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.

Watching Tottenham Play Manchester City With The Colorado Spurs

My friend Mark (seen in the photograph above) and I went to Esters Pub here in Southeast Denver yesterday morning to watch the Tottenham Hotspurs play Manchester City with the Colorado Spurs supporters group. Since Manchester City is in 2nd place in the English Premier League and Tottenham is currently in 14th and struggling, I didn't expect much of a contest and thought there would not be a large turnout. But when the soccer match started, the room was filled with fans. Tottenham was a bit listless and down 2-0 at the end of the first half, but they came alive in the second half and tied up the game, to the delight of everyone there. There were a number of choruses of "When the Spurs Come Marching In," and the hardcore fans at the bar kept pounding it and shouting out various chants that I did not understand, especially the one where they pound the bar numerous times and shout "Yeats," who as far as I know was a 20th Century Irish Poet with no connection to the Tottenham Hotspurs. Let's face it - English soccer is weird, and English soccer fans are even weirder. I'm just sayin'. And oh yes - the game finished in a 2-2 tie.

Meanwhile, Back In The Sunshine State...

Thanks to an arctic blast moving into the South from God knows where, the State of Florida is experiencing record cold temperatures. Today, the high temperature in Stuart, Florida, where my sister Susan and I own a condo, will be 46 degrees, with a low of 31, compared with a high today here in Denver of 62 degrees and a low of 33. Tomorrow, both cities are forecast to have a high of 57. And so, while Denver is experiencing springlike weather and many people are wearing shorts, although also complaining about a lack of snow, down in Stuart the locals are bundled up in parkas and complaining about the bitter cold. I suspect not even the snowbirds, down there for the season, will be wearing their speedos and bikinis for the next few days, although it would be a great source of amusement for the natives if they did. I am just glad that Susan and I decided to head up to Denver from Stuart for a few months to get out of that cold Florida weather. And by the way, I took the photograph above on Stuart Beach this past December, right before we headed back to Denver. As you can see, it wasn't exactly beach weather back then, either. Even paradise can have cold snaps, although if you go there in August, you stand a good chance of staying warm. Until you head into the grocery store, of course, which they keep at a steady 32 degrees year-round.

ICE Out Protests Hit Colorado

Thousands of Coloradans took part in ICE Out demonstrations yesterday, according to reports in the Denver Post. Crowds in Denver marched past the Colorado State Capitol and through downtown to Denver's La Alma-Lincoln Park, where an afternoon rally drew over a thousand people. Many schools closed for the day, students walked out of schools that didn't close, and many people skipped work or closed their businesses to join the protest against ICE (Immigration Control and Enforcement) and Donald Trump's actions. And will these demonstrations change anything? In my opinion, only if enough people flood the streets of every city in the country to the point that everything - trains, buses, cars, everyday life itself - stops, and then keep it up until Congress finally decides to take action and put a leash - and perhaps a muzzle - on Trump and his policies. And they won't do it unless they feel there is no alternative. Otherwise, we will all have to wait until the next election, or perhaps even the next administration, to start putting all the pieces back together.  And by the way, I took the photograph above in front of the Colorado State Capitol yesterday afternoon, long after the parade passed by. What else is new?