The Colorado Psychedelic Church

Did you know that we have a church here that espouses the use of psychedelics as a vehicle in your spiritual journey? It's called the Colorado Psychedelic Church -- a bit on the nose, yes, but might as well get straight to the point. Your first reaction might be to laugh but they're serious. And hey, we have about ten zillion other churches here, why not a psychedelic one, right? Their message is quite positive and inclusive, and I can certainly wrap my brain around that. And it's not like there haven't been countless other religious practices over the long history of human existence that have used mind altering drugs as part of their rituals.

I've been aware of its existence for some time but I only recently realized that the Colorado Psychedelic Church is next door to Cameraworks, where I buy a lot of my photography gear! Maybe they just moved into that spot. You'd think I would have noticed before now.

Sunday Style!

Seen at Cameraworks a couple of weeks ago. Every subculture has its particular visual attributes; for fans of the Grateful Dead it's the familiar dancing bears.

The Guy with the Horse

Every now and then I see this guy walking or riding his palomino across Academy Boulevard at Maizeland Road. I frequent that particular intersection because my studio is half a block north of this spot. There is a small pocket of unincorporated city nearby, which is weird but kind of cool too, since unincorporated areas are zoned for horses. I cannot describe for you how busy this intersection is -- with the turn lanes it's 9 or 10 lanes across. However, the horse is always completely unfazed by all the traffic and noise. No doubt they were headed to Palmer Park (directly behind me) for a ride. On the other end of the park there are stables, by the way. Colorado Springs may be perpetually expanding, but we still retain our western and horsey roots.

This picture is a little soft because I was shooting it through the bottom part of my car windshield. The curve of the glass made it impossible for me to get a sharp photo but I was just glad to get something. Whenever I see this guy and his horse, I never seem to have a camera handy, so blurry or not, this was a win!

Long Live The Mill Outlet!

If you read this blog regularly, you probably already know that I'm an avid sewist. That and knitting are really my only "crafts." I'm not handy with a glue gun and don't know how to pronounce Cricut. That kind of stuff was never my jam. But I do love to sew and knit! I can crochet, too. These skills were taught to me when I was a child in the Philippines, so maybe that's why they've stuck with me. At any rate, sewing makes me a fan of The Mill Outlet, which is a locally owned fabric store on Prospect Street just south of Fillmore. I've been a regular customer for many years. This is a large city, and people don't like to drive far outside their zone to get what they need, but with the nationwide closing of Joann's Fabrics and Crafts, The Mill Outlet has suddenly become a hot spot, even for those who rarely venture west of Academy Boulevard. I'm so glad of it! I went there a couple of weekends ago and it was actually hard to find a parking spot. The place was buzzing. When a big box store opens, it makes the mom and pop stores wither and die. But when a big box store closes, here's your proof that the opposite thing happens. Long live The Mill Outlet!

Mid-Academy Boulevard

You could say that Academy Boulevard is the main drag here. It goes all the way from the very south end of town to the Air Force Academy. The middle section of Academy Boulevard, bounded by about Palmer Park Boulevard to the south and Constitution to the north, has been in a sort of depressing, half empty limbo for years now. Academy is six lanes wide, not including turn lanes, and this part of it has a large median separating the northbound and southbound lanes -- large enough for a strip mall, in fact, probably built sometime in the 1960s. Unfortunately the little strip mall has been almost entirely empty for some time now, although there was a watch repair shop and a hookah lounge that hung on for a few years even after the rest of it slowly became vacant. Up until about 10-12 years ago it was full and bustling, though. In the 1990s there was a place called Housing Helpers, where I worked for about a year. It was my first ever office job; before that I had only worked in retail and restaurants. There was also the aforementioned watch repair guy, a large chain record store where several of my friends worked over the years, the Yakitori restaurant where I ate lunch most days (it's long since been relocated to Austin Bluffs Parkway), a plus sized clothing consignment shop, and I think there was a least one insurance agent to round things out. But times change, and recently the little strip mall in the middle of Academy Boulevard was torn down. I believe yet another giant convenience store/gas station is going up in its place.

And Now, for Something Completely Different

In a stark contrast to Pat's motorcycle pictures that I've been posting all week, here are some vintage toys. Today I went shopping at the antique mall on Academy Boulevard that long ago housed Weberg Furniture (only us Colorado Springs old timers will remember it). I was on the hunt for a 1960s Danish modern dining table, or maybe another Formica table, because I'm redoing the living and dining rooms in my house. I found both, but the Danish modern one was too big and kind of ugly (ha!), and the Formica one was more of a small kitchen table than a dining table. Besides, I've owned a nice red Formica table for decades; it's currently in service as a desk, but hopefully it'll be converted back to my sewing table soon.

So! Since I was disappointed in my hunt for the right dining table, I conservatively added to my collection of midcentury era goodies instead:  a pair of sparkly ear climber clip-on earrings, a little black dress, and a handful early 1960s sewing patterns. I have been a collector of vintage clothing, accessories, kitchenware and other odds and ends since I was a teenager, and I find it very difficult not to buy everything in sight when I go to a place like this. I feel like I did a good job of holding back today! Tomorrow I'll resume the hunt for a dining table.

Club Q

I have avoided posting the last few days because I didn't know what to say. Surely by now you're aware of the mass shooting at a gay nightclub called Club Q here in Colorado Springs on Saturday night. I've just been so angry, I could barely form words to write about it. Club Q is less than half a block from my photography studio, it's probably only a mile from the house where I spent my teenage years, and most importantly, it's a safe haven for our local LGBTQ+ community, among whom I count many lifelong friends.

This disgusting, cowardly act ended the lives of five innocent people and impacted so many more. Five families will be grieving on Thanksgiving instead of celebrating. Pat and I are so very shocked and saddened. On Sunday evening we went to the makeshift memorial where people had been gathering all day, to pay our respects and add flowers to the growing pile. But flowers don't help. Thoughts and prayers don't help. Legislation helps. It's my sincerest hope that soon our elected officials of a certain political party will finally be courageous enough to stand up to the bullying of what is truly only a minority of Americans, and do the right thing by passing common sense gun legislation.

To the people who lost their loved ones in this horrible, unthinkable event, I am holding you in my heart. They didn't deserve this. You didn't deserve this. For any Coloradoan who is feeling that the weight of this tragedy is too much to bear, please, please get in touch with the good folks at Colorado Crisis Services, and anyone, anywhere, especially if you're LGBTQ+, can call the National LGBT Hotline for help and support.

Hidden Gems (Part 4)

Another local small business that more people should know about! This little restaurant, Larry's Chicago Dogs, is just a couple of doors up from the dog groomer in yesterday's post, just south of Academy and Maizeland. In fact, Pat stopped in and got a delicious Chicago dog while he was waiting for our furry friend to get spiffed up, and he pronounced it to be delicious. Three cheers for small businesses!

Hidden Gems (Part 3)

Another installment in my series on local small businesses that are either off the beaten path or hiding in plain sight. This little dog grooming place is on North Academy. Pat first noticed it a few weeks ago and was hooked by the cute name, but since we didn't own a dog there was no reason for us to sample their services. Fast forward to last weekend, when a very adorable stray pup showed up in our yard. We seem to have adopted a dog, at least temporarily, so Pat took him to Dazzle Dogs to get spiffed up and came away a very happy customer. Let's hear it for the little mom and pop businesses instead of big chain stores!

Prairie Scooter

Sunday was a good day to get outside on your motorcycle, or in this guy's case, a trike. It was quite an attention-getting custom machine. I liked his play on Prairie Schooner.

Love Me

I took these photos on April 11th behind some commercial buildings near Academy and Bijou. I don't know which version I like better. What do you think?

The Dilemma

This woman on the corner of Platte and Academy is just one of many, in every part of the city, practically everywhere you turn. I've mentioned our enormous homeless problem before. But we certainly aren't alone among big cities. It's just heartbreaking. It's true that when you give your spare change to panhandlers, it almost always goes to feed a drug or alcohol habit. What can you do? Instead of handing out money, volunteer at or donate to the Springs Rescue Mission, the Marion House, Ecumenical Social Ministries, or Care and Share. It's the best way to help.

Sunday Style!

A ha! This is the photo I was searching for last weekend, that sent me down the rabbit hole of my archives file! I hope you've enjoyed all the "salon des refusés" images I've been posting over the past seven days, and it was all because I couldn't find this photo, which I took on May 19th of last year. (As it turns out, it wasn't in my archives file at all, which explains why I was having such a tough time locating it.) I snapped this guy on the UCCS campus, and while he certainly looks cool (those shoes!), what I like best about him is that his jeans fit. I don't mean that they're fitted, I mean they fit. Yes they're obviously designed to be narrow, and he's tall and slim so they look good on him, but my point is this: look how exactly perfect the length is. One of my biggest pet peeves is when people wear trousers or jeans that sag over their shoes. All that extra fabric looks sloppy and makes your legs look short, and I especially hate when hems drag on the ground and get torn and dirty. Getting your jeans adjusted to the right length is a minor expense and it makes you look considerably better!

If you're one of my local readers and you need to get some alterations done, I highly recommend Alterations by Sylvia, on the southwest corner of Academy and Union next to the aquarium store. She does a professional job, she's fast, and her prices are very reasonable.

The cause of all the commotion

Pat and I were running errands on Wednesday when we found ourselves stuck in a traffic jam on Academy Boulevard. Things were moving at a snail's pace, and to make things worse, it was rush hour. When we finally came upon the cause of all the drama, I snapped a photo from the passenger seat. What a mess! (There was another smashed up car too, blocking the left lane entirely.) Academy Boulevard is one of our busiest streets, if not the busiest. I avoid it as much as possible, but if you have to drive on it, it's a good idea to pay close attention or you might end up like this guy.

This gorilla thinks you need a haircut

When I saw this gorilla yesterday afternoon at Maizeland and Academy, I immediately thought of THIS funny gorilla from a few years ago. I think it's a distinctly American thing to have people dressed in crazy costumes and standing on street corners to advertise like this. You don't see many gorillas advertising barbershops in other countries! (P.S. I like his shirt.)

House fire near Academy and Constitution

There is a small townhome community northeast of Academy Boulevard and Constitution Avenue called Georgetown Square, and it's been there are long as I can remember. Apparently a fire broke out in one of the units on Saturday afternoon, and though firefighters were able to extinguish it before it spread to the other townhomes, two people were injured and one person was killed. Very sad! There is still no news on what caused the fire.

Mmmmm, doughnuts

You just can't have too many drive-thru doughnut shops in a city. For the last many years we've only had one measly Dunkin' Donuts in town. We had a Krispy Kreme for a while, a few years ago, but for some reason it abruptly closed its doors after just a few months in business (which I thought was odd, because they always had a queue, day or night). It was a very sad state of affairs indeed, until I discovered this brand new Dunkin' Donuts last week on Austin Bluffs Parkway, east of Union and west of Academy. Huzzah! I know it's silly to get excited about a doughnut shop, but I looooooooooove doughnuts! Don't you? What's your favorite flavor?

I've heard tales of a locally owned doughnut shop called Amy's -- in fact, my brother has been nagging me to check it out for some time now. He says it's positively legendary. Sigh. I guess I'll have to FORCE myself to go and sample their wares sometime soon. The things I do for my blog! ;^) 

Untitled

Yesterday wasn't just cold, it was icy. I mean that literally. My car was coated in a thick coat of the stuff, necessitating a long "warm up" period while I waited in our cozy house for the engine to heat up; followed by an extended "scrape the ice off" period, punctuated by cursing. It was cold. But I had an appointment for a haircut, so to the salon I went, cold notwithstanding. This photo was taken out the car window at the intersection of Academy and Maizeland, looking north through the bottom edge of Palmer Park. Pretty!

The Henley's truck

If you've lived here for a while, you've probably seen the Henley's truck somewhere or other around town. This photo was taken way up on North Academy. Henley's is a locksmith that's been in business here for decades, and as long as I can remember they have used this ancient truck for their service calls. I wonder how old it is -- to me, it looks like late 1920s to early 1930s, but I don't know enough about automobiles from that era to pin it down. What do you think?

There's a Muffler Man in Colorado Springs!

If you're a regular reader of this blog, you know that Pat and I are great fans of American kitsch, especially the kind of oddities and corny tourist attractions that you come across when criss-crossing this enormous country by car. You've seen what big detours we've made just to get a few pictures of these kinds of things -- especially Muffler Men!  These fiberglass giants are a distinctly American advertising icon.  Instead of going into a detailed explanation here, I urge you to click on this link to read a short (and fascinating) history of Muffler Men and their ilk.

A year ago we made a road trip to Kansas and Oklahoma in order to escape the smoke and heat of the Waldo Canyon fire, and on that trip we made sure to include a stop in tiny Aline, Oklahoma so we could photograph the giant Paul Bunyan that sits at the back of Bud's Salvage (to read that fun post, click HERE).  Not long after that trip, I made the happy discovery of our very own Muffler Man right here in Colorado Springs!  He proudly stands on Academy Boulevard, our main drag, in front of Copperhead Road Honky Tonk and Saloon.  I've been dying to photograph him, but it had to be the right lighting to do him justice, and I wanted it to be summertime.  Yesterday was the big day.  Since I had no weddings or portraits booked this weekend, I was finally able to get a few shots of the big guy.  As you can see, he's not brandishing a muffler but a cigar, a gigantic beer, and a guitar. He's awesome! I'm so glad I finally got a chance to photograph him in the right light!  I'm going to submit these photos to Roadside America so more people can bask in his magnificence!

 

July 3, 2013 edit:  One of my pictures and my brief write-up have been added to Roadside America! To see it, click here and scroll about halfway down the page:  http://www.roadsideamerica.com/tip/37384