Pure Charm

Isn't the walkway up to this week's front door enchanting?  They even have a sculpture from a local artist, who we have had the pleasure of meeting and will be posting about him soon. This wonderful garden is seen on Orman Ave.

View From Below

Can your eyes quite make out what today's picture is? Its the view from below the fireman's pole at the now closed, yet historical Hose Co. No. 3 on Broadway Ave.  When we heard this fire station turned museum was going to be open to the public for a day, we knew we had to stop by.

Thinking we were going to get to finally see inside the fire station that as kids, we used peek into on our way from Grandma's house to Broadway Pharmacy, we had no idea the amount of history we would soon discover. The station opened in 1885, and the last fire alarm sounded in spring of 1979, when it was closed down.

Later turned into a museum, you can still see original horse drawn equipment, old fireman hats and uniforms, spectacular photos of Pueblo's past, most memorable fires (that we CANNOT wait to share with you!), and an extremely interesting history and photo wall of all of the fire chiefs that served in the building.  Mr. Pickerel and his crew have done a wonderful job sharing with us the history of Hose Co. No. 3, and he enthusiastically answered any questions we had. He also said to let him know if we ever had a group of us that wanted to come back and take another tour.

Another exciting tidbit? Its yet another building here in town that is supposedly HAUNTED! And was even featured on the SyFy's "Haunted Collector" series in 2011. Of course, we were too immersed in all the history to notice any paranormal activity, but we did stand where a mysterious hand print shows up on a window, and then again in a spot in the upstairs sleeping quarters that is always several degrees cooler than the rest of the building. A couple of our photographers here at PPAD think we need to conduct our own "Fact or Faked" episode. Field trip anyone?

Well Weathered

This statue is so weathered it makes the photo look grainy, but it was still placed lovingly in someone's yard near Newman Hill. No matter what neighborhood we stroll through we notice these statues of faith!

What do Romans have in common with Puebloans you ask?  Why its our love of statues of course. All around Italy, you see these statues of Mary, or angels or other saints gracing the walkways. Strolling down the street you see one tucked inside the crevice of a wall here or attached to a building there.  Well, we've been noticing the same trend here around town. So much so that we think we should start a "Statue Series" of all the wonderful and interesting statues perched here and there.
Surprisingly, its more than you may think. Today someone close to our heart was in our mind, and this one make us think of her more because always, somewhere in her yard, there was a statue of Mary. 

More Iron Whimsy

We thought this iron bike planter added a bit of sunshine to this yard.  We strolled by it recently in a neighborhood outside the State Fair.

Iron Flowers

You may have noticed by now, that iron work usually catches our eye. Do these iron flowers look familiar to you? Unless you are apt to stop and smell the roses (we couldn't resist the pun), you may not have ever even noticed these scrolling flora throughout the city. They are on several light posts all about town, concentrated mostly across the bridges and downtown.

Cruisin'

Today kicks off the Annual Rocky Mountain Street Rod Nationals. This event is always fun for everyone of all ages. Its neat to see all the vintage cars, and even neater to see the contestant's enthusiasm for this event. Here at the kick off parade pictured above, we could hear Buddy Holly and The Big Bopper music drifting from some of the cars as they cruised by.

Doubled Up

We thought this was a nice artsy attempt at doubling the height of this yard's fence. We passed by it in the neighborhood outside the Dutch Clark Stadium. Those sticks are actually quite sturdily tied on with twine!

Niagra Falls?

No! Pueblo Falls lol! Where around town is this you ask? This waterfall isn't as large as the picture depicts, but you can find it near Runyon Field if you take a stroll around the trails during the 7th inning stretch!

King of the Jungle

We had to share this mural with you. A friend of ours has it on a wall in his bedroom in PW. What little boy wouldn't love to have this majestic mural to wake up to every morning and keep watch on him every night? The signature wasn't too clear on the artist, but we think they did an excellent job!

TIny Blossoms

Come on By!

We have several "Pueblo Kitchen Stools", hand painted and screen printed with our own French inspired logo

Those of you who have been humoring me and my "Before" and "After" makeover pictures for the last few years may know I have been looking for a venue for my furniture as "Art" projects. Well, we couldn't think of a more convienient place than our very own neighborhood. This weekend Aberdeen will be hosting a neighborhood yard sale on Saturday from 8am to 2 pm.  We will be testing the waters with a booth of our up-cycled, vintage, one of a kind furniture creations! Come by and check the neighborhood! I already have an eye on a settee down the street!

Here is just small taste of what we'll have. Feel free to email us with any inquiries!

Sneak Peek - Magnolia Tree Studios

We have several "Pueblo Kitchen Stools", hand painted and screen printed with our own French inspired logo

Those of you who have been humoring me and my "Before" and "After" makeover pictures for the last few years may know I have been looking for a venue for my furniture as "Art" projects. Well, we couldn't think of a more convenient place than our very own neighborhood. This weekend Aberdeen will be hosting a neighborhood yard sale on Saturday from 8am to 2 pm.  We will be testing the waters with a booth of our up-cycled, vintage, one of a kind furniture creations! Come by and check the neighborhood! I already have an eye on a settee down the street!

Here is just small taste of what we'll have. Feel free to email us with any inquiries!

Coffee Bot

With the sun ricocheting off every angle of this gent, it was hard to get a clear picture, but he can be seen sipping a cup of joe at a coffee shack near 29th and Elizabeth. No, its not a real person in a costume, its lifelike coffee house art.

Another's Treasure

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Pueblo is home to a handful of interesting antique stores. We found these cuties at a place down on Union Ave. We think they make the perfect vessel for milk with homemade cookies!

Iron Whimsy

Paws for PassKey

The Paws for Life RV parked curbside at Pass Key this weekend in the Junction

Yeah, we'd all "pause" for a Pass Key I bet. But, it was PassKey who "paused" their weekend for one of our favorite causes. The Paws for Life Animal Shelter. The restaurant opened its doors on a usually closed Sunday, and offered a limited menu with proceeds going to the Paws for Life Shelter.
Paws for Life is a private, non-profit, no-kill shelter. If you ever get the chance to help these folks out, do so. Its for a good cause. As much as we could do a Pueblo photo a day, we could probably do a dog a day too. This town LOVES their dogs, so all you dog lovers need to check out the shelter's other fundraisers. The Strut Your Mutt Race on June 23rd and  the 2013 Calendar. Send in a picture and a $10 donation to get your dog or cat added to the new calendar. For more info click here.

Poppy Love

This field of poppies can be seen on Michigan Ave. Right behind Central High School

Wouldn't you love to have a path of poppies to walk through to get to your front door too? What you see here was just the tip of the ice-burg. This home's front and side yards were covered with them. Its as if the house is smiling at you as you pass by!

Big Fish

Its not uncommon in the South to see people everywhere and anywhere fishing for the day's catch.  This used to surprise me, as I thought you always "went" fishing to the mountains or to an out of the way lake. But, it quickly became an everyday sight. In the coastal Carolina's it was for crab. Inland and in Florida, Georgia and Alabama it was more for catfish, bass etc. Yep, thats right. Anywhere. Even offside the road! What do you mean eeww?  Two of our most memorable meals were caught this way. One was of crab, caught with a piece of chicken on a string out of a South Carolina marsh, thrown into a pot with some corn on the cob and sausage and boiled with some seasoning. Another, a catfish fry in the backyard of a Florida apt. complex! Well, we've noticed the same here as well. We see avid outdoors-men fishing in almost every puddle of water they can get a line into. Ever wonder if they have any luck? This young man did, just as we were taking pictures of all the "Graffiti Art" down along the Arkansas River.

The type of fish this is escapes me at this writing. I thought it was a trout, but Michael corrected me. Maybe he will comment on this post with the correct name again, hint hint!

Michael, as he introduced himself to us, had been having great luck the few days he had been out on the river. Though, right after we snapped this picture for proof of a big fish tale, Michael explained he fishes just for the sport of it, and let this beauty swim off unharmed. Aww! How nice!  Though we admit, we couldn't help thinking of smoked trout the way Uncle Ronnie used to make it under the campfire on camping trips from our youth!

Venus Transfer

This is what we saw (Taken by staff photographer Teddy). But take a look below at what NASA cameras picked up.

Yesterday evening was a big day for astronomers. June 5th 2012, from about 5 pm to about 11 pm mountain time the planet Venus crossed in front of the sun producing a silloutte visible to us here on earth. Why such a big deal? Not only did it help us determine the size of the universe, no one alive today will probably ever see it again. The transits come in pairs every 100 years. Last night's bookended the one that occured in 2004. The next is determined to be in the year 2117.

Credit: NASA/SDO, AIA

Itch Bomb

Actually, that was just a nickname we gave these "flowers" from what we think might be a London Plane Tree (according to our leaf ap!). They are a frequent sight in yards and parks this time of year. They break apart into feathery fibrous little strands and when we were young, we used to think they made us itch. In hindsight, it could have been the endless hours of playing in the grass and sun. Either way, they are curious little balls, and quite picturesque. Good for displaying in a jar, stepping on to see the inside on a walk or great ammo for an itch bomb war. Careful though, they kinda hurt! Read more about the London Plane Tree here.

Keep Your Eyes on the Road

Sneak Peek

A peek inside the window at a Pueblo institution: Campbell's Flowers at 927 Claremont Ave. in the Mesa Junction

Doesn't a peek inside a window like this make you smile? Especially since it's Campbell's Flowers and we happen to know this weekend is their annual clearance sale. Buy one get one free on annuals, 30% off rose bushes. See you there!


I also couldn't resist another photo since we are sharing happy flowers. Things have blossomed over at Earl's house as well. Here is a photo of the inside of his greenhouse this week...