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One of our gorgeous downtown Victorians. This one's a beauty! Don't you just love the mint green, cream and black color scheme?

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A self portrait taken in a circular window on Tejon and Willamette a couple of days ago.

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The bell tower of First Congregational Church, seen through the last vestiges of autumn color.

Let the madness begin

Well, we survived Black Friday. Actually I stayed home that day, since the thought of battling it out with thousands of other shoppers does not appeal to me in the least! I do have friends who go crazy for Black Friday and spend weeks planning their assault. Yikes!

The problem with a national shopping day, I think, is that it never occurs to people to go anywhere but the big box stores. Did you know that yesterday was Small Business Saturday? I own a small business, and I strongly believe in spending your money locally. Pat and I decided this year to buy as many gifts as we can from local businesses rather than huge corporations. So on my blog for the next few weeks, periodically I'll be sharing local shopping ideas with you. Think outside the big box store! I'll start with one of my favorite antique stores, Repeat Performance (829 N. Union Blvd., 719-633-1325). I have been shopping there since about 1983 or '84. Seriously, my addiction to vintage clothes, jewelry and accessories was born at Repeat Performance, way back in college. They don't just have the best vintage clothes in town, they have tons of amazing vintage kitchenware, furniture and tchotchkes. It'll make your head spin. The above photo only shows about a zillionth of what is actually packed into that small pink building. I love it. No matter what you end up buying there, it'll be 100% unique!

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The last vestiges of autumn cling to a tree near my studio. All they need is a stiff breeze to help them fulfill their destiny.

The leaves are leaving

Soon it will be winter. I notice there are more leaves on the ground than on the trees now.

There's a sheep in your truck

Yesterday I had lunch with my friend Stephani downtown, and as we were walking from my car to the restaurant we passed this truck with a life-sized, carved statue of a bighorn sheep in its bed. Well actually I blipped right past it (how did I manage to miss it?!?) until Steph brought it to my attention. It was so odd, it made me laugh! I had to get a picture for the blog. Definitely a weird thing to see on the street!

Jose Muldoon's

There are a couple of Mexican restaurants downtown, most notably El Taco Rey and Jose Muldoon's. El Taco Rey is more of a lunch destination (and it's awesome -- huge helpings of traditional Mexican), and ever-popular Jose's is where to go for dinner and margaritas. Yum. I've been going there since college and I still love the place. They've recently opened a second location on the east side of town. I'm sure it's great, but I prefer the original location on Tejon Street.

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The cupola and weather vane of a Victorian home on Pikes Peak Avenue.

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The restaurant next door to La Baguette on Pikes Peak has been remodeled with a New Orleans theme. This is the new gate, which effectively blocks off traffic to the alleyway between the restaurant and the Independence Building. I think it's a good fit for the existing architecture.

The watcher

A mannequin at the Colorado Co-op surveys Tejon Street from her vantage point in the shop window. I went in there with my friend Linda yesterday and immediately found about ten things I can't live without. I managed to restrain myself to one item, but I can definitely tell you what I want for my birthday now! (Pat are you reading this?) ;^)

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Lately a strange old truck has been parked behind my studio. I wonder who it belongs to. It reminds me of the old bookmobile vans when we were kids. Here's a picture of one of the headlights.

High winds in Colorado Springs

Colorado can be a very windy place! Yesterday we had extreme gusts, up to 81 miles per hour (heck, 86 MPH at the Air Force Academy!), and it felt like my house was going to blow away. I looked outside and saw that our neighbors' carport actually had blown away! Well, sort of. More like it got picked up and thrown back down in place. Bummer! I'm just glad it didn't connect with those wires. It looks like there's going to be some cleanup to do all around the city.

Windy Mountain

Another Art on the Streets piece, this one entitled Windy Mountain, by Boulder artist Joshua Wiener. It sits near the entrance to the Pikes Peak Center on Cascade Avenue. For those more interested in our Art on the Streets program, visit www.artonthestreets.com/, and for a walking tour map click HERE.

The Pikes Peak Center

The south face of the Pikes Peak Center, photographed from the plaza that separates it from Centennial Hall. Late afternoon winter light really brings out the texture and contours of the structure.

The friendly horsewoman

A couple of weekends ago I was in Red Rock Canyon doing some family portraits, and it was such a nice day that we saw several people on horseback taking advantage of the beautiful weather, including this friendly lady and her spirited steed. Perfect day for a ride!

The landlocked seagull

I'm always bemused to find seagulls anywhere but the coast. This particular bird was photographed in Casper, Wyoming, over the Platte River. Sure it's a body of water, but the association with the ocean is too strong in my head -- I can't help but think, "How did that crazy bird get here?" It's a real head scratcher for me whenever I find a seagull so many thousands of miles from the coast.

Unexpected fall color

Yesterday the maple tree in front of my studio caught my eye because the leaves had turned an unusual color. It seems to me that in past years it's been like any other tree and just went a nice golden color, but this green and magenta combination is much more fetching, don't you think? It's almost like rhubarb!

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An overlooked picture from my Wyoming trip last month. I was in Casper to shoot a wedding. In sorting out the final edit, I came across this photo that I took specifically for the blog and had forgotten about. Love all the bright colors! So cheerful!

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The Art Nouveau swirls that border the roof overhang of the City Auditorium. Such a nice touch, and I imagine it wasn't easy to craft this. The building was erected in 1922-23. I'm so glad it has survived with all its details intact. The City Aud is much beloved by us downtowners!

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On Tuesday as I was voting (see yesterday's post), I noticed this moving sculpture in front of the Pikes Peak Center. It was such a sunny, happy moment that I had to capture it on video for you.

Another day, another election

Yesterday was another election: School District 11 director (vote for up to four), Proposition 103 (yes or no), and Issue 2B (yes or no). I like that we have these ballot drop-offs now. It makes it even easier to vote -- just drive up to the curb and the nice election volunteer comes up and takes it from you. Easy peasy!

November Theme Day: Fences

It's theme day for CDP bloggers! All over the world, City Daily Photo bloggers are posting their interpretations of this month's theme, fences. Here's my contribution, shot on October 30th on the corner of Espanola and Cascade in the Old North End. These beautiful old homes have such graceful wrought iron fences, and this one looked particularly beautiful in the afternoon light.

To see more fences from all over the world, click here to view thumbnails for all participants!