The Colfax Ave & Broadway image appears on the homepage of kennybe.com. Shown here is the four-step drawing process on the southwest portion of the city of Denver from first sketch to final ink (well, almost final, I made few compositional changes to the ink in photoshop).
West Highland Dandelion
Develacum is a large genus of flowering plant that is native to the West Highland neighborhood of Denver. Develacum Persistinale is found as a scrapeweed throughout the neighborhood and is spreading rapidly through the entire neighborhood of West Highland (WeHi) and into the surrounding neighborhoods of Sloan Lake (SloHi), Highland (LoHi) and Berkeley (BeHi).
The Develacum species reproduces asexually (without pollination), resulting in offspring that are genetically identical. West Highland Dandelions are an important plant for West Denver real estate developers and agents, providing an important source of income.
Long considered as a nuisance to established residents, the West Highland Dandelion has proven to be a good companion plant. It has been shown to attract the empty nesters and double-income "petrosexuals" who release vast amounts of disposable income which helps nearby artisanal-liquor bars, gluten-free coffee shops, small-plate cafes and free-trade boutiques to flourish.
The residents of the neighborhood celebrate each spring with the annual West Highland Square Dandelion Street Festival. The West Highland Dandelion is the official flower of Denver's Edison Elementary School.
City Park West Collard Greens
This is the original scan of the inked City Park West drawing of the Denver Neighborhood Seed Co. series showing a greatly condensed version of East 17th Avenue. Shown here, the Uptown street is lined with soul and collard greens as big as trees. Old St. Joe's south tower on East 18th Street is featured in the distance.
This Day in History
1883: William F. Cody (Buffalo Bill) presents his first Wild West Show.
Buffalo Bill's Grave on Lookout Mountain overlooking Denver.
Best Colorado Day Trip for people from Iowa – Buffalo Bill's Grave, Lookout Mountain
As all Iowa teenagers know, life in the Midwest can be totally boring. In a world full of attractions, it’s hard to keep the kids down on the farm. Back in 1857, a farmer’s life of toil from sunup to sundown held little interest for William Frederick Cody. So at the age of eleven, the Iowa native hired on as a scout for the railroad. In short order, he earned the nickname “Buffalo” Bill for the sharpshooting skills he employed to clear the rails of those magnificent beasts of his namesake.
Later, as a frontiersman, he led wealthy businessmen and European royalty on hunting trips throughout the West. He was a natural showman and decided to create his own spectacular, called “Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show.” The theatrical re-enactments included battles, hunts, shooting displays, trick roping and races between people and animals. The show was as much entertainment as it was an effort to preserve the disappearing myth of the West as it brought it to life.
In 1894, Denver newspaperman Henry Tammen tricked Cody into signing a contract that handed over complete control of the Wild West Show and kept Cody on as a mere employee and salaried attraction. As bad as that sounds, in 1917 Tammen strong-armed Cody’s widow into burying her husband’s remains in a park west of Denver, against his wishes to be laid to rest in Cody, Wyoming. Iowans can visit the site of their native son on Lookout Mountain. The grave overlooks the city that forces him in death, as in life, to toil from sunup to sundown as a tourist attraction.
Love Letter to the Overland neighborhood
A photographic tour of the Overland neighborhood – Denver, Colorado
Wishing (you) well
Valverde – Small sculptures on really big pedestals
The gigantic rock pedestals holding up the numerous tiny sculptures in the photo above suggest that this is the home of a yard artist who believes in the importance of building solid foundations.
Similarly, the no-worse-for-the-wear wishing well at the center of the yard with the rainbow weave paint job is placed on a hefty stone stump to attract the hopeful and put the necessary wishing within easier reach.
The yard art of Denver’s neighborhoods is a leading economic indicator that the hopes and dreams of a strong economy depend and the preservation of decorative wishing wells! For a better tomorrow, it is time to start throwing your money at them, now.