Telluride Plein Air ~ A Birthday and a Tomboy Road Trip

This June 30, 2013 on our Telluride trip was mostly a delight. Up early with the bug to go do some of my very own plein air painting. T'wasn't all from enthusiasm . . . I seemed to be experiencing some lack of flow. Yep, happens to us all apparently. I just was feeling kinda timid, uncertain and fearful about painting - - and YIKES - - I may be teaching a class in just a few days (I will hear in the next few days if my Ouray Plein Air Class fills enough to be a "go".)! So I launch off with my watercolor paper and a mission! The day carries some threat of rain showers so I find a view of the east side hills from the covered

bleacher seats in the Town Park and get to work. My friends, Hether and Chuck (PS - it's Chuck's birthday today) find me and come chatter a bit, letting me know where they will be in town. I get a good start on my small plein air piece and then, I later get it finished. Ok, I'm feelin' a bit more confident and able to paint again [[[sigh]]]!!

Our big plans tonight for Chuck's birthday are to

take them to a special restaurant that Roland has researched, "221 South Oak". We all get dressed and drive over (because Cody, our golden retriever, is more comfortable being in the car than in the basement room) and get a nice table inside. The food was good and we skipped dessert because Hether has made Chuck's favorite homemade Tiramasu and it's waiting at home! T'was rather cute ... once we'd all savored the "delish" dessert, Chuck took straight to the pan. I captured a shot of him and he had to go into my journal, with the restaurant business card angled in the corner. Doesn't he look like a happy guy?!?!?

Next day must have had adventure in the air and Roland surely pursued it. There are several 4-wheel drives leading up into the mountains around Telluride and the first one we take at the south end of town, near the defunct mine, is Tomboy Road leading to Bridal Veil Falls. Now, granted, we have a '03 Subaru and it is a 4-wheel, but it sure creeped me out taking it up those lumpy, rock plagued, angled dirt roads. I'm rather embarrassed to see how un-rugged I am now -  oh well. But we make
it a good way up the road and then, take to our feet for some exercise up the remaining turns to see the falls. We'd tried to stop earlier on the road right

under the mist of the falls but there was a TV team shooting a commercial for Toyota - only in Telluride! From different vistas we could see the falls and then, turn and see all the way back down into town. Just magical stuff - - here in my journal is my aim at capturing both views (on the left, can you see the teeny waterfalls? and on the right, can you make out the tiny Telluride city buildings?). And, on the right of the journal page is this magnificent wild flower I saw as we drove up the twists and turns of the dusty road. Isn't Mother Nature just amazing?

But Roland isn't done - - now he wants to attempt taking the even MORE rugged Imogene Pass Road up the east side of Telluride. Grief!! Ok, I'm trying here to loosen up and feel more of my ole' "Mountain Mommy Legs" and I just close my mouth. This primitive road has giant boulders and then, large, uneven drop offs. And . . . finally, even Roland admits timidity and we search for a place to turn around and head back down. A fresh bagel and hot, fresh brewed cup of coffee at "Baked-in-Tellluride's Bakery" was our consolation. I personally didn't mind . . . and we leisured the evening away, just drinking in the radical beauty of Telluride.