• clouds,  horizons,  landscape,  mountains

    A Memorable Day for Clouds

    Pineridge Natural Area about 5:00 pm

    Nature was creating beautiful art with the clouds and the dark blue sky on Memorial Day. As any restless photographer would do upon seeing these clouds from home, I headed to Pineridge Natural Area to take in all the beauty, journal and listen to the birds sing. With nothing on my schedule for the rest of day and with all the cloud activity, I decided to drive east so I could get closer to those clouds. 😂

    Looking at the eastern horizon about 7:30 pm on Memorial Day

    Along Weld County Road 15 I spotted this scene. What a mix of dark, almost tornadic looking formation on the left side of the image and those bright white cumulonimbus clouds on the right just at the horizon. Not sure how far away they were but I imagine 40-70 miles. With all the wind blowing the smog along the Front Range out over Kansas somewhere, we have had rather beautiful dark blue skies the past few days.

    Running Deer Natural Area about 8:00 pm on Memorial Day

    Driving back into town I stopped at the Running Deer Natural Area for a bathroom break and was given this third image. I love how nature does that, just freely and unexpectedly offers gifts. Just to the left of center you can see clouds shrouding around Longs Peak (one of Colorado’s 53 14ers). This view is looking out over a marshy area so I am surrounded by Red-winged and Yellow-headed blackbirds all in chorus, and of course, millions of bugs.

    As I write this I am reminded of the homemade ice cream my parents would traditionally make on Memorial Day when I was younger. And today would have been my parents 73rd wedding anniversary and the first without mom. I will give my dad a call. And, maybe talk about the homemade ice cream. ❤️

  • bicycles,  Cityscapes/Urban,  Documentary/Street,  lifestyles,  quotes,  Travel

    Favorite ice cream flavor is…

    A bicycle on the streets in Richmond, Virginia

    “Until you got ice cream spilled on you, you’re not doing field work.” Randy Pausch

    This image is also from 2010 while on an overnight in Richmond. It really is a busy image. But it brings up a memory for me from just one word in the image. I’ll always remember when my granddaughter told me her favorite ice cream flavor was red. No need to argue with her. 🙂

  • Cityscapes/Urban

    First Ice Cream

    First Ice Cream

    I found these young children enjoying their first ice cream of the season in Old Town in Fort Collins. Temperatures were in the low 50’s yesterday so lots of people were in shorts, shirt sleeves, riding bicycles, and eating ice cream.

  • People/Portraits

    Ice Cream on Sunday

    Ice Cream Eating Girls
    Ice Cream Eating Girls

    Shelley and I spent aobut 4 hours along the River Walk in Savannah, GA. yesterday afternoon. Octoberfest was the happening thing with booths, music and lots of food. We found these young ladies working on some ice cream and asked if I could take a photo. The young lady on the left was so involved, she did not answer me. She just kept on eating. Can’t blame her.

  • Cityscapes/Urban,  coffee shops,  Documentary/Street

    Pick a Chair

     

    Painted Chairs
    Painted Chairs

    While walking the streets in Westerville, Ohio, I discovered these chairs on a porch at a small shop. Colorful and eye-catching I raised up my camera to capture in pixels what I saw and felt. But what did these eclectic chairs on this porch lead to?

    Ironically the shop is called Serendipity. At first I thought it was a coffee shop but they were advertising ice cream sundaes. After walking inside I discovered it’s an older home where they have converted the different rooms into small coves with tables and chairs. People can come in find a table in a corner that suits them for study time, after all it is a college town, or read a book, or write in their journal or share an intimate conversation. For any of you couch potatoes, you could sink into the couch located in a back room and watch CNN on a flat screen TV. Weather permitting you may want to grab one of the tables on the patio or you could pick one of the brightly painted chairs on the front porch and stare at strangers as they walk by.

    I met the owners, a husband and wife team, who hire the college students to help in the shop. I would use the words friendly, outgoing, energetic, to describe them. From the description above you may think I’m describing a coffee shop but it is more than that. They served a little bit of everything including sandwiches, fries, soups, salads, ice cream, malts and coffees. Did I mention ice cream? Their ambiance was inviting enough that I’ll go back sometime and try one of their paninis or a sundae or a salad or a bowl of soup or a quesadilla or a cappuccino or a……

  • People/Portraits

    Can't Stop

     

    Another One
    Another One

    For the second week in a row I fell prey to another blizzard. Last week it was a Butterfinger blizzard and this time it was a Heath Bar blizzard. Why can’t I stop? I need help! First comes the overpowering obsession. After the first bite is taken comes the brain freeze and we start to shovel it. Before you now it there is none left. Exhausted the legs begin to weaken, the room starts to spin, then the black out. We awaken full of remorse but wondering what the Cookie Dough blizzard would taste like. I need help!