Sad Occasion in a Beautiful Setting

 

My previous post tells why my family gathered in Colorado- my father’s Saturday, March 1 funeral. 

This entry is about the beauty of the Estes Park area. Alesia and I arrived on Thursday and stayed until Sunday afternoon. So the sad reason for the visit was buffered by the time we had to walk around and enjoy the scenery and geography so different from South Carolina’s Lowcountry. 

I didn’t have to go far to get these stunning images. We stayed at the Estes Park Resort, which is situated on Lake Estes. 

I just needed to step outside at around 6:30 a.m. to see the glorious dawn of a new day. 

Estes Park is located near the entrance to the popular Rocky Mountain National Park. In August 2022, my brother-in-law Paul took us up there. Wow is it a national treasure! See my post here. 

Fortunately, this winter trip offered moderate weather conditions with highs in the 50s. 

This is a view of the Estes Park Resort from across Lake Estes, an 185-acre water reservoir. Elevation here is 7,522 feet.

Our room was on the first floor, left corner of the hotel building. It was the perfect room for quick access through the back door to the lake and the parking lot too. 

The resort also offers cabins. You see some left of the hotel. 

Here are some more looks at the resort- and of us too...

The Passing of My Dad in Colorado

 

On Feb. 20 at 3:10 a.m. my dear father, Michael Sullivan Harwood, departed this life, taking the express lane to Heaven. He had a long robust life of 90 years. Dad was devoted to my mother, his wife for more than 70 years. He was devoted to his children and he was devoted to God. He worked hard during his military career then his civilian one and he found time for leadership roles in many church and civic organizations. 

We were blessed to have him our father. 

Alesia and I flew to Colorado for the March 1 funeral. In Estes Park we gathered with more than 20 relatives representing several generations of our big, widespread family. 

Ahead of the funeral, my brother Pete asked us for photos of Dad. With them he produced a beautiful montage about Dad’s life, accompanied by music his son Andy created. It was shown during a reception after Mass.

The funeral Mass program featured this lovely image of my parents taken at the beloved home they built on the Chesapeake Bay in Virginia. They lived there for something like 30 years after Dad retired. 

We enjoyed many wonderful Bay visits over the years. Many involved fishing. In 2008, we had a big family reunion. I’m so glad I captured the charter boat excursion that I shared at the funeral reception. 

Colorado Critters- Birds, Butterflies and Land Animals Large and Small

 

Our early August visit to Colorado to see family and celebrate birthdays was full of festivities and fun. 

We were in the Estes Park area for several days and were fortunate to partake in the abundant beauty of this mountainous region. As a bird and nature photographer, I was excited by this landscape that is so different from our beloved South Carolina Lowcountry. 

Check out my video shot with my new Go Pro Hero 8 camera! 

Thanks and gratitude to my sister Ann and her husband Paul for hosting us for a special family get-together and for showing us so many of your Western home’s treasures. 

This post will focus on the animals I was able to photograph, starting with…

ELK

I read that Colorado has more Elk than any state in the U.S. with some 290,000.