Food, photographs, and a butterfly bush

Jul 26, 2009 by

I went down to Pueblo this past weekend to spend time with my family and to go on a photo walk with my mom. Ever since I told her about the organized photo walk in Estes Park, the idea started formulating to do our own photo walk in the historic Union Depot district of Pueblo. I also wanted to squeeze in some time with my dad, so I did the usual bounce between the two of them several times while I was there.

As always, there were plenty of opportunities to eat down there. I don’t know if it’s because I grew up there, but I seriously believe that some of the most delicious food in Colorado can be found in Pueblo, and not just Mexican food either. There are so many unique places, privately owned, that have been in business for as long as I’ve been alive (most much longer). And it’s all quite unique and quaint. So quaint and loved by the city that the majority of places don’t have a website, because they simply don’t need one.

The photo walk itself was really fun. We mostly walked up and down the Riverwalk, which I had never really done before. It was built only about ten years ago, after I had moved away. After a little exploration, I was surprised to find that it turns into a heavily wooded path, with great shade and grassy riverbanks. There was also some interesting wildlife to shoot. No elk or hawks like in a national park, but lots of butterflies and adorable ducks. We even popped a squat next to a bush full of bumble bees. Only me and my mom could do such a thing, since the rest of my family is terrified of bees.

Right after the walk, I bounced back to my dad’s house and we sat on the front porch and watched the summer rain come down while enjoying some smoked cheese, grapes, and wine. It was the perfect summer day. My trip ended with one of the more delicious meals I’ve had all year at an Italian restaurant. Their Chicken Piccatta was to do die for. Just writing about it makes my mouth water.

Here are my pictures from the photo walk:

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Estes Park Photo Walk

Jul 20, 2009 by

So the Photo Walk in Estes Park was totally awesome. I must admit that I’m not the greatest at getting out there and I mostly stick close to home. I’m also a bit shy. But I took the plunge and joined up with forty other photographers (amateur and professional) for an afternoon in Estes Park, Colorado. Estes Park is a cute little mountain town that sits at the foot of Rocky Mountain National Park, and is home to the famous Stanley Hotel, which was the used for Stephen King’s The Shining.

I love Estes Park. It’s near where I got married, and Brian and I loved to spend weekends up there. He has a long history of going to Estes Park. As a child, he spent a lot of time there with his extended family. They were from Evanston, Illinois, and Brian grew up in Cheyenne, Wyoming. Together they descended upon the YMCA campground there and would always rent the biggest cabins at the very top of the camp. It’s a really cool place.

So anyway, we started at 2 p.m. at the old theater in town and then went on our ways to explore the downtown area and take pictures. I took a crash course in aperture and shutter speed, and how to work my camera in manual mode the night before. My whole goal was to master those concepts and I did pretty well. I was with a bunch of boys that I know from work, and we had a pretty good time together. I wasn’t picky, so I took pictures of everything. Others were really picky, and some weren’t satisfied with the town. I was just happy to be out and about taking pictures.

After a few hours, we all ended up at a cute restaurant. There had to have been thousands and thousands of dollars worth of camera gear there.

At the end of our time there, we picked up some pie and drove home. My friend Matt commented that it was hard not to see picture opportunities everywhere, even though we were done shooting for the day. I couldn’t agree more. I can’t wait for next year!

Here are some of my favorite photos from the day:

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Jul 18 2009: Photo Walk

Jul 18, 2009 by

Today was the Photo Walk in Estes Park. It was part of Scott Kelby’s 2nd Annual Worldwide Photo Walk. It was a great day! I took about 300 pictures, and like about 40 of them! Here’s one of my absolute favorites, of the old Estes Park theater, which was where we met up to start our day.

Park Theater pierces the sky.

Park Theater pierces the sky.

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Things to Look Forward To!

Jul 16, 2009 by

Having events to look forward to is always bittersweet. It’s so great to look toward the future with excitement and hope. Yet it’s sad that we wish our days away to get there. I realized a few weeks ago that I really needed to have something in my life to look forward to. Something to plan for and something that will keep me awake at night with excitement.

So in my own life, I have two events coming up that I’m really excited for. One small and one large.

First up is the Photo Walk I’m participating in on Saturday in Estes Park. My friend David told me about it a few weeks ago and convinced me to sign up. It’s part of Scott Kelby’s Second-Annual WorldWide Photo Walk. Around 50 of us are going to be walking around downtown Estes Park and beyond taking photographs. I’m so excited to learn some new techniques from photographers that are much more skilled than I am. After a few hours we’re going to have dinner and drinks. How great, huh?

And of course, there is my trip to London. I’ve been busy planning away. I’ve decided that we’re going to stay based in London and do day trips to Bath, Oxford, and Stratford-upon-Avon. The latest development with my trip is that my mom is coming with us. At first it was a bit of a shock when she invited herself along, but now I’m really excited for this! For as long as I can remember she has talked about how she would love to go there. I’m so happy that she can get to go. So now my sister, mom, and I will be sharing a room with three single beds just off Kensington Gardens.

My mind races with all the possibilities. All the things we can do, all the ways I can get prepared. I love it! Yesterday I got my passport taken care of. I had to get my name changed, which is just a huge bummer all around. I really wish I would have done it right after I got married, and not while I’m in this current state of marriage with Brian. I really wish I would have never changed my name in the first place. But oh well. It’s been great to have such an easy last name!

Jul 16 2009: BackpackI’m already making lists like crazy. I think it’s exciting because I never really buy accessories for myself. I rarely buy new clothes, I hardly ever buy shoes, and I certainly don’t buy bags of any kind. But I have needs now, so I can justify it all. I’m definitely going to need new shoes to start off with. When I was in Ireland I was obsessed with footwear. Brian and I packed wore New Balance tennis shoes. We stuck out like a sore thumb. Everyone around us wore much more stylistic footwear, that was still perfect for walking, but not their gym shoes. I refuse to do that again. So now I’m planning on going to the Walking Company and getting a couple of pairs of shoes. Also, I’m going to need some new clothes by then. Not a ton, but a few pairs of pants and maybe a jacket. Hopefully, I will be an even smaller size by then. I’m already wearing older clothes that didn’t fit me when I began losing weight. That’s been great, but I can even sense that they are going to become too big. Finally, I’ve been thinking a lot about a backpack of some sort. Since I’ll have more camera gear, I need something a little more substantial than my purse. But I don’t want a big bulky backpack either. I want something stylish, but practical too. Well this morning I went to the campus bookstore and ended up finding an awesome little backpack. It’s got a million compartments and lots of nice features. Not only can I use it on my trip, but I can try it out on my photo walk too!

So things are coming together quite nicely. Life is wonderful right now and I’m so happy. How often do we get to acknowledge that?

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DSLR

Jun 27, 2009 by

For a really long time I’ve wanted to get a digital SLR camera. My point and shoot camera works all right, but it just isn’t the same. Since I’m going to Europe in the fall, I wanted to get a great camera far enough in advance to be able to learn how to use it so I can take great pictures. So with the reminder of my Best Buy credit I made the purchase today! After listening to my friend David, I decided to go with a Canon, and since I’m new to all this I started with a EOS Digital Rebel XS 10.1-Megapixel camera. And I got a package deal, so I got a 75-300mm f/4-5.6 III Zoom Lens to go with it too.

The hardest part so far was waiting for the battery to charge! But once it did, I went for a little nature walk in my apartment complex and took some photos, and of course I took pictures of the cats. I can’t wait to really learn how to use it!

Here are some samples from today’s shoot:

Jun 27 2009: New Camera

Jun 27 2009: New Camera

Jun 27 2009: New Camera

Jun 27 2009: New Camera

Jun 27 2009: New Camera

Jun 27 2009: New Camera

Jun 27 2009: New Camera

Jun 27 2009: New Camera

Jun 27 2009: New Camera

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