The gorgeous mix of red , yellow and orange are beginning to show in the forests of Maine. In Colorado we don't have the intense reds like they do here. I especially like the intensely rich tones of burgundy that become so dramatic in the autumn display in the Northeast.
From the French Canadian Hawaiian observatory my husband and I were treated to reuniting with family (one of whom is a physicist for the observatory) having dinner at very high altitude (+13,000 feet) and getting a special tour of the facility. I have never seen so many stars or been so close to the Milky Way! We searched for Antares, shared stories about Cassiopeia and her chair, got immersed in the sizes of the mirrors used to look into the cosmos and were hugely impressed with the coolness (figuratively and physically) of the whole enterprise! It was really fun to take this classic shot of the volcano reflected in the clouds from the middle deck of the observatory.
Is a steep one! I didn't remember what steep was like until climbing back up the road out of the valley. I wondered who would win the argument for sorest, my quads or hamstrings which brought me back to hiking the Via Ferrata and the climb first thing each day from the cozy Refugio up to the Ferrata, ugh, such a tough way to start each day! Once there, it was so beautiful that the slog became a dim recollection as I hoped this hill would soon be as well.Today I left water and lunch in the car, what a bad move. At least there is a breeze to keep me a but cooler and lunch will taste so good when I finally get there! Only a few more curves to go...
It was a tough decision, do we head out from Denver into the teeth of an impending storm or stay home... you guessed it! We got in just under the wire and the tempest turned into a heavy downpour with some wind. Aside from rain for a couple of days, we had few side effects from the storm (very lucky) and are now discovering the beauty of the Big Island! The brilliant colors over the golf course at Mauna Lani and the somber blues and greens of the late afternoon overcast sky show the effects of the storms that passed by Hawaii recently. 
Gallery Visit: Heidi Martin Kuster at Ground Floor Gallery. I wish I could be in Nashville to see this exhibit! Heidi is super creative and always has an evocative point of view expressed through her art. I miss her thoughtfulness in my life!
