Denver skyline by night

This photo was taken on July 8, 2007. Even though it wasn't taken on this week's Denver jaunt I thought it would be a nice complement to yesterday's blog entry. Like any large city, Denver has a beautiful skyline that really comes alive at night. I think the best vantage point is on the west side of I-25, off of Speer in the parking lot of a certain building that houses an insurance company. I remember how Pat and I sat in that parking lot for about 45 minutes waiting for the perfect light in order to grab this shot. The people who work in that rather ordinary building have a KILLER view. Maybe they hate their jobs, but if they look out the window and see this every night, it's got to help!

I like this picture so much I've got a print of it (in black and white) stuck to the wall next to my desk. I may not have the killer view from my desk, but I have a picture of it! ;o)

A day in Denver

Yesterday I had to go to Denver on business. I have quite a few clients there, not to mention my best friend Jennifer, so I usually make the trip up I-25 about every ten days or so. For someone who lives in Colorado Springs, I know Denver very well! It's only about an hour north of here, so it's not that far to drive.

Pat came with me and we mixed business with pleasure. He had a Christmas present to exchange and I had some gift cards I wanted to spend. So we had kind of a hectic day, but nevertheless it was fun to hang out with Pat, have dinner with Jenn and deliver a gorgeous wedding album to one of my favorite clients, Stephanie.

The photo above was taken just outside the doors of the Starbucks on Tremont and 16th at 3:46pm. The brown building second from left is the Wells Fargo building, a very recognizable feature of the Denver skyline.

The Mondrian-ish building

Today was much warmer than yesterday -- the sun even made an appearance! Since I never even left the house on Tuesday, Wednesday was spent catching up on all kinds of errands. I combined my post office run with a quest for a blogworthy image. My photography studio is located in what's called the Old North End (the northern edge of downtown) and the nearest post office to me is on Prospect and Fillmore. If you drive south on Prospect from the post office and turn right at the T, you'll end up on El Paso Street, which will in turn feed you back onto Fillmore.

This is the entryway to a very large warehouse-type building on El Paso. I think it's the HQ for a moving company (Alliance?). Anyway, I liked the bright blocks of orange at the front of the building. I don't even like orange, but for some reason this edifice cried out to be photographed! I guess I just love mid-century modern design, no matter what the color.

Brrrrrrrrrrrr!

It was way too cold out to go and take any pictures today, so I'm using this photo that I took out in the county in April of 2007. But it pretty much looks the same out there today! I think the high temp was about 16F (that's about -9 to you metric folks).

Stay warm everyone!

The happy barista

Here's the barista that served us at Colorado Coffee Merchants the other day (see yesterday's post). He looks pretty happy, right? I suspect that's because he's amped up on about a zillion cups of coffee. He was EXTREMELY helpful and EXTREMELY jazzed to make a latte with an extra shot of espresso for Pat, and a straight decaf for me. EXTREMELY. I thought it was kind of funny!

The bottom picture is the result of all that helpfulness. I finally got to see how they do that. It has something to do with having just the right consistency of steamed milk and pouring it just so into the latte to make this pretty design. The barista wasn't 100% satisfied with his efforts, but I thought it looked pretty good!

Colorado Coffee Merchants

I have a pretty severe case of acid reflux. It's taken a couple of years and quite a bit of experimenting to find the right prescription to help me manage it. One of the things my doctor recommended was to eliminate three things from my diet: alcohol, chocolate and caffeine. What?!? So no more beer, chocolate or coffee -- there has got to be a better way! I did cut back on chocolate (and it hurt), and beer too (somewhat, anyway!), but the coffee thing was just too much. I gotta have my morning boost, there's no two ways about it.

After much researching my boyfriend Pat found a resource for low-acid coffee online at www.puroast.com . I order five pounds at a time and it's certainly saved me from a caffeine-free existence! But there are those days when I've either run out of Puroast or I'm out and about and dying for a cup of coffee. A while back we were recommended to Colorado Coffee Merchants on Fillmore Street. It's great! Not the best location for a coffee hangout (302 E Fillmore) because it's more of an industrial area, but the last time we went there the place was packed. That's the power of caffeine!

All of their coffees are specially roasted to reduce the acidity. The result is a very smooth, delicious blend. I highly recommend it! It's a great place to sit and hang out to enjoy your java. You can go in for a coffee drink or you can buy some beans to take home and brew yourself. Here's shot from our last visit there a few days ago, near the front window.

The angry Lady Liberty!

Okay, so there are these tax places that spring up all over town like mushrooms at this time of year. Liberty Tax seems to be one of the more popular ones (see this post from a couple of days ago). So far I've seen three or four around Colorado Springs in different areas, all of them sporting a giant inflatable Statue of Liberty on the roof. This one was on E Platte Ave and it cracked me up because her arm is apparently broken. It looks like she's saying, "Get your taxes done here or I will beat you with my torch!"

Tires as art

Pat and I were driving around yesterday running errands when we came across this pile of tires next to a red wall outside Mi Gente Customs on Platte. Mi Gente will customize your ride however you want, but they specialize in the low rider look. For some reason they also sell other items like women's clothing and NFL/NBA logoed stuff. Anyway, I cannot resist the color combination of red and black. Whenever I see red next to black I'm mesmerized. I think this pile of used tires looks awesome next to this red wall!

Sunrise over Nob Hill

Check out this beautiful picture by my boyfriend Pat! Since he works in TV news, sometimes he keeps odd hours. After all, murderers, arsonists and other such scofflaws don't always keep banker's hours (the thoughtless bastards), so Pat's often on his way to or from work at dawn. He's been really good lately about getting shots of the sunrise. This particular photo was taken from our front yard.

It's that time of year

I came across this guy on South Nevada Ave today, advertising for tax services. I don't know if seeing a guy dressed as the Statue of Liberty makes me want to pay my taxes, but it did make me want to take his picture! He was a good sport about it and smiled cheerfully for the camera.

Hershey the happy greeter

If you ever need parts for your foreign car (we have two of them), you can save a few bucks by going to Best Foreign Used Auto Parts on 16th Street over on the west side. And when you go there you will be enthusiastically greeted by Hershey, the biggest, funniest, stinkiest, schmoopiest chocolate lab ever.

A sign of the times

This little guy stands outside of Borriello Brothers Pizza, across the street from Palmer High School (and just a few yards from General Palmer's statue -- see yesterday's post). It seems to me that there have been a couple of different pizza joints and sandwich shops in this building and they never seem to take off, so I wish Borriello Brothers well. It must be slow going, because if you look closely you can read what's written on the sign: "I assure you, we are open!"

Our city founder

Here he is, General William Jackson Palmer, astride his trusty steed Tippy, firmly planted on a large pedestal smack in the middle of the intersection of Nevada and Platte Avenues. Some people consider him a traffic hazard that needs to be moved, but I like him right where he is. He's been there since 1929 -- why move him now? And he sits right in front of his namesake, Palmer High School, the oldest high school in Colorado Springs. When General Palmer founded Colorado Springs in 1871, he reportedly drove a ceremonial stake into this very spot. It's a good place for him to stay.

Most people take pictures of General P from the point of view that puts Pikes Peak in the background (here, for instance: http://www.d11.org/bristol/Bristol_wall/1860/info_1860_palmPP.htm ), so I decided to try and get a different angle on him. This photo was taken from the driver's seat as I waited to turn left onto Platte. Good thing it was a slow traffic day!

Yellow wall

I'm not sure what's housed in this old building a couple of blocks south of the Santa Fe Train Depot, but I liked the colors, the division of space, and the large, hand-painted numbers. Sometimes you find the coolest things in your city when you just drive around randomly on a Saturday afternoon.

Carefree, Arizona

Just a quick detour to the Phoenix area for one post... I spent January 11th through the 15th in Carefree, Arizona at a photographers convention. I had so much fun I can't even begin to describe it. For you pro wedding and portrait photogs out there reading this blog, here's a bit of advice: join the Digital Wedding Forum (www.digitalweddingforum.com). It has been an invaluable resource for me, both business- and inspiration-wise, and it has also been a source of camaraderie and friendship among my peers.

Once a year the DWF has a get together somewhere in the U.S., and this year it was in the Arizona desert. It was four days filled with workshops, lectures, inspiring speeches and beer! I learned so much and I got to meet so many of my "virtual" friends for the first time. It was great! I managed to take just a handful of scenic photos while I was there. Here is one of my favorites, a twilight shot of the resort where we were staying. Nice, no?

For more photos from my trip, visit my Click Photography blog, http://click-photography.blogspot.com/2009/01/four-days-in-desert.html

Freight office

...Just an addition to yesterday's post about the Santa Fe Train Depot. This is a detail of the east side of the building in yesterday's picture. I guess it was the freight office, which makes sense because it's right up next to the tracks.

The old Santa Fe Depot

This is an auxiliary building to the old Santa Fe Train Depot in Colorado Springs, which was built in 1917 and decommissioned in 1972. You can see an old picture of the main depot here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atchison,_Topeka_and_Santa_Fe_Passenger_Depot_(Colorado_Springs,_Colorado) It's just about a mile west of my house. Now it's on the National Historic Register and it retains its original charm (I read that the architectural style of the building is called "Jacobean"), even though it's now cut up into office spaces. It's a pretty big place -- there's everything from doctors' offices to a cruise line call center housed in the old Depot!

In the '80s, around the back side of the main building there used to be a joint called the Pelican Club, or "the Pel" for short. It was a great place for live music. I used to go there almost every weekend, especially after the demise of the Climax Cavern. Good times!

The building in the photo above is next to the main depot. It's been converted for some use or other. I have no idea what it houses -- probably some sort of office. I just like the way it looks in the afternoon light. I'm glad it still looks like part of a working train station.

Humpty Dumpty sat on a retaining wall

Here's one of my favorite downtown denizens, Humpty Dumpty! He has parked himself in many different locations downtown, and currently he resides in front of the Pikes Peak Center. He's a popular guy -- in fact, at one point a couple of years ago he was stolen right off the street! Probably by some drunken sot. Drunken but determined, because you'd really have to want Humpty Dumpty to steal him, he's bolted down and he must weigh a ton!

I'm not sure if this is a replacement Humpty or if the original was returned by the drunken, determined sot, but I'm glad he's back. This and many other pieces of public art are a part of the Art on the Street program (http://www.artonthestreets.com/), which is currently taking entries for 2009. So if you have an interesting sculpture that you'd like to submit for the pleasure of Colorado Springs residents, you have until February 25th -- hurry up!

A large blue door

Another great piece of public art by local artist Chris Weed (also see this post), a colossal, skewed doorway. This one's fairly new to our downtown landscape. I'm not sure what it's called, but I like the placement. It sits next to the Pikes Peak Center, and if you stand in the right place you can see Pikes Peak through it. I like it a lot -- it has a certain Alice in Wonderland-ish quality.

Sorry for the so-so quality of the picture, I took this at the wrong time of day. I'll go back again another time and get a better shot of it, promise!

Sunset over the Peak

Driving northward on Powers during rush hour is not a good time to try and take a picture! But this sunset was so pretty that I risked my neck during a three second slowdown in heavy traffic to snap this photo the other day. It's just that our sunsets are frequently kind of blah, so whenever we get a good one I have to get a picture of it! Pikes Peak looks pretty good here, doesn't it?

A beautiful home

Colorado Springs was founded in 1871 by Civil War veteran William Jackson Palmer, and it quickly became a popular resort destination for the well-heeled. Our fair climate and dry air were also a draw for those suffering from tuberculosis, thus the disease is inextricably entwined with our city's history. Many wealthy people relocated to Colorado Springs in its early years to seek a cure for "consumption", and these people settled along Tejon Street, Cascade and Nevada Avenues, and Weber and Wahsatch Streets, building beautiful Victorian mansions that still stand in what is now known as "downtown".

I've lived here for almost 30 years, most of them in or near downtown, and I've lived in a few of these incredible homes as a renter. There are many remarkable Victorians that I've daydreamed of owning though! Every now and then I'll sneak a photo of one of my favorites. This is a rather dicey operation, since they are homes of course and people live in them, but I've somewhat perfected the art of surreptitiously snapping a photo and slipping the camera back into my pocket unseen. Maybe I missed my calling as a spy!

This is one of my favorite Victorians, located on the corner of Cascade Avenue and Dale Street just south of the Colorado College. It's a huge mansion but I was just interested in capturing her doorway. I took this photo on Christmas Eve as you can see from the wreath. What a beautiful home!

A mighty wind

One natural resource that Colorado has plenty of is wind! Just the other day, high velocity winds whipped a small grass fire into a raging inferno near Boulder, burning over 3,000 acres. Thousands of people were forced to temporarily evacuate and at least four homes were damaged or destroyed (FYI homes in Boulder, especially in the outlying areas, can carry million dollar price tags). And this was in the middle of winter -- you can imagine how bad the fires can be in the summer!

Colorado Springs is not exempt. We frequently get extremely windy days here, like the day before yesterday. I say make lemonade out of lemons. This very cool mobile sculpture sits on Tejon Street right next to what used to be Colorado Springs Music (and is now a wine store I think). Just another great example of our prolific public art, spinning in the wind.

Tony's Bar

This is the view on the east side of Tejon Street looking southward toward Platte Avenue. The tavern on the left, Tony's, is modeled after your basic Wisconsin watering hole. Since I was born in Wisconsin and my grandparents were regular habitués of such establishments, I can say that Tony's is a fairly close approximation of a Wisconsin tavern but it's a little too "nice" to be the real thing. It does serve Pabst Blue Ribbon and other such blue collar beers, but it also serves local microbrews and (gasp!) cocktails. Also, the menu is way too fancy schmancy and there's no Friday night fish fry. And the bartenders are young, hip and have all ten fingers (unlike in Wisconsin, where they're more likely be old, crusty and have lost a digit to some farm accident or other). On the other hand, Green Bay Packers paraphernalia is prominently displayed all over the joint, so that definitely gives me a warm, nostalgic, down home feeling whenever I hang out at Tony's. Go Packers!

Colorado Co-op

Today I woke up on the wrong side of the bed. There's nothing wrong with that, I was just a little grumpy. We all have days like that. I had lunch with my mom, which is always nice, but that didn't seem to help my mood any so I decided on a little retail therapy while on the hunt for a good photo subject for the blog.

Colorado Co-op is one of my favorite boutiques in Colorado Springs. Located at 315 N. Tejon Street across from Poor Richards, it's one of the few places in town you can shop for names like Michael Kors, Rag and Bone, Theory, and so on. And they are the only place in Colorado Springs that carries Kiehls products, which saves me a trip to Denver whenever I run out of eye cream! I love to window shop at Colorado Co-op but I can't always afford to buy lots of stuff there, since the things I gravitate toward always seem to be on their high end. Go figure. But they also offer all kinds of goodies like handmade soaps, lotions, stationery, candles, and other little luxuries that make life more pleasurable, with more down to earth price tags. They also have an amazing array of simply fantastic jewelry, all originally designed and handmade. I looooooooooove the jewelry at Colorado Co-op.

Today I found that they are having a sale! I was so pleased. Buying a perfect little navy blue, long-sleeved, ruched t-shirt by Three Dots for only $40 (marked down from $80!) took me right out of my funk.

Everything at Colorado Co-op is gorgeously and creatively merchandised, which enhances the shopping experience there. I had a hard time deciding which part of the store to highlight on the blog, but I decided on their main soap display, shot from behind with the late afternoon sun pouring through the front windows. Isn't it pretty?

You can also shop at Colorado Co-op online: http://www.coloradoco-oponline.com/index.html

Rural suburbs

Falcon is situated a few miles east of Colorado Springs, out past Peterson Air Force Base. It's where you live if you want to be away from the city. I rarely go there as I never have the occasion, but yesterday I decided to find something picture-worthy out east, or perhaps a great sunset. Falcon's farther removed from the mountains than Colorado Springs is, so they get some really great sunsets over the Peak.

The little town of Falcon has really grown and changed -- a large area of it is now developed. What used to be open land is now thousands and thousands of beige tract homes marching across the prairie. It's really weird. I remember not all that long ago when it was all ranchland! It still retains its rural charm, though. When people think of Colorado, they think of Western things like cowboys boots, horses and trucks. Well, if that's your style you'll dig Falcon. Despite the fact that a lot of former prairie is now developed, it's still quite rural. Falcon is unincorporated and many of its residents really do live the Western lifestyle, down to raising horses and livestock. If you want to live in the Springs area and still have a horse or two and some acreage, Falcon is one of your options. Not a lot of night life maybe, but the sunsets and the antelope make up for it.

I took this picture along Highway 24. This is just one of the places in Falcon where you can buy feed and tack for your horse. I love the bucking bronco!

Falcon, Colorado

I know this blog post comes a little late in the day -- it's almost 10:30pm here in Colorado and I nearly missed a day! It's been a little hectic around here, but better late than never. I really am committed to blogging a photo every single day!

Today I took a little drive out to Falcon, a township a few miles east of Colorado Springs. Falcon is basically out on the prairie and it's got a very rural flavor compared to the Springs. More on that tomorrow though. This particular image was on the south side of an old barn out on Judge Orr Road, just past the Meadow Lake Airport. I don't know what kind of store it once housed, but now it looks like the barn is used for auto repairs.

I just like the weathered patina of the siding. I hope they don't paint over it.

Snowy January day

Just another typical January day in Colorado Springs! As I type this it's four degrees outside, but when I took this picture (yesterday at 3:42pm) it was a balmy 14. I drove around quite a while looking for a worthy subject. I thought the snow was pretty, but unfortunately the roads were correspondingly bad so my search for the perfect blog subject was limited to the streets that weren't too slippery!

After all that driving and searching I ended up making a complete circle and ended up at the Union Printers Home (just a few blocks from my house), a Colorado Springs landmark that originally functioned as a nursing home for retired members of the Printers Union. Now a State of Colorado Historical Site, the Printers Home was built in 1892 and these days it's really just a nursing home in general. Summer or winter, I've always loved the building in its treed setting so I took advantage of the stillness of the day and the falling snow to capture this pretty image of its snowy grounds.

Another day I'll capture the facade of the Union Printers Home -- it's still beautiful even though it's been modernized a little. I'll wait for the grass to grow before I venture back though.

Pat's Christmas present

Pat's very specific about the things he wants for Christmas -- he always gives me an itemized list. So I took a real chance buying him this Nikon camera before the official list was presented to me! I had a feeling he'd appreciate it though, and he really did. It's his favorite new toy! Take a look at the previous two blog posts and tell me I didn't get him just the right gift!

I took this photo on December 28th while we were out to dinner. He never leaves home without that little camera now. I love it!

The Pioneers Museum

Another great photo by Pat! This is our beautiful Colorado Springs Pioneers Museum photographed from Tejon Street on Wednesday, December 31st. It's truly one of the most gorgeous buildings in our city. Built in 1903, the Pioneers Museum served as our county courthouse until I believe the 1970's, when it was "decommissioned" and made into a museum. This gracious edifice has always been well-loved and I'm glad it didn't fall into disrepair after it was retired from active duty.

I use its lovely facade and grounds all the time for portrait shoots, but I'm ashamed to say it's been a few years since I've ventured inside the museum's doors! Okay, now I have a new New Year's resolution: drop into the Pioneers Museum soon and check out the latest show (it's about the Gold Rush). That's a great idea to pass the time during my slow season. Thanks Pat!

Let's get this party started!

It's a new year and I want to kick it off with this rather awesome photo taken by my boyfriend Pat. I gave him a digital camera for Christmas because I want him to contribute to this blog. Pat works in the television news industry as a photog (meaning he goes around and shoots news stories all day for the evening broadcast), so it shouldn't surprise you that he has a natural talent with a camera and a really great eye.

Pat was on a story Wednesday evening about a big arson trial that's going on in town right now, and he took a moment to snap this image right by the county courthouse at the golden hour. Here he's standing on the corner of Tejon and Vermijo and looking south.

Great shot Pat!

Happy New Year!

The City Daily Photo theme for January 1st is "best photo". I decided not to participate in Theme Day this time because I looked at all my photos and really couldn't find a best. There are some interesting ones and some dramatic ones, but none of them really stand out to me as super-fantastico. So instead, I opted to do a slide show with all of my Colorado Springs daily photos. Since this blog debuted fairly recently, November 17th, the slide show is a manageable length.

Enjoy! I hope you have a wonderful start to 2009! I wish you prosperity, fulfillment and happiness in the coming year!

Tamera