The 45th Anniversary Of The Fall Of Saigon

Today is the 45th anniversary of the fall of Saigon, marking the end of the Vietnam War.   Over 58,000 Americans lost their lives fighting this war, and it ended with last minute evacuations from the rooftop of the American embassy.  My draft lottery number was over 300, and so thankfully I was able to avoid participating in that war. The day Saigon fell, my parents and I were staying in a cottage along the Indian River in Jensen Beach, Florida.  My mother Mary and father Nelson were thinking of retiring in Stuart, Florida, and wanted to check the place out.  My Uncle Bill (my mother's brother) and Aunt Elsie had bought a condo at a complex called Monterey a few years earlier, which featured a par 3 golf course, and just loved it.  My parents moved there the very next year, purchasing a place close to the St. Lucie River.  Sitting in the cottage that afternoon, I listened to the radio describing the unfolding events taking place in Saigon. What a terrible waste - all those lives gone for nothing.  Not to mention all those whose lives were changed forever because of that war.  And by the way, the above photograph of the evacuation from the rooftop of the American embassy was taken from the book Vietnam: A History, by Stanley Karnow.  I don't know who the photographer was, but it looks like he or she was not going to make that last helicopter out of Saigon. Scary.

More Chicago White Sox Nostalgia

As I mentioned in yesterday's blog, the Chicago White Sox were scheduled to play the Colorado Rockies in a two game series here in Denver yesterday and today, but due to the coronavirus, that series, along with all other baseball games, has been canceled.  I decided to go through my collection of photographs to find a few White Sox memories, including one of Chicago White Sox television broadcaster Harry Caray singing Take Me Out to the Ballgame at Comiskey Park back in 1980. White Sox owner Bill Veeck convinced Caray to sing the song during the 7th inning stretch, and it turned out to be a big success.  When Cary became the Chicago Cubs broadcaster after Veeck sold the White Sox, he continued this tradition, and became a national figure thanks to Cubs games being broadcast all over the country on cable television.

Harry's broadcast partner was Jimmy Piersall (seen greeting fans in the photo on the right), a former baseball player who had a nervous breakdown and later wrote the book Fear Strikes Out, which was also made into a movie. Caray and Piersall made a great team, and kept television fans highly entertained, despite the White Sox's abysmal record most of those years. Whenever they got into an argument about something, Piersall would end it by saying "I have papers in my pocket that say I'm sane, Harry.  What about you?" One time Piersall was suspended for strangling Mike Veeck, team owner Bill Veeck's son.  However, Mike was not injured, and Piersall was not fired. He soon returned to the broadcast booth.  Mike Veeck, by the way, was the one who came up with the idea of Disco Demolition Night.  A local radio station and D.J. Steve Dahl blew up a pile of disco records in the middle of center field after the first game of a doubleheader.  After the explosion, many of the fans jumped onto the field to celebrate, wouldn't leave, and the White Sox wound up forfeiting the second game.  While Bill Veeck certainly couldn't condone Piersall's behavior, he did keep him on the payroll, no doubt still brooding about Disco Demolition Night.

Tonight's White Sox-Rockies Game At Coors Field - Canceled!

Thanks to the coronavirus, tonight's baseball game at Coors Field here in Denver between the Chicago White Sox and Colorado Rockies has been canceled.  In the larger scheme of things, this is of course not a big deal, but since the White Sox - which I have followed since I was a child growing up on the south side of Chicago -  only come to town once every three years, it is a bit of a disappointment.  This inspired me to go through my old photographs to find some Chicago White Sox moments to share, such as Jim Morrison (not THAT Jim Morrison), the third baseman for the Sox, at bat in Comiskey Park back in 1980, as seen in the photo on the left.

Another photograph from 1980 was of Lamarr Hoyt (in the photo on the right warming up), who was promoted from the minors that year as a relief pitcher and later became a very successful starting pitcher for the White Sox. He eventually was traded to the San Diego Padres, where sadly he was arrested several times on drug charges and eventually was caught with drugs and guns at the Mexican border.  I myself blame his fall on the hedonistic atmosphere of California.  If he had stayed with the White Sox, living the good, simple life on the south side of Chicago, the outcome would have been much different.  Now, of course, all those Californians are moving to Denver. Scary. But I digress.

Once in a while, Comiskey Park fans were treated to the antics of Max Patkin, the Clown Prince of Baseball, second from the left in the photo on the left. Patkin used to travel from ballpark to ballpark, doing his clown routine on the field, mocking the umpires, annoying the coaches and opposing players, and was even given a guest shot in the movie Bull Durham.  This was back when Bill Veeck, the owner of the White Sox at the time, would put on various stunts (he was the one who sent midget Eddie Gaedel up to bat) to make the games fun.  Major league baseball owners did not like this, and as far as I can tell, they still seem to have an objection to fun.  By the way, what ever happened to the San Diego Chicken?

The Dancers

I was biking down Speer Boulevard the other day, and took the photograph on the left of The Dancers, a work of public art located in front of the Denver Center for the Performing Arts.  These 60 foot tall "alien-like figures," as critics have referred to them, cost Denver taxpayers 1.5 million dollars.  To me, that seems a bit pricey. Especially since they are so ugly.  Another famous public artwork is Blue Mustang, known locally as "Blucifer," a huge sculpture of a blue horse at the entrance to Denver International Airport, rearing up on two legs with glowing red eyes. It actually fell on the artist and killed him before being installed at the airport.  This statue was a relative bargain at $600,000.  I have never taken a photograph of it, since I would need to take the photograph at night with a tripod, and homeland security would probably shoot me within minutes.  My question is: if Denver has an alien sculpture downtown and a devil horse sculpture at the entrance to it's airport, does this mean that the conspiracy theories about DIA being built to function as an alien spacecraft landing zone are true?  Definitely.  I think I have even spotted ET out the window of my car while driving there.

The 25th Anniversary of Coors Field

Today is the 25th anniversary of the opening of Coors Field, home of the Colorado Rockies baseball club. The start of the season was delayed that year by a long players strike, which explains why opening day took place in late April. Ironically, the start of the season has been delayed this year, too, thanks to the coronavirus. Back then, everyone was truly excited about major league baseball finally coming to Denver, and in it's first two years, when the team played at Mile High Stadium, the Rockies regularly drew crowds of 80,000 fans. During that time, the new stadium was being built in Denver's lower downtown neighborhood (LoDo), and I took the above photograph of the park under construction back in February of 1994.  My friend Stuart and I attended that first game at Coor's Field  on April 26th, 1995. The thing I remember most about it was that it was cold as hell.  In fact, colder.  But the Rockies did win, when Dante Bichette hit a walk off home run in the bottom of the 14th inning.  These days, the Rockies don't seem to win many games anymore.  Hopefully that will change once they get back on the field after the end of this damn virus.

Both Good And Bad News On The Pandemic Front

Some states are starting to loosen restrictions instituted to stop the spread of the coronavirus, also affectionately known as COVID-19.  Most of these states are doing this gradually, in order to not cause a new coronavirus surge. However, in  Georgia, they are going full steam ahead.  As of Monday, restaurant dining rooms will reopen, as well as other retail businesses.  And when I think of Georgia, I think of Savannah, one of my all time favorite cities.  It has been quite a few years since I have been there, but since it is such a beautiful and historic place and strives to maintain it's unique character, I'm sure it looks just the same.  The photograph on the left is of my mother standing on what is called The Factors Walk, overlooking the Savannah River.

Savannah is about a 6 hour drive from Stuart, Florida, where my mother Mary and father Nelson retired to in 1976 from our home in Chicago. When I visited them back in November of 1978, we decided to drive up to Savannah and Charleston one weekend, which is when I took these photos.  Both of those cities are well worth a visit if you have never been there.  It is like taking a time machine back to colonial America.  In any case, most health experts feel reopening Georgia so quickly is a very bad idea, including the mayor of Savannah, but the governor has ruled that mayors cannot override his order to reopen the state, which means people in Savannah can now go out and about and dine at their favorite restaurants. Speaking of which, the photograph on the right is of my mother and father in front of the Shrimp Factory on River Street in Savannah, which is lined with shops and restaurants located in what used to be cotton warehouses along the river.  And if you happen to be in Savannah during the pandemic, I am sure you can dine at the Shrimp Factory (it is still operating) or another restaurant in town and find a meal to die for.  Perhaps literally.

Living The Good Life On Chicago's North Shore

I recently subscribed to Architectural Digest.  The cost of a subscription was so low that I felt it was silly not to subscribe.  I still have not received my first copy, but I know they received my check because I am now getting an e-mail from them every day, featuring one of their articles.  Most are about celebrity's homes in places I really have no interest in, but one of them caught my eye: an article about a couple who built a 5 bedroom, 16,000 square foot "family home" on Lake Michigan, in a suburb north of Chicago, seen in the above photograph that I copied from the article.   I myself was born and raised on the south side of Chicago, in the Brainerd neighborhood.  Back then we all heard stories about life on the north shore, as it is called, but none of us ever set eyes on it.  Rumor had it that south siders were stopped at the Chicago River and turned back if they did not have a good reason to cross to the north side of the city.  Reading this article, I can see now that all those stories were true.  Check out the article yourself at https://www.architecturaldigest.com/story/kara-mann-lake-michigan-house?utm_source=nl&utm_brand=ad&utm_mailing=ARD_Daily_AM_041320&utm_campaign=aud-dev&utm_medium=email&bxid=5e8753b36c28c7730d09f5be&cndid=60486478&esrc=AUTO_PRINT&utm_term=ARD_Daily.  And have you ever before seen a web address this long in your lifetime?  Damn pretentious north siders.  I'm just sayin.'

A Denver Zoo Flashback - Klondike and Snow

Back in November of 1994, twin polar bears were born at the Denver Zoo. The mother rejected them, and they were therefore raised by zoo staff. They were named Klondike and Snow, and for the first few months of their lives were kept in a specially prepared nursery. Eventually, they were put on display during the day, and then taken back to their nursery in the evenings.  I took the photograph on the left of them in their outdoor compound in April of 1995, when they were a little over 5 months old.

I was at the zoo that day as it was closing, and was surprised to find that when it was time for Klondike and Snow to head back to the nursery, the zookeepers simply released them from their compound and let them walk and/or run back to the nursery on their own.  I guess that makes sense.  At that age, I don't imagine they would try to make a break for it.  By then, they must have known that dinner would be served very shortly.  After all, "call me anything you like, but don't call me late for dinner" is a pretty much a well known mantra at the Denver Zoo.

Fortunately, this was 25 years ago, and I was still able to outrun baby polar bears, which is how I was able to catch up with them and take the photograph on the left.  Since letting Klondike and Snow loose on the zoo grounds worked out so well back then, you would think the zoo would have let other zoo babies run free too, including baby tigers, lions, apes, whatever.  But as far as I know, this practice was never repeated, which is a shame.  And where are Klondike and Snow now?  Seaworld Orlando.  Evidently they must not have liked cold weather very much.  Few polar bears do.  Very understandable.  Neither do I.

Wash Park Geese Are NOT Social Distancing

I am sorry to report that the geese in Washington Park here in Denver are not following social distancing guidelines.  Of course, many Millennials are not doing so, either, but that is, of course, much less surprising. And so, if you are fancying a nice roast goose for dinner, and want to do it from scratch, I would suggest you avoid picking one up here.  At least until the coronavirus has run it's course. As an alternative, breast of squab is very nice.  Plus, pigeons are very numerous here in Denver.  And pigeons always practice social distancing, even when there is no pandemic.  Bon appetit!

The Fourth Monkey And The Joy Of ARCs

I just finished reading The Fourth Monkey, a dark mystery about a serial killer written by J.D. Barker.  Since everything is closed due to the coronavirus, I have not been able to get the recently published mysteries that I have ordered from the library, and so have been forced to go through the "ARCs" sitting on my bookshelves. ARCs are advanced reading copies of books sent to booksellers and reviewers in advance of publication, and were available for the taking in the break room of the Tattered Cover Bookstore, where I used to work as the bookkeeper.  When new ARCs came in, there was always a rush to grab titles from the most popular authors.  Being free, I accumulated approximately 20,000 of these ARCs, and am only now getting to most of them.  The Fourth Monkey came out in 2017, and the story takes place in Chicago, my old stomping ground (always a plus).  Police detective Sam Porter is on the trail of a serial killer called 4MK (the Fourth Monkey Killer), and is desperately trying to find the latest victim before she is killed.  It was actually a pretty good story.  I recommend picking up a copy, even if you are not from Chicago.  Plus, I have discovered that Barker wrote two 4MK sequels since The Fourth Monkey.  When the library opens up again, I will definitely order the other two in the series.  As for now, I have only 19,999 ARCs left to read.

The Driscoll Center In The Spring

I recently was driving past the Driscoll Center - located in the heart of the University of Denver campus - the other day and snapped the above photograph through the windshield of my car.  This is the student center for the university, and consists of two buildings on either side of East Evans Avenue, connected by the bridge seen in the photo.  The building on the north was recently torn down, and a new "Community Commons" is being built to replace it.  The building on the south side is where the DU Bookstore is located, and where I worked as the Finance Manager for almost 30 years until the university outsourced the store to Follett Higher Education Group, with no offer of alternative employment at the university for bookstore staff (and don't even get me started on this subject).  Every April the trees down the middle of East Evans Avenue bloom, and the view of them from the bridge is inspiring.  Then every April Denver gets a spring snowstorm, and all those pretty blossoms die for another year.  And this year was no exception.  If the storm exactly one week ago today didn't finish them off, the one this past Thursday definitely did (I checked).  But it is good to know there are still some things you can count on in these turbulent times.  Like Mother Nature.

Speaking Of World's Fair Hotels...

Yesterday I wrote a blog post about the Hotel Ingram, built to accommodate tourists visiting the World's Columbian Exposition, which took place in Chicago back in 1893.  Another World's Fair hotel was H.H. Holmes "Murder Castle," which was featured prominently in Erik Larson's non-fiction book The Devil in the White City.  H.H. Holmes was America's first serial killer.  Holmes built a hotel on the South Side of Chicago to attract tourists attending the World's Columbian Exposition, and there he murdered at least 9 people, and probably many more.  Recently, I found on the internet what appears to be a souvenir postcard of that "castle," as seen above.  I am not sure why anyone would want to send someone a postcard of a "murder castle," but it takes all kinds, I guess.  The hotel was located at the corner of 63rd and Wallace Streets, where the Englewood post office now sits.  This location is not too many miles away from where the Hotel Ingram was located, and is, in fact, a mere 3 blocks away from St. Bernard Hospital, where I was born back in 1953.  No connection, of course.  That's my story and I am sticking to it.

The Ingram

When I was growing up in Chicago, my family and I would often visit Byron and Babe, my mother's uncle and aunt, and each time we were there I would gaze at two black and white photographs of the Ingram building, hanging on the wall.  My Grandmother Louise and Grandfather William Spillard, along with my then 4 year old Uncle Bill, my grandmother's parents Charles and Mary Jane St. Pierre, my grandmother's sisters (Babe and Irene) and their families, and her brother Eddie all lived in this building back in 1913.  The first photograph on that wall showed the building right after a fire broke out, and the second showed the building a short time later, completely destroyed.  I have been looking for copies of those photos for years.  One of Babe and Byron's grandchildren inherited them, and I once asked if he would scan them and e-mail me copies, but he was afraid they would be damaged if he did that (obviously not a computer whiz).  It wasn't until recently that I discovered some photographs of the building online.  Not nearly as good as the ones Byron and Babe had, but definitely better than nothing.  The photo on the left came from an organization called Chicago History in Postcards ( chicagopc.info) and was taken back in 1909.

The building began as a World's Fair hotel during the World's Columbian Exposition back in 1893, and was called the Hotel Ingram.  It was located across the street from the Midway Plaisance, which was part of the fairgrounds, at the corner of 60th and Washington Avenues.  For those of you not familiar with the south side of Chicago, this was right across today's Midway (a narrow park) from the University of Chicago. Sometime after the fair, the building was converted to apartments.  The fire started on February 11th, 1913 around 11:30 in the morning, and it didn't take long for the flames to engulf the building. Fortunately, everyone got out safely, although our family lost all their possessions.  The photograph on the right was taken from the pages of the Chicago Examiner, which no longer exists, but copies of which are available online for free on the Chicago Public Library website.  As I said before, these photos are not the quality of the ones that hung in the hallway of Byron and Babe's home, but beggars can't be choosers. And perhaps one day my cousin might discover scanning and send me copies.  Everyone has to have a dream, right?

Springtime In The Rockies, Continued...

April is Denver's 2nd snowiest month, and although it did receive some snow yesterday, Fort Collins - where I had to drive yesterday - received 14 inches.  When I got up there, I had the choice of shoveling out my sister's driveway so I would have a place to park, or take my chances of being stuck there overnight.  I chose to shovel, and can testify that Fort Collins did indeed receive 14 inches of wet, heavy, spring snow. Boulder, Colorado received a foot, setting a new winter record, and is by far the snowiest city in the country this year.  Whether the city father's consider this a good thing, I don't know.  I prefer 80 and sunny, but that's just me.  On the other hand, Blackberry, my sister Susan's dog, seen in the above photo, just loves the snow, jumping in and out of the snow drifts as fast as she can.  I myself decided to pass.

A Denver Success Story

When I first moved to Denver, the Platte Valley - the area just to the west of downtown Denver, was a maze of railroad yards.  Then a new baseball stadium - Coors Field - was built in Lower Downtown (LoDo), and that neighborhood began to become a very popular nightclub district.  Soon plans were made to develop the Platte Valley into an entirely new neighborhood, with high rise apartments, condos, offices, and of course, stores and restaurants.  The center piece was Commons Park, seen in the photograph on the left.  The Milleneum Bridge was built to connect LoDo to this area, and additional pedestrian bridges were built over the Platte River to connect Commons Park to the West Commons Park neighborhood, and over Interstate 25 to connect that area with the Lower Highlands.

The end result is a very walkable area, starting at downtown's 16th Street Mall, through LoDo, Commons Park, the West Commons Park neighborhood, the Lower Highlands, the Highlands neighborhood itself, and from there to Sloan's Lake.  This has created a huge building boom in these areas, especially in the Lower Highlands, arguably the hottest neighborhood in the city.  Large apartment buildings are being built on every block, and new bars and restaurants have been opening up all over the place, until of course the recent coronavirus outbreak.  One of the most popular gathering places has been Avanti, a food hall with a great rooftop patio, as seen in the photo on the right (taken, of course, before the Covid-19 outbreak). Several years ago, I went there to check out the place, ordered a beer, and walked around the rooftop patio to admire the view of downtown Denver.  However, the beer, as I recall, cost in excess of $7.00, and I decided I preferred the view of somewhat tacky East Evans Avenue from the window of Spanky's, a bar which charges $3.75 for happy hour beers, just several blocks from my condo.  God knows if any of these places will survive after this pandemic.  I surely hope so.

Is It Narcissism Or Just A Consequence Of Social Distancing?

Today is April 15th, the day that income taxes are traditionally due.  However, due to the coronavirus, Tax Day has been postponed until July 15th.  However, I still decided to do my annual Tax Day self portrait, and then realized that I have posted no less than 4 photographs of myself in the past week: one taken with my mother Mary and sister Susan in downtown Stuart back in the 1990s; one of myself when I was 4 years old holding an Easter basket; one of me standing in front of the Blackstone Hotel in Chicago exactly 10 years ago this month; and the one today showing my current aged self.  Is it narcissism or a result of the current social distancing rules?  After all, the zoo is closed, as is the Denver Art Museum.  There is no First Friday Art  Walk, or even get-togethers with friends.  All favorite subjects for my blog.   And if I ever take a photograph of my sister these days, she tells me she will kill me.  And so I have to conclude that I am not a narcissist.  But damn, I do look good, especially in a mask.  I could have made a great holdup man.

The 108th Anniversary Of The Titanic Disaster

Exactly 108 years ago today - the evening of April 14th 1912 - the Titanic struck an iceberg, sinking early the next morning with the loss of over 1,500 lives.  Rumor has it that Bruce Ismay, chairman of the White Star Line, owner of the Titanic, encouraged the captain of the ship to travel faster than prudent through the ice fields, despite iceberg warnings, in order to set a new speed record.  At this point, however, the truth will never be known.  Ismay survived the sinking, while Captain Smith did not.  And no, I did NOT take the above photograph of the Titanic at the start of her maiden voyage.  I was way too young back then to operate a camera.  The photograph actually comes from a Life magazine special issue titled Titanic - The Tragedy That Shook The World, which I purchased on the 100th anniversary of the disaster.

Also from that book is the advertisement on the right for tickets for the return voyage, which was scheduled to leave from New York April 20th, 1912.  Sadly, of course, this never happened, but in a few years, it very well might. Surprisingly, an exact replica of the Titanic is currently being built and is scheduled to make it's maiden voyage in 2022. Talk about bad karma - is that not tempting fate, or what? If you don't believe that someone (in this case, a crazy Aussie, and I mean that with all due respect) would attempt to do something like this, check out the attached link at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Titanic_II. Of course, if you decide to make reservations, don't expect to pay the $36.25 one-way fare to Southampton advertised in the brochure.  I would plan on at least $100.00.

Early Edition

My sister Susan and I are watching the first two seasons of Early Edition on the days when I drive up to Fort Collins to help her out with her errands. This series was on the air for 4 seasons, from 1996 to 2000, and features a man - Gary Hobson (played by Kyle Chandler) - who gets tomorrow's newspaper (the Chicago Sun-Times) today, and goes around trying to stop bad things from happening to the citizens of Chicago.  I just loved this series, especially since it takes place in Chicago, my home town, and each episode includes great scenes of the city.

I was so enthusiastic about this series that I made a point of visiting several sites connected with the show, including the old Chicago firehouse that was the location of the fictional McGinty's Pub, and the Blackstone Hotel on Michigan Avenue, back when I returned to Chicago for a visit in 2010, as seen in the photo on the right. What I don't understand is why so many characters on the show referred to the Blackstone, where Hobson lived during the first season, as a dump.  As a native Chicagoan, I know for a fact that hotels on Michigan Avenue, right across from Grant Park, are not dumps.  I associate dumps with low prices, and if the Blackstone were truly a dump, I would have stayed there instead of the Schiller Park Motel 6.  Not that the Schiller Park Motel 6 wasn't lovely.
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Happy Easter!

I must confess that I own only three photographs that I know for sure were taken at Easter:  one of my father Nelson and mother Mary in the kitchen of our house in the Brainerd neighborhood on the South Side of Chicago, one of my mother - no doubt taken on that same day - proudly setting the dining room table for Easter dinner, and one of me, sitting in my chair on the back porch of our house, looking angelic while clutching my Easter basket. And congratulations - this year you get the one of me.  Looking at that photo never gets old, does it?  I was hoping to take a photograph of one of my friends - Wally, Mark, or ideally, Stuart - wearing a bunny costume, cradling the head for that costume in one arm while starring into the camera, leaving no doubt who that bunny was, but alas, I was not able to arrange that.  My powers of persuasion, on that score, anyway, are sadly lacking.  None the less, Happy Easter Everyone!

Dave Barry Tackles The Coronavirus!

Or at least writes about it, anyway.  Desperate for something funny to read, I happened on a recent article by humorist Dave Barry in the Miami Herald.  Barry wrote a weekly column in that newspaper for many years, and then retired in order to do I don't know what.  However, he still writes the occasional column, usually during major events such as the Olympics, the Republican and Democratic National conventions, an annual year in review, and other potentially hilarious situations.  And I must say, as always, his latest piece on the coronavirus did give me a few laugh out loud moments, which we all need these days.  Be to check it out at https://www.miamiherald.com/news/coronavirus/article241785841.html.  And by the way, the above photograph of Barry is a cropped version of the one I took of him at Denver's Tattered Cover Bookstore back in 2016.  He looks much older now.

The Jolly Sailor

I ran across the photograph on the left of my mother Mary, sister Susan, and myself, taken God knows when, in front of a London taxi, which was parked in front of the Jolly Sailor Restaurant in downtown Stuart, Florida.  This pub was a fixture there for many years, but eventually it closed due to the rising costs of rent in what is now known as "Old Town Stuart."  Old Town Stuart is located alongside the St. Lucie River, and is very charming, but these days is more like a tourist destination than the traditional downtown it used to be.

On the bright side, the owners of the Jolly Sailor opened up a restaurant called The Sailors Return in the Sunset Harbour and Marina, just a few blocks to the west, as seen in the photo on the right that I took back in 2016.  On the far side of the building is an outdoor bar with fantastic views of the St. Lucie River, especially at sunset, and is called - you guessed it - The Jolly Sailor.  How great is that?

Remembering Paris...

As I have mentioned before on this blog, my sister Susan and I went to France and Italy last May, and stayed 5 days in Paris at the Hotel Beaugency, located just off Rue Cler, my favorite part of the city.  When I travel by myself, I like to see everything I possibly can, and am therefore on the go from early morning until late at night.  My sister, however, likes to take things slower, and instead of seeing numerous sights, prefers to do things like hang out in cafes, which the Rue Cler area has many.  The previous two times I was in Paris, I did not visit any cafes or restaurants at all, preferring to grab a bite from a convenience store or street vendor, and so this last trip was a much different experience for me.  We began to feel like locals, which can be a bad thing, such as when a waiter at Cafe du Marche came up to our table one night and told us that he undercharged us the night before, and then presented us with a bill for the amount due for the previous evening.  Going local has it's price.  Literally.  In any case, both Susan and I really enjoyed our time in Paris.  If you would like to see some of the photographs I took of that wonderful city last year, feel free to visit my Flickr page at https://www.flickr.com/photos/david_hoyt/albums/72157713810681678.

Dead Wake

I recently finished reading Dead Wake, Erik Larson's book about the sinking of the Lusitania.  Larson, the author of one of my favorite non-fiction books, The Devil in the White City (about a serial killer during the Chicago World's Fair in 1893), published Dead Wake back in 2015, and I actually bought a copy from the History Book Club.  However, I never read it until now.  It wasn't until I noticed that Larson's latest book, The Splendid and the Vile, was recently released that I decided that I needed to read Dead Wake before I even thought about reading his latest tome.  Larson's books read like novels, and as usual, this is an absorbing story, well worth reading.  The most surprising part for me was learning that this tragedy, which killed 1,201 men, women, and children, did not have to happen.  Be sure to order a copy online (the only way you are going to get it these days) to take your mind off the pandemic.

The April Mutts Of The Month

I took the above photograph of the April Mutts of the Month tied up in front of the Whole Foods grocery store in lower downtown Denver (LoDo), just before the coronavirus ramped up and the governor issued a stay-at-home order for all of Colorado.  This particular Whole Foods has a cafe with craft beers and a Birdcall chicken restaurant, where I assume the owner of those two dogs was hanging out.  And I was quite happy that those two dogs were so willing to pose for me, unlike my sister's two dogs, Tutu and Blackberry, who never pose for photos.  Not that I am bitter about that lack of cooperation.  Not me.

The More Things Change, The More They Stay The Same

I have been doing a lot of walking in Denver's Washington Park lately, due to the coronovirus limiting travel, and I have made several observations.  First, the park is, of course,  much more crowded these days.  On weekdays, where just a month ago most of the people I saw on my walk were senior citizens and mothers with strollers, these days there are people of all ages getting exercise. And second, a large number of these individuals, especially millennials, are walking around by themselves in deep conversation, often emphasizing points with dramatic hand gestures, without any sign of a cell phone.  No doubt they are using Bluetooth technology to do this.  Years ago, we used to see people like this back in Chicago all the time, and made sure we avoided them, because it was obvious that they were not really talking to anyone.  These days, it turns out that we are still avoiding these walking talkers, just like in the old days, but for different reasons. Also, I have noticed a lot of people with cloth masks on their faces, looking like they have just robbed a convenience store.  We made sure we also avoided people like that back in Chicago, too.  As I said before, the more things change...

Road Warriors Beware - Do You Have A Spare?

Late one evening last week, I got a flat tire on my way home from Fort Collins to Denver.  It was the first flat I have had since I bought my Hyundai Accent 5 years ago, and I must say I was shocked when I opened the trunk to get the spare out and found out there was no spare. Evidently, certain car companies are cutting costs by eliminating this feature, and salespeople are not letting buyers know.  This led to an exciting evening for me, especially after I called AAA and was told, due to the coronavirus, I would not be able to ride with the tow truck driver, even though I was sitting out in the middle of nowhere.  A supervisor made an exception for me, thank goodness, and in the end I was able to ride along to the tire store in Firestone, Colorado, where I downloaded the Uber App and arranged for a ride home.  And I must say, I was impressed with that service. I was picked up within 5 minutes by someone also driving back to the Denver area from Fort Collins, and although it was pricey, I at least didn't have to sleep in the car all night.  And the moral of all this: check your trunk to see if there is actually a spare back there, and if not, get one.  Unless, of course, you like to take unexpected Uber rides.  And who doesn't?

Remembering My Grandmother Spillard

The photograph on the left is of my maternal grandmother, Louise Spillard, who was born back in 1888.  It was one of my mother Mary's favorite photos, showing my grandmother dressed like a Gibson Girl.  My great grandfather, Charles St. Pierre (my grandmother's father, also known as "Pa"), owned a farm with his brother Dolph in Saint-Eustache, Quebec.  The family had 5 children, and spent summers in Canada at the farm and winters in Chicago, where my great grandfather worked as a carpenter.  My great grandmother, Mary Jane, was English, and her family did not approve of her marriage to a Frenchman.  With so many children, the family struggled, and Aunt Maggie - my great grandmother's sister - offered to help by taking in my grandmother, making one less mouth to feed.  Aunt Maggie promptly took my grandmother out of school, and turned her into a servant. She was forced to get up early each morning, light the fire, cook breakfast, and do all kinds of other domestic chores. Finally, she ran away back home, and years later, when Aunt Maggie offered to "help out" my Grandmother Spillard by taking in my mother Mary, you can just imagine her reply. Eventually, Pa sold his share of the farm to his brother, and the family - with the exception of Allie, one of the sisters - moved to the South Side of Chicago full time. What I want to know is whether that sale of half interest in the farm was legal?  And if not, I want my share.  Now!

Will The Anti Vaxxers Now Change Their Tune?

Just before the coronavirus crisis exploded, as I was heading home after a long bike ride, I noticed a gathering of anti vaxxers in front of the Colorado State Capitol, as seen in the photograph above. They were protesting a proposed law to eliminate many exceptions to mandatory vaccinations.  There are a lot of claims on social media that vaccinations cause autism, as well as other serious problems, and many people have stopped vaccinating their children.  Among other things, this resulted in a very large outbreak of both measles and mumps throughout the country last year. With the real danger now posed by this current and possible future pandemics, will these anti vaxxers change their minds and finally embrace science?  Nah. Dream on.

Exercising During The Pandemic

I drove out to beautiful, exotic, but still pretty damn boring Lakewood, Colorado yesterday afternoon to get a little exercise and go for a walk with my friend Stuart, seen in the photograph on the left standing on a bluff overlooking that Denver suburb. We walked around the neighborhood for a while looking at houses.  Stuart tells me he is tired of apartment life, and is considering buying a place in the Applewood neighborhood, which unfortunately is still part of Lakewood.  And by no means do I want to imply anything negative about that proud city.  Personally, I just love suburban sprawl.

Before heading out to Lakewood, I was able to bike from my condo across from the University of Denver to lower downtown and around Coors Field (home of the Colorado Rockies) before heading back home.  As usual, there were a lot of people out exercising in Washington Park, and a lot of bicyclists throughout the city, such as the one in the photograph on the right with a dog riding in a basket in the back.  Personally, I think that that biker should consider walking the dog instead of driving it around on the back of his bike, but I am, after all, getting old, and am a bit old fashioned.

Once I got to Denver's 16th Street Mall and proceeded to Lower Downtown (LoDo), I saw a few people walking around, but not many. The plaza in front of Union Station, usually a hipster hot spot and seen in the photograph on the left, was totally deserted.  Not a surprise, considering the stay-at-home restrictions, but it also shows that when bars, restaurants, and brewpubs are all closed, there is not much reason to hang around down here.  If the pandemic lasts for more than a few months, I'm afraid that LoDo might wind up looking like this for a long time to come.  Scary.

The Guardians

I just finished reading The Guardians, John Grisham's latest novel. Grisham is a well-known author who has written 33 novels, but I think this is the first book of his that I have read.  And why is that? Grisham's main characters are always lawyers, and before now books featuring lawyers have never appealed to me.  However, I read a very favorable review of this book and put my name on the waiting list for it at the Denver Public Library.  I received a call that it was on hold for me at the nearby Eugene Field Branch Library, and picked it up right before DPL shut down due to the corona virus. The story involves a minister and lawyer named Cullen Post, who works for a small organization called The Guardians, which fights wrongful convictions.  Post takes on the case of a Florida man convicted and sentenced to life in prison for the murder of his lawyer.  However, when Post starts digging into the case, the real killers start to get very nervous.  I enjoyed reading this book, and recommend you pick up a copy.

And why is my local library branch named after Eugene Field, author of the children's poem Winkin, Blinkin, and Nod?  That is because Field was the managing editor of the Denver Tribune from 1881 to 1883, and lived in the house seen in the photograph on the right during that time.  After he moved to Chicago in 1883, the house fell into disrepair, and in 1927, preservationists convinced Margaret Brown (of Unsinkable Molly Brown fame) to purchase the house (built in 1875) and donate it to the City of Denver.  It was then moved to it's current location in Denver's Washington Park and served for many years as a branch of the Denver Public Library.  The current Eugene Field Library is located half a mile to the east, and retains the same name.  And by the way, Field wrote Winkin, Blinkin, and Nod in 1889, long after he left Denver.  And there you have it.  Is this blog not informative, or what?