Assignment 6

There are so many natural wonders in Manitou Springs, the springs, mountains surrounding the town.  The animals that roam the town, if you look closely, you can see them.  The sounds, if you sit still and listen carefully, you can hear the stream that runs through the town and the leaves rustling on the trees.  A lot of the buildings have been restored to the way they used to be.  Some of the buildings were built in 1888, that’s one hundred and twenty five years old.  The vibe I get when I walk around Manitou Springs is natural, almost spiritual.  Listening to our tour guide, I got a little annoyed when she said one of the shop owners; a restaurant was involved in a cult.  She blamed the vandalism that goes on in the town on them because they keep their restaurant open 24 hours a day, and they feed the homeless that come in.  The whole spiritual vibe of Manitou Springs comes from people like the ones who own that restaurant.  They feed the homeless and because they are not like this lady, they are considered being part of a cult.  They are closed on Saturdays and they hung a sign that said they were closed for the Sabbath and it said shalom.  I think that is Jewish actually.  I’ve met these people and they are very nice.  They remind me of Amish people.

I know the guy that spoke for the art center said they sometimes have problems with deciding which art to display to the public.  He told us of a story of a dog being displayed on his back and city council; actually, the mayor wanted it taken down because of the position of the dog.  I don’t get that, but it has to be very frustrated for these people to pick out art to display.  No one will ever be happy.

I actually took a picture of an artist from Manitou Springs and I love his work.  His name is Rocky, and he’s a bit of a recluse.  Every once in a while, you see him sitting in his studio where I think he lives.  If you’re lucky enough, you might even get to speak to him.  He did say hello when I waved to him, and I did get his picture.  When we take pictures of the local art, we are sharing it with others.