Super Bowl Sunday! Time To Finally Take Down That Xmas Tree!

Yesterday was Super Bowl Sunday, the day I finally decided to take down my Christmas tree, seen in all its glory in the photograph on the left. I was originally going to take it down February 2nd, which is day on which the Feast of the Presentation of Jesus Christ, also known as Candlemas, is celebrated, since I read on the internet that it was the day many Christians took down their trees, thus giving me an excuse for leaving it up so long. But then February 2nd rolled around, and I thought about having to take the hundreds of framed painting and prints out of my storage locker (all belonging to my sister Susan, I might add) to make room for the box containing that massive tree, and then having to put all those paintings and prints back in front of and on top of that box. And then decided that since I wasn't religious, I would do something more traditional in America - take down the tree while watching the big game. Which used to be the Rose Bowl on New Year's Day, but now, I firmly believe, is the Super Bowl. Makes sense, right? And by the way, Americans ate 1.5 billion chicken wings yesterday, and the Seattle Seahawks beat the New England Patriots 29-13. Now you know everything.

Goldens In Golden 2026

Yesterday was Goldens in Golden Day, the largest gathering of Golden Retrievers in the world. It takes place in Golden, Colorado and attracts over 10,000 people and 3,500 dogs in celebration of International Golden Retrievers Day. I drove to Golden for this event last year, just as it was ending. The main events, including a group photograph of thousands of owners and their Golden Retrievers taken in front of the Golden Welcome Arch on Washington Avenue, were long over, although there were still a lot of people with their dogs wandering around, as seen in the above photograph. And, of course, there was not a parking space in sight. Golden has made virtually every residential street around the 12th Street Historic District "residents only" parking, leaving very few spaces for visitors, especially 10,000 of them. But what I most remember was the traffic, which was at a standstill for what seemed like hours. Afterwards, I think there were a lot of complaints, and so this year, Golden instituted a shuttle from an off-site parking lot. However, I decided to skip the festivities this year. For one thing, waiting for a shuttle to take you downtown and then waiting to catch one on the way back takes a lot of time. Which, despite being retired, I don't seem to have a lot of these days. Plus, those buses get very crowded, not only with people but with all those dogs, too. And for another, I was not sure I wanted to be in a one-block area with 10,000 people and their 3,500 Golden Retrievers. Does that mean I have turned into an old fuddy-duddy? Don't answer that.

Getting Together With The Leeds United Colorado Supporters At DNVR

My friend Mark (seen in the photograph above) and I got together yesterday afternoon with the Leeds United Colorado supporters at the DNVR Bar here in Denver. And I must say, I was impressed with the turnout. There were over 20 people there at 1:00 P.M. on a Friday afternoon to watch Leeds play Nottingham Forest in a Premier League soccer match. I like this group a lot. They are a friendly bunch and have members that actually come from Yorkshire. Which makes sense, because I really think you need to have a connection to Leeds and Yorkshire to root for this team, since Leeds United is not, as far as I know, a well-known team in the U.S. Mark, of course, has friends in Leeds, visited there a number of times, and has attended soccer matches at Elland Road, Leed's home stadium. The game started at 8:00 P.M. local time and it looked to me like it was pouring down rain the entire time (although I hear February in the UK is usually very lovely). In any case, Leeds came out strong, scoring 2 goals in the first half and 1 in the second to win 3-1, sending all those fans home happy, not only with the win, but also being here in Denver with sunshine and temperatures in the 60s instead of watching the game live in Leeds in the cold, pouring down rain.

The Final Weekend Of The Honest Eye: Camille Pissarro's Impressionism

This is the final weekend of the Camille Pissarro retrospective at the Denver Art Museum (The DAM). My sister Susan and I decided to tour the exhibit one more time yesterday afternoon in order to take a closer look at the artwork, since the last time we went was on a Sunday, and the place was packed, making getting close to the artwork and the explanatory labels very difficult.  Yesterday was a beautiful day here in Denver, sunny with a high of 66 degrees, making the walk from the car to the DAM's Hamilton Building, where the exhibit is being held and seen in the photograph on the left, very pleasant. And by the way, this building was designed by architect Daniel Libeskind, his first completed building in the U.S. Libeskind said was inspired by the state's craggy mountain peaks when designing the building, but also found Denver and its people very dynamic, and wanted lively architecture to let the public know that new things are going on in this building. Of course, I knew there had to be a reason for why it looks like that, but in any case, the building is indeed a great place to display art.

And happily, the exhibit was indeed a lot less crowded, as seen in the photograph on the right, allowing us to take our time and learn more about Pissarro and his work. I really didn't know anything about him before this show and was surprised to learn he was considered the "dean of the Impressionists," as well as a father figure to them. And I really like his work, especially his paintings of Paris. And so, if you want to see this exhibit, you have only three days left. It is definitely worth seeing. And if you are a DAM member, you and whoever you bring can get in for $5 each, which to me is one hell of a bargain.

Lunch With Stuart At Spanky's

I had a late lunch yesterday afternoon with my friend Stuart, as seen in the photograph above, at Spanky's Roadhouse, located just to the west of the University of Denver campus. And as you can see, being an alumnus, Stuart is proudly wearing his DU sweatshirt. Of course, just to be clear, 1864 is the year DU was founded, not the year Stuart graduated. In any case, we discussed a wide range of topics over lunch, including Donald Trump's latest antics, and a little baseball, too. Stuart was surprised to learn that the Rockies have actually hired a new president of baseball operations and a new general manager who actually know something about baseball, which gives hope to Rockies fans everywhere. Although I have to say, the Fangraphs projected 2026 standings show the Rockies finishing in last place with a 65-97 record. On the other hand, the Chicago Cubs, Stuart's team (he is from the North Side of Chicago) are predicted to finish in first place with an 86-76 record. As for my South Side heroes, the Chicago White Sox, Fangraphs predicts they will once again finish in last place with a 68-94 record, even with the Pope on their side. Still another losing season on the South Side? Say it ain't so, Joe!

Pitchers And Catchers Report Next Week!

Baseball season is almost here! Pitchers and catchers report next week to their spring training ballparks in Florida and Arizona. My South Side heroes, the Chicago White Sox, are heading to Camelback Ranch in Glendale, Arizona, the Chicago Cubs to Sloan Park in Mesa, Arizona, and the Colorado Rockies to Salt River Fields at Talking Stick, which is the first professional sports facility built on Indian land and also in Arizona. However, I have to admit that the only spring training game I have ever seen played by one of those teams was back in 1985 when the White Sox still trained at Payne Park in Sarasota, Florida, where I took the photograph above. This was the season after the White Sox traded my favorite player, LaMarr Hoyt - no doubt a distant relative - to the San Diego Padres. He was a great pitcher for the Sox, winning the American League Cy Young Award in 1983 and the first AL Championship game against the Baltimore Orioles the same year, but was traded to San Diego after the 1984 season. And sadly, after living a good, clean, simple life on the South Side of Chicago, was no doubt corrupted by the decadent California lifestyle and wound up being arrested four times on drug charges, which ended his baseball career. I guess it is probably a good thing that most of us can't afford to live in California these days. But as usual, I digress. Looking for a spring training photo for this blog post, I came to the realization that it has been exactly 30 years since I last attended a spring training game. Definitely time to attend another one. And so, when I head back to Florida this spring, I will do just that. And perhaps not even wait another 30 years to go to another one. At this time in life, time to just go crazy, right?

News Flash! An Early Spring In The West, Six More Weeks Of Winter In The East

Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow yesterday morning, which was, of course, Groundhog Day, and thus predicts six more weeks of winter. And in Boulder, Colorado, Flatiron Freddy, a top-hat wearing, stuffed marmot, did NOT see his shadow, and so predicts an early spring. Besides the fact that people in Boulder believe that a dead, stuffed marmot has the ability to see or not see its shadow, this makes perfect sense. In the Eastern half of the country, they have been experiencing massive snow and cold, while here in the West, we've barely seen any winter weather at all, and so there is no reason to believe things will be changing any time soon. And by the way, I obtained the photograph above of Flatiron Freddy appearing with an "Olympic curling-inspired entrance" at Boulder's Chautauqua Park off the 9NEWS website. They don't call Boulder "25 square miles surrounded by reality" for nothing.