The Norris-Penrose Event Center

Sure, the Penrose Equestrian Center looks quiet at the moment, but don't let that fool you. It will be teeming with people and beasts when the 70th annual Pikes Peak or Bust Rodeo kicks off! If you're a rodeo fan (full disclosure: I'm not), this is the place to be from July 14th through 17th. Giddyup!

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I never tire of the Garden of the Gods. This image was taken just inside the eastern edge of the park at 8:15pm last night.

The Pikes Peak Hill Climb

In Manitou earlier tonight, Pat and I passed several trailered race cars just like this one. It was not an unexpected thing to come across since the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb was held today. This annual event is not only reliably one of the biggest tourist draws in the region, it's also the oldest road race in America. The very first race to the top of the Peak was held in 1916. This year was momentous in that a 16 year old girl was one of the competitors, and though she didn't win she was very proud to have been the youngest competitor ever to race in the Hill Climb.

Have you ever driven to the top of Pikes Peak? I'm too chicken to attempt it myself, even though I usually have no qualms about driving on mountain roads. Every time I've been to the summit, someone else has been at the wheel. The road is nothing but steep switchbacks and precipitous dropoffs -- way too scary for me! Even after living here for so many years, I still can't wrap my brain around the idea of racing up that mountain at 60 miles per hour. Crazy!

Honk if you...

This rather humorous sign in front of First Southern Baptist on Palmer Park and Uintah caught my eye tonight. It's actually illegal to text and drive in Colorado, but that doesn't stop people from doing it. Nothing makes me angrier than to see someone texting and driving! It's just insanely dangerous! Grrrr!

Our state flower

A swath of Columbines (Aquilegia), Colorado's state flower, in the demonstration garden at Monument Valley Park recently. This yellow variety is particularly cheerful, don't you think?

Mirch Masala

The buddhist shrine at Mirch Masala, our favorite Indian restaurant. Their food is to die for. I would eat at Mirch Masala every day if I could. We were there the other day and I thought the window light on Buddha's face was quite beautiful.

Twilight in Red Rock Canyon

Pat and I took a walk earlier this evening in Red Rock Canyon. This is the moment just before the sun disappeared beyond the mountains.

Ominous skies

Last week we had some really crazy weather for several days on end. Here's the bell tower of the First United Methodist Church on Nevada and Boulder with ominous skies looming, just moments after an epic downpour last Friday afternoon.

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A cool old truck that I found downtown while on a photo shoot last October.

The dispersing crowd

Another shot from the Denver Center for the Performing Arts. As Jenn and I waited for our friend Jaime to wrap things up, I grabbed this photo as the last of the audience filtered into the parking garage.

The Denver Center for the Performing Arts

Last night my friend Jenn and I went to see the musical Young Frankenstein at the Buell Theatre in the Denver Center for the Performing Arts. It was a great show, I highly recommend it! (For my readers in the area, the show will continue through the end of the month so pick up some tickets and go see it!) Our seats were way up in the very top tier. During the intermission I grabbed this image of theatergoers on the mezzanine and bottom floor queueing up for refreshments. The Center for the Performing Arts is a great place to see a show or concert, and it's also just plain neato ;-)

Many warm congratulations to our friend Jaime, who earned a much coveted seat in the orchestra for the show, playing five instruments! She's very talented. And Jaime, thanks again for the tickets, we had a blast.

The Secret Garden

Did I take this picture in Italy, or perhaps France? No, I took it on the west side the other day, in a place called the Secret Garden. It's a nice place for a wedding. A friend of mine who's also a professional photographer accidentally left a piece of equipment at the Secret Garden, so I went there to retrieve it for him. While I was there the owner gave me a little tour. Very pretty!

Bronco country

Pat and I came across this guy the other day in traffic. He's got it all: the US Army stickers, the God Bless America magnet, the Denver Broncos license plate frame, and most importantly, the Army flag and Broncos flag flying diplomat-style from the door frames. Gotta love Colorado Springs!

A sad state of affairs

I love Monument Valley Park. I use it a lot for portraits, and Pat and I enjoy taking walks there as much as possible during the summer. It's really the most beautiful place. There are two ponds in the park, one of which you see in the above photo. That's right, it's completely drained and it looks awful! I'm pretty sure this can be chalked up to lack of funds. Over the last couple of years this pond has become more and more manky and disgusting. Last year it was downright gross! It was full of algae and all kinds of disgusting crud was floating in it. The waterfowl didn't seem to mind, but it really did look bad. I hope they can repair and refill it, but something tells me it's going to look this way for a while -- our city parks department is pretty much the big loser in this terrible economy right now, so I'm not holding my breath in hopes that this pond will miraculously be returned to its former glory anytime soon :o(

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While taking a walk with Pat in Monument Valley Park the other night, I noticed how especially nice the sky looked just before the sun went down.

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Some ferns peeking out from among the hostas at the Demonstration Garden in Monument Valley Park yesterday evening. Such a beautiful, serene place.

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I captured these late spring bleeding hearts in the Demonstration Garden at Monument Valley Park earlier this evening while on a walk with Pat.

Trinity Brewing Company

On Monday night it was my turn to host book club. I usually host it at my studio because I can accomodate more people there, but since my air conditioner is on the fritz and it's been insanely hot, we decided to have our meeting at Trinity Brewing Company. I had heard good things about Trinity though I'd never been there. I'm a fan of good beer, especially microbrews, so this was right up my alley. Here's a shot of my Sunna Wit, which tasted like a hefeweizen and was quite delicious. Trinity Brewing Co. is not in a part of town you'd associate with microbreweries and adventurous food. Within a quarter mile radius of it you'll find a 7-11, Staples, Chipotle, Panda Express, Kinko's, Quizno's, Keva Juice, A&W, Starbucks... you get the picture. Yet sitting smack in the middle of all that corporate chain nonsense is this excellent brew pub with wonderful food and a laid back atmosphere. Bravo for Trinity! I'm definitely going back for more :o)

A sea of comfort

I've recently decided that I want to redecorate my studio and offices, so the other day I ventured to the biggest furniture store in town to look at couches. I came across this veritable ocean of easy chairs and just had to take a picture! There were rows upon rows of them. Yes, these have got to be some of the ugliest chairs in the entire world, but they sure look comfy, don't they?

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Tonight's lovely sunset, as seen from my front yard looking northwest.

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Tonight I had dinner at Ling & Louie's in the Stapleton area of Denver with some photographer friends. It's a very new shopping/dining district with lots of fun features to catch the eye. I grabbed this photo on the way out. Very cool fountain!

Shove Memorial Chapel

Here's a photo of Shove Memorial Chapel on the Colorado College campus, taken on the afternoon of May 27th from Cascade Avenue. Shove (rhymes with cove) was built during the throes of the Great Depression, in 1931, and remains one of the most beautiful structures in our city. It's a very popular place to get married, I suspect in part because there's a certain "I spent a lot of money to tie the knot here" kind of cachet to it. It's problematic for inexperienced photographers because it's so everlovin' dark in there, so shooting a wedding in Shove Chapel is not for the faint of heart! Frankly I love the outside of it more, it's a beautiful church and a real architectural gem. I'll take a closer picture of it one of these days and post it here.