Top of Independece Pass

At the top of Independence Pass there's a viewpoint with a 360 degree view.  You feel like you are on the top of the world which is pretty amazing.  There was still lots of snow, dirty from a dust storm which is quite unusual.  But that means more water for the river which is a good thing.  Eventually it will reach the great Colorado River.

Indepedence Pass River

Just before you start the big climb up the pass the road crosses this river. It comes from melting snow on the mountain peaks so is very cold but crystal clear.  I'm not dipping my toes into it.

Independence Pass

From Pueblo we headed over Independence Pass to return home.  The pass ends at Aspen and I traversed this pass as a child so memories come back to me when I'm there.  This is the "typical" photo from the east side.  Beautiful country indeed.

Water Element

With all the water available from the river, it makes sense that some of it would be recycled in the form of water elements.  This series of fountains are the type that come and go and change height.  The circle on the lower left is a pretty sculpture.  Did I mention how well done the Riverwalk is?  Anyone can enjoy it's many features.

More Pretty Flowers

Here's more pretty flowers that add color to the Riverwalk.

Boys Will Be Boys

There's a series of three sculptures of boys having a fight with water hoses.  It was difficult to photograph all three sets of boys because they were spaced a distance apart and there was lots of background interference so I decided to photograph them individually.  This fighter apparently has a young friend who decided to make things more challenging by blinding the hose holder.  Very clever design--and fun.

Riverwalk Flower

I mentioned that there are many beautiful flowers along the Riverwalk so I best show some of them.  I don't even know what this one is -- but its a pretty color.

Back To The Natural Flow

The layered fountain I mentioned in yesterday's post?  Here it is.  The photo isn't great due to both bright and dark lighting but you can at least see the uniqueness of the water flow.  I thought it was clever and beautiful.

This Bear Didn't Go Over The Mountain

This is a closeup photo of the bear that lives on the island in the Arkansas Riverwalk.  He seems friendly enough so he must find ample bugs, fish and berries to eat.  I doubt that he even has a need to hybernate.

The River Has An Island

At the south end of Pueblo's Riverwalk is an island which is filled with not only natural trees and other plants but also sculptures of birds and animals. Most visible on from this point is a bear with a tree stump and sheep on the mini mountain,  That's a bridge on the left side of the photo which goes over a layered waterfall before the water returns to the "plain ol' river."

Sculpture Detail

This is the back side of the sculpure I first showed two days ago.  Have you ever seen such a rendering?  Perfect in every way.

Sculpture Beading

Here's a closeup of the beading on the sculpture from yesterday's posting.  I can't imagine how they placed all of those tiny beads but they were stuck and it had to have taken hours and hours to accomplish.  Perfection indeed.

Native American Sculpture

I thought this life-sized bronze sculpture was amazing.  It had so much detail and seemed so realistic, complete with beading.  I'll show you more of that tomorrow.

Riverwalk Sculpture

There were a number of bronze sculptures of children and his was the first we found.  The little fisherman was placed on an island in the middle of the river and appeared to be having a great time.

My cousin reports that they continue to add to the Riverwalk as they are able to get more funding, some of which comes from lottery revenue.  So keep buying those tickets!

Riverwalk Birds

Floating on the river was this family of mallard ducks.  One of the little guys tried to climb up onto the sidewalk but he didn't have a prayer of a chance at his size.  I had to admire his sense of adventure, though.


And Daddy Duck decided to find some breakfast--but he didn't share.

Pueblo's Riverwalk

Last month we were in Pueblo for a family reunion.  Hadn't been there for decades and my cousin suggested we visit the Riverwalk.  It was an excellent suggestion and we greatly enjoyed our time at the river's edge.  The Arkansas River flows gently by wide, curving sidewalks which are enchanged with beautiful flowers and unique sculptures.  The sidewalk takes you about a mile but there are bridges to cross for shortcuts.  It was a lovely way to start a Saturday.

End of the Freebies . . . For Now

Before I put away the freebie package I completed this card.  The butterfly is an older Martha Stewart punch an the flower is from an Altenew clear stamp set.  Again I added punched flowers for the flower enter.  Time to move to something else so that's all the freebie designs for now.  But that's pretty good mileage already.

Hearts For Free

Fun with the freebie package continues.  Not part of the kit were the punched yellow flowers but I felt the design needed that bit of color and dimension.  I also added dots of black Pearl Pen.  And there's still more freebie stuff to use!

The Freebie Cards Continue

All of the paper and cardstock used for this card were freebies, as was the text stamp.  The flower image is from Altenew and I also added half pearls.  I added color to the flower using chalk.  Don't know why it isn't packed.

The Other Half

This card incorporated the other half of the chipboard circle.  The text paper was included in the freebies and I also used some of the provided alphabet stickers.  The flower and leaf are from an Altenew set and not part of the freebies.  I added some black pearls for balance.  It was fun to play with something unusual.

Freebie Embellishment

The freebie package included a chipboard circle with a black embossed design.  I thought it was too big for a standard card so I cut it in half and created this card.  I  inked the circle edges a bit for dimension.  The heart and text are from the free stamp set.  I added small faux jewels that weren't included.  I'll post the second half of the circle tomorrow.

Another Freebie Card

The paper, cardstock, button and baker's twine were all in the package of freebies.  It's much easier to design when you start with a package of coordinated papers and I find I use patterns that I probably wouldn't choose if the decision was totally mine.  I added the darker color to the flower using diluted acrylic since my markers are packed.  One day we will be reunited; I just know it.

From My Freebies

Remember the package of goodies I got from Simon Says Stamp (posting June 13, 2014)?  I finally was able to create some cards using some of those freebies.  I have to admit that the flower and leaf image on this card was NOT part of the package, but it was a new set of stamps (Altenew) that I just had to try.  Everything else came from the package.  Gotta love a freebie!

Shaving Cream

A few years back many of us made backgrounds using shaving cream and drops of dye ink.  This year we colored Easter eggs using shaving cream and food color and I couldn't let that pretty color go to the trash without seeing if it would work on cardstock.  It did--and beautifully.  The backgrounds not only look swirly and fun, they also smell very good.  It's an easy technique that doesn't require many supplies.  Give it a try if you haven't already.

Another disappointment when a second contract on the house fell through.   Buyers, where are you? 

You Otter See Him

The High Desert Museum had both a living otter and an otter sculpture.  The real otter made getting a photo difficult because he kept moving and swimming but at least he put on a show.  He even flipped over on his back like you see in photos--but he didn't have a clam to crack open on his chest.  Guess river otters have no need for that skill.

Forest Service Fire Truck

Also on display at the High Desert Museum was this vintage fire truck used by the Forest Service.  It appeared to contain all the tools, hose, etc. needed to fight a fire.  And it was shiny and well tended.  Smokey The Bear is proud, I'm sure.

More Beautiful Beadwork

And now back to the High Desert Museum near Bend, OR . . .

I mentioned in an earlier post the beautiful Native American beadwork on display and I felt compelled to show you at least one more example.  This is a baby carrier made of leather and beaded so beautifully.  I can't imagine how long it took to stitch each tiny bead in place.  

Not For The Faint of Heart

On the west side of Independence Pass the road narrows to about as narrow as possible to still allow two cars to pass.  Traffic both directions has to slow to a crawl (you hope) and move over as far as possible and then things work out.  It isn't narrow for very long which is good and the road is paved throughout.  Another hazard are the bicycles.  There are quite a number of them and it isn't easy to pass due to lots of curves.  But the scenery is incredible -- if you can take your eyes off the road long enough.  

Not For The Faint of Heart

The road over Independence Pass is narrow at best but at least it's paved.  It   On the west side there's a section where there's barely room for two cars.  Cars both directions have to slow to a crawl (you hope) and move over as far as possible.  But it widens before too long.  And there are lots of bicycles to get past on the very curvy road.  If you aren't in a hurry, it works out without too much stress.  The scenery continues to be incredible -- if you can can your eyes off the road to enjoy it.  Don't plan to make this trip in winter months because it isn't open.

Happy Independence Day

"Amber Waves of Grain"

Not much seems as Americana to me as a field of wheat.  This is a photo I took locally on one of my walks.  The grain wasn't completely mature with that rich, creamy color so I enchanced it using one of the apps on my iPhone.  Unfortunately I didn't keep track of which app.
I hope you have a wonderful holiday full of tradition; red, white and blue and fireworks!  Celebrate independence and freedom!!  And eat some bread.

Very Impressive

Having attempted a bit of beading myself, I was very impressed with the beading projects exhibited at the High Desert Museum in Oregon.  I don't recall how big this piece was but my guess is maybe 15".  That's a whole lot of teeny seed beads and the shading seemed perfect to me.  What a masterpiece.

Headdresses

There were many Native American exhibits that were quite impressive, including this display of headdresses.  There were all different but magnificent.  One surely had to have great stature in the culture to wear one of these.  

Things To Be Happy About - July Edition

fruit picked fresh from a tree

the longest day of the year

family reunions

an interesting museum

hummingbirds

lettuce from the garden

fresh, sweet peas

juicy, red, fresh strawberries

overnight trips

a job well done

This Italian Plum is in our tree--not ready to harvest yet but it soon will be and it will be fresh, juicy and sweet.