What some people call serendipity is sometimes just having your eyes open.
— Jose Manuel Barroso
As I drove down County Road 250 this morning on my way to the grocery store, I was happily drinking in the color of the golden and yellow trees that lined the road.
Then I rounded a curve and saw the balloons.
First one big red balloon, then a blue, then a yellow one. Then a whole sky full.
It put a smile on the face of my already beautiful and crisp Saturday morning. I pulled to the side of the road, along with other drivers lucky enough to be on this particular road at this particular time. We watched while the balloons rose higher and higher and drifted south toward town.
That what I love about Durango . . . the serendipitous sights.
Like driving home one afternoon and seeing a herd of elk grazing in one of the fields that line the road on which I live.
Like spotting these lovelies grazing in someone’s yard across the road from the ranch house.
On another drive into town, I stopped for these ear-pierced runaways who had escaped from a neighboring farm for a few hours of freedom.
The sightings happen everywhere.
On the River Walk near downtown, Annie and I stopped to watch this young buck nibble at the bushes. He looked up once, then continued eating his lunch as if we were not ten feet away.
Every morning I sit with Annie in the sun room and have my coffee and look out over the back of the ranch property, which goes all the way to the river. I watch the sun come up (from behind me) and light up the mountain (in front of me) and then illuminate the whole back yard. I may not be able to see the hallelujah sunrises of Taos, but this place has a different beauty and texture . . . and the occasional surprise.
One morning as we were sitting in the sun room, Annie gave a low woof as she stared out the window. I followed her gaze and saw a family of deer down by the pond near the barn. After a few minutes, they grazed their way around the pond and disappeared behind the cottage on the left.
I grabbed my binoculars and ran to the guest room for a better view. That’s when I saw them close-up, a buck, two does, and a yearling. Made my day. This was about two weeks ago. Since then, they’ve been back twice,
The Black Bear
One of the most serendipitous sightings happened too quickly to capture on camera. Sitting in the sun room as usual, talking to Shirley, Annie asleep on my lap, a black bear suddenly ran across the patio about ten feet from the window.
All I could say was Oh . . . oh . . . oh . . .
I stood up, dumping Annie to the floor and leaving Shirley hanging, and ran to another window hoping for another glimpse of the bear. But he was gone, and I have not seen him again. Not yet.
And that — in six photos and one anecdote — is a taste of the serendipity of Durango.