A WEEK OF VINTAGE VALENTINES - DAY THREE...

By Jiminy...this one bears a 1939 copyright date...

A WEEK OF VINTAGE VALENTINES - DAY TWO...THANK YOU, SHIRLEY TEMPLE

Dear Shirley - may the tap shoes and stairs be plentiful in Heaven!  Thank you for a lifetime of wonderful memories...

Shirley and Bill "Bojangles" Robinson...

Shirley and Buddy Ebsen...

SWEETS FOR THE SWEET - A WEEK OF VINTAGE VALENTINES

A stash of vintage Valentines, photographed from my aunt's childhood album - sharing them this week (10 each day - remember to click on the photos to enlarge), for those that might want to do a little print, cut and paste.  These are all from the late 30's/early 40's.  A friend told me the other night that when you received a puppy/kitty/cute animal in your Valentines bag, you KNEW you were special - here's just that and a little more, including two of the creepiest I've seen...

Cuteness and curls ala Shirley Temple - and then there's this..

Obviously designed for those deemed "not puppy worthy".

Probably not intended to scare (check out the surprised faces on the little hearts they hold) - maybe designed along the lines of the Punch and Judy puppets.  Their eyes and jaws move with a flick of their frightened little Valentines, adding to the creep factor.  I like creepy, but I think I'd much rather be puppy worthy!

More to follow (adorable ones, I promise), every day until the 14th, my sweets - enjoy!

TRINIDAD, COLORADO on "TRAVEL TUESDAY"

Sometimes it pays to take the road less traveled, and somehow convince the driver on your road trip that it would be a worthwhile venture to check out something you've driven past since childhood, but never bothered to stop.  It also helps if it's less than 60 miles off the highway, which usually seems to be the case.

Nestled just "this side" of the Raton Pass (leading from southern Colorado, into New Mexico), and along the Mountain Branch of the old Santa Fe Trail, sits Trinidad, Colorado (population 8,771 in 2012).  A little town nestled in some remarkable scenery (the Spanish Peaks are there, leading into high desert country), that we had passed by many times but never bothered to stop.  This time we did just that...quite a few times on a cold, windy January day (photos that needed just a tiny bit of "oomph" in the enhancing department, since everyone is tired of drab right about now.  The colors of these buildings are all just as beautiful as they show here, on their own...it all just needed a little winter-time "brightening").

Trinidad was founded in 1842 as a trading center on the Santa Fe Trail, later continuing growth as a hub for large cattle operations, coal mining (1862), and the expansion of the Atchinson, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway in 1878 (over the Raton Pass and into Santa Fe, NM in 1880, rendering the old Santa Fe Trail obsolete).  The town is chock full of the charm of late 1800's architecture, still.  In the 1960's, the town itself gained worldwide renown as "The Sex Change Capital of the World", thanks to a pioneering surgeon ...this beautiful little town is so much more than that, as we found out.

Smack dab in the middle of the main street sits the Southern Colorado Coal Miners Memorial and The Coal Miner's Canary, side by side.

Life-sized bronze figures (obviously the canary is LARGER than life) stand in recognition of hundreds of miners (active, past, retired and deceased), representing 18 states.

Drive through the quaint old cobblestone lined streets (and sidewalks) - each and every one stamped "Trinidad"...Temple Aaron, built in 1889, at the top of the hill; Trinidad Waterworks Building (1879) at the other end of town.

The charming Rino's Restaurant and Lounge - built in 1887 and originally a church!

The residential area, up the hill from the main street, is JUST as inviting - upper right actually a Bed and Breakfast.

Cattle baron, banker, and merchant Frank C. Bloom, built this beauty (also on Main Street) in 1882.

The Bloom Mansion is in the throws of restoration as part of the Trinidad History Museum - it is open, and tours are available.  Lower left pictures the expansive gardens of Bloom's wife, Sarah.

Street views, in and above the town.

Ten miles south of Trinidad (off the side of the highway, nestled on the hillside - these were telephoto shots in 60 mph winds, across the highway) sits what is left of a former mining camp (1907-1956), and the remains of the adobe facade of the old mission style St. Aloysius Church, built in 1917.  The scenery is beautiful as the architecture of the town is captivating - certainly worth pulling off for a quick "look-see".  For more information on the town and surrounding sites, please visit SITES OF TRINIDAD (just click on the BOLD words...it's a link, you know).

Then, cheerfully pass the beautiful big barn, on the left hand side of the road, on your way back to Denver...and apologize to your driver for him having to cave in to your whims and photo opportunity cravings, putting your road trip behind schedule just enough to be engulfed by a massive DUST storm somewhere between Pueblo and Colorado Springs.  It was like driving into super scary BROWN fog...white-out conditions, only a BROWN-out.  Thanks for getting us safely through - thanks for stopping...photos from a stand-still position are always better than through the car windshield (though you do what you have to do to get the shot), and if it's 60 miles away, it might best be saved for another trip.

YEAR OF THE HORSE - BELLAGIO CONSERVATORY, LAS VEGAS, NV ON "TRAVEL TUESDAY"

For those back home in CO, and all my fellow Broncos fans, this might just be a harbinger of things to come! Friday is the start of Chinese New Year 2014 - THE YEAR OF THE HORSE!  After a quick detour through the airport this morning, I ran myself over to the ever beautiful Bellagio Conservatory and Botanical Gardens to wander through the new display.

Mums, oranges, the biggest incense sticks you'd ever hope to see (which for some reason, also reminded me of CO and their newly passed "Recreational Pot Smoking Initiative"), and eight enormously lucky horses.

Reminiscent of the large white horse above the old Mile High, and new Invesco Stadiums - home of the Broncos...far more pleasant to look at than the glowing red-eyed, blue horse at the new Denver International Airport (though I do find that one wildly delightful).  Could this be the year?

Pagodas, orchids, velvety elephant leaves, koi, and a MONEY TREE - best place in Vegas, right now, for a little extra luck!

7:00 in the morning was the perfect time to take this in - pretty much just me and the Worker Bees, changing out the "spent" blooms before the crowds arrive for the day.  What a fun job these people must have. Everything growing in here is tended to on a daily basis.

Super Bowl Sunday's match up features Denver and Seattle - I will have my orange on that day, and hope that it's not only just the Year of the Horse but, in more exacting terms, the Year of the Bronco(s)!

In any event, the Bellagio's Atrium is never to be missed for those traveling through town - always free - ALWAYS stunning - hopefully lucky!

GROW YOUR BLOG, 2014 - It's a PARTY!

AND a GIVEAWAY...all rolled into one!

The perfect start to a new year, thanks once again to our fearless leader, Vicki, at  2 BAGS FULL. Those who know me already, know I've been missing this past month due to travel home - since coming back I've been sidelined with a bad cold.  On the mend and ready to partake in the festivities...

Those who haven't happened through here before, I'm glad you dropped by.  This blog tends to serve as a place for an occasional creative tutorial or tested recipe; a way for me to keep family informed of what's going on in my life; a travelogue - both places in and around Las Vegas (concerts and shows are a biggie for us here, and those reviews are always fun), and further reaching (one reader, from afar, has contacted me and told me she is planning on a trip to Hawaii this summer, and was excited to read about a few sights she wanted to take in - sometimes I can be pretty helpful); and mainly, just because it feeds my soul.

A Colorado girl, born and raised - the west is where my heart is.  With that in mind, and in keeping with the party theme - a GIVEAWAY for someone special...it could be you!  Everything crafted by me - my hands are ALWAYS busy with one thing or the other, when home.  This includes a double-sided, silver-soldered 3"x1" pendant/necklace featuring Annie Oakley; and a custom quilted western themed cosmetic bag (10" at widest x 7" tall) with a detachable silk ribbon rose brooch (3").  I dabble in a little bit of everything, "back at the ranch".

To enter, all that's required is a comment below (be you near or far), making sure I have a way to get back in touch with you on February 15th, when the winner will be drawn.  There is nothing more dreaded than a "No Reply Blogger" or an anonymous comment with no name or email link (if you're unable to leave a comment, you are MORE than welcome to write to my own posted email address (up by the envelope) and I will make sure you're entered).  I hope you have a chance to look around a bit - "Travel Tuesday" starts again in a few days, now that I'm "up to snuff".  I hope you drop by Vicki's list of participants at 2 BAGS FULL - WELCOME TO GROW YOUR BLOG 2014...we had a great roundup of blogs last year, and am sure 2014 will prove the same ~ 

Happy Trails, and happy reading...Tanya