#Prescott Walk #4 Downtown

Prescott Downtown Series

Amy, today’s Lens Artist Challenger asked us to write about our precious memories. Since my memory spans nearly 70 years, and fortunately it’s still working, it would take a lot of sorting to lift out the most precious ones. Instead of taking you on a wild goose chase back through the years, I will share some of the new precious memories that Vince, his sister Cindy, and I are making in Prescott, AZ.

Each day is a new adventure for the three of us adrift in a town of 44,000 with no friends or family to draw us here.

Saturday night barely two weeks before Christmas, Vince and I left home before it got dark. When we reached the corner of Courthouse Square, the fun and beauty popped into view. If I didn’t already live here, I’d want to move.

Prescott Memories – Almost Never Niggle

Niggled to drive downtown
A cold day
To take pictures 
Of Courthouse Christmas lights.

Sunset, orange clouds welcome
Silhouettes of western buildings
Thousands of lights
Climb trunks, celebrate in the branches.

Lighting children’s faces
Reflecting the colors for 
Their parents to share on Facebook
While grandparents write loving comments.

Statues posing backlit by
Blue, red, green, yellow, white
Tree trunks riding side saddle
Angels keeping watch.

66 words

Experimenting with filters, I found this glass filter blurred the lights enough to draw attention to the sky. It looked like it was going to storm, but except for a few raindrops, the sky was colorful but quiet.

“Sunset, orange clouds welcome silhouettes of western buildings.”

This torn edges filter erased the beautiful sky but gave our new memory an old-fashioned look like something out of a fifties magazine.

This young man raced the fire engine, which added excitement to an already thrilled crowd. The filter done in Photoshop was my attempt to give the photo a newspaper look. I’m sure many people shared a similar picture on Facebook tonight.

Some of the trees not only had their trunks lit, but had blink white lights to resemble snow flurries in their leaves.

“Thousands of lights climb trunks celebrate in the branches.”

This statue came under debate in my last Prescott walk. Vince and I thought that the horse stood on the man. My friend Anne Leueen suggested that the horse stood beside the man rather than on him. I’m still not sure.

“Statues posing backlit by blue, red, green, yellow, white.”

Visitors and residents of Prescott gather at the Courthouse. Except for the police presence during the day, it seems more like a city park than a place to try criminals.

This picture also has a magical Photoshop spell cast on it. Maybe you can guess which one. My precious memory fails me on this one. 🙂

“Angels keep watch.”

This post is written in response to the following challenges:

Invitations

  • If you host a writing or photo challenge or know someone who does. I would love to highlight your challenge with an interview.
  • If you write with quotes, join me on Wednesdays for Writer’s Quotes Wednesdays. It’s been exciting to meet so many people who have loved this challenge in the past.
  • Do you write or love stories? Join us for a monthly Story Chat and the follow-up discussion that takes the story to the next level. I love what readers bring to the stories. WARNING!!! The discussions may change what you think.

42 responses to “Never Niggled to Share Precious New Prescott Memories”

  1. Leya Avatar

    Love the Christmassy feeling!

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Marsha Avatar

      Thanks, Leya! The lights are beautiful to see.

      Liked by 1 person

  2. JohnRH Avatar

    Hmm. Experimentation gave us the light bulb and KFC, among other things. 🙂 Excellent.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Marsha Avatar

      KFC? Kentucky Fried Chicken? 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

      1. JohnRH Avatar

        Yes, of course. 🙂

        Liked by 1 person

        1. Marsha Avatar

          Haven’t been there yet. Love the chicken. That was one of the first fast foods we had in Indianapolis, IN when I was young. 🙂

          Liked by 1 person

          1. JohnRH Avatar

            KFC closed nearby. Chick-fil-a is the ‘new normal’ around here, though we don’t partake. Cane’s Chicken Fingers is our go-to. We are gourmets! Not.

            Liked by 1 person

          2. Marsha Avatar

            We have a new fav here in Prescott. It’s Wildflower Bread. So delicious.

            Liked by 1 person

  3. Terri Webster Schrandt Avatar

    Greetings from snowy Spokane, Marsha. We got here Monday about 1pm after 10 hours on the road the day before in pouring rain in Oregon (as usual). It was nice to have a shorter drive Monday. I love your pics of Prescott and the different filters used for the effects. That first shot from your car window is really a new precious moment because it shows festivity and I can feel your excitement! We have snow today and tomorrow so I’m staying in and grading assignments and unpacking a few things into my BILs house. All is good and I hope you, Vince and Cindy are all well!

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Marsha Avatar

      It’s getting so real, isn’t it? I put up so videos on my website for people to enjoy for the holidays. One of them is Leavenworth. While you’re waiting to move in, it would be a great trip. I’ve been there in the summertime, but it is one of the most beautiful cities at Christmas, according to one of the videos I posted. It would be perfect for your City Lights week on SS.

      Liked by 1 person

      1. Terri Webster Schrandt Avatar

        We want to visit Leavenworth, Marsha, I think shops are closed now due to covid. A little drive for us and winter storm conditions will slow us down for now.

        Liked by 1 person

        1. Marsha Avatar

          WOW! That’s a huge switch for you! Bye bye CA sunshine and warmth.

          Liked by 1 person

  4. dgkaye Avatar

    Thanks for sharing this little visual tour through Prescott Marsh. I love AZ 🙂 xx

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Marsha Avatar

      Now you will have one more place to stay when you come, Deb.

      Liked by 1 person

      1. dgkaye Avatar

        You are a sweetie. And I will be thrilled to take you up on that – provided we can scoot down to Sedona. 🙂 x

        Liked by 1 person

        1. Marsha Avatar

          Of course, one of my favorite places!

          Liked by 1 person

          1. dgkaye Avatar

            You are on! 🙂 x

            Liked by 1 person

  5. anne leueen Avatar

    Wonderful Christmas light displays! I think the man lying on the ground would be in agony if the horse was standing on him and he looks quite calm. Also horses usually react if they step on you accidentally and get off . Just putting in my two bits worth!😊

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Marsha Avatar

      Your bits are worth far more than my uneducated ones are. He does look peaceful. I love the lights on the statue. I think the pictures came out well.

      Like

  6. Cindy Georgakas Avatar

    This is such a joyful post igniting the holiday spirit with your pictures of cool lenses Marsha. Love the old fashion one too~! Also, gives a great plug for Prescott and creating some wonderful memories as you enjoy your first xmas there. It’s looking like the horse is on the man to me but It’s all about the angles in photography. Great post!~ ❤️ Cindy

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Marsha Avatar

      Thanks, Cindy. Anne, thinks he looks much too calm. It’s an interesting statue, for sure. I thought the lights on the statues were marvelous.

      Liked by 1 person

      1. Cindy Georgakas Avatar

        Good point there!!!! It is so interesting!!!!
        YES, the lights are fabulous accents1👏👏👏👏

        Liked by 1 person

        1. Marsha Avatar

          I’m going to have to find out a little history on the statue. Maybe the sculptor is still alive.

          Like

          1. Cindy Georgakas Avatar

            will look forward to hearing…. tried to post on your last comment but couldn’t .. grrrr W.P. basically said YES I agree; Hardships make us stronger!!! 👏👏👏❤️

            Liked by 1 person

          2. Marsha Avatar

            You are so sweet. Hardships are just that, hard, but everyone has them. Some seem worse than others, but our attitude towards them either makes us and everyone around us miserable and weakens us, or makes the hardships bearable, and/or strengthens us. I prefer to choose forgiveness and acceptance rather than blame and bitterness.

            Liked by 1 person

          3. Cindy Georgakas Avatar

            So nicely put Marsha!
            I whole heartedly agree with you!
            Life is our playground of growth and learning! Have a great day! 💕

            Liked by 1 person

          4. Marsha Avatar

            Thanks, Cindy. I appreciate your kindness and your support. Don’t you love the process of becoming friends? I do! 🙂 Lots of virtual hugs xxxx

            Liked by 1 person

          5. Cindy Georgakas Avatar

            You are so welcome!! I love all of your work and I really do; you are such a wonderful person and I’m glad to get to know you more friend! Have a blessed day!! 💕

            Liked by 1 person

          6. Marsha Avatar

            You too, Cindy. 🙂

            Liked by 1 person

          7. Cindy Georgakas Avatar

            Thank you so much! I plan on it!! 💕

            Liked by 1 person

  7. Tina Schell Avatar

    Wow, EXACTLY 66 words….who knew?! How fun that you are making NEW precious memories Marsha. And how nice that the town welcomed you with such a beautiful array of color. As for the man/horse, my interpretation is that he is a warrior in an earlier war. He is lying on the ground to shoot his rifle (or to observe the battle) and his faithful steed is standing over him to protect him. That’s my story and I”m sticking to it!

    Liked by 2 people

    1. Marsha Avatar

      LOL, and you are probably right. Anne, thinks the horse would not step on him and stay there. She knows way more about horse behavior than I do. Your conjecture matches well with hers. Thanks for playing along. This was a fun post to write and play with the filters on Photoshop.

      Liked by 1 person

  8. sustainabilitea Avatar

    I love the Christmas feel to these photos. The one time I was in Prescott was for an art fair. We drove up from Mesa while I was visiting my parents. And we had lunch at a wonderful little restaurant, although I have no idea of the name.

    janet

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Marsha Avatar

      Hi Janet, We are discovering so many nice restaurants, especially in the downtown area. My favorite is Murphy’s an old fashioned saloon about a block from the Courthouse Square. An art fair sounds fun, and I’m sure they will have another one. This is an artsy town. Not as much as Sedona, but it’s pretty amazing. 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

      1. sustainabilitea Avatar

        I’m looking forward to visiting there one of these days and meeting you as well. Let me know if you get some snow and I’ll be there in a flash…or several hours. 🙂

        Liked by 1 person

        1. Marsha Avatar

          That would be awesome. We had a smidgen of snow about two weeks ago, but not a sign of a flake since then. I’ll let you know! 🙂

          Liked by 1 person

          1. sustainabilitea Avatar

            Do. I’m serious. 😁

            Liked by 1 person

          2. Marsha Avatar

            I am too, I’ll look forward to it immensely! 🙂

            Liked by 1 person

  9. Amy Avatar

    Beautiful photos, Marsha! Thank you for sharing your new precious memories in Prescott, AZ. Love the last image especially. 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Marsha Avatar

      Thanks, Amy. It was a lovely evening.

      Like

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