Spring - the good times are back!

After a mild winter the birds are chirping and the trees are in blossom.  The hiking and biking has already begun…

Mid-Winter Break at Sundance and the Auto Show

A visit to Park City during the Film Festival is a fun break - especially with this year's mild weather.

Another fun tradition is a trip to the Auto Show - followed by a visit to Crown Burger.

 As always - the kids loved the Jeep's.  Rob was especially pleased to see a white Jeep that appeared to be an updated version of his first car - a 1942 Willys.







LuJean found a nice 4-Runner while Rob admired a classic Land Rover.

A splash of yellow to chase away the January blues...

Lights, camera…casserole?

We have always been fascinated by the art of film making, so when we got the chance to turn our home into a studio, LuJean and I jumped at the opportunity (and location fee.)  It turned into a fun adventure that resulted in a short video aimed at offering encouragement to struggling moms that might otherwise feel ready to jump off the Glen Canyon Bridge.  It also provided a detailed look at a very “messed-up” version of LuJean’s kitchen.

You can find the video at on U-Tube under the title "You Never Know"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3n-DOKBffuU

Our behind the scenes photos and commentary may be found at:

Subjects>LuJean's Kitchen as a Movie Studio

A picture with a story…

It was Tuesday September 30^th at the Warm Springs Inn in Ouray, Colorado.  Following breakfast I asked the inn keeper if she had any suggestions for some early morning photography before we checked out and drove over Dallas Divide to Telluride.  Looking out the window at the fresh snow in the high peaks she said, “One of our employees said Red Mountain Pass was amazing – but you better hurry.”

Since LuJean and I wanted to be back prior to our 11:00 a.m. check-out we did hurry, but I wasn’t sure why she thought we needed to rush.  After a long stop at Crystal Lake to catch the colors and reflections, I told LuJean, “Let’s just drive to the top of the pass and then work our way back.”

The further we went the better the colors got.  As we neared 11,000 foot Red Mountain Pass we shifted into four-wheel drive just to be safe as we started to hit snow, not only on the hillsides but on the road.  Above the Idarado Mining complex I spotted a perfect spot for a panorama, but it was on a narrow section of road at a hairpin turn.  After re-driving the area we parked the Jeep in the snow on a wide turnout, and then I walked down the road which was still icy in the shaded areas.  Fortunately there was very little traffic so I didn’t get run-over.  When, I got to my overlook clouds were creating troublesome shadows.  My objective was to catch the iconic head frame building of the Yankee Girl Mine in the sunlight, but it wasn’t happening so I took a series of photos anyway.  Then, as I was about to give-up and head back to the Jeep, suddenly sunlight highlighted the Yankee Girl.  It was an amazing scene and resulted in some of the best images I have ever captured in the San Juan’s.

Remains of the Idarado Mine property and the Yankee Girl Mine from near Red Mountain Pass

Later, as we drove back down the Million Dollar Highway toward Ouray, we made several stops to marvel at the intense colors.  We also noticed that the snow was disappearing quickly, thus our inn keeper’s advice.  At one point, an old song came on the SeriusXM by Al Stewart called “Year of the Cat.”  I guess I hadn’t heard that song for decades and it suddenly brought back a flood of memories from adventures in the 70’s   An amazing Colorado morning.





Reference our new gallery at:  Outings>Jeep Trips>2014

Here is a copy & paste link to "Year of the Cat"

www.youtube.com/watch?v=cqZc7ZQURMs

Glacier Park and Coeur d’ Alene

 With the hottest week of summer coming, LuJean and I headed for northern Montana and Idaho.  Our last trip to Glacier Park was in 1977 in Sunbeam the Bus.  We found Glacier to be refreshing, beautiful and much cooler than Utah.  We had never visited northern Idaho and were amazed by Coeur d’ Alene.

We hope you enjoy our new gallery at:

Outings> Photo Field Trips> Glacier & Coeur d’ Alene

Summer and time for a Teton get-away.

In late June our friends Tom and JoAnn visited from Texas. We enjoyed a beautiful trip to the Tetons where the air was fresh and cool with an abundance of wildflowers.

We added a new gallery with some images we hope you enjoy:

Friends & Family>Rob & LuJean>2014 Tetons with Tom & JoAnn.

2014 is off to a colorful start…

The January Auto Show reaffirmed our long held  belief (at least since Sunbeam the bus) that owning a  car is no fun unless you can stand up and poke your  head out the top.  Thanks Maddie for the demo…

The Olympics offed a welcome diversion from the chilly weather and some great memories of Salt Lake 2002.

February brought another welcome diversion in the form of a get-away to Palm Springs with more fancy cars and warm sunny vistas.