Pronghorn Photo Op

As day after beautiful day dawns in rapid succession, it is easy to be lulled into feeling like it will never end. Yet the signs of fall are in the air - cooler nights, diminishing bird song, increasing wildlife sightings - it all adds up to fall knocking on our door.

Yet as the birds thin out, the big game seems to work its way out of the forest fringes to browse on the green patches left after the sun's rays have browned the majority. Thus sighting these two pronghorn bucks near Elk Springs Creek was not *that* unique. However, their apparent ambivelance to our presence was. Nonetheless, even as the evening light faded, I took advantage of the photo opportunity. They didn't seem to mind.

Soon they will flee the hunter's prowess, but until then, I relish 'shooting' their beauty with my favorite 'hunting' instrument - a camera!

Lady of the Lake

An Evening On The Porch

One of the amazing things about Elk Lake is a person doesn't even have to leave the front deck to find themselves surrounded by natural beauty - sometimes dynamic even jaw-dropping natural beauty. Thus a few evenings ago I tried to capture a 'piece' of the beauty we all enjoyed while standing on our front porch.

In the mountains, hot summer days often translate into stormy summer nights. However, mountain thunderstorms, while often bearing much needed liquid, are a far cry from a typical rain storm. They usually come bearing gifts: colorful rainbows, towering silver-lined thunderheads, and gorgeous contrasts.

The rainbow seemed to park itself right over Cabin 5 - or maybe it was the knob just behind it, the one we call listening point. Was there a message to be heard?

Darks and lights - frowning and smiling - yet all floating on a sea of deep blue - the thunderclouds emphasized the storm's contrasts.

So we stood, talking and watching, as the elements spent themselves to a quite end.

As many times as I've seen it, I always marvel at the calm after the storm. Tempest past, Old Glory lay relaxed as the last of the storm clouds sauntered by overhead.

The lingering storm clouds created a perfect canvas for the end-of-day colors. What a lovely image to carry into sleep!

Lady of the Lake