Lakeside Amusement Park Tower

The above photo was taken (and reconfigured using an old technique) in 2004; it was taken near sunset on a hot summer night, as I recall.

Utilizing the same technique that same summer, I took this photo of the Conservatory Dome at the Denver Botanic Gardens, about the same time of the evening…

Dome

For quite a long time, this next photo was a favorite but, as we all know, favorites can always be replaced; it was taken in a section of Denver called the Highlands, one of the oldest in the city (so named because it sits up on a piece of land that is higher than the city and looks down on it, which the original inhabitants did in a very figurative and discerning way!):

Highlands Alley Building

And another I’ve always liked

Timeless

But times (and timelessness) change………..don’t they?

The Ghost of Hose Company Number 1

Disconnected Wires – Disconnected Life

Sadly, the first building to house a fire company in Denver is a property that has been several things since and now stands vacant, waiting for someone to claim and re-use it. Despite being on the National Register of Historic Places, it remains unused.

On a lighter note….a building that IS in use but has repainted the name of what once took place there (in order to preserve it’s past)…

Before Penny Candy Changed.

The Ice House

The Ice House is one of Denver’s Historical Register buildings that is in use. Built in 1903, it housed the Littleton Creamery until 1979, when it was broken up into offices. At that time, reconstruction of the interior was delayed seven weeks so that they could thaw 3′ of ice off the walls! The building is known for its intricate brickwork designs.

And there we have it……on to………something else I found…….

Pecos Flow

In early November 2012, I traveled down to Santa Fe, New Mexico, for 4 days of celebration and the birthday of one of my oldest friends, Ed Gale. Ed and I went to high school together at Fountain Valley School, outside Colorado Springs, in the late 60s. Along for the ride were a couple of more high school chums, Kurt Swingle and Ernie Steck. We all arrived on Thursday, enjoying a wonderful dinner in downtown at The Shed, which I highly recommend, if you are down that way! I also recommend Harry’s Roadhouse, where we had breakfast the following morning, after which we ventured eastward to Cowles, which is little more than a sign post on a road with a smattering of cabins, here and there. That said, however, it was definitely a home away from home for our overnight. Once we had unloaded the truck and settled our gear, we took off for a scan of the river for Ernie, who had brought his fishing tackle, and for me, camera in hand. They found a likely spot for Ernie to return to and I caught this candid shot, the faces of the innocent kept in confidence:

Perusing the River

We continued along our merry ways, whether it was Ernie donning his fly-fishing gear or myself continuing to shoot photos, as I am wont to do in a new environment. I traipsed about the shoreline as I studied the river and how various things got in its way to impede its course….that is, the rocks and boulders, felled branches and trees, detritus of one form or another, or whatever may be pushing it this way or that. While my concentration was the Pecos River itself, I was, occasionally, distracted by various  bits that caught my eye.

Pecos Spanish Moss

The best of that afternoon follows………………………….

Battering Ram

Downstream

In the Afternoon Sun

Sluice

Waiting At the River’s Edge

Rapt

In Time

Before Sunset

River Rolls

Vortex

Striations of the River

Crucifix

Whenever I am at a river or creek (or, for that matter, a place where I am surrounded with stone on various sizes), I take the time to build a cairn, as some call it. My “name” for it is World In Motion because no matter how fast or slow the world spins, the testament of the stack will remain, even if it gets knocked over by wind or some other element: the fact that it stands at all, for whatever time that it stands, is an homage unto itself….and myself….and the Universe. They take concentration to build and this one was actually quite simple despite the fact that it took me a good hour of concentration. [If you’re interested in learning more about them, try this link: cairn.] I’ve also been known to build them in Sedona, AZ, which is home to some of the greatest energy vortexes in the US but that is another story (as well as a previous post to this blog). I always make a point to make my stacks with an uneven number of pieces for the simple rule that nothing in nature is perfect except for Mother, Gaia, Herself; I believe this stack was 17 pieces:

World in Motion – Pecos River

…and the day done, we retired to a terrific pre-birthday meal and each other’s good company by the warmth of the fire………..

And Then It Reached Out As If

Jump In

The next day, we packed up Ed’s truck and said adieu to our Pecos River repast and relaxation…..but not without getting a picture of us on the cabin steps. I have to, honestly, admit that I didn’t take this picture and give the credit to Kurt because it is a damn fine picture of the four of us.

Ernie, Ed, Kurt, and myself (l to r)

Happy Birthday, Ed, exceptionally belated! I hope you have enjoyed this afternoon jaunt on that wondrous river that passes by your place on the Pecos.

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Reaching Out To, Santa Fe, 2006

THIS IS FOR JESSICA.

I met you last night and one I hope that our friendship blossoms for a long time to come. In the brief moments we had to talk, we cut straight to the cores of things and connected in ways many people still have no clue about. So, consider these photos as a way to see a little deeper into me………..

Minions Reaching for Their Garden God, Edgewater, 2010

Getting Out of Hell, Edgewater, 2008

Shadowboxing, Monterey, 2004

Sunflower Bud, Esalen, 2006

Passionflower, Monterey, 2006

Bubbles at the Bottom, The Highlands, Denver, 2005

Lime and Grapefruits, The Highlands, 2005

Sand and Waves, Edgewater, 2007

Waterfall, DBG, 2007

Temporal Shift, Edgewater, 2009

and one of my all-time favorites:

Lotus Raindrops, DBG, 2004

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HOT Engine. Wheat Ridge, CO, 2010.

Every Friday night, there is a spot on 32nd Ave in Wheat Ridge, where old and hot muscle cars line up on display for anyone to see and for their owners to hob-nob about their cars. I went along with my friend, Elliot, and his son, Syd, for the first time tonight. I’ll definitely be going back for more. Here are some of the best shots I took and the “shifts” I turned them into.

Speeding Towards the Sun

The Rocket's Red Glare 2

Rocketship Hinge

Rocketship on Wheels

Flying Dog 2

Rocket Rearview

Truth be told………….I am smitten with how this photo came out…………….on SO MANY levels!

Graduation from Training for the Red Rocket

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Blue Flame. Denver, 2005

Flames on the Floor. Denver, 2005

Defying the Flame. Edgewater, 2008

Garage in Red. Denver, 2004.

Putting on Firehouse Clothes, Firehouse #2, The Highlands, Denver, about 1885**

Rohn Stokes the Fire. Shoshoko, 2006.

Firewood at Shoshoko, 2006.

Energy Pulse 2. Edgewater, 2008

and two of my all-time favorite photos………..

Getting Out of Hell. Edgewater, 2008

which, upon further workings and machinations, produced this from the same photo:

The Disappearance of the Deep Blue Sea. Edgewater, 2008.

[**I’ve included this photo (of the firemen) simply for one reason: my friend, Rohn, whose magnificent piece of land in the CO Rocky Mountains has been immortalized in many of my photos, used to own the building in which this photo was taken, sometime in the mid 1880s. Firehouse #2 is now an apartment building, which Rohn turned it into when he bought the building in order to save it from the wrecking ball. I believe it is a National Historic building.]

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Columbine and Ponderosa. Shoshoko, 2008

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Take a listen** while you study the photo…………

There's A Red House Over Yonder, That's Where.... Denver, 2009.

Here are the lyrics, if you find you want to sing along (feel free to play air guitar b/c I think you’re safe….no one’s watching!):

There’s a red house over yonder, that’s where my baby stays.
There’s a red house over yonder, baby, that’s where my baby stays.
Well, I ain’t been home to see my baby in about ninety nine and one half days,
’bout time I see her.

Wait a minute, something’s wrong.
The key wont unlock the door.
Wait a minute, something’s wrong, baby.
The key wont unlock the door.
I got a bad, bad feeling that my baby don’t live here no more.

I might as well go on back down,
Go back ‘cross yonder over the hill.
I might as well go back over yonder
Way back yonder ‘cross the hill, (That’s where I come from)
‘Cos if my baby don’t love me no more.
I know her sister will!

** For those who want to listen to a longer, bluesier version, take a listen to this amazing piece of music!

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Pickled Plums on Kitchen Windowsill, Edgewater 2010

I shot this photo with the camera on my phone, which is a habit I’ve taken to in recent months….because I take A LOT of photos of food I prepare nowadays [mostly because I have a lot of Foddie Friends]. When I placed the jar on the windowsill, it struck me as though I was standing in my Great Aunt’s kitchen in IA back in the mid-70s, when I first started to learn canning.

Canning: a lost art known, almost only, to those in agrarian areas [yes, and a lot of it happens in cities as well].

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DBG Pond and Changing Trees, 2005

These are photos I’ve taken through the years that reflect the oncoming colors that Autumn graces all of us with, in all of our different spots in the world. When I moved to Colorado many many years ago, I was told that there “aren’t any real colors, just lots of yellows.” Because I came from New England, where I grew up, and spent lots of time in Iowa and other parts of the Midwest during many of those same years, I was used to seeing a vast range of colors.

I didn’t think much of Colorado’s Autumn colors when I was in and out of college….I simply didn’t make note of it (if you can believe that!!). The more time I spent in the mountains, though, the more I came to realize… …..that most of the people who had told me that there were no colors here had, quite obviously, never been to Colorado! In fact, if you got right down to it, I think it would be safe to say that there are more colors out here than in New England. Of course, I haven’t been in New England in the Autumn since about 2000, technically, but Autumn hadn’t really kicked in at Labor Day; so, to be perfectly honest, I’d have to say it was sometime in the early-mid-’70s! And who knows if whatever hybrids have come along and filled the New England forests with every rainbow color!?

Included here are various photo styles I have used in the last few years:
I don’t explain the processes anymore, so….

………….just let them soak into you.

Sumac and Conifer, Deer Creek Canyon, CO, 2004

Approaching Storm, San Luis Valley, CO, 2006

Sunflower, Esalen Garden, Esalen Institute, CA, 2006

Fallen Leaf and Japanese Maple, DBG, 2008

In Her Backyard, I Wait, Timnath, CO, 2008

Before the Acorn Fell, Denver, CO, 2008

Rain Squall, Santa Fe, NM, 2006

Oatgrass at Sunset, Edgewater, CO, 2009

…….and, hopefully, before not too long, it will look like this (so we can get some much-needed moisture!!):

My place 4 days before Christmas, 2006

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Tree - Cliff - Fog

taken at Esalen Institue in Sept 2006 while spending a gratis day there, given to us by a massage therapist who worked there, who Wren met at the Power to the People Concerts (headlined with Michael Franti) in San Francisco a few days before.

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