Happy "Official" New Year!

As many of you have suspected, New Year's Day was on a Sunday this year, and so like Christmas, many people were able to celebrate these holidays over a two day period, since the following Monday was the "official" holiday.  Ebeneezer Scrooge is probably turning over in his grave right now.  In any case, this happy occurrence allows me the opportunity to share even more holiday photographs.  On the left is a photo of the D&F Tower - a downtown Denver landmark - that I took on New Year's Eve.  I decided to take the light rail downtown to see the 9:00 P.M. fireworks show on the 16th Street Mall.  There is also a midnight fireworks show, but I felt that would be way too much fun.

As it got close to 9:00 P.M., I headed over to the mall (seen in the photo on the right).  When the appointed time arrived, I began to hear fireworks sounds, but didn't see any fireworks.  It appears they were set off on 15th Street instead, and the tall buildings on 16th Street prevented the thousands of people gathered on the 16th Street Mall from seeing them.  City government functioning at it's finest!  These thousands of people began to move toward the one cross-street where the fireworks were visible, but of course by the time we arrived the show was over.  I then decided to head to Union Station, which was recently turned into Denver's premier yuppie gathering place - while also still functioning as a transportation hub - but found it was closed for a private party, which is pretty strange for a public building.  It looks like the Trump philosophy is being implemented already.  And needless to say, after all that I headed back to my condo, where I was pretty sure I would still be admitted.

New Year's Day I headed up to Fort Collins to celebrate a belated Christmas with my sister Susan and brother-in-law George, who have been sick with a virus since well before Christmas Day.  At first I suspected they canceled Christmas because the Denver Broncos were playing their most important game of the season that night, but I was wrong.  That was just my natural cynicism coming through.  In any case, we had a nice dinner and then adjourned to the living room, where we opened our presents to the cheerful holiday sounds of the Green Bay Packers - Detroit Lions football game.  What can you do?  The "Pack" is back.