When we first moved into our house way back in January 1991, we were so happy to have a big beautiful shade tree.  It was a bit of a bummer that it was a Siberian Elm, but with no A/C or swamp cooler, that tree was our shade and comfort during the hot summer months.  Over the years it grew a lot and we became loved the our bird and squirrel sanctuary.  Unfortunately, several years ago our tree began to die.  Each year we would trim back the dead branches but we believed it would bounce back.  Then, a hard freeze in November 2014  and a late freeze in May 2015  finally did it in.  It was with heavy hearts that we contemplated removing it.  Finally, the tree trimmers insisted that it was a hazard and it needed to come down.  It was a several-stage process and by late March we got a new tree!  This one is a Honey Locust.  It is already 18 years old (and 18' high) and we are so excited to welcome it to our home.  The birds already love it and we're excited to see how it leafs out.  Now, if the hot weather would just wait a few years for it to really grow up! (Below are some pictures of the removal of the old tree and the planting of the new one.  Click on an image to see slide show).

There's always a story behind the picture and that is certainly true about this photo.  The lunar eclipse started just before the moon rise and peaked at 8:45pm, so at 7:30 Andy and I jumped in the car with the intention of heading up to the Flagstaff Amphitheater.  As we loaded up the car, we looked east and noticed a huge and beautiful moon rising.  I hardly stopped to admire it, but mentioned to Andy that we might want to go up the street to a small hill and take some pictures from there.  In the two minutes it took for us to get there, the moon was gone!  Clouds!  I kicked myself for not looking at the moon longer while I had the chance.  We decided to try our luck with going higher up on Flagstaff.  Unbelievable.  It seemed like all of Boulder was camped along the side of the road waiting for nature's  show!  Unfortunately, the clouds persisted and we were left with that sinking feeling that we were missing it all.  After a slow and crowded drive up,  we decided to head back down and call it a night.  Back at home, we checked on the moon often and by 9pm it had finally risen above the clouds. This picture was taken from our front yard.  Lunar eclipse pictures are difficult to take due to the low light and the camera's difficulty focusing, but the camera is able to capture the rich red glow of the "blood moon".  Notice how on a typical moon picture you would not be able to see the stars nearby.  With an eclipsed moon, however, the stars share in the glory. (Click on image to enlarge).

Last year I discovered the secrets to taking Milky Way pictures and I've longed for a clear, high-altitude evening ever since.  Andy and I tried to take Milky Way pictures earlier in the year, but our rainy early summer prevented anything interesting.  Then, we had a glorious fall.  This picture was taken from Brainard Lake .  Our photos of the of the stars over the southern hills were nice and we were satisfied that we'd seen enough, so we started to head home.  Once in the parking lot, though, I noticed how the trees lit up when a car drove by.  I set up the camera again and waited for another car.   I just love the glow!  Below are some pictures taken from Chautauqua Park.  As you can see, we have a lot more light pollution in Boulder, but it still makes for some neat pictures. (Click on images to enlarge).

Every year I look forward to the helianthus (sunflower) blooming period.  After months of watering, it is my reward.  The bees love them, and I love to be able to take pictures of the insects at eye level.  One day I was playing around with taking just a flower picture and look who stopped by?  It just goes to show that you need to be there waiting (with your camera) in order to photograph the exceptional.

Two recent extreme weather events in Boulder have affected the local bear food supply.  First, Boulder suffered a brutal freeze last fall -- it went from 60 degrees to -11 in two days and then stayed cold for a week.  Then, a late freeze in the spring further affected budding bushes and trees.  These two events affected many trees in Boulder including our two big elm trees in our yard.  More importantly, however, they wiped out this year's crop of apples, plums, choke cherries and other berries that normally supply bears with critical nutrients for their "hibernation".  The result is that we've seen many more bears rummaging through the trash in our neighborhood.  For a week in late August, we saw bears almost nightly.  We were able to photograph this one while he/she was sorting through medical waste near our house and while I was thrilled to take the picture, I was bummed that he/she was learning "bad" behavior.  Our parks and wildlife agency is pretty tough on bears and we hoped that by harassing it a bit (with the flash) that we were able to discourage him/her from coming back.  Thank heavens the medical office eventually closed up their dumpster and, for the past two months, we haven't seen any in the neighborhood.

In 1986 Andy and I began the tradition of taking our picture at the top of Trailridge Road every summer.  This year marked the 30th time!  While technically it is considered the 29th annual picture, it is a streak that keeps us on our toes.  My hip started to hurt a lot at the beginning of the summer and I worried that I might not be able to make it up the 236 steps to the top.  Luckily, there was a VERY strong (50-70mph) wind that kept us focusing on the task of staying upright and I was able to ignore my hip!  As always, we had a great time watching the wildlife in the park and were impressed by the number of male elk and sheep participating in "friendly sparring" in preparation for the rut.  Below are some of our favorite pictures from our annual picture trip and two other day trips to the park. (Click on an image to enlarge and play as slide show).

Several years ago Andy and I discovered the beauty around Loveland Pass.  There are lots of little lakes with beautiful views and sometimes cute pikas to photograph.  One morning in July, Andy and I went to Loveland pass and, while Andy ran along the southeast ridge, I sat at the edge of a boulder field and waited for a pika to photograph.  It was a chilly morning and I eventually put the hood of my coat up over my head.   After about 15 minutes of waiting I heard a gentle purring sound and looked over to find a weasel!  There's a reason there's a children's rhyme saying "pop goes the weasel".  For the next 3-4 minutes this little weasel popped its head up between the rocks only to hide again and come up in a different spot.  My camera's minimum focus distance is 8 feet and several times he/she was too close for the lens to focus!  What a treat! I've gone back several times since with no weasel sighting but the memory is still fresh...

Two years ago Andy and I traveled to Aspen and we got to photograph the sunrise at the Maroon Bells.  It was beautiful and the trees were in their full fall glory.  There were, however, about 150 other photographers who were there with us!  This year we got a chance to travel to Aspen in July and what a difference!  The scene was just as beautiful and there was only one other photographer.  It was a gorgeous morning and there is nothing quite like a lake, aspen trees, stunning mountains and a sunrise.

Several years ago I took up the hobby of painting birdhouses.  Once painted,  I never quite knew what to do with them and while I gave many away to friends and family, there were plenty more hanging around.  I ultimately decided to put a few underneath the awning of our porch.  Last year a pair of chickadees moved in and raised a family!  It was so much fun to see them come and go with food for the babies.  At one point the parents were coming every 2-3 minutes with beakfuls of worms and grubs!  Needless to say it made for many great pictures!  This year we had another pair of chickadees nest in a different birdhouse along the awning and then, a few weeks after the babies fledged, a pair of wrens moved in and raised their family in the same house!  Incredible!  While the hummingbirds haven't nested at our house, yet, they do hang around and drink a lot of nectar from our Mexican Sage.  Here are pictures of the birds who make our home their home for the summer.

Years ago, Andy and I used to travel to the Caribbean almost every year to enjoy some SCUBA diving,   snorkeling and sun.  Then, 6 years went by without a trip.  I decided that for my 50th birthday that I  wanted to go again and we chose CoCo View Resort on the Island of Roatan in Honduras.  We went there in 2006 and enjoyed the  small   all-inclusive diving resort on its own peninsula and phenomenal snorkeling right out the door.  Our plan was to fly down over the week of spring break but United cancelled our flight at the last minute and we ended up with 5 short days of vacation.  Luckily, we made the most of our time. I got to dive again, Andy ran in the hills of the island, we snorkeled every day and I took lots pictures!  Below are some of my favorites but you can find more good ones at my photography website:  http://rachelames.smugmug.com/Share/Roatan-Share.  Be sure to click on images to enlarge!

I often dread winter because it is so difficult to find fun things to photograph but this year I've been lucky.  The picture of the star fish and sea anemones is from the Denver Aquarium and I must admit, I am craving color at this point in the season.    Below are some of my favorite pictures taken during the past month.  The view of the herd of elk was an amazing find.  Over 100 Elk just 5 miles of Boulder!  Then the snow came and you can see our cholla cactus covered in snow.  Luckily, in Boulder the snow doesn't last long and I was able to find the Great Horned Owl that nests near a public trail in Boulder.  I am looking forward to photographing the babies again this year!  I've also been able to watch some ducks and geese near Boulder Creek and they come so close to me!  This one  is defending his/her territory.  Then the snows came again and we spotted some deer on Flagstaff just waiting it out.  The squirrels in our yard are now VERY hungry and I saved a little pumpkin from Halloween for them to munch on.  Look closely at the picture of the squirrel with the ornamental corn.  There is a perfect snow flake on her cheek!  Yesterday we got to see about 100 wild turkeys in some foothills near Boulder.  It was neat to see deer and turkeys hanging out together under the trees.  Today we went for a walk on a heavily used trail near Boulder and Andy spotted a Long-eared Owl!  It was a first for us and while we couldn't get a picture of its face, you can still see its long ears and excellent camouflage.  I hope you enjoy the pictures!  (Click on images to enlarge.)

At least once a week I drive by the Boulder Reservoir to see if I can photograph something interesting.  I've seen coyotes, Bald Eagles, kestrels, geese, prairie dogs, coots  and even owls in the area surrounding the water.  On this day I spotted a juvenile Red-Tailed Hawk looking intently at a patch of grass across the road.  I waited awhile and soon it dropped into the grass.  After a few minutes of fiddling with something, I assumed it had caught a mouse or vole, it jumped up on a fence post.  A piece of grass was caught in its throat!  After some attempts at coughing it back up, it finally rid itself of the unwelcome appendage and then flew away.  Moments like these remind me that you have  to get out to see wildlife and while you  may not see something special every time, eventually you will come across something fascinating.  (Click on images below to enlarge).

After almost a year, I finally got to see my horse, Piper!  It was wonderful connecting with him again and seeing that he is happy in his living situation in Tennessee.  It was a short 2 day trip but it was worth every one of the almost 400 miles I drove and 2000 miles I flew!  Thanks, Lyssa, for taking care of my boy!  Until next time!

Happy New Year!  I hope you and your loved ones are having a great holiday season and are looking forward to 2015.  It's been busy at our household this fall so I haven't posted in a bit.  Here is an "all-purpose" post to round out the year.  Pictures include: a Cooper's hawk from our visit to the Bay Area in November, a wild turkey two days after Thanksgiving, stunning sunrise, sunset and moonrise photos from around Boulder,  a prairie dog defending his/her turf, a squirrel feasting on crab apples and a kestrel eating a mouse on New Year's Eve! (click on images to enlarge)

October has been quite an astronomical month and I'm so excited to be able to take pictures of these incredible events.  It all began with a lunar eclipse on October 7th.  You can read more about the event in my earlier blog but I've included the pictures here again.  The first is of the moon taken on the night of October 6th.  It was beautifully clear and I was so glad to be able to get a good moon picture.  Then the lunar eclipse occurred in the pre-dawn hours and a few high clouds made it a little fuzzy but still impressive.  The moon doesn't look quite that red in person (since our eyes don't see color well at night) but the camera can see it all.
    On October 23rd we had a partial solar eclipse.  Now instead of the earth getting between the sun and the moon, the moon got between the sun and the earth!  The day was a bit hazy and I used a neutral density filter (instead of a solar filter) so my picture turned out blue, but yes, that's the sun and a very big sun spot -- the biggest sun spot in 24 years!
    On October 18th and then on the 25th, Andy and I went up into the high country (Brainard Lake and Rocky Mountain National Park) to witness the Milky Way!  Photographing the Milky Way is actually quite easy and it was neat to be able to see so many stars at an early hour -- my best pictures were at 7:30 pm!  Can't wait until next year when the Milky Way becomes visible again.

As you probably know by now, I have a fascination with taking pictures of bees and other insects.  So, when Andy told me he saw an earwig and a bee on  the holly hock plant in the back yard last Monday night, he had my attention.  The holly hocks got quite tall this year (some were 9' tall) so I decided to cut the stem in order to get a closer look.  OMG!  An earwig eating a bee!  We assumed the bee was dead so I took a bunch of pictures before going to bed.  The next morning, I saw the bee was still on the stalk so figured it would be good practice to take pictures of it.  It MOVED!  I couldn't believe my eyes.  It was clearly dying, or almost dead at this point, but still had a bit of life in it.  Then I looked at its abdomen (the large yellow body with black stripes on it) and it had been sucked out like a hollow Easter egg.  I've since learned that a worker bee has two "stomachs", a temporary one to bring home the nectar, the other,  main, one which handles all of its digestion.  This one had its main stomach sucked out but obviously its thorax, containing the temporary stomach, heart, lungs and other organs,  was hanging on as best it could. I also learned that earwigs are omnivores but usually leave healthy bees alone.  What we witnessed was truly rare and sad and exciting all at the same time. Click on the pictures below to see some more of the "action"... 

This morning was the 2nd lunar eclipse of 2014.  Lunar eclipses are interesting because the moon goes from very a very bright white to a dull and slightly orange color.  If you didn't see the change you'd think there were just some clouds or smog obstructing the moon. Our eyes don't see color at night, though, so the most amazing part of the eclipse is seeing what the color of the moon "really" is!  When one takes a picture one can see exactly why it is called a "blood" moon.   Here are my pictures of the event.  The first is the full moon on Tuesday night at about 9:30pm with clear skies.  The second is at about 4:28am with slightly hazy sky during the full eclipse.   I've shown the two pictures at approximately the same brightness so you can see the topography.  Notice how the topography of the moon has shifted as the moon made its arc through the sky.  The next total lunar eclipse is September 27, 2015 so until then we'll just have to look at pictures.  (click on images to enlarge)

In an effort to enjoy the mountains as much as possible before the snow flies, Andy and I got up early on Monday morning and drove to Brainard Lake.  While we've seen as many as 6 moose near there in the past, we didn't see the regulars this time since they are probably either busy mating or moving to their winter homes.  We did see this  lone young bull moose.  He was quite shy and peaked at us through the willows.  Later, Andy saw  a cow moose with her baby much further up the trail.  Oh,  how I wish I could have been there!

For months I've seen pictures that people have taken of bighorn sheep in Waterton Canyon.  The canyon is in south Denver but is quite difficult to find on a map.  It is actually the start of the Colorado Trail and is also called Platte Canyon.  Last Saturday Andy and I were near Golden for a running race so we  took the opportunity to explore Waterton.  Wow!  We knew it was a dirt road but didn't realize that cars aren't allowed on it so Andy strapped on a backpack with  my camera equipment and we started walking.  After about 2 miles, just as I was getting tired, we ran into a heard of sheep!  How exciting.  They are somewhat tame but still quite skittish.  Here are some of my favorite pictures from the day.

On January 1, 2012 I started a streak.... I would take and post a picture a day.  The rules are that it didn't matter how good the picture was, but of course, I want to post the best picture I can.  It has been a fascinating journey.  Most days I take close to 100 pictures but some days are as few as 5 and others as many as 700.  Some days I have many pictures I could call my "picture of the day" and other days I struggle to find one worthy of the honor.  Today marks the 1000th day in a row and the streak is still alive.  Who knows how much longer I'll continue?  This picture, of lightning taken from our our bedroom one June evening, is one of my favorites but you can see all the "picture-a-day's" at: http://rachelames.smugmug.com. Enjoy!

This year Andy and I decided to enjoy the fall colors of the mountains a little closer to home so we spent 3 nights in Estes Park.  While it is just an hour from our house, it is in many respects, a world away.  Hoards of tourists,  candy and T-shirt shops and traffic jams crowd the town itself but drive up into the park a couple of miles, all before 9am, and you've got a wilderness all to yourself.  The weather couldn't have been more perfect and we saw so many neat animals and views.  The elk were in rut and the trees were at their peak, too!  Below are some of our favorite pictures from the trip.
Click on an image below to see them as a slide show and read descriptions.

Fall can be a bittersweet time of year.  The colors and weather are so incredibly beautiful but sometimes it can mean the death of life in summer.  Honeybees are sometimes the casualties of the changing season.  As you know, I love to photograph honeybees and often have a hard time getting a sharp picture when the bees move around so quickly.  In fall, I sometimes see bees, coated in pollen, unable to move around very well as they struggle to survive.  This bee was such a victim.  It is stunning with all its pollen but the reason I could photograph it was that it was moving very slowly.  I put it on a stick and will forever treasure its memory...

In early September Andy and I went up to Summit County for the Mt Royal Hill Climb (a steep, 3 mile running race in Frisco).  While Andy raced I did Stand Up Paddle board in Dillon reservoir.  Unfortunately, I didn't bring my camera on the board (why risk getting it wet?) so I have nothing to show for it.  After a neat hike without any wildlife to photograph I thought our chance of wildlife pictures was over for the day and we stopped by a couple of the outlet mall shops for some shopping.  On our way back to the car we heard quite a racket and looked up to see an Osprey eating a fish!  How neat!  I spent a bunch of time taking pictures and approaching it slowly.  Here are some of my favorites from the day.

In 1986 Andy's sister, Emily, and a friend came to visit us in Boulder.  I forget who suggested it, but we all went up to Rocky Mountain National Park.  It was mid-June and quite chilly at the top of Trail Ridge Road but we took our picture next to a sign at the top of the peak near the visitor's center at 12,005 ft.  Every year since we've taken a day to explore the park and take our picture at the top of the mountain.  It's been a great streak and fun to watch how we and our surroundings change.  A few years ago they rebuilt the trail so we couldn't go to the top.  We're so glad we've got this streak going and look forward to many more years together.