Goodbye 2012!

Last photo of the year! This one accompanies the two preceding posts -- it's a window in a stairwell of the Black Hawk Fire Department, decorated for Christmas. I got to hang out there for an afternoon in October, shooting engagement portraits of my clients Jaime and Sam. The BHFD guys made me some hot chocolate to ward off the chill. Wasn't that nice of them?

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Inside the Black Hawk Fire Station (see yesterday's post), a wall almost completely covered in patches from fire departments all over.

Fire engine red

My favorite color! I got this up close and personal shot of a fire engine in tiny Black Hawk, Colorado, when I was there in late October to do engagement portraits for my clients Jaime and Sam. As it happens, Sam is a Fire Captain in the Black Hawk Fire Department, so we got to shoot with a couple of their fabulous trucks (including an antique one). That was so much fun!

And for dessert....

Not that I need more calories after eating three days' worth of food in one sitting on Tuesday, but I thought I'd post this shot of the pastry case at Marigold Café and Bakery, captured on Christmas Eve while I was there for lunch. It reminds me of the wonderful patisseries in France and Switzerland. Sigh.

Feeding the hungry... squirrels!

For some reason Pat has had a crisis of conscience lately when it comes to squirrels. I have no idea why, but suddenly he's become concerned for their welfare and has decided to feed them! Of course this required a lot of research, because that's the kind of guy Pat is ;^) So after much thought and deliberation, he bought a five pound bag of pumpkin seeds online and a big ugly bowl from the thrift store, and a couple of days ago he laid out a big feast for the little buggers. And literally within 30 seconds this squirrel was chowing down. We thought it was so funny (and astounding, really), I had to get my camera out and snap a few pictures. What a cute little guy! And for the record, pumpkin seeds are very good for squirrels, and here's your proof that squirrels really, REALLY like them.

Merry Christmas!

I have no picture today, but wanted to wish all my readers a happy Christmas! By now most of you who celebrate Christmas have opened your presents and enjoyed a big meal.  I am about to serve dinner, and the whole house smells wonderful.  I hope all of you have had a magical day filled with love, happy surprises, comfort and joy. I know I have.

See you tomorrow!

Christmas Eve

I had my usual Christmas Eve lunch with my mom and brother today at Marigold Café and Bakery, a great restaurant on the northwest side of town. They have fabulous baked goods there. On our way out, I grabbed a picture of this yummy-looking yule log. Mmmmmmm!!!  Alas, we are looking at it from the wrong end.  That white blob on top of the log on the right is supposed to be a snowbank I think, and next to it is a red and white sleigh with Santa and his reindeer.  I couldn't go behind the counter to photograph it from the correct angle, but still you can see how nice it is.  I bet it tastes even better than it looks!

New knitting shop in Colorado Springs!

I found a new knit shop in Colorado Springs! Well it's new to me, anyway. Apparently it's been there for a while, but I only just noticed it -- which is both tragic and inexplicable, since it's across the street from Poor Richards, one of my favorite places in the world. I need to get my eyes checked, obviously. It's called the Woolly Works Knit Shop (327 N. Tejon), and when I noticed it last week on my way to Colorado Co-op, I had to stop everything and take a picture of it. I'm an avid, self-taught knitter, and what I lack in skill I make up for in enthusiasm. I can't wait to go in and touch all the beautiful yarns and choose a new project!  And maybe even sign up for a class.  I've never had a formal knitting lesson, but it's never too late to get some real instruction or learn a new technique. How exciting!

Cold day

It was a chilly 19 degrees Fahrenheit (-7 Celsius) when I snapped this picture while waiting in traffic on Fillmore Street on Wednesday afternoon. Winter has finally arrived.

Free parking!

Every Saturday in December, parking is free in downtown Colorado Springs. What a bonus! Especially if you happen to be out of quarters, like I always am ;^)

Even funner, did you know that since last month, every day there are two parking spots chosen at random for free parking downtown? You can read all about it HERE. What a nice surprise that'd be, to pull into a spot and find that you don't have to pay!

A thing of beauty

Almost too pretty to drink, Pat's cappuccino from Fluid Coffee Bar in Denver, where we spent Friday afternoon hanging out with his good friend Brendan. I've always wondered how they put those  charming designs into the foam.

Art Art Art Art

It's all about art, in case you didn't get the message! This is the new-ish mural on the west facade of the Cottonwood Center for the Arts, 427 E. Colorado Avenue. Sorry for the randomness of the picture, it was literally a grab shot while waiting in traffic. I've been meaning to photograph this wall for a while but have been too lazy to just park my car and walk up to it, so this will have to do ;^)

My daily pick-me-up

Thursday's little pick-me-up from Dutch Brothers Coffee, served with a smile! We all have our own favorite coffee concoction that likely requires a complicated explanation when ordered. Lately I'm addicted to a large half-caf (or sometimes decaf) "wet" cappuccino, 2%, with three spoons of sugar-free hazelnut. I can never order it without stumbling over the words. I'm fine until I get to the sugar-free hazelnut part, and then I get stuck every time!  It's a good thing the baristas at Dutch Brothers already know what I'm going to order when they see my red car drive up to the window ;^)

Saigon Café

Behold my birthday lunch, courtesy of my mom, who took me to Saigon Café to celebrate. It's been a long time since we ate there. I had the vegetarian noodle bowl, which was delicious! And ENORMOUS. Can you get a sense from this picture of how tasty it was?  Mmmmm, I can't wait to go back!

Tejon Street Music

Here's a local business that's been going strong since 1976! Where to buy a guitar, bass, banjo, ukulele or mandolin in Colorado Springs? Tejon Street Music, right next to the Poor Richards Complex!  I know a lot of people think that their only option is the Guitar Center, which is a large national chain, but locally owned Tejon Street Music has a large, ever-changing inventory and some seriously  helpful and knowledgeable people on their staff. Support your local small businesses this Christmas! (And you gotta love their motto: "I pick, therefore I am.")

Another beautiful birthday sunset from Mother Nature

The last couple of years I seem have gotten into the habit of posting sunsets on or around my birthday (see December 14, 2011 and December 14, 2010), so I'll do the same this year. This beauty was captured in Vail last weekend while I was there shooting a wedding with my friend Autumn. I had just enough time to capture it right before the colors faded into the night sky. Gorgeous.

Today I'll be celebrating my birthday with my mom for lunch and my darling Pat for dinner. Hopefully I'll remember to take a few snapshots during the day to share with you here later on.  I hope everyone has a wonderful day today!

Where are we going?

Sorry for the brief absence from the blog. I'm up to my neck in Christmas orders and have had no time to go out and take any pictures of Colorado Springs!

I took this photo a couple of weekends ago while on a family portrait shoot. These Canadian geese were flying west, not south, and not in a nice V formation. My clients and I wondered where the geese were headed, then we realized they must have been flying to the lake at the nearby Broadmoor Hotel. You can always find lots of Canadian geese there -- they love it. Why fly south for the winter when you can hang out at a five star resort?!?

Double stop

On Friday Pat and went to tiny Louviers, Colorado to have our Christmas portraits done by my good friend Autumn. As she was taking a few pictures of Pat, I snuck away and snapped a shot of this sign that had caught my eye.

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A brightly painted door in Old Colorado City.

The smallest studio in town

Or possibly the smallest in the world, even. Behold the petite studio of local artist Laura Reilly, in the heart of Old Colorado City. This was once a passageway for horses -- a narrow alley measuring only about five feet across. At some point it was closed in with a roof, back wall and front door, and after spending many years as the storage unit for the old hardware store, it eventually made its way into Laura's hands. It's such a cozy little space, lined floor to ceiling with Laura's cheerful, impressionistic paintings. Laura sits at the back of the space and paints as shoppers wander in and out (that's her in the photo). I saw a couple of paintings in there I'd like to have. Hmmmm, my birthday and Christmas are coming up, maybe I can convince someone to buy an original Laura Reilly to add to my collection...

Lubbock or leave it

One last post from my recent Texas trip. On our way home we stopped in Lubbock, Texas, home of Buddy Holley and many other influential musicians. This is the roofline of the Buddy Holley Center on Crickets Avenue (in case you didn't know this, "the Crickets" was the name of his band -- the next street over is Buddy Holley Avenue). It's a beautiful old building. I can't remember what the placard said its original purpose was, but I'm glad it's been restored and put to use as a museum.  Doesn't it look grand with that bright blue sky above it?

Below, a photo of the larger than life Buddy Holley statue across the street at the Buddy Holley Plaza. It's a fitting homage to a great rock and roll trailblazer who died far too young.  RIP Buddy Holley, your music lives on!  Not fade away, indeed.