That isn’t a stretch of my imagination. Sometimes, what we have in common can be as simple as being in the same 50 square-foot area at the same time. When I’m exploring Denver, what I have in common with others can be a hindrance or a benefit. I tend to do a bit of wandering when I’m out and about. Getting somewhere by the most direct route saves time but doesn’t always work for me.

An indirect route allows me to take in experiences I might otherwise miss. Yesterday, while visiting a friend so that we could attend an event together, we took a very indirect route to get where we were going. As a result, I took several photos on the way that I wouldn’t have otherwise. At the end of the day, we took a direct route home and I didn’t take a single photo.

For me, getting photo opportunities is a paramount motivator when I’m out and about these days.

Taking photos makes each and every day memorable. And when the day has passed, I can still enjoy the day because I captured it and can experience a moment, a day, a feeling, people, or a place over and over at my leisure each time I revisit my photos.

Some places don’t inspire me to take a photo. While that may be true on a hot summer day, it may be completely different with two feet of freshly fallen snow at sunrise. This is one of the reasons I frequently find myself visiting the same places and wandering when going to a specific place.

At times, I really enjoy seeing Denver by myself so that I can be free to move about in an erratic way or spend several hours in a general area to get more photos or that special photo that is obtainable only with patience. When I’m tired or my feet hurt, I find a place to rest. At other times, having a friend helps me to see things differently and be aware of capturing the moment from multiple perspectives.

It’s interesting that photography is a social activity as much as it can also be an anti-social activity. There are times I’ve wished I could have the entire location to myself. There have been numerous times I had a great photo opportunity and out of nowhere I see someone standing in a place that totally blocks the subject. So, I’ve had to learn to be patient. This moment will pass and I’ll get the chance to either have a good photo, or I’ll move on to someting else. Sometimes I return at a later time or day.

Everyone has different reasons for being where they are at any given time. That’s a nice thing about Denver – if it weren’t for all the people, it would not be the lively place that offers so many places to take photos. If I’m in a hurry, I miss out. But I try to respect the space of others so they can do what they need and want.

The other day, I wanted to take a photo near the 16th Street Mall downtown. I’d taken photos on the same block many times. But when the sun shines down in such a way that is inviting, I do not want to miss the chance to have a different photo. Unfortunately, a young teenager had been left in charge of his baby sister while the parents disappeared into a nearby store. The young boy decided that he could entertain himself by pushing his sister’s stroller down a ramp over and over.

The top of the ramp was exactly in the middle of where I was trying to capture a photo. Each time other people would move out of the way, the boy was at the top of the ramp ready to push the stroller again to make his sister giggle gleefully. He wasn’t in a hurry to descend the ramp, and the ramp was too short for him to be out of the way for long. I waited almost 15 minutes before finally giving up.

I could have made the most of the moment and asked if I could take his photo. However, I’m not usually very interested in taking photos of people downtown unless it’s in such a way that they are a small element in the composition, not the focus. When I don’t know the person, the photo means less to me. I have photo-editing software that allows me to remove undesirable portions of photos, but if I can’t easily crop an edge off the photo, then it becomes too much work for the end result.

So, I wander about from place to place, letting the moment inspire me but learning to be patient and flexible when I’m by myself, with friends, or when in the same space as some of Denver’s other residents and visitors. If I don’t learn to yield than I’m forcing myself into a box – who wants a photo of a box?

My impression was a surprise to me because I expected to find a different and relaxed charm about the southeast area of Denver. But what I saw lacked charm altogether. While it wasn’t aesthetically distasteful, it just lacked appeal. Shopping can be pleasurable to take in visually and with other senses, yet I found very little spice, attitude, and personality.

It reminded me of a PBS special I saw where turtles learned to take oxygen from the underwater depths rather than surface to get oxygen from the air. Even shoppers need more air than can be provided in some retail clusters.

With the price of gas and a desire to make the most of my visits around time, I expect that future visits won’t leave me any more anxious to explore the lack of attractions in any more depth than I just encountered. There are interesting and unique shops to while away time and drain money from the pocketbook, so it isn’t barren of shopping opportunities.

It would be nice to see a sprawling Mall centered around beautiful gardens. The buildings aren’t tall and the area is generally flat visually. I think this area would greatly benefit from more trees, even more container gardens to counteract the bland squareness. I felt a lot of emptiness that needed to be filled. I don’t mean the addition of another building or throngs of people – I mean it’s missing that quiet yet palpable part of life because it is so enclosed in brick and mortar retail. If you like the feel of concrete and pavement to be all pervasive, you might not notice that it’s almost lifeless.

If you want to recapture some sense of life, there is a park that runs east and west along the south side of Hampden, behind the office buildings. It’s almost formal with manicured lawns, but it has several evergreen trees and even berry trees for the birds to enjoy. (I tasted a berry and found it very bitter and it reminded me of chewing aspirin tablets.) I found a basketball court that didn’t appear out-of-place on the edge of this strip of nature. In the short area I explored I didn’t find flower beds or an abundance of wildlife, but nonetheless bikers, joggers, lunchers and a few butterflies all seemed to enjoy the little spot of peace not far from the concrete world of retail.

There are several dining choices and even a small place to enjoy Italian gelato along Hampden Avenue. If you are on foot or taking the bus, expect to be without protection from the elements. The sidewalks along Hampden are totally without shade from trees or buildings close enough to keep snow from drifting. Several bus routes criss-cross through the area, so summer visits are possible if you don’t mind the beating sun. A small cup of gelato when you detour from the hot path is a good way to end – a gentle way of putting it behind you and looking forward to exploring somewhere else.

Don’t forget the FREE admission day at the Denver Botanic Gardens on Monday, September 17 for Colorado residents.

Another reason I look is to see if I remember what was there before the construction. Will there be improvements to an old place or will it be a completely new place with modern architecture and technology. New places might result in an additional parking garage or a new restaurant run by a world-famous chef. Sometimes both and more.

Change is inevitable for a large city. When I think about it, I imagine that each and every day during the week, someone is making a business decision to start, maintain, sell or improve a downtown business. There are over 500,000 people living in the county of Denver. People from Denver and other counties visit or work in downtown Denver on a regular basis. All work and no play makes for a very dull life. Denver doesn’t have the high-energy of some other major U.S. cities, but there are certainly many places of interest when “all work and no play” gets a grip on your life and you need something that is smile-inducing. When I go downtown, I hope to see something new or interesting and have the time to experience it.

Wherever I go, taking photos makes the memories last longer. I may quickly take photos of several different locations. But generally, I like to spend time at one or two places. These are places that I have passed by frequently but only recently discovered something that resulted in my wanting to spend a little time to take a closer look. We all should have those places. Especially the places that look appealing and calm when life is hectic. Or maybe it’s the place that showcases something in the window that makes you long to make it your own. It could also be the most interesting statue you have ever seen, the one that has you dreaming of far away places and people.

Finding those places in Denver lets me feel like a child for a few moments. I sink down onto a blanket of being totally in the moment. I’m not overly worried about the traffic or the people who get in my way while I’m trying to capture the place to take home to add to my photo collection. My stomach will settle down even when it hasn’t enjoyed a morsel all day. Even when I’m tired and my feet ache, I need to enjoy this moment for a few minutes, maybe an hour. In the summer, I crave finding a place outdoors that gives me a reason to put everything on hold. The other day I found just such a place.

I pass the State Capitol frequently. As often as possible, I look up at the golden dome just to see the rays of sunshine caress it enough to make it gleam. I often think it would be great to look so brilliant even on a day when clouds loom above. I didn’t linger for long because I was on a mission. I crossed Lincoln Avenue to take a shortcut through the Civic Center Park.

There were several people sleeping in the park. I don’t think I could sleep in a busy park, because I’m a chicken. I prefer to sleep where I don’t feel my life depends on keeping my eyes open. There are far too many places that provide that feeling of safety – even if it’s just an illusion. I’ll take the illusion, thank you. If a sound wakes me in the middle of the night, I can rest assured that it’s one of my dogs. If it’s something or someone else, my dogs are sure to let me know they are alert while I am sleeping. In the park, my eyes would probably open to the sight of a drunken, dissheveled person babbling and relieving himself around or on me.

Well, I had almost walked to Bannock Street when a noise made me turn around. It was just a squirrel. In my mind, squirrels are overgrown rodents. We put up bird feeders a few years ago to feed the neighborhood birds. We have had squirrels in our backyard for as long as I can remember. They teased my dogs by running up and down on the top of our fence. They were smugly showing that they were untouchable. I secretly hoped my dogs would catch one just to take the squirrel’s ego down a notch. It never happened. But the squirrels became a constant presence when we put up our first bird feeder.

We spent a lot of money buying feeders to replace those that the “destructo” squirrels had to get into. They weren’t satisfied with the bird seed that fell to the ground from the feeders, the small dishes of nuts or seeds I left about to entice them away from the feeders, or the old bread I tore up for the birds. No. They were much more happy when the feeder was broken and pieces of plastic lay strewn about or when the cord was chewed so the feeder fell and spilled it’s contents. We had no choice but to spend money on feeders that the squirrels couldn’t destroy. Lesson learned. Yet they still try. The squirrels no longer attack the feeders, so I’ve adopted a live and let live attitude. In other words, I try to ignore them. Once in a while, they force me to acknowledge how cute they can be, but I don’t envision I will ever step up to a podium as a squirrel advocate.

After assuring the squirrel that I thought it was cute but really had no food to offer him, I turned to walk away. At that moment I was looking toward the Capitol. That is when I knew that I would be staying right where I was for a while. The sun has an amazing ability to give me a reason to stop and admire something it had a hand in. I often see the Parks and Recreation vehicles or city workers tending the landscaping between the Capitol and City and County Building. The gardens are usually too formal for me, and I don’t want to interrupt people at work in the gardens so I don’t linger. My husband tells me that I should be careful taking photos around governement buildings of any kind because Homeland Security will keep watch of me as a potential threat. I hope he’s happy knowing that I take my photos while looking in fear for anyone approaching in uniform or a dark suite and dark sunglasses. But this was one of the days that the sun had me open my eyes to see something I had just passed by and would most certainly regret overlooking. I would be using my camera. Shhh!

How many times had I made a mental note to stop and see the flowers and didn’t? I love pink flowers and golden yellow flowers and purple flowers. I also love the many varieties of ornamental grasses I see in landscaping around Colorado. Most of the ornamental grasses are at their best in late summer and early fall. Thanks to the sun, I enjoyed walking in the wet grass around the flowerbeds. No matter what day it is, I can count on feeling the wet grass in my sandal-clad feet in the gardens infront of the Denver City and County Building. It is sometimes very wet.

But I didn’t mind the wet grass while I admired the flowers. I didn’t know if it would be the last time I’d see the flowers so beautiful before the fall weather and winter freezes took their place all around us, with no trace of the summer to warm our thoughts. I expected to see a lot of bees, but there were only a few. That was enough to make me look carefully before I bent down for a closer look. The tall ornamental grass really makes an outstanding display when combined with other tall flowers. When the sun shines on them with just the right intensity, it’s almost tempting to bring a shovel and dig up a few for my garden. Of course, I haven’t done this, but I would without a doubt like to talk to the gardener(s) who planned the landscape and the interesting combination of bright colors. My garden has yet to look so lush.

Gardening is a recent hobby for me. I’ve planted a few flowers over the years that I enjoyed but until recently, it was a passing fancy. It’s not easy to find the time and energy to give proper care to flowers, but I’m trying to get my garden a place I can spend hours just enjoying it. When I am out walking in my neighborhood, it is nice to slow down to enjoy the gardens others have toiled over. One of my neighbors has a thin strip of flowers I enjoy at the end of the walkway to his house. I pass his house frequently, even crossing the street to see how the flowers are doing. I don’t have any of the varieties he has, but I like them just the same.

The world would be a dull place if we didn’t have change. In early summer, we have seedlings pushing up from the earth. The seedlings grow and become leaves and develop flower buds that leave me waiting for the treasure that will be revealed. The flower buds take their time exposing their treasures and when they finally blossom it’s a shame that I don’t see more people enjoying the beauty. I keep hoping to see my neighbor tending his flowers, but the flowerbed is well-established and needs little care. When I do see him, I will be sure to let him know how much I enjoy them in passing and that I have stopped for a closer look many times.

I will return to the gardens downtown and if I’m lucky, I’ll get to compliment the people that labor in the gardens to make them nice for all of us passing by and those of us that will stop for a closer look. Inwardly, I’m hoping I will learn what those flowers are for future visits. I will also enjoy looking at the photos I took during the winter when it is cold and there isn’t a bloom in sight. It’s easy to wait for the big changes, but sometimes the little changes that are happening all around are just as interesting when you stop to get up close and personal with the moment.

Look out for Free days!

The Denver Museum of Nature and Science will have a FREE admission day on Sunday, September 9 – for Colorado residents. The Denver Botanic Gardens will be having a FREE admission day on Monday, September 17 for Colorado residents.