Colorado

Garden of the Gods
I can't believe that my sister lives so close to the Garden of the Gods! My first summer out there, we spent a lot of time there. We'd have lunch and then watch the rock climbers which are now unable to climb (but the daring still do). These red rocks are called something a little different depending on where you go. In Boulder, they're known as Flat Irons. I've got some great pictures of the red rocks but decided on this one just because I liked it so much.


Pikes Peak Summit
I'm sure you wanted to see actual pictures of the summit...but, there was a little storm brewing down below and covered the area with clouds so ya get to see me instead! LOL! I'm sure if I dig through some old photos, I'll find something eventually...


Gold Mine
While on a trip to Cripple Creek, I caught sight of the Molly Kathleen Gold Mine and knew that if I had the chance, I'd want to take the tour. The elevator down the shaft was truly an experience. We fit 8 people in an elevator just larger than a refridgerator! I've never felt so...close to strangers as I did on that ride! LOL! The tour was great, full of history and we even got a piece of gold ore at the end :)


Cripple Creek, Colorado
The town of Cripple Creek has been taken over by casinos. While you are walking through, you are drawn to the old train whistle every 1/2 hour or so. I have been on this train ride so many times that I've lost count. There's a spot on the trip where the train stops at "Echo Valley" and the view is unbelievable...you can see the Sangre de Cristo mountains in the far distance. The whistle blows and echos all through the valley. I was so impressed, I wrote a song about it for my composition class in school.


Air Force Academy
This is a dated photo...you are no longer allowed on the campus because security is so tight. Fortunate for me, my sister and brother-in-law are both allowed so I got to go with them last summer! This is a picture of the Cadets on their first day. Pretty cool!

NYC, NY

This photo was taken six months after 9/11...as a memorial, the twin beams of light shine up into the heavens on special occasions now. It's one thing to see the photo but it's another to see it in person. The skyline looks amazing but, it's still strange looking across the river and not seeing those two beautiful buildings.


NYC Skyline

What would my blog be without a post about a famous city that is so close to my home? New York City is a blog in itself. I've been here on tours and I've been on vacation there as well :) Being a musician, NYC has so much to offer! I've visited clubs where some of my friends have been featured in Cabarets, gone to concerts at Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall, etc...oh and then there's my favorite: BROADWAY!

I sang at Carnegie Hall in the premiere of Electra the opera by Mikis Theodorakis (the composer of the music from "Zorba the Greek"). I even got to meet him :) He was very sweet and told me I was pretty (blush-blush).

While I was in college, I took full advantage of the "student price" ticket and went to see the NYC ballet's version of The Nutcracker, NYC Opera's LaBoheme and Madame Butterfly and priceless concerts at the Philharmonic. I was so excited to hear "Carmina Burana" by Orff and "Magnificat" by Rutter at Carnegie Hall. They are two of my most favorite pieces of music :) I didn't know it when I bought the ticket, but when I got there, I realized that "Magnificat" was conducted by John Rutter himself!! Through my years at college, I sang so many pieces of his music and here, I got to see him in person! That for me was one of the most memorable concerts I had been to. Now that I'm out of college, I don't like that I have to pay full price tickets! LOL! But I'm glad I had the opportunity to see and hear all that beautiful music and dance for a little over $20!

Now...I rarely turn down a ticket to see anything at Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, etc...I would never turn down an opportunity to see a Broadway musical! I just adore going to the city to see them :)
To date, I have seen:

• Les Miserables (lost count how many times)
  
• Phantom of the Opera (just as many times)
  
• Miss Saigon
  
• Scarlet Pimpernel
  
• Jane Eyre (original cast)
  
• Ragtime
  
• Nunsense
  
• Beauty and the Beast
  
• Blast!
  
• Blast II: Shockwave
  
• Thoroughly Modern Millie
  
• Man of LaMancha (original cast)
  
• Kiss Me, Kate (original cast)
  
• Titanic (original cast)
  
• Into the Woods
  
• Honk! the Ugly Duckling (off-broadway)
  
• Crazy for You
  
• Company
  
• Noises Off! (not a musical but it was on Broadway!)
  
  That's all that is coming to mind right now. I know there's more somewhere in there... I love broadway so much!
  

Taos, New Mexico

On a recent trip to visit my sister and brother-in-law, I took an extended journey to New Mexico! It was absolutely gorgeous!! Being an artist hangout, there were art studios and many little shops to visit.

While I was there, I stayed in a bed & breakfast to die for! I wished that I could have spent more time there...hmm...maybe I'll go back! LOL!! Alma del Monte was located near the base of the mountains and had spectacular views from every window. The owners were so nice and I even got to meet "Max" the resident doggie! What a cutie!

OK, enough about the place I stayed. There was a huge forest fire which apparently had been started by a bolt of lightning a few days before I arrived. I could see it and smell it from my room. When you went into town, some of the roads leading to the mountains were closed off and there were helicopters carrying large buckets of water back and forth. I believe it was difficult to put out because it had started on sacred Indian territory so they were unable to "put it out" but had to contain it instead.

Despite the smokey air and incredible arid heat, I loved Taos! One of my stops was along the suspension bridge just outside of town. I am not a fan of heights but I swallowed my fear and went out on it...naturally, my luck--two HUGE tractor trailers came hauling across it and I thought I was going to die! LOL!! The bridge shook and rumbled but I stayed on long enough to get a "gorge"ous shot of the Rio Grande River below...


A View from the Rio Grande Suspension Bridge

Niagara Falls, NY

On a tour during the summer with "Commission", we took a pit-stop in Niagara. We were able to visit with a friend and do the "tourist" thing. We went on the Maid of the Mist (boat in photo) which takes you right up to the falls. You don't know the power of that water until you see it hundreds of feet above your head, roaring over the cliff. It was amazing!

Because the Falls are on the border of USA and Canada, we decided to make the trip across the bridge so that we could be "international singers" LOL! We got out of the van, got into a group and sang a few songs. Naturally, we drew a crowd which was so much fun!! We enjoyed singing for them and it made our experience of Niagara Falls that much more memorable. This photo was taken from the Canadian side:


Niagara Falls

Salt Lake City, Utah

View from Snowbird Mountain

Traveling with "Commission" was great fun and allowed us to meet so many nice people. I was fortunate to be a member of the group when we went to Salt Lake City for a youth seminar that meets every three years. They gave us a day off to tour the city and neighboring mountains. The summer heat was wicked so to going up to the summit of Snowbird Mountain was a treat :)

The air was crisp and the view was breathaking! Salt Lake City looked like it was miles and miles away (photo above). The snow at our feet was thick and wet enough to pack a nice snowball...you can tell where this is going! The two girls that posed with me in the photo below made snowballs and as soon as the shot was taken, began throwing them at the rest of the group! We had a nice little snowball fight until the altitude got us LOL!! We were seeing stars and breathing heavy so we decided, before we passed out and got frostbite in the middle of the summer, we had better call it a day :)


Summer Snowfight!

Paris, France

Posing in front of Eiffle Tower
Here's the big group in front of the Eiffle Tower. Because of the size of the group, we didn't stay in the same place. My best friend and I got to stay at the home of a lady in Paris while others stayed in hotels. I will say this. I got the better end of the deal! We rode the Metro every day to meet up with the rest of the gang and we were pros by the end of the week :) In this photo, our mouths were open because we were asked to sing...so naturally, we did!


My ticket
Because of our advantage of staying with a family, we got to do more sight-seeing than the others in the group. I got to go up the tower at night and see why Paris is called "the city of lights". The boats have HUGE lights on them that shine up the sides onto the buildings and it's just awesome! Definately something to see in person :)


Notre Dame
Here it is! Notre Dame, the famous cathedral... We had a 2 hour bus tour which led us here. It was so peaceful inside.


in Notre Dame
Here we are inside Notre Dame. Notice we're singing! Because the tour guide heard us singing in front of the Eiffle Tower, she told a friend who worked at the church and we were invited to sing there! Thank goodness for my friend who has perfect pitch! We sang a few songs in between masses and I will say, it was a priviledge! When the choir cut off, you could hear the chord swelling and swirrling above our heads around and around. One word defines that moment: awesome


Versailles
King Louis XIV was too rich for his own good. It's sick to think this man had so much money that he even had gold wallpaper while just outside his doors, his country was starving. Here's some interesting facts about Versailles and the Sun King.

Madrid, Spain

"The Girls" in Madrid
While on tour in Madrid, we were given time off to go shopping, etc. We had so much fun that day! At lunch (Hard Rock Cafe), we saw someone followed by secret service guys and photographers...we still don't know who it was but it was cool nevertheless :) We took a cab which was humorous because none of us speak spanish very well! I'm surprised we got to our destination! LOL!!


Streets of Madrid
While we walked through Madrid, I thought I'd snap this photo. For some reason, I thought it looked cool :) My best friend bought spanish lace and I got a pair of awesome sandals that unfortunately are no longer with me...but they lasted so long!


Manzanares el Real Castle
We got to visit this gorgeous castle on our way to one of our concerts. I've got a great photo from the top and, if I can scan it, just may put it online! Located just outside of Madrid with a lake on one side and mountains on the other, this castle just adds to the beauty of the land. It's hard to believe this castle has been there since the 14th century!


Concert in Tres Cantos
Some locals that I met after a concert in Tres Cantos were so impressed with our group that they came and said "thank you" and even gave us their phone numbers so we could call them sometime! Pretty neat :)