Buena Vista, Colorado

We went to Buena Vista mainly to play music with our friends, Lloyd and Joyce, but there was time to explore this beautiful area.  This is the Arkansas River.  The photo was taken on the way back from the tunnels.

This photo was taken near the trail head for the Sleeping Indian hike.  One kayaker fell out of his kayak and his two friends went after it and kept it in place until he could catch up to it - not easy in this fast moving river.

We were standing on this bridge near the trail head (The Sleeping Indian is in the background) when we saw a big stick of lightning and heard thunder.  We didn't stay long.

Also taken near the trail head but toward the other direction.

Collegiate Peaks at dusk.

Lloyd and Joyce have two hummingbird feeders who didn't mind at all that the four of us sat under them and visited.  This one was nice enough to pose for a photo.

It started raining hard on our way to Snowy Peaks RV Park where we played music and this rainbow appeared.

A nice lady in the audience offered to take a photo so I could be in it.  We played for about an hour and everyone, including the musicians, seemed to have a good time.

Heading toward town.

These tunnels were once railroad tunnels.

Heading toward Elephant Rock.

Buena Vista Visit - The Sleeping Indian

Lloyd (above) and Galen (below) hiked up to the top of the Sleeping Indian's toes this morning.

Overlooking Buena Visa, Colorado.  Galen was surprised at how well he could hear the traffic from 11,000'. 

The Sleeping Indian.

This photo was taken at the beginning of the hike.  G is still wearing his long sleeved shirt and doesn't have it on at the top.

They chose a beautiful day for a hike.

Fun at Great Sand Dunes NP

Angela, Jen (acting foolish), Kayla, Rosie, and Galen in the Dunes. 

A Sand Man!  The teeny little people give you some idea of how huge the Dunes are.

Jen jumping down a dune.

Looking back over the dunes we have just hiked over.

The plan:  Angela went to the bottom of the dune so she could photograph Kayla and Jen sliding down the dune but they didn't slide so scooted down to the bottom.

What goes down must come up.  We were lucky that it had rained the night before making the dunes a bit easier to climb and it was cloudy so it was cool.  But it was still not an easy climb especially if you, like Angela, had just gone from an altitude of less than 800' to 7800'.

Angela - arms, legs, and hat visible.

Angela - arms, face and hat visible.

Angela - top of hat visible

Galen to the rescue.

Made it!  Sort of.  :-)

Photo taken from outside the park.

Kayla and Rosie.

Medano Creek was still running which was a nice surprise.

Tiger Beetle in the Dunes.

Sunsets

I used a Topaz Adjust Photoshop filter on this photo that Galen took and love how it turned out.

For three nights in a row we have enjoyed some amazing sunsets and without any fires to spice up the colors.  It has been a very nice summer in the valley this year.

Poetry and Music in Alamosa

We didn't know we were going to be in the newspaper but there we are.  Jen submitted the photo.

Taking a photo of just part of the front page of the paper makes it look like we might be in need of bail money.

But here is the rest of the story.

We were in the paper because we were the musicians for the women veterans event.  It was a lovely event that was quite moving at times.

Galen, Karen, and Karen playing music.

Dorothy, on the left, is a WWII Veteran.

I didn't get photos of all the poets but one of them was Phil Ray Jack.

I included this photo because there is a good view of Galen's washtub bass.  :-)

Patricia Nolan

Ben Humphrey, Senior Poet Laureate of Colorado.

Peggy Godfrey, Poet and MC.