Completely unbeknownst to us, was that this aquarium was the permanent home of the now famous, Winter the Tailless dolphin.

Winter is the star of the newly released movie entitled Dolphin Tail, a [...]]]>

Winter the Tailless Dolphin

While visiting family and attending a wedding down in Florida, we took an opportunity to check out the Clearwater, FL Rehabilitation Aquarium.

Completely unbeknownst to us, was that this aquarium was the permanent home of the now famous, Winter the Tailless dolphin.

Winter is the star of the newly released movie entitled Dolphin Tail, a true story about Winter’s life as a young dolphin learning how to swim after losing her tail from a tragic accident.

Check out some of the videos we captured while watching her engage with the crowd at the aquarium!

You can watch some other videos of Winter at our YouTube Channel

We stayed up at Christmas Mountain, a Bluegreen resort, and were able to do [...]]]> We took a trip up to Wisconsin Dells earlier this year, while there was still a good amount of snow on the ground. It was a fun trip, even though much of the water parks were closed down for the winter.

We stayed up at Christmas Mountain, a Bluegreen resort, and were able to do a little bit of tubing and skiing. It can’t really compare to the magnificent slopes you’ll find out west in Colorado, but it was still a lot of fun.

Devil's Lake State Park, Wisconsin

One of our side trips was an excursion to the Devil’s Lake State Park, a glacial rock formation with a large frozen lake (during the winter) set in between high cliffs on all sides.

Dad and I took a hike up along the south ridge and got a nice view of the lake and the surrounding hills. We also encountered quite a few interesting rock formations and boulders which were remnants of glacier activity in the past.

Gene sent in one of the photos to the State Park photo contest and we won 3rd place! Pretty cool. You can see the submitted photograph here, of a boulder which has a striking resemblance to a face.

Elk, Elk and more elk. If you have never seen one of these magnificent animals, go visit Estes Park, Colorado on your next vacation. Elk are everywhere, along the road, in yards and even beside your hot tub.

This summer we stayed at Evergreen Cabins on Falls River, just three miles [...]]]>

Elk, Elk and more elk. If you have never seen one of these magnificent animals, go visit Estes Park, Colorado on your next vacation. Elk are everywhere, along the road, in yards and even beside your hot tub.

This summer we stayed at Evergreen Cabins on Falls River, just three miles from Rocky Mountain National Park and saw and took photographs of hundreds of elk. There were so many that after a few days, we were looking for other things to take photos of.

No telephoto lens was needed here, these elk are used to being watched and do their “thing” with you standing near them. They basically rule the town, stopping traffic whenever they feel like meandering across the road. Just remember, they are still wild animals. Look quietly but don’t try to touch or disturb them.

Watch a video containing more of our photo collection and video footage of some of the elk we saw during our trip:

This particular photo is of the species Castilleja miniata, found quite commonly in Colorado.

The flowers of Indian paintbrush [...]]]> Castilleja, commonly known as Indian paintbrush or Prairie-fire, is a genus of about 200 species of annual and perennial herbaceous plants. Their range includes the west of the Americas from Alaska south to the Andes, northern Asia, and one species as far west as the Kola Peninsula in Europe. The generic name honors Spanish botanist Domingo Castillejo.

This particular photo is of the species Castilleja miniata, found quite commonly in Colorado.

The flowers of Indian paintbrush are edible and sweet, and were consumed in moderation by various Native American tribes as a condiment with other fresh greens.

These plants have a tendency to absorb and concentrate selenium in their tissues from the soils in which they grow, and can be potentially very toxic if the roots or green parts of the plant are consumed.

Indian paintbrush has similar health benefits to consuming garlic if only the flowers are eaten in small amounts and in moderation.

The Ojibwe used a hairwash made from Indian Paintbrush to make their hair glossy and full bodied and as a treatment for rheumatism.

The high selenium content of this plant has been cited as the reason for its effectiveness for these purposes. Nevada Indian tribes used the plant to treat sexually-transmitted diseases and to enhance the immune system.

These animals [...]]]>

The least chipmunk (Neotamias minimus) is the smallest chipmunk in North America. It is also the most widespread species of chipmunk in North America occurring across north-central and western United States and from British Columbia and southern Yukon to western Quebec in Canada. The species is found in a variety of habitats including mixed deciduous and coniferous forests, boreal forest, and sagebrush plains.

These animals are active during the day and eat seeds, berries, nuts, fruits and insects. They store food in an underground burrow, where they spend the winter.

This particular specimen was spotted with a host of his buddies up at the top of Trail Ridge Road in Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado. As you can see from the rest of the photos, they’re pretty hard to catch! You can find photographs of these chipmunks, and other little critters at our gallery store.

Aquilegia caerulea (commonly known as the Colorado Blue Columbine) is a species of flower native to the Rocky Mountains from Montana south to New Mexico and west to Idaho and Arizona. It is the state flower of Colorado.

It is a herbaceous perennial plant growing to 20–60 cm tall. The flowers are quite variable in color, from pale blue [...]]]>

Colorado Blue Columbine

Aquilegia caerulea (commonly known as the Colorado Blue Columbine) is a species of flower native to the Rocky Mountains from Montana south to New Mexico and west to Idaho and Arizona. It is the state flower of Colorado.

It is a herbaceous perennial plant growing to 20–60 cm tall. The flowers are quite variable in color, from pale blue (as in the species name caerulea) to white, pale yellow and pinkish; very commonly the flowers are bicolored, with the sepals a different shade to the petals.

You can see these wonderful flowers blooming all around Colorado this time of year. They’re quite nice, and add a lot of much-appreciated color to the otherwise stark landscape of the mountains.

I followed these guys here around [...]]]> The summer solstice has come and gone, and yet there are still some little ones showing up around here in Denver. The heat is starting to get more intense, but I think the warmth is a welcome change for all of the little creatures who live here in Colorado.

Baby Mallard Ducklings

I followed these guys here around the lake near my home for an hour or so until they came to a spot that I could take a good photo of them. Their mom was doing a good job of keeping them safe!

It was a fantastic trip, that went from driving through a snowstorm in the Dixie National Forest, to watching hummingbirds and mule deer [...]]]> Several years ago, Gene and his wife Tina took a trip to the “Four Corners” area, the region of the United States where Colorado, Utah, Arizona, and New Mexico meet up.

It was a fantastic trip, that went from driving through a snowstorm in the Dixie National Forest, to watching hummingbirds and mule deer at Boulder Mountain, and the release of a California Condor at Marble Canyon!

Several galleries have been added which show some of the locations around this area, including the Grand Canyon, Bryce Canyon, and Monument Valley. Check them out!