My World Tuesday - Downtown Colorado Springs

For my first My World post, here are a couple of pictures taken in my city, Colorado Springs, this Sunday afternoon. The downtown area looks like that of any other small city - here's a view of Tejon Street.

But turn the corner and the view looks very different, as Pikes Peak towers over the city.

For more pictures showing peoples' worlds, visit the My World home page.

Scenic Sunday - Seattle Market

Seattle has a famous market near the waterfront and that's what we visited on our first full day there.

Part of it is outdoor and part covered, and either way it's full of people.

Along with assorted touristy stuff, there is tons of fresh food for sale, including fruits and seafood.

And from one end you can see the docks.

This may not be scenic in the classic outdoor way, but I found it to be very pretty in its own way, and unlike anything out here in Colorado.

Skywatch Friday - Fire in the Sky and Snow Clouds

We had an impressive sunrise one week ago today - in fact I took these first two pictures three minutes apart, shortly after my Skywatch Friday post last week.

Then we had some snow, and this final picture was taken two days after that sunrise, trying to capture the sun breaking through the snow clouds.

Now we're under another winter storm watch, with several more inches of snow expected Friday night. Please visit the great Skywatch Friday site to see lots of different sky-themed shots.

Snow Dunes

We had some snow (about 5 inches, or 12 centimeters) on Friday and Friday night, so I took some pictures on Saturday morning. The wind shaped the snow into ridges, and that's what I'm showing in most of these pictures.

There may be more snow Tuesday night into Wednesday. It's springtime in the Rockies!

Scenic Sunday - Fox Run Park Lakes

Fox Run Park includes a couple of pretty lakes (Spruce Lake and Aspen Lake). I went there last weekend and took a few photos, while the lakes were still covered in ice.

I liked the driftwood on the first lake.

There's a pavilion on the second lake that's sometimes used for weddings in the summer.

Somebody had written their name in the ice, but didn't quite get the last letter correct.

And finally, I liked the shape of this bench.

Skywatch Friday - Light Clouds & Murky Water

We've had a beautiful week here, so I'm putting up a couple of pictures I took yesterday. There were just a few light clouds when I took the dog for a walk, nothing impressive.

So I went into the almost-dry creek bed behind the house and took pictures of the sun reflecting off the stagnant water, with a little ice still left over.

We may get up to a foot of snow tomorrow, so there may be some more snow pictures for next week. In the meantime, visit the Skywatch Friday site for a wide variety of skies around the world.

Seattle - Underground Tour

One of the things we did in Seattle was an underground tour near Pioneer Square. It turns out that old Seattle was built on tidal flats which would regularly flood. When the city burned down, the town promised to build the roads one level higher, but the businesses didn't want to wait until this was done and rebuilt as quickly as they could. Once the roads were higher, the previous second floors became the ground floors, and it's possible to tour a little of the leftover underground space. All these pictures were taken in dim light without a flash or tripod so take them for what they are.

It was dank and dirty, and there were some interesting leftovers, such as old bathroom equipment.

In many places, the windows would have looked out onto the streets before they were raised, as in this example.

The ceilings are now today's sidewalks, so there are people walking above.

Here's some old electrical gear, hopefully no longer in use.

Some of the sidewalks in that part of Seattle have glass in them. The glass provides a little light for these underground passageways; here's one looking up at it. If you wait, you can see the shadows of people walking above.

Scenic Sunday - Seattle Columbia Center Skyview

The first thing we did in Seattle was to go to the Columbia Center and visit their Skyview deck. This is Seattle's tallest building, taller than the famous Space Needle, and although the view isn't 360 degrees, it's still impressive. The first picture is of the building taken from its base; you can notice a spot of vapor near the top.

These next two photos are looking towards the Space Needle.

Next up is Qwest Field.

Here's a view towards the waterfront, with the cranes that unload the large container ships.

Here's Mount Rainier, a little hazy in the distance.

This is looking towards downtown Bellevue.

This is the Smith Tower far below us. For many years, Smith Tower was the tallest building west of the Mississippi.

And finally, a view of a ferry ready to leave; this is probably the one going to Bainbridge Island, which we took the next day.

Skywatch Friday - Blue Skies in Quarry

We had a mixture of blue skies and snow this week. Today's picture was taken on Saturday's hike in Red Rock Canyon, in the quarry. You can see more pictures from this hike (including plenty of blue sky) if you scroll down two posts.

To see lots more sky-themed photographs from around the world, visit the Skywatch Friday web site.

Wet Socks

Taken after his shower.

He's not a fan of showers, but he loves the blow-dryer (and the treat he gets after he's dry).

Scenic Sunday - Red Rock Canyon

We had a beautiful day today, so I took the dog and we went for a hike in a local park, Red Rock Canyon. I figured this might make a good set of pictures as my first Scenic Sunday post. Hopefully there will be plenty of time for hiking in the next few months as the weather starts to warm up.

Pikes Peak still has some snow, and may get plenty more in the coming week. This photo is taken from the beginning of the trail, right next to the parking lot. The higher-altitude trails would still be very challenging.

The trail winds through rocks and grass, in places right next to some very large rocks.

The rocks are beautifully-colored sandstone. They show up better in the early morning light but I couldn't get out early enough for that today, maybe another time.

One of the trails winds through an old quarry.

This set of stairs leads up a steep rock face into the quarry; there's a better trail that switchbacks for those who are more timid.

Finally, there's a small lake formed behind a dam, which didn't have a lot of water today.

For more scenic shots from around the world, visit Scenic Sunday by clicking the image below.