Saturday, July 21, 2012

Grandscapes

There is so much to photograph in the mountains.  I often think that people must be in awe when they drive into the village of Grand Lake which is only about four blocks long with the largest natural lake in Colorado, located one block over from main street. Highway 34 from Rocky Mountain National Park to Granby offers a scenic drive through ranch country.
Grass is rare up here, just mountain grass that needs no mowing.
This small beautiful garden belongs to a friend and I just love it. 

We have an extraordinary view and have only a glimpse of
our nearest neighbor from the garage area. 


Almost every area of Grand Lake offers a view.  Every house
has a terrace or patio or both.

This is cattle country with working ranches and dude
ranches spread out through the mountains.

Rain moving in over the lake.

Hardware store in Grand Lake with slab lumber and natural stone.
Grass on one side and a large boulder on the other side create the
 feeling of being in the country, although it is on main street. 
                                       

This blue spruce outside the old log community center looks
silver.

The gazebo in the park on main street is always filled with
vacationers having a picnic, reading a book or just resting
from all the sight-seeing.

This one room A-frame is an original structure
and is a business on main street. Charming!

Our unusually warm summer combined with drought conditions is causing much concern.  We have a ban on all outside fires to include camp fires and cooking with charcoal.  Smoking a cigarette outside your home or car can warrant a $600. fine.  Thank goodness the vacationers are still coming and finally we have some rain.

This is a warm temperature for our
area at 8,400 altitude.

We often see these signs posted along highway 34.  Mostly likely, you will see a line of cars pulled over to the shoulder and people out of their cars with binoculars and cameras.  Most people have no idea how dangerous a moose can be and get much too close.

Cottages on Grand Lake range from small to large, old and new.  Some are purchased as tear-downs but the new structure must fit the original footprint.  This cabin is small but straight up and beautiful large logs.

Everyone loves outdoor living and plans for it with large decks and terraces. With afternoon rains that blow in, the weather often doesn't cooperate for dining al fresco.
Now that we have lost so many lodge pole pine trees to the pine beetle infestation, Aspen are popping out everywhere.  They need a lot of sunlight.
Grand Lake has a wide contrast in architecture. The new home above is laid out on several lots that had original cabins, like this one next door. This charming cabin was built in the style of the Grand Lake early days with slab lumber.

Lots of natural stone is used in our area.  It is so beautiful with the mostly wood structures that
blend with nature.
Bikes are a common sight here.
Craggy canyons and bluffs on Highway 40.



Little house on the prairie, highway 9. 

Great walking and biking trails throughout the mountains.

We enjoy scenery that can only be seen in vacation brochures.


                                                                                                              TRULY,   GRANDSCAPES

Monday, July 2, 2012

Mountain Shadows

There are many beautiful rock formations in Mountain Shadows.

Unfortunately there are burn piles everywhere because the
lack of snow this winter prevented the burning of the beetle
kill pine.  Our rules and regulations require that every owner
cut down the standing dead pine,

We pay close attention to scat, just in
case it belongs to a bear.  Our closest
neighbors did find some a few days ago.

Large windows run along the view side
of our house.  We are always on the look-out
for wildlife, deer. elk, fox and even a moose once.
Mountain Shadow Estates is a covenant controlled gated community located off highway 34, 10 miles from Granby and 4 miles from Grand Lake.  It is 470 acres on a mountain ridge with 76 home sites that range from 3 to 10 acres each.  The only thing that we share in common is two entrance gates, the road through MSE and several wooded common areas for hiking. 
It is difficult to describe where we live and impossible to tell you about the view.  This is for friends who ask about our Colorado home.  It is a wonderful place to live with good neighbors.  Only about 4 owners live here year around. 
One of the many meadows
Owners must arrange for snow removal of driveways..   Our HOA
removes snow from the dirt road that runs through the development.
Phil on the rock formation which is part of our view.  The fox
like it here.

We often have visitors inside the yard.

We seldom have a knock at the door unless we know they are  coming.

Gated communities are rare up here, but it keeps the hunters out.
That is copper on top of the log.

Our neighbor, closest in proximity.  The footprints were laid out
by the developer and cannot be changed.  None of the houses
have a direct view of each other.

Turn left at the fork and it  is not easy up the hill in bad weather.
You can see where our property starts along the fence that Phil
built (with a little help from friends). 

Many houses are located high on the ridge.

All materials and colors must be approved and blend with nature.

Many properties back up to Rocky Mountain National Park.

Located on a knoll.  The view of our house from the road.
 We are the only single floor structure in MSE.
It is a ranch style plan with a ceiling in the middle that peaks at 20 feet. 

Our view is spectacular.


Most houses are quite large.  Our house is the minimum square
footage allowed.

Some houses are built on the hillside and all have views.

Many houses that were surrounded by pine trees are clearly
 visible now because of the trees lost from pine beetle.

No wild flowers this year because of the lack of precipitation


View from our turnoff to the driveway
Our view to a marina one mile from us


We do enjoy a magnificent view in a wonderful place to live.  It is quiet and peaceful. We never take it for granted.