Back to Mesa County

First of all, sorry for the long hiatus from the blog posts … 2 months to be exact!  How in the world was that even possible?  I can’t even say that I had a good excuse.  I think I was just running on overdrive for some time and I have to admit, I’m having challenges in keeping focused.  Not much is the same routine since we moved out to Colorado.  Not that we have any regrets at all, far from it in fact, just working through the adjustments.

That being said, let’s head back up to the Colorado National Monument, which is precisely 4 miles from our home.  We like to head up there every now and then because the views are spectacular.Of course, besides the valley views, I always hope to find some of the desert bighorn sheep which reside there.  Desert bighorns are a smaller subspecies of the Rocky Mountain bighorns, though I’m not sure I would know the difference without them standing next to each other.  We’ve been pretty fortunate with our sightings of these beautiful animals.Sometimes we find them just off the roadside (as in the above above), but not always.  It’s always fun when they investigate us as much as we do them.  They are quite intriguing to me … as they have such big beautiful brown eyes, which stare intently while I’m photographing.  Usually, they just stand still, except for continuing to chew on some recently grazed edibles … and they stare … and stare … and stare some more.  LOLOf course, the Monument and other areas are also filled with their fair share of rabbits.  In fact, we find them grazing in our yard most mornings.Predators, such as hawks are quite common as well.  While in Florida, our most predominant hawk was the red-shouldered hawk, but in CO you won’t find any of those.  What you will find predominantly are red-tailed hawks.  Songbirds, such as the western meadowlark are commonly seen along the sides of the lesser traveled roads ….… as well as the horned larks.On day during the summer, we were out and about in the area and came across a small field of beautiful sunflowers.  Of course, I had to check them out and grab a few photographs.Yep, the area has lots to offer … hiking, biking, photography, you name it.  So many places to get lost (well hopefully not lost – LOL) and off the beaten track for some solitude and “alone with nature” time.Can’t believe that it’s almost the 365th day of 2017!  Where does the time go?  I guess it’s true …. time flies when you’re having fun!  As we approach a brand new year – 2018 – I want to wish everyone best wishes for that new year … and adventure, health, happiness, and love.

Next Up:  From my final Florida shoot in 2017.

© 2017  Debbie Tubridy / TNWA Photography