Friday, June 30, 2023

Summer Monsoons

The monsoon rain, hail, and flooding have taken a break,
and full-on summer has finally arrived in my neighborhood.

The Hail Beats Down
It came so suddenly that we couldn't get Terry's car inside the garage.
Aurora, Colorado, USA
June 22, 2023
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue
All Rights Reserved





Rainwater and Melting Hail Running Downhill
June 22, 2023
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue
All Rights Reserved

It was great to be able to walk along Piney Creek after the flood waters subsided.
The recent rains welcomed summer in and the vegetation flourished with lush exuberance.

Vibrant Summer Greens #1
Along Piney Creek, Aurora, Colorado, USA
June 26, 2023
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue
All Rights Reserved





Vibrant Summer Greens #2
June 26, 2023
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue
All Rights Reserved





 Desert Yellow Daisy (Erigeron lineairs) Running Wild
June 26, 2023
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue
All Rights Reserved





An Explosion of Cottonwood Seed (Mast Seeding)
June 26, 2023
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue
All Rights Reserved




Astragalus neglectus or Cooper's Milkvetch
June 26, 2023
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue
All Rights Reserved





Lush Summer Grasses
June 26, 2023
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue
All Rights Reserved





Opuntia polyacantha or Plains Prickly Pear,
June 26, 2023
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue
All Rights Reserved





Onosmodium bejariense or False Gromwell
(The taxonomy of this species is far from settled.)
June 26, 2023
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue
All Rights Reserved





Upper Pond Along My Section of Piney Creek
(Someone's flower pots washed downstream.)
June 26, 2023
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue
All Rights Reserved





Flower Pot Washed Downstream by the Flooding
June 26, 2023
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue
All Rights Reserved


The monsoon weather has created dramatic skies, which I love!


Thunderhead
June 28, 2023
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue
All Rights Reserved





Announcing Severe Weather
June 29, 2023
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue
All Rights Reserved





A Dramatic Sunset
June 28, 2023
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue
All Rights Reserved



Curious Shy Faces
Aurora, Colorado, USA
May 8, 2023
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue
All Rights Reserved





Happy Flowers Faces
Erigeron divergens or Spreading Fleabane (white) 
and Erigeron lineairs or Desert Yellow Daisy
Along Piney Creek
June 26, 2023
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue
All Rights Reserved





We're About to Dig In!
A Burrito Grande ~ Which We Shared, Taking Half Home for Another Meal!
Our Favorite La Fajitas Restaurant, Aurora, Colorado, USA
June 25 2023
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue
All Rights Reserved

Our summer monsoon break was brief.
Yesterday we were under a tornado watch, 
a severe thunderstorm warning, and a flash flood warning.
Today the wind is rising, the thunder is rumbling, the clouds are building, 
and the temperature is dropping.  And it's not even noon!
The afternoon could be exciting!

Have a great weekend!




Till next time ~
Fundy Blue

  My next post will be soon! 🤞



On the Bay of Fundy
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue
All Rights Reserved


 


38 comments:

  1. ...Louise, I haven't seen rain like that in ages. It's been on the dry side here, but fortunately the cottonwood are done snowing! Grande, indeed, that looks like my kind of place. Take care and don't wash down stream.

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    1. I hope you get a good rain soon, Tom. We've had a lot which has helped our local drought situation a little. The Colorado River Basin is still in big trouble. Terry and I love Las Fajitas. We go there every Sunday evening we are home. The staff members are lovely people, the service is great, and the servings are generous and delicious. And the margaritas are awesome! I'll do my best not to wash downstream ~ lol! Enjoy a fun and relaxing weekend!

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  2. What amazing photos - thanks for sharing. I need to get out more and take more pics myself. We've been deluged with rain and thunderstorms here and I'm ready for fall weather!

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    1. Thanks, Donna! I do love to take pictures! May your fall weather come and chase those storms away! Take care!

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  3. That thunderhead photo is amazing! And so is that burrito grande, ay chihuahua!

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    1. One of the things I love about living on the High Plains is the endless show in the sky. We've seen people ordering a burrito grande and eating the whole thing. Ay chihuahua, indeed! Have a great weekend! Hugs to you, Debra!

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  4. And I thought just having rain rain rain here was bad. I'll stick with our rain over tornado warnings and hail any day.

    You got some great nature shots along your stroll indeed. The clouds really did go all stranger things there. Like aliens are landing or something in that first one.

    Hopefully the afternoon wasn't to exciting. The bad kind of exciting anyway.

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    1. Nothing too bad has materialized so far, Pat. Just rain. 🤞 I can handle rain, thunder, and small hail, but tornados scare me. The closest we've had one touch down was about two miles away, and it touched down in several places. On June 21st, golf-ball-sized hail hammered concert attenders at Red Rocks and injured over 100 people. Terry and I have older cars, and they're both pocked from hail ~ lol. Have a great weekend, sunny and warm, my friend!

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  5. I am not sure I like your idea of exciting ... sounds like some serious storms in the offing, not unlike what you have already endured. I do love the photos of all of it though and the wonderful fresh green of summer. We had a brief period of green and then suddenly, hot and dry brought in the browns ... my lawn still looks like hay and no end in sight. I love your skies ... your photo's are beautiful. And, I would gladly help you finish that Frahita ... yummmm :) Great post, Louise. Hope some comfortable weather, warm but not hot, is coming your way. Enjoy ... I have been to Aurora. You picked a wonderful place to settle down :)

    Andrea @ From the Sol

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  6. Definitely lush and vibrant. And lovely. Enjoy your summer.

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    1. Thanks, Sue! I do love summer. All the best, my friend!

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  7. Nicole/DVArtist https://beadwright.blogspot.com/ Ohhh what a storm. I don't miss these at all. You have so many lovely photos today. The deer are just so pretty. Thank you for joining FFO and have a lovely weekend.

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    1. Thanks, Nicole! I've been watching the deer in our park for almost 18 years. I really love them. I hope your weekend is awesome!

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  8. I love the drama of a summer storm

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  9. The monsoon seems quite fierce there. The nature photos are very pleasing to see especially the green.

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    1. Thanks, Roentare. Our monsoons are often intense. I'm glad you found my nature photos pleasing!

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  10. Thank you for sharing these wonderful pictures, I hope your thuinderstorm was not too severe. Our weather now is changable . enjoy the weekend and have fun.
    Yvonne.

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    1. Hi, Yvonne! I'm running behind, as you can see. Our thunderstorm turned out to be less severe than I anticipated. We had one on the 4th that was something else. The rain pounded on our roof so hard around midnight that it woke me up twice. Light was flashing everywhere and the thunder was nonstop. When I got up and looked out the front door the street was running with water from side to side. As I am typing this, we just got another severe thunderstorm warning that's in place for the next 7 hours. I hope we get a good rain and no hail. We need every drop of rain that we can get to further alleviate our drought. Take care, my friend!

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  11. We have lush but the rain hasn't stopped yet here in New Hampshire so I am really enjoying those sunshine summery photos. It looks like you had a lovely walk, and that burrito is HUGE! Thanks also for visiting my blog last week. When did you go to Iceland Louise? and better yet, what's your next trip? I am hoping for a long lazy summer at home, working in my garden and lounging on my hammock-smile. Have a great Canada Day even if you aren't living there and have a great weekend. hugs-Erika

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    1. Hi, Erika! I'm sorry I'm just replying now. It was a hectic weekend. We were in Iceland in 2014, and I long to return. My lucky brother and his wife are visiting Iceland and Greenland on a cruise this summer. I want to hide in his suitcase ~ lol! Your summer sounds delightful. We are off again on the 18th. The rest of the year is going to be very busy, so your hammock sounds wonderful! xox

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  12. Stay safe in those storms. Last week was almost all rain and it's put us two weeks behind on an addition we're adding to our house. -Jeff https://fromarockyhillside.com

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    1. Yikes, Jeff! A two-week delay is a big deal. We need to do some work on our place, but we've been dragging our feet on getting serious. It's so much disruption. Good luck as the work on your addition continues!

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  13. That's an impressive thunderhead. We fortunately don't get a lot of hail in Eastern NC, but we do get the hurricanes, which are worse.

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    1. Hi, Diane! I'll definitely take our storms over your hurricanes! I've experienced several hurricanes in my lifetime, and I don't care to do so again. I hope you had an enjoyable 4th. Sorry ~ I'm just catching up with some comments I missed replying to. Take care!

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  14. Yikes. We are insanely dry in Michigan -- but can't there be a happy medium?

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    1. I agree, Jeanie! A happy medium would be good. I just heard on the news that our weather is the hottest that it's been in 100,000 years. For some reason, we're cooler and wetter in Colorado, but I'll take it. I hope that you had a good 4th! xo

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  15. Hope the weather calms down. Delicious meal.

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    1. Thanks, Christine! I hope that you had a fun 4th!

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  16. You live in a nice area, and your photography is excellent.

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    1. Thanks, Brenda! I've been going to "my park" for 18 years and it never gets old. I hope that ou are having an enjoyable summer!

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  17. I am SO sorry to be late visiting this week and last week I was unable to visit because I got sick early Friday morning. What I thought was mild food poisoning was actually something much worse.

    Your hail looks like something we would get. I hope you didn't get too much damage. I loved the prickly pear cactus and the adorable deer. What an amazing sunset, too.

    Looks like you and your husband are going to make me very hungry about now. Hope you are having a safe and joyful 4th of July, dear Louise.

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    1. Thanks, Elizabeth! No need to apologize! I'm always falling behind somewhere, and now I'm behind in replying to comments. I love the deer along Piney Creek. I have been observing and photographing them for eighteen years. We had a lovely, relaxing 4th of July at home. Just what we needed and wanted. Time out is always special. I hope your 4th was great too! xo

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  18. Great thunderhead and sunset especially. I've been caught in a hail storm without shelter already. Ouch.

    July 4 is Alice in Wonderland Day, a commemoration of when the story was first told to the Liddell sisters by Lewis Carroll in 1862.

    J Lenni Dorner (he/him 👨🏽 or 🧑🏽 they/them) ~ Speculative Fiction &Reference Author, OperationAwesome6 Debut Author Interviewer, and Co-host of the #AtoZchallenge

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    1. Hi, J! I got so distracted reading your blog post yesterday and reading about the Lenni-Lenape tribe that I forgot to come back and reply to your comment. I did not know about Alice in Wonderland Day ~ such a wonderful story. All the best to you!

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  19. Great to see all those wonderful images of nature. We need monsoon rain badly in northern Ontario where so many fires are burning out of control. It’s verging on apocalyptic.

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    1. I'm glad you enjoyed the photos, David. We've had lots more rain since, and thankfully no more hail in our neighborhood. It breaks my heart to know of all the fires burning in Northern Ontario and other parts of Canada. I've been wanting to go back to Lansdowne House on Lake Attawaspiskat, but more and more I'm thinking that I want to remember it as it was. When I lived at Two Point on Lac Seul in the summer of 1961, we had rain almost every afternoon. I wish monsoon rains would soak Northern Ontario. It's hard to keep up hope and optimism for the future of the world. I hope that you and your wife have a pleasant weekend.

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  20. i utterly enjoyed the shots after hail and rain in your beautiful area dear Louise :)))
    your captures are not less captivating and magical than your writing my friend !
    what a lush and lovely scenery once hail is subsided wow .being from hilly town i have seen such weather when it rained for month or more sometimes but there was no water laying on ground once rain took break .now when i live in plain land i see how troubling even a short rain can be for the residents of the city .
    i loved the blooms with thorns particularly ,perfect description of the life :) isn't it ?

    my most favorite image is dramatic sunset Wow !!!!!!!!!!!!!!! looks like a majestic painting loved it ! amazingly captured !
    loved the deer as well and how cute they look bit curiosity in their eyes :)
    but honestly Terry stole the show with smile on his face :)
    burrito looks very tempting :)
    dear Louise thinking of you while having so many prays and best wishes for your health my precious lovely friend!
    tons of healing energy and endless Love to you !!!!

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    1. Hi, Baili! I'm so glad that you enjoyed my photos. I love summer and all its beauty. The prickly pear cactus blooms are among my favorites. A long time ago I went on an overnight hike in the remoter area of Zion National Park with my friend Renee and a guide Bill who was also a good friend. One of the things we ate was roasted prickly pear cactus. It was supposed to be a multi-day trip. Unfortunately Renee lost her inhaler, and we had to turn back. She had severe asthma, and we couldn't risk staying in the wilderness without her inhaler. When Renee was 35, she died on the side of a freeway in California from a severe asthma attack. Medical help couldn't get to her in time. She left behind a husband and a baby son. It was devastating to me, because we planned to be gray-haired old ladies together and still dear friends. It was not to be. I have had many dreams with her in them, and she promised me (in my dreams) that she would meet me on "the other side" when I died. I really think she will. Meanwhile prickly pear blossoms remind me of her, one of the most cherished friendships of my life. The blossoms are not sad for me, but happy, because I feel the love of my dear friend, even thirty-eight years after her death.

      Aren't the deer darling? The other evening I looked out at the golf course below our deck and spotted a mother doe and two baby fawns. What a joy and delight!

      Thanks for your prayers and wishes for healing energy for me and my health. Although I've had a setback, I'm really feeling much stronger and healthier. And I am so much better than I was at this time last year. I can't wait to see my family! Those hugs are going to be wonderful. Love and hugs to you!

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Thank you for your comments! I appreciate them very much.