Pool Day At The Zoo

I went to the Denver Zoo this past Friday afternoon to try out my new $200 camera lens, which replaces the old one, which sadly gave up the ghost. It was a sunny day with temperatures in the 90s, and one of the zoo volunteers by the tiger exhibit said it was too hot for the big cats to come out.  They were all inside in their air-conditioned quarters, no doubt watching a Tigers baseball game. What I don't understand is why it is too hot for them in Denver's climate - which has very low humidity - when lions are native to Africa and tigers to India and southeast Asia, where I understand it can be very humid and a little on the warm side, too?  In any case, all the animals that could were playing in the pool, like the hippopotamus in the photograph on the left. 

One of the zoo's elephants had the same idea, and was submerged as much as possible, using his truck to spray water on the parts that weren't. The other animals that were outside were all standing or sitting in the shade, usually near the door to their compounds, wanting nothing so much as to get back inside to that air conditioning.  This past weekend, by the way, was Tiger Days at the Denver Aquarium. I was told by an aquarium representative at the Denver County Fair last week that the tigers would be roaming around the place, interacting with aquarium visitors and that you could get tiger rides, too.  I know she wouldn't have lied to me, and it sounds like that would have been much more lively than the zoo, but I would have had to pay actual money to get in, and so there you go.

The 2019 Cheesman Park Art Fest

In addition to Denver's Dragon Boat Festival, I attended the 7th annual Cheesman Park Art Fest this past weekend.  This is a one of my favorite art shows, much more laid back than the Cherry Creek Art Festival and Boulder's Pearl Street Art Fest.  For one thing, it takes place in a tree shaded park, and many (although certainly not all) the artists are from Colorado. There were also a large number of photography booths, too, which I especially liked.  Looking at these local Denver photographer's work gives me a lot of ideas of what I could do myself, if I ever get up enough ambition to take my photography seriously.  Don't hold your breath.

I especially liked the work of photographer Andrew Roth, whose work includes portraits of people from around the world.  I know I have seen his work before, because I distinctly remember the black and white photograph of a man kissing his camel, as seen in the photograph on the right. There are very few camel kissing photographs in the world, although I think there certainly should be more. As far as camel kissing is concerned, Roth has the market on that, but perhaps I should seriously think of something similar to make my mark. Perhaps burro kissing. Just this past weekend Burro Days took place in Fairplay, Colorado, and featured a pack burro race up a mountain and back.  How hard could it be to get those racers to to give their burros a smooch? Perhaps next year I will attend that festival, take some great photographs.  But for now, be sure to check out Andrew Roth's website at http://www.andrewrothphotography.com/.

The 2019 Dragon Boat Festival

This past weekend the Dragon Boat Festival, the largest such festival in the country, took place at Sloan's Lake here in Denver.  The area around Sloan's Lake is quite the hot spot these days.  It has always been a pretty nice area to the north, where it borders the Highlands, one of Denver's nicest and most popular neighborhoods.  To the south and east, the area has been traditionally Hispanic and poor, especially the closer it gets to Colfax Avenue.  However, these days, the entire area seems to be a construction zone, with expensive high rise apartments and McMansions going up everywhere.

Sloan's Lake Park does have trees around the perimeter, especially on the south end, but the area where the Dragon Boat Festival is held is treeless and feels like a desert. I have never attended this festival when it wasn't sunny and in the 90s, which makes watching the races a challenge. Although the festival is only a mile or so from Denver's Vietnamese community, virtually every Asian nation is represented, and the smells from all the food booths are wonderful.  It is definitely a fun way to spend a few hours on a hot summer day, and then head for the shade.  And, of course, a cold beer.

A Day In Rocky Mountain National Park

I drove up with my friend Stuart (seen in the photograph on the left) to Rocky Mountain National Park yesterday afternoon.  The weather forecasters said that there was a chance of afternoon storms, and were they right. As soon as we approached Estes Park, it started raining like hell.  It continued raining like that all the way to the park entrance.  There was bumper-to-bumper traffic heading out of the park, but nobody heading in our direction.  In fact, there was not even anyone at the booths to take your money.  I guess they figured no one would be crazy enough to go into the park with that kind of weather.  They figured wrong.

By the time we started to head up Trail Ridge Road, the rain had stopped and it was all blue sky. We drove above treeline and then headed down into the west side of the park, where it is rumored there are actually moose hanging around.  Part of the way down cars heading the opposite direction were stopped in the middle of the road, and people were taking photographs. Could it be a moose sighting?  I parked at a turnoff a short distance ahead and Stuart and I walked back to see what all the excitement was all about.  Elk. Two elk sitting in a meadow, contemplating the meaning of life. Damn.  My streak of mooseless forays into the mountains continues.

My Parent's Anniversary

Today would have been my parents Nelson and Mary's 79th wedding anniversary if they were still alive today.  They got married in 1940, and my sister Susan came along two years later, in 1942, during the darkest days of World War II (I, of course, am much younger). In any case, I am not sure when the above photograph was taken, but it is exactly how I remember them when I was growing up back in Chicago.  My father was drafted around 1944, and was sent to Okinawa, where he served as a dentist in a MASH unit (and by the way, he told me once that the television series of the same name was exactly how it really was), and came back in 1948.  He and my mother and sister Susan lived with my mother's parents (my Grandmother and Grandmother Spillard) for a year until they moved into our house in the south side Brainerd neighborhood of Chicago.  My mother loved that house so much that she hated to go on vacation. I guess living with your parents like that can be hard, especially with a young child, and especially so if that young child happened to be my sister Susan. I'm just sayin'.

An Ohio Mystery Solved

I found the above photograph among a bunch of others that my mother Mary had in a drawer in her Stuart, Florida condo that I hadn't looked at until now.  It was taken on Sunday, May 5th, 1963, in front of my Uncle Bill and Aunt Elsie's home in South Euclid, Ohio, but it took me a while to figure out what the occasion was. From left to right are Val, husband of Margaret (seen on the far right), my cousin Judy, my father Nelson, my Aunt Elsie, my Uncle Bill (my mother's brother), a man unknown to me, Mrs. Blackburn (my Aunt Elsie's mother, who my sister Susan always used to call Grandma Blackbird), my mother Mary, and Aunt Elsie's sister Margaret. However, Aunt Elsie is wearing a flower, which was a clue.  I finally remembered that Uncle Bill and Aunt Elsie got married 2 years before my parents, which would have made it 1938, 25 years before this photo was taken, and so this was their 25th wedding anniversary celebration. Mystery solved, but why weren't my sister Susan and I invited, let alone our grandparents? In any case, South Euclid is an eastern suburb of Cleveland.  I visited there a few times, and was really impressed with the area, mainly because it had lots of hills, unlike Chicago, which is flat as a pancake. Of course, back then, Cleveland was known as "the mistake on the lake," and has a river that actually caught fire.  I hear it is much nicer there now, and I have not heard any more reports of the Cuyahoga River catching fire again.  How boring.

Burro Days!

As almost everyone knows, this weekend the 71st annual Burro Days takes place up in Fairplay, Colorado. The weekend starts tomorrow, Friday, July 26th, with a free concert by The Nacho Men.  Yes!  The Nacho Men! They are still alive!  Who knew? Then, on Saturday, there will be llama races, and on Sunday the famous pack burro race up a mountain and back will take place.  Sunday evening the festival closes with an outhouse race.  I need to check with my friend Stuart to see if he wants to enter a port-a-let.  If he wins the Fairplay race, he might be able to join the outhouse race circuit.  Fame at last!

Off To The UK

My friend Mark is off to England in a little over a week, and before we went to the Denver County Fair this past Saturday, we stopped at the 16th Street Mall in downtown Denver, where Mark picked up some gifts to take to his many friends over there.  In addition to photo books on Colorado and Denver, Mark stopped at Sportsfan (as seen in the photo above) to buy assorted sports memorabilia. Evidently, Brits are big NFL football fans, and one of Mark's former classmates at Colorado State University in Fort Collins, who he will also be visiting, is a big Denver Nuggets fan. Go figure. In any case, Mark plans to visit Bath for a few days, and then spend the rest of the time visiting friends in and round Leeds. Yes. Leeds. It reminds me of that old joke about a sweepstakes contest: First prize - a week in Leeds! Second prize - two weeks in Leeds! Mark assures me, however, that it is a wonderful place to visit.  He also wants to sell me London Bridge at a good price. Have a great time, Mark!

Just When You Thought it Couldn't Get Any Weirder...

Yes!  I am indeed talking about Boulder, Colorado.  As I mentioned in yesterday's blog post, Boulder is often referred to as "25 square miles surrounded by reality."  It is dramatically situated at the foot of the Flatirons, and is surrounded by green space on the other three sides, isolating it from the rest of the Denver metropolitan area and also driving up the cost of real estate to prohibitive levels (at least for me). Boulder is also know as "the People's Republic of Boulder," a reference to it's liberal attitudes.  Plus, it is home to the University of Colorado, giving it an energetic, college town vibe.  This, combined with all the free spirits attracted to the place, make it a people-watcher's paradise. Sunday afternoon, my sister Susan uttered the phrase "just when you thought it couldn't get any weirder," as we walked along Pearl Street.  I myself did not see anything unusual at all. I don't want to even think about what that says about me.  In any case, I took the above photograph of the Pearl Street Mall this past Sunday.  Nothing too weird - I have found that when you take photos of weird people, they tend to get touchy.  The photograph does show a woman wearing butterfly wings doing face painting, and what appears to be a poster with feet walking down the street, but nothing really strange. Maybe next time.

The Pearl Street Arts Fest 2019

My sister Susan (seen on the left talking to Boulder photographer Rob Lantz) and I drove to Boulder from Fort Collins yesterday afternoon to attend the Pearl Street Arts Fest, a really great art festival on a truly interesting street. It was warm and sunny and Pearl Street, the heart and soul of Boulder, was packed. Boulder is often described as 25 square miles surrounded by reality, and with good reason.  It was founded in 1858, and many of the buildings on Pearl Street date from the 1870s, when Boulder truly started to grow.  There was a lot of great photography on exhibit yesterday, which made me especially happy.  In addtion to Lantz (www.roblantzphoto.com), who specializes in Colorado landscapes, I was especially impressed by the work of Andrew Mosedale, a photographer from St. Augustine, Florida.  I am not usually a fan of staged photography, but his traditional black and white photography, carefully stage-managed to recreate both historical and frankly weird photographs, is quite impressive.  Check out his work at http://andrewmosedale.com/.

I suggested to Susan that she bring her two dogs, Tutu and Blackberry, along with us, as Boulder is an especially dog friendly place, and I knew that Blackberry would probably have loved to meet all the dogs and their owners walking amongst the artwork.  Susan, however,  felt that Tutu, a tiny Yorkshire terrier, would not be up to all that walking, and she didn't want to leave her home alone for so long. After all, it might have resulted in deep psychological trauma if we took Blackberry and not her ("that damn Blackberry is her favorite - not me, despite what she says"), and so we left both dogs at home.  Boulder, by the way, is about an hour southwest of Fort Collins, located in a dramatic setting right up against the Flatirons.  It is also home to the University of Colorado, which helps give it a special college town vibe. You can't go wrong spending a summer Sunday afternoon there, art or no art.

The Denver County Fair

My friend Mark and I went to the Denver County Fair yesterday afternoon to see what it was like.  I attended the very first Denver County Fair many years ago, but don't remember much about it.  The event bills itself as "fairly weird," and it certainly was that.  People were dressed up there as I don't know what, but were very enthusiastic.  There was a freak show, which we skipped, and a hot dog eating contest hosted by a man wearing a hot dog hat. And not an attractive hot dog hat, either.  The best part of the fair was the animals, such as the alpaca in the photograph on the left.

There were several events that we missed, one of which was goat yoga. Mark tells me that goat yoga is a type of yoga where the goats climb up your back. Who wouldn't like that?  The Denver County Fair Beer Fest was going to take place at 4:00 P.M., but to be honest, 2 hours at the fair was quite enough.  It was worth the $10 entrance fee - after all, I did get some good animal photos, like the llama seen in the photograph on the right. And there was a table for the Denver Aquarium, too, which neither Mark or I have ever visited.   It opened a number of years ago, later was about to close, and then was taken over by a seafood restaurant.  The women at the table were promoting the aquarium's Tiger Fest next weekend, and suggested we attend.  I asked if the tigers were allowed to run free in the aquarium, and was told they certainly would, and we could even take tiger rides.  Sign me up.

Adventures In Paradise

I was recently walking my sister Susan's dog Blackberry, and passed one of those Little Free Libraries along the way, where I picked up a paperback copy of Tales of the South Pacific, by James A. Michener.  It made me wonder if this book was the basis for the television series Adventures in Paradise, which I watched with my parents when I was growing up in our home in the south side Brainerd neighborhood of Chicago.  It turns out that the book was actually the basis for the Broadway play and movie South Pacific, and that Michener came up with the idea for the television show Adventures in Paradise separately. It was a popular series about a Korean War veteran who falls in love with the South Pacific, and moves to Pape'ete, Tahiti, where he buys a sailing ship and takes passengers and cargo between the Polynesian islands, having exciting adventures every week. When I did a little research, I found a web site (https://www.adventuresinparadisetv.com/) dedicated to the show and run by a fellow Chicagoan, about my age, who is obsessed by the series, which is where I got the photo on the left of series star Gardner McKay at the wheel of the Tiki, his sailing ship. I remember liking the series a lot, but I do remember my parents telling me that McKay was such a horrible actor, the producers made him take acting lessons the entire time the series ran.  It must be true - my parents wouldn't have lied to me, would they?

Dancin' In The Streets Is History

I was giving serious consideration to driving down to Stuart, Florida with my sister Susan and her two dogs (Blackberry and Tutu) next month so we could attend Dancin' in the Streets (also known to the locals as "Drinking in the Streets"). This is a street festival that has taken place in downtown Stuart since 1987.  I took the photograph on the left of Susan posing in front of one of the poster's advertising the event, most likely back in the 1990s.  The festival celebrated it's 30th anniversary in 2017, but in 2018 it was canceled due to "downtown construction." I recently found out that the festival has been discontinued due to "lack of attendance." I myself attended the festival in 2015 and it was packed, and so I have to wonder if this is the real reason.  Downtown Stuart is now "Old Town Stuart," and has a lot of new upscale restaurants, boutiques, and very pricey condo developments that have been complaining for years that the festival ruins their business on that Saturday in August. I have to wonder if that is the real reason the festival was ended.

On the bright side, I just read that Virgin Trains USA has begun construction on the next leg of their high speed train that will connect Miami with Orlando and eventually Tampa. Martin County originally opposed the project (probably on the grounds that trains traveling through Stuart at 125 miles per hour might splatter unsuspecting elderly people crossing the tracks), but agreed to withdraw their lawsuit when Virgin Trains promised to build a station in Stuart or nearby Fort Pierce.  This means traveling to Orlando to catch a flight or to Fort Lauderdale or Miami to spend the day will take a fraction of the time it takes to drive there.  I am just hoping that they use the rail car I am posing in front of in the photograph on the right.  It was Henry Flagler's private railroad car.  And since Flagler was the one who developed the East Coast of Florida and founded the Florida East Coast Railway, it would be only fitting.  Look for that car traveling down the tracks in 2022.

Summertime Nostalgia

Next month is the time that my sister Susan and I usually visited our mother Mary down in Stuart, Florida, and therefore this week's nostalgia blog focuses on one of those trips, probably back in the late 1990s or early 2000s. The photograph on the left shows Susan on the boardwalk leading to Stuart Beach, holding her boogie board by her side.  Susan used to like going into the ocean on it, often quite far out, which just worried my mother to death. My mother and I would sit under the covered shelter on the boardwalk, and watch Susan's progress. And as you can see in the photo, Susan is pointing at me with obvious anger, demanding that I do NOT take her picture, which I always did anyway.

From Stuart Beach, Susan and I would often walk along the water to the House of Refuge Museum, while my mother would stay at the covered shelter on the boardwalk, read the Stuart News, and guard the boogie board.  That is evidently what we did that day, since I took another photograph of Susan on the beach in front of the House of Refuge, where she is once again pointing her finger at me in a threatening way.  I must say, it is indeed hot in Florida in August, but along the ocean there is a constant breeze that makes it kind of pleasant.

After spending time at the beach each day, we would head home to my mother's condo, where she would fix dinner for the three of us.  God knows both Susan and I miss those days now. After dinner, I would walk down to the St. Lucie River and take photographs of the sunset, one of which can be seen on the left.  The complex is known as the Monterey Yacht and Country Club, but since the City of Stuart did not allow the complex to dredge, there were no boats at the pier, except for Stewey  Anderson's sailboat, docked a discreet distance offshore and reached by a small dingy tied up at the pier.   Susan and I just renewed the lease on the condo, and so it will be at least another year before we once again get to see the place.  Too long, but what can you do?  It pays the HOA fees.

South Park - Part II

As I mentioned in yesterday's blog post, my friend Stuart and I visited Fairplay this past Saturday afternoon, a town located in South Park, a high valley in the mountains southwest of Denver. Fairplay, a mining town founded in 1859 with a current population of 679, is not exactly a major mountain resort, but on the bright side, if you are looking for an affordable mountain home, I think this could be your town.  It appears to me that there are a lot of fixer-uppers available here, such as the home in the photograph on the left.  I did not see a for sale sign out in front, but I am sure if you contact a local realtor, you might be able to pick this or a similar gem up at a great price.  It looks isolated, but it is just a few dozen yards from a number of bars, which will come in handy in the wintertime.

From Fairplay, we drove north through the town of Alma and over Hoosier Pass on our way to Breckenridge, also a former mining town but much larger and gentrified into what a mining town would look like if it were inhabited by the nouveau riche. Hoosier Pass (named by early pioneers from Indiana - surprise!) is a pretty spot, as seen in the photograph on the right.  It has an elevation of 11,500 feet, and is the highest point on the TransAmerica Trail, a bicycle route that stretches from Yorktown, Virginia to Astoria, Oregon.  Now bicycling that route sounds fun - I am putting that on my bucket list for sure.  I just need to get in shape for it.  I am sure I will be ready for it in about 10 years. I'll keep you posted.

Visiting South Park With Stuart

This past Saturday afternoon my friend Stuart and I visited the town of Fairplay, located in South Park, a high valley in the mountains southwest of Denver.  This is also the setting for an edgy cartoon show I have never seen, which I am told has very high ratings. The highlight of the town is South Park City, an open air museum that features 35 original buildings from Colorado's mining era and recreates a mining town from the 1860 to 1900 period. I took the photograph on the left of Stuart posing in front of one of the buildings.  We did not go onto the museum grounds, however - they actually charge for admission here. The nerve.

Fairplay has a population of 679, and so it is not exactly one of Colorado's major mountain towns.  However, it does have a main street that we walked down to check out the late 19th century buildings, almost all of which were either restaurants, bars, or souvenir shops.  We also stopped at the Hand Hotel Bed and Breakfast to look around, where I took the photograph on the right of Stuart checking out the hotel's back porch, which has a nice view of a lake and the mountains beyond. Stuart seemed to like the town and asked the desk clerk about the rates and types of rooms available for a future visit.  I myself am not crazy about staying in a town of 679 people, no matter how nice the view.  In any case, I'll bet you can get a good rate here during the winter - it is the fifth-highest town in Colorado.

Checking Out The Rocky Mountain Vibes

My friend Mark - who works at the University of Denver's Anderson Academic Commons (the library) and seen in the photo on the right - and I drove down to Colorado Springs to check out the Rocky Mountain Vibes yesterday afternoon.  The Vibes are a Pioneer League team, which consists of recently signed baseball rookies.  They replace the Colorado Springs Sky Sox, a AAA team that moved to San Antonio due to low attendance and the refusal of Colorado Springs to build them a new stadium. The level of play is much lower (many more errors than the Sky Sox), but the prices are still the same.  That kind of bothered me for a bit, until I thought about it a little more.  The quality of play might be much worse, but I imagine the expenses of running the operation are still the same.  And if anything, there are even more minor league promotions going on every half inning than before.

As usual, it rained a bit during the game (always bring an umbrella when you go to that ballpark), but the rain eventually stopped and it actually turned out to be a nice evening.  The crowd was not as big as when the Sky Sox played there, but on the plus side, you could arrive just before the game began and park right next to the ticket office.  We were able to sit close to the field at half the price of an upper deck outfield seat at Coors Field in Denver, and there was no loud rap, heavy metal, or techno music blasting from the speakers like at that esteemed ballpark.  There were lots of families in the crowd, with lots of kids, as opposed to 20-something hipsters, which was nice, too. Best of all, they now have two mascots to entertain the crowd - a new one, Toasty, and the old Sky Sox mascot, Sox the Fox, if you happen to be into mascots (I am not, but the kids seem to like them). All in all, a very pleasant night.

Bastille Day!

Today is Bastille Day, July 14th, the day the French celebrate the French Revolution.  My sister and I visited Paris this past May, and saw several sights connected with the French Revolution, including where Marie Antoinette was held before she was executed.  We also walked around the outlines of where the Bastille Prison once stood as we made our way to Place de Vosges, spending a few minutes in that wonderful park before taking the night train to Florence. In any case, my sister's main complaint about Paris and Europe in general was the hoards of tourists everywhere.  Good thing we are not there today.  I have a sneaking suspicion that the crowds might even be a little worse, if that is possible.  And by the way, the Eiffel Tower, seen in the photograph on the left, was built for the 1889 World's Fair in Paris, which celebrated the 100th anniversary of the French Revolution.  And if you visit it, and you don't like thousands of people crowding around and pushing you every which way, I suggest you visit in February. Bring a coat.

Visiting The Farmer's Market With Wally

My friend Wally (the former Operations Manager of the University of Denver Bookstore) and I went to the Farmer's Market in Cherry Creek this morning to check out the produce they were selling.  Wally is a morning person, and so he picked me up at 7:30 A.M. sharp to drive over there. Our first stop - thank God - was a coffee stand, where we both got regular coffees and were then given samples of two different "nitro cold brews." I have never been fond of cold coffee, no matter how trendy it is. Wally (seen in the photograph on the left) tasted both samples and said it would taste good if only it were hot.  In other words, like the very coffee we were currently drinking.

Wally had a shopping list from his wife Linda, and was disappointed to find that there were not that many produce stands around.  He was able to find lettuce, tomatoes, and zucchinis, but no bell peppers or other things he was looking for.  Evidently the majority of crops in Colorado don't arrive until August.  Good to know.  In any case, there were booths there selling pastries, CBD oil, Colorado hats and tee-shirts, and even a xylophone booth.  Yes - a xylophone booth.  It reminded Wally of the time he was discussing the Lawrence Welk Show with our co-worker Doug, who thought the Lawrence Welk Show caused horrible harm to music in America.  The xylophone player would play a jaunty tune, and then come around front and start tap-dancing.  Doug just recoiled in horror at hearing this.  And come to think of it, a rerun of the Lawrence Welk Show is on tonight on PBS.  Maybe I should call Doug.

More Vacation Nostalgia

I ran across the above "classic" photograph of myself with a deer up at Lake Wisconsin, most likely taken in the mid to late 1950s.  My parents liked it so well, they had it enlarged and framed, although I can't remember seeing it hanging on a wall anywhere.  I actually have that framed photograph in one of the thousand or so boxes of similar ephemera stored in my closets.  One of these days - hopefully far in the distant future - I will go through them all. And yes, that is a Northwestern sweatshirt I am wearing, class of 19?? It was my father Nelson's Alma mater. Never happened, unfortunately.  Shoulda, coulda, woulda, as they say.

The July Mutt Of The Month

I ran across the July Mutt of the Month sitting patiently next to the tennis courts in Denver's Washington Park, waiting for it's owner to finish his or her tennis match and take it back home.  It was a very hot day, and I am happy to see that the owner left a water dish, so it would not get dehydrated in the heat.  Wash Park is the nicest park in Denver, and the homes surrounding it are very pricey, and so I imagine the dog in the photograph is probably a hipster, just like it's owner, living the good life without a care in the world.  On the other hand, as far as I can tell, every dog in Denver is living the good life, with Exhibit A being my sister's dogs Blackberry and Tutu . A dog's life, once considered the epitome of hardship, is now the epitome of luxury. Go figure.

Hanging Out With Stuart In Lakewood

I drove out to beautiful, exotic, but incredibly boring Lakewood, Colorado yesterday evening to have dinner and watch the baseball All-Star Game at Old Chicago with my friend Stuart (seen in the above photograph).  And why do I pick on Lakewood so much? The reason is because it is a typical suburb, and I have hated suburbs ever since spending 10 years of my life (my high school and college years) living with my parents in Country Club Hills, a southern suburb of Chicago with neither a country club, hills, or for that matter even trees.  Some suburbs, those that started out as small cities themselves and have an actual downtown, are fine - Golden and Littleton, suburbs to the west and south of Denver come to mind - but these are the exceptions to the rule.  Lakewood, like Country Club Hills, is a place where you have to get in the car and drive to go anywhere - they are not pedestrian friendly.  Stuart, on the other hand, likes the suburban way of life, and the quiet environment that comes with it, which is fine.  Lots of people do, but as befits "the king of the hipsters" (which my friends Bill and Renee call me), I like the city.  Of course, Bill and Renee live in Northglenn, still another typical Denver suburb, and so their version of a hipster might be a bit warped. And don't get me started on Northglenn.

The Cherry Creek Arts Festival - Part II

As I mentioned in yesterday's blog, I went to the Cherry Creek Arts Festival Sunday to check out what is new in the art world, and had a pretty nice time, despite the fact that it was sunny and hotter than hell.  My sister Susan also came down from Fort Collins to attend the show, and can be seen in the photograph on the left checking out one of the photography booths.  Most of the photography at the festival was very good, especially the black and white images, some of which were infrared, a type of film I wished I had used back when I was doing black and white photography.

There was a lot of other nice artwork on display, too, although I myself am not as enthused with the owl and fox paintings seen in the photograph on the right as my sister. The last time Susan attended this festival, by the way, was back in 2015, along with her husband George and myself. George started out with us, but couldn't walk too much due to heart trouble, and told us he would wait for us at the bar at John Elway's Steakhouse, located just across the street in the Cherry Creek Shopping Center.  After touring the event, we met George at the bar for a beer.  It was the first - and for that matter - the last time I was in the place.  It is, needless to say, pricey, and pricey makes me nervous.  I think we drove over to Kaos, the pizza restaurant/beer garden on Denver's South Pearl Street for dinner, instead of applying for a loan so we could dine at Elway's.  Always a sound decision as far as I am concerned.

The Cherry Creek Arts Festival

The Cherry Creek Arts Festival took place this past weekend here in Denver, and once again I attended to see what is new in the art world.  This festival is one of the top art shows in the country, and artists from all over the country compete to attend.  Most of the artwork is pretty expensive, especially large pieces like the ones in the photograph on the left.  And let's face it - you have to have just the right place to put some of these things.  I'm afraid that one of those sculptures might look a bit overwhelming in my condo, but it certainly would be a good conversation starter.

A lot of the artwork was just plain silly, such as the cartoon-like images in the photograph on the right. However, the smaller images were at least affordable. But are these examples of the best art in the country? There were some other booths that I thought had questionable artwork, too.  I made sure to check out all the photography booths, and was surprised to find that some  were displaying digital images of people with the head of foxes, or even robot-looking heads.  Would you really want to display that on your living room wall? Let's face it - the art world is very mysterious.

Rocky Mountain Jaguars

No - not the animals.  The automobiles.  My friend Mark is a car enthusiast, and belongs to the Rocky Mountain Jaguar Club (http://rockymountainjaguarclub.org/).  He does not actually own a Jaguar, and so when I saw the Jaguar XKE in the photo on the left parked in front of Reivers Bar and Grill on Old South Gaylord Street here in Denver, I took a photograph of it, suggesting he make an offer. It is a 1966 model, and I remember as a kid going with my parents to the auto show at McCormick Place in Chicago and admiring it.  All three of us were overwhelmed by the price, which was something like $6,000.  What kind of person could possibly afford to pay that for a car?

In any case, Mark sent me a photograph of a 1962 MK II Jaguar that I think is pretty nice, too.  The problem with these cars is that they have a reputation for being very unreliable.  It makes me think of the trolley ride I took up in Fort Collins on the 4th of July, where the mechanic was on board and was called on to fix the train mid-ride. I think that is what you have to do with Jaguars, too.  If you are taking the car out, be sure to pick up your mechanic to avoid getting stuck somewhere.  As for this 1962 model, I am sure Mark could pick it up for at most a few thousand, since new models were selling for $6,000 back in the day.  Cars depreciate, right?

Is There Such A Thing As Too Much Tim Dorsey? Definitely Not!

I just finished reading No Sunscreen For The Dead, Tim Dorsey's latest wacky Serge Storms novel. When I started the book, I thought I was at the point of overdosing on the series, but I was wrong. Very wrong. This time Serge, the serial killer with a heart of gold and a Florida trivia buff - along with his drug addled friend Coleman - decide to help senior citizens who have been taken by unscrupulous salesmen, and otherwise victimized.  At first the book seemed like all the others, but then it turned into a spy thriller.  An exciting spy thriller, and I really enjoyed reading it. Plus, I learned several interesting facts from this book.  For one thing, there are 120,000 residents in The Villages, a retirement community near Ocala, Florida, which I visited with my friends Anna Silvia and Joe a few years ago.  Also, there is actually an Amish community in Sarasota, Florida. Who would have thunk it?

And by the way - Dorsey's previous book, The Pope of Palm Beach, which I reviewed on this blog a few months ago - takes place around Florida's Treasure Coast, which is where my sister Susan and my condo is located.  I recently went through some photographs that my mother Mary (who lived in Stuart, Florida for almost 30 years) had collected, one of which was of my sister Susan on a boat heading up the Loxahatchee River to Trapper Nelson's cabin, which is featured prominently  in the Pope of Palm Beach. My mother  wanted to entertain us while we were down visiting her one August, and treated us to a cruise at Loxahatchee State Park, just a few miles south of Stuart.  It is well worth visiting if you happen to be in the area. You ride a pontoon boat up one of the last wild rivers in Florida, passing all kinds of wildlife along the way. And you don't even have to read the book to enjoy it.

A Fort Collins Kind Of Fourth!

I drove up to Fort Collins from Denver yesterday to celebrate the 4th of July with my sister Susan. We had planned on attending the big 4th of July celebration that was taking place at the Avery House (an historic home built in 1879 and owned by the Historical Society), but when we arrived discovered it had ended at 2:00 PM. What kind of 4th of July celebration ends at 2:00?  Obviously, a Fort Collins kind of one.  In any case, a series of historical posters, with photographs and text, were still on display, and so we did learn quite a bit about Fort Collin's history.  For one thing, the Northern Hotel, a fixture on College Avenue, was built in 1873.  For another, Old Main, the most historic building on the Colorado State University campus, was burned to the ground back in 1970 as a protest against the Vietnam War.  Pretty sad.

Fortunately, the Fort Collins trolley was still running.  The first time we tried to board, it filled up fast, and so we had to wait 30 minutes or so for the next run.  The trolley goes from downtown Fort Collins, right in front of the Avery House, to City Park and back, down Mountain Avenue, a beautiful parkway through one of Fort Collins oldest neighborhoods.  There was a technical problem along the way (the trolley is one of the town's original cars, dating back to 1919).  The problem had something to do with a compressor, but fortunately the mechanic for the operation was on board (always a good idea to take him along) and was able to get the thing running again.  There is also an even older car, built in 1909, that they are restoring, too.  I imagine that might take some time, but meanwhile everybody on the trolley seemed to have a fun time.  What a hoot!

Happy 4th Of July!

Happy 4th of July Everyone! In honor of this occasion, I am featuring a photograph of my mother Mary taken in Fort Collins in June of 2003.  She was up here from Stuart, Florida, visiting my sister Susan, brother-in-law George, and me, escaping the summer heat down there. Today marks 244 years since the Declaration of Independence, not really that remarkable an anniversary - not like the 200th one back in 1976.  That was the year my parents (Nelson and Mary) moved to Stuart from Chicago.  I myself had just rented a studio apartment in Forest Park, near the end of the "L" line, and took it that day to see the tall ships at Chicago's Navy Pier.  I am not sure where they came from, but they were indeed fun to see. Sadly, you don't see tall ships that much any more, especially here in Denver. Go figure.

The Zoo In Early Summer - Part II

As I mentioned in yesterday's blog post, I went to the Denver Zoo this past Saturday afternoon to take a few photographs, and actually wound up capturing a few of the more elusive animals, like the clouded leopard, seen in the photograph on the left.  I check the compound of this creature every time I visit the zoo, but never see him (or her, as the case might be).  Finally, this time I spotted it in the shadows, by the water bowl, which makes sense since it was sunny and in the 90s.  It did not seem happy about me taking his or her portrait, however.  I got the feeling it wanted to rip my face off, but maybe I am just overly sensitive.

The mandrill in the photograph on the right seems much more neutral about my presence. He was out for just a few minutes, checking out the scene, before going back in his den.  His mate has just had a baby, and she came outside, with the baby clinging to her, for like 5 seconds.  By the time I got my camera up to take a photograph, she was gone. The zoo web site suggests getting to the zoo first thing in the morning to get a photograph of them. Perhaps one of these days I will actually do that, and hopefully have a mandrill kind of morning.  Do they serve a complimentary breakfast there?

The Zoo In Early Summer

I went to the Denver Zoo this past Saturday afternoon to take a few photographs.  The temperature was in the 90s, and so many of the animals were resting in the shade to escape the heat.  Plus, the animal houses are air-conditioned, and so if the doors were open, many of the animals decided to head in there - these guys are not stupid.  However, the giraffes were all out in force, and I was happy to find one who wanted to pose for a photo, as seen on the left.

The Cape Buffalo, seen in the photograph on the right, also seemed willing to be photographed.  I have heard somewhere that the Cape Buffalo is one of the most dangerous of African animals, although I am not sure why.  They seem perfectly peaceful to me.  I would even suggest that adding Cape Buffalo rides at the zoo would boost attendance, but nobody listens to my ideas, and so why try? And an important fact - the American buffalo is not really a buffalo at all - it is a bison.  Be sure not to call them buffaloes if you happen to run into a herd of them - they will get testy.