Fire and Ice

A large grass fire broke out at Minnequa Lake over the weekend. Thankfully no one or nothing was hurt, and we get a rare glimpse of these two classical elements together.

Blades in a Row

A trip over the the train tracks under the 4th St. bridge gave us a glance of several of these huge blades. Most likely headed for the wind turbine plant here in town. The size looks smaller in the photo but the actual size, according to Wikepedia can be up to 100 meters in diameter.

Motionless

Aside from the tiny flakes of snow falling, this normally bustling area of the City Park was completely silent.

Dustings of Snow

Pueblo woke to a nice Christmas snow yesterday. Just enough to feel like Christmas, but not enough to worsen the roads. Still be careful out there.

Wishing you a Merry Christmas

Christmas Eve

A glimpse of the Electric Critters butterfly garden at the city Park Zoo. Simply magical!

Things that happen when people leave their pets at other people's house for the holidays...

Front Door Friday!

Front door tot he always decked out Union Depot.

Fruitcake, schmoot-cake.

Mom does it best: A tradition passed down from my mom, and her mom, is making homemade potica.
On my wedding day the recipe was given to me on a kitchen recipe card. She named the recipe "My Favorite Potica Cake" The twist? Its actually 2 rolled up poticas layered on top of each other and baked in an angel food pan. Moister, more buttery, perfection. The only potica in my eyes!

In choosing a photo this morning, we were ready to post a nice one at the Union Depot, but, for some reason, with the scent of cinnamon and butter still lingering in the air,  this one got chosen.
Hmm.  The treats of the season. Pueblo certainly has its favorites.

Fruitcake, schmoo-tcake. Foods from diverse backgrounds are part of what make a Pueblo holiday special. We either  gotta make em' or buy em' but either way they are our staples till New Year's. Have you made your potica yet? Have you ordered your tamales? Can you still find cardones? Did you get your sugar cookies? Where's the pizzelle iron!? Better hurry!

What are some foods on your holiday must have list?

The Spirit of Christmas

Santa, Kris Kringle? Spirit of Christmas? He sits at he base of the entry way stairs welcoming you into the Inn. Have quests coming in for the holidays? Treat them to a night here.  It will put them into a relaxed holiday spirit!

On my way out the door from a meeting at the adorable Rusted Poppy Inn - Bed and Breakfast, I realized I  hadn't even snapped one photo of which I knew I'd be asked "What's it look like inside?".  With wonderful woodwork, exposed brick and spectacularly tasteful decor, the spirit of Christmas is definitely alive and thriving throughout the renovated house on Orman Ave. Molly and her mother made us feel welcome and warm. And we just have to say to them "great job". Its great to see such elegant businesses like this in town.

Last Minute Decorations

With exactly one week left till Christmas, we thought we'd show you some easy last minute holiday
decor ideas that you can do cheap, and on the fly.

Have any garden urns that have since lost their flowers? Gather a bunch of clippings from the bushes or trees in your yard, (or ask a neighbor!). Poke in some twigs or pepper berry branches or anything around the yard you can find. Maybe a few faux  poinsettia blooms that have fallen off a larger arrangement or from the Dollar Store. Anything to give it touch of  color.  It will look naturally beautiful.  But and when it snows, like it did on this urn last week, it will look magnificent!

 

The snowman above, sprayed on a glass door with canned snow found at Hobby Lobby and adorned with a Santa hat, adds cheer to the twinkling lights.

The tree in this front yard of this always festive house is adorned with "presents" wrapped in plastic gift wrap to stand up to the weather. Be sure to add rocks to your empty boxes before wrapping so they don't blow away!

This peppermint candle was homemade using a small, found jar, and a wick held in place by a piece of wire, and then filled with olive oil found in the kitchen. Peppermint candies (from Sonic happy hour) were dropped in to get a peppermint smell, but you can use whatever scent you'd like. Just be sure to use olive oil, as it has a more tolerant smoking point than other oils.

Down Below

A touch of serenity is captured along the Arkansas River Trail. Cold, but peaceful, while the world above is rush, rush, rushing.

Free Holiday Wallpaper

There's nothing like the striking red of holiday poinsettias to get you in the Christmas mood. These lovelies cheering up our studio were purchased at the Lowe's black Friday sale!

We created a special holiday desk top wallpaper to say thank you to all our readers. Just drag the image to your desk top or right click to download and set the image as your computer's background. For macs, add the image to your wallpaper folder in your "Photos" folder and select it though your system preferences. Thanks again!

Caught in the Nap

We caught Santa napping outside the Springside Cheese Shop over on 5th Ave. If you haven't yet discovered this hidden gem, we have to tell you, we are as over the moon about their cheese as Santa is.

12/12/2012

On December 12, 2012, this is the part of their world that 2 young boys chose to document. Where if just for a brief moment, each week, a group of over 150 students, teachers and parents,  join hands and are reminded that we are all a part of something bigger than ourselves.

A Swoosh of Nostalgia

Minding our own business (or were we?) on a typical marathon walk, we decided to be brave and duck in un-invited to the Federal Building on Main Street.
Turns out you don't have to be invited. Its open to the public. : )

Anyway, a glance down the halls of the 1st floor entryway swooshed us in nostalgia.  Parts of the old post office are still there! Complete with marble walls and floors, gold lighting fixtures and fine wood work. We encourage you to peek in for a history byte for the young ones or a trip down memory lane for the Generation X-ers and up.  To a time when things were built to last.  We imagine that if post offices still looked like this, maybe waiting in the long lines wouldn't feel so painful.

In many towns, Main Street, and the surrounding areas were once bustling places. What memories do you have? 

Golden Sea Scroll

Or rather just a golden scone hanging in a south side home that we think shines this time of year.

Um, should someone tell them its 14 degress outside?

The snow and freezing weather didn't stop these guys from playing Frisbee golf Sunday morning. Either they are die-hard players, or like a lot us, they were giddy because we finally got a nice healthy snow. It's true, at the time this photo was taken it was only 14 degrees, but bundled up properly it was a refreshing change from the near 70's we've been having for December. How long do you think before we'll be complaining about the cold now?

A Sign of Things to Come

We couldn't help notice Campbell's Florist is gearing up for the demand of Christmas decor that is
sweeping the city. What a wonderful time of the year!

Not So Primitive

These neat little stone etched maps can be seen throughout the city's awesome river trail system.

Rock Lobster: Teddy's Choice

Yes, it is odd to see a lobster wandering around Colorado, so we see why this was of interest
to those young at heart. Though we admit its not that uncommon if you are at the north side Red Lobster.

Poudly Displayed

This colorful wall displayed at Fire House No. 3, is an impressive collection of fireman's badges, past and present.

Fall's Last Hurrah

 

While it is still officially autumn for a few more weeks, Christmas decor is

going up left and right. The photo above, from the artsy Mesa Junction area is an ode

to the beautiful autumn we experienced in 2012.