My First Autumn in Colorado

Can you believe it is already November? The years seem to be on "fast forward" in this stage of my life. I can't believe my husband and I bought the house we live in on the Front Range of Colorado a year ago! This year has also been a whirlwind adventure of settling into our home and neighborhood, getting used to a different way of life, and enjoying being close to our children and grandchildren again.

 (Please note: all photos in this post, including the collages, will enlarge if clicked on)

Autumn has always been my favorite season in the year, and I wondered how I would enjoy it in Colorado? While I always morn the shorter daylight hours, I revel in the golden glow of light and shadow that autumn brings through my windows.  I wondered if I'd see much change in tree color here, or feel the same crisp cool air that late October brings. Would we go directly from summer into chilly winter and skip autumn altogether?

I need not have worried! My first autumn in Colorado has been one of delight and awe! While the "high country"--the mountains--does indeed almost go from summer to winter conditions quickly, those that live there love it, for it means ski season has begun. The plains and the foothills, meanwhile, where I live, experience fall in all its splendor! From "purple mountain majesty to amber waves of grain," Colorado is a beautiful state to live in!

I knew that the beautiful quaking aspen trees, that are indigenous to Colorado, have leaves that turn from green to a beautiful golden yellow in autumn, but.....

... I also learned that the beautiful tree in my front yard turns a gorgeous shade of orange in autumn!

While there aren't as many trees in Colorado as there are in the eastern states, the ones that are here all seemed to put on a spectacular display of color! If you'd like to see a short video of a quaking aspen tree quivering in the wind click on this link that will bring you to my Mille Fiori Favoriti facebook page.

Autumn also brought snow flurries, actual snowfall one morning that melted by noon, and a few days of misty fog.  I was also visited almost daily by the same handsome mule deer buck.  I was so excited to see him outside my kitchen window. He seemed to like to eat the aspen leaves off my backyard grass and then took a nap there every afternoon.

Our Autumn was full of fun activities! Besides my husband and I visiting Rocky Mountain National Park in early September (click here to read those posts) .....

........we also went to a wonderful, free, annual, "Festival Italiano" in nearby Belmar, Colorado, where we enjoyed seeing all the fabulous vendor selling everything Italian--fresh pasta, gelato, pizza, cookies, wine, etc! There was bocce ball tournament, street chalk drawings, grape stomping for children, ceremonial flag throwers from Florence, Italy, musicians from Italy and opera singers that performed on two stages! My husband and I were in heaven enjoying it all, and we will certainly make this an annual event!

In mid-September, we celebrated my youngest grandson's "half" birthday at the Colorado Railroad Museum, which was hosting a "Day Out With Thomas" event. All little boys (and girls) love Thomas the Train! Both of my grandsons and my granddaughter enjoyed watching the model train exhibit and then riding on the regularly sized train that was being pulled by Thomas!

In October, my husband and I traveled for back to back occasions in California and New York,(click here to read that post), but we also had a day out with our children and grandchildren at Anderson Farms (click here to read that post) to go pick out the perfect pumpkin for Halloween, and enjoy a perfect fall day.  The beautiful mountain scenery in the distance was spectacular!

On the weekend before Halloween, my children and grandchildren dressed up in their costumes and we went to a fun local event called "Trunk or Treat"! Volunteers decorate their car trunks in Halloween style and pass out candy to children in a safe, controlled environment. There was also a costume parade, hot dog stand, craft and game table, a haunted house for older children, plus more!

The highlight of the event for my grandsons was the cherry picker fire truck that was there. They love fire trucks and had many questions for the firemen.

I even had the opportunity to see my first boxing match! My brother-in-law covers boxing as a reporter for a major TV network, and he was able to get complimentary tickets for my husband and me to attend this match. Boxer Mike Alvarado was the home town champ in the junior welterweight division, but unfortunately, he lost his championship belt in the tenth round by a TKO to Russian boxer Ruslan Provodnikov. I didn't think I'd like watching boxing, but it was hard not to feel the excitement of the competition and the home crowd support

I'm now looking forward to Thanksgiving and Christmas--holidays that we had to fly out from New York to Colorado to celebrate in the past. This will be the first time in years that I will decorate my own Christmas tree--I've missed that so much!  I have so much to look forward to, so much to be thankful for...I feel very blessed.

In this month of Thankfulness, I'm thankful for all those who read my blog and share their comments with me! I'm hoping to get back to a blogging schedule of more than once a week--sharing more little moments in shorter posts-- I hope you'll come back to join me!

Enjoy this beautiful autumn day!