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We had another flat tire a couple of weekends ago and the guys at Peerless Tire on N. Nevada took good care of us, as always. While I waited for them to fix my tire, I spotted this row of car jacks lined up against their blue wall in the morning sun like soldiers at attention. I love it when I find random things like this, just waiting to be photographed.

Mountain traffic jam

This is what an avalanche looks like when you're trying to get back down the mountain. Not so dramatic, eh? After picking up Pat from the ski area at Monarch, we found ourselves stuck for about half an hour while crews cleaned up a small avalanche that covered the road in snow. I entertained myself by taking pictures, of course :o)

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The bare aspen trees cast their shadows onto the snow on Monarch Mountain last Friday.

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A red schoolhouse (that looks to be still in use and well-maintained) on Monarch Mountain near the ski area. Such an American classic! I thought it was so picturesque, I had to stop the truck and get a photo of it in the snow and trees.

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Another view of the pet cemetery just outside the city limits of Salida (see yesterday's post). It looks like "Nugget" lived to be 16. That's a good long time for a doggie. If you look closely you can see a figurine of a rather sad looking puppy figurine propped up next to the headstone. Nugget's family must miss him a lot :o(

Pet cemetery

I came across this pet cemetery on the outskirts of Salida, across the street from an animal hospital. There are a lot of well-loved critters buried here. I loved the names: Scooter, Rusty, Buffy, Tasha, Meatball. There was one simply named Cat. This little guy, Meatball, had a good long run. At 13, assuming he was a big dog as his name suggests, that's about 90+/- in dog years!

Self-portrait

A self-portrait, taken in the window of an interesting building in Salida.

Please scoop the poop

I thought this sign next to the Arkansas River in Salida was funny. I guess when it comes to poop, there's no mincing words.

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A slow exposure of the Arkansas River in Salida (see yesterday's post). I dragged the shutter a bit to get this effect. In a few months, the river will be raging and the whitewater rafters will be out in full force. Pat and I plan on going whitewater rafting this summer, as I've never tried it. I can't wait!

The Arkansas River

A view of the Arkansas River, which winds through Salida. I ate my lunch on a patio overlooking this nice view. The sound of rushing water is always so relaxing, and when the sun is shining you couldn't ask for a nicer spot to enjoy a sandwich!

The friendly beasts

A herd of deer outside the Salida Aquatic Center (see yesterday's post). They were more curious than afraid of me. I just thought it was cute how they congregated around a sign that says No Pets.

The Aquatic Center in Salida

An indoor shot of the Aquatic Center in Salida, about 100 miles from Colorado Springs. The pools are fed 100% from the natural hot springs that are so abundant in the region. Pat and I hit the Aquatic Center for a relaxing soak after he skied all day. I'm not a skier, so I just loafed -- I don't need an excuse for a relaxing soak!

I'll post more pictures of our little trip over the coming days.

Would you drink this?!?

I bet you would, actually! I know it looks like industrial waste, but it's Pat's vanilla milkshake at Red Top the other night. On St. Patrick's Day, of course it has to be green!

I've been away from the blog for a few days (work, ugh), but Pat and I went to Salida yesterday and I took a few nice pictures. I'll share them here over the coming days. Something to look forward to :o)

Pioneers Museum

A small section of the north facade of the Pioneers Museum, on Tejon and Vermijo downtown. Notice the Indian head carvings above each lower window. Very cool.

Sinton Pond

This homely little pond sits on Garden of the Gods road, east of the interstate and west of Nevada Avenue. I've never paid much attention to it. I'm sure it's manmade, and it's a pity they didn't try to beautify it in any way. I suppose it must serve some sort of drainage or reservoir function, because if it's meant for recreation, it sure missed the mark! Occasionally I notice people fishing there, but I can't imagine there's anything in Sinton Pond worth catching. There is a trail that passes by it; perhaps Pat and I will take a walk there soon and see if there's anything worth photographing for the blog.

I'm challenged by the sad looks of this pond. I'm going to use it as a location for a portrait or fashion shoot, and see if I can't make it look pretty, or at least interesting!

April 26, 2013 update: Per a comment I received on the blog today (see below), this little body of water is actually called Pikeview Reservoir, not Sinton Pond.  Actually, I had received a comment last July advising me that I had misidentified it, but that comment was so aggressively worded that I decided not to publish it. (Hey it's my blog, I can do what I want! Especially if you're not being nice. Ha.) Also, it didn't mention the correct name of this pond, so in addition to being snippy, it wasn't even helpful. But thanks to whoever made today's polite and informative comment, I am more enlightened! I'll make it a point to visit the real Sinton Pond this summer and take a picture of it for the blog.

Filler

I've been so busy the last few days, I've had no time to take any pictures for the blog! I hate to miss more than a day or two, so here's a photo I took on July 4th of last year: the classic Garden of the Gods view. Enjoy! I'll try and get out on Thursday to capture some new pictures for the blog.

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I was doing some engagement portraits in the Garden of the Gods the other day when I noticed this in the bushes a few yards off the road. Huh. I love finding weirdly random stuff like this, don't you?

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One of the cool turn of the century buildings in Old Colorado City. It's no longer a mattress store. I think it's an art gallery now.

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One of the beautiful old homes on Wood Avenue, my favorite part of town. This one looks like it was stuccoed at some point. I wonder what it looked like in its youth.

"I See What You Mean" (Denver Convention Center, Part 3)

This 40-foot high sculpture of a bear peeking into the Denver Convention Center is entitled I See What You Mean. I don't know how something so huge manages to be so whimsical! It's a real Denver landmark, and I look for it every time I drive by the convention center. It always makes me smile.

Denver Convention Center, Part 2

Another view of Denver's beautiful Convention Center. Even the font over the entrance is cool!

The Denver Convention Center

A dramatic shot looking straight up at the roofline of the Denver Convention Center last weekend. It's an enormous facility that includes the Center for the Performing Arts, and this photo shows only a very small fraction of it. I've attended a number of events there, and every time I get a little lost! I'd really love to do a fashion shoot there. It's just so cool.

Theme day!

The first of the month is Theme Day for City Daily Photo bloggers! This month's theme is "my favorite part of town". My regular readers know how much I love downtown, the west side, Roswell, the Garden of the Gods... it's a big city with lots of potential favorites! I'd have to say my absolute favorite part of town, though, is Wood Avenue in the Old North End. It's lined with gracious, beautifully maintained Victorian mansions and century-old trees. I've always said that if I won the lottery today I'd buy a house on Wood Avenue tomorrow! It's very close to my studio, so today I dashed over between clients to grab a quick picture for the blog. While there I noticed that one of the largest, most architecturally significant mansions on Wood is currently for sale. I better go and buy a lottery ticket!

CDP bloggers all over the world are posting their Theme Day photos today. Click here to view thumbnails for all participants!