Rose Festival Time

 Last Sunday afternoon I sat just under one of these trees

sipping tea with friends.

It was Rose Festival time in Portland and there were many people

out enjoying this gorgeous day in the sun with roses.

There was a wedding nearby.

 I just had to take a pause in sharing of the southwest to share

the beauty of the roses in Portland.

 Some even enjoyed putting their toes in the fountain to cool.

 The rain did return, but still their are roses in the garden.

This last picture is a rose from my garden in the rain this week.

May you have time to stop and smell the roses this weekend.

Happy weekend, dear friends!

I will return to more sharing of Santa Fe

next week.  I didn't realize just how much

I enjoyed it there until I started looking back

at my pictures.

Courtyards of Santa Fe

Canyon Road in Santa Fe was one art gallery after another;

but as we strolled along I became fascinated with the courtyards.

Sometimes I strolled in places that I wasn't sure I was suppose to be,

but I just couldn't help myself.

The red of the adobe and the gardens with art quite captured my attention.

The colors against the blue sky were enchanting.

 Can you imagine hiding away, dreaming, sitting and listening

to the birds right here?

Or maybe sipping something chilled at this table,

a garden of peace?

How I would love that rug sitting right in my house.

Dreaming of flying with the butterflies.

I believe there is a chair waiting for us at the back of the garden.

Or maybe a nap on the veranda.

This gallery had the most amazing art, but then

there was amazing art everywhere you looked.

I had to toss this in as I was so surprised that the only church I saw along

the stroll was a Friends Meetinghouse.

If I lived here, this is where I would worship.

I did walk through the gate and explore their garden too.

Such stunning sculptures in many of the gardens

and courtyards.

Let's sit and chat for awhile.

Enjoy the sun and dreaming in Santa Fe.

More Rocks and More

 After visiting Bryce, Zion, and Grand Canyon National Parks

we landed in Cortez, Colorado with an injured car.

An elk jumping off the hood of our car was the only negative of the adventure.  We were fine, but the elk wasn't; which was very sad.

This cottage in the country was the perfect place to rest and relax.

It was our favorite accommodations of the trip.

The Grizzly Roadhouse, which I found on Trip Advisor.

Above was a tiny chapel and memory garden just outside our door.

A walk up the drive brought us to the teepee and fire pit.

 Further along to path I came to a fence that really wouldn't keep

anything in or out, but the perfect frame for the scenery beyond.

 The cottage

 Bedroom #1

 Bedroom #2

 The patio

How we loved staying here.

 While staying in the cottage

the goal was to visit Mesa Verde National Park.

For the rest of the pictures, here is Mesa Verde and more rocks.

 

 What we found fascinating was that the American Indians lived

below and built their homes in caves, but climbed above to farm.

 The remains of a forest fire along the road.

 Some homes and buildings were later built above.

 

 

Tomorrow we head for Santa Fe, New Mexico

and leave many of the rocks behind.

Hope you have enjoyed the views of National Parks.

Our National Parks are so worth saving and treasuring.