old water tower

we stopped at some quaint little south colorado town for lunch one afternoon.  this old water tower for old steam train engines caught our eye.  i snapped a few pix of it, but this one was my favorite.

 

 

mesa verde

mesa verde is a beautiful area.  i was very taken by the cliff dwellings, the mountains and terrain. it's purported to have lots of wildlife, though we didn't see many.  we did see 4 big buck our first night, some wild horses, and could smell where the mountain lions had been marking territory.  i would have loved a glimpse of a bear....

big meadow park

we covered many miles during our trip earlier this month and would often just stop at points of interest and stretch our legs and look around.  this was one of my favorite stops in colorado. temperatures were brisk, the day was beautiful, many people out enjoying the park, and we walked around a good while with our cameras drinking it all in.

bellowing elk

the elk in the rockies were very acclimated to people...they just slowly grazed and ambled through the valley ignoring their audience.  this fellow seemed to be saying...'she's mine...hoofs off!'  isn't he cool??

mmmmm.....

time for martha's  A-Z Photo Challenge - M....

magnificent snow leopard in front of mural at denver zoo

penguin mates at denver zoo

city of estes park at the foot of the rocky mountains

many of the businesses in downtown tucumcari, nm had murals on the sides of the buildings.

mesa verde national park, colorado...7-800 year old cliff dwellings

mountains of mesa verde national park

the majestic rocky mountains

click on link above to play along.

september

AOL Community Photo Challenge-September  (for fun)

this may not be a typical september shot, but we spent the first couple of weeks of september driving through the midwest.  i tried to pick a couple that had a little fall color, though we were a little early to really see any fall colors.

                           

these were taken in the rockie mountains.  click on the link above to play along....you have until tomorrow evening.

green

"This Round Robin Photo Challenge is titled, "It Isn't Easy Being Green!" suggested by Julie, of "Julie's Web Journal."  Green is the color... imaginations are encouraged to take it and run with it... the sky is the limit! If it is Green, and it inspires you, it's a go."

hubby and i have just returned from a southeastern-mid western loop of our beautiful country covering over 4000 miles in 2 weeks.  and this a perfect time to introduce some of my shots.  :)

from the denver zoo....

oklahoma pasture

eureka springs, arkansas

to view other green shots, click here!

 

belated 'k' and 'L'

it's time for martha's A-Z Photo Challenge again....we are up to the letter 'L'.   i missed 'k' so it's two for one this time.  :)  seems that i had some trouble finding k's, but did get one from the huntsville botanical gardens earlier this summer....

koi

L's were easier....here is leaning...tower in britten, texas

lion from denver zoo

lioness from oklahoma city zoo

lionfish from oklahoma city zoo

ya better hurry if you want to participate in this challenge....deadline is today!  :)  just drop in here!

the letter j

it's time for martha's a to z photo challenge featuring the letter 'j'.

japanese rose ("a hardy shrub") from the huntsville botanical gardens.  this 'tomato' look alike actually follows the beautiful, scented flower and can be used to make jelly.

june bug feasting on grape

stop by A-Z Photo Challenge - The letter "J" and play along.  you have until saturday evening to join in!  :)

night shots

time for another round robin challenge.  this one comes from Steven, who suggested "Night Shots"..."any night shot will work fine", it doesn't have to be limited to the heavens.

i love the beauty of night...sky lines lit up or the beautiful skies.  here are my selections.

san diego

los angeles

destin, florida

view other participants here: The Round Robin Photo Challenges

abc - I

A-Z Photo Challenge - I

i've been hardpressed for things to shoot lately and have resorted to exploring my back yard....trying not to think what my neighbors must think as i go along taking pictures of our shubbery and trees.  lol  but...i have always been fascinated with getting up close and personal with insects....as long as the critters aren't in my house or on me....they come in such a variety of shapes, sizes and colors.  

    

        

                              

H is for...

it's past time for my entry 'h' in the A-Z Photo Challenge ...the following were taken recently on a Hot july day at the Huntsville botanical gardens...

                 

                       where flowers played Host to butterflies and bees

a Hole with a view...as seen from the water garden pavilion, which is Home to several Heron water fountains

                 

now Hubby, who is no Horticulturist, says this isn't Honeysuckle...but it must be in the same family...don't ya think??  i think the strange bee agrees.

                  

ok...now on to other things....this Hot air balloon looks Happy to me, wouldn't you agree?

                 

and saving the best for last.....H is for Happy for the birth of my new grandson on the 6th of this month....

                  

check out other participants here.

g is for.....

it's time for the A-Z Photo Challenge - G brought to us by martha.  i would have completely missed this if it hadn't been for Nancy and linda posting today.  thanks guys!  :)

gator...this is chucky at the gulf shores zoo...he made national news a few years ago when he escaped during hurricane ivan....i'm glad they found this 1,000 lb, 12 feet long beast and put him back in his pen...for his safekeeping of course.

                                       this gull was also taken from my recent trip to gulf shores.

              

                                               and how about this green fly on green leaf??

                     

green heron ...i know...you're probably thinking green??  when the light hits his back just right, it's very green.  :)                                                                       

                                            

it's not too late to join in the a to z challenge...just be sure to leave your link here!

weeds

Round Robin Challenge:Weeds Can Be Beautiful Too!  suggested by Kim, who authors the blog, Nekked Lizard Adventures.

       

       

                         

                                                   

visit other round robin participants here.