Marley in the snow

I knew Marley was feeling the cold and it was time to go home when he was stopping every 10 feet to bite the snow out from between his toes... and now I have a defrosting dog leaving puddles all over the house!

First snow of the season

We got our first real snow for the season yesterday... and as you can see, its back to blue sky today and a perfect day to be hiking and taking pictures at nearby Chautauqua Park. Marley and I hit the trails first thing this morning... as did a couple of other bundled up photographers and their canine assistants.

Smokey Joe says "he..he...hee!"

Smokey Joe says "he he hee...watch this! What you are about to see has never been attempted by a cat!"

In an unusual turn of events, Marley has (for the small price of covering the cat with splashed milk in the process) relented and now allows Smokey Joe to share his milk and most days, a small portion of his meal too. Not really that unfair, given that every chance he gets, Marley will steal cat food - including that which may have gotten stuck to the cats fur during the course of the meal!

My model

The perfect model...sits and stays, and loves me even more for asking him to!

Another happy day playing in the park...

Heading to Aspen...

Indepence Pass

Independence Pass, the winding road into Aspen, was alive with color.

Aspens...

Aspen!

The view was worth the climb.

We stopped to see how far we'd come...

and for a little playtime...

Aspen Leaves.

Marley and I took a hike in the woods. Hunter Creek Trail to the top of Smuggler Mtn was a good 2 hours up hill.

A beautiful weekend in Aspen... so Marley and I made the most of it and headed for the hills. We hiked up from Maroon Lake to Crater Lake, taking in the gorgeous color and that earthy-leafy smell that I like so much. Marley made friends with every Japanese tourist along the way, happily posing for picture after picture with the girls.

Incredible color and perfect weather to boot!

Maroon Lake and the Maroon Bells (background).

The Maroon Bells, Aspen

Aspen leaves seem to catch the sunlight and hold it...

Aspen Fall Foliage

Maroon Lake, Aspen

Marley's bubble bath

A tub with bubbles, glass of wine, vanilla scented candle and nice hot water... Yes, I thought it was for me too...but sneaky Marley had his own plans!

Saturday morning farmer's market

Saturday morning at the Boulder Farmers Market

The goodies...

A beary nice day to be out and about!

'Tis the season. The farmers market was filled with mums of fall colors.

I have not altered or enhanced the color of these sunflowers...but I do wonder if the growers have. They were unnaturally bright, but very beautiful.

Sunflower visitor... I guess if you have to be working on a beautiful Saturday afternoon like today, this is the job to be doing.

Chrysanthemum

Fall colors... mountain flowers...

Aspen Leaves

Fall Foliage, Aspen

Maroon Bells, Aspen

Genie In A Bottle!

This is what really happens to a curious cat...
Smokey Joe, perched precariously atop a large ceramic urn in our living room, lost his footing and fell in head first. But that was just the beginning... he was perfectly happy to stay in there!

We even tipped the urn over to facilitate an easy exit. Then Marley tried, using toys and games to coax him out..."Come out and play with me Smokey Joe." (whining)

..."but I LIKE it in here!"
We stood the urn back up and left him. It wasnt long before I saw him pull himself, paw by paw, delicately back out of the urn!

Camping at Red Feather Lakes

Two moose calves, followed their mother (over 8" tall) through our campsite. The mother was too quick for me!

The clearing at the bottom of the hill is where Marley's picture was taken.

Marley...He enjoys having his picture taken!

Osman taking a breather at Red Feather Lakes

Aspen leaves catching the sunlight

Wild sunflowers are everywhere at the moment...

A little too chummy!

Smokey Joe and Marley..."A little too chummy?!"

Osman's Chair

There is no fighting over who gets Osman's chair when he's out. As you can see, it's definitely not Dallice!

Smokey Joe (4 month old kitten) and Marley (13 month golden retriever) are almost inseparable.

Purple Daisy 2

Purple Daisy 1

"Can I help you?"

My loyal associate.