The Guy with the Horse

Every now and then I see this guy walking or riding his palomino across Academy Boulevard at Maizeland Road. I frequent that particular intersection because my studio is half a block north of this spot. There is a small pocket of unincorporated city nearby, which is weird but kind of cool too, since unincorporated areas are zoned for horses. I cannot describe for you how busy this intersection is -- with the turn lanes it's 9 or 10 lanes across. However, the horse is always completely unfazed by all the traffic and noise. No doubt they were headed to Palmer Park (directly behind me) for a ride. On the other end of the park there are stables, by the way. Colorado Springs may be perpetually expanding, but we still retain our western and horsey roots.

This picture is a little soft because I was shooting it through the bottom part of my car windshield. The curve of the glass made it impossible for me to get a sharp photo but I was just glad to get something. Whenever I see this guy and his horse, I never seem to have a camera handy, so blurry or not, this was a win!

Sunday Style!

I met this nice lady at the post office last weekend. I couldn't help but notice her dress, and when I complimented her on it she told me that she had worn it to church that day. She was recovering from an ankle injury and wanted to feel vital and pretty. I say the dress worked, it looks great on her! Thank you Becky for letting me take your picture for the blog!

Happy V-Day!

Today was Valentine's Day, and while running errands I spied this couple perusing the flower selection at Safeway. They really put some thought into coordinating their outfits. Cute!

The Broadmoor World Arena

I found myself smack in front of the World Arena today, not by design but by mistake: I took a wrong turn. Since I was there and I had a camera with me, I took a picture. The World Arena was built in the 1990s and it's the place you go to for large events and concerts. There's also a skating rink where Olympic (and Olympic hopeful) skaters train.

First Congregational

Here's one of our historic downtown churches, First Congregational. I've blogged about it many times. This impressive building with its distinctively massive stone columns was completed in 1889 and sits on the northwest corner of Tejon and Saint Vrain, in the Near North End neighborhood. According to Wikipedia, it's listed on the National Historic Register and "Its design is in the Richardsonian Romanesque style and is constructed of Colorado Wall Mountain Tuft (rhyolite) quarried near Castle Rock, Colorado." It cost $40,000 to build, which is somewhat hilarious until you do the math: that's about $1,409,226.09 in today's money! Anyway, I think it's gorgeous, and having documented my share of weddings at First Congregational, I can tell you that the inside of it is beautiful as well.

Who Gives a Scrap?

I met up with my friend Teresa this weekend at Who Gives a Scrap. I just love this place! They have some pretty fun stuff. It's basically sort of a thrift store for makers -- you know, knitters, crocheters, sewists, artists of all kinds, scrapbookers... you can donate your unwanted crafting stuff (and it's a non-profit, so hello tax write off!), and you can buy pretty much any crafting supply you can think of here for cheap. Some of their offerings are pretty interesting and you never know what they're going to have in stock. I'm not exactly "crafty" but I do love to sew and knit, so Who Gives a Scrap is right up my alley. I think every city needs a place like this.

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Just a snap of a sculpture located downtown, in the Near North End. This has been there for years. I lived around the corner from this spot in the late 1980s and I think I remember seeing it way back then.