A Pacific Coast Vacation

Posted by JEANNE RAMSAY on December 16, 2013

The sea! the sea! the open sea!
The blue, the fresh, the ever free!
— Bryan W. Procter excerpt from “The Sea” ca. 1837

click on images for full size

Torrey Pines State Beach

Bird of Paradise

Torrey Pines

Del Coronado Hotel

Safari Park San Diego Zoo

Del Coronado Hotel “The Del”

Torrey Pines State Beach

San Diego California

Torrey Pines State Beach

Coronado Island

Torrey Pines State Beach

Safari Park San Diego Zoo

San Diego California

Coronado Island

Torrey Pines State Beach

Coronado Island

Del Coronado Hotel

Torrey Island State Beach

Colorful Colorado

Posted by JEANNE RAMSAY on October 16, 2012

Gorgeous day in the City of Gold Mines

Posted by JEANNE RAMSAY on September 30, 2012

Victor, Colorado – the City of Gold Mines – is located at nearly 10,000 feet on the southwest side of Pikes Peak, in the Cripple Creek Victor Mining District. This well-preserved mining town sits on the side of Battle Mtn., a unique setting of 1890’s structures and turn-of-the-century architecture, with clean, cool mountain air and plenty of year-round sunshine. http://www.victorcolorado.com/

Today was the perfect day for a visit.

A funny thing about trees

Posted by JEANNE RAMSAY on September 9, 2012

Q: What is a tree’s least favorite month?

A: Sep-timber

Q: What tree can fit into your hand?

A: A palm tree

Q: How do trees get on the internet?

A: They log in

Q: Why did the sheriff arrest the tree?

A: Because its leaves rustled.

Q: What did the tree wear to the pool party?

A: Swimming trunks

Q: How can you tell if a tree is a dogwood?

A: By its bark

You never really leave home

Posted by JEANNE RAMSAY on September 9, 2012

I left Wisconsin for Colorado 32 years ago. I’m living a wonderful life in Colorado with an amazing family and dear friends. But every once in awhile, I get a little homesick. My trip back to visit family and old friends a couple weeks ago was a lot of things…joyful, tearful, delightful, and even frightful once around the campfire. We shared wonderful meals, laughter, old stories, and memories. The people you come from shape who you are. But the place you come from is the backdrop for all the memories. The places even become memories themselves…the Queen’s Chair, the Fort, the Res, and the Woods. On Wisconsin.

A hike along Pine Lake Loop trail

Posted by JEANNE RAMSAY on August 15, 2012

Blue skies and adobe walls

Posted by JEANNE RAMSAY on July 4, 2012

From our visit to San Luis in southern Colorado and Taos, New Mexico.

Rustic beauty

Posted by JEANNE RAMSAY on March 26, 2012

Rustic (ruhs-tik) : def. 1. Suitable for the country. 2. Made of rough limbs of trees. 3. Of or resembling country folk. 4. Lacking in social graces or polish. 5. Simple, artless or unsophisticated. 6. Uncouth, crude, boorish, awkward. 7. Having rough surfaces. 8. Lacking refinement or elegance. 9. Charmingly simple.

I think there is an inherent allure to battered old barns, wooden fence posts or rusty nails. Charmingly simple.

The ravishing ravage of winter

Posted by JEANNE RAMSAY on March 4, 2012

From a distance, the middle of winter can seem unsightly. Brown, gray, wilted, withered and downright dead.

But get up close enough, and winter looks deceptively glamorous.

The vertical glamour shot:

The glamour head shot:

The cheesecake/beefcake shot:

The ubiquitous close-up shot:

And the perfect boudoir shot:

MUST BE 18 TO ENTER:

Castlewood Canyon

Posted by JEANNE RAMSAY on February 3, 2012

A recent Sunday drive south on Parker Road out of Denver ended at Castlewood Canyon State Park. This is a lovely state park with hiking trails, sightseeing, and picnic areas. Cherry Creek runs along the bottom of the canyon. Ruins of the Castlewood Canyon Dam that broke in 1933 flooding Denver and an abandoned homestead reveal bits and pieces of local history. This park should be on your list of places to visit this year.

I know I’ll be going back.