The Mystery Of Kayak Corner

I walked down to the St. Lucie River from our condo here in Stuart, Florida yesterday afternoon after arriving in the morning on a Red-Eye flight. I was hoping to wander around and take a few sunset photographs but found a bunch of people there sitting on benches around waiting for the big event. Evidently it is now a thing for fellow condo residents to gather together and watch the sunset every night, which kind of interfered with my plans. Back when I used to visit my parents down here, there was no one there at all around sunset. Of course, working at the University of Denver Bookstore, the best time for me to take a long vacation was in August, when nobody - except me, of course - wanted to be outside in Florida in the heat of summer. In any case, I decided to take the photograph above of what a sign calls "Kayak Corner." As you can see, there are stools and a bench provided, right next to an incline where you can launch a boat. All of this puzzles me, because I have been coming here for 50 years, and I have never once seen a kayak - or for that matter, a kayaker - around here. What are they? Night kayakers? Or perhaps it is just like our yacht club. Since the Monterey Yacht and Country Club was never allowed to dredge, there can be no boats. The yacht club is just for parties. And so, perhaps the kayakers don't kayak, just hang out in their corner. I must keep checking to get the full story, which no doubt will become a headline in the Stuart News. Fame at last.

Back In Florida At Last!

After coming back to Denver in December for eye surgery to reattach my retina, I have finally been given the okay to fly once again, and therefore my sister Susan and I took a Red-Eye Flight early this morning back to Stuart, Florida to escape the cold and snow. And head to the beach each day, not to mention an occasional visit to the outdoor bar at Sailor's Return Restaurant, located in Stuart's Sunset Bay Marina and seen in the photograph above. Last time we were there, I noticed several of the yachts tied up near the entrance were for sale, but I suspected they were a bit out of my price range. Years ago, when we were still renting out our condo, I remember calling about a used live-aboard cabin cruisier that I might have actually been able to afford and asked the guy about its seaworthiness. He told me you get what you pay for, which of course meant it would probably sink straight to the bottom the first time I stepped foot on it, and so I chose not to pursue it. These days, now that we have the condo back, I have decided not to tempt fate and just stick to gazing at those yachts from the outdoor bar. Much safer. And cheaper.

My Brother's Bar

I drove past My Brother's Bar, seen on the corner in the photograph above, a few days ago and noticed that they still have their "Celebrating 150 Years" banner up on the side of the building. The actual 150th anniversary took place 2 years ago, but I assume they are still proud to show off just how old the place is. Although it has had different names and different owners, this building has been a bar since 1873, starting out as Highland House, and is located in Denver's Lower Downtown (LoDo) neighborhood. I read on the internet (always a reliable source of information) that the old bar in the main room is the original one, and was a hangout for beat generation alums Jack Kerouac, Neal Cassady, and Allen Ginsburg. And even I myself have visited the place a few times. I recommend stopping by if you live in or are traveling to Denver. It is definitely a trip back in time.

The View From Evergreen Colorado

I had my last (I hope) appointment with my ophthalmologist this past Thursday, a final checkup after surgery for a detached retina. He gave me the "all clear" to both travel up to the mountains and fly (in an airplane), and so I have been taking a few drives up to Evergreen, Colorado from Denver once again. Evergreen is 19 miles west of Denver, at an altitude of 7,220 feet, and is a pretty upscale suburb. Upper Bear Creek Road, to the west of Evergreen, is especially ritzy, lined with huge homes that make you wonder what the hell they do with all that space - house immigrants, take in orphans, host wild days-long parties? They must spend half their lives doing housework. I took the photograph above where Upper Bear Creek meets Golden Willow Road, showing a snow-covered Mount Blue Sky, formerly Mount Evans, sitting at an altitude of 14,130 feet. Evergreen is a short drive from downtown Denver in good weather, and a great place to live, but in the winter, if there is a significant snowstorm, Interstate 70 often closes for hours, if not the entire night. Unless you have a pied-a-terre in the city for whenever that happens, it makes for a long long day. The high cost of paradise.

The View From The Wynkoop Balcony

My sister Susan and I stopped at the Wynkoop Brewing Company for a beer last week, and as we were leaving, I took the photograph above of the Wynkoop's balcony. I have sat in the seat on the far-right a number of times after an afternoon Colorado Rockies baseball game. Coors Field is located just a block away, and that particular seat is perfect for having a happy hour beer, doing a little people watching, and hanging out until the light rail train home has less than 300 people in each car. Opening Day was especially nice, watching the first baseball game of the season, and afterwards sitting there watching 50,000 people walk past you. Of course, that was when every game was priced the same, before "dynamic pricing," and all you had to do to get an Opening Day ticket was stand in line the morning they went on sale. These days, an upper deck infield ticket to Opening Day costs $92 (plus internet fees, even though you cannot buy a ticket in person anymore), a seat which will cost $30 when my South Side heroes, the Chicago White Sox, play a Sunday afternoon game this coming July. And so yes, I will once again not be attending Opening Day. And not only because of the cost. Sometimes that early in the season, snow will still be on the ground, just as it was the day I took that photo. In other words, a game that is both expensive and miserable to attend. To watch a team that has lost over 100 games two years in a row. I rest my case.

Getting Together With Still More Of the Old DU Bookstore Gang

I got together yesterday evening with still more of the old University of Denver Bookstore gang. Chris, the former Accounts Payable Assistant and her husband Jim hosted us all at their home just south of DU, and Chris provided us with a very wonderful meal. We discussed a variety of topics, including Donald Trump, coyotes and bald eagles in the area threatening neighborhood dogs and cats, and even preplanning your cremation and preparing wills. When the conversation turned to possible family disputes over money, it was suggested it might be best not to leave any money to argue over, and I recommended taking multiple Viking River Cruises, which turned the conversation to travel talk, a much happier topic. In the photograph above, starting on the left, are my sister Susan, an honorary retired DU Bookstore employee; Darrel, the former Accounts Payable Manager of the bookstore, who with his wife Linda will be traveling to Tucson, Arizona this spring and Germany in the fall; Jake, whose late wife Valarie was the Operations Manager of the store, who will soon be traveling to LA; Linda, Darrel's wife; and Jim and Chris, our hosts, who are spending a lot of time these days helping out Chris' father, who just celebrated his 93rd birthday, down in Pueblo, Colorado. Great seeing you all again, guys! 

Spring Training Games Have Begun!

Spring training games began yesterday in Florida and Arizona. My adopted hometown team, the Colorado Rockies, played the Arizona Diamondbacks in Scottsdale, Arizona, beating Arizona by a score of 12-8. Brenton Doyle hit a grand slam for Colorado in the 4th inning, after which the Rockies squandered a 5-1 lead before rallying in the 9th. Expectations are low for Colorado this season, and most experts are predicting another 100-loss season for them. Meanwhile, this afternoon at Sloan Park in Mesa, Arizona, my South Side heroes, the Chicago White Sox, will be facing off against their North Side rivals, the Chicago Cubs. The Cubs are all about making the playoffs this year, while the White Sox are all about not losing another 121 games, as they did last year, setting a major league record for losses in a season. Surely they won't be as bad this season, right? Right? In any case, I took the photograph above back in March of 1996 during spring training at Municipal Stadium in West Palm Beach. That stadium is long gone, as are the Expos, who used to train there along with the Atlanta Braves, who now train at Cool Today Park near Venice, on Florida's west coast. However, a few years ago, West Palm Beach built a new facility, where the Washington Nationals - who used to be the Expos - and the Houston Astros now train, and so spring training still lives in WPB. Let's play ball!

Getting Together At Spanky's With The Old DU Bookstore Gang

I got together yesterday evening with some of the old University of Denver Bookstore gang at Spanky's Roadhouse, located just to the west of the University of Denver campus. It was great to see everyone again, and we all had a great time. We reminisced a bit, although everyone agreed that if the university ever decided to get rid of Follett, to whom the store was outsourced, and reestablish a university owned bookstore, and asked us to return, we would run, not walk, to the nearest exits. So much for nostalgia. In any case, in the photograph above, starting at the bottom left, are Owen, the bookstore's former Computer Department Assistant, who now works for DU's Information Technology Department; Wally, the former Operations Manager at the store, now retired; Bill, the former DU Bookstore Operations Coordinator, also now retired; Mark, who works at DU's library, and is an honorary former bookstore employee; Joe, who worked in the bookstore's stockroom, and who is a monotype artist and teaches at the Art Student League of Denver; and Darrel, the former DU Bookstore's Accounts Payable Manager. And great news - volume of the background music at Spanky's is now back to reasonable levels. We could all actually talk to each other. A victory for geezers at last!

The February Issue Of Chicago Magazine

I perused the February issue of Chicago Magazine the other day. The cover story is "Best New Bars," and as usual, I was not overly impressed with their choices. Of the 10 new bars, only one really appealed to me, the tenth out of ten, which is Monochrome Brewing, located in Chicago's Pilsen neighborhood. From the description, it sounds like a nice, laid-back place popular with families and beer drinkers, where everyone feels at home. Most of the other choices seemed to feature cocktails I would not drink in a million years, served by bartenders dressed like the guy in the cover photo. And no doubt expensive as hell. On the other hand, I did enjoy an article by Rich Cohen titled Unlovable Losers. Cohen laments the fact that all of Chicago's sports teams stink these days, which reminds him of a similar situation in 1981, when he was 12. The only winning team that year was the Chicago Sting, a pro soccer team that no longer exists. Every other team in the city was horrible. But just two years later a golden age for sports in Chicago began: the White Sox won their division in 1983, the Cubs won theirs in 1984, the Bears were gearing up for a blowout Super Bowl win a few years later, and Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen were about to lead the Chicago Bulls on their run of six titles in eight years. The message: Chicago sports fans should not lose hope. Better times are coming. Perhaps I should get my bets down on a White Sox - Cubs World series this year. Or perhaps not.

A Cold Day To Be Sitting Outside

I took a short walk in Denver's Washington Park yesterday afternoon. It was 14 degrees outside, and so there were very few people out and about. I took a photograph of the Washington Park Boathouse from the far side of a frozen Smith Lake, and when I turned around, noticed the guy sitting on a bench in the photograph above. I can see taking a short walk when it is 14 degrees, but definitely not sitting down on a bench and hanging out. The man had a bicycle next to him, and so perhaps he was just catching his breath. Hopefully he wasn't homeless, which is a horrible thing to be in these temperatures. There are cold weather shelters people can go to here in Denver when it gets this cold, and the libraries allow the homeless to hang out there during the hours they are open, but some people prefer to stay outside. The other day I drove past someone camping out on the freeway overpass on East Evans Avenue in equally miserable weather conditions, and wondered how they could possibly stand it. Mike Johnson, Denver's new mayor, has made housing the homeless a priority, and has achieved many of his goals in a short period of time. But they can't force people to go inside. If I was in a similar situation, I would head to San Diego immediately.

A Trip To Clear Creek In Winter

I stopped in Golden yesterday afternoon and took a short walk to Clear Creek, where I took the above photograph. There were a fair number of people walking around, despite the 28-degree temperatures, but the tubers and kayakers that are drawn to the creek in the summer are long gone. Coors Brewery, the largest single brewing facility in the world, is located on Clear Creek in Golden, just downriver from where I took this photo. I have always joked that Coors simply takes the water from this creek as it passes by the brewery, and immediately adds it to their kettles, with all those tubers and kayakers simply adding to the flavor of the beers they brew. But now that RFK Jr. is the new Health and Human Services Secretary, could that become a reality? After all, he believes in drinking raw milk and is against putting fluoride in the water. Not to mention being a rabid anti-vaxxer. Could he decide treating water is bad, and advocate for "raw water" instead. Now THAT would definitely put you off your beer.

Watching Tottenham Play Manchester United With Mark And The Colorado Spurs

My friend Mark - seen in the photograph on the left - and I went to Esters Pub in Denver's Virginia Village neighborhood to watch the Tottenham Hotspurs play Manchester United with the Colorado Spurs Supporters Club. We arrived before the game started, but every table in the place was taken, and we were about to leave when a young couple invited us to join them at their table, which was a really nice thing to do. Before moving to Denver, they lived in the Wicker Park neighborhood of Chicago, in addition to Lincoln Park and Lakeview, and so we had a lot to talk about.

The Tottenham fans were very enthusiastic, and the guys sitting at the bar would occasionally start singing "When the Spurs go Marching in," to the tune of "When the Saints go Marching in." Several times they went into a chant that featured "Yeats." None of them looked like devotees of late 19th and early 20th Century Irish poetry, but you never know. We also heard that chant the last time we were at Esters, but I haven't the vaguest idea what it is all about. Tottenham has been struggling lately and are currently in 12th place in the English Premier League, but they wound up beating Manchester United 1-0. Since Manchester United is in 15th place, the win was not surprising, but it definitely made the fans at Esters happy. A very fun morning.

Winter Returns...

Like much of the country, Colorado is experiencing still more snow and cold this weekend. In the mountains, some towns, such as Vail and Grand Lake, have received over a foot of snow, and while Denver received only an inch or two, the cold temperatures kept virtually everyone out of Washington Park yesterday. In fact, with only two exceptions, including the jogger in the photograph on the left, the only people in the park were walking their dogs. And this coming Tuesday and Wednesday, Arctic cold will return, with highs in the teens and lows God knows what. The only good thing is that in Colorado, it will not be long before the sun comes out and the temperatures climb into the 50s and 60s, as opposed to Chicago, where once winter comes, it can stay miserable for months on end.

Denver proudly states on its tourist brochures that the city has over 300 days of sunshine a year. And I am here to say that the sun shines a lot here. However, when local newscasts have looked into how this figure was calculated, nobody can find the answer.  I do - they made it up, but it might be true. In any case, away from the park people were out and about, shoveling sidewalks, driving to the grocery store, and doing other assorted errands. And some brave souls headed up to the mountains in an attempt to get to the ski resorts, hoping to take advantage of that "fresh powder." And wound up driving for hours in bumper-to-bumper traffic, on snow packed roads, through a snowstorm. Fun! And expensive! As for me, just hanging out in Washington Park for a short while is the best way to experience "fresh powder." And it is free! My favorite price point.

Brooklyn Memories

And no, I am not talking about one of the 5 boroughs in New York City. I am talking about Brooklyn's the restaurant and bar located on lower Colfax Avenue here in Denver. It is now actually called The Original Brooklyn's to distinguish it from the Brooklyn's on Auraria Parkway near Ball Arena, home of the Colorado Avalanche and Denver Nuggets. This Brooklyn's is located at the edge of the parking lot for Empower Field at Mile High, home of the Denver Broncos. Needless to say, it is packed during the football season, but much quieter during the offseason. Lower Colfax runs below the Colfax Avenue overpass that connects downtown Denver with the Sloans Lake neighborhood and was once an area filled with warehouses and factories.

The building Brooklyn's is in was built in 1896 and located in the predominately Jewish neighborhood of Colfax. Around the turn of the 20th Century, a number of shopkeepers incorporated a small section of the town and named it Brooklyn, after Brooklyn, New York, due to the many Jewish immigrants who settled in the neighborhood. At the time, anyone heading to the foothills or going into Denver, including herds of cattle, had to pass by this building. A man named Eli Schachet, a prominent member of the Jewish community, rented and eventually purchased the building to house his meat business, and it eventually became a mercantile and community gathering place. Customers included Jack Benny, the Marx Brothers, and Bugsy Siegel. Eli's son Nelson took over the business, and from him it was purchased to become Brooklyn's, which opened in December of 1983.

I have had dinner here a number of times over the years and really enjoy the ambiance. The last time I visited the place was when the Colorado Buffalos and Colorado State Rams were playing each other in Empower Field. The place was packed, and I went out into the outside patio and had a beer at the bar. It is a really pleasant space to hang out, although as you can see from the photograph on the left, it is not too popular during the winter. Also, on that occasion, the neighborhood was still filled with factories and warehouses. When I stopped by the other day, I noticed that a huge apartment building was going up right next door. And there are plans to turn the parking lots of Empower Field, just across the street, into a mixed-use development. Also, Meow Wolf, the interactive art museum (called Convergence Station here in Denver) is located just up the street. Evidently a lot of visitors to that art space stop at Brooklyn's first, because their web site warns them to make sure they arrive on time at Convergence Station, since they are sticklers concerning ticketed entrance times. Otherwise, if you are turned away, you might wind up back at Brooklyn's to drown your sorrows. There are worse things that can happen in life.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Today is Valentine's Day, and in honor of this holiday, I am featuring a photograph of my then-wife Lisa and myself down in Stuart, Florida back in March of 1985. That was 40 years ago, which is a lot of time under the bridge (the Palm City Bridge), as seen in the background of the photo.  Astute Stuart, Florida aficionados will recognize that the bridge was still a single span at the time that photo was taken. And let me tell you, it was no joy living close to that bridge as they pounded the pilings into the St. Lucie River while building the second span. But I digress. Lisa and I always enjoyed our time down in Florida and visited not only my mother Mary in Stuart, but Lisa's grandparents, too, who lived across the peninsula in Venice, Florida. We divorced a little over 2 years after that photo was taken. We still keep in touch, but for both of us, it seems like a different lifetime. Hopefully, most of you out there are still together and will enjoy a pleasant and happy time. Happy Valentine's Day!

Spring Training Begins!

Pitchers and catchers report to their spring training camps in Arizona and Florida this week, with the rest of the team reporting 5 days later. This is an exciting time for baseball fans, since theoretically, every team has a chance to make it to the playoffs and even the World Series. But, of course, the reality is often quite different. I now have an online subscription to the Chicago Tribune, and yesterday's paper had articles about both my South Side heroes, the Chicago White Sox, and their North Side rivals, the Chicago Cubs. The Cubs were considering signing high-profile free agent Alex Bregman to play third base, in hopes of making the playoffs this season, until he signed a 3-year, $120 million contract with the Red Sox. Nevertheless, it sounds like the Cubs have the money to try and make things happen this year. Meanwhile, on the South Side, after losing a major league record 121 games last season, White Sox GM Chris Getz says that last season showed what needed to be done to improve the team, and that they are well on their way to becoming competitive. The White Sox currently have 6 of the top 100 prospects in baseball. And what of my adopted hometown team, the Colorado Rockies? There was not a mention of them in the Denver Post yesterday, and they have made virtually no changes to the team in the off season. Even after two 100 loss seasons in a row, Rockies management is convinced they already have the players they need to compete. I imagine their next press announcement will be that they are selling the Brooklyn Bridge to raise money for the team.

Today Is Lincoln's Birthday, But No Longer A School Holiday In Chicago

Today is Abraham Lincoln's birthday, and back when I was a kid attending Fort Dearborn Grammar School in the South Side Brainerd neighborhood of Chicago, we got both Lincoln's and Washington's birthday off. I was never crazy about school, and having two days off in February was a major deal for me, as I am sure it was for many others. But these days, even though Lincoln's birthday is a state holiday in Illinois, CPS has the option of celebrating it on Presidents Day instead, and that is what they do. It is no longer a school holiday. If it was me, I would organize walkouts every year until students (not to mention teachers and staff) got that holiday back. But that's just me - a rebel at heart. The photograph above, by the way, which I took back in 2010, the last time I was in Chicago, shows the main entrance to Fort Dearborn. The sign is new (to me), but the rest is all the same. When you walk through that door, the principal's office is just to the right, the auditorium on the left, and the stairway leads to classrooms on the 2nd and 3rd floors, where I spent many a year waiting for June and the end of the school year to come around. Big Jim Thompson, the mayor of Chicago at the time and a lacky for Al Capone, gave a dedication speech when Fort Dearborn first opened. My Grandmother Hoyt was at that ceremony and was outraged that he was intoxicated when making his speech. He left office in 1931 and was the last Republican mayor of Chicago. Thompson has been called the most corrupt mayor in American history, and when he died in 1944, $1.8 million was found in his safe deposit boxes.  No surprise there. Capone was a very generous man.

Miami Beach's Ocean Drive Controversy

I recently subscribed to the Miami Herald in order to read humorist Dave Barry's annual holiday gift guide and year-end review articles. Barry quit writing his weekly Miami Hearld column years ago but still contributes those two pieces and various other columns as the mood strikes him. It was only $1.00 for 6 months - or was it a year? - and at the time it seemed like a bargain.  However, I am now getting multiple daily e-mails giving me updates about what is happening in Miami, including the opening of Ocean Drive in Miami Beach to traffic. It has been closed or partially closed since the pandemic. Residents prefer it stay closed, but business owners wanted it back open because they say it hurts business. The owners of the Clevelander Hotel sued the city, and won, and so the road is reopening to traffic this week, although things are still in flux, as the city eventually wants to make it traffic free. I myself have to agree with the city. The last time I was in South Beach, in 2016, I stayed until after dark to take photographs of the neon lights, such as the one above, and it was a nightmare walking along the sidewalk on Ocean Drive. Restaurants had tables taking up a lot of space, and there was something like 100,000 people trying to get past each other as they moved back and forth checking out the action. I resolved to never again stay there after sunset, the same policy I have when traveling in Transylvania. But if Ocean Drive stayed free of cars, it would be much easier to walk around. If that were the case, I might consider staying in South Beach later in the evening, unless, of course, vampires started hanging out there, too. And from what I've seen of Ocean Drive after dark, I would not be surprised.

A Super Sunday In Denver, And Not Just Because Of The Weather

Yesterday was Super Bowl LIX, and the Philadelphia Eagles beat the Kansas City Chiefs by a score of 40-22, preventing the Chiefs from becoming Super Bowl three-peat champions. The game was not as close as it appears - the Eagles were leading 34-0 at one point and more or less cruised to a dominant win. And although Denver was not in the Super Bowl, the whole city was cheering the result, since Kansas City is their AFC West rival, and the Broncos have a not exactly stellar 2-8 record against the Chiefs over the past 5 years. And why were there cars in the parking lot yesterday at Empower Field at Mile High, home of the Denver Broncos, and seen in the photograph above? Because it was hosting Verizon FanFest, which I assume also included showing the game on the giant scoreboard screen. Empower Field opened in 2001, and even though it is only 24 years old, the new owners of the Broncos, the Walton-Penner Family Ownership Group (think Walmart money), are seriously considering replacing it. And why? Because, of course, they want a Super Bowl in Denver, and this would require a domed stadium or one with a retractable roof. At a cost of billions. They are even considering leaving their current location just west of downtown Denver for the suburbs, or by the airport, which is close to the Kansas State line. I can just imagine how Denverites would react to that, no matter how many Super Bowls the new stadium might host.

The 2025 Goldens In Golden Celebration

Yesterday the annual Goldens in Golden celebration took place on Washington Street in downtown Golden, Colorado. Over the years I have seen news clips of this gathering of golden retrievers and their owners but have never attended. I definitely wanted to do it this year, but unfortunately, for the second time in a year, I have somehow irritated my sciatic nerve, which causes great pain when walking more than a short distance. And since thousands of people and their golden retrievers show up for this gathering, I would have had to park in the next state over and walk to 12th and Washington if I wanted to attend. Therefore, I decided to drive into Golden after the event and take pictures of people and their dogs from the car window, which worked out well because those thousands of people were all in their cars trying to drive out of Golden, and so there was ample time to take photographs as you were stuck in traffic. There were still a lot of people and their dogs on restaurant patios or walking along the sidewalk, and so it was definitely worth doing. Next year I definitely plan to be there to take that iconic photo of those thousands of golden retrievers and their owners standing under Golden's Welcome Arch. I am sure the pain will ebb by then. Perhaps.

The Winter Issue Of Afar Magazine

I've always had a soft spot for Afar Magazine. The first time I subscribed to that quirky travel magazine, I read an article about the Outer Sunset neighborhood of San Francisco, and the next time I was there, I took a magical, fog shrouded walk in Outer Sunset, ending up at the Riptide, a neighborhood bar where you can sit by the fire and listen to the fog horns in the background. And so, when I received an offer in the mail to resubscribe to Afar, I did. I recently finished reading the winter issue, which features Afar's top 25 places to go in 2025. A lot of the places they recommend seem quite intriguing, but some I have to question. I have been unexpectedly surprised how nice many places I have visited turned out to be, including Columbia, Missouri, Lawrence, Kansas, Des Moines, Iowa, and Duluth, Minnesota, but are Columbus, Ohio and Oklahoma City, Oklahoma really two of the top 25 places to visit IN THE WORLD this year? And visiting the Karakoram Mountains in Northeast Pakistan might be fun, but isn't Pakistan a little on the dangerous side right now? Also, I am sure the "happy coast" of Costalegre, Mexico, located south of Puerto Vallarta, is quite beautiful, but aren't there drug cartels having shootouts in much of that country these days? And in the "Just Back From" section on the back page, the author and her mother spent a weekend at the Palms Hotel and Spa in Miami Beach, and had a wonderful time, but never stepped foot on the beach. And the Palms Hotel and Spa is an oceanfront hotel. You would rather have aromatic facials at the hotel's spa than walk a few steps to the beach? I don't understand this world anymore. I definitely must be getting old. I mean older. Much older. 

The February Mutt of the Month

I took the photograph above of the February Mutt of the Month at the Lunar New Year celebration at the Far East Center here in Denver this past Sunday afternoon. There were not too many dogs at this festival, which was very crowded and featured very loud firecrackers set off before each performance of the dragon and lion dances. I hope its owners left before those firecrackers went off, since I am sure it would have scared the hell out of the poor thing. I was standing right next to those firecrackers when they went off, and the people around me were covering their ears. By the look that dog was giving me, perhaps it was pleading for help in getting the hell out of there. Hopefully it did.

Washington Park - Tranquil And Beautiful, Except For The Gunfire

Years ago, I read The Poet, by Michael Connelly, a novel about Rocky Mountain News reporter Jack McEvoy, who investigates the alleged suicide of his twin brother, who was investigating the murder of a University of Denver coed in Denver's Washington Park. It was, of course, a work of fiction, and up until now I have never heard of any serious violence there. That was until this past Sunday afternoon, when a man with a bike asked if could share a park bench with a man already sitting there. Tempers flared, and as the bicyclist walked away, the man on the bench took out a gun and fired at him, hitting the bike's rear tire. Then, as the man with the gun ran away, he shot an innocent bystander in the neck. The shooter was caught soon afterwards by the police and arrested for attempted murder. Crazy stuff like that can happen anywhere these days, and it sounds to me like that shooter is indeed crazy. But thanks to what is called deinstitutionalisation, the replacement of long-term psychiatric hospitals with community mental health services, lots of crazy people (is that a politically correct term?) are running loose around the country, including 67% of the homeless. Or perhaps he is just one of the Proud Boys or Oath Keepers doing a little venting while he "stands by."

Spring Training Begins In Exactly One Week!

Yes! It's true! Pitchers and catchers report to spring training camps in Florida and Arizona on February 12th, one week from today, with the rest of the players reporting 5 days later. The first spring training game is Thursday, February 20th, when the Los Angeles Dodgers host the Chicago Cubs in Glendale, Arizona. It has been a long time since I have attended a spring training game, and now that I do have a chance to finally see some games in Florida again, I checked on the internet and found out that seats run about $50 each, unless you want to sit in the bleachers for $25. That is way more than I spend when I go to Coors Field to watch a game that actually counts. And keep in mind, spring training is all about trying out players who might help the team win during the regular season, and so most of the games will feature unknown players who play only a few innings each. Forget about watching top players for more than an inning or so. And unlike the good old days, when you would watch spring training games in old fashioned parks where players and fans used the same entrances and exits, these days baseball teams train in mini-Coors Fields to extract the most revenue. Does anyone else think rip-off? The photograph above, by the way, was taken back in March of 1996 at a spring training contest at Municipal Stadium in West Palm Beach, Florida. That ballpark was, of course, torn down and replaced, too. Figures. I think I'll probably just wait and attend a few Florida State League games, sitting in the first row for $15, with entertaining promotions every half inning. Jupiter Hammerheads and Palm Beach Cardinals, here I come!

Lunching At Chez Chick-fil-A With Mark

I had lunch with my friend Mark, seen in the photograph above, this past Saturday at the Chick-fil-A on beautiful Colorado Boulevard here in Denver. Mark is doing well after a bout with the flu and is spending most of his free time following Championship and Premier League soccer from the UK. He tells me Leeds is still in first place, and they hope to return to the Premier League next year, and that Tottenham is having its worst season in years. Which means happy and enthusiastic fans watching the games at the DNVR Bar, where Leeds fans hang out, and depressed but stoic fans at Esters Pub, home of Colorado's Tottenham fans. The folks at Chick-fil-A seemed to be pretty oblivious about the subject and just concentrated on their chicken meals. Perhaps chicken and soccer don't go together. Mushy peas anyone?

Celebrating Lunar New Year!

I went to the Far East Center at the corner of Alameda and Federal here in Denver yesterday afternoon to see the Lunar New Year celebration. The place was packed, and at first, I was unable to get to the front of the line to see the event taking place, which turned out to be a martial arts demonstration. But after it was over, the crowd dispersed, and pretty soon I saw a group of people carrying lion costumes begin to sit down on the edge of the event space and decided to hang out to see if they were going to perform. Which they soon did, as seen in the photograph on the left. The ceremony began with a long string of fireworks being set off around those lion dancers, which to me was the one negative of standing right in front. This being the first time I have attended this event - which is in its 34th year, I might add - I did not realize that the wide looking tape they were laying down and which I was standing right next to were the actual fireworks.

Some of the events were sponsored by the Denver Police Department, and the Chief of Police spoke to the crowd before the lion dance began. In fact, I was standing right in front of him. He put his hands on both my shoulders and turned me sideways so he could get through to the microphone. Oops! When he finished speaking, he turned around and gave me a look as he passed by, no doubt thinking he might have seen my face in a wanted poster or something. But happily, he took no action. The band for the ceremony, by the way, consisted of drums and cymbals, as seen in the photograph on the right.

I was hoping to see the dragon dancers, but unfortunately, their performance took place earlier in the day. But at least I caught those lion dancers, two of them seen in the photograph on the left. And you might be wondering what the difference is between Chinese New Year and Lunar New Year. I myself did not know, and of course, I checked the most accurate source available - the internet. As everyone says, if you read it on the internet, it must be true. And the answer is that Chinese New Year refers exclusively to only Chinese events and celebrations, while Lunar New Year includes the celebrations and customs of all Asian cultures. Denver, for example, has a large Vietnamese community, which figured prominently in yesterday's festivities.

And yes! This in indeed the Year of the Snake, which I assume is why the woman in the photograph on the right brought an actual snake to the event. Now bringing a dog with you, considering what a warm and sunny day it was, kind of makes sense, although I would think all those fireworks would scare those mutts out their minds, but what do I know? But a snake, that you show around and let people pet? The Year of the Horse follows the Year of the Snake, and so I assume that next year people will bring their horses with them. I'll have to remember to check that out.

Groundhog Day!

Today is Groundhog Day, and while Punxsutawney Phil predicts whether there will be 6 more weeks of winter in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, there is nothing anywhere close happening here in Colorado. Last year I learned about a stuffed - Yes! Stuffed! - marmot named Flatiron Freddy that makes its prediction in Chatauqua Park up in Boulder. How something stuffed can make a prediction about anything is beyond me, but that's Boulder for you. How hard can it be to find a live groundhog and have it look for its shadow once a year? In any case, here in Denver, Groundhog Day is celebrated with a showing of Bill Murray's movie Groundhog Day at the Alamo Drafthouse Sloans Lake, among other Alamo venues. Tickets for this event are $16 each, and no, that does not include an open bar. That is more money than a first run movie. And if you want dinner and a drink included, it is almost $40. That is way too pricey for me. You can stay home and rent the damn thing for $4.00, so who needs Alamo Drafthouse?  And yes, I am getting old and cranky. These days, who can blame me?

It's February! Time For The Chicago Auto Show!

The annual Chicago Auto Show takes place at McCormick Place February 8th through 17th this year. I used to love going to this show. I took the photograph above of my mother Mary and father Nelson as we were walking back to our car after attending that show back in 1962, when I was 9 years old. My father was a dentist, practicing in the South Side Brainerd neighborhood of Chicago, and one of his patients was Jim Miller of Jim Miller Pontiac, and so he always got free passes. I remember we looked at an XKE Jaguar back then and wondered who in the world could possibly afford to pay $6,000 for it? How times have changed. I even remember taking the Greyhound bus home from Cornell College in Mount Vernon, Iowa during my freshman year in college just to attend the auto show.  The amazing thing is that I have never been a car person, not then and not now. But if I was still living in Chicago, I think I would probably make sure to attend, just for old times' sake. Perhaps they might still have some $6,000 Jaguars on display.