Early Encounter With Blodeuwedd
Horned Owl
Lakewood Colorado
December 26, 2010
by Dawn NicDarrah

Snowflakes On Bed of Autumn's Past Flowers
Lakewood, Colorado
December 2010
by Dawn NicDarrah

Another image of intricate snowflakes from our morning of powdery snow

Goddess Bless

Goddess Bless ~ Triple Moon Grapevines
Neighborhood Gate in Colorado
December 24, 2010
by Dawn NicDarrah

Imagine my delight to find this grapevine decoration on a neighbors gate :-D I am motivated to create one for myself to hang on our front door!

Other Mid Winter Blossoms

Apricot Bonsai Blossom
December 24th, 2010
Our Kitchen, Colorado
by Dawn NicDarrah

After taking in our Holy Glastonbury Thorn Tree that seemed to be unhappy with the cold spell here in Colorado (it is doing much better BTW - even has blooms like it is supposed to at this time of year), we also took in a few of our smaller bonsai plants that we were afraid were too small to survive the winter. . . one of the apricots is responding like it is springtime in our kitchen window . . .

Winter Solstice Eclipse 2010

Winter Solstice Eclipse 2010
Red Rocks Amphitheater, Colorado
December 20 - 21, 2010
by Dawn NicDarrah

My family and I braved the cold (with layers and blankets ;-D) to observe the Winter Solstice Full Lunar Eclipse at the Red Rocks Amphitheater here in Colorado . . . I have one less than perfect photo of Ship Rock lit from below with artificial lights and the blurry lights of the constellation Orion just above it (which was just beneath the Full moon phasing into eclipse) . . . I am debating on sharing it too since Orion is my guiding constellation! Overall it was a wonderful evening . . . like the Leonid Meteor Storms (back in 2000 and 2001), it was a celestial celebration we didn't want to miss and enjoying it with family made it all the more pleasurable.

Snowflakes
December 17, 2010
Lakewood Colorado
by Dawn NicDarrah

Bendithion Calan Gaeaf

Full Moon of Calan Gaeaf 2010

(full moon through frosty fog and bare branches of an elm tree)

November 21st, 2010 ~ 2 am
Colorado
by Dawn NicDarrah

Snow Dappled Rosehips
Lakewood Colorado
by Dawn NicDarrah

First Taste
November 11th, 2010
by Dawn NicDarrah

My youngest daughters first 'taste' of snow!

Otherworldly Red & White
November 11th 2010
by Dawn NicDarrah

Roots Defined By Snow
Bear Creek Green Belt
Lakewood Colorado
November 11th, 2010
by Dawn NicDarrah

Unidentified Red Berries
Lakewood Colorado
November 11th, 2010
by Dawn NicDarrah

Snow Heavy Larkspur
Stone House Garden
Lakewood Colorado
November 11th, 2010
by Dawn NicDarrah

Squirrel Prints
November 11th, 2010
by Dawn NicDarrah

Stones Packing Heat
November 11th, 2010
Lakewood Colorado
by Dawn NicDarrah

Stones, sidewalks and roads are sill holding the heat of the summer . . . seen here the stones are wet because the snow melted upon contact while the oak leaves have a thin coat of snow . . .

Red Spring Sister
Bear Creek
Lakewood Colorado
November 11th, 2010
by Dawn NicDarrah

This water way reminded me of the waters of Chalice Well . . . it does not stain the way with red, but it does have an unusual red stringy plant that only grows in the run off areas where water feeds into Bear Creek . . . standing astride this water passage aided in a trance to visiting Chalice Well.

Green Man Stepping Stone
My Garden
November 11th, 2010
by Dawn NicDarrah

Not sure who the artist of this stepping stone was as I have had it for some years. It has seen better days, but I have never used it as a stepping stone . . . the Green Man does however rest at the foot of my Holy Glastonbury Thorn Tree.

Meditation Stone
Bear Creek
Lakewood Colorado
November 11th 2010
by Dawn NicDarrah

Every time I pass this spot, the stone beckons me to come and sit in solitude to meditate . . . even with a dusting of snow it was inviting, but time was short.

Dusted Limbs
Lakewood Colorado
November 11th, 2010
by Dawn NicDarrah

I believe the fallen trees here are the handy work of our local beavers . . . my daughter saw one to the left as I was taking this photo . . . by time I turned there were only rings rippling in the water, indicating where the beaver had been. I will get a photo of a beaver sometime this year - it is a goal!

Frosty The Pumpkin
November 11th, 2010
Colorado - The Front Porch
by Dawn NicDarrah

Autumn turns to winter with the batting of an eyelash

Magpie
November 7th, 2010
Lakewood Colorado
by Dawn NicDarrah

*I had heard of Magpie, but I had never encountered one until moving to Colorado . . . something deep within me is associating the magpie with Branwen. I know the story of the starlings, but what is it about the magpie? It really does have a range of communicating . . . a song bird one moment and very crow or raven the next . . . so to find out they are related to crows and ravens is not surprising. But how could they be associated with Branwen? Well, I did finally find one reference/suggestion . . . In Welsh Bran=raven and wen=white . . . 'white raven' . . . some say Branwen means 'white breast' . . . the snippet I found suggested Branwen might be referring to the magpie, relative of the raven with a white breast. I'll chew on that for now.*

Disgruntled Eastern Cottontail Rabbit
November 9th, 2010
Lakewood Colorado
by Dawn NicDarrah

*I swear we did nothing to alarm or incur the wrath of this rabbit . . . we were parked across the street taking photos of it sifting through the leaf litter and nibbling like Thumper from the Disney movie Bambi when suddenly it turned on us . . . scenes from Monty Python's Holy Grail came to mind . . . but I didn't dare get close enough to check its teeth!*

Frozen Dew Drop on Red Leaf
November 10th, 2010
Lakewood Colorado
by Dawn NicDarrah

Frosty Red Thorn Bush
November 10th, 2010
Lakewood Colorado
by Dawn NicDarrah

*I have to note a wee bit of a milestone marker . . . my sunny California family witnessed their first snowfall yesterday afternoon (mind you I am from New York and have seen plenty of snow, but it has been 22 years since) . . . it didn't stick, but the flakes were big and fluffy as they floated down . . . a magical moment. The weather forecast calls for one to four inches of snow for tomorrow . . . looking forward to photo journaling the event!*

Hawk Of Autumn
Bear Creek Green Belt
Lakewood Colorado
November 8th, 2010
by Dawn NicDarrah

*Working on identifying this one - not sure if it is a Redtail or not.*

Parting the Mists ~ Awaiting the Barge
Bear Creek Green Belt
Lakewood Colorado
by Dawn NicDarrah

Away For The Winter
Empty Nest Along the Bear Creek Trail
Lakewood Colorado
November 7th, 2010
by Dawn NicDarrah

Shorter Days . . . Longer Shadows . . .

Shorter Days . . . Longer Shadows . . .
November 7th, 2010
Bear Creek Green Belt - Lakewood Colorado
bu Dawn NicDarrah

Light & Shadows Autumn Leaves
Lakewood Colorado
November 5th, 2010
by Dawn NicDarrah

Rainbow Before The Storm
October 2010
Lakewood Colorado
by Dawn NicDarrah

Autumn Fog
Lakewood Colorado
October 2010
by Dawn NicDarrah

Bee's Life
Lakewood, Colorado
October 14, 2o10
by Dawn NicDarrah

Beaver's Chew Tree
Lakewood Colorado
October 14, 2010
by Dawn NicDarrah

A few weeks ago we discovered a brown mammal swimming along the edge of a small lake (?), but we were not sure what it was. This week we found the tell-tale evidence of a beaver being present. Note the gnaw marks in the close up photo here . . .

The "Almost" Labyrinth
October 12, 2010
Colorado
by Dawn NicDarrah

I need for either the neighbors to move their fence about a foot or two or I need to drop it down a foot closer to the stones . . . I was so close to having a wood chip labyrinth! I'll keep trying!

"Noni Noni"
Tree Tongue
Colorado
October 10, 2010
by Dawn NicDarrah

Acorn & Oak Leaves
October 2010
Colorado
by Dawn NicDarrah

So much to discover! I might be able to recognize that this is an oak tree with an acorn, but I still have no idea what kind of Oak this is . . .

Mystical Sunset
Colorado
October 13, 2010
Dawn NicDarrah

The view from our front porch . . . it calls to us each evening, just before sunset, asking us to witness the ever changing patterns presented . . . from brooding clouds to vibrant sunsets and pale pink and purple twilight . . . the hills rest just on the edge of viewing and the song of the west is whispered on the breeze . . . if not for those power-lines it would be perfect view.

Lifting the Veil
As the fog lifts we step from shadows into light
Lakewood Colorado
October 14, 2010
by Dawn NicDarrah

Autumn Island
Denver, CO
October 10, 2010
by Dawn NicDarrah

For an afternoon walk we discovered a little park with a pond (although they call it a 'lake') that had this lovely little island in the center displaying golden autumn colors . . . backed by the looming clouds, the scene just called for attention.

Autumn Ground Cover
Elk Meadow Park
Evergreen Colorado
2010
by Dawn NicDarrah

Juniper Berries
Evergreen Colorado
2010
by Dawn NicDarrah

September Sunset in Colorado
September 2010
by Dawn NicDarrah

Elk Clan Resting
Evergreen Colorado
September 2010
by Dawn NicDarrah

Source
The Center
Creiddyllad & Her Guardians, Gwyn and Gwythr
by Dawn NicDarrah

This was my first official Goddess figure, Source, created by Phillipa Bowers in Glastonbury. She remains at the center of my altar, a reminder for me to look within, to bring light to the shadows and to trust my intuition.

"Avalon Within" Labyrinth
Goat Rock Beach, Jenner California, Sonoma County
by Danna Nic Darrah

May have posted this one already but wanted to post again . . . this photo of me drawing out a labyrinth in the sand was taken by my daughter and it is currently published in the revised and newly released edition of Avalon Within by Jhenah Telyndru.

Heavy Headed Wild Oats
Sonoma County 2009
by Dawn NicDarrah