A Tail of Two Does

A few weeks ago, I headed up into the mountains to find aspen trees and branches for inspiration. I took Magnolia Drive, which rises out of Boulder Canyon and straddles a high ridge before opening out onto the Peak-to-Peak highway running along the continental divide, near Coal Creek Canyon. (The mouth of the latter canyon opens near my home.) So, I had my eyes peeled for trees, but instead I spotted a pair of white-tailed does who were nibbling grass along the roadside:

The deer were so calm when I approached that I was able to take several photographs. I was so taken by the scene, I didn’t realize that the very type of aspen tree I was seeking was growing right there. Out of all of the photographs I took that day, the mature, knobby tree near the deer had the most personality:

It was perfect.... it fit beautifully into my latest art project. (That’d be the same project that kept me occupied all weekend, when I ought to have been posting here.) What sort of art project, you might ask? Well, for that, you’ll have to wait for a future post.

There really are two deer in the pictures... one was standing behind the other. In the second picture, you can see the second one's behind to the right of the first one's front.