Phase Shift

Earlier this month I was running errands with a friend when we happened to drive past the Ent Center, where I noticed this extremely large art installation. Naturally we had to stop for some pictures! It's called Phase Shift, and the artist is Martha Russo. If that material looks familiar, it's because Ms. Russo used wattles to create these interesting forms. Wattles are those large manmade berms used for things like flood mitigation or temporary landscaping. Like many mundane and strictly functional objects, wattles are not pretty, so they do not make for a pretty art piece, but that's not the point. Art is often deeply personal to its creator, it doesn't necessarily need to make sense to the viewer, and it even can be simply about contour, form or volume and nothing else. I've included an artist's statement at the bottom of this post if you're curious about the inspiration for Phase Shift. And if you're interested to know more about Ms. Russo's work, visit her website at www.martharussostudio.com. 

Phlox-tastic

Apologies for the little gap in posting, friends! We're trying to plan a vacation that has a lot of moving parts, to to speak, and this was the weekend that both of us had time to sit down together, make all the decisions, and fine tune everything. It was quite a brain drain! And a time suck, which meant I had to put the blog on the back burner while we hashed things out. Anyway, the trip isn't for a few weeks yet but we really needed to  get everything all lined up, and now I feel a lot better about that. 

Here's some pretty purple phlox in my friend JB's garden yesterday. I'm thinking of pulling out the masses of euphorbia that have thrived in one of our gardens for many years now, and JB has promised a few phlox to take its place. I do like this color!

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September 15, 2022, taken (I think) from Rampart Road and looking east. Don't quote me on this, but I think I was up there doing some senior portraits, and grabbing pictures like this as opportunities arose. Anyway, nice view and nice light!

Clang, Clang, Clang Went the Trolley!

Did you know that we have a trolley museum here, and that it's been around since 1982? This shot is from my archives, taken on March 3, 2010, over 14 years ago. The last time I was at this museum was probably about five years ago and it's really come along. You should check it out some time!

And now, for your listening pleasure...

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Another one from the archives, taken on December 15, 2014. Apparently I don't have a shot of the identifying placard, so I can't tell you who created this kinetic sculpture. But I believe it still stands in the same spot, so maybe I'll take another picture of it one of these days and include the artist's info and the name of the work. No promises, though! Ha.

Pink Is the New Pink

The eastern redbud are in high bloom all over the older parts of town right now and they couldn't be prettier! I think this year's display is extra spectacular because of the foot of snow we got last month.

Sunday Style!

Behold my friend Mindy, who came by my studio the other day to pick something up, and was cajoled into a five second photo shoot before I let her go. Isn't she cool?

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One from the archives, dated January 19, 2019.

Acid Trip

There's already some great color in my front garden! I took this on April 7th -- apologies for the low quality, I used my phone instead of a real camera. Things are starting to pop and I'm here for it! The hardy perennials are definitely showing signs of life now. There's still a long way to go before I can plant anything in the veggie garden though; end of May is the target. It's snowing as I type this but by Sunday it'll be nice again. Typical spring weather at 6,000+ feet above sea level.

Art Imitates Life... Sort Of

I was on a mission recently with my friend JB at a place called C&C Sand. It was her mission, not mine, I was just tagging along. C&C Sand is one of those places where you buy landscaping stuff for your yard -- you know, gravel, pavers, hunks of rock from small to enormous. I wandered around while JB perused a pallet of rocks for a retaining wall, and as I passed these slabs of slate I noticed how they mimicked the much larger hunk of snow-covered granite in the background.

My Friend Flicker

Pat and I indulged in some birding in Monument Valley Park on Sunday evening, and this pair of northern flickers caught our attention near the end of our walk. One of them you can see clearly, and the other one is just to the right of it, on the trunk of the tree, its back to the camera. Aren't they pretty? We were really there to see turkey buzzards, and we did spy quite a few of them but I was unable to get a good picture. They were impressive! The flickers were just gravy, but it was nice to see them anyway.

Humpty Dumpty Sat on a Very Low Wall

This little dude in front of the Pikes Peak Center is a local favorite. After all, who could resist him, right? He's firmly affixed to his wall and is in no danger of falling off, never mind the nursery rhyme.

Selfie-ish

I've featured eXe by Michael Shewmaker on this blog before (HERE), so consider this more of a self portrait instead. Can you see me reflected in the giant X? I'm wearing jeans and a pale yellow sweater.

Sunday Style!

I had to run to the grocery store on Friday to buy exactly one thing, and as I was leaving I came across this cute duo. Love the clogs, the yellow and white striped sweater, the cool messenger bag, and especially the adorable dog! I have an almost legendary ability to forget someone's name less then five seconds after learning it, so forgive me if I get this wrong: I believe the woman's name is Olivia and the dog's name is Miss Georgie. Anyway, great springtime outfit and what a cute pup!

Convergence

Three pedestrians converge in passing, exactly in the center of this mural on Tejon Street.

Beckoning

Another little moment from Monument Valley Park yesterday. It's hard to resist the allure of a path that leads off to a point that you can't see. This quiet spot was much more compelling in person than in a photo, but even so, doesn't it beckon to you?

Colors of Spring

Walking the dog in Monument Valley Park this evening netted me this image. Signs of spring are suddenly everywhere! I've lived here long enough to know that there will be at least one more snowstorm before winter takes a bow. For us, spring includes snow well into May, and by then we are all good and tired of it, that's for sure. But these mild days when things start to bud in earnest give me hope!

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I'm a little brain tired tonight, so I'm plumbing the archives for material. Here's a splashy moment from Sepetmber of 2019, and though I'm not sure where I took this I'll hazard a guess and say that it was in Cheyenne Canon.

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An interesting sculpture currently on display at the Ent Center. My apologies to the artist -- usually when I post any kind of art here on the blog, I make it a point to mention the name of the creator and the work, but this time I failed to take a picture of the identifying information. But anyway, I like the piece and it looks great in front of the striking Ent Center.

The Sky's Gone Out (Again)

Today was total solar eclipse day! It was also Pat's birthday, and what an awesome birthday present for him, right? This is the third solar eclipse in Colorado in seven years, which is pretty cool if you ask me. Here in Colorado Springs today's eclipse was 67% at its maximum, so I heard. This photo was taken at 12:39 PM, exactly at the apex of the big event, and it's a miracle that I got a picture at all. I of course was wearing eclipse glasses, which are so dark you can't even see your hand in front of your face. I'd set my camera down on the roof of the car to put the glasses on, then I would be unable to find the camera again! I was having no luck at all getting a good exposure since I didn't have a proper filter, so Pat ended up holding the cheesy plastic eclipse glasses in front of my lens and I bracketed my exposures, rapid fire. I couldn't even tell if I was getting anything, let alone anything in focus. It wasn't until I got home that I saw exactly two sharp and well exposed images out of the many pictures I took. Anyway, that was fun and since it's going to be a very long time before it happens again in our neck of the woods (the year 2043 is being bandied about), I'm glad I managed to get a decent shot for the blog.

Sunday Style!

Yup, I stalked yet another groovy shopper at the grocery store. This guy was actually head to toe cool, but I only got a picture of his stylish shoes.

Leave It to Beavers

I believe beavers are the culprits behind the new pond in Sondermann Park, and here's your first clue. Mystery solved. Call me Sherlock.

Tranquil

A tranquil little pond seems to have appeared out of nowhere in Sondermann Park. As you can see, these large trees are partly submerged, which is a new development (I don't visit this park often, so let's say it's new to me). Upon closer inspection, it appears to be the handiwork of beavers! More on that tomorrow.

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More from Sondermann Park. As I mentioned yesterday, the place was nearly deserted and I only came across three people. Here are two of them. They were happy to meet Frodo, who charms everyone with his happy little personality.

Have a Seat

I took Frodo for a walk in Sondermann Park (a.k.a. the Beidleman Environmental Center/the Catamount Institute) on Sunday. It was a beautiful day, but we ran into just three other people -- and two other dogs -- while there. You can find this intriguing tree stump seat just after crossing the bridge over the creek.

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A closer up view of what the golfers in yesterday's post had for a backdrop. Not bad! There are several feet of snow crowning Pikes Peak at the moment, and it's beautiful.

April 2024 Theme Day: Medicine

Happy April Fool's Day! Since it's the first of the month, it's also Theme Day for City Daily Photo bloggers, and this month the theme is medicine. I spent most of the last month sick, so trust me when I say I'm tuned into the theme! I was pretty much drugged up on both over the counter and prescription meds the entire time, and I only left the house once, to go to the urgent care facility. I know that the medications are meant to make you feel better, but in a way they make you feel worse: logy, exhausted, dull. And since they stay in your system for a while, it's hard to shake that inertia off. Being stuck indoors certainly did not help my mental state, either. After a while, I got a terrible case of cabin fever and I can't tell you how good it felt when I was finally able to venture out into the world again, even when it was just to run a couple of errands! I snapped this photo on March 23rd, when I was still feeling crummy but just good enough to have lunch with my friend JB at the Patty Jewett golf course. The view from there is wonderful and it lifted my spirits. So did the beautiful weather. I think that friends, fresh air, sunshine and exercise are the best form of medicine, don't you agree?

For more takes on medicine by CDP bloggers everywhere, click HERE. Enjoy!