April 30th

Today is April 30th, a truly significant day for both me personally and for the United States.  On April 30th, 1975 my parents (Nelson and Mary, as seen in the photograph above) and I were staying in Jensen Beach, Florida in a small cottage right on the Intercoastal Waterway.  We had driven the long way way down from Chicago, stopping at Biloxi, Mississippi  and then following the Gulf Coast and going across Florida.   We were visiting my Uncle Bill and Aunt Elsie, who were living at a condo complex in Stuart, Florida, to see it my parents might want to retire there.  They did indeed, and although my father lived only another 8 years, my mother went on to live there for almost 30, and the condo is still in the family.  Hopefully it always will be. But that day, back in that cottage on the Intercoastal, I listened to the fall of Saigon on the radio, and it seemed otherworldly.  All the lives lost in that war, all the lives destroyed, and all for nothing. Definitely a day to remember, and a lesson never to be forgotten.

Hipster Heaven

I took a walk up Denver's Larimer Street into the Rino (River North) neighborhood last Sunday afternoon, and was very surprised at how gentrified it has become.  When Coors Field was built 23 years years ago, I had expected Larimer Street (two blocks east of the ballpark and Denver's skid row at the time) to be redeveloped quickly.  It actually took over 20 years, but now the place is thriving with restaurants, bars, apartment complexes, and art galleries.  And the place is filled with hipsters, many of them that day wearing Cubs attire, since the Chicago Cubs played the Rockies that afternoon.  It is indeed a hipster's heaven.  And how do I know that for sure?  Because of all the face murals on the buildings, both old and new.  Plus, there are craft breweries on every block, so that hipsters won't go into withdrawal if they happen to walk onto a block without one.  And is it affordable to a person on a modest income?  Surely you jest.  Better find about 12 roommates for that 2 bedroom unit.

A Baseball Update

The Chicago Cubs came to town last weekend to play the Colorado Rockies in a three game series.  My friends Stuart, Mark, and I had tickets to the Friday night game, but the weather was so cold and rainy we decided to skip the game.  The Cubs wound up winning that contest 16 to 4, so we didn't exactly miss a baseball classic.  Saturday night the weather was not so hot, either, but at least the Rockies won that contest. Sunday afternoon I decided to go for a walk downtown, and as I approached Coors Field the crowds were just letting out.  The Cubs fans seemed particularly happy, and one was singing the Cubs theme song ("Hey Chicago what do you say, the Cubs are going to win today"), and so I had a good idea who won.  I couldn't help but notice that Cubs paraphernalia greatly outnumbered Rockies attire, which is not a surprise.  There are so many ex-Chicagoans here, I often refer to Denver as the far, far western suburbs. And for all those inquiring minds, both the Cubs and Rockies are three games above .500 (not bad), while my Chicago White Sox are languishing at 7 and 16.  I mentioned how the White Sox were doing to my sister Susan, who along with her husband George were once rabid White Sox fans, and her response was: "And you are surprised why?"  Good point.

A Change Of Venue...

My friend Stuart (seen in the photograph above) and I decided to make a major change last night, and actually NOT go to Old Chicago for burgers and beers.  Instead, we decided to go wild and crazy and head straight to the Chili's in beautiful Golden, Colorado.  And of course, unlike Lakewood (the home of Old Chicago), Golden really is beautiful (and historic, too), although Chili's is actually in a strip center on the edge of town.  But nevertheless, we did indeed have a nice dinner and chatted away about how great America is now that Donald Trump has been in office well over a full year now (just kidding!).  In any case, all the televisions were tuned to the NFL Draft, which according to the media outlets here in Denver is probably the most important event of the century.  And have I ever mentioned that the Denver Broncos are THE topic of conversation here in Denver 365 days a year?  People are not just obsessed about the subject - their minds have been taken over.  Send deprogrammers immediately!

Black And White Ball

I just finished reading Back and White Ball, Loren Estleman's latest Amos Walker private eye novel. Walker is an old fashioned, hard-boiled Detroit P.I, and this time he is forced into bodyguarding the estranged wife of a professional hit man, whose own son has threaten to kill her.  These books are well written and fast-paced, and I always look forward to the next installment in the series.  And they actually make Detroit sound pretty interesting.  I strongly recommend reading this latest volume, or for that matter, starting with the first book in the series and working your way up to it.  Enjoy.

The Golden Triangle Neighborhood

It was a very cold and rainy afternoon this past Saturday afternoon when I went to the Denver Art Museum, as seen in the above diptych, and as I walked back to my car, I had to ask myself several questions.  For one thing, why did the City of Denver opt for the design of the Denver Public Library as seen in the above photo on the left?  It is supposed to reflect the various historical aspects of the state, including its mining heritage, and it might just do this, but it is ugly.  And secondly, why is there a photograph of a woman's torso, clad in a bikini, tied up in ropes, on the wall of a building, as seen in the photograph on the right?  I have asked this question before, but it is still a good one.  The photograph is located on the wall of an upscale resale shop across the street from the Denver Art Museum (the DAM).  Is this enough of a reason? Sometimes I think Denver has as many nuts as California, but in fact, there are so many Californians living here now, how could that not happen?  I'm just sayin'.

Less Than A Month To See Degas...

The Degas exhibit at the Denver Art Museum will end May 20th, which is not very away.  I myself am hoping my sister Susan and brother-in-law George will be able to see the exhibit with me, but if not, I intend to see it myself before it leaves Denver.  After all, this is the only museum in the world where it will be exhibited, and who wants to pass up a once in a lifetime opportunity like that?  And how did the Denver Art Museum wind up with this exclusive honor?  I suspect blackmail photos, but can't prove it.  Yet.

A DAM Crowded Museum

It was a pretty cold and rainy day this past Saturday, so I decided to visit the the Denver Art Museum.  The place was jam-packed, many there to see the Degas Exhibit, which is set to close in less than a month.  The last time I was at the museum, for Final Friday, the place was pretty empty.  I didn't look around too much, and didn't stay long. This time, people crowded all around the paintings, making it harder to look at the art, but for some reason I was bound and determined to have a look at everything.  I think that is because I am too tired after working all week to enjoy Final Fridays.  Perhaps they could do Final Saturdays instead?  I think I am going to suggest that.

In any case, I was particularly impressed with the modernist works from the museum's Western American Art collection.  Most of the paintings feature scenes of New Mexico by early 20th century Taos artists, but several pieces, like the one of Long's Peak in the photo on the right, are of Colorado. This particular painting is by Sven Birger Sandzen, a Swedish-American artist who taught at Bethany College in Kansas, but who traveled to Colorado to paint several times a year.  I am not sure why Sven continued to live in Kansas until the end of this life after actually seeing it, but it  takes all kinds, I guess.

I was particularly impressed with the painting on the left, by German-American artist Arnold Ronnebeck, titled North From Chappell House, a brownstone mansion once located at the corner of 13th and Logan here in Denver and an early home of the Denver Art Museum, not to mention the University of Denver Art School. Ronneback  paints a scene that shows the Denver cityscape, including the spires of  the Cathedral Basilica of the Immaculate Conception.  I must say from both  my and others attempts to capture the Denver skyline, this is definitely the way to go.  Denver is a great city to live in - don't get me wrong - but it is just not quaint, and no matter how much you try, you can't make it that way.  And one other thing about my visit to the museum.  I kept calculating the age the artist died  each time I looked at a painting.  It is just as bad as reading the obituaries.  Being just 13 weeks away from filing for social security and medicare, I don't need a psychiatrist to figure out why I am doing this, but it has to stop.  Morbid is morbid, after all.  Feel free to quote me on that.

The April Mutt Of The Month

The April Mutt of the Month is none other than Tutu, my sister Susan and brother-in-law George's Yorkie.  I told my sister Tutu was going to receive this honor, and she objected strongly, saying that Tutu is a pure bred.  I say tough.  And I also need to add that although Tutu looks like a sweet dog in the above photograph, the reality is much different.  When I have dinner with Susan and George, Tutu spends the entire dinner barking, until one of us can no longer stand it anymore and put's her in the bathroom for the remainder of the meal.  I'm just sayin'.

Mark And Stuart At Old Chicago

My friends Mark and Stuart and I were planning to attend the Colorado Rockies - Chicago Cubs game at Coors Field last night, but the weather was so cold and rainy that we decided  to skip the game and head for Old Chicago instead.  Mark just returned this week from visiting friends in Leeds, England, and I was so preoccupied listening to his tales of British soccer that I forgot to take a photograph for my blog.  What to do?  Make one up, of course!  And so in the Photoshopped photograph above are Mark, on the left, and Stuart, on the right, taken at Old Chicago.  But not just any Old Chicago.  We actually dined at the Old Chicago on Colorado Boulevard here in Denver, but the above photo was taken at the Old Chicago in Golden, which no longer exists.  It seems fitting, somehow.  And by the way, we missed a cliffhanger - the Cubs beat the Rockies 16 to 4.  

Remembering Knox College

My sister Susan was reminiscing about her years at Knox College the other day.  She still receives the Knox newsletter, even though she has never once informed them of her address.  I suspect that colleges and universities employee ex-CIA agents to make sure they have an exact location for every student who ever attended their school, thus enabling them to barrage alumni with requests for money for the rest of their lives..  In any case, I remember driving to Galesburg with Susan and my mother and father when she first started college there.  I ran across the above photographs from that trip in one of our old photo albums.  In the photo on the left is of course me, at my most harming best, the photo in the center is of my father Nelson, and the photo on the right shows my sister Susan with her sorority sisters (Susan is on the left, looking as though drying dishes is the most wonderful activity in the world.  How times have changed). The Knox campus is very pretty, by the way, and as I remember it, Galesburg is a very pretty, and historic town, too. It is the birthplace of Carl Sandburg, and was also the site of one of the Lincoln-Douglas debates.  That one trip was the only time I ever visited the place.  After that we would take Susan to the LaSalle Street Station (now long gone) in downtown Chicago, where she would catch the Rock Island train back to Galesburg. And would I ever want to go back there to visit? I guess it is like going to the rodeo - once is interesting, twice is a mistake.

Spring Has Sprung

Denver's temperatures  have been in the upper 70s for most of the past week, and pretty white buds are coming out on all the trees around here.  In the center of Evans Avenue,  near the University of Denver's Driscoll Center, where the DU Bookstore - my former employer - is located, a line of these white budded trees bloom every year, as well as on the campus itself, as seen in the photograph above.  Sadly, while Denver has many days in the 70s and 80s during the spring, it also usually has a snow storm every so often, and when one of these hits, the white buds disappear and grow back green,  ending the spring colors all too quickly.  And by the way, the tower in the photograph above is the only thing that is left of the Buchtel Memorial Chapel, which burned down in 1983.  And no - I had nothing to do with it.

The Bishop's Pawn

I just finished an advanced reading copy of The Bishop's Pawn, Steve Berry's new Cotton Malone adventure novel.  Malone is a Copenhagen bookseller and retired Justice Department spy, who always seems to be called back to help out his old agency.  This time Malone reminisces about his first case as an agent, which involves the recovery of files that imply Martin Luther King's assassination was a government conspiracy.  It is an exciting story, and takes place in various locales throughout Florida, including none other that Stuart, Florida, where the condo my sister Susan and I inherited from our parents in located. Berry was very complimentary to Stuart in the story, and it made me a little homesick for the old homestead. I would head down there for a long weekend if I didn't think our renters would not be crazy about me showing up with my suitcase.  In any case, the book just came out in March and is definitely worth picking up.

Tax Day!

Today is Tax Day 2018, on a Tuesday this year since April 15th was on a Sunday and Monday was Emancipation Day in Washington D.C., which I thought had occurred years ago, but then again nothing that happens in Washington surprises me these days.  In any case, once again, as usual, I had to pay, but decided to mail my tax returns early (last night) instead of today, as seen in the self portrait above. And if you haven't started working on your taxes yet, I advise you to start cranking, or perhaps move to Paraguay.  Who says this Blog doesn't have useful information?

A Cold Day At The Zoo

As I mentioned in yesterday's blog, I went to the Denver Zoo late Friday afternoon to take photographs of the new baby orangutan, which made it's debut that day.  It was tough to get a decent photograph in that dark environment, and so when I finally realized I wasn't going to get a better shot, I walked around outside looking for photo opportunities.  It was a very cold day, with an extremely strong, cold wind, and so I virtually had the run of the place to myself.  Which is kind of fun, since you are the only person the animals have to focus on, and this makes for great portraits.  Although many of the animals, such as the monkeys, giraffes, and other warm weather beasts, were inside, a couple of the big cats were outside, checking out the scene, such as the lion in the photograph on the left.  I noticed the door to the inside was open, and so he could have gone inside if he wanted to, but chose to stay where he was.

That was not true of the tiger in the photograph on the right, who I talked to a bit about the cold and who seemed more than happy to pose for the camera.  As far as I could tell, he had no choice but to stay outside in the new compound they call The Edge. Although the zoo hypes it as a much better environment for the tigers, it seems pretty much the same size as their previous compound to me, except for the fact they can now climb up to a second level and look down on zoo visitors, deciding which ones they would pounce upon and have for supper if the chain link fence wasn't there.  But not the tiger in the photo - he was just commiserating with me about the poor weather conditions. Probably takes his appetite away.

The Baby Orangutan Makes It's Debut!

The new baby orangutan made it's debut at the Denver Zoo yesterday, and since I had all my hours in at the local Denver bookstore where I work, I decided to head over to the zoo (just on the other side of City Park from the store) and see if I could get a few photos.  It was pretty damn cold yesterday, with an extremely strong, cold wind, and so there weren't many other visitors.  I practically had the place to myself.  However, it was still hard to get a decent photograph, since the orangutan cage is so dark, and the mother has the baby cradled in her arms 24/7.  The official zoo photographer gets to take more or less posed photographs in a lighted room, whereas they give zoo visitors no such consideration, and so the above photograph is the best I could do.  Is it time to break down and buy a new camera that takes good photos in low light conditions for $2,300?  I think not.  I'll take the inferior shot above any day over going to that extreme.  The photo does show the baby, after all, which I was not able to see with my naked eye when I took the shot, which is not too bad a thing.  Thanks Photoshop!

A Titanic Tragedy

Today is April 14th, the 106th anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic.  Over 1,500 people were killed that night in 1912, one of the most tragic maritime disasters in history.  Six years ago, on the 100th anniversary of the sinking, I bought a Time-Life special edition paperback commemorating the disaster.  It featured the photographs of Frank Browne, who at the time was a theology student in Dublin, whose uncle gave him a special gift - passage on the Titanic from it's starting point in Southampton, England, to Queenstown, in Ireland, it's final destination before heading across the Atlantic toward New York.  The photograph on the left show passengers waiting to board the ship as it comes into port.

Brown was a talented photographer, and much of the book consists of the photographs he took on this trip, such as the one on the right of passengers strolling the ship's boat deck, an ironic image considering how important those boats would become in just a few days. Browne met a wealthy businessman on the ship who offered to pay for his passage to New York.  Brown called to get permission to do this, but was told he would not be allowed to extend his trip.  A bitter disappointment at the time, but a lifesaving break for him just a short time later.  And therefore we now have a detailed photographic record of life on board the Titanic before it sank.  The ship, by the way, was declared unsinkable - very bad karma if you ask me - which is why the captain did not slow the ship's speed when warned of icebergs in the area.  Another example of bad karma - very bad karma -  is that a developer in China is building an exact duplicate of the ship, which is to be located on a reservoir in the interior of China as part of a theme park. The project is years behind schedule.  But if it is ever finished, I think anyone who would stay on that ship is crazy.

Cap's Place

The other day I ran across the above photograph of my sister Susan and mother Mary that I took at Cap's Place, a restaurant located on an island in the inter-coastal waterway  in Lighthouse Point, Florida that I took many years ago.  To get there, you have to take a boat, and finding that boat dock has always been a challenge for me.  Cap's Place was a speakeasy during prohibition, and as one chatty bartender put it, it has been visited by John F. Kennedy, Marilyn Monroe, and Winston Churchill, but not at the same time.  In any case, the first time we went there, the island was filled with feral cats, which my sister found enchanting.  On the second visit, however, the cats were gone, to the chagrin of my sister.  She also didn't like the rather loud group of people dining near us, which  she was convinced was a Mafia gathering (she was probably still in a bad mood  because of the cats).  And speaking of cats, on another trip from Stuart, Florida to Savannah and Charleston, we stayed at a motel in St. Augustine, where my sister found a cute kitten, which she insisted on bringing back to Stuart with her.  My mother was not having any of that.  It was a battle of wills, and my mother won.  Did I mention that my family is crazy?

Not Another Fort Collins Sunset?

Yes.  Just deal with it.  I have been pretty busy the last couple of months and have not had much time for photography.  Therefore, I have to take my photo opportunities where I can.  Unfortunately, I have not seen too many dogs tied up in front of the local Denver bookstore where I work lately, my usual preference for a Blog photo when I am fresh out of ideas.  Perhaps as the temperatures continue to rise I will be able to find more animal subjects.  Doesn't anyone in the neighborhood have a "service kangaroo" I can photograph?

The Construction Boom Continues

Here in Denver, where there has been quite a housing shortage over the past few years, developers are now building apartment buildings in virtually every part of the city, especially the neighborhoods in and adjacent to downtown.  Last fall, when it was still warm and I was walking to the Union Station light rail train from the bookstore where I work, the building in the photograph on the left was just a hole in the ground.  Now it is quickly rising skyward, soon to be leased to it's initial army of hipsters (a pride of lions, a colony of bats, an army of hipsters, etc.).

The problem with all these new apartments (such as the ones on California Street, north of downtown in the photograph on the right) is that they are pricey as hell. What do the people who rent these places do for a living? Do they all work in the tech industry? Are they all doctors?  Or do they all just have dozens of roommates in order to pay the rent?  Is Denver only attracting the affluent these days, while people with more moderate incomes are moving to more affordable places like Lincoln, Nebraska? Speaking of affordable places, my friend Valarie reports that Pueblo, Colorado - about 45 minutes south of Colorado Springs, Colorado - is still very affordable, with lots of nice Victorians in old established neighborhoods.  The bottom line, of course, is that you are living in Pueblo. Or even worse, Lincoln, Nebraska.  As Mark Twain once famously said, if he owned both Texas and Hell, he would rent out Texas an live in hell.  Now I finally understand.

Unanswerable Questions From Colorado Rockies Opening Weekend

As I mentioned in yesterday's blog, I went to Charlie Blackmon Bobblehead Day this past Sunday at Coors Field here in Denver to get one of those soon to be valuable sports memorabilia items.  I calculate that it will be worth a fortune in 50 years, even though I know I will probably be toast in 30.  No matter - maybe I can make a deal early (with a collector, not the devil).  In any case, I arrived at the game pretty early to make sure I got that Bobblehead, and had to kill almost two hours waiting for the game to start.  I wound up taking photographs of things I found pretty curious, as seen in the above collage.  Going clockwise from the upper left, I took a photo of Trevor Story striking out in the Colorado Rockies 4 to 0 loss to the Atlanta Braves, and wondered if this team is really as bad as it looked this past Sunday afternoon.  Next, I also noticed a van parked in the Rockies private parking lot, and realized that Dinger the mascot has his own vehicle.  I personally have never seen him driving around town, but if I did see a dinosaur driving a van around Denver, I would report it to the police immediately.  I also noticed that there were a bunch of cowboys on the field before the game dragging a donkey around behind them.  If this was for luck, it sure the hell didn't work. Sunday.  Finally (from left to right in the final photo), Eric Young and Walt Weiss, with the Rockies several years ago as hitting coach and manager, respectively, are now coaches with the Atlanta Braves, which also has a number of former Colorado players on the roster.  What is the deal with that?  Do the Braves know something we don't?  In any case, this proves only one thing: don't get to the baseball park too earlier - it will make you think too much, and that is never good.

Charlie Blackmon Bobblehead Day!

I went to my first Colorado Rockies game of the season yesterday, which was Charlie Blackmon Bobblehead Day.  I arrived one and a half hours before game time to make sure I got one, and was not surprised to see that everyone else had the same idea.  I wound up parking on the other side of downtown,and had to walk a bit to get to the stadium.  On the way I couldn't help but notice that a number of people were walking back from the stadium with Charlie Blackmon Bobbleheads in hand, choosing to skip the game entirely.  Talk about fair weather fans.  But, in fairness, I am convinced that this bobblehead will be worth a fortune in 50 years.  On the other hand, I am calculating that I will live only another 30 years at most.  What is wrong with this picture?

In any case, I did indeed pick up my Bobblehead, and then had to kill time until game time. Just for fun, I decided to walk up to where my Rockpile seat was located and take a photograph of the view from there, along with the soon to be valuable bobblehead (as seen in the photo on the right).  I had no intention of sitting there - I was planning to stand behind home plate to watch the game - although the wind was so cold that I had to move to the outfield, where the sun was shining and it felt much warmer.  But I have to ask -  would YOU pay $110 to sit in the seat with this view, just because it was Opening Day?  Especially when it was 27 degrees outside at game time?  And no, I cannot let it go.  What a ripoff.  And by the way, the Colorado Rockies lost to the Atlanta Braves 4 to 0.  Looks like another long season.  

Exploring The Congress Park Neighborhood

This past Friday, my boss at the local Denver bookstore where I work asked me if I would walk over to the local post office down the street to mail out an envelope.  I thought she meant the post office just off East Colfax here in Denver, but actually she meant a post office located in a small grocery in a nearby neighborhood business district.  I did indeed walk there, and recognized that I had been there before, getting together with my fellow ex-University of Denver employees at Shells and Sauce, as seen in the photograph above.  The owner of he grocery store also took care of the post office, and when I mentioned where I worked, was effusive in his praise for the store.  He said he lived just down the street, and went to the store often.  As I walked back to the store, I passed a young woman who actually said hello to me.  It was like I was back home in the South Side Brainerd neighborhood where I grew up.  I suddenly realized that these neighborhoods do indeed still exist, this one just 3 or 4 blocks where I work. Surprise!

The Game Goes On!

Opening Day at Coors Field went on as planned, although the start was delayed for an hour due to snow. However, even once the precipitation stopped, it was still damn cold  -  27 degrees at game time, not to mention the wind chill, which was pretty viscous.  In any case, I left work at 5:00 and headed straight downtown to experience the Opening Day atmosphere.  As I approached the stadium, fans were streaming out of the park, and I thought the game was over.  Not true!  It was still the 8th inning, and the Rockies were down 8 to 3 to Atlanta.  It was time to say to hell with it, and head someplace warmer.

And where was that?  The nearby bars, naturally, except that there was a long line to get in there, too.  And so hundreds of fans gave up watching the game in the cold at Coors Field to stand in line in the cold to get into the more popular bars in Denver's LoDo neighborhood.  Can't beat fun at the old ballpark.  After walking around for about 20 minutes, I had as much fun as I thought I could survive, and decided to head back to my car and home.  And let me tell you, I am damn glad I did not take the day off from work and pay $110 dollars (or even much more) for this experience.  I get enough misery as it is without paying for it.

The Home Opener

Today is Opening Day at Coors Field here in Denver, and for the first time since the Colorado Rockies began playing baseball, I am not attending the game.  First of all, the Rockies organization is charging $110 for Rockpile seats, the worst seats in the house.  Talk about greed.  I am not about to pay that kind of money for a single game.  I recently paid $115 for a year's subscription to MLB.com, and can now watch every baseball game played this year (with the exception of the Colorado Rockies) on my laptop.  Time to go back to my South Side Chicago roots and start watching the Chicago White Sox again. Of course, now that the weather forecast is for snow and temperatures around 27 degrees today, tickets on Stubhub have dropped to $50.  These days, however, they would have to pay ME $50 to attend a game in that kind of weather.  My personal hope is that the Rockies have to postpone the game, and are forced to give refunds on those exorbitantly priced tickets. Divine justice.  I can dream, can't I?

Origin

I just finished reading Dan Brown's latest book, Origin.  I was on the waiting list for months, and when the library finally called me, I had forgotten I had ordered it in the first place.  I must say, Brown's last few books have not been very good.  The Lost Symbol (2009) was just a stinker, and the ending of Inferno (2013) was so stupid, you wanted to hurl the book across the room after you got done reading it. Therefore, I did not have high expectations for Origin, and was pleasantly surprised to find that it was pretty good.  Once again Harvard professor Robert Langdon is the central character, and attends the announcement at the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao of a scientific discovery that appears to be a threat to the world's religions. The tech genius who makes the discovery, a friend and former student of Langdon's, is shot dead before revealing the secret, and the story moves quickly from there.  Interestingly, one of the main characters is a super intelligent computer with a British accent that is frighteningly human-like.  A sign of things to come? I really liked the book, and recommend that you order it from your local library today.  Expect to get it in about 6 months.

The Monkey On My Back

When I first took a black and white photography class at the University of Denver, I decided to go the Denver Zoo for one of my first projects.  As I recall, it was an uncrowded day in the spring, and I walked into the Primate Panorama Forest Aviary, expecting to see birds, and wound up face to face with the monkey in the photograph above.  He or she was running free in that enclosed compound, and was very curious, getting as close to me as possible.  All I had to do was snap the shutter to get a great photograph. My photography professor was very impressed, especially with the emotion seen in that creature.  On the bright side, I got a great photograph.  On the other hand, I have never been able to duplicate the emotion in that photograph.  But I keep trying, which why I still have that monkey on my back.

LoDo Update

It has been a while since I was last in the LoDo (Lower Downtown) neighborhood of Denver, and so Saturday afternoon after buying a ticket to this Sunday's Colorado Rockies game, I decided to take a walk around the area.  I was surprised to see an entire city block has been excavated and will soon accommodate Market Station, an office and retail project.  I also walked past the Dairy Block, which a long time ago was owned by none other than Arnold Schwarzenegger, and which has now been developed into the "Z" block.  I took a look at the storefronts, as seen in the photograph on the left, and found that every single one will be a restaurant and/or bar.

And thank goodness for that.  If there is anything LoDo needs more of, it is restaurants and bars.  With all the new, very pricey apartment buildings being built around here, there are more and more hipsters out on the street, looking for the latest, greatest, hippest new bar to party at.  People were beginning to worry that the ratio of bars to hipsters was becoming dangerously low.  No worries - problem solved.  My only recommendation is that you avoid the area like the plague when all these bars close at the same time (2:00 A.M)., especially on Friday and Saturday nights.  There have been a lot of incidents involving well lubricated partiers exercising their second amendment rights. Dangerous, but exciting!

Springtime In The Rockies

After very little snowfall for most of the winter, Denver saw a few snowstorms last week, all of which took place on the evenings I was driving back and forth between Denver and Fort Collins. There is nothing much to see on that drive anyway, so why not be blinded by the blowing snow?  In any case, the day after these storms, it is usually bright and sunny, such as the morning I took the photograph on the left while driving past the Denver Botanical gardens on my way to work.

When I got to the parking garage next door to the bookstore where I work,  I took the photograph on the right of East High School and The Esplanade, which leads to Denver's City Park. Although it is hellish to drive across the plains when it is snowing, I have to admit it is truly a pretty view the next morning. Fortunately, this week it will be mostly in the upper 60s, and today will reach 72 degrees.  And will we see snow again this spring?  Count on it - that is springtime in the Rockies, after all.

Happy Easter Everyone!

Happy Easter! And yes - I am using the same photograph I use every year, taken of me one Easter morning back when I was at my most charming best, on the back porch of our house in the South Side Brainerd neighborhood of Chicago.  It is, after all, the only photograph I know for sure was taken on Easter.  In hindsight, we should have written "taken on Easter, taken on Christmas, taken on Saint Swithun's Day," etc. on the back of the photos,   but we didn't, so the heck with it.

The above photograph was taken in the 1950s, probably around 1957, when I was 4 years old.  Little did I realize then, living a carefree and happy life on Chicago's South Side, that one day my life would intersect with the family on the right, a photograph that was also taken around 1957, when the grandfather of the family, who I assume is the man on the right, started the Honey Baked Ham Company.  And how has my life intersected with this prosperous family?  I wound up buying a quarter pound bone-in ham and au gratin potatoes form the Honey Baked Ham Company for 50 bucks. yesterday.  When I pay $50 for a food item, I feel I am more an investor in the company than a mere customer.  It is the cheapskate in me, I'm afraid.

In any case, the reason I bought the ham and potatoes was because my sister Susan called to say that my brother-in-law George was too weak to drive, could not get out to buy Easter dinner, and she did not want to have to cancel another holiday, which I was very happy to hear.  We have not celebrated the last two Christmases or last Thanksgiving. either, due to health issues, and so I was happy to pick dinner up.  But why do I always have to drive to Aurora, Colorado from Denver to buy a holiday meal?  Last Christmas I had to drive to Aurora on Christmas Day to pick up a rotisserie chicken from Boston Market to feed my friend Stuart and myself.  And this time I was on the same street, just down the block, since the closest Honey Baked Ham Store was in Aurora.  What gives?  Is this the only town in the state that doesn't celebrate holidays, or can't afford to take the day off?  If so, they are not getting a tip.  Nobody tips bookkeepers like me, after all.  And as I mentioned above, I am indeed a cheapskate.