July 2010 Free Wallpaper Calendar

Sunflowers rustling in the hot blast of a high plains summer breeze. Tall golden grass flowing in gentle waves like an inland sea. Cloud streaked sky building into the promise of afternoon rain. Hazy distant mountains beckoning the adventurer to strap on heavy boots and pack only to disappear in the folds and valleys of rock. All these things say July to me. What says July to you?

download your free desktop wallpaper calendar for July 2010 here

Easy Instructions
After clicking on the above link
you will be at my Flickr page. Simply click on
"Download the Original size"
at the top left of the page.
The file will then download to your desktop!

Etsy Buy Handmade JulieMagersSoulen

I-80 Road Trip: Colorado to Ohio

Some of you may remember my road trip last month from Colorado to Ohio. I thought I would share a few photos from that non-stop whirlwind tour. We started bright and early on a Saturday morning and made it to our destination by Sunday night. That is pretty good time for 1300 miles. We had a fun family visit squeezed in between our obligations before we headed home. On the return trip we had one little glitch of a spark coil going bad on our truck. Apparently, our desert rat truck did not like the humidity either. Then it was back on the road. Some of these photographs were taken in a moving vehicle at interstate speeds. That might explain some of the blur and bugs!

Glass Building
This glass church with post and beam construction is exceptionally beautiful.

Happy Face

Wind Turbines
This could be the AT&T logo. Somewhere in Iowa on I-80.

Rob's Nap
Rob takes a nap in the jump seat of the truck. He ended up in many peculiar positions trying to get comfortable but this was the cutest.

Glass Dome
A glass geodesic dome flashes by at 80 mph.

Jordan Truck
Michael Jordan's head. Just one of the unusual sights on I-80 somewhere in Indiana near Chicago.

Best Moment
My Mom is a great grandmother for the fourth time.

Worst Moment
Our truck breaks down in Iowa City. We spent the evening and next morning with repairs sitting in this parking lot.

Road Weary
After almost 2600 miles of driving within six days, we are all a bit weary.

Colorado Sunset
An exceptional Colorado sunset greets us as we return home.

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Lovely Locoweed

I was on my morning walk with my two exuberant dogs. The air still had the chill of a Rocky Mountain morning but the sun was warm. As I rounded the bend in the dusty dirt road I saw the mound of white blossoms that we locals in the West know as locoweed. It is so pretty and also so poisonous. The variety that commonly grows near my home is usually white but can also be a pale lavender. It is dangerous to grazing animals and also very tasty to them. I ponder this apparent conundrum in nature as we continue to walk through the dappled shade of pines on the dusty road.

Lovely Loco
The delicate spires of white blossoms of the locoweed plant are lovely and common throughout the West.
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Locoweed Road
White locoweed grows in a beautiful clump near a country road in Colorado.

Etsy Buy Handmade JulieMagersSoulen

Rocky Mountain Wildflowers of Colorado

Spring came late this year with our last large snow in the middle of May. As many of you remember, I was gone the last week of May on family business, and when we returned home everything was bursting with color and new growth. Summers are short in the Colorado Rockies and the spring plants were mingled with the summer blooms all in a rainbow of exploding color. Here are a couple of my favorites; the Pasque Flower and Cushion Cactus. Enjoy!

Pink Cushion Cactus Blossoms
A mound of hot pink blossoms adorns the top of a Cushion Cactus in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado.
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Pasque Flowers
Delicate lavender Pasque Flowers, also called Prairie Crocus, are the earliest of spring flowers in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado.
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Etsy Buy Handmade JulieMagersSoulen

Gothic Revival Church Architecture

First I want to thank all of you that have stuck by me during my internet equipment failure. I apologize for not being able to communicate or post new work and have missed you! I am excited to be able to share my work with you once again.

These photographs were taken in Georgetown, Colorado. This little church is a perfect example of Gothic Revival architecture. The influences are apparent in the pointed arches, steep gables, and spired tower. The Gothic Revival period spanned the 19th and 20th centuries and was primarily used in the design of churches and universities. It was a romantic period of Victorian architecture and was found not only in Europe but the United States, Australia, New Zealand and Bulgaria.

Gothic Church
The tower of a stone Gothic Revival church reaches toward a stormy sky with green capped spires.
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Church Door
The burgundy doors and stained glass window of a stone Gothic Revival church are outlined with beautiful brick arches.
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Firehouse Architecture - Alpine Hose No. 2

Hello! It's great to be back home in Colorado. We accomplished what we needed to do in Ohio and made time for some family reunions too. The drive was long, roughly 1300 miles one way, but we made it in record time even though we had a mechanical failure in Iowa. Seems our truck does not like moisture so I'll be staying closer to home in the semi-arid climate of the West for now.

This black and white photo of a historic firehouse was taken in Georgetown, Colorado. The old white clapboard, straight lines of the front facade, and bell tower caught my eye as a storm was brewing. In fact, we had to dash for cover shortly after I shot this photograph because of lightning. We were about a block away from our car and I heard the car alarm go off right after a close strike. Our car's security system has not been the same since! It tends to go off at the most awkward times. I hope you enjoy my new photo, Alpine Hose.

Alpine Hose
A black and white photo of a historic white clapboard firehouse with a bell tower in Georgetown, Colorado holds its western charm.
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To see more of my black and white photography click here.

Etsy Buy Handmade JulieMagersSoulen