As the year is winding down, I am sharing a few more photos. They either show favorite places, or activities, and have not made it into my previous posts. I am trying to embrace the motto expressed on a historic clock in downtown Colorado Springs: Dum Vivimus Vivamus. While we live, let us live.
I hope you had a good 2016, and I wish you happiness, good health, and peace for the coming twelve months.
JANUARY
Snow Mountain Ranch, YMCA of the Rockies, near Granby, Colorado. Our preferred destination for Nordic Skiing.
My favorite view in Garden of the Gods, Colorado Springs, Colorado. January is often snowless along the Front Range.
FEBRUARY
Snowshoeing at Mueller State Park, Colorado, with view of the Western Mountains.
Colorado Springs Pioneers Museum.
MARCH
Pasque Flowers, some of the earliest bloomers in Colorado’s foothills.
Heavy spring snow along Colorado’s Front Range. I wonder how the Pasque Flowers fared. And I hope the birds will find enough to eat.
APRIL
Blooming white crabapple tree and Barker House, Manitou Springs, Colorado.
Blooming pink crabapple tree at Evergreen Cemetery, with view of Pikes Peak, Colorado Springs, Colorado.
MAY
Yellow Warbler. By virtue of its location at the border of the Great Plains and the Rocky Mountains, the Front Range is a haven for migratory birds in springtime.
Spring brings new generations of Cottontail Rabbits into our neighborhood.
JUNE
Manitou Lake with view of North Face of Pikes Peak, Teller County, Colorado. The snow has not been gone long at this elevation (7,700 feet).
Great Blue Heron at Heron rookery near Manitou Lake.
JULY
Colorado Blue Columbine (Aquilegia caerulea), our state flower. June through August are best for viewing wildflowers in the mountains.
Mariposa Lily (Calochortus gunnisonii).
AUGUST
View of the Front Range during a typical afternoon thunderstorm from the plains east of Colorado Springs.
Clark’s Nutcracker in an aspen tree in the mountains of Colorado.
SEPTEMBER
Fortuitous photo-op during sun- and birdrise.
Black-tailed Prairie Dog. This iconic rodent of the Great Plains often is the victim of development.
OCTOBER
City Hall, Auxerre, France. During my trip to Europe, I visited my best friend and her family.
Auxerre is situated along the picturesque Yonne River.
NOVEMBER
Landscape of my childhood. Rhine River with fall colors, Germany.
More fall impressions from my dad’s hometown in Germany.
DECEMBER
Frosty view of Pikes Peak from the deck at Fountain Creek Nature Center, south of Colorado Springs, Colorado.
Virginia Rail in Fountain Creek Regional Park.
Click here for the German version/klicken Sie bitte hier für die deutsche Version:
https://tanjaschimmel.wordpress.com/2016/12/28/das-jahr-in-photos/
tanja britton 
Great photos. Might steal your idea. I’ve wanted to start posting a top 10 each year, but I really like your idea.
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I can’t claim the idea for a pictorial year in review, have seen other bloggers do it. I think it’s a good way to share some photos near and dear to us that haven’t found use before. Thank you for your comment. Best wishes, Tanja
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I once drove across Kansas to Colorado in the summer and watched a thunderstorm like that in the distance get closer and closer… As someone from L.A. it looks so cool and magical!
Great photos in general!
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Thank you so much. Colorado has great motifs! Our summer thunderstorms are awe-inspiring, and it is best not be caught in the middle of them.
Best,
Tanja
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My favorite is the September sunrise!
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Thank you, Diana. It’s definitely among my top choices. It was such a lucky moment because I could not have planned it. I stopped for the colors and the windmill and as I pushed the trigger, the raptor flew up. This was along the Hanover Road, by the way, shortly after turning off from the Old Pueblo Highway.
Best,
Tanja
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Great captures of my home state and favorite places.
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Thank you so much for your interest and your comment. I think we are fortunate to live in this state, with so much natural beauty surrounding us.
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You have been lucky to capture so many little critters on your explorations! I too loved Garden of the Gods when I visited there. Looking forward to seeing more of Colorado some day. Happy New Year!
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Yes, I feel lucky to live in a beautiful location with amazing creatures. I hope you will be able to return to Colorado soon. All the best for the new year for you as well. Best, Tanja
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Loved your photos of Colorado Springs. It is my birthplace, I grew up there too, at the foot of Pikes Peak. So, many of your photos from there are places familiar to me. But, I also loved your photos from Germany, a place I have not yet visited, but want to as I have ancestry history from there on my father’s side. Thanks for visiting my blogsite.
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Thank you for your interest, and your comment, Joyce. Despite so (too) many people along the Front Range, it is still possible to experience nature in so many enchanting ways. I love spending time outdoors and never grow tired of our views. Good luck on your genealogy research, and with possible travel plans to Europe! Best, Tanja
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Thank you. I actually have had over 30 yrs. of genealogy research on my paternal grandfather’s family from Russia, originally Germany, and some from my maternal side too in west Europe. So, it is quite the project. 🙂 Happy New Year, and enjoy the mountains, views, and travels. 🙂
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So very beautiful. Thank you. I admit, the Prairie Dog is now living in my heart. I also loved the French Hotel.
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I appreciate your interest and your comment. I love prairie dogs and converse with them regularly when I happen upon one of their towns during a walk. Sadly, there are only a few places where they are really safe from yet another subdivision.
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“Dum Vivimus Vivamus. While we live, let us live.”
Very special saying. I’ll try to remember it.
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Thank you. I think we all need to be reminded of this from time to time! 🙂
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What a wonderful place to see! Thank you for sharing the beautiful pictures!
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Thank you so much, Diane. I really appreciate you taking the time to look through and comment on my older posts. 😊
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