Home, Home On The Ranch

We’ve driven the 30 mile trek west from Durango to Mesa Verde National Park more times that we can count. After driving up and over Mancos Hill, coming down to where it starts to flatten out and into a gentle bend in the road, silhouettes of Mesa Verde and Sleeping Ute Mountain are revealed.  It never ceases to capture our attention where we often say, “there they are!” as if we’re greeting friends.  We love to compare how they turn from light grays to dusky blues, while other times of the day or year the sun warms them to browns and sage colors, then bright green in the springtime. How large clouds in the forefront diminish to a horizon of small white cotton streaks as they drift above these familiar landmarks.

Or how winds gust across the Mancos Valley to open up a huge blue sky that makes us sigh “OMG, we live here?” (Pictured above, the valley as seen from a Mesa Verde overlook.)

We’ve officially been home on the ranch for just over a week now and are almost out of unboxing and finding a home for everything, discovering along the way that we have a glassware and pottery accumulation situation, with the occasional tumble weed.

We are loving the kitchen because it’s roomy with a gas stove and you know what that means!

Everywhere we look is a picture postcard. Horses running on open pastures, spectacular views of the La Plata Mountains from the dining room, and we’ve just learned that the highest peak Hesperus Mountain is the Navajo sacred mountain of the north.

A short walk onto the property and Mesa Verde is just a ways in the distance.

Known as Mesa Verde Country, roughly 1400 people live in this valley where about 10% of the population are artists, so we truly feel we are in our place. And the best part … we’re still close to our lovely darling Durango with a population of approx. 18,500 which is why it is now referred to as The Big City.  Two artists hubs situated conveniently close to one another.  This is the best of both worlds.

We are so itching to take a closer look at this area, meet our new neighbors, explore new off-beat roads, get to know the arts district and foodie spots better, and share our finds.  There is nothing so beautiful as springtime here. This place will burst into blooms very soon and we have our eye on the landscape with cameras ready.

“Some old-fashioned things like fresh air and sunshine are hard to beat.” – Laura Ingalls Wilder

Happy Discoveries!

Amy & Mr.D