For me, the holiday season in Denver officially begins when the lights on the City and County Building are switched on. It's an annual tradition to go see the grand old building dressed in its festive best.
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| A wide panorama from Civic Center Park, showing the full "Merry Christmas" and "Happy New Year" display. |
Sometimes getting the perfect shot means doing a little homework. The official lighting of the Denver City and County Building is a huge event, and I wanted to be prepared. So, the night before, I went downtown to scout out the best vantage points for the main event.
After a whirlwind trip to Florida, it was time to head home. As I've said before, I always love flying early in the day; you get ahead of the potential for cascading delays and the journey feels much smoother. The reward for that early alarm clock is often a beautiful, quiet moment before the chaos of travel begins.
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| The pre-dawn glow at Orlando International (MCO). The quietest moment of the day at any airport. |
What's a hotel stay without a little bit of drama? I had just turned in for the night, ready to call it a day, when the unmistakable blare of the fire alarm filled the halls.
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| Watching the moon and clouds while waiting for the "all clear" from the fire department. |
You don't often pay much attention to the art on a hotel room wall, but this piece caught my eye.
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| The view from the United Club as the sun begins to rise over Denver International Airport. |
When you get an unexpected afternoon off and the Colorado sky is a brilliant, cloudless blue, you have to take advantage of it. We decided on a two-part hike around Golden to do some exploring and photography.
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| Looking south toward Green Mountain, with some beautiful mountain wave clouds forming. |
