Today’s Post by Joe Farace
“Have You Ever Been To Colorado?” I Frowned. “Is That One Of Those Square Ones, In The Middle?” – James Patterson
April 12th recognizes the Centennial State and the 38th state to join the Union on August 1, 1876 as National Colorado Day.
The Spanish first explored Colorado seeking streets paved with gold. After Colorado became a U.S. territory, Lieutenant Zebulon Pike explored the range of the newly acquired land. A summit he predicted would never be scaled bears his name today. Later, gold would be discovered setting off a fever in the mountains. A silver boom would soon follow.
The first of the Four Corner States, Colorado is dominated by the Rocky Mountains. Prehistoric Colorado comes to life in the Florissant Fossil Beds. Discover one of the most abundant deposits of fossils in the world while taking in the beauty of the Rocky Mountains.With plentiful wildlife and natural resources, the state makes a ready home. A city once thrived along the cliffs of Mesa Verde, populated by Ancient Pueblo.
The state flower of Colorado is the Rocky Mountain Columbine Aquilegia caerulea aka Columbine to us residents but also known as “granny bonnets” to some. The flowers vary in color, ranging from pale blue, as in the species name caerulea, to white, pale yellow and pinkish; most commonly the flowers are bicolored, with the sepals a different shade to the petals. The genus name Aquilegia comes from the Latin aquila which means eagle and refers to the spurred petals that many believe resemble an eagles talons.
How I Made this Photo: I made the featured photograph in the front yard of my former home using a Nikon FE, lens and exposure unrecorded. I’m not sure where the glow camera from: fog on the lens a special filter—I am a mad filter lover and own more than 200 Cokin filters. Film was Kodak Ektachrome 100. Scans were from Kodak’s defunct Photo CD process and were opened using Lemke Software’s Graphic Converter that produces relatively quality files from a Photo CD disc but the software is not without its quirks.
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Along with photographer Barry Staver, Joe is co-author of Better Available Light Digital Photography with new copies are available from Amazon for $21.50 with used copies selling around five bucks. For some reason, the Kindle price varies.