#32 Burgundy

Checking out the D'Vine Winery in Manitou Springs.

#297 Tasty

Wheeler Spring, Manitou Springs, Colorado

My lovely daughter is filling her water bottle from the Wheeler Spring in front of the Wheeler Mansion, Windemere. There are seven public springs (according to the brochure) on the streets of Manitou Springs, all of which offer tasty, carbonated water. Each spring has a different, subtle taste. I'm not a connoisseur of waters but she really likes them.

#271 Slow

It's slow going up the rock. You can just barely see the rope he is on so no stress about free climbing.

Many signs are posted that indicate climbing the rocks is allowed but only by certified climbers. Sign in at the visitor's center.

#126 Garden

It was a glorious day at the Garden of the Gods in Colorado Springs.

I'm so lucky to have such beautiful weather! 

Interesting sideline: The red rocks are bazillion-year-old sedimentary rock, which used to be covered with water or ice or both. Then there was an upheaval. The earth's crust "folded" and caused the horizontal to become vertical and we get to say "How pretty!" Because it IS pretty.

That is Pike's Peak in the background.

#204 Oddity

"I See What You Mean"-  a 30-foot steel sculpture, encased in a fiberglass 

and cement composite, by artist Lawrence Argent (2005). 

Bear is peeking into the Colorado Convention Center in downtown Denver - 

a touch of whimsey in an otherwise uninteresting/normal venue.

See http://www.denver.org/what-to-do/museum-art/lawrence-argent-blue-bear 

for more information or google for more (and clearer) photos.

#33 Busy

The 16th Street Mall is a busy place in downtown Denver. What a gorgeous day!

#8 Architecture

Downtown Denver is a contrast of the historical and the modern.

16th Street Mall is a must-see when you visit the Mile-High City.

#346 Vacation

I took a road trip to Colorado Springs to see my daughter. On the way I was treated to some of God's magnificent high altitude scenery.

Wait. There's more.

#351 Warm

Resting on a warm day.

Art You Can Sit On - "Skateboard" by Carol Poppenga, Warden Bourne, and Shane Ruckman.

Do Over #4

#10 Art - Sidewalk Chalk

 #10 Art - Rocky Mountain Sheep made of barbed wire.

 #150 Humor - in case you can't read the sign - "Harley Parking Only. Violators Will Be Crushed."

(In front of very nice, Victorian-decorated hotel.)

#30 Breakfast

This breakfast is typical of the coffee and carb offering in most hotels that serve a "free" breakfast. I rarely have a waffle and I indulged. The pretty china tea cup and saucer (centerpiece on the small dining room tables) contrasts with the paper plate (and plastic fork) for the waffle. Sigh. I have no will power resisting fun foods or the disposable "dinnerware" it's served on, especially when away from home. I won't need to indulge again for awhile. It was just a "5" on a 10 scale.

#355 Weathered

This is the only building left in Denver, Idaho, which used to be a bustling town with school, churches, saloons, businesses and homes. The railroad passed it by and so did life. The library lady said this was a granary which is located at a junction and provides shade for the rancher's cattle. It is weathered and neglected, high on the Camas Prairie in north-central Idaho.

#196 Negative Space

In my understanding of negative space, the actual object is white (negative space) while the dark area forms the negative space. This window was one of several in the St. Gertrude Monastery chapel, Cottonwood, Idaho.

#124 Games

I approach most areas of life in a strategic manner, which, I understand is the main component of chess - strategy. But I have never been able (willing?) to wrap my brain around playing chess. I'm probably not a game kind-a-girl. However, I am attracted to the many forms chess pieces take. This Revolutionary War themed set caught my eye in a cafe in Cottonwood, Idaho.

#150 Humor

The Dog Bark Park, Cottonwood, Idaho. The large beagle serves as both a landmark and a single room bed and breakfast. The hydrant hides a porta-potty (not sure if the bed and breakfast guest has to use it) which shows the size of the structures. The office also serves as a gift shop of everything beagle. Just had to see it. I love unusual, quirky places like this.

#354 Wealth

He who dies with the most toys wins. This vacationer not only has the Class C RV but a helicopter, kayak, bicycles, and I'm-not-sure-what-else in tow. Sounds like a wealthy traveler to me. I wonder what the gas pump tab was.

#329 The Weekend

Peaks to Craters Scenic Byway was just the first leg of a wonderful, scenic drive "around" Idaho. Early morning light gives a refreshing view of Highway 93 to Salmon.

#17 Bed Time

For my boys, Simon (gray) and Garfunkel (orange) most of the time is bed time. Unless it's eating time, which is also frequent as Simon's bulk will attest. He's an energy conserver.

#296 Tables

Just some of the tables at this weekend's church yard sale. I think I counted twelve tables. The rest of the stuff was scattered on the lawn and sidewalk. I would be surprised if we sold 10% of the clothing. One of our church members said they used to give away all the clothing they collected. I'm thinking that's a good idea.It was a LOT of work but I'm glad to report that we collected $600 for Week of Compassion, an ecumenical world relief organization. It's such a drop in the bucket for places like Haiti and Somalia but every little bit helps.

#44 Cheese

I'll eat almost anything with melted cheese on it (not ice cream, though).

Cheesy Corn Casserole

(from one of the Once-A-Month Cooking cookbooks)

1 1/2 pounds lean ground beef

1-17 ounce can whole kernel corn, drained

2 eggs, slightly beaten

1 cup small curd cottage cheese (optional - with chives) drained

1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

1 8-ounce can tomate sauce

1/2 teaspoon minced garlic (1/2 clove)

1 cup grated mozzarella (or sharp cheddar) cheese

In a large skillet, cook and stir ground beef until brown; drain. Meanwhile, spread corn in bottom of an 8x8x2-inch baking dish sprayed with nonstick spray. Combine eggs and cottage cheese; spread mixture over corn.

Stir flour into browned ground beef; cook one minute, stirring constantly. Add tomato sauce and garlic to meat mixture and stir together. Layer meat mixture on top of cottage chees and eggs. Cover dish with foil and put in freezer. Put grated cheese in 1-quart freezer bag; tape to baking dish.

To prepare for serving, thaw meat and cheese and preheat over to 350 degrees. Sprinkle cheese on top. Bake uncovered for 30 minutes. Makes six servings.

You can, of course, skip the freezing part and bake right away.

This has become one of my "signature" pot luck dishes as it's too much food for the two of us and I don't like to freeze it after it's been baked. Otherwise, it tastes great! Must be the melted cheese.

#61 Creative

I borrowed the children to pose with my Sesame Street friends. This Art You Can Sit On invites climbing more than sitting and is definitely for the children more than adults. I was happy that the ducks agreed to pose also. Cookie Monster, Ernie, and Big Bird will forever star in our hearts.

"Under the Starz" was created by Nellda Avila. Inside the star is painted blue, with fish swimming in the Snake. There are cutouts in the tube which cause sunny shapes when the light hits it just right. Lots going on with this piece.

#207 One-Two-Three

You can almost see the third goose "chair" behind the goose in the front. Featured in this pretty garden between the hotels and the river, these three chairs (not benches this time) offer a peaceful place to rest. Even with all the traffic it's pretty quiet.

Art You Can Sit On - "Honkers" by Roy Reynolds and Jim Colson.

#274 Smooth

The Snake River behind Oscar, Mr. Snuffleupagus, and Grover is too smooth to ride the rapids but it picks up a bit downriver - if they make it past the falls. They have forgotten their life jackets so staying on the smooth part of the river might be best!

Art You Can Sit On - "Riding the Rapids" by Craig Jones. The bench is made of hollow metal which sounds like an empty barrel if you knock on it. I like this bench, which is situated in the shade near the boat launch.

#202 Nuts

I love nuts, although I usually prefer unsalted. However, when in abundant supply at a wedding reception, I indulge. Yummmm. (This portion was not eaten in a single sitting!)

#36 Candy

Welcome to Sarah's Candy Cottage. OMG, get thee behind me, Satan. This fruit-flavored licorice is a gift to the family who feeds our kitties when we galavant around the country. They really like licorice. Me, not so much. Sarah tried hard to tempt me with a free sample of SOMETHING but she was out of chocolate-covered peanuts, my favorite, so I got away without a nibble.

I won't tell you the price of this delicacy. Let's just say I could grill T-bone for less.

#289 Stuffed Animals

The gang is resting their tired tootsies after a walk in the Snake River greenbelt.

Art You Can Sit On - "Grand Teton" by Lance Boyce. "Sit back and rest against the majestic Teton mountains in downtown Idaho Falls! This exquisitely crafted bench is made of concrete reinforced by rebar."

#93 Faceless Portraits

Standing in the back of the sanctuary, I realized I saw no faces, therefore faceless portrait. My husband is hidden behind the couple.

It was a lovely wedding!

#133 Groceries

A quick run to the grocery store resulted in these staples to our diet.

#73 Dessert

My husband is an ice cream-aholic. This is a small portion compared to "normal." Featuring my favorite - chocolate cake with REAL butter frosting - this dessert finishes up my birthday cake.

#315 The Letter N

"N" for Nursery - the flamingo nursery at the zoo. I see about four, maybe five different ages being cared for by these exceptional, long-legged birds, including an unhatched egg. Flamingos aren't indigenous to the West so this is my first time to see real ones.

Do Overs #3

Theme #24 - Bloom (I really love columbine!)

Theme #178 - Metals (rusty arch over the entrance to the Lava Hot Springs Hot Pools)

Theme #358 Wheels

Theme #339 Two spoonbill birds

#239 Relaxation

The red panda looks relaxed to me.

#327 The Letter Z

Senior Day (a.k.a no charge for over 62-years-old) at the zoo got rained out. Special activities and another free admission day is scheduled for next Monday. Meanwhile I took advantage of the rain-free afternoon to visit some of the residents including the mama and baby zebras.