Got ice cream?

Allow me to introduce you to the yummy goodness that is the Colorado City Creamery, at 2602 W. Colorado Avenue in Old Colorado City. It is quite simply the best ice cream I've ever tasted! There are lots of great spots for ice cream in Colorado Springs, but for me there is no comparison. I end up eating a double scoop of something insanely decadent every time I go to the Creamery, so I have to exercise extreme personal restraint or I'd be there every day! In the summertime it's not unusual to see a line out the door of this tiny ice cream shop, but it's soooooo worth the wait!

Bear Creek

Presumably this is Bear Creek -- it runs through Bear Creek Regional Park, so it must be, right? I've never put any thought into it! Not the greatest picture; I don't recommend attempting to do any kind of landscape photography at high noon, you're going to end up with the worst lighting! I'll go back in summertime and get a really good shot for ya.

Come join us in the garden

I know it doesn't look like much right now, but just wait a few weeks! This is the community garden at Bear Creek Regional Park on 21st Street. It will be a few weeks before it's planted, but by the end of summer it will be a bounty of organic goodness. I love Bear Creek Park -- Pat and I enjoy walking there, and in the summertime they use a herd of goats to keep the weeds at bay, which is cute. (I think goats are adorable!)

You can rent garden space in the Bear Creek Community Garden for a nominal fee. Call (719) 473-5827 for more information. As for me, I promise to visit the park again during the summer so I can get a shot of the garden in full bloom -- and also the goats!

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I've been away from the blog for a few days! Actually I spent Friday, Saturday and Sunday in Vail, helping my friend Charlotte shoot a wedding. Driving there on Friday, we faced some fairly bad weather and iffy road conditions. Mostly it was poor visibility, snow, slush and ice, so the drive took quite a bit longer than it would have in good weather. When we got to our hotel, I noticed that one of the rear tires had the oddest, star-shaped ice pattern stuck to its hub. I had to get a picture of it!

Crazy car!

Happy Saint Patrick's Day! Today I had lunch at Marigold Cafe and Bakery with my friend Charlotte. As we were leaving I spied this crazy, paint-covered car, and had to grab a picture of it. Literally every surface is splattered with paint -- it's like a moving Jackson Pollock! It must have been so much fun to do. There are peace signs intermingled with all the splatters. Love it!

Lots of folks who work in the restaurant/bakery industry are creative free spirits. What do you want to bet that the owner of this car works at Marigold?

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A photogenic wintertime sunset... this one was on March 5th. The church you see on the left is Divine Redeemer, across the street from Penrose Hospital on Cascade.

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Here's a picture I took on Saturday of the gate behind my brother's house. I love old, weathered, patinaed things.

St. Patrick's Day

Yesterday morning was the St. Patrick's Day parade down Tejon Street, even though the real holiday isn't until Wednesday. Of course I overslept and missed the entire thing. I did manage to catch some of the revelry later on though, as I dropped a friend off downtown. Lots of happy people indulging in beer and spirits at 3:00 in the afternoon! There was also this guy, Ryan, piping in front of Old Chicago. He sounded great, and I thought he looked very natty in his kilt. He was nice enough to pose for a few pictures for me. Thanks Ryan!

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I had to stop by Godec's Photo Supply last week. In the parking lot behind the building, I noticed how the afternoon light caused an interesting shadow on the building next door.

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The Royal Palace Motel on the northeast corner of Colorado and Colfax in Denver, last Thursday night.

Fond memories

When I saw this beautiful little VW Karmann Ghia on Tejon Street the other day, I had to stop and get a picture of it. In my lifetime I've owned not one, not two, but three Karmann Ghias! My first "cool" car was a 1971 Ghia, bright blue, which met its untimely demise in a smash-up in front of a west side 7-11 after about a year of proud ownership. I quickly found an orange '69 Ghia to take its place, and I drove it for years. It was an awesome, stylish little car. My third Karmann Ghia was another '69, purchased strictly as a parts donor for the orange one. When I bought my 1972 BMW 2002 tii in 1993 (which I still own), I had to part with the Ghias and it broke my heart. It was a sad day indeed, the day I watched the new owner drive off in my little car!

Every time I see a Karmann Ghia I feel a rush of warm nostalgia. Anyone who's ever owned an old VW understands. One of these days, after I win the lottery, I'll buy myself another Ghia.

Dream home for sale

This gorgeous home a stone's throw from my studio just went on the market. I love old homes, and this one's got a lot going for it: a detached garage with a greenhouse, a two bedroom cottage in back, and of course the house itself is clearly in beautiful shape (okay, I'm not crazy about the pink paint, but that can be changed!). Every day I drive past it and get a little pang. I'm fantasizing about moving in, growing exotic plants in the greenhouse, and running my studio out of the little cottage. Sigh. Anyone have $379,000 they'd like to donate to my cause?

Black Forest

This photo is courtesy of last week's wedding, which took place in Black Forest, northeast of Colorado Springs. A lot of nice homes in that neck of the woods. Before all the custom homes and mansions were built around that area, it was pretty much farmland and ranchland. The occasional ranch still survives, like this one. I came across it while driving to the wedding and stopped to grab a quick snap.

The Trolley Car Museum

Did you know that Colorado Springs has a museum dedicated to streetcars? It's called the Colorado Springs and Interurban Railway Museum and it's operated by the Pikes Peak Historical Railway Foundation. It's located in the charming neighborhood called Roswell (see yesterday's post), and I never visited the museum until this week! On Wednesday my mom and I made a quick stop to check it out. I took a few shots of some of awesome streetcars and trolleys they had there, and as I was snapping away one of the volunteers beckoned me into a large hangarlike building, where this beautiful specimen was housed. This streetcar was built in 1919 and was in service in Fort Collins, Colorado until about the 1950s. According to the placard, it cost about $6,000 to build. Imagine that! I suppose that was a princely sum in 1919.

Since my mom was waiting in the car, I didn't have time to linger and enjoy all the great streetcars at the museum. I plan on going back with Pat soon and spend an afternoon there.

Roswell Community Church

Roswell is a diminuitive neighborhood in Colorado Springs that I am a little fascinated with. Actually I've been mildly obssessed with it for years, don't ask me why. I just think it's charming and full of character. Few people in our ever-growing city seem to be aware that Roswell even exists. I suppose only the old timers really understand that this little neighborhood actually used to be a town unto itself.

Roswell was founded in 1888 by coal miners and annexed by the city of Colorado Springs in 1950. It's small and full of charm, bounded roughly on the east by Nevada Avenue, the west by Mark Dabling Blvd., the north by Fillmore (or possibly a block or two beyond it), and the south by Van Buren. It's filled almost exclusively with Craftsmen and Victorian homes (including a couple of standout stone beauties, a rarity in Colorado Springs), with a handful of midcentury ranchers thrown in the mix. There's a small open space called Roswell Park, exactly one square block in size. The railroad tracks are close enough to be uncomfortably loud for some suburbanites. There are rarely homes for sale in Roswell, though it's not a pricey neighborhood. I just love it there and I'll find any excuse to cut through Roswell on some errand or other. My studio is only about three blocks east of it, which makes my little detours very convenient!

This is Roswell Community Church, probably my favorite little church in all of Colorado Springs. I think it looks like a little 1940s postcard kind of church. I've never been inside it, but I'd love to shoot a wedding there. It's adorable.

Roller Derby ladies

Just another shot of some of the Pikes Peak Derby Dames going at it Saturday night. By the end of the evening I was convinced that I wanted to be a Derby Dame too. Although I don't know if I'm tough enough! Take a look at these gals, they're pretty scary! Maybe I'll just watch safely from the sidelines ;o)