Summit Up

Good morning and welcome to Summit Up, the world’s only daily column finding beauty in the most unexpected places.

We’re not trying to get all mushy here, but lately we have been taking the time to actually look at our surroundings, and it’s almost hard to believe how much we miss when we’re always rushing.

For instance, we had no idea that someone took the time to pain a beautiful mountain scape on the electrical box down the street, and we never before noticed that when the sun sets it reflects rays of light off the collection of found hubcaps in a nearby abandoned parking lot.

Finding beauty in the unexpected is easy when you stop to take a look around, and in this fast paced world we live in it’s easy to overlook the many things that make this world so unique.

If you have never taken the time to watch the wind blow through a stand of Aspen trees we suggest you get out there and plop your butt down in the grass for a few minutes, seriously.

And it’s not just natural beauty that seems to be catching our eye, even the mass of stickers adorning the fire hydrants can appear artsy if you look from a certain angle.
Our roommate in college was big on creating art in the most unlikely of places, and late one night under a veil of darkness we followed her around as she painted murals in the gutters of Colfax Ave. in Denver.

Residents who weren’t expecting it woke up to find giant tree limbs emerging from storm drains and colorful mountain ranges painted on the trash cans.

Sure, some people may have viewed this type of guerilla artistry as graffiti, but should we really look down on those trying to create more beauty in the world?

And who is to say what constitutes art, or what can be categorized as beautiful?

Looking around Summit County it is obvious that there is both natural and man-made beauty everywhere. But, for us, the most rewarding part about living here is finding beauty in places we never before bothered to look.

Cracks in the sidewalk, piles of rocks, spray paint on the road and twisted tree branches, it’s all beautiful if you actually choose to look at it.

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Speaking of taking the time to look around, Breckenridge resident Barb Shaw sent us a picture of a fox that crept onto the porch to take a closer look at her granddaughter Lily, and friend Jocelyn.

From the looks of it, this fox looks eager to join in on snack time. Hope you girls were able to guard your juice boxes!

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We out on this Monday, aimlessly walking around taking in all the sights.