GARDEN of the GODS, Colorado

Today,  I will share more from our western trip in September.  Charles Elliott Perkins purchased two-hundred and forty acres in the Garden of the Gods for a summer home in 1879.  He later added to the property, but never built on it, preferring to leave his wonderland in its natural state for the enjoyment of the public.  Perkins died in 1907 before he made arrangements for the land to become a public park, although it had been open to the public for years.

In 1909, Perkins' children, knowing their father's feeling for the Garden of the Gods, conveyed his 480 acres to the City of Colorado Springs.  It would be known forever as the Garden of the Gods "where it shall remain FREE to the public, where no intoxicating liquors shall be manufactured, sold, or dispensed,  where no building shall be erected except those necessary to properly care for, protect, and maintain the area as a public park". 

If you want to read more information about the Garden of the Gods,  click HERE.   We had a fabulous visit there --so I wanted to share more photos with you today.  Sorry that the picture above and the last one below are not very good. It was almost dark when we took them.  Be sure to click on the photos to see enlargements.

We had a perfect day to be there... Isn't that a gorgeous sky?

These rock formations are amazing....  I just walked around with my mouth hanging open!!!!!!   I was in AWE of the area!

There are gorgeous walkways all around the area.  We enjoyed walking around with Sally and Jim.  (If you missed my blog about Sally and Jim,  check HERE.)

These rock climbers were amazing... I could never do that ---nor would I EVER try.... Yipes!!!!

Sally talked quite a bit about the big WHITE rocks.  Most people --including us--photograph the brown rocks, but don't stop to enjoy the white ones also. Isn't that a beauty?

There are many interesting birds in Colorado.   The top two are what are called Rock Doves... The one on the bottom --which you cannot see well is a White-throated Swift.  I also saw some Black-billed Magpies while there --but didn't get any good photos.

Sally took this photo of George and me while at the Garden of the Gods. As you can tell,  the temperatures warmed up some ---so we were able to shed our jackets.

George and I walked up to the top of a hill --and took some pictures looking down on the park.

Finally,  this is not a good picture since it was almost DARK.   Sally and Jim had told us where to drive to look down on the Garden of the Gods.  BUT--by the time we got there,  the sun had gone down behind that mountain.   You can get an idea of the total area though.   This place would be a fabulous place to get a photo with the sun shining on those big rocks.   We'll have to go back sometime.   WOW!!!!

We truly enjoyed our visit here.  Thanks again, Sally and Jim, for taking us to this beautiful place.  We are still re-living our wonderful trip through our photos.  Hope you are enjoying them too.

Prayers for ALL who had damage and/or lost so much in Hurricane Sandy...  Thank Goodness for Facebook and email ---as I worked hard to keep up with friends/family in the path of that storm.   God Bless ALL.

We never did get any snow (nor rain) here --but it has been COLD and WINDY.   Have a great day!

Hugs,
Betsy

Life on the Cumberland Plateau

Our little home  during Fall (2012)

As you probably know,  life for us has been VERY busy lately....  First was the big trip out west in September.  That was followed by my son's gorgeous wedding.  THEN---we went to Ohio to do some hiking with our good friends, Neal and Patti...  After coming home from Ohio,  we enjoyed a weekend here visiting with cousins/family/friends who were visiting in the area.

Then,  if all of this hasn't been enough,  we took off to the Smokies last Tuesday to see the Fall colors....   In between all of that ---this is a busy time of year for us in our yard.  We both have spent many hours (with many more to come) blowing/raking/mowing leaves.... Autumn is a pretty season and I love it ---but when those leaves start coming down,  there's alot of work to be done. 

Anyhow---to make a long story short,   I apologize for not visiting your blogs very much lately...  I do try to keep up--but it's not easy.  There just isn't enough hours in the day right now!!!!! Oh Well..... Life moves on no matter what!!!!

Today I will show you a few pictures I took in and around our yard on October 23.    AND--I'll share a few pictures of our visit with  my cousins/family on October 20/21.   Hope you enjoy seeing more of our crazy lives here in Fairfield Glade --on the Cumberland Plateau.  Be sure to click on the photos for enlargements.

I take alot of pictures of our little home --and love to compare them during different seasons of the year.  We had a 'quick' Fall here this year.  Trees seemed to stay green for a long time but turned quickly when they did turn ---and even though there are some reds and yellows around,  the primary colors right now are the browns/golds....  I won't say that we have had a beautiful Fall here ---like we saw in Ohio or the Smokies, but nevertheless,  it is still pretty!!!

Thought you'd enjoy seeing my little Fall decorations up close and personal.   Can you see the big ceramic pumpkin on the porch????  I got that one on a visit to Kroger's one day.  The employee there was setting up a pumpkin display --and accidentally dropped some of them.  We stopped to help him pick up the pieces.  This one only lost its lid ----so he gave it to us FREE of charge.  I bought some Fall flowers and put in it for decorations... Neat, huh?

Here is our pretty Maple in our front yard... I love the colors of the Maples in Fall.

Here is one of the MANY Burning Bushes in our area... This is a very popular bush and there's at least one in most every yard!!!!!   They are gorgeous in Fall.

AND---here's a picture of our front yard looking up the hill/street.  Note that there are a few more ROSES still blooming.  That is our neighbor's big white house in this picture.  Note the leaves on the ground.... That was AFTER we raked and blew them!!!!! Those leaves are really coming down now, just like rain... ha ha

As I said above,  we visited with two of my cousins and their families twice weekend of Oct. 20/21.   This picture shows all eight of us enjoying a meal together at the Cumberland Mountain State Park Restaurant on Sunday, Oct. 21.  We had a wonderful time together.

Here are my two cousins,  Carol (Michigan) and Bonnie (Florida).   Carol and Bonnie are 1st cousins since they have the same grandmother.   I'm a cousin on down the line since their grandmother is my mother's mother's sister.... (Figure that one out!!!!! ha)

Bonnie,  Betsy,  Carol

Finally here is a photo of the three of us cousins...  Since I have so little family left,   I love these gals ---and enjoy being with them so much.  Tennessee is a great place for us to meet since one lives in Michigan and one in Florida!!!!!!




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Last Blooming Roses from our Yard 2012

LATER:  On Saturday,  October 27,  because VERY cold weather was coming our way,  George cut most of the remaining ROSES which were blooming in our yard --and brought them all inside...  I love having them inside --but hate to see Fall end.  We'll have to wait 'til Spring in order to have more rose blossoms...  Sigh!!!!

Hope you had a great weekend.  After such a warm (almost hot) week last week,  someone opened the freezer door--since it is MUCH colder this week... But--I love it!!!!  They even mentioned the "S" word (SNOW) on our TV weather report Saturday night... YIPES....  BUT--I'll stay warm--all snuggled up next to a big roaring fire in our wood-burning  fireplace!!!!

Have a great day.

Hugs,
Betsy