Moose eating grass on its knees. ©Victoria Lise 2018.

Moose at the Motel

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Happy December friends! And happy Monday! After many years of hoping I’d see a Colorado moose, 3 graced my path this fall. Unexpectedly of course, so I was rather unprepared, fidgeting with lenses in hopes to capture the grandeur of a Moose, while being mindful not to disturb the wild creature or provoke them to charge. The scene below was captured a couple of months ago on our way out of Colorado. We were cruising down a two lane mountain highway, passing by remnants of a once lively place, when I spotted the moose grazing in front of what used…

Bare branches from Gunnison Colorado's castle rock formations. ©Victoria Lise 2018.

The Dance Between Seasons

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Snowflakes are swirling gently from a foggy white sky. A sky that feels closer than usual. Living at altitude can often appear as if the world above is within reach, when the fog settles and the clouds drop into the land it becomes a nearly tangible reality. As each flake falls so does the friendly, familiar, peace, and quiet. It’s melodic in its own rite. The air is so frigid it kisses the cheeks, frosts lashes, and undresses the Aspens of their dying leaves. The temperature high is predicted to be a brisk 24º tomorrow, cold is simply winters birthright,…

Aspens diverse color palette along Kebler Pass, Colorado. ©Victoria Lise 2018.

Autumns Aura

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Although Aspen trees are one living organism connected through their root system, they still strut their individuality, mostly visible within their changing leaves and watchful eyes. Without Aspens, Autumn wouldn’t have the same aura around here. The vividness of color can be electrifying, soulful, and sensationally stimulating.  Pine trees keep their deep timbre-green needles the whole year through, offering not only contrast but a grand compliment to their fellow community grove members. What a lovely, harmonious relationship.  The leaves have now fallen, decorating trails along the valley floor like rose petals often do a wedding aisle, leaving the faintest scent…

Victoria Lise with dog, Styx at Blue Lake.

The Sacred Waters of Blue Lake, Colorado

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Roughly 15 miles out and back through a valley appropriately named “Oh Be Joyful” lead us to questionably one of the most breathtaking alpine lakes. A single track, well-defined trail winds through fields of free range cattle, willow brush, and decomposing skunk cabbage. The valley is wide but eventually feels dome-like as you near the lake. Mountains seem to kiss the sky, a sky that felt far away but within reach, all at once. The dry summer and arrival of fall left a layer of lingering, seasonal scent. Dried foliage crunched beneath our feet, while the rhythm of our legs…

A collective of Colorado's wildflowers. ©Victoria Lise 2018.

Summers Simple Pleasures

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The clouds above moved gently from the breath of summers breeze. Cloud shadows cast overtop the landscape shifting the perspective with each gust and carrying faint scents of hardy foliage. The sun was rising overhead blanketing the earth in its warmth, ascending in the sky, as we were ascending the mountain one purposeful step at a time. Nothing but the sounds of the winds whispers and my camera’s shutter. The best sounds. Flowers reached out to the blue sky- begging for rain- but bowing in gratitude to the light. “Survival can be a struggle” I note. One that ebbs and…