Free

Icy wind picks up
Pulls leaf free from snowbound hold
Underfoot no more

Today’s wind was favorable for the leaf that was snowbound last night. The leaf was blown free of its icy hold, left lying peacefully off to the side of the trail no longer underfoot. Below is The Who’s “I’m Free” live in 1977 to celebrate the leaf’s luck of the draw.

Daddy owl eyeing me through a tangle of twigs.

This American Coot was foraging on the sandbar. Then it started to take flight and decided against it.

pTerodactyl trying to hide behind a tumbleweed.

Venus at dawn under clear skies.

After having cloud cover for most of the day, these were the last few clouds hanging around at sunset.

Snowbound

Blown by icy winds
Tumbled to the ground
On edge stuck like a knife
Snow rough, trodden
Out of reach
Sun’s warming grip
Snowbound waits its fate…
Snow melts sets it free
Or…
Stepped on, crushed underfoot

Frosty Morning

Frosted backlit leaves.

We had a light dusting of snow combined with frost this morning. The sky cleared in the early morning hours and the temperature dropped to 20ºF (-6.66ºC).

Cranes and geese in a frosty mist.

Frosted links.

Marina’s Incognito Pear tree all cold and frosty.

Snow and frost on the black bamboo.

 

Travel Photo Challenge Day 8 Taos Mountains

Dawn glow

We go to Taos in northern New Mexico for Day 8 of the Travel Photo Challenge. In August 2009, Laurie and I attempted to hike to Wheeler Peak, the highest peak in New Mexico at 13,167 ft (4,013 m). We got up to around 12,500 feet and turned around because the weather was becoming cold and stormy. We still had a wonderful time with beautiful scenery.

The photographer of the day is picpholio nature photography at https://picpholio.wordpress.com/. picholio combines photography with his love for nature, walking and cycling. He mainly shoots in Belgium and the surrounding countries and does especially great macro photography.

Jupiter with moons and Saturn getting ever farther apart. December 28, 2020.

Canadian Geese echelon flying over the Rio Grande with the Sandias in the clouds.

On the way to Wheeler Peak, 13,167 ft (4,013 m)

Travel Photo Challenge Day 4 Christmas And The Continental Divide

Christmas 2020 sunset

One reason I don’t generally do photo challenges is that life in real-time is so much more interesting than the challenges. For Day 4 of the Travel Photo Challenge, I am starting off with four photos that are less than four hours old from when I took them to when I’m posting them. To help maintain proper social distancing, and keep things nice and airy, we celebrated Christmas with family outside this afternoon. We had two fire pits and two space heaters spread out to keep us warm.

I’m not featuring another photography today, I will resume with a featured photographer tomorrow. My Day 4 Travel Photography is from December 2009 when Laurie and I hiked on a short portion of the Continental Divide Trail west of Cuba, New Mexico.

The landscape was not as exciting as the badlands, except we could see Cabazon looking to the southeast. Cabazon is the largest of 50 volcanic formations in the Rio Puerco valley between the Jemez Mountains to the northeast and Mount Taylor to the southwest. Mount Tayler is a large volcano that stands at 11,305 ft (3,446 m) above sea level. Jemez Mountains has Valle Grande, a large 13.7-mile (22.0 km) wide volcanic caldera with a high point at 11,253-foot (3,430 m) above sea level. Cabazon stands 1,100 feet above the valley floor. The top of Cabazon is 8,000 feet above Sea Level.

The Continental Divide Trail is a 3100 mi (4989 km) trail between Chihuahua and Alberta. The continental divide snakes its way up the western side of New Mexico, through Colorado, heads northwest across Wyoming, along the border between Idaho and Montana, and then up the western edge of Montana. Runoff and rivers on the western side of the continental divide flow into the Pacific Ocean. Runoff and rivers on the eastern side of the continental divide flow into the Atlantic Ocean.

We celebrated Christmas outside and kept warm with fire pits and space heaters.

A Christmas bunny dropped by to wish us seasons greetings.

Jupiter & Saturn on December 25, 2020.

Looking SE from the Continental Divide Trail at Cabazon and another large volcanic plug in the distance. December 2009.

Broken Cycle

My car with windswept snow in the parking lot on Old Route 66 between 2nd and 3rd Streets.

Our months-long dry spell was broken today with a major windstorm, followed by snow.

The snow was still faling when I got home.

Silver and Sasha enjoying a warm counter.

Dale’s peach tree with Resa’s Tree in the background.

Snow caused the black bamboo to bend over and cover Marina’s Tree. The top of Lavinia’s tree is showing on the left.

Catio in the snow.

My decadent birthday dinner: home made, hot and spicy, green chile cheese fries.

Trees in the Snow

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Resa’s Tree

Snow has fallen most of the day. After I got home, I went out and photographed the trees on our property that have been claimed.

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Robin’s Tree

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Tiffany’s Tree? I don’t remember if Tiffany claimed this tree or not.

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Susan’s Tree

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Resa’s Tree from a different point of view

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Susan’s Tree from a different point of view

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Birds foraging in the snow

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Lyn’s Tree with Resa’s Tree in the back ground

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Black bamboo bowing low in the snow