Driving the Mirror Lake Highway

 

Hello my friends, a couple of weeks ago I just had the feeling that I needed to get away.

 

I'd had two surgeries in just a couple of weeks and I had done a lot of sitting and lying around.  Sitting at home all I could see was all the things that needed to be done, but that I shouldn't be doing.

 

I sat to the point that I was experiencing numb bum.  :)

 

So, in the words of the famous Rolling Stones. I

 

GOTTA GET AWAY,

 

GOTTA, GOTTA, GOTTA,  GET AWAY, GOT TO GET AWAY!

 

Shiver Me Timbers

Hubby and I headed to Colorado a week ago thinking that we would enjoy some gorgeous fall foliage hiking in the Breckenridge area.  Although we did see a lot of gorgeous shades of gold on our drive there, we found very little color while hiking.

 

In fact, this was the only sign of Autumn we saw on the trail.

 

 

Our second morning  we woke up to snow and chilly temps.  We didn't let that stop us.  We bundled up a little and headed out about 10:30 in the morning to hike Burro Trail.

 

You can see that the sun did come out and shine.  Although the trail ran through a forest and was very shady.

 

 

 

I stayed cozy and warm in my fleece jacket and it actually turned out to be perfect hiking weather.

 

 

No fall color, but we found beauty in other things, like these frozen ice crystals hanging on branches.

 

b

 

 

I always have my eyes out for a little love along the way.  (wink)

 

And I have a thing for moss and lichen.

 

 

 

Yes, I'm kind of likin the lichen on this rock.  :)

 

 

I noticed two little scrawny trees out in the middle all by themselves.

 

 

 

There were also many tall ones that could be displayed in the Rockefeller Center.  Maybe a little too skinny.

 

 

We watched this cute little fella nibble on an acorn for quite some time.  He would look over at us every now and then, but didn't seem to be bothered by us.

 

 

You know how your mind tells you that you can, but your body tells you that you can't?

 

I tried to balance on one foot on this stump.  Gosh, if that wasn't a silly sight.  This girl isn't quite what she use to be!

 

 

The perfect place for taking a breather along the trail!

 

 

We thought this tree was very unusual.

 

 

We walked along water for a good share of the hike.  It was the prettiest part of it.

The resort that we were staying at were going to do a group hike on this trail at 1:00, so I decided to leave a little token of love.

 

I wonder if anyone noticed it?

 

Sometimes things aren't what we expect, but there's beauty to be found, if we just look for it!

 

 

hugs,

Jann

 

 

 

The Ghosts of Buckskin Joe

Hello my friends,
Today is Friday the 13th.  So I'm just wondering, do you have any superstitions, and

do you believe in ghosts?

 

Yesterday hubby and I visited the quaint town of Fairplay, Co.  While there we walked through South Park City.  A fun historic place with 40 exhibits to see.  Seven of them were original to the town.  I'll be sharing some of the fun items that we saw there in another post.

 

On our way home we drove to Buckskin Cemetery.

 

It's all that is left of the ghost town of Buckskin Joe.

 

Buckskin Joe, also called Laurette or Lauret, is a deserted ghost town in Colorado, United States. It was an early mining town, and county seat of Park County, Colorado.

As we drove up the hill, the cemetery looked small, consisting of only a handful of headstones.  But as we got out and walked, we found graves all over the hillside.

 

 

Many of them were in metal or wooden enclosures.

 

 

I have never been to a cemetery before that had so many primitive crosses.

 

 

 

This cast iron one was so unique and I loved the patina!

 

When you were a kid did you ever say, "cross my heart and hope to die"?  Me and my sisters use to say that when we were promising to tell the truth.  I wonder where we learned that from?

 

These two headstones of a husband and wife were right next to each other.  I thought they were very unique.

 

 

Do you find cemeteries to be eerie?

 

I find them to be very peaceful.  A place where someone's dear one has been laid to rest.

 

As we were leaving I noticed this heart hanging in a tree.

 

 

We stopped at an antique store in Fairplay.  The owner told us that last weekend Buckskin Cemetery had their annual celebration.

 

It is held on the night of a full moon and people dress like some of the deceased and do some type of reenactment.

 

She said people come from all over to see it.

 

I think that would be so interesting to see!  A bit of creepy fun!

 

I snapped this photo of an old church in Leadville, CO today.

I loved how the sun was shining right behind the steeple!

 

 

 

Wishing you a wonderful Friday the 13th, and remember, don't walk under any ladders.  :)

Good luck,

Jann

 

Vacationing in Colorado. . .

Hello my friends,

just hopping in to say that hubby and I took a road trip to Colorado.  We decided to "get out of Dodge" while wood flooring is being installed in 4 rooms in our home.

For that reason, there will be no Share Your Cup this week.

Please come back next week.

Here's a little glimpse of what we woke up to one morning in Colorado.

Looking forward to seeing what makes you happy this week!

hugs,

Jann

Moon Gate. . .Our Little Cottage by the Sea

Hello my friends,

As many of you know, we recently took a trip to Carmel, CA.

 

We stayed in the sweetest cottage and I wanted to share it with you.

 

One day in early May hubby walked in after work toting the latest issue of Victoria magazine he had retrieved from the mailbox.

 

As I started to browse through it I came to an article titled:  Coastal Getaway:  CARMEL BY-THE-SEA

 

It was about the 5 cozy cottage rentals,  Carmel Cottage Inn.

 

 

 

The article pulled at my heart strings and hubby said, "book it"

 

Let's just say, he didn't have to say it twice!! :)

 

Moon Gate cottage, here we come!!

 

Easy to see how it got it's name.  Hubby seems to be pleased with it as well.

 

The cottage was surrounded by gorgeous greenery and flowers.

The gardens were very well manicured and had sweet paths leading to each cottage.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 This was our own little private seating area.

 

That large hedge is fuchsia, if you can believe it!  Here we just plant it in shade pots as trailers.

 

 

Great place to relax at the end of the day!

 

 

 This is the view as we walked down from our cottage.

 

 

Now that we've toured the gardens, let's step inside. . .

 

hand stenciled wooden floor.

 

 

 

Lots of cozy seating.  This cottage actually slept four.



 

 

Folk art on the wall and I loved the running rabbit pillow!

 

A cozy fireplace for those cool evenings.  We actually did turn it on one night.  It had rained that morning.



 

Most of the time we enjoyed an open window. 

 





Oh look, a welcome gift.  Sparkling cider, A large bag of delicious almonds, and one of pistachios as well.  Maps and info to help us navigate the small town.  There are no numbered addresses.  A shop simply lists it's location between two streets, and cottages are often referred to by name alone.

 

The kitchen is the heart of the home and this one certainly

did have heart!

 

 

Vintage style appliances and I adore that checkered floor!  I would have loved to have stayed in 'Log Haven' simply because it had a green fridge and dishwasher.  It sleeps 10, so wasn't going to pay up for that!  lol!  You can see photos of it in the magazine.

 

Not only was the kitchen cute, but they sure knew how to stack the cupboards.  Colorful mugs of Fiesta ware.  I had to play with them a little to show off my $5 thrift find scale for Instagram.

 

Rusty and worn!  Just how I love it!!

 

 

The bedroom was sweet and simple.  The mattress was super comfy.  Always a plus!!

 

 

Looking out the bedroom window to our courtyard.

The ocean was just a hop, skip, and a jump away.  In fact when we arrived we met one couple from Canada that had just walked barefoot to the beach.  It was so close, they said, "why bother wearing shoes?"  This was their 2nd stay at the cottages.

 

This was their cottage.

 

 

 

Hubby enjoyed strolling along in the sand,

 



 While I captured the wild life. . . (wink)

 

 

and gathered trinkets that had been washed ashore.

 

and look what it shared with us come sun down.

 

 

Oh, isn't life by the sea simply grand?  Too bad it had to come to an end.  At least for now, but it will forever live on in my memory!

 

hugs,

Jann