guns and babies

 

You have to wonder about the planning (or lack thereof) that positioned the military portion of the cemetery adjacent to Babyland. 

 

Masonic Cemetery

Trinidad, Colorado

8.20.2016



 

Trinidad

 

Trinidad, Colorado is 20 miles over the pass from Raton.  I wanted to visit the sign and could even see people up there.  However if there was a road I couldn't find it and heaven forbid that I hike or climb!  The Raton sign is at the end of the road up Goat Hill and one can view the town through the rear of the sign.  No such luck for me in Trinidad.

 

May 27, 2010

“I’ll lend you for a little time a child of mine”



The grave of a child is always poignant. Throughout time, special symbolism marks such sites.  This young angel represents the untimely death of an innocent, strewing roses symbolizing the brevity of existence.  Rather than a robe or dress, this cherub wears a dress, perhaps like one worn by the child. I like the intricate detail of the hem/

Trinidad Catholic Cemetery
Trinidad, Colorado
6.20.2008

the messenger

As an avowed taphophile, or tombstone tourist, I enjoy visiting cemeteries for their sense of history.  The older places with their variety of tombstones are the most interesting.  Cemetery art with its use of symbols reflects religious and cultural influences.  Angels are symbols of spirituality. They guard the tomb and are thought to be messengers between God and man.  The angel with clasped hands prays for safekeeping.  This statue is in the Trinidad Catholic Cemetery. Established in 1874, the graveyard has many examples of Victorian symbolism.

Trinidad Catholic Cemetery
Trinidad, Colorado
6.20.2008

paint

 

Kudos to the architect who rehabbed the old paint store for his office and art gallery yet kept the "ghost sign."  Ghost signs are faded, painted signs, at least 50 years old, on an exterior building wall heralding an obsolete product, an outdated trademark or a clue to the history of the building's occupancy.   I especially like the way the motif continued with the "open" sign, although the window says "shut."

 



 

 

Original Townsite Art Gallery

152 Elm

Trinidad, Colorado

8.16.2013

holy water

 

 

Located high on the hillside overlooking Trinidad, the Ave Maria Shrine is a  mysterious landmark.  1n 1908 an early Trinidad physician, caught in a vicious storm, was led by a flickering light to a statue of the Virgin Mary, which had mysteriously appeared on the hillside. A simple lave rock shrine was built to mark the spot.  Through the years, the shrine has grown with a chapel constructed in 1934; continued improvements include grottoes and a reserved parking spot for the Father.

 

Ave Maria Shrine

Trinidad, Colorado

8.16.2013

read the fine print

 

 

The  Drop City Liquor Store is the most colorful building in Trinidad.

I was intrigued by its name and the peace signs.  A google search informed me that  Drop City was one of the first hippie communes.  The name was based on an art movement where objects where dropped onto streets from rooftops for conceptual art. I guess I wasn't very "tuned in" for my generation.  Who knew Trinidad was such a counterculture place for the times!

 

Drop City Liquor

155 East Elm

Trinidad, Colorado

8.16.2013



mac is back

 

I don't know where Mac has been but a neon sign announces that he has returned.  Since this is an automotive store, maybe Mac is the best mechanic in town.  The plate glass window of the NAPA Auto Parts reflects the brightly-painted liquor store across the street.  Historic downtown Trinidad reflects century-old buildings with their distinctive architecture of pioneer days of the Santa Fe Trail.  Just a few streets over, it's business as usual. (By the way, in the 1960s Trinidad was known as the sex change capital of the U.S.)

 

NAPA Auto Parts

160 E. Elm

Trinidad, Colorado