Deer and Foxes! Oh My!!!

One of our favorite evening activities is driving north of the town of Divide to see if we can see any elk.  One night we drove farther than usual and came across a little community nestled in the pine trees.  As we drove around we saw lots of deer.  But even more surprising was that we saw six foxes!  Here are a few of my pictures.

 

This little darling just sat there and watched us. When we got closer he went into the culvert and disappeared.

 

While we have seen a fox periodically - even saw one cross the main intersection in Woodland Park - to see 6 in one evening was special.  Makes you wonder how many of these guys live in that little community.

Colorado Renaissance Fair

One of the most interesting and fun things we have done was a visit to the Colorado Renaissance Fair. Nestled against the rock cliffs was the magical 16th century village festival.  In its 35th year, there are seven stages, roaming street performers ranging from jousters to jugglers to minstrels to maidens faire, and over 200 skilled artisans. The sound and colors that greet you upon entering the grounds totally surround you.  I had no clue where to look first!

We got to see the parade!

 

And of course, Good King Henry!

All in all, we ate our way across the village, watched some shows and definitely did lots of 'people watching'!  It was a fun day. 

 

Wildflower Walk with the Local Master Gardener Group

Once again, as we have done many summers in the past, we joined the local Master Gardener group for the Wildflower Walk up in the mountains.  Because this part of Colorado is in such a severe drought, this time we went further up the mountains to walk along a creek to see if there are any flowers blooming.

The red rocks in the area were spectacular.

 

Sure wonder what was once here...

   

Bill gave out on me and found himself a nice place to sit and contemplate nature.

 

Wilkerson Pass Visitor Center and the South Platte River

One of my favorite drives is up U.S. Highway 24 to Wilkerson Pass and the Forest Service Visitor Center.  Wilkerson Pass marks the eastern boundary of South Park.  South Park is a high mountain grassland at 10,000 feet which encompasses approximately 1,000 square miles.

The views from the back deck are absolutely incredible with the valley below and the mountains in the background.

After leaving Wilkerson Pass and heading back toward Woodland Park, we decided to sidetrack and travel along side the South Platte River.  Sure wish we had meadows and rivers like this in Oklahoma!

 

 

We came across fields of white irises blooming.  Wonder how they got there?  Are they wild or was there once a cabin there?

Our next stop was the old mining town of Tarryall.  All that is left are some old cabins and the old school.

 

On the way back to the highway, we stopped to take photos of some of the rock formations.  They never cease to amaze me with their different shapes and textures.

 

 

Relaxing - Finally a Day at Home!

Woke up this morning and we decreed it a day to stay at home and just relax.  That means knitting for me, computer time with Bill playing on the IPad, watching a bit of TV and maybe a nap.  Even Angel is worn out!!!

 

International Yarn Bomb Day - in Colorado Springs

We saw a short segment on the TV this evening that talked about the knitting on the trees in Acacia Park.  So the next day we set off to go see these trees.

Meanwhile I did a search online for International Yarn Day and found the website Yarnbombing. They define yarnbombing as the art of knit and crochet graffiti.

Wikipedia gives the following history:

The practice is believed to have originated in the U.S. with Texas knitters trying to find a creative way to use their leftover and unfinished knitting projects, but it has since spread worldwide. The start of this movement has been attributed to Magda Sayeg, 37, from Houston, who says she first got the idea in 2005 when she covered the door handle of her boutique with a custom made cozy.

The movement has been said to be "changing the face of craft" as stitchers are more and more frequently being viewed as fibre artists rather than amateurs or vandals.  Joann Matvichuk of Alberta, Canada, invented International Yarnbombing Day, which was first observed on June 11, 2011.

Here are pictures of the trees in Acacia Park.

When I searched images of yarnbombing I came across this marvelous pictures.