Nederland – Quaint and Picturesque

Nederland.

 A few weeks ago, during one of the snow-free periods, I decided to take a trip to Nederland in the Rockies.  It is a quaint and picturesque little town with lots of funky stores and great places to eat.  I haven't tried the Wild Mountain Smokehouse and Brewery yet since I mostly go to Nederland in the mornings.

Wild Mountain Smokehouse and Brewery.

Not to mention a beautiful crop of dandelions!

Dandelions at the End of a Row of Shops.

A covered bridge spans the creek that runs through town.  It looks wide enough for cars, but leads to a walking path that allows you to go from one side of town to the other without having to walk the highway.  There are fairy lights and paintings – as if the natural view were not enough!

Covered Bridge.

Right Side of Covered Bridge.

Left Side of Covered Bridge.

Downstream from the Bridge.

I didn’t go into the Train Cars Café because I had already eaten at Whistler’s.

But love this parting shot of the hillside and clouds.  A good time was had by all…

I think we’ve seen the last of the snow. Maybe. I hope.

Last of the Snow Plow Piles by the Road.

Last of the Snow Plow Piles by the Drive.

I’d like to say we’ve seen the last of the snow, but those pictures were taken on May 15^th and it has snowed a bit every day since then.  At the elevation of my house, what would melt into rain if it had a few more thousand feet to fall ends up here as snow.  But the ground is warm and the snow doesn’t stick.  So maybe we are done…  (Although the temperatures are still rather lower than I am used to at this time of year.)

But things are melting – or rain is falling somewhere above me because there is a little stream running down next to my neighbor’s house across the street.  It runs into the drainage ditch along the road.  Follows that for a while, then runs through a culvert under the road and continues down the hill, next to my other neighbor.  So I get to hear the running water, but it is not “mine.”

Snow Melt or Rainfall:  Streamlet Next Across the Street.

In any case, I was inspired by the clear weather to walk around the yard to see what might be coming up and here’s what I found:

Might be Coral Bells and an “Eye Stone."

First Flower?

Gotta Be Something Important, but I Have No Clue.

STRAWBERRIES!  YAY!

The birdbath is broken, so apparently they turned it into a planter…

Birdbath.

Hens and Chicks?  Not one of my favorites, but at this point, anything that will grow is welcome!

And, finally, this.  Which was apparently something and may be so again…

Maybe the weather will be better in New Zealand!

What Am I Missing Here?

I had a friend over to visit yesterday. It was her first visit and I was a bit saddened that she did not take the time to look at the art on my walls as I really like the things I have hung.

Later, we talked about singing bowls and it turned out she had also missed seeing the 3 singing bowls arrayed in front of Buddha. (I must admit that he is rather large and imposing and tends to draw the eye...)

However, in thinking about this afterwards, I realized that as a singer, she is more attuned (no pun intended) to sound rather than sight, where I am more interested in the visual. So it made sense that she was not interested in my art work.

That leaves me with the question: what am I missing in life by focusing on only that one aspect - in my case sight?

It’s Time for a House Warming!

I got tired of waiting for the living room carpet to show up.  (They’re now saying some time in May.)  So decided to schedule my house warming for yesterday.  It’s one way to ensure that all the last minute things that have been hanging on actually get done.  So here is the house ready for guest – except for putting the food out.

 

Not showing the office as that is the room I usually “clean” last and that didn’t get done.

Party results:  invited a dozen people.  Two showed up.  Fortunately for me, I always stick with food I know I will enjoy afterwards.  This morning I’ll work on the raspberries.   (Then blackberries, although I may have to soak them in brandy and put over ice cream which I do not yet have.  They are rather bitter.  Then strawberries.)

Lunch will be cheese – bleu, cheddar, and a tiny bit of brie – with water biscuits.  Anchovy spread – no one ever likes that except me! – with Triscuits.  For sweets, there are chocolate biscuits, shortbread rounds, and peanut M&Ms.  And pistachios for snacking.  Surely won’t starve!