Reflections: Glorious Day in the High Country!

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(Edited)

Father's Day 2020 - At the invitation of one of my children, "locked down" for weeks, I "escaped" from our home to spend a day in the high country with them. No masks, no worries, no nothing, but just a spectacular day out in God's creation.

What a glorious day it was!

Collage: @roleerob's Father's Day 2020 in the High Country!

There is little that provides a greater sense of peace and tranquility for me than time spent up in the high country.

I would like to share a bit of this memorable day with you.

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Our ultimate objective, other than simply getting out of our homes and in to the great outdoors, was to find a quiet out-of-the-way stretch of clear running mountain stream to sit alongside and visit.

Photo: Day's objective - find a quiet section of the stream feeding this high country reservoir.

While we found our ultimate objective could not be met, we satisfied ourselves with just walking around and enjoying the rich diversity of wild flowers all over the countryside.

Photos: Even in harsher conditions, amongst the rocks, beauty thrives!

Isn't it amazing how plant life is able to find a way, no matter what obstacles it faces, to find a "toehold" somewhere and not only grow, but thrive? And just think. The great power contained in this life force is able grow roots down into the crevices of rocks and actually contribute to breaking them down!

Photos: Mountain flowers are often best appreciated "up close and personal!"

The plants in the high country have a very short "growing season" compared to most plants. So ... One aspect of this is they can turn out spectacular flowers, but they are quite small. You have to get down to "their level" to really appreciate how beautiful they are!

Photo: A gnarled, old piece of wood found on a high ridge.

If you use your imagination a little, can you imagine what story this old, gnarled trunk of a tree would have to tell you about its life? If only it could talk!

Photos: One of the great flowers of the Rocky Mountains - the Columbine!

All of the flowers have their special place, where they grow and thrive. Few are better known or more beloved than the Columbine. Some states here in America have even made it their State Flower!

Photo: A young bull moose!

A day out in the high country is not complete without seeing some wildlife. Deer are commonly seen. Elk are less common, but also can be seen, if high enough up near the timberline.

But a moose is rarely seen!

We were blessed this day with seeing this young bull moose. In the event you are unfamiliar with them, dear reader, in your part of the world, they are very unpredictable and definitely have no fear of man. This one was deciding "our fate" and whether to simply go on about its business and keep eating or head our direction to "invite" us to get lost!

Thankfully, it choose to just ignore us and keep eating away. Given the size of these animals, I don't know what their daily caloric intake is, but I would imagine eating takes up a good portion of their day!

Photos: Ending the day along a quiet stretch of a mountain stream.

We ended our day along this tranquil stretch of a mountain stream, where we didn't have to worry about being interrupted by any of the cares of the world around us. I am not wise enough to place a value of time spent like this, but it is very high.

At least for me and my family ...

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With all of the craziness in the "big wide world" around us, dear reader I hope you have a similar passion which you can pursue to give you a break from it. It is so soothing to our souls. I was very grateful to have spent this day up where an occasional look at our "smart" phones told us we were still deep in "no signal" country!

Yes!! 👌 😉

I’d love to hear any feedback you may be inspired to provide.

Until "next time," all the best to you for a better tomorrow, as we all work together to build up our Hive Communities and add increasing value to our Hive blockchain! 👍 😊

Respectfully,
@roleerob

🐝 🍯 🐝

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P.S. Image sources, my trusty smartphone - a Samsung Galaxy S9+.

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Congratulations @roleerob! You have completed the following achievement on the Hive blockchain and have been rewarded with new badge(s) :

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Thank you for letting me know @hivebuzz. And about the nice tribute to Jaynie's mother. On the other side of the world from her, I let her know I was moved by the wonderful tribute she wrote about her. Definitely makes the idea of these virtual communities seem like much more than words!

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Amazing article, full of beautiful photos. The one with the moose is spectacular. I only saw those guys on TV or the Internet until now... they simply don't exist over here. Thanks for sharing all these great photos. 🤗

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Glad to "hear" you enjoyed them @trincowski! Yes, as mentioned, moose are rare to see, but when you do, they make quite an impression. For starters, they have absolutely no fear of man. Many stories can be found of what happens when they decide to "light you up!" 😉

Hope this finds you and yours doing okay in the crazy world of ours!

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Thanks. I'm alright... but a bit depressed because it starts to seem like travelling abroad will be a thing of the past. 🙄

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Yep, traveling is problematic everywhere ... We are going to do it any way (even though we are supposedly in the "high risk" category)! 😉

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I don't know about that... If it will be mandatory to stay 15 days in quarantine at the arrival and then again upon return... my 22 days of vacation per year won't be enough to go anywhere. 🤔

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Yes, well I guess the key word there is "mandatory" ... We don't face any sort of travel restrictions like that here. At least, not yet ...

You just need to move to a bigger country. Hahaha ... 😉

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The image of the lakeside is so beautiful, I could sit there all day and listen to the sounds of nature - I assume there is no noise pollution? Otherwise I will just put my headset on with some soothing music 😀

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Yes, the lakeside was very peaceful @livinguktaiwan. We ate our lunch looking out over it.

The only noise issue up in the high country are others up "rec (recreation) riding" around in their 4-wheelers. Or motorcycles ... My "specialty," though, is finding remote locations where it is rare to see others. Also, I go during the week, which reduces numbers due to everyone's work schedules.

There is something magical about the sounds of nature. A particular favorite in this area we visited is the "shimmering' of the leaves of the aspen trees in the mountain breezes. The ultimate though is sitting by a clear running mountain stream and the sound of water tumbling down over the rocks, on its way to the sea ...

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I can just about hear all this when I close my eyes, just nature and me. Perfect

!ENGAGE 30

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Thank you for your engagement on this post, you have recieved ENGAGE tokens.

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beautiful. i take my kids for walks up in the hills behind our house, no elks,just koala bears and roos. great escape for all of us from our tech stuff

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Hard to beat getting outside with our children. At least for me ...

"great escape for all of us from our tech stuff"

Do you ever consider the "gap" between sitting out in the mountains and enjoying the simplicity of life there vs. sitting in front of a computer monitor? Doing whatever?

I do, from time to time. While I have supported my large family over the years this way (working in front of a computer monitor), I do wonder about it ...

Thanks for stopping by @michealb!

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Out in the hills, we passed this ruin of a early 1900's 2 room house made of stone the other day. Kids couldn't figure out where the tv would have gone lol.

naw, i like my tech with the choice to go and be simple when needed / wanting :)

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I keep getting these little reminders of a June father's day. After 12 years here, it seems I'm finally getting used to a September date for us. I still remember the March mother's day for the UK, probably because my mother-in-law is there and still with us.

I'm always amazed at the intricate beauty of tiny flowers, that mostly get overlooked because of their size. Usually they appear to us as nothing more than a tiny splash of colour if we don't get up close to them. I'm glad you camera was able to capture them.

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So, Father's Day is in September in Australia @minismallholding? And Mother's Day in March in the UK ... Hmmm. Here it is in May and Father's Day is in June. I sometimes wonder about how these dates were ever established, but ... Well, most of the time, I just "go with it" ... 🙂

"I'm always amazed at the intricate beauty of tiny flowers ..."

Yes, it is always worthwhile to stop and "smell the roses," by getting down close to them to appreciate their colorful designs and patterns.

A similar experience for me has been the little bit of birdwatching I have done. Years ago, I was inspired to buy a good pair of binoculars, for just that purpose. It is a marvel how they also are intricately colored and marked. You can never really appreciate it, though, without a good pair of binoculars, since they rarely will allow you to get close enough without them.

Thanks for stopping by! 👋

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Australia decided to be different! I think our mother's day matches yours, in May.

My daughter can sometimes capture those tiny birds with her zoom lens. They are so fast, though! Imagine what it must take to capture a humming bird with a camera!

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Yes, well, in the "land down under," I guess that is okay @minismallholding! 🙃 Hahaha ...

"My daughter can sometimes capture those tiny birds with her zoom lens."

If your daughter can do that, she is very good. Reminds me of one of the more impressive posts I've seen over my time "in here." The wife of Joseph, who created SBI, put together a detailed description of how she would hold her phone up to one lens of her binoculars and take pictures of birds. While she did not share how many she took to end up with the ones she showed to us, the results were absolutely amazing!

Maybe she put her phone on "machine gun" mode, with its "rapid fire" picture-taking abilities ... 😉

Yes, hummingbirds are a favorite. I wonder around the world, how many different styles of hummingbird feeders there are. We have certainly enjoyed having them up at various times over the years.

As fast as they are, though, they are still not fast enough to escape a determined cat. At the one "homestead" we lived in for years, at the base of the Uintah mountains, I watched with my own eyes as "Panther," one of our pure black cats, leapt about +3 feet straight up and caught a hummingbird in mid-air buzzing around near our feeder. We were horrified and not impressed (okay, maybe grudgingly ...)!

I had to put in a wire mesh halfway up, between the ground and the feeder, to block any future attempts of our cats to eat our hummingbirds. While we loved how efficiently and effectively they kept the field mice population down around our home, we never anticipated how "effectively" they also kept down the bird population ... 😌

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😲 That is horrifically impressive! Sadly our neighbour's cat used to hunt the local bird in our garden. Prey is prey for them, I guess.

That is a clever hack with the telescope. I'll have to tell my daughter about that one. She had a go at reversing her zoom lens for macro photos, but it's hard to hold it steady without some form of clip to hold it in place.

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(Edited)

Dear @roleerob, America has a really wild and beautiful nature.
So, Koreans and Chinese called the United States a beautiful country.(Chinese characters 美國).
However, the Japanese call the United States a country of rice.(Chinese characters 米國).
In my opinion, the Japanese are hungry and want to eat all the food in the United States, so they call the United States a rice country. hahaha

Currently, China has severe natural destruction and pollution due to excessive development and population growth. However, I envy the United States because it still has a beautiful and lifelike nature.

Every time I see a photo posted by @roleerob, I always question. Where is @roleerob's kingdom?
I was sure it would be one of Montena, Wyoming and Idaho. New Mexico, Utah, and Colorado may not be due to the large number of deserts.

Looking at such fertile and beautiful valleys and lakes, I guess he lives in Montena,or Wyoming.
Looking at American photos, I always think I will find out where @roleerob's kingdom is.
So, I always reason and imagine by looking at @roleerob's photos.

Ps: @roleerob, Happy Father's Day. In the United States, there is Father and Mother's Day, but in Korea, there is Parent's Day.

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Wow, interesting @silvergrifin007 ...

"... the Japanese call the United States a country of rice."

... as I have no idea where they would come up with that. Rice is grown here, but it is far from a major crop, so ... Hmmm. As I have a lot of history with England, I have always thought of Japan as an east Asian equivalent. Man can admire what both nations have managed to accomplish from their relatively small land masses on a series of islands ...

China, on the other hand, is not a country for which I have any admiration. I do not think we are told the truth here about all that is going on in that country ...

Glad to "hear" you enjoyed this post. Thank you for the well wishes!


P.S. Perhaps a translation issue, but envy is a sin ... So careful, my Korean brother!

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(Edited)

... as I have no idea where they would come up with that. Rice is grown here, but it is far from a major crop, so ... Hmmm. As I have a lot of history with England, I have always thought of Japan as an east Asian equivalent. Man can admire what both nations have managed to accomplish from their relatively small land masses on a series of islands ...

Senior @roleerob, Koreans and Chinese are now suspicious and dislike Japan because they were invaded by Japan.
The reason Japan called the United States as a rice country means that Japan would eat the United States like rice during the world war 2.

Japan has been resentful of the US's actions to drop atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
The Japanese are rejecting Christianity because the Japanese believe that Jesus hates the Japanese.

China, on the other hand, is not a country for which I have any admiration. I do not think we are told the truth here about all that is going on in that country ...

You are right. However, Korea has been intimate with China since 2000 years ago, so it is difficult for Korea to blame China.
The relationship between Korea and China is the same as that of the United States and the United Kingdom.
On the other hand, the relationship between Korea and Japan is the same as that of Britain and France.

P.S. Perhaps a translation issue, but envy is a sin ... So careful, my Korean brother!

Senior, Japan started the Second World War because it envied the wealth and territory of the United States. However, I just envy God's blessing on America! Jesus, please give me a big land like America. Amen. Hahaha

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Very good @silvergrifin007 ...

"The relationship between Korea and China is the same as that of the United States and the United Kingdom."

"On the other hand, the relationship between Korea and Japan is the same as that of Britain and France."

... as that concisely explains the differences and puts them in context.

In my long career, I spent 14 years working for an international British firm. Your reply here reminds me of what the International Manager there said to me once:

"We only hate the French. They absolutely despise us!"

While I have long since forgotten the context in which he made this statement, I will never forget it. A great example, I suppose, of British humor ... 🙂

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While I have long since forgotten the context in which he made this statement, I will never forget it. A great example, I suppose, of British humor ...

Senior @roleerob, I don't know the nuances of what you said. However, one thing is clear: France has never had a war with the United States,
But, Britain had two wars with the United States.

I think the clever @roleerob dislikes the king of England = queen(?) more than the president of France! hahaha

Good night, i am going to sleeping!

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It sounds like your children know their Dad well and knew exactly what you would enjoy most for your Father's Day treat..........Glorious Day in the High Country!

You have shared some wonderful scenery with us and as much as you were expecting your day to be one of serenity and peace, a little drama was added into the mix to keep your on your toes. I'm so glad that moose had eaten a good breakfast that day.

And the only reason you took your smart phones with you, was to capture such superb photos. A great post indeed!

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(Edited)

Yes @trudeehunter ...

"... a little drama was added into the mix to keep your on your toes."

... we never know what our Lord has ordained for us, at any given point in time. Given how rare it is to see these majestic creatures, it provided a real "exclamation point" to a memorable day!

Thank you for stopping by and adding value to this post!🙂


P.S. Should I think it a good idea to ever try this again, as an accomplished artist, any tips you would care to provide on the creation of a collage like what I have in my lead image are welcome!

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I used to live in Leadville, Buena Vista and Salida many years ago. These pictures take me back.......

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Yep, I have been blessed to see much of America, as well as some other countries in this big wide world of ours. For us, we prefer the Rocky Mountains over any other option. Except possibly the Pacific Northwest, where we have lived before and, from to time, talk about returning to ...

Thanks for stopping by @justinparke! 👋

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It's a common said: "Don't leave for tomorrow..." It's important for me to take that in consideration since the days are now something very elastic. Here I am dear friend finally visiting your blog, and fascinated with the wonderful nature on your country. You have been very blessed with this wonder but mostly with the love of your family in this special day. Yes, we need to disconnect sometimes from everything in the modern world, it's the point when we can see some incongruities we are used to accepting.

I loved the Columbine flower, it seems to be very big flower, and that moose was peaceful, and he knew you were just enjoying with the nature!! You captured really awesome shots, dear friend, a lot of courage!!

I send a hug here, and I'm visiting your new material, dear friend!!
Love and Light!!

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There is something profoundly important about living simply and "close to the earth." Not in the sense of worshipping it, as some silly people do, but just being close to it. I was not joking about getting up where there was no signal for our smart phones. It was wonderful ... 😉

Doubly blessed to have had the opportunity to share this day with my firstborn. He will likely be gone before we can do this again next year. He has taken a job which is in Ohio. A long, long way from here ...

With family and ministry commitments now behind me for the moment, "back in" for a bit this evening to catch up.

God bless you @leveuf and yours in these difficult days!

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