Wicked Good October Observations...

Full moon over the Rockies at dawn.

My favorite color is OCTOBER.

   --Author Unknown

Usually when I sit to write my blog posts I have a fairly clear idea of what I want to write about.  

Then there are those months when the topics are so plentiful that I decide to include a snippet of all so I don't have to choose what to omit! So, hold tight!

1.  The Joys of Home Ownership - part 2...

Ken gets THE GOLD STAR for patience, endurance, consistent effort and willingness to undertake the unending and thankless job of staining the kajillion deck spindles and top railing!!!

Last month you cheered with me as you learned he had completed the FIRST COAT of stain!

Now, please join me in thunderous applause as you learn he has completed TWO coats of stain to the entire west deck!!!!  Woo-hoo!!!!

And, when I last wrote, I was perplexed and bewildered as I considered how to proceed with the lighting in our garage (a.k.a. my studios.)

Should I:

(a) scour the country to try to find ballasts no longer made for my existing florescent light fixtures?

(b) replace the florescent light fixtures?

(c) research the possibility of using the existing light fixtures and rewiring to accommodate new LED bulbs?

(d) bring another lamp from the house to the garage?

(e) walk away and pretend we never ever started the "light project."

After some deliberation I ultimately chose C and after proper research, lots of  "You-Tube How-To Videos" and talking Ken and our across-the-street-neighbor into "what fun this rewiring project promises to be," I went to www.Amazon.com and found Hyperikon, just the LED lights I was looking for to replace old florescent bulbs.  

 To my utter joy and astonishment, Ken and Dave really DID have fun rewiring the existing florescent fixtures to accommodate the new LED lights--so much so that I ended up ordering lights for all FIVE fixtures!! 

I am THRILLED to report that the quality of light in my studios (a.k.a. the garage) is fantastic!!!  

The light is bright and enables me to work at my various desks without additional lamps!!!  

2.  "Reflection," a juried art exhibit, has its opening reception Oct. 12 at the Windsor Art & Heritage Center.

Paintings, mixed media, photography and poetry by artists across
the region are featured in "Reflections."

This was the third juried art exhibit conceived by my friend Suzette.  The first, "Beauty Surrounds Us," was held last November at Boardwalk Gallery.  

The second, "The Paths We Take," was the first exhibit produced by Boardwalk Gallery and the Town of Windsor and set in the beautiful historic Art & Heritage Center.

 "Reflection" is also a collaborative effort with the Town of Windsor and will be open to the public until November 12, 2016.

For this exhibit I decided to LEAP out of my comfort zone and create work in mixed media, specifically acrylic paint and colored tissue paper.  Two of my pieces were accepted into this show along with two poems.  

In Search of Insight

The Human Mark

I was thrilled to learn that the two judges Suzette asked to judge the art selected both works to receive Honorable Mention awards in mixed media!!!!  

In the south gallery my work hangs above the guitarist in the right hand corner.

A warm October evening proves conducive to linger and enjoy conversation other and art.

Suzette visits with an artist prior to the awards ceremony.

There is a nifty addition to the three exhibitions.  Each has the art and poetry winners published in a "Words and Images Coffee Table Book" by Hot Chocolate Press.  

Not having won in previous exhibits, this will be my first inclusion into the "Reflection" coffee table book.  :)








3.  Trail Ridge Road in Rocky Mountain National Park Re-Opens temporarily...

YES! That is snow on the Rocky Mountains!  Despite this October being the second warmest in history, there are a few hearty ski areas open and a few high country snows have left WHITE on the peaks.

Even with temps near 80 degrees, the nights drop to 40 and below so mornings are crisp and at least feel like fall, despite seeing shorts and flip-flops as normal October attire.

Trail Ridge Road, the trail into the clouds!

Last weekend Ken and I could not resist the pull of a warm October day and so headed toward the mountains into Estes Park and continued into Rocky Mountain National Park.  We saw on the news that my favorite "high" highway was re-opened due to melting snow and thought this would be a marvelous time to see the beautiful alpine tundra WITHOUT THE CRUSH OF 912,507 VISITORS WHO VISITED IN JULY, 2016, when we last enjoyed RMNP.  (That number being an all-time high for the park in July!!)

It was a gift, indeed, to only share this marvelous October Sunday with just a few other visitors, as you can see from this lovely nearly empty stretch of road.

Notice the tall "sticks" along the sides of the highway.  These are markers used by the snowplow drivers to find the highway when the snow obscures the pavement.

Obviously, the season is over at the Alpine Visitor Center at 11,796 feet.

"I'm so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers."

 --L. M. Montgomery
  Anne of Green Gables

A perfect day with awe-inspiring views of the majestic Rocky Mountains!

4.  And, October sunsets return in all their brilliance.

"Ah, September!  You are the doorway to the season that awakens my soul...but I must confess that I love you only because you are a prelude to my beloved October."
  
  --Peggy Toney Horton