Third Time's A Charm

Finally, on our third visit to the nest on the local Audubon Trail we saw the mama owl.  She was with one of the babies in a tree across the trail from the tree with the nest.  She was kind enough to be in the open so we had a better chance for good photos and she moved her head so we could get slightly different positions.  But this was my favorite.  They are great horned owls--I failed to mention that previously.

Cooperation

Now this is what I call cooperation.  Not only were these two sibling owls visible, one posed to show us a front view and the other posed to show us the back.  Their eyes were open and they hardly wiggled.  We didn't see the mama as we approached but she flew away, staying within line of sight of her babies.  These are older than those shown previously and there are two more, one on each side of these--but they were shy and hard to see.  This nest is in the Ella Sanctuary which is across the street from the Audubon Trail.  And it isn't as easily accessible.

Owl Two

We returned to the owl nest and the sibling wasn't so hidden.  The eyes were open long enough to snap this photo but as we watched he seemed to feel a need for a nap and the eyes grew heavier and heavier.

Baby Owl One

There's a nest of owls along the local Audubon Trail and its a treat to see these now furry birds.  This one was the smallest and quite cooperative in making him/herself visible for photographing. The two siblings were on branches which were seemingly chosen to hide them from view.

What A Difference A Day Makes

A week ago this  was the view of the sandstone formations at Colorado National Monument taken from near the picnic area.  Although it was overcast most of the day, the sun came out for a while. . . 

. . .but we went back the following day when there was fog in the area and this is the view from a similar viewpoint.  Eerie.  Moody.

Unfortunately the fog lifted quickly and I didn't

get other photos with the fog.  Maybe another time.

Hmmmmm

 Last weekend we went to the Colorado National Monument just SW of town to photograph wildflowers.  But you never know what you'll find on an outing and here's something we didn't expect.  See those people on the ledge?  Looks maybe a bit tricky to get there . . . .



. . . here's a photo of the whole formation where they were situated with the arrow showing their location.  I can assure you that you would never, ever find me there.

Matchbox Popup

This sassy little number was made using my Envelope Punch Board.  I've used the board far more for cards and boxes than for envelopes.  The first photo shows the sleeve which is hand-scored and embellished with patterned paper, washi tape, ribbon and a label.

The second photo shows how the flowers pop up when the box is opened and there's room for a gift card behind the flowers.  I'm not sure I'd put this in the mail but it's good for handing to someone on a special occasion.  And, of course, all kinds of other things can pop up--like stars and balloons and . . . .