will come back refreshed and ready to go after New Years. In the meantime, I hope you will accept this small gift of a desktop calendar for your computer. Just click the link and when you get to Flickr download the file. See you next year!

download this free desktop wallpaper calendar for January 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!

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Thank you Myan Art Studio

I recently won a giveaway from Myan Art Studio. Myan happens to be one of the best photographers that I have met on Etsy. Her style is edgy and urban, strong and bold, upbeat and hip. She is a Los Angeles artist/photographer who was originally from the east coast. After working as a TV graphic designer and a TV promotions producer, she went back to her first love, photography, and her passion shows. When she is not on a quest to capture light and stop time, she can be found painting, ingesting gobs of sweets & tea, and spending time with her husband and critters. Stop by and visit her shop on Etsy and you will not be disappointed!

2010 Los Angeles Mini Calendar
Eat your hearts out! I think I got the last one since it was not in her shop. Just to make sure contact Myan.

Old Hollywood - Roosevelt Hotel
Isn't this absolutely gorgeous! I can not wait to get it up and hanging in my studio. You can have this too. Just click the link below.
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Sunrise Snow

Sleepy eyed I peeked my head out from under the warm covers. A rosy glow was painting the ponderosa pines outside my window a lovely blush. I slowly crawled out of bed and grabbed my robe. On my way to fix coffee I noticed that the room was flooded with the early eastern light casting pink glows and purple shadows across the room. Fortified with a cup of coffee I threw a coat on and ventured out into the front yard. Last year's dried flowers were pushing up from under a blue blanket of snow in the soft pink light of sunrise. I hope you like this wintry picture too.

Sunrise Snow
Last year's dried flowers look lovely under a blue blanket of snow in the soft rose light of sunrise.
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find out how to get a free matte for this photo here

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A Winter Walk with Furry Pals

The day was a balmy 40F degrees and the sun was shining. The foxhound and the Australian shepherd were looking at me with expectant toothy grins. Okay, let's go for a walk! After much leaping about on their part and pulling on boots and coat on my part, we were ready. I opened the front door and they waited politely until I said okay, then they bounded away leaping and cavorting in the snow. Rob plopped down in a rather large snowdrift, then plunged his face down into the snow and immediately looked at me as if to say "I love snow!" Meanwhile Dulcie was waiting on the road ready to get down to the business of a walk. Let's go!

Dog on Road
The loyal hound waits patiently for her morning walk in the winter light of a snowy mountain top road.
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Christmas Tree Hunt

Every year for the last ten we have ventured out into the forest to cut our Christmas tree. We usually start searching for the right tree that we want to invite into our home for the holidays in the fall, when the ground is still bare and it is much easier to walk through the rugged terrain.

Cutting your own Christmas tree can be very satisfying. First you have to hunt one down. Then after stalking it for awhile and making sure there is not a better candidate to be found, you wait for the Christmas season to arrive. Finally it is time and you are ready for your tree, but you look at your mate and say, "Where did we see that tree?" Finally, memories intact and boots on, you trudge through snow to where you remember you found the tree, and with a rather small but dangerously sharp hand saw you cut it down and drag it home. Mission accomplished!

We have a forest of primarily Ponderosa Pines and Douglas Firs around our home and the little firs make the best Christmas trees. They smell like lemons when freshly cut and are soft to the touch. Plus they always grow at least two feet after you bring them inside.

Western Man in Winter
A man on a mission to find the perfect Christmas tree ventures out into the snowy wilderness of a Colorado forest.
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Is this the one?

Holiday Front Door
My very own front door and snowy stone walk decorated for the holidays beckon the weary traveler to stop in for a cup of hot chocolate.
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