More Autumn Pics

Tis gloomy out after weeks of breathtaking beauty; we might even have snow this weekend. No matter. I have enough golden memories stored to keep me warm all winter. And in case I forget, I have photos as well:

 

Doggie Park

Colorado weather continues to be absolutely perfect. Took the hell hounds out today for a romp in the doggie park and autumn portraits.

Can you believe that the photo below is the doggie park?
Here's our girl Sparky, who is all that is good in a friend:  loving, faithful, loyal, brilliant, intellectual, darn pretty, and a great party gal:  
Here's Mo of the mountain, the most affectionate creature I've ever met.  His joy for life and passion for his family go a long way in making up for... his sins.  

Bear Creek in Autumn

Quaking Aspen and a Question

I thought I would share one of my favorite sights during autumn: a quaking aspen. (Just click on the photo to start the video.) Aspen trees are members of the willow family.   The leaves are flat and somewhat round-ish, and the flattened leaf stems cause the leaves to flutter and twist in even the slightest breeze. Aspen only grow above a certain elevation.



So here's my question. If you read the fine print here at Blogger, you will note that each time you upload a photo or video it actually goes to Picasa first, then makes its way here to blogland. This short video I created is quite nice when I view it on my own computer through Quick Time. I am disappointed with how it looks here, however, because it's blurry in parts. Yes, I know that the finer the quality of a photo/video the more room it takes up. I don't suppose anyone knows of a way to keep the better quality?

Moth

Caught this fellow in the waning moments of sunset:


 

The Golden Carpet

This has got to be the most magical carpet I have every seen:

Autumn Means Hatch Green Chile, Part III

Now that the green chile is chopped and ready to go, what can you do with it? My favorite dish of all is green chile enchiladas with chicken :


Sparky and Mojo serve as the quality control experts for the chicken:


Here's my favorite recipe for homemade macaroni and cheese. It's the best I've ever eaten, but only because I add 1/2 to 1 cup of chopped green chile.


I also like to use the green chile in scrambled eggs, or cornbread, or on nachos, or as baked chile rellenos, or in pasta, or...

Autumn Means Hatch Green Chile, Part II

After yesterday's post, you might be wondering what I do with the fresh-roasted green chile I buy at the Farmer's Market, especially when I get it home and it looks like this:

Yes, I know. 

It doesn't look too appetizing, but that's only because I've not peeled it yet. You can tell a lot about the chile as you peel it. I like my chile hot enough to make my fingers tingle as I remove the skin, which slides off easily. But if your fingers are on fire and you are coughing from breathing in the chile vapors, this is a sign that your mouth and entire digestive tract will also be ablaze when you consume the chile. WARNING:  DON'T rub your eyes until after you have washed your hands.  

The next photo shows what the chile looks like "naked," or after it has been peeled.    Notice the chile on the right still has seeds in it. Seeds add heat, so I usually remove them. Also, the chile in the middle has already started to ripen, as indicated by the lovely red-orange coloring:

Tomorrow: Ideas for Great Green Chile Dishes!!!

Autumn Means Hatch Green Chile, Part I

Science tells us that the sense that is the most evocative of memory is that of smell. I know this to be true. Nothing takes me back faster to the autumns of my youth in New Mexico than the smell of roasting green chile. And not just any green chile, but the Big Jim variety grown in Hatch, New Mexico, a tiny hamlet near my own home town.

When I moved to Colorado two years ago, I nearly cried when I caught a whiff of pure heaven at the Farmer's Market. I followed my nose, and here is what I found:



YES!!! The gentleman in the above photo is roasting HATCH GREEN CHILE!!!

Now you could roast chile in your own oven at home, but only if you like the idea of cleaning chile off the inside of the oven for months to come.

All this is well and good you say, but what do I do with the chile? Tune in tomorrow...

Fall Leaves

Happy First Day of Autumn

Today is the first day of autumn, although the equinox does not officially take place until tomorrow. I took this photo yesterday during a hike and thought I'd share it:

Three Leaves, Three Colors

I saw these leaves clumped together on a rock at the Lake this weekend and thought they were so pretty. I thought it strange that they were all different shades of gold and red. Of course, I am assuming they are all from the same tree and fell off about the same time.

Autumn is Underway

I am sitting in my coat inside my house as I write this, because it is only 36 degrees outside and I'm too cheap to turn on the heater this early in September. The dogs have a better way of handling this situation: After eating their breakfast and putting on their sweaters, they've crawled back under the blankets in bed to dream of our next hike.

Last weekend we hiked here in the Foothills of the Rockies both Saturday and Sunday, and I expect to do the same this weekend. Most times I go I take along the camera, though I've already taken thousands of shots (not an exaggeration) of the same sites for the past two years. But I never tire of seeing the same trees or mountains or shrubs, because for me, these things are never the same, not even from one day to the next. The light in the sky may cast itself differently upon the face of the mountain, or clouds may shadow or shroud us.  

And surely I am different each time I come to the ascent, somehow altered simply by living a few more days.  

I'm fortunate if I get even one fantastic photo out of the 60 or 70 shots I may take over the course of a couple of hours. Last weekend I got TWO such shots. It's not that these are marvels of photography--the reason I love these both is because I can actually see autumn, transforming my surroundings one leaf at a time.

You Saw it Here First!

Examine the photo above closely and see what is hidden in the aspens.  
The leaves are beginning to change!  That's right, soon the mountains will be ablaze with Fall colors.  This is my favorite time of year to hike and take photos.  Stay tuned for updates.