Museings About Fuzzy's

I took the above photograph (with Blackberry the dog patiently waiting for a walk in the background) from the living room of my sister Susan and brother-in-law George's townhouse in Fort Collins, Colorado. George is re-cooperating from a major operation in a hospital in nearby Loveland, and my sister Susan and I had just gotten back from dining at a Mexican restaurant called Fuzzy's after a visit to the hospital.  I must say I was not impressed.  I ordered the ground beef burrito with beans, and was surprised to find that it had plenty of beans, but very little ground beef.  That makes it a definite skip in my book. The nurse at the hospital recommended the place highly, and I was expecting a great meal.  But no.  Susan and I were wondering why they called the place Fuzzy's before we walked in the place, and now we know.  The ingredients in their meals are all a bit fuzzy.  Order only if you don't mind disappointment, like true White Sox fans.

Another Loveland Sunset

I snapped the above photograph of the sun setting over Colorado's Long's Peak the other night from the parking lot of the UC Health Medical Center of the Rockies, after visiting my brother-in-law George, along with my sister Susan.  Despite the fact that they are cliches, I still like sunsets, and I think the colors in the above photo are spectacular.  I also think Taco Bell makes great tacos, too, so accept my opinions with all due caution.

Two Kinds Of Truth

I am currently reading Two Kinds of Truth, Michael Connelly's latest Harry Bosch detective novel.  It is an excellent read, and I recommend it highly.  Harry is once again continuing his crusade against evil, this time investigating a double murder in San Fernando, a small community surrounded by Los Angeles, as well as trying to discredit the "new evidence" a serial killer is using to overturn a conviction for a murder that Harry led the investigation on years ago.  I advise you to pick a copy from your local bookstore immediately, or else demand that you be given a copy for Christmas.

The November Mutts Of The Month

This month's mutts of the month are none other than my sister Susan and brother-in-law George's dogs, Tutu (on the left in the above photograph) and Blackberry (on the right).  Susan was taking them on a mid-afternoon walk and I was able to snap that photograph without my sister noticing.  She doesn't mind me taking photographs of the dogs, but if I try to take a photograph of her, she comes at me with a sharp kitchen knife, if one is handy, or with her fists if not.  I myself call that hypersensitive, but that's just me.

Small Business Saturday

Yesterday was Small Business Saturday, a day meant to encourage people to patronize the small businesses across the country that are competing against huge corporations such as Amazon and Walmart.  The bookstore where I work ( the entrance to which I am posing in front of in the above photograph) went all out this year, with promotions, gifts, and even "meet the author" sessions to lure people in to buy books locally instead of through places like Amazon.  In fact, one of my favorite authors and personalities, Phil Goodstein, was at the store for a few hours to greet customers.  Goodstein is a true eccentric, and a bit of a curmudgeon, too.  In addition to writing books on the history of various Denver neighborhoods, he gives highly entertaining walking tours, which are well worth the $15 cost.  I would have liked to talk with him, but  I had to drive up to Fort Collins and didn't have the time.  Next time Phil!

Burgers And Beers At Pappy's Corner Pub!

I drove up to Fort Collins once again last night to take my sister Susan to visit her husband George at the hospital, where he is slowly recovering from a very serious operation.  George seemed to be doing a little bit better today, which really cheered up my sister.  Afterwards she treated me to burgers and beers at Pappy's Corner Pub, located just across the street from her townhouse complex in southwest Fort Collins, Colorado. I must say, the place was pretty crowded and even had live entertainment, as seen in the above photograph. The burgers were pretty good, too. It is by far the liveliest spot in the neighborhood.  If you happen to be in Fort Collins, I definitely recommend you stop by.

The 43rd Annual Mile High United Way Turkey Trot

Yesterday was the 43rd Annual Mile High United Way Turkey Trot, which is held every year on Thanksgiving morning in nearby Washington Park.  I have lived in Denver for 36 years now, and have  missed every one.  I was thinking seriously of getting up early and attending this year's run, but when the alarm went off, for the 36th year, I said to myself "perhaps next year," and went back to sleep.  However, on my way up to Fort Collins to take my sister Susan to visit her husband George, who is still recovering in the hospital from a serious operation, I decided to stop by the park and see what was happening.  The run was over by then, but I was able to photograph the people walking home.  I know they give you a tee-shirt with a big turkey on it if you participate, but I suspect you have to provide your own turkey hats, like the couple in the photograph on the left are wearing.

I was also able to take a photograph of two mounted police officers, seen in the photograph on the right, who were no doubt sent to handle crowd control.  The only other time I have seen mounted police officers has been on Opening Day near Coors Field, where the crowd can exceed 50,000.  It was a really nice day, sunny with a high of 72 degrees, and riding horses in Washington Park must be considered a perk assignment.  But what I know is what the mounted police do the other 363 days of the year, not to mention the horses.  Do they keep them in a pasture somewhere, or just rent them for the day?  Inquiring minds want to know.

Happy Thanksgiving Everybody!

Yes - I do realize that I use this photograph every year, but it is the only one I am pretty sure was taken of us on Thanksgiving.  And I was just so cute back then.  From left to right are Aunt Kitty (my Grandfather Spillard's sister), my mother Mary, her mother Louise, (my Grandmother Spillard), my Grandmother Hoyt, and me, at my charming best.  In the cage in the background is Petie the bird. I wish my sister and I could go back in time to that house in the south side Brainerd neighborhood of Chicago and join them today, but I still cannot get my hands on a flux capacitor, let alone a Delorean, and so it will be off to the hospital to visit my brother-in-law George, who we very much hope will be doing well today.

Back To Nostalgia!

Lately I have been driving up to Fort Collins after work each day to take my sister Susan to the hospital where her husband George is recuperating from major surgery.  And so it is kind of hard to take the time to find good Blog subjects to photograph.  Therefore, I am resorting to using some of the photographs from the family photo album, such as the one above of my mother Mary preparing for an Easter dinner in the dining room of our house in the south side Chicago Brainerd neighborhood back in 1957.  My mother just loved that house, and I think her pride shows through in this photograph.  And no, I was not the one who took this photograph.  I would have been 4 years old, and although a very bright child, my interest had not yet turned to photography.  I think that began when I was 5.

Still Another Colorado Sunset

They were raving about the sunset Sunday night on the local television news, and so I decided to feature the above photograph that I took of it as I was stopped for a traffic light on my way through Fort Collins, Colorado.  The clouds are evidently called a mountain wave, and Kathy Sabine, the local NBC weather forecaster, showed a dozen versions of this particular sunset during her forecast.  She also likes to show photographs of horses, but lately I am pinched for time and so you'll just have to be happy with this.  The horse photographs will come later.

Monday Morning Victorians

I took the above photograph just as I pulled away from the corner of 13th and Josephine, as I was heading toward the local Denver bookstore where I work as the bookkeeper.  These Victorians look really nice in the morning sunshine, and as I have mentioned many times before, were once a bargain, but no more.  They have been purchased, remodeled, and primped, and now cost a small fortune. And the Congress Park neighborhood where they are located has gone from inner city to gentrified.  To someone from California or the east coast, they are still a bargain.  However, for someone who is just starting out and looking for their first home, they will have to move out to the eastern plains to find something they can afford.  Which means a long commute to work.  And although it really isn't close to the Kansas State line out there, it sure looks like it.

A Fluffle Of Bunnies

I took my sister Susan to the Medical Center of the Rockies in Loveland, Colorado the other day to visit my brother-in-law George - who is recovering quite nicely, thank goodness - and spotted the bunny rabbit on the left hanging out in the parking lot.  He didn't seem especially fearful of us, and let me snap the photograph before he moved on.

It reminded me of the rabbits in the front yard of the beach house in Cannon Beach, Oregon where my cousin John and his wife Barb hold the Hoyt Family Reunion every so often (see photo on right). Even though Barb pays a woman to tend the garden in that front year, and the rabbits feast on it incessantly, she still likes to feed the rabbits and makes sure they stay around.  Just shows what you can get away with when you are cute, and I should know.

When They Come For You

I just finished reading When They Come For You, the new novel by James W. Hall.  Hall wrote a series of adventure novels called the "Thorn" series, about a loner who lives on Key Largo and gets into a series of adventures, both down there and in Miami.  His last Thorn novel, The Big Finish, implies that that series is over, and Hall's latest book is a stand alone novel featuring a woman whose reporter husband and infant son are murdered because of a story he is working on.  It is a very exciting read, and even better, I was able to get it from the library without even having to be on a wait list.  The action takes place in Miami, the Ivory Coast, and Zurich, and I recommend you pick up a copy and start reading it.  Today if possible.

Visiting With George

I took another half day off and took my sister Susan to visit her husband George, who is still in the hospital in Loveland, Colorado, recovering from a serious operation.  I'm afraid George was out of it today, due to the combination of pain medicine, lack of sleep, and his age (10 years older than me).  Susan was quite distraught about George's condition, but the nurse seemed to think it was just a matter of time before George was back to himself.  They moved George to a new room yesterday, with a view of the snow covered peaks of Rocky Mountain National Park in the far distance.  With that in mind, I am featuring a photograph of Susan and George on the Glacier Gorge Trail in Rocky Mountain Park, which I took a few years ago. Here's hoping we will all be back on the trail next summer.

The View From Loveland

I drove up to Fort Collins this afternoon to pick up my sister and drive her down to Loveland to visit with her husband George, who is in the hospital recovering from a serious operation.  Loveland is located just south of Fort Collins, and is famous for re-mailing valentines with a Loveland postmark every February.  I also recall a song by Wayne King called "I'd love to live in Loveland with a lovely girl with you," but I don't think he specifically had Loveland, Colorado in mind, but i could be wrong.  Wayne King is long gone, so we can't ask him.  In any case, I took the above photograph out the window of George's ICU hospital room instead of taking a photograph of him.  I suspect he would not like to see a photograph of himself with tubes going into (and out of) his nose and everywhere else, and even I am not that insensitive, even though it would have made a much better photo.  Much better.

The Goods!

I took the above photograph of The Goods yesterday morning through the interior glass door that connects with the bookstore where I work.  I was in The Goods with my friend Valarie this past Saturday evening, while the Denver Film Festival was taking place in the complex, and the place was packed.  However, most weekdays at lunch hour the place seems pretty empty, unless the weather is nice and people decide to have lunch out on the patio.  I hope they stay around, since it is a nice amenity to have a restaurant next door for people visit after browsing at the store.  Originally the place was called Silvi's Kitchen, then Udi's , then The Good Son, and now The Goods.   I must say the foot traffic on this part of Denver's East Colfax Avenue is not very high unless you count the high school kids from across the street or the homeless, and I don't that is The Goods target market.  I myself say you can never go wrong with free drink coupons - you'll have the hipsters pouring in.

No Doubt About It - A Pulitzer Means Big Bucks

While I was waiting with my sister Susan and her sister-in-law in the hospital waiting room during my brother-in-law George's seven hour operation this past Friday, I had a lot of free time, and so when my sister mentioned author Annie Proulx  and her Wyoming home called Bird Cloud, I googled it on my phone. Susan seemed to think the place was somewhere in Central Wyoming, inaccessible to all but the hardiest four wheel drive vehicles, and hoped one day to see it.  It turns out that Bird Cloud is actually located just 3 miles outside of Saratoga, Wyoming, a quaint little town that also boasts mystery writer C.J. Box as a part-time resident, and is a mere 2 1/2 hours away from Susan and George's Fort Collins townhome.  We made tentative plans to visit there next summer and hang out at the gate until Proulx showed up to give a guided tour.  What I found really interesting, however, is that Proulx got the money to build Bird Cloud from the profits she made from her Pulitzer prize winning book, The Shipping News.  And that made me remember that my literary hero, Studs Terkel, who up until then had made only a modest living from his books, wrote the Pulitzer prize winning book, The Good War, and bought a large house in the Uptown neighborhood of Chicago, right near Lake Michigan, with the profits his book earned.  It was that house former CBS anchorman Dan Rather was leaving when he was attacked by a man who kept asking him "What's the frequency, Kenneth?." But I digress.  My point is that winning a Pulitzer means big bucks, and if you intend to do any writing, keep your eyes on the prize.

Meeting Up With Valarie At The Goods

I got a call from Valarie, my friend and former University of Denver Bookstore co-worker, Saturday evening, who was between movies at the Denver Film Festival and was wondering if I could join her at The Goods for a drink.  Since I still had to work a few more hours, it was more like coffee and an appetizer, but that was fine with me.  I was just amazed at the crowd at The Goods, which is just next door to the bookstore where I work.  It was absolutely packed, filled with film goers waiting for the next feature. Valarie was surprised I haven't gone to any of the films, considering I work just across the courtyard from the festival's epicenter.  What can I say - duty calls, as always.  Plus, they charge money for those things. Valarie caught me up on what her kids, Cheyanne and Dillon, are up to, and how she and her husband Jake are enjoying retirement.  Since they are off to their cottage near La Veta in a few weeks and from there to Santa Fe, I must say their retirement looks good to me.

A Rio Grande Celebration

I took my sister Susan out to The Rio Grande Mexican Restaurant Friday night in Fort Collins to celebrate a highly successful 7 hour operation to remove cancer from her husband George's lower intestine.  George's sister Mary Ann came out here from New Jersey to help out, and we all waited in the surgery lobby until we could visit George in the late afternoon.  When the surgeon came in to talk to us, I was surprised to see she appeared to be a teenage girl.  Although she did a good job, I really don't think they should let teenage girls do major surgery until they are at least 18, but that is just me.  Mary Ann googled her, and found she graduated from the University of Miami back in 2008, so she does have 9 years of experience behind her. The University of Miami, of course, is a major party school (lots of afternoons and evenings at Monte Trainer's along the bay), but I was not able to mention this to George before he went under the knife.  In any case, George is doing well and is asking for both his cell phone and rum.  Since George was not with us, and my sister threatens me with bodily harm if I try to take a photograph of her these days, I took the liberty of photo-shopping the two of them into the photograph above.  And, by the way, this is the first time I have ever eaten at Rio Grande, and it was very good.  The lines are always out the door at their restaurant in Denver, so I knew it had to be pretty decent.  However, for some reason I thought it was named after the Rio Grande Railroad, and was surprised to see no railroad memorabilia around.  That's right - there's actually a river along the border by that name, too.

Happy Veteran's Day

Today is Veteran's Day, and in honor of that I am posting a photograph of my father Nelson (on the left in the photo on the left) and My Uncle Jack, my mother Mary's brother, taken during World War II in the Philippines.  My father was drafted when he was in his 30s - which was a great surprise to him - and wound up serving as a dentist on Okinawa.  He was visiting my Uncle Jack, who was in the Air Force and served in New Guinea, the Philippines, and throughout the South Pacific, when this photo was taken.  My uncle was originally rejected when he tried to enlist after Pearl Harbor, and underwent a hernia operation so that he would be accepted into the Air Force. It was not an easy time for him - he contracted malaria and his health suffered until the end of his life.

My father, on the other hand, was sent to Okinawa, and stayed there until after the war.  The big enemy for him was typhoons.  One would come along and blow away everybody's possessions, and then when things started to get back to normal, another one would come along.  When the television show MASH came along, my father just loved it.  He told me that show was very similar to what life was like back on Okinawa.  My father never did enjoy being a dentist, and my mother says she thinks he secretly enjoyed being there, getting way from his daily routine.  A brief respite from a hated job until he could retire to Stuart, Florida, where he lived happily until the end of his life.  My father, by the way, is in the middle row on the far right, in the photograph on the right.

Back Lash

I just finished reading Back Lash, the latest Sam Acquillo mystery novel by Chris Knopf.  I really like this series.  It takes place in the Hamptons, on Long Island, and follows the adventures of Sam Acquillo, who was once a high level R&D executive, who, after his corporate career implodes, moves back to his deceased parents cottage on Little Peconic Bay and becomes a cabinet maker, who winds up getting involved in solving a lot of crimes.  They are a fun read, and the latest installment, Back Lash, is just as good as all the others.  This time Acquillo starts investigating the 40 year old murder of his father, and stirs up a hornets nest of trouble even after all that time. Be sure to check it out.  And happily, the latest installment, Tango Down, is coming out at the end of the month.  What could be more perfect?

There Will Be Weather, Whether Or Not...

My mother used to quote a poem to me, every once in a while, that began kind of like that.  I think it came from a 1950s era TV weatherman, but I don't know for sure, and now never will.  But in any case, what brought it to mind was the local weather forecasters prediction of a snowstorm of 1 to 3 inches, which at least in Central Denver never materialized.  The roads were slick, I saw a few flurries, but that was that.  I took the above photograph of the scene in front of my condo building, where it appeared a University of Denver sports event was being played under the lights despite the snow flurries and cold.  It just makes me wonder whether I would be happier where the weather would be warm - or warmer - all of the time, like my parent's condo in Stuart, Florida, which I have rented out to a mother and daughter, who I am beginning to think are far wiser than me.

Lunching With Valarie At Pepper!

I got together for lunch yesterday with my friend and former University of Denver Bookstore co-worker Valarie at Pepper, the Chinese restaurant just a few blocks away from the bookstore where I work on east Colfax here in Denver.  Valarie told me she was very impressed with the bookstore, and that she thought the selection of books was far better than it has been in quite a long time.  Since Valarie is the former owner of Capitol Hill Books, just across the street from the Colorado State Capitol, that is indeed a great compliment, and perhaps a good harbinger of the future.  And, if I haven't mentioned it before, Valarie is now retired, and enjoying every minute of it.  Making me jealous as hell.

Even More Chicago Nostalgia

I have been watching Chicago's News at Nine on WGN-TV (via the internet) lately, and have not only enjoyed watching the news itself, but also looking at the panoramic views of the city before they break for a commercial.  It reminds me of when my sister Susan and brother-in-law George lived downtown at 1130 South Michigan Avenue. Susan originally lived in a studio apartment on the 40th floor, and I just loved the place (and by the way, I still have most of the furniture from that apartment in my condo here in Denver).  When Susan married George (who also lived in the building), they moved into a 1 bedroom apartment on the 24th floor, where I took the photograph on the left of (from left to right) my mother Mary, brother-in-law George, sister Susan, and father Nelson sometime around 1970.  And by the way, I suspect my mother and sister were having issues that night, but that just might be be.  I am just too sensitive, I guess.

That apartment had a view of a giant Pepsi sign, located on the roof of an office building across the street, and it was continuously flashing on and off (as seen in the photograph on the right). You never wondered what the time or temperature was living in that place.  It also had a great view of Lake Michigan, Grant Park, and Soldier's Field.  I checked the web, and that building is charging rents that start around $1,600 for a studio or 1 bedroom apartment these days, as opposed to the $146 a month my sister paid for her studio.  And my family was outraged at how much she was paying.  My grandparents were paying something like $80 a month for a large flat on East 85th Place, after all.  If they could see the prices for rent (not to mention home prices) these days.  I can just imagine what they would say.

The 40th Denver Film Festival

The Denver Film Festival began it's 10 day run this past weekend, and since one of it's main venues is right across the courtyard from the bookstore where I work, I have been able to catch the coming and goings of some notables in the film industry.  I know they are notables, because I can see people posing and being photographed by the paparazzi out the window of the bookstore.  I saw a bunch of red-jacketed Guardian Angels on my break Saturday afternoon, and took the photograph on the left.  It didn't take much digging to figure out they were promoting the movie Vigilante, the story of Curtis Sliwa and the founding of the Guardian Angels.

When I was leaving the store around 6:00, there was a large group of people taking photographs of the people in the photograph on the right.  I am pretty sure they are a cross-section of the film directors, producers, and actors whose films are being featured in the coming 10 days, but I haven't the vaguest idea of who any of them are. A lot of the spectators did, however, and were calling out their names so they could get a more personalized shot.  And since they were taking photographs, I did too.  A celebrity is a celebrity, even if you don't know who they are.  All I know is that none of them were George Clooney or Susan Sarandon, and so I maneuvered through the crowd and up the parking garage stairs to my car and headed for Pepper to get some Chinese takeout.  I do have my priorities, after all.

The DU District

My friend and former University of Denver Bookstore co-worker Wally tipped me off that there was an article in the The DU Clarion, the student newspaper, concerning the university's plans for the campus.  I rushed over to the student center Saturday morning to grab a copy, but found out the new issue was already out, and last week's issue long gone.  But then I noticed some bunched pages at the bottom of the pile, and was pleased to see it was indeed a copy of last week's issue, which included a story about a proposed "DU District," the main purpose of which seems to be to make the approach to the campus from the north more appealing.  Looking at the accompanying map, it appears that DU wants to put a hotel at the corner of University and Buchtel Boulevards, right where my condo building is currently located.  Ironically, on my walk to the student center I saw a lot of signs up in honor of Indigenous People's Day, mainly telling  how land was stolen from native peoples throughout history.  Of course that is true, and the Native Americans were treated horribly, but I find it strange that the university so laments this part of American history, but has no qualms about seizing other people's land for themselves when it suits their purposes.  I just hope I don't wind up as the crazy old man in an otherwise abandoned building, screaming down at the awaiting bulldozers.

Dinner With Wally And Mark

Wally invited our mutual friend Mark (who works at the University of Denver library) and I over to his place for dinner last night, where I took the above photograph of Wally (on the left) and Mark (on the right) in Wally's library. Wally has two great passions in life - reading and woodworking.  He turned his garage into his woodworking shop, resulting in having to park cars out on the street, a fact his wife Linda often reminds him of after the occasional hail storm. As for Mark, he is once again wearing his Newcastle soccer jersey, in honor of Newcastle's 125th year in existence.  Or was it 200 years?  Whatever.  I'll have to check with Mark.  In any case, it was a very pleasant evening.  And Wally, who still works at the University of Denver Bookstore, where I myself worked for almost 30 years, tipped me off that the University of Denver's newspaper, The Clarion, is reporting this week on new plans for the DU campus.  I need to pick up a copy and see if there is a hotel sitting where my condo building is currently located.  I wouldn't put it past them.

The Undertaker's Daughter

I just finished an advanced reading copy of The Undertaker's Daughter, a new novel by Danish author Sara Blaedel.  The story centers around a Copenhagen school photographer, whose father deserted her mother and her and moved to Racine, Wisconsin years ago.  When he dies, she inherits his funeral home in Racine, and flies there to settle the estate and learn a little bit about his life there.  The heart of the story features a man who was suspected of murder, leaves town, and returns years later only to be beaten to death.  The daughter's funeral home is selected to receive the body, and the story takes off from there.  I must say, the book does not paint a pretty picture of Racine, and it truly surprises me that a lot of the promotion for the book takes place both there and in Chicago.  The Undertaker's Daughter does not come out until next February.  Should you write the title down and order it from the library when it is released?  The book was okay, but just okay.  If you are desperate for something to read, go ahead.  If you have other books on your list, definitely read them first.

Game 7 Of The World Series At Old Chicago

My friend Stuart (seen in the photograph above) and I went to Old Chicago on South Colorado Boulevard here in Denver last night for burgers and beers and to catch the final game of the World Series.  Houston was in control the entire game, and since we were both rooting for them, it was a fine evening indeed.  The Los Angeles Dodgers, in my opinion are a fat cat team.  They are the New York Yankees of the West Coast, and just a little too arrogant.  On the other hand, Jim Crane, the owner of the Houston Astros, also owns the Floridian Golf Club in Palm City, Florida - just across the river from my sister and my condo in Stuart - and so it is of course the neighborly thing to root for his team.  Plus, the Astros train in West Palm Beach, just down the road from Stuart and Palm City.  The Dodgers, in contract, deserted Vero Beach, Florida and moved to a new spring training stadium in Arizona after 61 years.  Talk about money grubbing, heartless traitors.  And I mean that with all due respect.  Houston, by the way, won the game and the World Series 5 to 1.

Watching Newcastle Versus Burnley With Mark

I brought over a pizza to my friend Mark's place this past Monday night, where we watched Newcastle, one of Mark's favorite teams, play Burnley FC.  Mark even bought a new Newcastle soccer jersey (seen in the photograph above) for the occasion.  It was a fast paced game, but alas, Burnley won it 1 to 0.  There is no joy in Newcastle tonight.  Meanwhile, that same night, the Denver Broncos were losing their third straight game to the Kansas City Chiefs.  Denver is just obsessed with football, and the entire city is undergoing mass depression because of these losses.  If the result of all this is the end of the obsessive 24/7, 365 days a year broncos coverage, I say it will be all well worth it.  Just keep those 24 hour Broncos suicide lines open.