HAPPY HALLOWEEN!! HAPPY HAUNTING!!!

Halloween is here!!! The ghosts and goblins, witches and pirates, clowns and rock stars, princes and princesses, kings and queens....they are everywhere!!! What fun!! Hopefully everyone will enjoy a safe and happy day and evening as we pass from October into November 2008!! Goodness!! Where has the year gone?!! And.......the time change. argh. Not sure I like the time change........I have shared some pictures to help set the mood for the day!! The white house is home to granddaughter Sadie here in Colorado, and is shown a week or so ago in the early stages of decorating. The other pictures are from a nearby home that goes all out decorating for the season!! And.....the precious pirate is a picture sent this morning of granddaughter Madison, dressed for her "school" party yesterday!! Happy Haunting!! Happy Halloween!!

CRESTED BUTTE IN AUTUMN........

One of my favorite places in Colorado is the area north of Gunnison, and the small community of Crested Butte. The entire area is filled with history, pastoral and mountain scenery, rivers, streams, cows, and so many more things that I love!! About a month ago we ventured over that direction to attend the Colorado Djangofest up in Mt. Crested Butte, the ski area up above the fabulous little village of Crested Butte. This was the first year for the festival, and was a SUPERB success!! Some of the name gypsy jazz players performed, the concerts were superior, and much fun was had by all!! Mike took a couple of workshops to broaden his skills in this particular music style, and I took tons of pictures!! Other than the music, one of the highlights for me was dinner two nights at a new little "small plates" restaurant, which just happens to be named Django's!! How opportune! You can see the restaurant sign in the picture of the lodge where we were staying. If you should ever happen to be in the area, please eat at Django's!! You will not be disappointed!! Today I have shared some pictures of the area, the Mt. CB side of the actual Mt. Crested Butte, and some shots of the changing aspens. Enjoy!!!

OUR TEXAS TREASURE!!!

Oh, how they grow up sooo quickly!! Our little Madison will be 3 on Valentine's Day...and she is such a delight!! Hopefully she will remain that way after the arrival of her baby sister in a few weeks!! :)

CONTRAST OF OLD AND NEW........

Wind farms have cropped up all over the country, and many are located throughout Eastern Colorado and the panhandle of Texas. I am always amazed at their massive size....not only of the farms themselves, but of each individual turbine, the blades, etc. It reminds me of something alien-like!! At night many of the ones I have seen have red lights that blink as the blades turn. Pretty spooky, but cool!! I was fortunate on our recent trip to get a shot that contrasts the older windmill with the modern wind turbine. If you are interested in this focus on wind power, former Texas oilman T. Boone Pickens is working toward the development of wind power, and many resources for information can be found on the internet. Enjoy reading!! This is definitely the power of the future, and an answer to ending our dependence on foreign oil, perhaps.

SNOWING ON RATON.......

In the words of the late Townes Van Zandt, Texas famed singer-songwriter.......it was "snowing on Raton" as we returned from a visit to friends and family in Austin, TX. It was a crisp and windy morning, as the shingles flew off the motel where we had spent the night on Tuesday, and the power chose to shut down and create havoc in the local restaurant!! However, the pass that joins New Mexico to Colorado remained open, and we traveled on our merry way toward home. Although we saw a bit of snow along the way, there was no sign of snow at our castle, nor any signs that we had missed the first snowfall. YEA!! As many of you know....I LOVE THE SNOW!!!! Enjoy the pics!!

ROCKS, TREES, WILDLIFE, CLOUDS.....................

Nature. What a joy it is!! I am always at peace when driving in the country, wandering down a little dirt road, hiking through the forest.....and there are soooo many things to see and wonder about....Tonight I am sharing some recent shots of some of my favorite things....rocks, trees, wildlife, and clouds!! Enjoy!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, JOHN!!!

Being a HUGE Beatles fan, how could I not say Happy Birthday John Lennon!!! If you ever have a chance to attend a showing of his artwork, don't miss it!! I have had the pleasure when the touring exhibit was in Austin many years ago.............and could afford only a t-shirt!! The display is quite inspirational and educational, and wouldn't I love to own one of his framed works!! Happy Birthday, Dear John!!

FOUND THESE COOL GRAPHICS!!!

While taking a break from show preparation tasks, I came upon this blog that has some cool graphics for use by those of us not blessed with the knowledge of how to create such things!! Take a peek, and create a link, and we'll all have fun!!

I LOVE APRONS!!!!

Just what I should NOT do.........add another task to my long list!! But.....I LOVE APRONS and came across an APRON SWAP while blog hopping one day recently....and the rest is history!! The Hot Mamas swap is now closed, but for any of you apron addicts out there....the Sassy Apron Winter Swap is still open!! So come join the fun!!!!

FALL IN THE MOUNTAINS...................

I love Fall!! I especially love Fall when living in a location that actually has a true change of seasons....all four of them!! Colorado is definitely in that category, and this Fall has been spectacular!! I love the changing colors, the crispness in the air, the scents of dampness when walking in the woods, and of course pumpkins!! In anticipation of a big, windy storm coming through that was predicted to blow all the leaves off the trees, we headed up toward Mt. Evans last Saturday for some good shots of the aspens. I love the aspens. I love the sound their leaves make when blowing in the wind. I love the shape of the leaves. I love their bark, which reminds me somewhat of the look the birch trees had in Alaska when I was growing up. I have shared just a few shots from our little outing, from one camera. I'll try to get to the other camera's card soon, where there are many more pictures!! Enjoy!!

UPDATES ON LEMON POPPY SEEDS!!

Happy Fall!! Happy getting ready for Halloween ~~ the most fun time of the year!! It's a busy time here in my raggedy and primitives factory....busy, busy, busy. Much to do, much done, and much more NOT done!! HA!! I hope you can take a minute to peek at my new listings, and old listings (heeheeee!!) over at my Poppye Shoppe on Lemon Poppyseeds website!! There's sooooo much fun stuff to see and BUY over there in all the wonderful shoppes!! I'm sure there is something there you just HAVE to have, or something to inspire your own creativity to flow!! Enjoy the day!! Hugs, Trudy