03/04/2024

Years and years ago, there was a reservoir/lake at the Garden of the Gods.  An old man that lived in the area since the 1970's said that he had never seen the water in the old reservoir.  I met a photographer that drove down from Boulder to photograph the lake.  He was telling me that  in the 1990's, the drainage in the Garden of the God's park was changed in the midst of other improvements.  He said that the Visitor's Center personnel told him that the reservoir would never hold water again.  The recent rains in Colorado certainly proved them wrong.    Last week, I happened to see a few beautiful photographs of the lake and wanted to take my own.   However the first two times that I went to see the lake, it was red and muddy.  On Saturday morning, my third attempt, there was no wind an... 09/23/2013

"I've lived in this neighborhood since 1974 and I've never seen anything like this."  "Just wait until tomorrow morning, photographers will be lined up along the lake."  "In our PE classes, we used to run out here.  This is the first time that I've ever seen a lake out here."  "I heard that General Palmer had built a reservoir here.....He was a smart man." "You didn't miss anything yesterday morning, it was too windy so the lake wasn't smooth." "The water was blue in the pictures that I saw on the internet.  Either they photo-shopped it or the blue sky was reflecting on it." (The photographers with blue water was out there at just the right time and caught the weather and sky just right.) ----Various comments about the "new" lake at Garden of the Gods.    Thursday night, I found the loc... 09/20/2013

Once upon a time, I almost felt as if using photo editing software was cheating.   My concern was most likely because of stories of amazing pictures that were photoshopped and not a true representation.     After reading about Ansel Adams and his skill in the dark room, it occurred to me that photo editing software is just the modern version of the dark room from days gone by.   So, I slowly began to use  free photo editing software available online.   At the time, a number of people on Active Rain really liked Picnik which was acquired by Google and then shut down in April 2012.   Since I am a creature of habit, I gravitated towards PicMonkey - which is VERY similar to Picnik.   Google took some of the best features in Picnik and incorporated them into iPiccy.  Bottom Line Up Front:  I... 03/22/2013

Garden of the Gods - 17 free things to do PLUS insider tips   What: Garden of the Gods is a National Registered Landmark located in Colorado Springs.      Cost:  Free Winter Park Hours: 5 am –9pm Winter Visitor Center Hours: 9 am -5pm. (Grill 10-3). Summer (May 1-Oct 31) Park Hours:  5 am – 11pm.  Website:  http://www.gardenofgods.com/parkinfo/index.cfm   (This photo was taken on Monday, January 21, 2013 from the Palmer Trail in the Garden of the Gods)   Garden of the Gods - 17 Free Things to Do 1.       Visit the Garden of the Gods Visitor and Nature Center.  They have hiking maps.  2.       Learn about the geology and history while on a guided tour. 3.       Drive the through the park from the comfort of your own vehicle. 4.       Ride through the park on a motorcycle. 5.       Enjoy ... 01/21/2013

Many of us are trying to develop the habit of blogging every day by participating in Lynn Friedman’s 2013 Big Blog Jump Start challenge.  If I am counting correctly, we are 10 days into the contest.      The last time I attempted to participate in this type of challenge, my quality suffered.   Lynn stressed that we should focus on writing a high quality posts.   One way of doing this might be to ask: What is the purpose of your blog?  Does this post fulfill that purpose?   Does this post reflect your voice - who you are?    (Can you find the rock climber in the picture below?)      The purpose of my blog is to:   1.       Share the Colorado Experience   2.       Educate   (Here is a close up of the climber.  He has a purpose - to get down.)      I use photographs that I have taken to sh... 01/20/2013

In the book “First Things First,” Stephen Covey discusses activities that are important but not urgent.    These activities, which he calls Quadrant II activities, include: Relationship building   Prevention (such as exercise, flu shots, oil changes, etc.)    Planning   Preparation   Education    Empowering others   Since these activities are not urgent, they too often get neglected.     Recently, I have found myself frustrated that I’ve been jogging at night in my dreams.   As much as I love running and yoga, I haven’t exercised in two weeks.        This afternoon, I planned to do the laundry and finish unpacking the boxes in my office so that I can start working on my taxes.   After all, who wants to do laundry on a Saturday night?   Plus, not having these boxes unpacked is really str... 01/19/2013