I really like the colors of this building, especially beneath the sharp blue springtime sky.

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One of the many large sculptures surrounding the Denver Art Museum, with the Denver Public Library in the background.

The Denver Public Library

 

The Denver Public Library, designed by famed architect Michael Graves. I think this is one of the most striking pieces of modern architecture in Colorado.

Would-be climbers, beware!

The Garden of the Gods is a very popular place for rock climbers, as you can imagine. It's also a very popular place for foolhardy tourists to test out their imagined climbing "skills", only to get stuck on top of some towering rock formation or other. High angle rescues are common here, especially during the summer months. This sign is supposed to deter the yahoos but I don't know how effective it is!

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Looking through the Garden of the Gods Park to the Kissing Camels in the distance, at twilight.

The Three Graces

This rock formation in the Garden of the Gods is known as the Three Graces, and it's easily accessible via a paved trail. It's a dramatic, almost sculpture-like formation from any angle.

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Another image from our stroll through the Garden of the Gods the other evening. I don't know the name of this particular rock formation, but I can tell you I've sure done my share of senior portraits right here in this spot!

Cathedral Rock

Yesterday Pat and I took an early evening stroll in the Garden of the Gods. This was a rare treat -- usually when either of us is there, it's work related. We paused to take pictures here and there in the twilight. In this shot you can see Cathedral Rock in the distance. So beautiful.

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A shot of Cheyenne Creek rip-roaring over stones and boulders at the foot of Helen Hunt Falls.

I scream, you scream, we all scream for Josh & John's!

It's getting to be that time of year! Okay, maybe not quite yet, since as I type this it's snowing ;^) But I can usually be talked into ice cream no matter the weather, especially Josh & John's ice cream! Saturday's goodness included chocolate peanut butter chocolate chip for me, and yellow cake cookie dough for Pat. Mmmmmmm!

YSL in Denver

Photography was forbidden inside the confines of the Yves Saint Laurent retrospective currently on display at the Denver Art Museum (see yesterday's post), but I found these gorgeous YSL designs in the gift shop. They are for sale through a vintage shop in Denver. I especially love the one-shouldered little black dress in the center. I have a huge collection of vintage little black dresses dating from about the 1920s through the '60s. It'd be nice to add an '80s YSL frock to my collection, don't you think? Especially one that was featured on the cover of Women's Wear Daily!

The Yves Saint Laurent retrospective at the Denver Art Museum

The mind bogglingly comprehensive retrospective of famed couturier Yves Saint Laurent will only be seen in three cities in the world: Paris, Madrid, and Denver, where it is making its final stop at the Denver Art Museum. And it is amazing. I had a chance to spend all of yesterday afternoon with my best friend Jenn and my brother Chuck, ooooh-ing and aaaah-ing over hundreds of YSL's breathtaking, exquisitely crafted and otherwise indescribably iconic pieces. A big high point for me was the famous Mondrian shift from 1965. I couldn't believe I was standing inches away from it! There were so many other garments that truly defy description, just beautiful. If you live anywhere near Denver, I urge you to make a visit to the Denver Art Museum before the show closes on July 8th. Fashion as art? Absolutely!

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I didn't have a current photo for today's post, so I dug out this image from a few months ago: a closeup of the front grille of the old truck that's parked behind my studio.

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More spring prettiness. The apple blossoms look so crisp and distinct against the deep blue of the Victorian in the background.

Firecracker red

I'm always drawn to the color red. It's my favorite. Pat and I were taking a stroll downtown when I was attracted by these decorative faux fireworks outside a Chinese restaurant on Kiowa Street. I love the combination of red and gold, don't you?

Congratulations Mondo Guerra!

As a lifelong fashionista, it only makes sense that I would be addicted to Project Runway. And as a Coloradoan, it only makes sense that I would root for Denverite Mondo Guerra to win the Project Runway All Stars competition that concluded a couple of weeks ago. It was big news in Denver when he won! I was actually in Europe when the finale aired, so I had to watch it on Hulu when I got home. I was cheering at my laptop screen when they announced the winner! Mondo totally deserved the win -- I absolutely looooove his designs. I hope he goes far!

The other night Pat and I were in Denver, eating at our favorite diner, Pete's Kitchen. The place is an institution (I've blogged about it here more than once), and the walls are covered with autographed photos of the many famous athletes and entertainers that have dined there over the years. I found Mondo's autographed Westword cover in the hallway and had to get a snap of it. Darn, I wonder when he was there? I missed it! If I'd been there when Mondo was, I probably would have walked up to him and given him a great big hug.

Now Mondo, if only you'd let this Coloradoan shoot your next collection, my life would be complete!

The Colorado Springs Century Chest

Yesterday afternoon I had to run downtown to buy a birthday card for a certain someone. On the way up Tejon I noticed these gorgeous eastern redbuds in bloom and made a mental note to double back and grab a shot of it. Later on, in editing the picture, I tried to remember what occupied that particular building before its current tenant (the Colorado College), and I was 99% certain that it was Berwick Electric, which makes sense since Berwick has been in business for over 90 years. It's only recently that the building changed hands, actually. But just to be certain, I googled the address -- and I came up with the most interesting document! Here it is: http://coloradocollege.edu/Library/SpecialCollections/CenturyChest/transcription52.html Apparently, in 1901 a fellow named Samuel Le Nord Caldwell, MD, wrote a rather lengthy, detailed missive about Colorado Springs, and put it into something called a "century chest"... you know, a time capsule! I never knew that we had an official time capsule in Colorado Springs, let alone that a century had passed and it had been opened to reveal its contents. Fascinating!

The structure that sits at 815 N. Tejon today was built in the 1930s or '40s I'd guess, judging from the architecture, so Dr. Caldwell wrote his century chest manifesto in what must have been the original structure on that site. I wonder what it looked like and why it was replaced. At any rate, if you have time to read his letter, you should. It's fascinating! To read more about the Colorado Springs Century Chest and its multitude of captivating historical contents, click HERE-- there's even a letter from Vice President Theodore Roosevelt!

And to my wonderful Pat, happy birthday. I love you.

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Spring blossoms in full bloom, a bit earlier than most years thanks to a mild winter, and bright blue spring skies to boot.

April Theme Day... again!

Okay, call me crazy but I'm having a second go at Theme Day. April's theme was cobblestones, and because we haven't got any cobblestones in Colorado Springs (or so I thought!), I blogged a picture of the street sign at Cobblestone Drive. But a couple of days later, my friend Aaron randomly posted a photo on Facebook... a photo of cobblestones! As it turns out, there's a small but deep pothole on Tejon and Kiowa downtown, and it reveals old cobblestones below the surface. Who knew? So yesterday I drove down there and walked into the street and took a quick picture of it. The things I do for my blog!

Click here to view thumbnails for all participants.

Antique ore car

This old ore car can be found in Old Colorado City, and it dates back to the the days of the gold rush. Pikes Peak or bust! These days it's all about tourism and the military, but our city was originally built on three things: tubercolosis, the railroads, and gold. Old Colorado City is deep on the west side of Colorado Springs. Did you know that it was the original capital of Colorado? Now it's filled with pretty little shops and restaurants, but back in the day it was a rough and tumble gold town.

Here's a close up shot of the placard on the ore car, so you can read about its origins:

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A monochrome view of Pikes Peak in the late afternoon on Thursday, over Prospect Lake.

April theme day: cobblestones

It's the first of the month again! Time for City Daily Photo bloggers all over the world to post their Theme Day pictures. This month's theme is cobblestones. Since Colorado Springs is a fairly new city, established in 1871, we really don't have any cobblestones here -- but we do have a Cobblestone Drive! It's located off of Star Ranch Road in the Broadmoor Bluffs neighborhood, just west of Highway 115. That's Cheyenne Mountain in the background, where NORAD is famously located.

CDP bloggers worldwide have posted their Theme Day images. Click here to view thumbnails for all participants!