Snow Birds – Not actual birds

 We are snow birds along with millions of other baby boomers (those born between the years of 1946 and 1964) who head south each year to reap the benefits of a seasonal migration. 

The RV is packed and we are heading south, we have lots of family to visit and spend time with, so I will be taking a few weeks off from writing post to visit and be with all of them.

Not only are we visiting family, but we have a wonderful thing happening next month, my husbands son is coming home from being stationed in Italy for the past 4 years in the Air Force. I have not seen him in so long, I am so blessed to be able to call him my son as well, as some of you may know I never had children of my own. But I am proud to call him my son.

Thank you to all of you for your wonderful comments, I do appreciate it and enjoy visiting with all of you through this thing called blogging. I wish everyone a wonderful season of thanks giving and peace. May our Father shower us with love and may we pass this love on to all others.

I will be back next month around Nov 7th, see you all again soon. Blessings to you and yours.

Snow Birds

Sandra J

Rustic Warm Colors – There is something infinitely healing in the repeated refrains of creation—the assurance that dawn comes after night, and Autumn after Summer

Rustic Warm Colors

Sandra J

Being Immersed in Nature – Whether it is a walk in the forest or hearing birds chirping in a luscious forest, there is something so remarkable and beautiful about being immersed in nature. It’s easy to be swept away with today’s technology and fast-paced living, but no matter where you are, nature always has a way of bringing peace of mind and grounding a person.

So, as you venture out to see the fall foliage, it’s important to be mindful of how we take care of nature as we enjoy the great outdoors and how we take care of our selves, physically and spiritually.

The noise around us can be upsetting, the news seems to get worse everyday of war and rumors of war.

See how nature, trees, flowers, grass-grows in silence;

See the stars, moon and sun how they move in silence;

We need silence to be able to touch our hearts and souls.

Being Immersed in Nature

Sandra J

Spring Valley Nevada – If you drive east of Pioche Nevada you will find a very interesting place with a history that one might not think about these days.

This area is still considered desert, but here in spring valley the water flows continuously from natural springs. It is said to have at least 150 springs through out the valley.

But the interesting thing about this area is how folks made a living here. They tried growing crops like wheat, barley and oats. But the freezing temperatures, grasshoppers and animals would ruin their harvest. But a few people realized a new crop could be had in the form of ICE.

This valley would flood every summer during the monsoon rains and then freeze. So the settlers made special tools to cut the ice into blocks. They built ice houses under ground and sold the ice blocks the next summer to the town folks and kept a lot for themselves to keep their food cold all summer.

People have always found a way to survive and provide for their families. Good hard working folks learning to live off of the land that is provided to them.

Spring Valley Nevada

Sandra J

The Journey Continues – As you may know from my blog post, we travelled the SW last winter. We spent 4 months of that winter in the south from Texas to Arizona and headed north from there. But during those 4 months it was all desert. Dry dry desert and not green anywhere.

By April we had finally reached Nevada where our first sight of green grass and dandelions was a very special treat for me. Some people don’t care for dandelions, but after 4 months of seeing only dirt, the beautiful color of yellow amongst the green grass was a sight for sore eyes.

We stopped at a little town called Pioche NV, a quaint little town nestled at the base of the Highland Peak Mountains. A mining town from back in the day that has a wonderful community of folks who are very nice and a small RV park right in town that was free to park at.

We stayed here for a week and enjoyed visiting their museum and driving up into the mountain.

Highland peak sits at an elevation of 9,337 feet. To say the least it was a narrow dirt road all the way to the top, but the view was worth the journey.

The Journey Continues

Sandra J

Miles and Miles – This is the time of year I like to get a new calendar and add items from this year to the new year coming up. For example I came across the month and year we bought this jeep and it made me think of all the places we have been with it.

We got it 8 years ago, there are no fancy bells or whistles on it, it has crank down windows, not electric. I do like the older vehicles, where one can still fix things them self without having to take it to a shop if needed.

Miles and Miles

Sandra J

Light of the Morning Sun

Have a wonderful weekend.

Light of the Morning Sun

Sandra J

What I See – A look inside of my imagination. Photography is a way to express ones imagination, it isn’t always about just taking a regular photo of landscapes or wildlife to me.

When I look at one of my photos, I can picture something more, I picture a world with more color, a giant moon, things that dreams are made of and I create it with photoshop from combining 2 or 3 of my own photos into one.

My camera is my paint brush and the world is my canvas. Have a wonderful day.

What I See

Sandra J

Cathedral Gorge Maze – This area is full of walkways though the clay spires that you can walk in just like a maze. You can see towards the back of this photo there are little green trees on the valley floor. These are actually juniper trees, they are the only kind that will grow in this area.

A lot of the trails going into this area are short trails or they just keep getting so small you can’t go any farther.

This photo below is me walking through the narrow passageway with a camera up over my head. Some areas you have to turn sideways and suck in your gut if possible. 😉

Cathedral Gorge Maze

Sandra J

Utah’s Red Rock Country – Of all the common colorful minerals found in Earth’s crust, few are as abundant, dynamic, and multi-colored as iron. Depending on how it combines with other elements, iron can form a veritable rainbow of colors. When iron combines with oxygen it becomes iron oxide, and its degree of oxidation largely determines its color. 

Hence the multi colors found at Zion National Park, we only drove the scenic route at Zion, but if we ever get back there one must take the hiking route into the canyon where you will find pools of emerald colored water and lush garden plants. Amazing the world we live on.

Utah’s Red Rock Country

Sandra J

Zion Canyon Red Cliffs – It started out as Mukuntuweap National Monument in 1909, but was granted national park status by the U.S. Congress in 1919.

The highlight of Zion National Park is an expansive canyon. Averaging 2,000 feet deep, 

As we were leaving Arizona last April we crossed into Utah for a week as we were making our way to Nevada. Not realizing we were so close to Zion national park until we found a campground just south of this national treasure and looked at the map and noticed it was just a short drive to get there.

So we headed out early one morning and entered the park at the east end. Traffic was minimal and the scenery is just gorgeous.

We stopped at a few places along the drive through the park where you can get out and do some hiking and see some of the beautiful rock formations and caves.

These two photos below are taken with the drone from above this beautiful area showing you the top of Zion National Park. Drones are not allowed in the park, but we were on the outside of the park when we took this photo.

It is like a glimpse of the past, can you imagine being the first people to come across this land, what a sight it is.

Zion Canyon Red Cliffs

Sandra J

Glen Canyon Bridge – Just east of the Grand Canyon. It is like a miniature version of the grand canyon as the Colorado river flows through the red rocks of Northern Arizona.

The bridge’s central arch is 680 feet over the Colorado River, and at the time of its construction it was the tallest bridge in the world. 

We went over this bridge back in April as we were heading out of Arizona. We stayed at a campground in Utah for one week and then headed to Nevada.

Glen Canyon Bridge

Sandra J

Fall Harvest – Well, fall harvest of photos. My tomato plants are full of green tomatoes that have been turning red very slowly. But I have been taking photos of the beautiful blooms drenched in the morning dew, like dressed in diamonds in the morning light.

So this fall I may harvest more photos than actual food. Either way I do enjoy gardening.

Fall Harvest

Sandra J