You know Dasher and Dancer and Prancer and Vixan

But have you met the four reindeer that live at Dzen Farm in South Windsor?  It was a rainy day at the reindeer farm and so no one, even the reindeer whose coats are 'dense, warm, and waterproof' wanted to be outside much.  

This little guy had only one antler.  Apparently they shed their antlers yearly.  I don't think they will be mounting Santa's sleigh anytime soon.

Friday at the Feeder

As promised from last week's FATF post, I finished the owl.  MEH

Many issues. The beak is not centered, I didn't do it on watercolor paper so the water didn't absorb and I couldn't move it around, my palette was limiting.  Twas a test.

Greetings and Gratitude

For everything.....just thank you.

Artichokes

At the Denver Botanic Gardens.  It was such a beautiful day and so many different varieties of plants than back East.

Random shots from the Denver Botanic Gardens

 September in Colorado is a lovely time of year.  

There is a lot of sculpture around the garden and below is the greenhouse.  We didn't even get in there!!

The Art of Deborah Butterfield

This was the current exhibit at the Denver Botanic Gardens when I was there in September.  Deborah Butterfield's work centers around horses.  She began to use found materials such as sticks, metal, and wood into her sculptures which lead her to bronze casting.  The materials looked so real you would not have guess it was bronze.

I'll have more on the Denver Botanic Gardens in the next couple of days.  It is quite unlike the Brooklyn or New York Botanical Gardens in terms of the plants.

A Bobcat Win!!

I was able to go to see the Quinnipiac University's Women's Basketball team play this past week.  It turned out to be an exciting game that went into overtime.  The Quinnipiac Bobcats won!! They played Hartford.

The team was in a huddle, the coach was in the center.  It was interesting to see how she talked with them and drew strategic little lines on her dry erase board.

 Mascot

 The cheerleaders who really didn't perform any cheers.  They just kneeled on the side line an cheered.  During half time they took a break too.

 5th quarter - Quinnipiac 71, Hartford 69.

Ashcroft Ghost Town

Ashcroft Ghost Town, elevation 9,521 feet.  Ashcroft was a mining town in the upper Castle Creek Valley around Aspen Colorado.  It was around 1880 that Charles B. Culver and WF Coxhead left Leadville to search for silver.  23 more prospectors followed and they founded a Miner's Protective Association and built a small town in just two weeks.  Today there are ten restored buildings and three still in their original condition.  For the complete history you can click HERE

Friday at the Feeder

WIP - I'm experimenting in my sketchbook with watercolor colored pencils.  I really should be doing it on watercolor paper because when I go to add water the paper will crinkle.  Oh well.  Maybe by the next Friday at the Feeder post I'll have him done.

Floral interlude

Looks fake doesn't it?  But it's not.  These beauties were high above me just showering smiles and benedictions down.

The White River National Forest

One afternoon we decide to go to Ashcroft, a ghost town outside of Aspen.  So we drove out and oo'd and ah'd at the magnificent scenery.  We drove until we couldn't drive any longer because the road was closed.  No could pass!  So here is the end of the road.

 No @#@#%$@ Sherlock.

 In case you want to go, maps for you.

Turns out we had passed the ghost town.  Ashcroft photos coming up soon.