Scenic Sunday - Monument Rock

One of the local hikes is Monument Rock, and I thought I'd share some photographs I took there on a hike last fall for this Scenic Sunday post. As with most trails in this area, it winds through woods.

You glimpse Monument Rock itself fairly often.

Near its base is a pond (I've posted a picture of the rock reflected in this pond here in the past).

The rock is fairly tall, and much wider than it is narrow. There's a tree growing right against it on one side.

I liked the reflections and these tree roots.

I also liked the shape of this tree.

And finally, the remains of this root cellar show that you can't get away from graffiti anywhere.

Skywatch Friday - What a Difference in 24 Hours

We've had quite a variety of weather in the last week. Over the weekend we had some snow and howling winds, leaving up to 2 foot drifts over my driveway. My first Skywatch photo was taken Saturday morning after the snow had stopped but the wind had not, so what you see is blowing snow.

The second shot was taken on Sunday in town, where the temperature hit 78 F (25 C), on Tuesday.

What a difference 24 hours can make!

As with every week around this time, please visit Skywatch Friday to see many skies from around the world.

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.