Wedding Dinner in Park City Utah

JD & Karin actually had their wedding ceremony a couple weeks before, but they wanted to have a real wedding celebration with all their family and friends. We shot some relaxed family portraits at their beautiful home in Park City before heading off to their Wedding dinner Party and more photos at The Riverhorse Cafe on Park City Utah's Main Street. Karin had a gorgeous floor length Wedding gown and JD looked quite debonair with his tux. The wedding party made it just in time to the Riverhorse Cafe before it down pored, Utah weather even happens in beautiful Park City! ;) I loved the wedding decor that they had, lots of reds, creams, and blacks. They had a wonderful time with some exquisite food and lots of laughter. Congratulations to you both!

Click images to enlarge

Leadville Weekend Part 3: Mayflower Gulch to Gold Hill Wildflower Hike

Distance 6 miles round trip
Elevation: 10,996-11,980 ft
Elevation gain: 1,040 ft

Monkshood (Aconitum columbianum), Bistwort (Bistora bistortoides), unknown yellow aster, Aspen Daisy (Erigeron speciosus)

Mayflower Gulch near Copper Mountain is one of my favorite wildflower hikes and we usually go up at least once a year to check it out. It never seems to disappoint. This year was no exception. The fields were filled with many different species, the clouds were building, providing much needed shade to photograph the colorful ones, and the weather was sublime.

The cabins of the Boston Mine seen from the road to Gold Hill

Some of you may have already seen my winter Mayflower Gulch post. Summer or winter, Mayflower Gulch is a destination not to be missed. Don’t stay at the cabins of the Boston Mine however. Instead, be sure to head up the right towards Gold Hill. In the winter this is a bushwhack but in the summer you can follow a dirt road to the top. Most years there will be a slight scramble over the remaining snow cornice. This year was no exception.

The farther up Gold Hill you go, the farther back into the Gulch you can see. Here you can see the trail that heads there.

View from Gold Hill looking south

Many of the most beautiful wildflowers grow along the broad slope that borders this road. I like to shove my telephoto lens into the grasses and play with bringing into focus various layers of the flowers. There are so many, it is hard to choose.

View from Gold Hill looking southwest towards the Climax Mine retaining pond
The views from the ridge of Gold Hill are extraordinary. The green meadows to the south remind me of the Sound of Music. If you listen carefully, you can hear the opening strains of that musical and I swear Julie Andrews is about to come twirling out into the open.

View from Gold Hill looking southeast

Slightly southwest, you can see the giant retaining pond of the Climax Mine. While not a pretty wilderness sight, its colors do make a nice contrast to all verdant greens.

White Crowned Sparrow (Zontrichia leucohyrus) nests in the central mountains of Colorado. It feeds on the ground scratching backwards with both feet simultaneously.

On this trip we also decided to head up into the Gulch to the farther mine site. Alas, we were almost to the final structure when the storms that had been building decided to start rumbling. Since this area is very exposed, we decided to head out. There were many wildflowers along this route as well, particularly along the stream. If you have time, do both and you won’t be disappointed. Note that the mileage and elevation gain listed in this post does not include the trip to the upper mine.

Senator Ted Stevens (R) Alaska, Indicted

Senator Ted Stevens has been indicted. 7 counts in all relating to his renovations on his vacation home and apparently lying to investigators.



Ted Stevens is a 7 term Senator from Alaska. He's 84 or 86 years old, depending on whether you believe the headling on Drudge or the story Drudge gives the link.



I don't know, and we don't know if Stevens is guilty or not. We'll find out after his trial. This brings me to the character of those serving in elected offices throughout the country.



There have always been people of unsavory character in our elected offices. Presidents, Senators, Representatives, Governors, Mayors, Councilmembers and probably even a dogcatcher or two.



We also have elected officials that are consorting with unsavory characters and while they may or may not be guilty of participating with their friends, the people we associate ourselves with ought to be considered when we are running for office.



It seems, that we have more in the past 20 years than we've had in our entire history. I suspect that is because we always focus on the ones in our time rather than those that are long since dead and gone.



It is, however, incumbent on us to question all of our candidates regardless of whether the press will do it or not. Senator Barack Hussein Obama should be called on the carpet for his associations, his sweetheart deal on his home, his stance on schools when his own children are in private schools and so on. Senator John McCain should also be questioned hard on his immigration stance, his association with the Keating Five, his near change to the Democrat Party and so on.



We should also question the length of time these representatives of ours represent us. Ted Stevens is a 7 term Senator. That's 42 years when he completes his term, if he completes his term. Senator Robert Byrd of West Virginia should also be scrutinized.



I am not in favor of term limits. Unless those limits are placed on our elected representatives by a vote of the people. However, I am in favor of truth in advertising from these candidates.



In the past twenty years we've had Bill Clinton impeached, guilty of perjury which cost him his law license, and 80 plus members of his administration found to be corrupt in one fashion or another. We've had Rep. William Jefferson of Louisiana indicted. Still on the job. Senator Larry Craig plead guilty. Still on the job.



A man or woman is elected to public office to represent the people. They are lent the public trust. When they abuse that trust, whatever charge they receive for events done in office, the penalty should be double that of American citizens for the same crime.



Ted Stevens may be innocent of the charges. However, if he's found guilty, he should be given the full measure of the punishment. I don't concern myself with the punishments of liberals that are found guilty. I expect liberals to be guilty of breaking a law.

Wedding Photos at Manti Temple Utah

You really can't tell from the wedding pictures, but it went to from blistering sunny heat, to cloudy with rain for a bit. Pretty much every time we are photographing a wedding at the Manti Temple the weather changes like every 5 minutes, but yeah we're in Utah! It seems like it was just yesterday that we shot Angela & Eric's engagements and now they're already married, this summer has gone crazy fast! It was actually really nice since they're weren't too many wedding at the temple that day so the family was able to relax and take longer for pictures. This was good since they took rotations for the few shady spots. Loved the bridal party colors Angela picked out, but feel bad for everyone who wore black in the sweltering heat! Angela dress was gorgeous as well and I really liked her veil, but the wind seemed to like it to so we had to take it out for a while so it did carry her away. Angela & Eric had tons of family and friends at the their wedding dinner, one table even got pretty creative with the tin foil from the baked potatoes making Angela a rose and Eric a sword! Well congratulations you two, hope you enjoy the trip to Alaska! ;)
I have to say that the Manti Temple is a gorgeous place for wedding pictures, I love it more each time we're there!

Click images to enlarge

it's a beautiful world. if you are hyperopic

i'm not claiming to be some big generous person. but it drives me absolutely insane when a person who clearly isn't on the brink of poverty, calculates every single penny she or he has or spends.

business is business, rules are rules, be it 10 cents, or $1000.
if customers are always right, are always king, and you are always at their mercy, then all businesses in this world will crumble and come to an end. it doesn't matter whether you are a small one-person operation like me, a medium sized SME or a large conglomerate; whether you are in the business of indie and handmade, or in the business of large scale mass-production. it will become a vicious cycle eventually. or maybe it's just me being more of a pessimist. which i am rarely.

i have learned to pick my battles over the years, and learn to be smarter when handling difficult people. i haven't perfected the art yet, i don't wish to perfect it either, because i deem the perfection of the art of completely pleasing testy customers to be the absolute end of my soul.

i prefer to retain that little belief and principles i am entitled to, so that i can live with myself. i do not need to sell my soul over that little money. maybe i am afraid of offending you, and that you may spread lies and rumors and tell everyone you know your very one-sided story. but maybe, i don't really give two hoots about it.

if i give in to you, it doesn't mean you have won the battle. it simply means, i can't be bothered to fight and that it was simply not worth my effort. it is, after all, just a few cents, which can't buy me anything in this world i live here. maybe a one-stop train ride. that's about it. i don't put money to heart. but i am very opinionated, and live by my beliefs and principles, and i have a ton of those.

a person who buys, will be on the selling side at some point, and a person who sells, will buy at some point. i believe in karma. i believe that one shall not do unto others what one does not want others do unto her/him.

i believe in being nice. playing nice. does that even exist anymore? i don't really care. if something doesn't go my way, i always give chances. my natural instinct is to empathize. to put myself in your shoes. when that doesn't work out, it means that your ways do not flow so well with what i believe in, then we are set on different paths, and i may choose to be confrontational or not, depending on the battle returns. likewise, when i choose to do it my way, and if you insist on veering me off-course, then... depending on the battle returns, i may fight, or i may choose not to.

i am truly amazed at how some small businesses are run. i could be jinxing myself here, but just look around and see how many so-called "small" businesses are still hanging around after a while. i am not claiming to be a know-it-all, but since this is essentially business... in the business of business, you are not suppose to do anything that loses $. maybe you are running a charitable organization, i don't know for sure. who am i to comment? i am after all, in the same company as you too, in etsy. which says just a tiny fraction about my conflicted feelings about etsy and it's demographic mix. for the sake of business, i choose to carry on. and take this as an unlucky day when a bird shat on my head.

or. maybe you are just like me, sticking to your own beliefs and principles. which is, choosing to fight tiny battles and to win them, to fight over a few cents, not relative to how much you earn, to stick to your guns about what you stand by. so maybe i should admire your guts. but i don't, not the slightest bit.

because i do not believe in living a life by being petty and calculative, and confrontational about those 2 things mentioned which you believe in. life is way too short and beautiful to be tainted like that. for every one person who is unhappy with me, there are always more who love me and what i do. not that it matters, but yes, unfortunately, i am only an ordinary human, and it actually does matter at least that tiny bit.

petty

1.	of little or no importance or consequence: petty grievances.

—Synonyms 1. nugatory, negligible, inconsiderable, slight. Petty, paltry, trifling, trivial apply to something that is so insignificant as to be almost unworthy of notice. Petty implies contemptible insignificance and littleness, inferiority and small worth: petty quarrels. Paltry is applied to something that is beneath one's notice, even despicable: a paltry amount. Something that is trifling is so unimportant and inconsiderable as to be practically negligible: a trifling error. Something that is trivial is slight, insignificant, and even in incongruous contrast to something that is significant or important: a trivial remark; a trivial task. 3. small. 4. stingy, miserly.

someone up there is testing my patience, yet again. did i pass the test? does it really even matter?

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Dusky/Whipple Penstemon

There are over 250 species of Penstemons. They are all tubular flowers with a three-lobed lower lip. This species is usually dark purple but I have also seen it be white. It grows in open areas and tundra. This specimen was next to a rail bed in sandy soil but I have been seeing them all summer in open meadows.

Leadville Weekend Part Two: Hagerman Tunnel and Hagerman Lake

Distance: 5.5 miles round trip
Elevation: 10,940ft - 11,530 ft
Elevation gain: 590 ft

Hagerman Lake

Hagerman Tunnel near Leadville is easy hike with stupendous views, intriguing Colorado history, and a glimpse into an ice-encrusted abyss. The abyss, the tunnel itself, is a 2,161 ft cut into the Continental Divide. It was the highest tunnel in its day, and when you wander through the mass of granite debris blown out by the army of Italian workers and stand before its gaping maw, you can appreciate the technical feat involved.

The rail bed along the first mile

A bonus on this hike is the drive to the trailhead along the south side of Turquoise Lake, which has its own appeal. While you can’t rent boats on the lake, many people bring their own and cruise the blue waters in search of the scaley ones.

There were about five water crossings in the first mile.

Towards the western end of the lake, the road diverges and a gravel road splits off to the left. There is a nice brown sign that says Hagerman Pass, so this turn off is not difficult to miss. At this point you are already journeying back in time along the original rail bed. The road is a washboard but passable by non-4wd vehicles. About 3.8 miles up this road, there is a large parking lot on the right and a boarded up tunnel straight ahead. This is your milestone to head to the right up a much rougher road. On this trip, we had a Toyota 4 Runner and a Honda Civic. There were a few tense moments in the Civic but it made it one more mile up the road to another large parking lot. This is the beginning of the trail.

The scenery around Douglass City. You can see a smaller cabin in the distance.

The first mile of the trail follows the flat rail bed of the old narrow gauge railroad. Wildflowers abounded on the edges and slopes and occasional views of the Sawatch Mountains make it a pleasant if slightly monotonous diversion. Around 1.2 miles, you come to a steep decent that is the location of a long eroded train trestle. This first trestle was 1,100 ft long and 84 ft high. Take a moment to gaze down into canyon but don’t follow the trail downward. Instead, back track a few yards and you will see another trail heading up hill and back towards the way you just came. Don’t be deceived by the map that comes with your trail guide what shows this road heading off more to the left. This is the right trail and it will veer back to the left in a quarter of a mile where it crosses the rail bed again.

Opal Lake seen from the upper rail bed

This short trail is far rockier than the smooth rail bed and ascends steadily. After crossing the rail bed, it will arrive at the site of Douglass City, the camp that held the aforementioned Italians. The ruins of this city exist in a sequence of meadows strewn with granite rock and surrounded by high cliffs. We counted at least ten log cabins in this area.

Final approach to the tunnel

In the short distance between the tunnel and Douglass City, there is Opal Lake, a nice tarn to the left of the trail. It looked serene but the swarms of mosquitoes that greeted us made it significantly less so. If fact, we wanted to eat lunch at the tunnel but had to keep moving to avoid being sucked dry. The copious amount of Deet we were wearing was no deterrent to these rejects from a Japanese monster movie.

Hagerman Tunnel. The flat surface at the bottom is a thick layer of ice

So is Hagerman Tunnel a worthy destination? It is a rough-hewn hole in the mountain with a glacier for a floor. It drifts mysteriously to the right and out of view. It is horribly tempting to enter the tunnel but it is very dangerous to do so. Who knows how many crevasses exist in that glacier and how easily you could disappear into one. It is very unique and intriguing, so yes, it is a worthy destination. The views and wildflowers are added bonuses.

For the return trip, don’t go back through Douglass City but head north along the rail bed. This will pass pleasant Hagerman Lake. On this trip there were a crowd of backpackers lounging and fishing in its brown colored waters. We saw these folks when we were starting and there were more dogs than people and each dog had a pack in which he carried his own food. I need to get my dog a pack so she can carry our extra water!

Elephant Heads (Pedicularis groenlandica), which grow in moist meadows at moderate to high elevation. Also included are many-colored Paintbrush and a patchwork quilt of other species.

Close up of an Elephant Head

If you are in Leadville, put this hike on your list. It won’t help you train for Mt. Massive but it will be a pleasant diversion just bring the Deet and be emotionally prepared to keep moving.