March Note Card Party -Dreaming of Spring!

 Vee, at the Haven for Vee blog, asked us to consider some spring-like photos for the March Note Card Party.  Every month, Vee asks that we chose four photos that we have already published in posts on our blog that we feel would make beautiful note cards.  She now allows the choice of using one new photo we never published, if we so desire.

I recently did a post about a ride to Breckenridge, Colorado we took this winter that you can read here. Since I know most people are experiencing winter fatigue, I thought I re-share four photos I took on a trip to Breckenridge last year during the summer--you can read that post here.

Spring comes late to the high country of Colorado, but when it does it brings beautiful wildflowers, strong afternoon thunderstorms, and absolutely gorgeous vistas!

Here are my Note Cards and quotes I thought would go well with them inside:

"I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help" ~ Psalm121:1

"Two roads diverged in a wood, and I--I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference."
~Robert Frost

"Just living is not enough..... one must have sunshine, freedom and a little flower."    ~ Hans Christian Anderson

"It is wonderful to climb the liquid mountains of the sky. Behind me and before is God and I have no fears." 
~ Helen Keller


Thanks, Vee!  It was a pleasure to be able to join in your Note Card Party event today! Be sure to visit Vee today to see links to many other participating blogs.

PS:  For all who are wondering, I promise to reveal where we were when I took this photo of my husband in Breckenridge on my next blog post!



Sorry for the suspense!  :)

Wildflowers Along the Way

"Weeds are flowers, too, once you get to know them."

- A.A. Milne

" i thank heaven somebody's crazy, enough to give me a daisy" 

 - e.e.cummings

"Nobody sees a flower really; it is so small. We haven't the time, and to see takes time. - like to have a friend takes time." 

- Georgia O'Keeffe

The Song of the Columbine Flower

by Cicely Mary Baker

Who shall the chosen fairy be for the letter C?

There's Candytuft, and Cornflower blue,

Campanula and Crocus too,

Chrysanthemum so bold and fine,

And the pretty dancing Columbine.

Yes, the Columbine! The choice is she;

And with her, see

An elfin piper, piping sweet

A little tune for those light feet

That dance among the leaves and flowers

In someone's garden

(is is ours?)

I'm joining Vee, at the blog A Haven for Vee, for her August Note Card Party. Each month Vee asks bloggers to chose four photos from all the photos we've published on our blogs in the past, that we thought would make beautiful or interesting notes cards. I knew I had taken many Colorado wildflower photos this summer and wanted to share a few that have been part of past post's photo collages. I think any of them would make a nice note card, and I tried to select quotes that could be written on the inside.

My favorite photo  is the last photo of the "dancing" yellow Columbine flowers I found in Breckenridge, Colorado. (Click on the link to read that blog post) There are over 70 varieties of the Columbine flower, and they come in many color and bi-color combinations. Did you know that the blue and white variety of the Rocky Mountain Columbine is the state flower of Colorado?  The official state song of Colorado is "Where the Columbines Grow." Click on the link to listen to the song and read the lyrics.

Thanks, Vee! I always enjoy all the wonderful photos that you and your participants chose each month. Click here to see all the August  Note Card Party links.

A Gentle Word....

A gentle word, like summer rain,

May soothe some heart and banish pain,

What joy or sadness often springs

From just the simple little things!

~ Willa Hoey

Pleasant words are as a honeycomb,

sweet to the mind and healing to the body

~ Proverbs 16:24

Be like the flower,

turn your face to the sun

~ Kahlil Gibran

We can complain because rose bushes have thorns,

or rejoice because thorn bushes have roses.

~ Abraham Lincoln

I'm praying for Boston and those killed and wounded in the horrific act of terrorism at the marathon. May those responsible be caught and brought to justice. May we all strive to make this world a better place.

 "Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that." ~ Martin Luther King, Jr.

You can now find my blog on facebook! Click here.  I'd be honored if you "liked" me!

February Note Card Party

It is time for the monthly Note Card Party event, hosted by Vee from the blog A Haven for Vee. Each month she asks us to chose four photos that we previously published on our blog that we feel would make nice note cards and showcase them on a new post and link up to her party. I missed out on joining in the last few months of the Note Card Party, as I was preparing to move. I left where I lived my entire life, in Brooklyn, New York, to move to a suburb of Denver, Colorado. The best part of the move is that my husband and I now live closer to our children and grandchildren. We feel that this has been one of the most exciting adventures of our lives!  We love it here and I decided to choose four photos from my area that will show some of the beauty of my new neighborhood in Colorado.

This first photo was literally taken in my backyard.  It is one of the mule deers that visit almost every day as they make their way down from the foothills of the Rocky Mountains.

This is a view of South Valley Park which is in walking distance of my house. I took this photo in the summer, but I also blogged about hiking on a trail in this park recently on this post.

Another deer that was walking in the park and the very blue mile high sky. There is lots of wildlife here!  Besides deer, there are elk, mountain lions, black bears, coyotes, rabbits, groundhogs, hawks, eagles, grouse, wild turkeys and many different kinds of snakes, including rattlesnakes. There is definitely a lot I have to learn about living in such close proximity to nature.

Colorado's big sky and a view of the some of the ancient red fountain formation rocks in the open space of our community. I took these photos while walking on a private trail that only residents can use. You can see some of my neighborhood's houses in the background.

As you can see, I left the excitement of life in the big city for life on the beautiful front range. It is a big change, but one that has filled me with joy.  I love New York and I love Colorado!

Be sure to visit Vee and see her note card photos and links to all the others participating this month...you'll be glad you did!

  

I Need a Little Christmas

TheTree in front ot the NYC Stock Exchange

This has been a hard holiday season between the devastation of Hurricane Sandy and the tragedy in Newtown, Connecticut, but as always, life must go on. That is the nature of acceptance, healing, and optimism. There is always the hope that things will get better and that love and good deeds will conquer evil.  As Christmas approaches, I find the wonderful holiday scenes in New York City very uplifting.  What better way to feel a little Christmas spirit return to my heart than partake in the note card party of Vee's at her blog "A Haven for Vee" and post some of these photos from past Christmases?

6th Ave and Ave of the Americas

Macy's at 34th Street

The birth of Jesus

a stained glass window in St. Patrick's Church, Bayshore, Long Island

I hope you will visit Vee's blog and enjoy the four-note card photos she posted and the links to all the blogs participating this week!

Vee's Note Card Party

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It's time for Vee's Note Card Party again, my selection of photos this moth are from my May 5th post about going to brunch in the New Leaf Restaurant in Fort Tyron Park in Manhattan this past spring.

I hope you read all of my GOOD NEWS in my post yesterday!

THANK YOU to all for your congratulations and best wishes!

It was also such a relief to hear that you will find my blog as interesting coming from Colorado as you did from New York!

 I have made so many wonderful friends through blogging and it will be so nice to have you follow my journey west! Can a woman who has lived her whole 59 years of life on the same block in Brooklyn, New York and in the same house for 36 years move with ease?  Will I adjust to high altitude cooking, wild animals strolling through my yard, freeway speeds of 75 miles an hour, and a lack of public transportation after years of bus and subway use?   Will I find opera, theater, museums, unique restaurants, places of interest and the diversity I was so used to enjoying in New York City?  Time will tell! 

 It will be an interesting journey.....but to be close to this.....

....our daughter's expected baby due in February, and this...

....our two adorable grandsons who live in Colorado,  I think I will happily adjust!

What do you think?

Please go to Vee's blog A Haven For Vee to see her pretty note card photos and links to all the blog participating in this fun monthly event!  I am also adding this post to Beverly's weekly Pink Saturday blog event!

I Love the National Parks

It is time for Vee, of A Haven For Vee, monthly Note Card Party, where participating bloggers choose four photos from previous blog posts that they feel would make wonderful note cards. I can't believe how quickly the time passes between each month, and how enjoyable it is to see all the wonderful photos that fellow bloggers choose.

If you are a long time reader of my blog you might remember that my husband and I love to visit and explore the magnificent National Parks in the West.  Even photos can not do them justice, as one needs to see these sights in person to truly appreciate their spectacular beauty!

The photo above is from this blog post and is a scenic overlook view of Glacier Point in Yosemite National Park in California. This overlook had a commanding panoramic view of Yosemite Valley, Half Dome Peak, and the High Sierra.

The next photo is from the Grand Tetons National Park in Wyoming, on this post. Rising more than 7,000 feet above the valley of Jackson Hole, the Teton Range dominates the park’s skyline. The elevation of the park ranges from 6,400 feet on the sagebrush-dominated valley floor to 13,770 feet on the windswept granite summit of the Grand Teton, with forests carpeting the mountainsides.

One of the most iconic views from the National Parks is the Old Faithful Geyser in Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming. More can be seen on this post.  Old Faithful Geyser was named in 1870 by a surveyor H.D. Washburn. Its eruption height varies from 106 to 184 feet, every 90 minutes. The temperature before an eruption is 240 degrees Fahrenheit, and during eruption between 3,700 to 8,400 gallons of water is discharged.  It is the most photographed sight in the park.

The second most photographed sight in Yellowstone National Park is the Lower Falls, which can be seen on this post. Located in Yellowstone's Grand Canyon, and 308-feet long, it is the biggest waterfall in Yellowstone, and the most famous. Countless artists have painted this view!

I hope you enjoyed these four glimpses into a few of the many National Parks in the United States, and I hope I've encouraged you to want to visit them or revisit them.  I can't wait to go back to each one of them again one day! Now go over to A Haven For Vee and see the rest of the note card selections -- you won't be disappointed!

Endangered Animal Portraits

Bengal Tiger

It is time for Vee's monthly note card party, where bloggers chose four photographs that they previously used in a blog post that they feel would be nice to turn into note cards.  I decided to share some majestic animal portraits I made in Taronga Zoo, Mosman NSW, Australia in 2011. You can see that post and many more animal photos from that magnificent zoo on this link.

Lioness

Koala Bear

Giraffe

Taronga Zoo is home to over 2,600 animals on 52 acres (21 hectares), making it one of the largest of its kind. The zoo places emphasis on the promotion of world wildlife conservation. Since 2008 the Taronga Foundation has spent over $200,000 helping protect endangered species in the wild, helping save and regenerate natural habitats and working with local communities to reduce conflict with wildlife. 2010 was earmarked as the International Year of Biodiversity where the Taronga Conservation Society supported nine projects focusing on education, anti-poaching, population management, wildlife health, and habitat restoration. These projects are taking place in Australia, India, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Fiji, Nepal, Tanzania and Zambia and will help protect the habitat, health, and safety of a variety of animals. You can see a full list of all the animals living at the zoo at this link.

I really enjoyed visiting this zoo and I think a wonderfully expressive animal face note card would be a fun card to receive.  What do you think?  You can check out Vee's and see links to all the other note card selections over at A Haven For Vee blog beginning at 8:30 PM EST Tuesday evening.  Why not post your own card selections, link up, and join in all the fun?

April Note Card Party

Vee, at the delightful blog A Haven For Vee has decided after the success of her first Note Card Party event in March to make it a permanent event that will happen the third week of every month!   What participants are asked to do is choose four photos that we previously published on our blogs in a prior blog post, choosing photos that we think would make beautiful or interesting note cards. Last month I shared special New York City photographs.

The photos I chose this month are beautiful photos a good friend's daughter, Lauren, took for me of the National  Cherry Blossom Festival in Washington DC, which I published on this post in April of 2009.

Try as I might, I never seem to be able to make it down to Washington DC to attend this festival, although it has been almost a life long dream of mine to see it!  Even when my son was an undergraduate at a university in Washington DC for four years and then lived and worked there for two years afterward, something always seemed to come up during the month of April to keep me in New York. Thankfully, Lauren, who now lives and works in DC, was kind enough to share her photos with me, and I thought you would all enjoy seeing them again.  I think they would make gorgeous note cards, don't you?

I believe the National Cherry Blossom Festival occurred early in March this year, due to the unusually warm weather the East coast has been experiencing on and off all winter and spring.  Even if I wasn't so busy clearing out and closing up my Mother's house, and doing last minute preparations for my daughter's wedding, I probably still would have missed it, as I would have made hotel reservations for April instead of March, when the cherry trees all bloomed!

Wish me luck for next year's festival -- I really want to see them in person one day!

I'm adding this post to Pink Satuday on Beverly's blog How Sweet The Sound