Camouflage

 I ran across this decorative fence in the little ski town of Crested Butte.

Some artist put a lot of work into this creation. Birds, flowers and leaves all cut out of metal.

Oops, look closely is that a real bird on the fence? Yep, it is a Magpie...a rather large black and white bird that you see all over Colorado.
Linking to Good Fences : HERE

Don't Judge A Book By It's Cover

I must confess.I have not been out of the house....so going to Paris is always a good idea...or it is for me.

Back in Sept of 2011 I was headed  to Paris with four girl friends...on the 14th to be exact.We had been planning this exciting trip for a whole year. We had monthly meetings, which were always fun....and certainly fueled our excitement. If you were paying attention to the date...You will know why we didn't leave on the 14th of Sept. 2011. That's right. No planes were going anywhere in the U.S.A. A subject that probably needs no further discussion.(no disrespect).... But, back to the trip.....We did finally get to go on our trip that next Spring.

We had so many fun things on our itinerary, but we decided that in addition to our daily activity, each girl (yes I use that term loosely), could choose something she wanted to do that day, and we would all cheerfully go along.

That was until Brenda said she wanted to have lunch at Gare De Lyon Train Station. What? Trying not to sound like the Paris snob...I informed her that the train station was full the homeless pick pockets and all around undesirables. Brenda, who would be right at home at the George V, insisted and someone reminded me of our promise..... so I grudgingly went along. Okay...was I ever wrong!!!!.

This, my folks is the restaurant at the train station! Le Train Bleu

The restaurant or Buffet opened with the train station when it made it's grand debut around 1900 (World Exposition) .Sitting there you can only image who else had dined there...Co Co Chanel, Jean Cocteau, Colette, etc, etc Someone said Hemingway, but I beg to differ. Since he was known to have a pigeon from the Luxembourg Gardens for dinner, I don't think he could afford this place. Unless of course Fitzgerald was paying the bill.. The elegant salon designed by Marius Toudoire,was named after a grand train, by the same name,

That train ran from the northern coast of France all the way to The French Rivera. The English called it the Blue Train. Not to be confused with the one in Africa. It was a night train...a way  for the very wealthy to travel in luxury all the way from Calais to Nice.on the Mediterranean Sea.

These were certainly luxurious accommodations in 1889 when it all began.

So, if you are ever in Paris, you may just want to have lunch, or dinner at Le Train Bleu and tell them Janey sent you. Oh, be sure and take a lot of Euros.....or a functioning credit card. Yes, an older Hemingway could have afforded to eat there...but I am not sure that I can again!

Okay..this train has arrived back in Texas.

Out With The Old

As many of you know, we haven't lived in our new town of Fort Worth, Texas that long....so we are still getting to know the town, and our own neighborhood.. One way we do that is to walk. We have discovered that you see a lot more that way.

Case in point, this sweet little old house in the neighborhood, a neighborhood that has become very desirable. Little old homes like this are being replaced with much larger modern homes. This one looks like no one has lived there for awhile. I was trying to figure out it's age. Not knowing a lot about architecture, I would guess the 1930"s or 40's? What do you think? I also thought it strange that there isn't a window on both sides of the front door? I left a part of the old dead tree in the frame. I wonder if the new home owners, back then, planted this tree? Should this place be saved? Well, it is probably eaten up with termites and bringing it up to date would cost a small fortune,

besides I think it's days are numbered by the equipment sitting on the side yard.

I will keep you up to date as to what is happening on this lot.

I hope that you are having a wonderful weekend, and are in no danger of being replaced by something new and modern :) Janey

Out of Pocket

 Hmmm, out of pocket could be confusing if English is not your native language. You may think it

means paying for something with your own personal funds...instead of it being paid by say insurance

or an expense account. The same phrase or idiom (?), can also mean that you will not be available

for a short time.....which is what I am trying to say.." I will be out of pocket for a few days."

I promise to be back in no time! Janey

A Scorcher

You know, sometimes we don't make the best decisions. Sounded like a great idea

to attend the T.C.U. Iowa State college football game on Saturday.

I had never been to the new stadium. That is downtown Ft. Worth in the distance and the U.S. and Texas flags flank the huge electronic score board.

It appears to be a beautiful day

but the game started at 11:00 am and the temperature rose to 96 degrees. We were sitting in the direct sun and we were so miserable that we left at halftime and watched the second half in our air conditioned living room. I don't think we will attend another game unless it is a night game, or a cool front has arrived. Lesson learned!

A Welcome Home

As most of you know, we have been in the mountains since June 1st, so it was nice to arrive home to a warm welcome from my family.

There was good food

including my sister Polly's famous lasagna.

Not to mention her expertly arranged flower arrangements

There was even a box with my name on it

filled with note cards made from my sister Polly's wonderful pictures she took while visiting us in Colorado.

You see, it was not only a welcome home party, but an early birthday celebration for me, since my birthday is this coming week....and no I did not arrive wearing a tiara!
It is great to be home especially when I have  four sisters in the same town.

Still Blooming!

Hello from the Great State of Texas!

We had a very nice and uneventful trip home,

and I was very surprised to see that the flowers in the front flower beds still looked pretty. You see, it gets very hot here in the summer. They even had a day that it was 107 degrees. Yes, we have a watering system, but still not many flowers can take that kind of heat. I would mention the type of flower...but I don't know what they are? I just told the yard crew to plant something pink. If we were here all year, we would not need a yard crew to do our small yard, but we are usually gone for five months...so they are very necessary!

I hope that I can find enough interesting things around here to post about. It sure is a lot easier in the mountains!

At Summer's End

I hate to say it...but our time in the mountains is coming to an end.

It has been a wonderful summer, but commitments at home (in Texas) are calling.

Sorry that I have not been visiting your blogs lately. We have house guests, and at the same time we are packing for the great migration south. I may not be posting for a few days. We will head out very early on Weds. morning. I will get back on schedule soon. Janey

More Moose

We have guests at the moment here at our summer home.

So we drove up to Deer Lakes to show them a moose. This buck was across The Lower Mill Pond...so I wasn't able to get a good shot

but on down the road we saw a mother and calf close to the road

Our luck just kept getting better and better. We actually saw two more in the Upper Lake, but wasn't able to get a picture. We surprised two females that were eating. We were on foot and too close. They started running and so did we. It sure is exciting around here with all of the wild animals. Sometimes I feel like we live in a nature preserve.

The Meadow

In the valley north of town there is a large ranch. 

They have river frontage, their own lake and this is the pasture where their horses graze. The whole place is surrounded by a sturdy redwood fence. The almost setting sun gave the meadow a golden glow.

Linking to Good Fences: HERE

Up on the Hill

We were invited to a cookout on Labor Day by friends who live on the mountain on the other side of the valley from us.

Their house is further down the mountain, but thier land reaches almost to the top of a mountain called Neoga . There is a level area about half way up where they have a picnic area.

There are beautiful views from up there. This is the view to the northeast,

Click on image to enlarge

and this is the view to the south. If you will blow up the picture you will notice the little white dots on the middle of the three mountains . I am trying to mark the postage stamp. That is the name of the rectangle of Aspen trees that always turn gold before all of the other trees.It is an  indication of what is to come.

Fall has arrived in the San Juan Mountains of Colorado..

A Young Star

Our  local Arts Council is at the end of their season. They have provided this small mountain town with a wealth of great entertainment this summer. Last, but certainly not least, was a concert by this young lady.

 

Jeneve Rose Mitchell

By young, I mean really young. Jeneve is only sixteen years old, but she is an amazing entertainer, playing not only the bass, but the viola,cello,banjo guitar and harp.She has a beautiful voice and sang many of her own songs and a wide variety of country hits, blues,and even yodeling.. Jeneve was also a finalist (#14) on a recent airing of popular television show American Idol. American Idol is a show that aired for thirteen seasons, searching across the U.S, for exceptional entertainers. Thousand of young people auditioned,  but only a few became  finalists.

Jeneve's family hails from the small town of Crawford (about the same size as Lake City.) in Western Colorado. It sits northwest of here, on the north side of the Black Canyon Natl Park which I recently blogged about. This family lives off of the grid, which means they have no electricity or running water. The power that they have is furnished by the occasional use of a generator. Home schooled  by her mother, she is a self taught musician,(with a little help from her Dad), and a full time cowgirl. Great show Jeneve!

I feel sure you will hear her name more in years to come !

A Life Fully Lived

I usually don't do this on this page, but I would like to pay tribute to a  neighbor that did not return 

to our little town this summer.

Susan 1933-12016
It happens every year. We return to find out that someone, usually someone unexpected, has died over the winter. I guess since so many  of us are retired that come here in the summer ...it should be expected, but somehow it is always a shock.

Susan lived such a full and rewarding life. She stumbled onto little Lake City in the early 80's and built a summer home here.

A log home high on a bluff high above the river,

with a terrific view.

 Susan was a hiker, artist , photographer and mother and grandmother...not necessarily in that order.

She was also an avid traveler. Japan,Tibet,China, the Amazon, Egypt and Africa..and of course Europe where she twice rented a third floor walk up (alone), in Florence for six weeks at a time so she could pursue her painting. To celebrate her 60th birthday she even hiked to the base camp of Mt. Everest.

Why now  is Susan on my mind? Well, her children took what they wanted from the house , and per Susan's wishes donated the remainder of the estate to

 The Women's club of Lake City, an organization that raises money for local charities. The big sale is going on this weekend.

 It kind of seems sad to me for people to be picking over her treasures, everyday household items and mementos of her travels and life...not knowing the special story connected to each, or the wonderful (and beautiful) lady who owned them.

The Old Barn

I have pictured this old barn, just north of Lake City, on a previous blog,

but mine is certainly not as good as the one my sister Polly took on her recent visit.

Guest Post

Well, technically this is not a guest post, but I wanted to show you a few of the pictures taken by my sister when she was here this past week.

click on photo to enlarge

Polly, even though she was a guest, she had to work (remotely). So, when she got a break she ask me to take her to some spots where she could take some pictures. This place instantly came to mind,
and is my favorite of the ones she took.

more tomorrow

Scenic Overlook

Sometimes fences are put there for our safety

Black Canyon National Park. Colorado

Linking to Good Fences :HERE