A Walk Around KrustyLand, Springfield, USA Michael Jiroch 2026-09-23 | A Walk Around KrustyLand, Springfield, USA
A Look At Marcy Street, In Downtown Santa Fe, New Mexico Michael Jiroch 2024-06-19 | A nice little cozy shopping and business street located just a block off the Santa Fe Plaza. Many restaurants and small boutiques and many offices. Marcy Street is also home to the Santa Fe New Mexican newspaper.
A Look At the Old Santa Fe Trail, Downtown Santa Fe, New Mexico Michael Jiroch 2024-06-03 | The Santa Fe Trail was a 19th-century route through central North America that connected Franklin, Missouri, with Santa Fe, New Mexico. Pioneered in 1821 by William Becknell, who departed from the Boonslick region along the Missouri River, the trail served as a vital commercial highway until 1880, when the railroad arrived in Santa Fe. Santa Fe was near the end of El Camino Real de Tierra Adentro which carried trade from Mexico City. The trail was later incorporated into parts of the National Old Trails Road and U.S. Route 66. This video is just about the LAST mile of the Santa Fe Trail. or the First Mile of the Old Santa Fe Trail, depending on whether you are coming or going. This video was shot in two different codecs....and HDR and Pro Res on an iPhone 15.
A Look At Washington Avenue, Downtown Santa Fe, New Mexico Michael Jiroch 2024-05-20 | Galleries, Shops, Restaurants, Library, Hotels, Groceries and Tattoos, Washington Avenue has it all.
A Look At Historical Palace Avenue, Downtown Santa Fe, New Mexico Michael Jiroch 2024-05-14 | So much to see and do on the historical street of Palace Avenue in Downtown Santa Fe, New Mexico, from buildings dating back to the 18th and 19th Centuries, to fine dining, to various museums, to Native American object d'art and crafts, to Palace of the Governors, to the Santa Fe Plaza, to Grand Style Hotels, to Fine Art Galleries and much, much more. One could spend the whole day visiting just this one street. But if you can't, it's all here in this little video. Enjoy.
A Look At Los Cerrillos, NM, And The Burro Race Michael Jiroch 2024-05-05 | Los Cerrillos is a census-designated place in Santa Fe County, New Mexico, United States. It is part of the Santa Fe, New Mexico Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 229 at the 2000 census. Accessible from State Highway 14 or The Turquoise Trail, Cerrillos is on the road from Santa Fe to Albuquerque, closer to Santa Fe. There are several shops and galleries, a post office, and the Cerrillos Hills State Park, which has five miles of hiking trails. The Cerrillos Turquoise Mining Museum contains hundreds of artifacts from the American Old West and the Cerrillos Mining District. It also displays cardboard cutouts of characters from the film Young Guns and information on other movies which have been filmed in and around Cerrillos. There is an annual burro Race held every year in early May. The sport originated in Colorado as a draw for small town tourism and a way to promote the working heritage of the American Burro in mining communities.
A Look At San Francisco Street, Santa Fe, New Mexico Michael Jiroch 2024-04-21 | San Francisco Street is the Rodeo Drive to Santa Fe. Many wonderful shops, Restaurants, and hotels are located on this small thin street.
A Retirement Party, Santa Fe Style Michael Jiroch 2024-04-07 | Jed, our neighbor, had his retirement party over the weekend. It was at the La Posada Hotel in downtown Santa Fe, NM. His family and friends were all there.
A Santa Fe Family Union Michael Jiroch 2024-04-06 | Peter and I were very flattered to be invited to our neighbor Jed's Family Reunion dinner last night. It was fun seeing and meeting all these people and putting names to faces and putting pieces of the grand puzzle all together. Very nice folks. His sons were there, their grandchild, his brother and sister and in laws were there. Tonight is Jed's big night and with a tribute/retirement dinner at a nice hotel in downtown Santa Fe. Jed is 72 and retired late. Not because he wanted to. He liked being a hedge funder. Jed hired a chef, note the guy in the chef outfit to cook the dinner. And his assistant.
Christmas Eve In Santa Fe, Canyon Faralito Walk, Xmas Party Off Canyon Rd., & Dinner at Geronimos Michael Jiroch 2024-01-04 | ...
The Plimoth Patuxet Museums, Plymouth, Massachusetts Michael Jiroch 2023-12-13 | Plimoth Patuxet is a complex of living history museums in Plymouth, Massachusetts founded in 1947, formerly Plimoth Plantation. It replicates the original settlement of the Plymouth Colony established in the 17th century by the English colonists who became known as the Pilgrims. They were among the first people who emigrated to America to seek religious separation from the Church of England. It is a not-for-profit museum supported by administrations, contributions, grants, and volunteers. The recreations are based upon a wide variety of first-hand and second-hand records, accounts, articles, and period paintings and artifacts, and the museum conducts ongoing research and scholarship, including historical archaeological excavation and curation locally and abroad.In the English Village section of the museum, trained first-person ("historical") interpreters speak, act, and dress appropriately for the period, interacting with visitors by answering questions, discussing their lives and viewpoints, and participating in tasks such as cooking, planting, and animal husbandry. Third-person ("modern") interpreters answer guests' questions that the first-person interpreters cannot. The English Village represents the year 1627 through most of the museum season (which lasts from early April to late November), depicting day-to-day life and seasonal activities. In November, the English Village typically represents the year 1621, which is the year of the first Thanksgiving to take place in Plymouth Colony.Henry Hornblower II started the museum in 1947 with help and support from friends, family, and business associates as two English cottages and a fort on Plymouth's waterfront. Since then, the museum has grown to include a Mayflower II replica (1957), the English Village (1959), the Wampanoag Homesite (1973), the Hornblower Visitor Center (1987), the Craft Center (1992), the Maxwell and Nye Barns (1994), and the Plimoth Grist Mill (2013). Alongside the settlement is a recreation of a Wampanoag home site, where Indians from a variety of tribes explain and demonstrate how the Wampanoags' ancestors lived.The museum grounds at Plimoth Patuxet also include Nye Barn where historical breeds of livestock are kept, a crafts center where many objects are created for use in the village exhibits, a cinema where educational videos are shown, a Colonial Education site for youth and adult groups, and a visitors' center with indoor exhibits and educational programs. The two houses on the Colonial Education site were built for the PBS show Colonial House, which was filmed in Maine. Following the filming, the museum disassembled the houses and reconstructed them at on their current site. The roof of the Cooke House was destroyed by a fire from a fireplace on November 19, 2011, and the building had to be demolished.Mayflower II is docked near Plymouth Rock and is also under the care of the museum. Museum employees in modern dress interpret history to guests from a third-person perspective.
Groton Hill Music Center, Groton, Massachusetts Michael Jiroch 2023-12-13 | Designed by award-winning Epstein Joslin Architects of Cambridge, MA, (Shalin Liu Performance Center, Rockport; The Conrad Prebys Performing Arts Center, La Jolla, CA) Groton Hill Music Center is an architecturally exquisite 126,000-square-foot music education and performance venue. It houses a 1,000-seat concert hall with lawn seating for seasonal concerts, a 300-seat performance hall, multi-scaled rehearsal and teaching spaces, state-of-the-art acoustics designed by Threshold Acoustics of Chicago, and dynamic architecture. Additionally, two-thirds of the land on which the facility sits – formerly an apple orchard and a horse farm – is preserved as picturesque agricultural fields.
The Beautiful Groton School Campus, Groton, Massachusetts Michael Jiroch 2023-12-12 | Groton has a 480-acre campus, including academic buildings, dormitories, athletic fields, and undeveloped land for conservation. The campus was designed by Frederick Law Olmsted, designer of Central Park in New York City and the campuses of many high schools and universities. In 2018, Architectural Digest named Groton the most beautiful private high school campus in Massachusetts.The School's core buildings are arranged around a (mostly) circular lawn, and "The Circle" is the primary metonym for Groton's campus. Walking across the Circle is traditionally forbidden, except while playing sports. Buildings on the Circle include St. John's Chapel, the Schoolhouse, the Brooks House and Hundred House dormitories, the Dining Hall, and the Dillon Art Center. Other facilities just outside the Circle include the Campbell Performing Arts Center, the Athletic Center, the Pratt and O'Brien Rinks (which convert to indoor tennis courts outside the hockey season), the Bingham Boathouse on the Nashua River, the Goodenough Solar Battery Farm, outdoor tennis clay courts and hard courts, and faculty homes.St. John's Chapel was the second chapel built on Groton's campus. Although Endicott Peabody's Broad Church Episcopalian churchmanship contrasted with the Anglo-Catholicism of St. Paul's School, Groton donated its first chapel to the local Catholic community; this chapel was renamed the Sacred Heart Roman Catholic Church of Groton in 1904.Groton School is a private college-preparatory day and boarding school located in Groton, Massachusetts. It is affiliated with the Episcopalian tradition.Groton enrolls about 380 boys and girls from the eighth through twelfth grades, dubbed Forms II-VI in the British fashion. Its $475 million endowment enables the school to admit students on a need-blind basis.Typically, 40-44% of students are on financial aid. Tuition, room, and board for the 2023-24 school year is $59,995, of which financial aid covers, on average, $46,519.The school's list of notable alumni includes U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt. Although it no longer publishes its admissions rate, Groton was the most selective boarding school in the United States in 2016.Groton School was founded in 1884 by Endicott Peabody, a member of a prominent Massachusetts family and an Episcopal clergyman. The land for the school was donated by two brothers, James and Prescott Lawrence, whose family home was located on Farmers Row in Groton, Massachusetts, not far up the road from Groton School's present location. Peabody was backed by Harvard president Charles Eliot and affluent figures of the time, such as Peabody's father Samuel Peabody, Phillips Brooks, William Lawrence, William Crowninshield Endicott, and J.P. Morgan. Groton School received early support from the Roosevelt family, including future President Theodore Roosevelt, and the dorms filled quickly.
Main Street, Groton, Massachusetts, a Beautiful New England Village Michael Jiroch 2023-12-12 | Groton is a town in northwestern Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, within the Greater Boston metropolitan area. The population was 11,315 at the 2020 census. It is home to two prep schools: Lawrence Academy at Groton, founded in 1792 and the third-oldest private school in Massachusetts; and Groton School, founded in 1884.The town was a battlefield in King Philip's War and Queen Anne's War, as England and France competed through their North American colonies from the 17th century well into the 18th century. It was the birthplace of William Prescott, who commanded the colonial forces at the Battle of Bunker Hill during the American Revolution. In postwar years, it had incidents of insurrection during Shays' Rebellion (1786–1787).The area surrounding modern-day Groton has, for thousands of years, been the territory of various cultures of indigenous peoples. They settled along the rivers, which they used for domestic tasks, fishing and transportation. Historic tribes were the Algonquian-speaking Nipmuc and Nashaway Indians.The Anglo-American Groton started with the trading post of John Tinker, who conducted business there with the Nashaway at the confluence of Nod Brook and the Nashua River. The Nashaway called the area Petapawag, meaning "swampy land." As Tinker had, other pioneers followed the Algonquian trails from Massachusetts Bay. They found the region productive for fishing and farming.The town was officially settled and incorporated in 1655, named for Groton in Suffolk, England. Called The Plantation of Groton, it included all of present-day Groton and Ayer, almost all of Pepperell and Shirley, large parts of Dunstable, Littleton, and Tyngsborough, plus smaller parts of Harvard and Westford in Massachusetts, as well as Nashua and Hollis, New Hampshire.During King Philip's War, when English colonists and Native Americans tried to destroy each other, on March 13, 1676, Native Americans raided and burned all buildings except for four Groton garrisons. Among those killed was John Nutting, a Selectman at Groton. Survivors fled to Concord and other safe havens. Two years later, many returned to rebuild.Abenaki warriors attacked the town again during the Raid on Groton in 1694 (during King William's War). Lydia Longley and two of her siblings were taken captive; the rest of their family was killed. Lydia was taken to Montreal where she was ransomed, converted to Catholicism, and joined the Congregation of Notre Dame, a non-cloistered order.In 1704, during Queen Anne's War, an Abenaki raiding party kidnapped Matthias Farnsworth III from his home and brought him to Montreal.In June 1707, a French-Abenaki raid captured three children of the large family of Thomas Tarbell and his wife Elizabeth (Wood), cousins to the Longleys. The raiders took them overland and by water to the Mohawk mission village of Kahnawake (also spelled Caughnawaga) south of Montreal. There they could be held for ransom or adopted into the tribe by individual Mohawk families. The trade in captives was carried on for years given the continued warfare between the English and French in Europe and North America.The two Tarbell boys, John and Zachariah, were adopted by Mohawk families and became fully assimilated. They later each married chiefs' daughters, had families, and became respected chiefs themselves.[10] They were among the founders in the 1750s of Akwesasne, after moving up the St. Lawrence River from Kahnawake to escape the ill effects of traders. The brothers' older sister Sarah Tarbell was ransomed by a French family, and converted to Catholicism. Renamed as Marguerite, she followed Lydia Longley in joining the Congregation of Notre Dame, and served with them for the rest of her life. In the late nineteenth century, a plaque was installed about the Tarbell children at the site of the family's former farm in Groton. Descendants with the Tarbell surname are among the Mohawk living at Kahnewake and Akwesasne in the 21st century.In 1775, the common in front of the First Parish Church was an assembly area for Minutemen who fought in the Battle of Lexington and Concord.
Fogg Art Museum, Harvard, Cambridge, Massachusetts Michael Jiroch 2023-12-11 | The Fogg Museum, opened to the public in 1896, is the oldest and largest component of the Harvard Art Museums.The museum was originally housed in an Italian Renaissance-style building designed by Richard Morris Hunt. According to Donald Preziosi, the museum was not initially established as a gallery for the display of original works of art, but was founded as an institution for the teaching and study of visual arts, and the original building contained classrooms equipped with magic lanterns, a library, an archive of slides and photographs of art works, and exhibition space for reproductions of works of art. In 1925, the building was replaced by a Georgian Revival-style structure on Quincy Street, designed by Coolidge, Shepley, Bulfinch, and Abbott. (The original Hunt Hall remained, underutilized until it was demolished in 1974 to make way for new freshman dormitories.The Fogg Museum is renowned for its holdings of Western paintings, sculpture, decorative arts, photographs, prints, and drawings from the Middle Ages to the present. Particular strengths include Italian Renaissance, British Pre-Raphaelite, and French art of the 19th century, as well as 19th- and 20th-century American paintings and drawings.The museum's Maurice Wertheim Collection is a notable group of impressionist and post-impressionist works that contains many famous masterpieces, including paintings and sculptures by Paul Cézanne, Edgar Degas, Édouard Manet, Henri Matisse, Pablo Picasso, and Vincent van Gogh. Central to the Fogg's holdings is the Grenville L. Winthrop Collection, with more than 4,000 works of art. Bequeathed to Harvard in 1943, the collection continues to play a pivotal role in shaping the legacy of the Harvard Art Museums, serving as a foundation for teaching, research, and professional training programs. It includes important 19th-century paintings, sculpture, and drawings by William Blake, Edward Burne-Jones, Jacques-Louis David, Honoré Daumier, Winslow Homer, Jean Auguste Dominique Ingres, Alfred Barye, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Auguste Rodin, John Singer Sargent, Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, and James Abbott McNeill Whistler.The art museum has Late Medieval Italian paintings by the Master of Offida, Master of Camerino, Bernardo Daddi, Simone Martini, Luca di Tomme, Pietro Lorenzetti, Ambrogio Lorenzetti, Master of Orcanesque Misercordia, Master of Saints Cosmas and Damiançand Bartolomeo Bulgarini.Flemish Renaissance paintings — Master of Catholic Kings, Jan Provoost, Master of Holy Blood, Aelbert Bouts, and Master of Saint Ursula.Italian Renaissance period paintings — Fra Angelico, Sandro Botticelli, Domenico Ghirlandaio, Gherardo Starnina, Cosme Tura, Giovanni di Paolo, and Lorenzo Lotto.French Baroque period paintings — Nicolas Poussin, Jacques Stella, Nicolas Regnier, and Philippe de Champaigne.Dutch Master paintings — Rembrandt, Emanuel de Witte, Jan Steen, Willem Van de Velde, Jacob van Ruisdael, Salomon van Ruysdael, Jan van der Heyden, and Dirck Hals.American paintings — Gilbert Stuart, Charles Willson Peale, Robert Feke, Sanford Gifford, James McNeill Whistler, John Singer Sargent, Thomas Eakins, Man Ray, Ben Shahn, Jacob Lawrence, Lewis Rubenstein, Robert Sloan, Phillip Guston, Jackson Pollock, Kerry James Marshall, and Clyfford Still.
Harvard Square, Cambridge, Massachusetts Michael Jiroch 2023-12-04 | Harvard Square is a triangular plaza at the intersection of Massachusetts Avenue, Brattle Street and John F. Kennedy Street near the center of Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. The term "Harvard Square" is also used to delineate the business district and Harvard University surrounding that intersection, which is the historic center of Cambridge. Adjacent to Harvard Yard, the historic heart of Harvard University, the Square (as it is sometimes called, locally) functions as a commercial center for Harvard students, as well as residents of western Cambridge, the western and northern neighborhoods and the inner suburbs of Boston. The Square is served by Harvard station, a major MBTA Red Line subway and a bus transportation hub.The name "Harvard Square" can also refer to the entire neighborhood surrounding this intersection for several blocks in each direction, including Brattle Square, a block away, and the nearby Cambridge Common. The Common is a park area with a playground, baseball field, and a number of monuments, several relating to the Revolutionary War.
The Harvard Campus, Cambridge, Massachusetts Michael Jiroch 2023-12-04 | Harvard's 209-acre main campus is centered on Harvard Yard ("the Yard") in Cambridge, about 3 miles west-northwest of downtown Boston, and extends into the surrounding Harvard Square neighborhood. The Yard contains administrative offices such as University Hall and Massachusetts Hall; libraries such as Widener, Pusey, Houghton, and Lamont; and Memorial Church.The Yard and adjacent areas include the main academic buildings of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences, including the college, such as Sever Hall and Harvard Hall.Memorial ChurchFreshman dormitories are in, or adjacent to, the Yard. Upperclassmen live in the twelve residential houses – nine south of the Yard near the Charles River, the others half a mile northwest of the Yard at the Radcliffe Quadrangle (which formerly housed Radcliffe College students). Each house is a community of undergraduates, faculty deans, and resident tutors, with its own dining hall, library, and recreational facilities.Also in Cambridge are the Law, Divinity (theology), Engineering and Applied Science, Design (architecture), Education, Kennedy (public policy), and Extension schools, as well as the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study in Radcliffe Yard. Harvard also has commercial real estate holdings in Cambridge.
The Mayflower II and Plymouth Rock, Plymouth, Massachusetts Michael Jiroch 2023-12-02 | Mayflower II is a reproduction of the 17th-century ship Mayflower, celebrated for transporting the Pilgrims to the New World in 1620. The reproduction was built in Devon, England during 1955–1956, in a collaboration between Englishman Warwick Charlton and Plimoth Patuxet (at the time known as Plimoth Plantation), a living history museum. The work drew upon reconstructed ship blueprints held by the American museum, along with hand construction by English shipbuilders using traditional methods. Mayflower II was sailed from Plymouth, Devon on April 20, 1957, recreating the original voyage across the Atlantic Ocean, under the command of Alan Villiers. According to the ship's log, Mayflower II arrived at Plymouth on June 22; it was towed up the East River into New York City on Monday, July 1, 1957, where Villiers and crew received a ticker-tape parade. The ship was listed on the US National Register of Historic Places in 2020.Plymouth Rock is the traditional site of disembarkation of the Mayflower Pilgrims who founded Plymouth Colony in December 1620.The Pilgrims did not refer to Plymouth Rock in any of their writings; the first known written reference to the rock dates to 1715 when it was described in the town boundary records as "a great rock".The first documented claim of Plymouth Rock as the landing place of the Pilgrims was made by 94-year-old Thomas Faunce in 1741, 121 years after the Pilgrims arrived in Plymouth.In 1774, the rock broke in half during an attempt to haul it to Town Square in Plymouth. One portion remained in Town Square and was moved to Pilgrim Hall Museum in 1834. It was rejoined with the other portion of the rock, which was still at its original site on the shore of Plymouth Harbor, in 1880. The date 1620 was inscribed at that time. The rock is now ensconced beneath a granite canopy.
The Plymouth Grist Mill, Plymouth, Massachusetts Michael Jiroch 2023-12-01 | The reproduction of the Plymouth Colonists’ original 1636 grain mill on Town Brook, take a fascinating look at the mill’s history and workings, from the 200-year-old millstones grinding corn to the ecology of the brook that has powered mills throughout the centuries.Plimoth Grist Mill is a working mill and is proud to be part of a growing movement to localize grain production and rebuild regional grain economies. Take home some of our freshly stone-ground grains or order them online—it's a great (and delicious) way to support our local grain efforts. Plimoth Grist Mill grains are a taste to give thanks for!
17th-Century English Village at Plimoth Patuxet Museum, Plymouth, MA Michael Jiroch 2023-12-01 | The 17th Century Plymouth Colony comes to life in our recreation of early Plymouth, complete with timber-framed houses furnished with reproductions of the types of objects that the Pilgrims owned, aromatic kitchen gardens, and heritage breeds livestock. Spend some time exploring! When you encounter someone wearing historical clothing, they are playing the role of an actual inhabitant of Plymouth Colony. They will talk about historical events and lifeways as if they are happening in the present, and will express their hopes, fears, and viewpoints. Modern-day guides will help you better understand the 1600s.
Thanksgiving Dinner at The Plimoth Patuxet Plantation Museum, Plymouth, MA Michael Jiroch 2023-11-29 | Plimoth Patuxet is a complex of living history museums in Plymouth, Massachusetts founded in 1947, formerly Plimoth Plantation. It replicates the original settlement of the Plymouth Colony established in the 17th century by the English colonists who became known as the Pilgrims. They were among the first people who emigrated to America to seek religious separation from the Church of England. It is a not-for-profit museum supported by administrations, contributions, grants, and volunteers.The recreations are based upon a wide variety of first-hand and second-hand records, accounts, articles, and period paintings and artifacts, and the museum conducts ongoing research and scholarship, including historical archaeological excavation and curation locally and abroad.Henry Hornblower II started the museum in 1947 with help and support from friends, family, and business associates as two English cottages and a fort on Plymouth's waterfront. Since then, the museum has grown to include a Mayflower II replica (1957), the English Village (1959), the Wampanoag Homesite (1973), the Hornblower Visitor Center (1987), the Craft Center (1992), the Maxwell and Nye Barns (1994), and the Plimoth Grist Mill (2013). Alongside the settlement is a recreation of a Wampanoag home site, where Indians from a variety of tribes explain and demonstrate how the Wampanoags' ancestors lived.
A Very, Very, Scary Halloween Party, Santa Fe, New Mexico Michael Jiroch 2023-10-30 | A party at Rachel and Teo's home in Santa Fe, NM. Thanks for having us.
The Royal Gorge, Canon City, Colorado Michael Jiroch 2023-10-23 | The Royal Gorge is a canyon of the Arkansas River located west of Cañon City, Colorado. The canyon begins at the mouth of Grape Creek, about 2 miles west of central Cañon City, and continues in a west-northwesterly direction for approximately 6 miles until ending near U.S. Route 50. Being one of the deepest canyons in Colorado, it is also known as the Grand Canyon of the Arkansas (River), with a maximum depth of 1,250 ft. The canyon is also very narrow, measuring from 50 ft (15 m) wide at its base to 300 ft. wide at its top, as it carves a path through the granite formations below Fremont Peak and YMCA Mountain, which rise above the north and south rims, respectively.
The Beautiful Drive up Pikes Peak, Colorado Springs, Colorado Michael Jiroch 2023-10-20 | Pikes Peak summit is accessible by driving Pikes Peak Highway. The road to Pikes Peak is toll road is operated by the city of Colorado Springs and the Pikes Peak drive is 19 miles one way with an estimated 162 turns and switchbacks.Driving a car through Pikes Peak Highway and to the summit is the most popular and the best way to take in the magnificent mountain views. You can travel at your own pace by slowly stopping at pull-offs along the way or by-passing those and driving straight to the top. There are options for many outdoor activities along the mountain highway, so you can make a day of it, but at a minimum, you will need at least 3 hours to safely drive up Pikes Peak and back down.The famous Pikes Peak Highway has been traveled by every type of transportation possible. Old-fashioned Model T antique cars, motorcycles, and small sedan Budget rental cars have made the trip safely, so you can enjoy a Pikes Peak scenic drive too.However, if you ARE afraid of heights, driving Pikes Peak yourself might not be the best option. The mountain is high and there are spectacular views right off the edge of the mountain. It can sometimes be scary to look over that edge, so if you won’t be able to focus on the roadway in front of you, perhaps you should make another choice for your mode of transportation.The drive will take about 3 hours, not including the long photo stops. Take your time and follow some important driving guidelines. You will receive a Pikes Peak driving guide at the tollgate entrance.
Garden of the Gods, Manitou Springs, Colorado Michael Jiroch 2023-10-19 | Garden of the Gods is a 1,341.3 acre public park located in Colorado Springs, Colorado, United States. 862 acres of the park was designated a National Natural Landmark in 1971.The area now known as Garden of the Gods was first called Red Rock Corral by the Europeans. Then, in August 1859, two surveyors who helped to set up Colorado City explored the site. One of the surveyors, Melancthon S. Beach suggested it would be a "capital place for a beer garden". His companion, the young Rufus Cable, awestruck by the impressive rock formations, exclaimed, "Beer Garden! Why, it is a fit place for the Gods to assemble. We will call it the Garden of the Gods." The April 5, 1893, issue of the Colorado Transcript reported,It was Helen Hunt Jackson, it is said, who named 'the Garden of the Gods' in Colorado. Riding past the cabin of a prospector from the South in one of the early days of the settlement, she was attracted by a beautifully kept garden in which two negro servants, a man and a woman, were working. In answer to a question the man informed her that his name was Jupiter, and the woman's Juno, whereupon she exclaimed, 'Then this must be the Garden of the Gods.'The name "Garden of the Gods" was also later given to a section of the Iverson Movie Ranch in Chatsworth, Calif., filled with large sandstone rock formations, because of the area's resemblance to Colorado's Garden of the Gods. The story goes that back in the early days of Hollywood, a movie producer seeking a rocky filming location made a comment to the effect of, "Who needs to go all the way to Colorado -- we have our own 'Garden of the Gods' here!" The Iverson family took the comment to heart and began calling their own collection of rock formations the "Garden of the Gods," and the name stuck. Today the main section of Chatsworth's Garden of the Gods has also been preserved as a park.
A Sunny Afternoon at Taos Mesa Brewing, Taos, New Mexico Michael Jiroch 2023-10-12 | Perched on the Hondo Mesa, “The Mothership” features a premium concert venue, restaurant with stunning mountain views, uninterrupted sunsets and stargazing, along with state-of-the-art brewing facilities. The Mothership hosts internationally renowned touring acts, features local artists, and functions as a community hub.
Oktoberfest in Red River, New Mexico Michael Jiroch 2023-10-12 | Red River Oktoberfest, aptly coined "where lumberjack meets lederhosen," holds a special place in the hearts of the community and those to travel to attend it annually. Originating in 2005 as an idea from the Red River Chamber of Commerce, this lively event was created to keep the town bustling with activity during the vibrant fall season. Over the past 18 years, Oktoberfest has not only prolonged the fall shoulder season but also provided an opportunity to share the region's stunning autumn colors with visitors from across the state, the Southwest, and even the nation. The festival, which draws crowds seeking respite from the chaos of the International Balloon Fiesta and a glimpse of New Mexico's most beautiful fall foliage, contributes significantly to the local economy. This year, the event promises an array of vendors, artisans, food trucks, breweries, wineries, and distilleries, showcasing the town's festive spirit and attracting a diverse audience. Exciting additions like the Red River's Strongest Man competition, a judged Beard and Mustache competition, and the annual Mrs. and Mr. Oktoberfest competition, along with activities like face painting and children's log painting, ensure that Red River Oktoberfest continues to thrive as a cherished tradition with economic and community-building significance. The 2023 Red River Oktoberfest is presented this year in partnership with the Red River Brewing Company,
Red River, New Mexico Michael Jiroch 2023-10-11 | Red River is a resort town in Taos County, New Mexico, US in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains. The population was 542 at the 2020 census. Red River is on the Enchanted Circle Scenic Byway, and is 36 miles from Taos.Prior to the arrival of European-Americans, the area now occupied by Red River was used as a summer hunting ground by the Jicarilla Apache and Utes, who hunted big horn sheep, mule deer, elk, Mountain cottontail, and mallards, amongst other species.The town of Red River had its beginnings late in the 19th century, when miners from nearby Elizabethtown in the Moreno Valley were drawn in by gold strikes in the area and trappers sought game. It was named after the perennial stream, Red River, that flows through the town, coming from the northern slopes of Wheeler Peak. By 1895, Red River was a booming mining camp, with gold, silver and copper in some abundance, and a population estimated at three thousand. Mining hit its peak in 1897, and by 1905 the mining and the population dwindled but the town survived, gaining a reputation as a great getaway from hot weather and as a trout fishing paradise. The last serious mining efforts extended until 1931. By that time tourism had become the principal economic livelihood.In 2019, the Christmas tree displayed at the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C. was harvested in Red River.
Taos Farmers Market, New Mexico Michael Jiroch 2023-10-11 | Know the food, you’ll know the place – whether you’re a tourist or a bonafide Taoseño we welcome you to one of New Mexico’s most diverse and visited farmers markets. In supporting our farmers we support stewardship of our beautiful Northern New Mexico lands.
Hotel Luna Mystica, Taos, New Mexico Michael Jiroch 2023-10-10 | Hotel Luna Mystica is a vintage trailer hotel and starlight campground in the vast Mesa of Taos, one of the most mystical locations on the planet. Come camp under the famous New Mexico starry sky next to our legendary mountain and feel the “pull” of Taos. Each trailer is equipped with its own deck, bathroom, comfortable bed, and kitchen facilities. Each is unique as we’ve retained its vintage soul while applying modern amenities. Tent sites are also available as well as primitive RV spaces without hook-ups. Hotel Luna Mystica – 8 miles from the heart of Taos, 12 feet across a dirt road from the Taos Mesa Brewery, and 4.2 light years from our nearest stellar neighbor, Alpha Centauri. Somehow everything seems closer at the Mystica.
Jambo Bobcat Bite Cafe in Santa Fe, New Mexico Michael Jiroch 2023-09-10 | Jambo! Welcome to Jambo Bobcat Bite, the latest venture by Chef Ahmed Obo, owner of Jambo Café. Known for his dishes featuring fragrant spices, tangy tastes with a touch of fruit; Jambo Bobcat Bite is a unique opportunity for Chef Ahmed to expand into a different flavor profile. The menu features mostly American style dishes such as eggs benedict, French toast, burgers and fries, and fish & chips, but with a decidedly “Jambo Café” flair and, of course, a nod to New Mexican cuisine.
Zozobra 2023: The Directors Extended Cut, Santa Fe, NM Michael Jiroch 2023-09-02 | The Zozobra (also known as "Old Man Gloom") is a giant marionette effigy constructed of wood, wire and cotton cloth that is built and burned prior to the annual Fiestas de Santa Fe in Santa Fe, New Mexico, United States. It stands 50 feet high.As its name suggests, it embodies gloom and anxiety; by burning it, people destroy the worries and troubles of the previous year in the flames. Anyone with an excess of gloom is encouraged to write down the nature of their gloom on a slip of paper and leave it in the "gloom box" found in City of Santa Fe Visitors' Centers in the weeks leading up to the burn. Participants can also add documents on the day of the burning, up until 8 pm MT, at a "gloom tent" in the venue where they can add to the marionette's stuffing. Legal papers, divorce documents, mortgage pay-offs, parking tickets and even a wedding dress –– all have found their way into Zozobra to go up in smoke. At the festival, glooms from the gloom box are placed at Zozobra's feet to be burned alongside it.Each year in Santa Fe New Mexico, over 60,000 people attend the event. The Friday Burning of Zozobra is followed by festive events over the Labor Day weekend, with Desfile de Los Niños, the Children's Pet Parade on Saturday, the Hysterical-historical Parade on Sunday, and a traditional mass at St. Francis Cathedral on Sunday night.Since receiving all rights to the Zozobra pageant in 1964 from creator Will Shuster, the Kiwanis Club of Santa Fe has built Zozobra and burned the effigy at Fort Marcy Park. The Zozobra that burned on September 7, 2007, was certified by Guinness World Records as the largest marionette in the world, at the time measuring (49 ft 10.82 in) in height.The Burning of Zozobra at Fort Marcy Park in Santa Fe, New Mexico was traditionally held in September; however, ticket sales in advance of the event improved in 2014 when it was moved to the Friday immediately before Labor Day.
Le 14 Juillet, Fête nationale française Banquet, Santa Fe Style, New Mexico Michael Jiroch 2023-07-18 | ...
A Look At Rustica Restaurant, Santa Fe, NM Michael Jiroch 2023-07-07 | Great place, food and interior design! Great wine selection and the pappardelle bolognese was amazing! Had a wonderful time and great service! Great to see another fine restaurant on the South Side of town!Menu features everyone’s favorite Italian dishes. The pasta is made in-house and all ingredients are carefully sourced.Whether you are celebrating a special occasion or just want to grab a quick bite to eat, Rustica will satisfy your senses on every level.
The International Folk Art Market Opening Ceremony and Parade, Santa Fe, NM Michael Jiroch 2023-07-06 | In Santa Fe, the annual International Folk Art Market is kicking off its events tonight with a procession and a new location, moving from Museum Hill to the Railyard Park.The market is in its 19th year, and will host its largest group of global artists yet, with 168 people from more than 50 countries and territories participating.For the first time, the event will be closer to the center of Santa Fe, with events happening in and around the Railyard, including a procession of artists at 7pm tonight followed by a performance by a cumbia band.CEO Melissa Mann said that the location would also make it easier for people from Albuquerque to attend by traveling on the Railrunner.The market itself will open to the public on Friday July 7, and run through Sunday July 9. Organizers hope more than 15,000 people will attend and spend about $3 million on global folk art, which often sustains whole communities in artists' home countries.
HONDO Fire Station No.1, Annual 4th July Neighborhood Picnic, Santa Fe, NM Michael Jiroch 2023-07-04 | ...
Santa Fe 4th of July Pancake Breakfast On The Plaza, New Mexico Michael Jiroch 2023-07-04 | Fourth of July for the people of Northern New Mexico has come to be known as the Rotary Club of Santa Fe’s Pancakes on the Plaza. For the past 46 years this local tradition has become a day full of fun for the whole family! The smell of delicious pancakes fills the air, while local vendors, classic cars, and unique art surround the plaza. Be a part of the Santa Fe tradition, where the cost of a ticket will not only get you a plate of delicious pancakes, but the proceeds of which will have a positive impact on the community. Proceeds from the event go to the Rotary Club of Santa Fe’s “Centennial Partners”, The Santa Fe Children’s Museum and YouthWorks. For 46 years, Pancakes on the Plaza has been one of Santa Fe’s favorite traditions, to which the Rotary Club of Santa Fe has and will continue to gladly donate hundreds of hours and resources organizing and coordinating the event.
Santa Fe Community Orchestra Plays Music Man for 4th of July on the Plaza Michael Jiroch 2023-07-04 | Nothing to me says Fourth of July more than the Music Man. I was overwhelmed listening to this...Childhood memories just came rushing at me.
A Look At The Prada Boutique, Marfa, Texas Michael Jiroch 2023-06-10 | Prada Marfa is a permanent sculptural art installation by artists Elmgreen & Dragset, located along U.S. Route 90 in Jeff Davis County, Texas, United States, 1.4 miles northwest of Valentine, and about 26 miles northwest of Marfa (its namesake city. The installation, in the form of a freestanding building—specifically a Prada storefront—was inaugurated on October 1, 2005. The artists described the work as a "pop architectural land art project."Realized with the assistance of American architects Ronald Rael and Virginia San Fratello, the construction cost $120,000. The original intent was that the building would not be repaired, but would rather gradually degrade into its surroundings. This plan was revised after vandals graffitied the exterior and stole its contents, the night the sculpture was completed.Designed to resemble a Prada store, the building is made of "adobe bricks, plaster, paint, glass pane, aluminum frame, MDF, and carpet." The installation's door is nonfunctional. On the front of the structure there are two large windows displaying actual Prada wares, shoes and handbags, picked out and provided by Miuccia Prada from the fall/winter 2005 collection; Prada allowed Elmgreen and Dragset to use the Prada trademark for this work. Elmgreen and Dragset originally had wanted to place the sculpture elsewhere and was interested in a "Prada Nevada", but failed to find support in the state. They were then helped by the New York-based Art Production Fund (APF) which connected the artists with Ballroom Marfa in Marfa, Texas, a center of contemporary art and culture. The installation was then placed at a location northwest of Marfa near Valentine, Texas, where a local artist Boyd Elder served as caretaker for the installation.The installation remained unnoticed by the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) until 2013, when Playboy erected a 40-foot-tall neon bunny nearby along the same stretch of road, which attracted the attention of TxDOT to both installations. TxDOT considered both the Playboy neon bunny and the Prada sign on the Prada Marfa installation to be advertisements, and permits are required to display such signs along a US highway on unlicensed land according to the 1965 Highway Beautification Act. Both installations violated the permitted specifications for billboards, and a demand to remove the neon bunny was issued by the TxDOT, but no immediate decision was made for Prada Marfa. Michael Elmgreen commented on the suggestion that Prada Marfa is an illegal advertisement for Prada: "There is no company behind the artwork. It was not commissioned by Prada [...] They never, ever asked me to do advertisement for them." In September 2014, TxDOT officials announced that the structure would be reclassified as a museum, with the Prada Marfa as its only exhibit. This action exempts the structure from the same signage rules that forced the removal of the neon bunny installed by Playboy magazine.
A Look The Minimalism Art of Marfa, Texas Michael Jiroch 2023-06-10 | A look at two of the major minimalist artist permanent collection in Marfa Texas.
A Look At Home Makeovers & Architectural Renovations in Marfa, Texas Michael Jiroch 2023-06-10 | Depression era, 1930s architecture renovations taking place on a large scale in Marfa, Texas. Some renovation selling for as high as 2.2 million dollars USD, for a renovated Gas Station.
A Look At Actual Contact Art Installation, Marfa, Texas Michael Jiroch 2023-06-10 | Way out in the Texas desert, on the plains of Presidio County, a new Marfa mystery is waiting to be built. Called "Actual Contact," it will be an enigmatic arrangement of twelve 10ft steel pillars inscribed with Jason WA Tucker's arcane symbols. It is the culmination of a long-held artist's obsession.For the past 15 years Jason has been developing increasingly complex projects around a series of images. The images at first glance appear to be a cross between some inspired desert hieroglyphics and an imaginative space alien's technical drawing.Jason's first project involved printing a selection of these images on heavy card stock, and placing stacks of them in cafes and stores throughout North America and parts of Europe. The cards were free for anyone to pick up and take; they had no information on them, no names, no words whatsoever. One can only imagine the curiosity such a find would invoke in the discoverer.
A Look At The Marfa Lights Experience, Marfa, Texas Michael Jiroch 2023-06-10 | The Marfa lights, also known as the Marfa ghost lights, have been observed near U.S. Route 67 on Mitchell Flat east of Marfa, Texas, in the United States. They have gained some fame as onlookers have attributed them to paranormal phenomena such as ghosts, UFOs, or will-o'-the-wisp. Scientific research suggests that most, if not all, are atmospheric reflections, automobile headlights or campfires.The first historical record of the Marfa lights was in 1883 when a young cowhand, Robert Reed Ellison, saw a flickering light while he was driving cattle through Paisano Pass and wondered if it was the campfire of Apache Indians. Other settlers told him they often saw the lights, but that when they investigated they found no ashes or other evidence of a campsite.[5] Joe and Anne Humphreys next reported seeing the lights in 1885. Both stories appear in Cecilia Thompson's book History of Marfa and Presidio County, Texas 1535–1946, which was published in 1985. The first published account of the lights appeared in the July 1957 issue of Coronet magazine. In 1976 Elton Miles's Tales of the Big Bend included stories dating to the 19th century and a photograph of the Marfa lights by a local rancher.Bunnell lists 34 Marfa lights sightings from 1945 through 2008. Monitoring stations were put in place starting in 2003. He has identified "an average of 9.5 MLs on 5.25 nights per year", but believes that the monitoring stations may only be finding half of the Marfa lights in Mitchell Flat.
