Monday Musings- Dream Home

When I returned from my honeymoon, the first thing I noticed about my Midwestern town was that it seemed junky. It's not known for pollution and probably ranks as one of the top 100 cities to raise a family in, but I saw billboards, drab buildings, traffic, road signs, and most of all- the roads dominated everything. Nature shyly popped it's head where it could. I'D NEVER VIEWED MY HOME ENVIRONMENT THIS WAY BEFORE. I was appalled, and a little depressed.

In Colorado, the roads wind around nature, and are barely noticeable. (Granted, road design is probably limited when you have mountains). There was no traffic and few billboards or advertisements. You are immersed in nature. Today's topic is "Favorite place to live" and I'm choosing Southwest Colorado, near Durango and the Four Corners.

I'm not sure I'll have to say much because the pictures speak for themselves. I'll take you on a tour of my "dream home."

We'll start with the house. I'm thinking my husband and I could live in one of these:

Kidding! This was Mesa Verde National Park and was filled with ancient history. We stayed in a cozy bungalow filled with local art, unique decor, and organic food that sat on a lake and overlooked the mountains.

I loved the constant immersion in nature, the wide open spaces, the jaw dropping beauty, and privacy. The landscape varied from mountains, lakes, open fields, snow capped mountains, white river rapids, ravines, and wildlife. Even the desert was within driving distance. Southwest Colorado borders Utah, Arizona, and New Mexico where you can easily take day trips.

*Sigh* I miss and can't wait to return even though I didn't fare real well with the frequent changes in elevation. I had nausea and headaches, but it was well worth it. I'm sure I'd adjust if I lived there.

Most people travel to a tropical  island for their honeymoon. We had snow. Of course, it's nice when you can drive a few thousand feet lower in elevation to leave the snow whenever you like. The big difference though is that Colorado is sunny!

When we drove the day long trip on the scenic Million Dollar Highway, we reached the tippy top of a snow covered mountain.

 Another day we took a train to the small isolated town of Silverton nestled in the mountains. This was the end of May so I'm guessing they have a very short summer.

We also embraced whatever we came across whether it was baby and mamma bear tracks, getting locked out of our car without cell phones in a remote and snow covered region, or the drive along a mountain edge with no guardrail to protect you from the harrowing drop off . The picture doesn't do it justice- feel free to Google it. It's near Ouray.

In the wilderness I could Think. We often forget the healing potential nature offers for our minds and bodies. Maybe I wouldn't need yoga, meditation, massages, or couch potato time if I lived IN nature, rather than ON nature. I'm not sure, but it's something to think about....

I love how this region embraces nature and health. They not only respect and care for the earth, but the people are very health conscious. I was surprised to see how many restaurants offered local organic food.

Given the beauty, peace, and health, it makes me wonder how living here might affect my creativity and writing?

Remember to check out my fellow blog hopper's (Christine Allen-Riley , Kirsti Jones, Tess Grant ) favorite places to live! You may just end up with a world wide tour. :)