I don’t make the trip to the city very often, but I’ll go when I finally cobble together enough activities to make the long trip worth while! I finished off a couple rolls of film a few weeks ago, and have been looking for the opportunity to make a trip to my favorite lab, Englewood Camera. To really make the trip worthwhile, I also planned on making a cold call at a local bookstore to see if they might stock my series of novels, Spirit of the Wolf and Thundering Hooves.
I’ve also been wanting to expand my photography subject matter to include some street scenes in my repertoire. What better day than the St. Patrick’s day celebration in Old Town Littleton! I arrived early at the camera store, and dropped off my film for processing. It took me most of the winter to shoot a roll of Kodak Portra 160, and a monochrome roll of Ilford FP4 125. I don’t even remember what I took pictures of, so in about a week, I’ll have Christmas in Springtime!
My main goal for the day however, was the cold call, so I set the GPS on my phone and searched out the store. I was surprised at the number of people already milling around in Old Town, but resisted the temptation to start shooting and went on in to the book store. The owner wasn’t there, but a friendly clerk took my information and gave me the owners card so that I could get in touch.
Littleton was the first place I lived after moving to Colorado from California, and I’ve always had a soft spot in my heart for the place. I can tell you though, it’s a lot busier than it was when I first arrived four decades ago!
My Canon R7 digital camera did a splendid job of capturing city images, with a 24-105mm zoom lens attached. I hardly ever remove my 100-400mm wildlife lens, but had a lot of fun shooting the street scenes with the wide angle. I forgot to switch the camera over to recognize people, but that mistake turned fortuitous when I spotted the star of the show, this charismatic little pup waiting outside a restaurant for his master.
Hunger pangs eventually overcame me, and I remembered my favorite Italian restaurant, Romano’s Pizzaria. It was one of the first places I ate decades ago, and the family owned establishment is still going strong! I tried to get there early enough to beat the lunchtime crowd, and took a seat at a small table in the corner. I decided upon my old favorite, homestyle spaghetti with a salad and Romano’s famous Italian dressing, and a Michelob. I should have remembered to take a picture with my phone, but in my excitement to be there, I forgot. Maybe next time!
The food was as good as I remembered, and I enjoyed my reunion with the place immensely! I even recognized a couple of the family members from back in the day, and for a little bit, I felt like I had returned home after a long absence.
I also took the time to visit a local art gallery built in the old train station. I was fortunate to meet the keeper of the art in the old caboose. As it turns out, he is a fellow photographer with a few pieces of art of his own in the gallery. the car is also filled with beautiful train art from other local artists, and I highly recommend a stop in there if you are at all interested in train photography!
After sharing train photography stories for a while, I decided on a pass through Chatfield State Park on my way home. As luck would have it, I spotted this beautiful bald eagle in a tree and of course I had to stop for pictures!
I also spotted this beautiful herd of mule deer on the southern edge of the park, just as I was prepared to exit the park.
Tomorrow I will be giving the bookstore a call to see if I might speak with the owner, while I await the results of my film captures from the long Rocky Mountain Winter!
Photographer and author Steven W. Krull has been photographing and writing of the beauty and wildlife of the Colorado Rocky Mountains for over two decades. Visit his complete works on his website at swkrullimaging.com
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Colorado Photographer / Author / Wildlife Advocate | Steven W. Krull 