2014
It’s our 10th annual Year in Photos! This digital greeting card has become a wonderful (and greener) way to touch base with all of you each year. The process of poring over photographs from the last 12 months brings back the laughs, the sweat, the tears, and the joy – a nice way to reassess as we ski into 2015. In 2014, we found a few more outdoor activities to pursue, Jeremy enjoyed a 100% success rate on his science proposals, and it was the year we let our sweet Kaweah go. Time moves faster as we try to squeeze another candle onto the birthday cake. Please join us as we take a few moments to look back on the year that was.
Feel free to leave a comment at the bottom and visit previous years listed in the sidebar.
Fresh snowfall while we explore Crested Butte’s vast network of nordic trails. (January)
Aspens on conifers in winter. (February – Crested Butte, Colorado)
A sunlit ridge before the squall moves in. (February – Crested Butte)
Running out of places to put the snow in our front yard (that’s a good thing!!). (February – Crested Butte)
One does not simply walk into Mordor. (March – Crested Butte)
The little town of Crested Butte, dwarfed by a snowy Paradise Divide. (March)
The Grand Traverse, a 40-mile ski mountaineering race from Crested Butte to Aspen (via three mountain passes), starts at midnight at the base of the ski resort. (March)
Total lunar eclipse composite. The start of the eclipse on the left, entering totality (blood moon) on the right. (April – Nederland, Colorado)
Extending the ski season to the backcountry. (April – Indian Peaks Wilderness)
Dry road + deep snow pack = the bike-ski. (May – Indian Peaks Wilderness)
Kaweah’s hind legs were so weak on land, but she managed fairly well in the water. Here, she’s taking a few laps in the Slate River. (June – Crested Butte)
Celebrating Kaweah’s half birthday (15.5 years) with meatballs, steak, and bacon! (June – Nederland)
Colorado’s summer monsoons returned, bringing with them some lightning action. (July – Nederland)
Jeremy and I were told that we would know when it was time to let Kaweah go, but we had our doubts. She did, in fact, let us know. We were by her side on July 10th when she drew her last breath, in the loving care of her favorite veterinarian. Kaweah led a long and happy life full of hikes, treats, swims, sunny naps, friends, snuggy blankets, and squeaky toys. That pup had a huge following across the globe because of a random little food blog. She lived for the moment and considered commands to be requests. Kaweah wasn’t the brightest, but she was definitely the sweetest companion. It was our privilege to love and care for her.
Kaweah lounges in the grass on the summer solstice. (June – Crested Butte)
Hiking and trail running in the mornings to beat the summer heat made for many moose sightings in the mountains! (July – Indian Peaks Wilderness)
A healthy snow pack gifted us brilliant displays of alpine wildflowers. (July – Indian Peaks Wilderness)
On the summit of San Luis Peak – because hiking 14ers (14er = summit over 14,000 feet) is what Coloradoans do! (August – La Garita Wilderness)
Wildflowers adorn the lush hillslopes of the Maroon Bells-Snowmass Wilderness high country. (August)
Our friend (Brad!) put it in Jeremy’s head this past spring that running ultra marathons is a lot of fun. Hence, trail running took over our lives this summer. (August – Indian Peaks Wilderness)
We spent our rest days mountain biking or hiking, sometimes unearthing little treasures of the forests. Jeremy shows off three beautiful porcini. (August – undisclosed location)
A glowing stormy sunrise full double rainbow from our deck. (August – Nederland)
Post-Labor Day is a great time to squeeze in a weekend backpack. Drinking in the stunning views from the Four-Pass Loop. (September – Maroon Bells-Snowmass Wilderness)
In-tent selfie: ready for some shut-eye. (September – Maroon Bells-Snowmass Wilderness)
We squoze in another backpack the following weekend. Jeremy scarfs down a cold dinner in camp along the Indian Peaks Marathon Loop. (September – Indian Peaks Wilderness)
Golden sunrise over Whetstone Mountain on the first day of autumn. (September – Crested Butte)
Colorado’s fall colors were exceptional this year. Yellow aspen tops on blue and white skies. (September – Gunnison National Forest)
The setting sun finds a break in the clouds, highlighting red and gold aspen stands below Mount Sneffels. (September – Uncompahgre National Forest)
A bull elk bugles into the mist during the elk rut. (October – Rocky Mountain National Park)
Tail-end of the partial solar eclipse as the sun sets on the Continental Divide. [Photographed through Baader solar film.] (October – Nederland)
Opening day happened to be a powder day at Crested Butte Mountain Resort! (November – Crested Butte)
Mesmerizing sunrise from the mountains overlooking the Great Plains. (December – Nederland)
Happiest of holidays to you and yours!
Jen and Jeremy
There’s more over on The 2014 Cutting Room Floor.
December 22nd, 2014 at 9:10 pm
Jen,
Thanks for sharing your stunning photographs with us all. It is a privilege for me to see the world through your eyes!
xoxo Elana
December 22nd, 2014 at 9:22 pm
Happy Holidays to you both!
Lovely photos, as always :) My fave is the one of Kaweah on her birthday – she still had a puppy face!!
December 22nd, 2014 at 9:35 pm
Breathtaking! Thanks for taking us on this journey with you. Cheers to health , happiness, and many new adventures for you both in 2105. Merry Christmas, Jen and Jeremy!
December 22nd, 2014 at 10:38 pm
Your photography is just breathtaking. I’ve never been to Colorado, but I might have to after seeing how gorgeous it is!
December 22nd, 2014 at 11:52 pm
Thanks for sharing. Love your photos. Miss your pup
best wishes for 2015
December 23rd, 2014 at 12:05 am
Merry Christmas to you and Jeremy.
December 23rd, 2014 at 12:16 am
Those photos of Kaweah brought tears to my eyes again. It makes me happy to know how adored and loved she was. Thank you for sharing your appreciation of life through your surroundings, your recipes, and your adventures.
December 23rd, 2014 at 12:23 am
Thank you for let me know that two nice persons on Earth can live such a simple gorgeous life together. Our children and grandsons moved in an other country and we are ”lost” now, hoping that we can spend the rest of our life in a nice way.
Merry Christmas !
Vio
December 23rd, 2014 at 12:42 am
I love getting your annual digital greeting cards! Gorgeous photos that capture a lovely, full year. Kaweah is a beauty. All the best for 2015!
December 23rd, 2014 at 5:13 am
Stunning pictures as always! Must admit, I teared up a little when I saw the pictures of Kaweah. Wishing you all the best for 2015. x
December 23rd, 2014 at 5:16 am
Thanks again for your wonderful words and pictures – we need uplifting after recent tragic days Down Under. My favourite is Kaweah’s 15 and halfth birthday, too! Hopes for a wonderful 2015!
December 23rd, 2014 at 5:39 am
Thank you, Jen, for sharing your year in your beautiful photos, though they got a lot harder to see clearly after July. Happy holidays and best wishes for 2015!
December 23rd, 2014 at 5:48 am
Thank you for sharing the beauty and reality of your life with us all. Best wishes to you for a snow packed and food filled 2015 as well.
December 23rd, 2014 at 6:50 am
Simply breathtaking. I especially love Maroon Bells; photos are always taken of them snow covered. Nice to see them in this light. Wishing you and your family a blessed Christmas!
December 23rd, 2014 at 7:11 am
Thanks for sharing your lives with us through the blog. Your insights, food, and photos are inspiring. Wishing you and Jeremy a wondrous holiday season and health and happiness in the new year.
December 23rd, 2014 at 7:27 am
Lovely review of the year. Your photos draw me like a magnet. We so enjoyed meeting you on the Riggin and your blog has made you a friend. Thank you for sharing your beautiful life and love of Colorado. John and Kathy
December 23rd, 2014 at 8:02 am
Wonderful blog, beautiful photography, love how you share your life and loves, and Kaweah. Enjoyed knowing a little of her journey. I have a WeiLab who looks much like your gal.
December 23rd, 2014 at 8:37 am
Thank you for sharing this with everyone! It’s so lovely to see through your lens and see Kaweah again. Merry Christmas to you and Jeremy!
December 23rd, 2014 at 8:47 am
Incredible photos, they are beautiful. Peace to Kaweah. Have wonderful holidays, love to you both.
December 23rd, 2014 at 8:49 am
I love your holiday blogs! And your wilderness photos are out of this world! I’m so sorry you had to let Kaweah go. That’s so hard. I wish you both a very lovely holiday, and a happy and prosperous 2015!
December 23rd, 2014 at 8:51 am
Happy Holidays to you two! Congrats to Jeremy on a BIG finish to the year and congrats to Jen on cookies, getting it all done, and capturing it all. I’m so thankful to have met you both this year! See you in 2015!
December 23rd, 2014 at 9:58 am
Thanks for sharing, Jen! Hope you and Jeremy have a great holiday and winter season as well!! It looks like you’re off to a fabulous start already. :) Enjoy the snow!!
December 23rd, 2014 at 10:34 am
Stunningly beautiful as always, Jen. I look forward to this every year. My heart still aches for your loss of Kaweah, but I’m glad you’re able to hold her memory dear. Much love to you.
December 23rd, 2014 at 10:47 am
Thank you so much for sharing such gorgeous (as always) photos. What a stunning glimpse of your personal paradise!! Much love and snowflake wishes to you both as we enter 2015! xoxo
December 23rd, 2014 at 10:52 am
Thank you Jen for sharing with your fans the delightful recipes, beautiful photos, and your thoughts. I always look forward to reading your food blog and receiving them in my inbox. They bring a smile to my face. Wishing you and your hubster buster a wonderful holiday season! And congratulations on his research proposals/grants. I look forward to reading from you in 2015. BTW, I looked through the past years…did not know you guys started in socal.
December 23rd, 2014 at 11:40 am
So beautiful! You’ve inspired me to explore more! Happy Holidays!
December 23rd, 2014 at 11:53 am
Stunning, Jen. Thank you for sharing your life with us, I look forward to your blog each and every week. It hurts to see Kaweah’s adorable face… Wishing you both the best for the New Year.
December 23rd, 2014 at 12:03 pm
Thanks a lot of this wonderful blog and those beautiful photos. We’ve been twice in Boulder a few years ago and we love Colorado rockies. Happy holiday to you from the northern Europe, Finland.
December 23rd, 2014 at 12:45 pm
This the best card I’ve received this year. ;) Your images are poignant, reflective, and unusually heatfelt. Kaweah was blessed, and a blessing. Thank you for sharing, my friend.
December 23rd, 2014 at 1:43 pm
Beautiful retrospective . Makes me want to get to the mountains asap. Missing it. Wishing you another fabulous year ahead, full of laughter, happiness, adventure, and company.
December 23rd, 2014 at 4:03 pm
thanks so much for thinking to send this along to me – your words about your sweet pup make me tear up every time i read them. best wishes to both of you for a safe & happy holiday…and a wonderful new year! <3
December 23rd, 2014 at 7:44 pm
Another year has zipped by. You have made our lives richer with your great, insightful commentary, gorgeous photography and wonderful recipes. We share your broken hearts with the passing of sweet Kaweah. I wish you and Jeremy a very Merry Christmas and a bright, happy New Year. I look forward to another year with you.
December 23rd, 2014 at 8:13 pm
Wishing you and Jeremy a lovely holiday, and a fantastic New Year! Of course I love the Kaweah photos, the wildflowers are outstanding, and the 14’er peaks..but I am mesmerized by the partial eclipse. Sometimes I see it for what it is, and see the trees…and sometimes I see it like a jellyfish. So awesome! Looking forward to a NY lunch with you. xo, jill and tom
December 23rd, 2014 at 8:46 pm
Thank you so much for your wonderful blog! I had another good cry about Kaweah’s passing. I wish a wonderful New Year to Jen and Jeremy.
December 24th, 2014 at 9:40 am
Happy Holidays! Thanks for another year of wonderful and amazing stores, photos, recipes, and laughter and joy from all that you share with us! Look forward to another year of your amazingness :)
December 24th, 2014 at 11:04 am
Meilleurs Voeux!
Stunning pictures, Jen! I love seeing the passing of the seasons through your eyes; by the same token, it warms my heart to see this pile of snow on your doorstep, not mine!!!!
December 26th, 2014 at 7:35 am
Thank you for sharing so much of yourself with us… what stunning photos, and what a beautiful and real journey in 2014. Much love and prosperity to you and Jeremy in the coming New Year.
December 27th, 2014 at 8:05 pm
So beautiful, all of them! I’m so sorry you lost Kaweah, she was lucky to have you as her family. Love your attitude and outlook, which come through in your words and photos. Hope you and Jeremy have a wonderful 2015!
December 28th, 2014 at 9:09 pm
As always, utterly stunning photos. I’m so glad AJ and I were able to see some of the beauty of where you live in real life. Happy new year and here’s to an fabulous 2015!
December 29th, 2014 at 5:44 am
Thank you, Jen, for being around all year long! I enjoyed each of your photographs, recipes, thoughts and stories… – I am looking forward to a new year long Use-Real-Butter Blog.
Happy Holidays and a Happy New Year to you & to yours!
With love from Germany, Irmi
December 30th, 2014 at 8:36 am
A happy and a healthy 2015 to you and Jeremy! I come to your website for the food, but stay for your humor, your photos and you!
December 31st, 2014 at 10:59 am
ALL the photos are spectacular! They show a life well-lived and loved. I got a lump in my throat when I saw the pictures of Kaweah. Happy 2015 to you and your family.
January 2nd, 2015 at 8:43 am
Your yearly photo card has become a very welcome and expected pleasure at the end of each cycle. Thanks again for sharing your mountaintop views!
January 2nd, 2015 at 8:56 am
I can’t tell you how many times your stunning photos have tempted me to move to Colorado! You continue to be an inspiration. Tears seeing Kaweah, because I know the pain too well. I hope to see a puppy in your 2015, when you’re ready. Happy New Year to you and Jeremy!