Enjoying the ceiling at Shuga's

Last weekend I had the pleasure of hanging out at Shuga's with two very lovely people, my best friend Jenn and her boyfriend Nikita. Shuga's is always interesting for the taste buds, and it's always interesting for the eyes as well. The tiny floral arrangements on every table change frequently, but the origami cranes hanging from the ceiling are a recurring theme. Such a funky little hangout, this place. It's one of my favorite spots to spend time with good friends.

35th Annual Mopar Mile High Nationals at Bandimere Speedway

The Mile High Nationals were held at Bandimere Speedway in Golden over the weekend (that is, dragsters, funny cars, motorcycles, etc). Pat had tickets for Sunday's races, and since I couldn't go, I sent a camera with him so he could take some pictures. I'm sorry I missed it -- it looks like it was a ton of fun! Here are some of my favorites of the many great pictures that Pat took. Thanks for being my guest blogger today, Pat!

Look at the size of this engine!

As you can see, thousands were in attendance. It's a very popular event.

Pat was able to get really close to the cars and crews. How cool is that?

This is my favorite part, when they spin their tires to heat them up. It's awesome! Good shot, Pat!

After his qualifying race, legendary driver John Force drove around the perimeter on  a motorcycle and waved at the fans. As you can see, they enthusiastically cheered and waved back.

Can you see the flames coming out of the tailpipes of these dragsters? Awesome!

Fairview Cemetery

Yesterday I blogged about one of Fairview Cemetery's more famous "residents". Today, a few gravestones of lesser known, yet no less important, Colorado Springs citizens.

Not all of the gravestones are old. This one is very modern.

Here's a close up of the rock that sits upon it.

Such short lifespans. I'm sure it was a hard life, trying to make it in a rough and tumble frontier town.

Anthony Bott, the founder of Old Colorado City

Many local residents don't realize that the part of town we call Old Colorado City was once a completely separate city that didn't become part of Colorado Springs until 1917. It was known simply as Colorado City back then -- the "old" got tacked on at some point after the town was annexed into Colorado Springs -- and it was actually the first capital of the Colorado Territory (pre-statehood), if only for five short days in 1862. Colorado City was founded in 1859, predating Colorado Springs by a dozen years, and it still retains the "frontier town" look that it started with. And here's another interesting fact: it was originally called El Dorado!

The other day I found myself running an errand deep on the west side, in the rain, and as I drove past Fairview Cemetery on 26th street I decided to stop and take a look around. It's been quite a long while since I've visited it. I love old graveyards, even on a dreary day. As I wandered among the graves in the rain, I noticed a very impressive headstone bearing the name Bott in large letters. I was intrigued, since I'm familiar with Bott Avenue (it's a block south of and runs parallel to Cimarron/Highway 24). I assumed that Bott Avenue derived its name from whoever this Anthony Bott person was. When I got home I looked him up, and what I found was that Bott was the founder of Old Colorado City! Apparently he was a very prominent and important civic leader, an entrepreneur, and a bit of a real estate mogul. I had no idea!

Colorado Springs history nerd that I am, I don't know how Mr. Bott's story has somehow escaped me all these years, but I'm glad to know about him now. I'm going to do a little more research and see if I can locate the home where he and his wife Octavia lived. If I can find it, I promise I'll blog about it.

S is for Summer Style

A through-the-windshield snap of a cute couple crossing Bijou Street... I took the picture because I particularly liked her casual summer style. The cuffed jeans, leather belt, light cardigan, messenger bag and stylish sandals really look great and cohesive, and yet she looks totally comfortable. Brava! Way to to be comfortable AND stylish in the summer!

Coach truck

I am baffled by this truck. As you can see, it has an aggressively masculine style... and yet it has a giant Coach logo on the tailgate. It also has the Coach "C"s on the sides of the vehicle. To me, Coach is a women's luxury brand known mainly for logo-covered purses and wallets. I do realize that they have clothing and accessory lines for both women and men, but mostly they're known for purses. Soooo... what on earth? Why would someone who's so in-your-face about their masculinity cover their truck with Coach logos? This is what I call a mixed message.

Who'll Stop the Rain?

Yesterday was so dark and chilly, it was almost like we'd been transported to the Pacific Northwest. The rain came all day long, sandwiched between foggy interludes. Very odd weather for Colorado Springs in July! On Monday, it was violently rainy and there was incredibly destructive hail all over the region, so I guess I won't complain about a little drizzle.