Denver, Colorado

Denver's Capitol building is intentionally reminiscent of the United States Capitol. Designed by Elijah Myers, it was constructed in the 1890s from Colorado white granite, and the inside was mainly of Colorado Rose Onyx from Beulah, Colorado. It was opened for use in November 1894.

The distinctive gold dome consists of real gold plate, first added in 1908, commemorating the Colorado Gold Rush.

The tourists on the front steps are son-in-law, David, grandson, young Allen and grandpa Allen. We are sitting just a few feet from the step that indicates the elevation (5280 ft.) which is a mile high.

(Note: to enlarge any of the photos, click on it: to return, click on back arrow top left of page)

These tourists are Donna, young Allen and grandpa.

David, Allen and I climbed to the top level of the dome but was not permitted to go into the dome itself as it was discovered recently that some of the metal in the top part is rusting and might be a hazard to the public. Wow, estimates to repair at $10 to 30 million.

Our guide was wonderful, very knowledgeable and he enjoyed his job.

Murals inside the Rotunda tell the story of Chief Ouray, white settlers and the gold discovery.


There were over 200 hand made quilts on display, the most we've seen anywhere.

Colorado Senate Chambers.

View of the public buildings and the Colorado Rockies in the distance. Also in the right hand side of the picture is Mile High Stadium, home of the Denver Broncos football team.

Big renovating project on the Arts Building in downtown Denver. Look at the next shot taken with my telephoto lens of the workers on the roof.

This is a close up shot and the workers are wearing their safety harnesses. OSHA and the insurance company will be happy about that.

Val (daughter) and David (son-in law) visiting the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, CO.

Grandpa Allen (the shorter one) and grandson, Allen. Academy Chapel in the background.

Air Force Academy Chapel, Colorado Springs, CO.

The Quad, classrooms and living quarters for the cadets.

The cadets and their main mode of transportation.The Buckhorn Exchange (The Original Steakhouse), 1000 Osage St., Denver, CO.

This National Historic Landmark and Western Museum has been serving the finest in Old West fare since 1893. Henry H. "Shorty Scout" Zietz was the founder, a self-celebrated character of the Old West (Chief Sitting Bull gave him his nickname). Shorty ran the place for 50 years; his family took up the mantle for another forty and sold the restaurant in 1978.

The steaks were simply awesome, the very, very best.

They have a large menu of prime grade beef steaks, buffalo prime rib, elk, salmon, quail, game hen, and baby-back pork ribs are just some of the marvelous offerings on the Buckhorn menu.

Exotic appetizers such as alligator tail, rattlesnake and buffalo sausage are available, and no dinner is complete without the house specialty, Rocky Mountain Oysters (we didn't have any).

Donna had elk and the rest of us had the big steak (New York Strip).

Note: if you are a member of PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals), you may not like this place, there are 500 stuffed animals on the wall.

The Molly Brown House.

In 1970 local citizens joined forces to preserve the long-time home of Titanic’s most famous survivor. Today, you can visit the Brown’s opulent 1889 home, designed by architect William Lang. You’ll also hear the fascinating tales of Molly Brown’s incredible life, from instant mining-town wealth, to labor reform and the stages of New York.

Buffalo Bill's gravesite, Lookout Mountain, Colorado.

A number of years ago, we visited the town named after him in Cody, Wyoming and ate at his restaurant named, The Irma, after his daughter. It was there that we found out Wild Bill was buried on Lookout Mountain, near Golden, Colorado.

In 1917, Buffalo Bill's last wish was to be buried on Lookout Mountain overlooking the Great Plains and the Rockies. We finally made it there this year.

The main drag in Golden Colorado, a great little town and also the home of Coors beer.

Golden's future vision:

“Through this shared community process, identify and articulate the most important defining values of Golden … that which describes the very core or “heart and soul” of the community… that which makes Golden, Golden.”

This is the view from Buffalo Bill's Lookout Mountain to the city of Golden.

Yes, that's Coors in the background, the white roof is where they brew it.

This is Clear Creek and it flows right by Coors beer. Until Prohibition, Coors beer was distributed in just a few isolated markets, including Denver, San Francisco, Wyoming and New Mexico. But the company's fame had spread much farther. The time was now right to compete with some of the hundreds of regional brewers then operating. The six years following repeal saw Coors successfully expand its market to include 10 Western states. During that period, the simple slogan that would serve the company for the next 50 years first appeared.

The slogan? "Brewed with Pure Rocky Mountain Spring Water."

Under the direction of fourth-generation Peter Coors, the company began the decade of the '90s by reaching a long-sought goal of becoming the nation's third largest brewer and experiencing the fastest volume growth rate in the industry. Not only that, but the company started expanding internationally, eventually making its products available in Japan, Canada, Greece, the United Kingdom, Spain, South Korea and other countries. Coors products are sold in more than 30 foreign markets.

The brew kettles.

Today, with annual sales exceeding 20 million barrels, Coors remains at the forefront of the brewing industry, building on a rich heritage to meet the needs and expectations of its consumers. It's a heritage that began with the commitment made by Adolph Coors way back in 1873: to brew the finest quality beers, using the highest quality ingredients available.

The pause that refreshes....and it's free (3 limit)

This flower has nothing to do with Coors beer, just thought I would share it with you. Actually it was in Val's yard.

Georgia OKeeffe, American Artist

The year is 2009, one of the things that keeps drawing us back to Santa Fe, New Mexico is Georgia O'Keeffe (1887-1986) and her wonderful pieces of art. In 1998, a year after her museum opened, we were fortunate to see her collection of 106 paintings. It is a rarity the number of paintings that were assembled in one place and probably will never again. It was truly inspiring, honor and privilege to have seen this once in a lifetime showing.

Georgia O'Keeffe Museum located at 217 Johnson Street, Santa Fe, NM. Jimson Weed was on display for the first time in eight years, following its return from the White House.

Georgia O'Keeffe's church in Abiquiu where she lived.

Donna with Napoleon Garcia who knew and worked with Georgia O'Keeffe when he was a youngster. He did many errands for her and is a terrific storyteller of his adventures with O'Keeffe.

Georgia O'Keeffe's pueblo in Abiquiu, New Mexico. Tours of her home may be arranged with the Georgia O'Keeffe Foundation.

O'Keeffe used this type of landscape near her home as subjects for many of her paintings.

Rams Head, White Hollyhock and little hills.

White Calico Flower.

Oriental Poppies 1927

Jimson Weed 1936

Datura and Pedernal 1940.

In the background is her signature mountain, The Pedernal, which appears in a number of her paintings. In the next photo down, I am standing in front of it.

Allen standing in front of The Pedernal Mountain, the signature mountain for O'Keeffe's paintings. Do you supposed she stood at that spot where I am standing to paint that mountain?

Our take through the lens of Santa Fe, NM

Santa Fe, New Mexico is the crossroads for good food, art work and awesome sunsets. There are 14 exceptional museums and historic monuments for the cultural experience of those that are interested and in addition, Santa Fe is teeming with shopping and rich in history. Santa Fe is the oldest Capitol City in the United States turning 400 in 2009.

Donna with her water bottle ready to take in the sights and sounds of Santa Fe and lunch too.

The New Mexico History Museum that opened in 2008 is devoted to exploring New Mexico history through new research and recent insights of curators, artists, collections managers, educators, historians, archaeologists, anthropologists, and ethnohistorians --work that will inspire lines of inquiry and exhibitions for years to come. We learned our history lesson that day.Our favorite RV Park in Santa Fe perched on a mesa with a 360 degree view. The park is family owned by Florence-Ruth Brown and was originally homesteaded in 1935. She was born in Santa Fe, her family was originally from Illinois.

Our coach sitting on her pad in Zinnia 2. Note the clouds and the sky. This is the best place to view sunsets that we have found.

This is a Spanish Broom plant growing at the entrance of Santa Fe Skies. It has been widely introduced into other areas, and is regarded as a noxious invasive species in places such as California and Oregon.

In Bolivia, the plant is known as retama, and has become very well established in some areas. It is one of the most common ornamental plants, often seen growing along sidewalks in La Paz. Under the Spanish influence, those cultures have adopted the belief that retama can be used to ward off evil. Sprigs of flowering retama are often kept in the home, and street vendors will often lay a flowering branch of retama on top of their booths when they close up shop for the night.

One of the most colorful stores in Santa Fe.

The Native American Artisans Program under the portal on the Plaza brings many forms of talents in jewelry, pottery, leather work and sand paintings. These artisans must pass a rigorous examination of their works authenticity. More than 4,000 artisans have qualified for the 70 available spots, which are determined by a daily lottery. These are members representing 23 Nations of Native Americans.

The central meeting place in Santa Fe is the Plaza.

The Saint Francis Cathedral was built between 1869 and 1886 and designed in the French Romanesque Revival style. Although its design contrasts the surrounding adobe buildings, the cathedral remains one of Santa Fe's most celebrated landmarks.

In 2005, Pope Benedict XVI officially elevated the church to the Cathedral Basilica of Saint Francis of Assisi.

Historic La Fonda on the Plaza has been described as “the essence of the city’s exuberant soul. It’s architecture, history, furnishings and ambiance reflect the evolution of the city and the Indian, Hispanic and Anglo cultural mix unique to the region.”

When the Loretto Chapel was completed in 1878, there was no way to access the choir loft twenty-two feet above. Carpenters were called in to address the problem, but they all concluded access to the loft would have to be via ladder as a staircase would interfere with the interior space of the small Chapel.

Legend says that to find a solution to the seating problem, the Sisters of the Chapel made a novena to St. Joseph, the patron saint of carpenters. On the ninth and final day of prayer, a man appeared at the Chapel with a donkey and a toolbox looking for work. Months later, the elegant circular staircase was completed, and the carpenter disappeared without pay or thanks. After searching for the man (an ad even ran in the local newspaper) and finding no trace of him, some concluded that he was St. Joseph himself, having come in answer to the sisters' prayers.

The stairway's carpenter, whoever he was, built a magnificent structure. The design was innovative for the time and some of the design considerations still perplex experts today.

Moving away from the historical sights, It's time for some R & R, we went for our ice cream fix.

She's ready to do it...

Castro's Restaurante, 2811 Cerrillos Road, Santa Fe, NM. In our view, the best New Mexican food in town and at reasonable prices. Favorite spot of the locals.

Blue corn taco and enchilada, side of rice and beans.

vegetarian enchilada with pinto beans $7.00

Castro's has the largest sopapillas in Santa Fe. Drizzle the honey on it and go for it. This comes with the meal at no charge.

My favorite, flat New Mexican enchilada with green chili and egg on top $7.00 + 1.00 for the egg.

These mountains are prevalent around the Ghost Ranch.

We filled our eyes for the day and found our pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.

And the best sunsets anywhere.

What a way to end the day. "Hasta la vista" from Santa Fe.