Green Mountain Falls

This is where my momma and my uncles and aunt and cousins and siblings and I all remember spending childhood vacations.  My great-grandfather, Roy, had a cabin in this area and when we were little this is where we would come to spend our summers.  Although, its been a long time since I've stayed in his cabin, I will never forget the mesmerizing hummingbirds fluttering outside the windows.  Alas, our trip was too last minute to get a good deal on a cabin in Green Mountain Falls!  But we stayed in a town close enough to it that we were able to visit twice in the few days that we spent there. 

My mom has an old photo of this gazebo in her home.

Diego recognized it immediately when we got home... he was ready to go back to the park in that picture!  They loved it there!  What wasn't to love?  It's beautiful, has plenty of great play equipment, and smells of Colorado mountains.

And of course, more opportunities to throw rocks.

The afternoon before we left, mom and I got out alone for a couple of hours to do some shopping in Manitou Springs.

And she found this by Bill Duryea. 

She resisted buying the large print and stuck with a couple of greeting cards to frame instead.  But aren't the colors beautiful?  In fact, I was enchanted by many of his works. The lines and the brilliant colors he uses are gorgeous... worth the money if you have it to spend.  Check out his work here.