The Final Rockies Game of the Season

My friend Mark and I (I am on the left in the photograph, and Mark is on the right) went to Coors Field yesterday to watch the final regular season game between the Colorado Rockies and the Milwaukee Brewers. The game meant nothing to the Rockies, who were eliminated from the playoffs weeks ago, but for the Brewers, the results of this game and the one between the Chicago Cubs (just recently eliminated from the playoffs) and the St. Louis Cardinals would determine whether the Cardinals or the Brewers would win the division, and which team would wind up in a one game winner-take-all wildcard match-up.  The Cardinals beat the Cubs 9 to 0, winning the division, and Mark and I watched as the Rockies beat the Brewers, now facing that one game wildcard contest, in 13 innings (and yes, we definitely got our money's worth yesterday).

After the game, the Rockies players walked around the field to thank the fans for their support and to throw souvenirs (swag, as they call it these days) to them as they walked past the stands.  Charlie Blackmon, one the Rockies star players, was front and center in this parade, as seen in the photograph on the right. And as far as I can remember, he has always participated in this traditional ceremony.  But I have to say, I did not see some of the other major stars on this team participating.  It seems to me that when many baseball players become superstars, they no longer feel the need to actually take part in these ceremonies, not wanting to have to lower themselves to mix with the fans.  A very sad thing indeed.

However, I was very glad to see that Kyle Freeland, a Denver native who was a sensation as a rookie pitcher, but has recently struggled, was once again greeting fans, and that rising star Raimel Tapia, seen in the photograph on the left, was also making the rounds, waving to the fans. And so, the regular baseball season ends.  The Colorado Rockies finished in 4th place, 20 games under .500 (.500 is considered average in baseball), and were 5 and 5 the last 10 games of the season, a major disappointment after making the playoffs the past two years.  The Chicago Cubs (Chicago's north side team), expected to make the playoffs once again this season, finished in 3rd place, 6 games over .500, but were 2 and 8 the last 10 games of the season, and yesterday fired manager Joe Maddon, a very talented baseball guy who wound up being the scapegoat for their disappointing season.  And my south side Chicago heros, the Chicago White Sox, also finished in 3rd place.  Although they were 17 games under .500, they lost only 89 games this season, as opposed to 100 last year, and were 7 and 3 their final 10 games.  All signs seem to imply that next season the Sox will be back in the thick of things.  And yes - I am talking the World Series in 2020.  Be there or be square.

Kaos With Stuart

My friend Stuart (seen in the above photo) and I took a few laps around Denver's Washington Park this afternoon, and then headed over to nearby Kaos for pizza and beers.  Kaos is my favorite beer garden / pizza parlor, and it was a perfect early fall evening for outdoor dining.  This is a kid and dog friendly restaurant housed in an old Victorian, but almost everyone prefers to sit outside and enjoy the neighborhood ambiance. It has been awhile since I have last been here, and was pleased to find that happy hour here has been extended to 6:00 P.M. on the weekends, which means unlimited $3.00 Odell's Rupture pints.  And why is this beer called rupture?  I'm afraid to ask.

The Untitled Final Friday For September

Yesterday was the Denver Art Museum's Untitled Final Friday Event for the month of September, and looking at the brochure that was handed out when I arrived, was quite prepared to make a quick exit.  This month's program was being hosted by MO SPKX, Randy Runyon, and DJ Icewater.  But when the opening performance took place (in the freight elevator, no less, as seen in the photograph on the left), MO SPKX's opening poem was reasonable, the music was not obnoxious, and the various events that I attended were very entertaining.  How sad that I was not able to further my curmudgeon image over this month's festivities.

The highlight of the evening was a tour of the British Treasures exhibit given by Buntport Theater regulars Joan and Charlie (portraying the figures in that famous Denver Art Museum painting) and fellow comedian Evan Weissman. Announcing their arrival on the scene was trumpeter Randy Runyan, as seen in the photo on the right, funky hat and all.  And not to put too fine a point on it, this exhibit, Treasures of British Art: The Berger Collection, has been on exhibit for roughly 400 years now (I am probably exaggerating, but not by much). Considering that the entire north building is closed for renovations, and two major galleries in the Hamilton Building are closed while new exhibits are being installed, there is not much of interest at the museum these days beyond those comedy routines. And to add insult to injury, in addition to the elimination of the free buffet table, this month's food truck was a no-show, too.

The final event I attended was a musical performance by Annastezhaa - really! - who sang and played the harp, no less.  The harp, like the accordion, is not one of your more popular instruments these days, and so it is nice that there are people around to keep those musical traditions alive.  Annastezhaa was very good, although her first number lasted roughly 4 hours.  Once it did end, I sneaked out as she began to talk about her second number.  I did want to get home before 2:00 A.M., after all, when the bars close and all hell breaks out in downtown Denver on the weekends.  Not that I am there at that hour, but I still read the papers, while they are still here.

More Florida Memories

I got a call from the tenants of my sister Susan and my condo in Stuart, Florida the other day, telling me that the air conditioning had gone on the fritz.  Not a surprise, since this time of year the A/C is on 24/7.  A quick call to the air conditioning people fixed the problem, but getting a call from our tenants reminds me that I really miss not being able to head down there any time I want.  That's the price you pay if you don't want to have the expense of two homes, I guess. And by the way, I took the photo on the left of my mother Mary, sister Susan, and father Nelson (an eccentric looking bunch, at least in this photo) back in 1977, the year after my parents moved to that condo in Stuart from Chicago.  Susan and I were visiting during that summer, as I recall, and this photo was taken on a day when we decided to explore the beach on Jupiter Island, just a short drive south of Stuart.  It was a whole new world for us, all having grown up and lived in Chicago all our lives, and it was a truly wonderful time.

My father passed away in 1983, a mere 7 years after he and my mother moved to Stuart, but he really loved the place, and I am glad he had at least that much time to enjoy his retirement. My mother also loved Stuart, made a lot of friends down there, and continued to live there for almost 30 years, until she moved up here to live with me in Denver.  We were still able to fly down to Stuart twice a year or so to visit, and so my mother was able to enjoy both her home down in Stuart and also spend time with Susan and myself up here in Colorado.  The photograph on the right is of my mother on the patio of the Island Reef, a favorite lunch spot on the ocean for us whenever I would visit.

Eventually I hope to live down in Stuart for 5 months a year and rent the place out during the season (January through March), when you can charge twice the amount of rent each month, even though the temperatures then are cool (often downright cold) and the days short, which effectively takes all the fun out of dining by the water. The photograph on the left is of an egret that used to hang out on the St. Lucie River, just a short walk from our condo, with Stewie Anderson's sailboat in the background.  This boat was the lone occupant of the complex's yacht club, since the City of Stuart would not allow them to dredge.  And considering what a lovely and peaceful spot this is, I am damn glad, too.

The Death Collectors

I have just finished reading The Death Collectors, J.A. (aka Jack) Kerley's second mystery novel.  I thought I had ordered - via the internet - his most recent book, The Death File, but wound up getting this book instead.  Since it cost too little to return, I decided to go ahead and read it anyway, and found that it was quite good.  It features Mobile, Alabama police detective Carson Ryder (whose brother is a serial killer and locked away in a mental institution) and his partner Harry Nautilus as they try to solve a series of killings revolving around the artwork of a long dead Charles Manson-like serial killer and his former followers.  I had jury duty this week (and was not picked for a trial, thank God), and this story made the time pass very quickly.  It makes me want to read the rest of the series, too.  As I mentioned in a previous blog, Kerley eventually has his hero, Carson Ryder, take a job as a major crimes investigator in Miami, changing the location of the series, which is when I started reading these stories.  Surprisingly, The Death File, his latest book, which I recently ordered online for $10.45 (postage included), was only printed in book form in the UK, where my copy is coming from.  What is the deal with that?  And how come it is so cheap to mail books to the US from there, as the few remaining independent college bookstores in this country want to know?  In any case, I strongly recommend this series, but also have to warn that it is not for the squeamish, as I assume life in the UK isn't these days, either.

The September Mutt Of The Month

This month's Mutt of the Month is a true sport, as can be seen in the photograph above as it poses for the camera in the back of a red sports car.  I took this photograph in Old Town Fort Collins, just south of Old Town Square, where the Fort Collins hipsters - those that exist, anyway - hang out.  I do have to wonder if this dog broke through the plastic back window in order to get a little fresh air and a better view. If so, hopefully the owner has a garage and can get there fast if it starts to rain.  I am sure it will be very fixable and very inexpensive. How much could a simple repair like that cost, after all?  Just another expense to having a dog.

Doors Open Denver 2019

This past Saturday afternoon I visited a number of sites participating in this year's Doors Open Denver, a weekend event when many homes and other buildings of architectural interest are opened for public view.  At one time, all of these sites were free of charge, but for the past two years, the majority of the buildings are open only for guided tours, at a cost of $12 each. Staying true to my cheapskate roots, I decided to visit only the free sites, and concentrated on visiting old Denver mansions, just in case I ever buy one and need decorating ideas, I started with the Fitzroy Mansion, located just down the street from my condo.  It is built of red stone, constructed in 1893, and is now a school.  It is definitely impressive, although given that it was converted into a school,  the 1890s ambiance has been diminished.  Next, I visited the Cass Mansion, located in Denver's Capitol Hill neighborhood, where the wealthy lived in the late 1800s.  This place (seen in the photo on the left) was truly impressive. It houses offices for two companies, but is still furnished in period style, including both a formal living and dining room.

The Cass Mansion, by the way, was the home from 1975 to 1990 of Ann B. Davis, who starred as "Schultzy" in Love That Bob, the old Bob Cummings 1950s TV Show, and as housekeeper Ann Nelson in the Brady Bunch television series.  After the Brady Bunch ended, Nelson started working with the Episcopal Church and William Frey, bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Colorado.  Next I visited the Capitol Hill Mansion, a bed and breakfast in the same area, seen in the photograph on the right.  According to it's brochure, it has won many awards and features 8 unique guestrooms. It was built in 1891, and I must say the living room and dining room were both very nice, although a chair was placed at the landing of the stairway, and visitors were not allowed to see any of those guestrooms.  What are they hiding?

Pennsylvania Street, where that bed and breakfast is located, has many old mansions located on it, including the home of the unsinkable Molly Brown, although that particular house is now a museum, and you have to pay the standard entrance fee to see it, which I have already done several times. However, there are many other fascinating places I would have liked to tour on this street, too, such as the mansion in the photograph on the left. You would think that since this was Doors Open Denver Weekend, all the neighbors in the area, in a spirit of bonhomie, would indeed open their doors, too, and give passersby a tour of their mansions - but this did not happen.  I suppose I could have knocked on a few doors to see if I could have a look around, but since I had other things to do later in the day, decided to avoid activities that might lead to an arrest.  Perhaps next year.

The First Day Of Fall...

Today is the first full day of fall, and yesterday, to take full advantage of the last day of summer, I drove up to the mountains to see if the fall colors have finally arrived.  And indeed they have, especially up on Boreas Pass, located above Breckenridge, an authentic Colorado mining town, restored to show what mining towns in the 1800s looked like if they had been populated by wealthy hipsters.  Of course, just a short drive away is the town of Leadville, Colorado, which still has the ambiance of a mining town from that era - by which I mean depressing as hell.  I much prefer the view through rose colored glasses, at least if I have to spend time in the place.

And let me tell you, it was not like being out there in the wilderness by yourself, communing with nature. Boreas Pass, a very narrow dirt road, was filled with cars, everyone wanting to see the fall colors on what was a perfect Colorado late summer afternoon.  It has been so dry around here lately that each car that passed stirred up a large cloud of dust, and before you could take a photograph, you had wait for that dust to settle, and hope that another car didn't come along before you could snap the shutter.  And I am not even going to suggest that all these interlopers are recent California transplants.  Even though it is true.

After I got done cruising Boreas Pass, I headed back down to Breckenridge, and just for the hell of it decided to drive up to the Breckenridge Nordic Center, a cross-country ski area that is reputed to have a herd of moose right behind it.  A year ago or so I walked around this complex in my quest for the elusive moose, but found nothing.  And this time? Nothing again.  Face it, people, moose are no more real than unicorns or UFOs, at least in Colorado and Wyoming.  It is just a ploy by the tourist bureau to get more tourists to spend their money here.  It is the same strategy that Scotland uses to attract people looking for the Loch Ness Monster. Fake Moose! How do they get away with it?

Watching The White Sox - Tigers Game With Mark

I invited my friend Mark over to my condo last night to watch the Chicago White Sox - Detroit Tigers baseball game on MLB.TV.  As I have mentioned before, due to the invention of "dynamic pricing" for sports events, it is now cheaper to buy a year's subscription to MLB.TV and watch every Chicago White Sox game (and if really desperate, a Chicago Cubs game) this season than to buy a ticket for the worst seat in the house and attend the Colorado Rockies home opener.  As far as I am concerned, the choice is a no brainer. The Rockies are rewarding what they call "the greatest fans in baseball" by trying to bleed them dry. In any case, Mark is a Detroit Tigers fan (his father is from Michigan), and since I grew up on the south side of Chicago, I am of course a die hard White Sox fan.  Happily (for me at least), the White Sox won the game, and for that matter, Friday night's contest, too, by a score of 10-1. And by the way, I took the above photograph of Mark, who works at the University of Denver's Anderson Academic Commons (the library) standing on the balcony of my condo, with DU's Ritchie Center in the background.  And please don't get me started about DU, my former employer - let's just stick to baseball.

Denver's Newest Historic District - Plus, It Comes With A Brew Pub!

I went on an almost 4 hour bike ride this past Wednesday afternoon, and just to change things up a bit, headed east from Denver's Sloan Lake to check out the various and uncharted (to me, at least) neighborhoods in that direction.  I wound up on River Drive, which turns out to be Denver's newest historic district.  It consists of 17 houses built between 1885 and 1906 in what was then the town of Highlands, and which sits on a bluff overlooking the Platte River and the City of Denver.  It is indeed a beautiful street, in what is now one of the hottest neighborhoods in the city, and so I think it is a very good thing that the city voted to protect it, although one homeowner opposed the designation, saying it took away his property rights. There always seems to be one of these guys in the crowd, right?

Not only does this new district have 17 homes, it also has the Briar Common Brewery right on the corner, with what looks like a fabulous rooftop patio. This building was the grocery store for the area for most of the last century, and was turned into a brew pub in 2016.  It was named the best brewpub in the city by Westword magazine in 2018, and has a very high rating in the Zagat guide. Oh Oh - that probably means it is very pricey, which as all of you regular blog readers know, always sets alarms bells off for me. Nevertheless, be sure to check out their website at https://www.briarcommon.com/. Next month they will be celebrating their third anniversary, with tattoo artists on hand to memorialize the event with permanent souvenirs.  Really? Seriously? Can't they just let you have a beer and be done with it? Obviously no.

Hanging Out At The Zoo

As I mentioned in yesterday's blog, I went to the Denver Zoo Wednesday afternoon to record the first outdoor appearance of the zoo's new lion cub, and after 45 minutes of fighting the crowds to get a halfway decent photograph, decided to walk around the grounds to see if there might be any other photo opportunities.  The lions and many other animals were lurking either in the shade, out of public view, or inside their quarters in air-conditioned luxury - so much for the ability to survive in the wild.  However, the orangutans were outside and enjoying the nice weather where they feel most comfortable - up in the trees - including the baby orangutan seen in the photo on the left.

On the other side of the zoo, the white gibbon was staying in the shade, trying to avoid the upper 80s heat.  Since these creatures are native to Africa, I would think that the low humidity and lower temperatures of Denver would be a Godsend to these creatures, but after a lifetime of living in air-conditioned buildings, they seem to have become spoiled.  The white gibbon in the photograph on the right was sitting in the shade at the entrance to it's shelter, but did manage to work itself up to a little bit of gymnastics, climbing on ropes over a pond to an island paradise populated only by monkeys.  Fortunately, this particular monkey was very willing to pose for a portrait.  Of course, he does not look happy about it, but on the other hand, not my problem.

Baby Lion's First Day Outdoors!

I saw on the local news that the newborn baby lion would be making it's first public appearance between 10:30 A.M. and 1:00 in the afternoon yesterday at the Denver Zoo, and made sure I was there to record the event.  It is not an easy thing to take photographs of these newborn creatures, considering that 20,000 people have the same idea and wind up in front of you when you get there.  But nonetheless, I was able to get some photos of this baby, seen in the photograph on the left trying to figure out what that large cylindrical object was in front of it.  No doubt from some giant's soccer match.

This baby lion is still entirely dependent on it's mother, and evidence of that can be seen in the photograph on the right. This little baby has no conception of what she or he is seeing, and it is fun to see it trying to figure out what all these new things are.  It is so sad that we all can't keep that same sense of wonder as we grow older.  I think it would help us all to be much happier.  Although as columnist and author Dave Barry has famously said, beer is much faster.

The Hundredth Man

I have just finished reading The Hundredth Man, the first Carson Ryder detective novel by J.A. Kerley. I started reading this series after picking up an advanced reading copy (an ARC) of one of his books at the Tattered Cover Bookstore, where I used to work as the bookkeeper, until retiring. That particular book was about a Mobile, Alabama police detective who is hired to head a special crimes unit in Miami, and the story was actually pretty good.  I have read subsequent books in the series, and recently thought I was ordering Kerley's latest, The Death File, but was wrong - dead wrong, as they say in these type of stories.  It turns out I actually ordered The Death Collectors (and I am sure you can understand my confusion), his second book in the series. Using the weird logic that is embedded in my brain, I decided to also order Kerley's first book, The Hundredth Man, and read that one before starting The Death File.  And I must say, The Hundredth Man was a pretty good story, although a bit gruesome. It follows Mobile police detective Carson Ryder and fellow detective Harry Nautilus as they try to find a serial killer who is decapitating victims, leaving the body but not the head behind.  This series is not for the squeamish, but as I have said, a good read nonetheless.

A Meow Wolf Update

I went biking this past Wednesday afternoon, and passed by the site where Meow Wolf, an interactive art museum based in Santa Fe, New Mexico is constructing an additional location. It is being built in a very strange location, a triangular piece of ground surrounded by Colfax Avenue, Interstate 25, and Auraria Parkway.  It is also situated along the Platte River, just a stones throw away from Denver's Mile High Stadium, as seen in the photograph on the left. The exhibits for the museum are being installed in the building as construction proceeds, and the architect for the project, Kristen Fox, is quoted as saying "You are entering into the Quantum Department of Transportation. They have figured out a way to connect universes and allow travel between them." Good to know craziness still reigns supreme, at least in this universe.

As I mentioned above, the Meow Wolf site is right across from Denver's Empower Field at Mile High (the company just bought the naming rights), and it's site borders the pedestrian and bicycle bridge that funnels Denver Broncos fans from the light rail train to the stadium, as seen in the photograph on the right.  Does Meow Wolf intend to siphon off Broncos fans on Sunday afternoons as they are on their way to the game, tempted to travel to a different universe where the Broncos actually win football games?  Considering how the team did last year and how this season is starting, I would say that is a solid business plan.  Unfortunately, Meow Wolf won't open here in Denver until 2021, and so Broncos fans will have to suffer another year and a half of misery before their quantum journey.

The Sloan's Lake Fall Bazaar

Yesterday I headed over to the Sloan's Lake Fall Bazaar to see what this festival was all about.  I only found out about this happening Sunday morning while surfing the web to see what events were taking place in Denver this past weekend.  I must say I am very taken with the Sloan's Lake neighborhood. To the north, it borders the Highlands, one of Denver's most popular addresses, and to the south and east, once a traditionally Hispanic neighborhood, it is rapidly being redeveloped into another haven for the wealthy and hip.  In any case, this festival was kind of a hybrid  - it featured booths selling a wide variety of products ranging from clothing to CBD oils, but also had a beer festival element added to it.  A fair number of micro-breweries had booths at the festival, and you could buy a glass for $15 and then buy beer tokens for $3.00 each, or else buy a small cup for $3.00 and get just a small sample from each booth for that same $3.00 token.  Of course, the great majority of the crowd were 20 somethings, and all seemed to be holding $15.00 glasses.  Honest to God, where the hell do they get all their money?

The festival was held just to the south of Sloan's Lake, and seemed to be sponsored by a restaurant and bar called Tap and Burger Sloan's Lake. The street where the festival was held is located between two recent additions to the neighborhood, a high rise condominium called The Lake House seen on the left side of the photograph on the right, and a new project just being built.  As you can imagine, parking was at a premium in this area, and so I parked a few blocks away, in front of houses that displayed signs in the front yard protesting the building of high rises in the area.  I am sorry to say that that particular battle is already lost.

Walking through the Sloan's Lake Fall Bazaar, packed to the gills with Gen Xers and Millennials, I kind of felt out of place.  I really don't understand these younger generations, at least the hipster variety (and NO, I am not an old fogey), and after wandering past the booths for a bit, I headed over to Sloan's Lake (the actual lake, not the neighborhood), and made a lap around it's perimeter. There I encountered parents with small children, senior citizens like me, and even lots of young people (no doubt rebelling against their hipster contemporaries) doing the same thing.  A note of hope in these trying times.

A Mooseless Saturday In The Colorado Mountains

My friend Stuart and I drove from Fort Collins up Poudre Canyon to Walden, Colorado yesterday afternoon to experience the fall colors and to find moose to photograph.  Sadly, we struck out on both counts.  The only moose we saw was the statue in front of the Moose Visitor Center, seen along with Stuart in the photograph on the left.  I must say, I have been traveling through both Colorado and Wyoming a lot this past month, and have yet to see a single moose.  I will say that both states have a massive amount of cattle, but photographing them does not have the same pizzazz.

As soon as we reached Walden, the only incorporated town in the entire county, we headed straight to The 10th Frame, a combination restaurant, bar, and bowling alley that Stuart has dined in before and has highly recommended. The special was quesadilla burgers, which we both ordered and which were indeed excellent.  It was a small town hangout, and everyone there seemed to be locals.  Stuart tells me that this town is very popular with hunters, but hunting season is still a few weeks off, and so the crowd was sparse.  After dinner, we headed outside, admired the view from the front of the restaurant, as seen in the photograph on the right, and then headed back to Denver, south through the Arapaho National Wildlife Refuge.  No moose there, either.  Damn.  I suspect I will see a unicorn before I ever see a moose in either Colorado or Wyoming.

Circle Bay Nostalgia

I took the above photograph of my father, Nelson Hoyt, back in the late 1970s as we walked through Circle Bay, the condo community just next door to my parents's condo in Stuart, Florida.  Circle Bay is located on the south fork of the St. Lucie River, and all units come with a boat dock.  How cool is that?  It definitely speaks to my inner Travis McGee (younger readers will have to Google this reference, of course). On the other hand, Monterey, my parent's complex, caters to golfers, and all but two of the buildings border a par 3 golf course that my father and my Uncle Bill just loved to play together, just like they used to do during summer vacations up in Canada.  Of course, the other two buildings at Monterey are on the river side, and back then housed a rebellious bunch, which strange as it seems included my parents.  This was the last place we were all together as a family, and therefore has a special place in my heart.  My sister Susan and I still own the condo, but have to rent it out to be able to afford to keep it, which we both feel is important to do. Someday we hope to rent the place out just for the season (January thru March), and then spend a lot of time down there with our fellow rebels.  They are still rebels over on the riverside, aren't they?

Catching An Afternoon Rockies Game With Mark

My friend Mark and I took a packed light rail train down to Coors Field yesterday afternoon to watch the Colorado Rockies play the St. Louis Cardinals.  It was a beautiful day in Denver, very fall-like, but after the Rockies won the first two games against the Cards, each by a score of 2 to 1, both Mark and I had a feeling this was going to be the Cardinals day.  And we were right - the Cardinals won 10 to 3. The Rockies used nine pitchers and took 4 hours to lose that contest. The strangest part of the game was when the action was stopped in the middle of an at-bat and both teams went to their dugouts for about 20 minutes.  There was no explanation whatsoever, and eventually the game resumed. What was that all about? Time for a power nap? A union mandated tea break?  No - wait.  That would be UK cricket. Just another one of the mysteries of baseball, I guess.   And by the way, with yesterday's loss, the Colorado Rockies are officially eliminated from playoff contention.  Wait until next year, guys!

Leaving Cheyenne

My sister Susan and I, along with her two dogs - Tutu and Blackberry - drove up to Cheyenne, Wyoming from Fort Collins Monday afternoon.  Cheyenne is only  47 miles away, and so it was a fairly quick trip.  We parked downtown and walked across the street to Cheyenne's famous train depot, seen in the photograph on the left.  There is a very pleasant plaza in front of the station, where a tourist trolley and a horse drawn carriage were picking up tourists for a tour of the city.  Unfortunately, Susan's dog Blackberry was so enthusiastic and running so fast after being cooped up in the car that she tripped and appeared to have sprained her front leg.  She was having a hard time walking, and so I carried her back to the car and we finished our visit by driving around the city, and then heading back to Fort Collins earlier than expected.  Later that evening, thankfully, Blackberry seemed much better and was able to go out on her nightly walk (or smelling expedition, to be more accurate).

In any case, I did a bit of research before we headed up there, and learned that Cheyenne was founded in 1867 during the construction of the transcontinental railroad, which was completed on May 10, 1869, when the final spike was driven at Promontory Summit, Utah.  But in fact, the truth is that passengers were still not able to go coast to coast on a train nonstop. They had to disembark at Council Bluffs, Iowa, and take a ferry across to Omaha, where they re-boarded the train.  Plus, at that time, the train line stopped at Sacramento, where passengers had to board still another boat to Oakland.  The City of Denver was freaked out that the transcontinental railroad had bypassed the city, and raised money to build a track from Denver to Cheyenne.  At the same time, another railroad company extended its tracks from Kansas City to Strasburg, Colorado, where existing track allowed trains to connect with Denver and Cheyenne.  And therefore, just a year after the spike was driven in Utah, trains could go from New York through Denver and Cheyenne, and then west to Oakland, without passengers having to disembark.  This was the first true transcontinental railroad line.  But do Strasburg and Colorado get the credit?  Hell no.  Fake history rules!

Dining Al Fresco On Larimer Square

This past Saturday afternoon was such a beautiful day, I decided to go biking when I got home from the Stanley Arts Festival (discussed on a previous blog), and passed through Denver's Cherry Creek neighborhood, the 16th Street Mall, Lower Downtown, and the River North neighborhood.  On the way home, I also went through Larimer Square, an historic district with some of Denver's oldest buildings, and was surprised to see the street closed off for "Dining Al Fresco."  And what most surprised me was the large crowd.  I checked the event out on the internet when I got home, and evidently this festival takes place once a month during the summer, and is sponsored by ten restaurants located on Larimer Square.  All of these restaurants are quite pricey, which is probably why this event has never been on my radar.  The only place I could actually afford on this street is The Market, which has been on Larimer Square since I arrived here 38 years ago and whose blue awning can be seen in the middle of the above photograph.  I suppose I could have ordered a sandwich to go, grabbed a seat outside, and then placed a drink order (the bars were outside on the street), but unfortunately I am also too cheap to pay bail money, and so I simply biked on home.

Festival Italiano

This past Sunday afternoon I went to the 15th annual Festival Italiano at Belmar, a recent (relatively speaking) pedestrian and transit oriented community in Lakewood, Colorado - a suburb just west of Denver.  This is the first time I have ever attended this festival.  I am not exactly sure how I missed the first 14 festivals.  Probably just distracted by other things. In any case, I was surprised to find that this was a huge event, many blocks long, and the crowds were massive.  And as usual, the main focus was on the food booths, all featuring Italian food, of course - no turkey leg booths in sight.  The line in front of Mambo Italiano (the Italian beef sandwich booth, not the famous Rosemary Clooney song) had to be at least half a block long, everyone desperate to fork over $11 for one of those tasty delicacies.  Not me, of course, cheapskate that I am.

And why is there a Festival Italiano at Belmar every year?  This area is now considered to be "downtown Lakewood," and I must say it is a very pleasant place to stroll and people-watch.  Lots of restaurants and bars and interesting shops, as well as plenty of new apartments and condos on the perimeter.  But why an Italian festival?  It might be because this site is the former location of Villa Italia, one of the largest shopping malls in the world, which suffered the fate of many shopping malls and was bull-dozed to make room for this complex.  And one final word - in addition to food booths, there were booths promoting an Italian business organization, booths giving Italian language lessons, and even mimes on the streets, as seen in the photo on the right.  I really enjoyed visiting this festival, and am sorry I missed the first 14.  My bad, as the hipsters say.

The First Day Of Classes At The University Of Denver

Today is the first day of classes at The University of Denver. I worked there for 28 years as Finance Manager for the University of Denver Bookstore, until the administration outsourced the store to Follett Higher Education Group in 2012.  Unlike other universities - to DU 's shame - alternate employment at the school was not offered to bookstore employees, and so after a guarantee of one year's work with Follett, I was laid off.  In any case, today was the busiest sales day of the year for the store, and every employee there worked hard to make sure things went as smoothly as possible (i.e.- all the textbooks on the shelves, enough staff to answer everyone's questions, enough cashiers to get students through the lines quickly, etc. etc.). And yet the university outsourced us to a company that cares nothing about any of that, all in order to get a guaranteed income for 7 years and be able to tell the Board of Trustees that 28 positions had been eliminated and personal costs reduced.  Is this a typical thing now?  Do all organizations only focus on the short-term and ignore the long term view?  Sadly, for the most part, I think the answer is yes.  And by the way, the above photograph was the title page for The Book on the DU Bookstore, a "Blurb Book" I made for a photography class.  Amazingly enough, it is still out there for all to see.  Feel free to check it out at https://www.blurb.com/b/1230340-the-book-on-the-du-bookstore.

The Stanley Arts Festival

This weekend the Stanley Arts Festival is taking place at Stanley Marketplace, a "community focused marketplace" of over 50 Colorado businesses located in the former Stanley Aviation building in Aurora, Colorado. This retail center began when a number of area residents wanted to start a beer hall (perfectly logical to me), and the project mushroomed into a very popular dining and shopping hangout bordering the Stapleton neighborhood, which was developed on the site of Denver's old Stapleton Airport. The festival takes place outside the building along a path facing a greenbelt, in an event space that used to be an airplane hanger, and also in a section of the parking lot.  I attended the event yesterday afternoon, and was very impressed with the artwork.  This festival is sponsored by the same organization that puts on the Cherry Creek Arts Festival, one of the most prestigious in the country, and so it is not a surprise that the quality of the art is so high.

When I attended the festival yesterday - in addition to the art - there were a number of musical groups and other events, such as the one seen in the photograph on the right put on by the Colorado Asian Cultural Heritage Center. This festival features 90 national juried artists, smaller than the Cherry Creek Arts Festival, but the perfect size for taking a second look at everything. Happily, there is lot of photography on display, and very good photography at that.

I think one of the highlights of the festival for me was the work of National Geographic Creative Photographer Greg Davis, seen talking with potential customers in the photograph on the left. His photographs, mostly portraits, are from all over the world.  The photographs from India are especially stunning.  The Stanley Arts Festival  runs through today, so be sure to check out his booth in the hanger at Stanley if you can attend, or otherwise check out his web site at https://gregdavisphotography.com/.

The First Friday Of September

Yesterday was the first Friday of September, and as usual, I headed over to Santa Fe Drive here in Denver for the monthly art walk.  I arrived there and stayed later than I usually do, which is probably the reason the galleries seemed so much more crowded.  I was happy to see that there were fewer empty storefronts than earlier in the year.  The large space that was once John Fielder's Photography Gallery is now populated by a variety of artists showing off their works, and the inside actually looks pretty nice, despite being a bit spartan, as seen in the photo on the left.

The Denver Art Society Gallery, which also features large numbers of artists displaying their work, was so crowded I could hardly move around in there. In addition to the artwork, there was also a musical group, seen in the photograph on the right.  I am not sure why the crowd was so large.  Were they there for the art or the music? Surely they couldn't all be relatives? To be frank, much of the art was not that good, and neither was the music, for that matter. Perhaps, I thought, they were they giving away free beer.  I looked around with high hopes, but was sadly disappointed, and so left for a less crowded venue.

Which I did not find at Metamorphosis, which was featuring the work of Matt Worldly, and also packed to the rafters.  As I said before, much of the work in the galleries on Santa Fe Drive is not all that good, and much of it is just plain weird. Of course, that is just my opinion.  Perhaps others look at artwork such as in the photograph on the left and find it brilliant.  If so, for God's sake please tell me why.

The New Iberia Blues

I just finished reading The New Iberia Blues, the latest Dave Robicheaux novel by James Lee Burke.  It came out this past January, and is the last advanced reading copy (ARC) that I picked up at the Tattered Cover Bookstore before I retired from there as the bookkeeper.  And I must say, it is a very good and exciting read.  Once again, it features New Iberia, Louisiana police detective Dave Robicheaux and his private detective pal Clete Purcel, this time trying to track down a serial killer who is somehow connected to a movie production company that is filming in the area.  Once again, it comes down to an exciting life and death finale that makes you not want to put the book down until you finish it.  And Burke is not just your average mystery writer, either.  These books are very well written.  In fact, the Denver Post calls James Lee Burke "America's Best Novelist." I heartily recommend The New Iberia Blues.  Go out and get a copy right now from either your local bookstore or public library.  Right Now!

Wandering Through Wyoming

My sister Susan and I spend Labor Day driving through southern Wyoming.  Our goal was to visit both Saratoga, about which I have heard a lot a positive things, and Laramie, home of the University of Wyoming.  We drove from Susan's townhouse in Fort Collins, Colorado, to Laramie and then headed west through the Medicine Bow National Forest to Saratoga.  This drive was very scenic, and perhaps the highlight of the trip, but I have to say that I was pretty disappointed in Saratoga.  Writer C.J. Box centered one of his Joe Pickett mystery novels (The Disappeared) there, and other people I have talked to have sang Saratoga's praises. Granted, it was Labor Day, and a lot of stores were closed, but still, the place seemed pretty dead, and was much smaller than I thought.  The most historic building in town is the Hotel Wolf, in operation since 1893. I walked inside, and found the place pretty damn cramped.  I am sure it was considered a top drawer place in the 19th century, especially since this was after all the American frontier, but these days, I would go with Motel 6.

After walking around Saratoga's downtown with Susan and her two dogs - Blackberry and Tutu - we got back in the car and drove out to take a look at Bird Cloud, the summer home of Annie Proulx.  This is the home she built with the money she earned after winning the Pulitzer Prize for her book The Shipping News, and although she originally planned this to be her permanent home, she decided - after a winter or two in Wyoming - to make it just her summer home. I got the directions to Bird Cloud off the internet, but still was not sure where the entrance to the place was.  I stopped at the entrance to a ranch that looked very similar to a photo I had seen on the internet, and at least knew I was in the right neighborhood.  My sister and I both agreed that this was a hell of a place to build a home.  Of course, artists and writers are all eccentrics, and so I guess my attitude is "whatever floats your boat." Feel free to use that quote if you like.

As I mentioned, we drove from Laramie to Saratoga through Medicine Bow National Forest, climbing through the Snowy Range Mountains, and the scenery was spectacular.  Driving back to Laramie, however, I elected to take Interstate 80 to save a little time.  This took us across treeless - and endless - ranch land. As far as I can tell, Wyoming is filthy with cattle and windmills, but with not a single moose in sight.  When we got to Laramie, we drove through the 19th century era downtown and then parked and walked through the University of Wyoming campus, which is absolutely beautiful. Susan struck up a conversation with a woman who stopped to admire her two dogs, and discovered that she was a retired University of Wyoming English professor named Sandy, who still loves to walk through the campus (seen in the photo on the left) and enjoy it's atmosphere.  Susan and Sandy hit it off so well that she invited the two of us to come back any time and visit with her and her husband Ed.  Which speaks volumes about Laramie being one of those places that you don't think still exists in America.  After our visit to the campus, we headed back to Fort Collins.  It took me an hour and five minutes door to door, while it takes and hour and twenty minutes to get from my condo in Denver to Fort Collins.  And that for some reason truly shocks me - it is as if Fort Collins is just a heartbeat away from the Western frontier.