An Arbor and A Bench

Our backyard has been a work in progress since we moved in.  When we moved in, I was glad we "technically" didn't have kids, even though I was pregnant.  It wasn't fit for kids to play in or people to hang out there.  It was atrocious!  Every year, my husband and I tackle more and more of it to turn it into the backyard oasis we want it to be.  Last year you might remember we laid a LOT of stone for a patio and walkway.  This year we hatched a plan to build a bench and arbor behind the patio to provide more seating.

My husband and I sat down at the dining room table and talked about and drew up plans for the arbor.  He even provided me with directions from a woodworking magazine on how to do the arbor.  I didn't really follow those.  I'm not good at following directions.  My hubby would agree. 

I started with laying the stones across the bottom to build the base.  By the way, aren't those stones just lovely?  What makes them even lovelier is that they only cost the sweat and muscle of my husband!  He went to go buy them at Lowe's and they had discontinued them!!!  So, the smart man my husband is, he asked what they were going to do with the display ones and they told him that they were going to throw them out!  He asked if he could buy those and since they weren't in the inventory anymore he couldn't...so they gave them to him, if he was willing to work for it.  SCORE!!!  If I can tell you anything about us, we aren't afraid of work and getting sweaty.  So, by far, this was the cheapest trip to Lowe's we have ever had. 

After the first few layers of stone was laid, I built the bench, since I had an exact measurement of the length of it.

I used cut copper pipe as spacers in the bench.  Copper pipe was also used at the top of the arbor.  We chose copper because of how beautiful it is and how it will change color with age.

I plan on having a vine crawl up and over, so I planted a star jasmine.  It grows fast, smells amazing and produces lots of clusters of white flowers.  It's not currently flowering, but when it does, it will smell heavenly back there.

Even though I did most of the construction for this project, I feel like it is truly a joint project as my husband and I planned it out together and he acquired all the necessary items for the build.  He also broke a stubborn stone in half for me. 

Now the kids have a place to sit when we invite friends over to sit around the fire with us.  Mmmm, now I want to eat some smores!

I also feel like we are nearing the finish line for our backyard makeover.  It's been a 5 year marathon so far.

Colorado Vacation: Panorama Point

This was by far the best view I have seen in a long time.  Panorama Point was located not very far from where we went camping in Golden Gate Canyon State Park. 

The unfortunate part is that this panorama doesn't do it justice.  With the way the cloud cover was, it's hard to tell in the photo, but those are some gorgeous snow topped peaks in the background.

Panorama Point gives a view of approximately 100 miles of the Continental Divide.  There are approximately 20 peaks within view and some passes.

There was even a free tourist telescope to get a better view of those beautiful Rockies.

I can't think of a better backdrop for an Independence Day family photo.

My family.

My sister's family.

This also begged for an HDR (high dynamic range) photo (below).  What is HDR?  It is capturing several images at different exposures and then merging them with computer software to show the lightest and darkest areas of a photo.  I use a free software to do this and you can find the newest version here.

Unfortunately it's not available for free anymore, but if you search for free HDR software, I'm sure you can find one that is. 

And that wraps up the photo show of my awesome family vacation.  Anyone want to whisk me away back to Colorado for some more camping?

Colorado Vacation: Red Rocks Amphitheater

My absolute favorite place to escape is Red Rocks.  I grew up right down the road in Lakewood, CO.  I distinctly remember being able to hear the music from one of our houses in which we lived.  You could see the trail of cars coming down Dinosaur Ridge after the concert was done. 

This is a place that I have no only seen concerts, but escaped to.  On a clear day, you can easily see downtown Denver.  I have run the stairs, snuck in at night to look at the stars and just hung out and listened to people take full advantage of the natural acoustics. 

Where I am standing here at the top, in my day, was always referred to as God's country.  What a beautiful view.

My kids had a lot of fun climbing the rocks behind the stage.  This was a favorite place of mine to curl into as well.

The one thing that took me by surprise (as I haven't been here in over 10 years) was the new visitor's center and museum located at the top of the amphitheater, situated behind the "God's country," seating and located one story below. 

This area of Coloado is known for dinosaurs, so it was cool to see some tracks and the jaw bone of a T-rex that you could touch.  Take that normal science museum!  No getting kicked out for touching the specimens.  I like that.  Just proof that Red Rocks gets better and better.

Inside the museum, one of the walls was lined with lists, sorted by years of which bands headlined shows here.  Many of the greats played here.  The Beatles and Jimi Hendrix to name a few.  I took a photo of this one, since it contained one of the concerts that I saw here.

With Red Rocks being nestled above the small town of Morrison, CO, the overpopulation on Denver hasn't quite hit here like it has other areas.  I remember seeing wildlife here in my younger years, but not quite like this.

A mule deer came down the edge of the seating, along one of the boulders and popped out (surprising a few people) from behind a drink tent. 

Good thing I can switch lenses quickly.  I didn't want to get too close to the deer.  I've seen, When Animals Attack.  So glad I have a telephoto.

I also identified a new bird for Maben and I.  This is a Say's Phoebe, a type of flycatcher.  We saw quite a few of these diving and weaving in the air and then retreating into small holes in the rocks.

All three of my boys enjoyed coming here.  I am glad that I could share one of my favorite places on Earth with them.

A list of the bands that I have seen here:
AFI, Poe, Jane Jensen, The Odds, L7, Social Distortion, The Offspring, Goo Goo Dolls, No Doubt, Bush.  I'm sure there are a few I have forgotten, as it's been around 15 years since I have seen a concert here.

I also got to watch one of my brothers and both of my sisters walk across that stage for graduation.

Have you ever been to Red Rocks?  What was the occasion?  I would love to know. 

I Went Off The Grid

This past weekend my husband, father-in-law, myself and a few other guys all headed out of Houston and ended up at a ranch outside of Kerrville, TX.  No cell phone service, in the middle of a dry, rocky landscape littered with cactus and cedar. 

I enjoyed every moment being out in the middle of pretty much nowhere.  I saw many birds that I have never seen before and encountered many animals I had never seen before either.

Immature Summer Tanager

I did some hunting (don't worry, I am feeding my family with what I kill).  I spent a lot of quality time with my husband sitting in a blind while watching turkeys go by.  There were a lot of turkeys.  There were also a few surprises in this landscape too, like this beautiful spring fed pond that they call blue hole.

I wish I could have jumped in.  It was so crystal clear, none of my photos can do an oasis so beautiful any justice.  Upon a glance, it looked to be only about 5 feet deep, but when you dropped a rock in, it sank, and sank, and sank...over 20 feet, I'm sure in a few spots even deeper. 

It felt great to relax, swap stories, reconnect with nature and just enjoy a great "guys" weekend.  I take pride that I get to go along on guy weekends occasionally. A big thanks to my mother-in-law for watching the kids so we could all enjoy our trip.

Gulf Fritillary

Do you ever feel the need to get away and reconnect with nature?  Or do you prefer the spa?  I would probably kill for a massage right now, but wouldn't trade me weekend away in nature for a spa trip.  Am I crazy?