Hanging Out With The Cool Cats On A Hot Summer Day

As I mentioned in yesterday's blog, I went to the Denver Zoo Wednesday morning to take photographs of the two new lion cubs. Thanks to the coronavirus, these days you have to make a reservation to visit the zoo, and also must follow a specific, one-way route. Naturally, the lion cubs are at the very end of that route, and so you have to go through the entire zoo before you reach their compound.  On the plus side, because of that, I was able to take photographs of some of my favorite animals (which are any willing to pose for me) along the way. One of my best subjects is the female tiger in the photograph on the left. She likes to hang out on a second story walkway and look down at zoo visitors through the chain link fence, and once again was more than happy to pose for the camera.

Another favorite subject is the cheetah, seen in the photograph on the right.  It never fails to look me in the eye (or more precisely, the lens) and pose for a portrait. The cheetah is supposed to be the fastest animal on earth, and so I feel pretty sorry for it having to live in such a relatively small space. I have never seen it run, only pace either in a circle around the perimeter, or just back and forth under the shade of the trees.  It definitely needs to be let out once in a while so it can run around the entire perimeter of the zoo at a high rate of speed. That would definitely perk it up.

Visiting The Lion Cubs At The Denver Zoo

I was able to make a morning reservation yesterday at the Denver Zoo and was finally able to visit the 2 two new lion cubs, a boy and a girl, who are now a little over 12 weeks old.  They have been on display to the public since last month, but this was the first time I have seen them, since they usually go inside for nap time by 1:00 in the afternoon, and until recently, morning reservations were tough to come by. The zoo has a photograph from when they were first born, and I must say, I wish I could have photographed them then, but why look a gift horse in the mouth?

There is a naming contest going on for these cubs, which seems to be sponsored by former Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning.  I am happy to report that between the naming contest and making commercials for a mortgage company, Peyton is keeping busy, and so if you were worried about his career after football, you can relax. And how can you tell these cubs apart? One has spots that go down between the eyes, and the other doesn't. Perhaps I should have been a veterinarian.

I was hoping to get a photograph of the two of them playing together, but unfortunately none of those photos turned out. The cubs are in a small enclosed compound, and only a few people are allowed in front of the viewing window at a time. Visitors are only supposed to stay 3 or 4 minutes before leaving, in order to give everyone a chance to see them. Plus, a zoo employee was sitting on the other side of the compound, scratching one of the cubs through the fence with a back scratcher, keeping it preoccupied most of the time and resulting in a view of only the cub's backside. What's the deal with that? Is that even legal in the zoo world? Do I complain too much? Don't answer that.

Another DU Bookstore Flashback...

I ran across the photograph on the left the other day and decided to do another nostalgic post about the University of Denver Bookstore, where I was the Finance Manager for almost 30 years before the University of Denver outsourced the store to Follett Higher Education Group. I took the photograph on my friend Valerie's last day at the store, back on June 21st, 2010. Valerie was the Operations Manager for the bookstore, and was moving on to bigger and better things.  From left to right are Wally, who was also an Operations Manager; a very pregnant Brittney, who was one of the textbook buyers; Valarie, and Flo, the Accounts Receivable clerk. Flo is normally a very camera shy person, but made an exception due to the special occasion.  I was able to get this photo because the fire alarm went off, and we all had to evacuate the building. And did Valerie herself pull the fire alarm on her last day, as a farewell gesture? I wouldn't put it past her.

The DU Bookstore, as I have mentioned before, is located on the south side of the Driscoll Student Center.  The north side of the center was torn down to make way for the new DU Community Commons, which is currently under construction. It is scheduled to open this October, nearly 36 years to the day after the previous building opened. I took the photograph on the right of the windows of the new building, reflecting the Sturm College of Law, located just across the green. Originally, the law school was located on what used to be the Colorado Women's Campus, and was called the University of Denver Lowell Thomas Law Center, in honor of the legendary broadcaster. However, after DU sold the campus to Johnson and Wales University, the new building on the main campus was named after the donor who paid for it, to the dismay of Lowell Thomas' family.  Evidently, at DU, the philosophy boils down to "what have you done for me lately?" And I mean that with all due respect.

The July Mutts Of The Month

This month's Mutts of the Month are none other than my sister Susan's dogs Blackberry and Tutu. I know they have won this prestigious award before, but thanks to the coronavirus, I just don't run across too many other candidates anymore tied up outside stores waiting to be photographed. In the photograph on the left, Blackberry and I are sitting in my car, waiting for Susan to come out of the vet's office, where she was having Tutu examined. Blackberry suffers from separation anxiety, and whenever Susan is out of sight, she barks and whines, and is laser focused on the door Susan has entered.  I have suggested psychological counseling, but doggie psychiatrists are pricey these days, and Susan won't consider it. Time to apply for service dog status for Blackberry, so this situation can be resolved. Of course, everyone will ask what service Blackberry provides, and there is no easy answer for that one.

Tutu, by the way, seems to have broken a tooth, and Susan took her to the vet to be examined.  She will have that tooth extracted this Thursday, but in the meantime is resting comfortably at home, as seen in the photograph on the right. And how much will all this cost? Besides the $230 to do a blood test the other day, it will cost an additional $700 to pull that tooth.  It cost me $300 to have one of my teeth removed a few years ago, and I thought THAT was highway robbery.  Let's face it, owning a pet is expensive. And if reincarnation turns out to be true, I definitely intend to come back as a veterinarian.

My Parent's 80th Wedding Anniversary!

This would have been my parent's 80th wedding anniversary, if they were alive today.  No matter how you look at it, that was a long time ago.  They got married on a farm near Geneva, Illinois that was owned by my father Nelson's Uncle John.  Uncle John also owned a plumbing shop in Geneva that later became the Mill Race Inn, a local upscale eatery, but I digress. My mother Mary was not too thrilled with the venue, but if she was still around, I would tell her that weddings on farms are all the rage now.  My sister Susan actually got to stay overnight sometimes at that farm when she was young, and in the evening would go out with Uncle John to the barn to say goodnight to the cows. I think the farm was gone by the time I came around, but I am not bitter. Much. In any case, my mother and father were married 43 years before my father passed away in 1983, and they had a good life together.  We all wished that my father could have enjoyed their retirement together in Stuart, Florida a bit longer, but we are thankful for what time they did have. Happy Anniversary guys!

The DAM Has Reopened...

I made a reservation and visited the Denver Art Museum (The DAM) this past Wednesday afternoon for the first time in almost 5 months. The museum recently reopened after being closed due to the coronavirus. Current highlights include Norman Rockwell - Imagining Freedom, and Natural Forces - Winslow Homer and Frederic Remington. Norman Rockwell, of course, became famous for his Saturday Evening Post Magazine Covers. Much of the exhibit features Rockwell's work at the magazine during World War II, and includes a lot of WWII posters by other artists, too.  The photograph on the left shows a large image of Franklin Roosevelt promoting his Four Freedoms concept, which was designed to convince Americans to support the war effort, and for which Rockwell and other artists created works to promote it. It is well worth visiting.

I liked the Winslow Homer and Frederic Remington exhibit, too, and found it very informative. Like Norman Rockwell, they both started as magazine illustrators, and became very successful artists. Winslow Homer (seen on the right in the photo on the right) covered the Civil War as a young illustrator, and Remington (seen on the left) covered the Indian Wars and the Spanish-American War.  Both artists were at the height of their careers when they passed away in 1910 and 1909 respectively.

The museum's new welcome center and the renovation of the North Building (seen in the photo on the left) have been completed, but due to the coronavirus, the grand reopening has been delayed.  It seems it takes quite a while to move all the artwork that has been in storage for two years back into place.  And not to complain, but several current exhibits have been up for what seems like years now. And yet, The Light Show, an exhibit taking up two floors of the Hamilton Building, will remain open until March of next year, and Treasures of British Art will be in place until December - not due to popular demand, of course, but because the staff has no time to replace them. Most important of all, I was hoping that with the opening of the welcome center, with it's new restaurant and quick service cafe, that the free buffet table on Untitled Final Fridays would reappear. However, thanks to the coronavirus, I think you can kiss that possibility goodbye. Art without a free buffet - that is a definite non-starter for me.

Remembering A Long Ago Tour Of Coors Field...

Now that the baseball season has begun, I have decided to feature a few photographs of a tour (or, to be more precise, preview) of Coors Field that my sister Susan and brother-in-law George (seen in the photo on the left) and I took in August of 1994.  This new home of the Colorado Rockies was not scheduled to be completed until the following April, but fans in Colorado were so excited about the new ballpark that the Stadium District decided to give guided tours of the place while it was still under construction.

As I recall, it was a lot of fun.  We all got to wear hardhats, and walked through the construction site like we were city officials or baseball executives.  Of course, since everyone in the metropolitan area was paying for the ballpark through their sales taxes, I suppose it was felt by the Stadium District that we had every right to inspect the place.  My sister Susan and brother-in-law George are seen on the right side of the photograph on the right as we entered the stadium.

We did not get an extensive tour of the building.  We were led through one of the main entrances, down the steps where the seats would one day be installed, and to the start of the infield, right behind the soon-to-be batters box. I must admit I was a bit obsessive about the building of this ballpark, and have a shoe box in the hall closet filled with hundreds - no, make that thousands - of slides of Coors Field in various stages of construction in 1994 and the spring of 1995.  It would take days or weeks to go through them, and so to hell with that. Perhaps when I am gone some interns from the Colorado Historical Society will be forced to go through them all, the poor SOBs. And they probably still won't be able to get a full time job with the historical society after all that. Welcome to the real world, college graduates!

Opening Day!

Today is Opening Day for major league baseball, although it is nothing like previous Opening Days, such as the one at Coors Field back in 2003 in the above photo. Fans are not allowed in the stadiums, and so the only way to watch your favorite teams will be on the television.  Plus, instead of 162 games, only 60 will be played before the playoffs begin. Which means that if my South Side heros, the Chicago White Sox - or for that matter, the Chicago Cubs or Colorado Rockies - win it all, their accomplishment will be accompanied by an asterisk in the record books. What a bummer. But Happy Opening Day anyway!

Dining At Qudoba With Stuart

I had dinner last night with my friend Stuart at the Qudoba on beautiful South Colorado Boulevard here in Denver. As soon as we sat down, the wind came up, the temperature dropped, and it started to rain pretty hard, making for a challenging meal, despite the patio being covered.  And I must say, Stuart looks pretty much the same in the above photograph as in the photo I posted of him in front of Wrigley Field two days ago, which I believe was taken during the World Series back in 1945. I suspect he must have a portrait of himself in his closet that ages instead, just like Dorian Gray. Scary.

What's The Deal With This?

Whenever I walk past the patio of a certain coffee shop, seen in the photograph above, on Denver's Old South Pearl Street, I have to wonder what that old airplane fuselage is doing there.  Did the plane crash land at that spot years ago and was never removed?  Was it brought in to perk up (sorry for the pun) the seating area? I suppose I could always just go inside, order a cup of coffee, and ask them, but I'm afraid the answer would probably be anticlimactic. Better just to keep walking past every so often and speculate about it.

A Subway Exhibition Series

This past Sunday and Monday the Chicago White Sox and Chicago Cubs played an exhibition series, the first at Wrigley Field, home of the Cubs, and the second at Guaranteed Rate Field, the White Sox's home park. It was a classic North Side-South Side showdown. My friend Stuart is from the North Side of Chicago and a life-long Cubs fan, as opposed to me, born and raised on the South Side of the city. The photograph on the left shows Stuart at Wrigley Field, back in his younger days, probably when he was an undergraduate at nearby Loyola University.

The photograph on the right is of me in front of Comiskey Park, located on the South Side of Chicago and for many years the home of the White Sox. Just across the street is the Illinois Institute of Technology, where I was an undergraduate student back in the day. And I must say, I really miss going to those games by horse drawn carriage. That was when attending baseball games was truly fun. Both of these photographs come from the book Ballparks Then and Now by Eric Enders. I am just amazed that both Stuart and I would be featured in historic photographs in the same book - what an amazing coincidence! And by the way, my South Side heros, the Chicago White Sox, beat the Cubs 7-3 on Sunday night, and 5-3 on Monday. Are the White Sox that good, or are the Cubs that bad? Probably a combination of both. And if the White Sox win it all this year, will their achievement be questioned because of the shortened season? Of course it will. We White Sox fans anticipate that kind of reaction.  That is what makes us White Sox fans. Talk about fatalists.

Watching Tottenham Beat Leicester City With Mark

I went over to my friend Mark's house yesterday morning to watch the Tottenham Hot Spurs soccer team play Leicester City.  Tottenham played very well, and beat Leicester 3-0. Mark (seen in the photograph above) is a Tottenham fan, but is also quite the Leeds fan, too. And for the first time in 16 years, Leeds will be moving up from the Championship League to the Premier League, England's top soccer division. Mark's friends in Leeds are beside themselves with joy, although I have to mention once again that Leeds is kind of like the Chicago Cubs of soccer.  Next year they might very well be demoted again at the end of the season. Best to prepare yourself now.  That's what they do in Chicago.

Voodoo At The Winn-Dixie? That NEVER Happens At Publix...

I read in the online edition of the Stuart News the other day that a deputy in Port Salerno, Florida, who was patrolling a shopping plaza with a Winn-Dixie, encountered two men in front of that grocery store, one holding up a sign asking for money and the other holding up a plastic skeleton. When questioned, the man with the skeleton said it was connected to the practice of voodoo. Port Salerno is just south of Stuart, Florida, where my mother Mary and father Nelson retired in 1976 from Chicago. Although they occasionally shopped at Winn-Dixie, most of the time they shopped at Publix, located just down the street from their condo.  In later years, when I visited my widowed mother down in Stuart, we would head to that store every day, and sometimes more than once.  I took the photo on the left of my mother standing next to her usual parking spot at that store.  And I have to say, I never saw any evidence whatsoever of voodoo at the Downtown Publix, or any of the other Publix stores in the area.

Port Salerno, by the way, is a waterfront community that is the home of the Chapman School of Seamanship, as well as the Pirates Cove Resort, marina, and Pirate's Loft restaurant. It was also once home to a dinner theater owned by area resident Burt Reynolds. He persuaded his then girlfriend Sally Field to perform there, and she later complained to Johnny Carson on the Tonight Show about having to perform at a theater in Port Saleerno, where trains would constantly go by and prevent the audience from hearing your lines. Neither the dinner theater nor the relationship lasted very long.  I took the photograph on the right of my mother and sister Susan walking past the boats of the marina after having dinner on the outdoor deck of the Pirates Loft many years ago.  After the coronavirus wanes, my sister and I intend to visit Stuart and check on the condo, and we will be sure to have dinner on that waterfront porch again.  I intend to question the wait staff, as well as dinners at nearby tables, about voodoo practice in the area.  What do they know, and when did they know it?

Hanging Out With Wally At Spanky's...

I got together with my friend and former University of Denver Bookstore co-worker Wally at Spanky's Roadhouse yesterday evening, just a stone's throw from where we used to work. Wally and his wife Linda are doing well, and Wally is currently making furniture in his woodworking shop for his son Peter and Peter's fiancee Holly.  Both Peter and Holly, as well as Wally's daughter Lydia and husband Nathan, live in the San Francisco Bay area. I have suggested many times that Wally and Linda drive out there and stay with their kids for a while, explaining to them that fish and visitors stink after 6 months, and will never overstay their welcome. Wally is giving it serious thought, especially since he is making all that furniture for them. Glad I could be of service, guys! And by the way, I took the above photograph of Wally last night standing in front of Driscoll South, home of the DU Bookstore since 1984. Lots of laughs, lots of tears during our time there. If that doesn't call for another beer, what does?

A Return To The Zoo Part II

As I mentioned in yesterday blog, I visited the Denver Zoo for the second time since it reopened after closing due to the coronavirus. Since I was able to snag an earlier time slot (timed reservations are required), I was able to catch a glimpse of Joona, the baby rhino, seen with it's mother Tensing in the photograph on the left. These are greater one-horned rhinos, and I must say, they are not what you would call pretty creatures. And I mean that with all due respect.

But still, I guess the baby rhino, seen in the photo on the right, is kind of cute, in it's way, and more than willing to pose for a portrait, bless it's heart. And how does it spend all it's time these days? Looking for food, of course. Which is more or less a universal theme for all the animals at the Denver Zoo. Not to mention zoo visitors, too, but that is just my opinion.

A Return To The Zoo

I went back to the Denver Zoo yesterday afternoon for the second time since they reopened (the place was closed for almost 3 months due to the coronavirus).  Unlike last time, there were quite a few people there. Fortunately, I was able to snag an earlier time slot, but not early enough to see the two new baby lions, who were back in their nursery by the time I got there.  However, the orangutans were out and about, such as the one in the photograph on the left, sitting outside against the wall next to the display window.  Is it just me, or does this orangutan strike you as just a bit sinister? What is it planning?

Inside the Great Ape House, Cerah - the 2 year old baby orangutan - was crawling around all over the place, so much so that it was hard to get a photograph of her that wasn't blurry. Happily, she stopped moving for a nanosecond, and I was able to snap the photo on the right of her just hanging out

I was also able to get a photograph of Kesi, the baby Mandrill.  It was the first time I have ever seen it apart from it's mother since she was born.  I mentioned in a previous blog that I thought being so over protective might cause psychological problems in later life, and so I am glad her mother is finally giving her a bit of breathing room.  Evidently someone at the zoo must have read my blog

Continuing With The Inspector Rebus Series

I just finished reading two of Ian Rankin's early John Rebus mysteries. I found both on sale at the Arc Thrift Store in Fort Collins. After reading Rankin's latest book, In a House of Lies, which features a retired (but still meddling) Detective Inspector Rebus, I wanted to see what the earlier books were like.  In Let It Bleed, a younger and feistier Rebus investigates a potential kidnapping, as well as a suicide that appears to be connected to a major political cover up.  Rankin paints the city of Edinburgh as one filled with a lot of public housing and a lot of violence.  I have visited Edinburgh, and didn't see any evidence of that while I was there, although I must admit that I did not go looking for the underbelly of that city. Perhaps next time.

Black and Blue finds Rebus being investigated by both reporters and internal affairs on his role in convicting a habitual criminal for murder, who before committing suicide, writes a book claiming he was framed.  At the same time, Rebus must deal with a mysterious death connected with drug trafficking in Aberdeen, as well as tracking down a copycat serial killer, while the original serial killer gets involved as well.  I liked both books, and recommend the series to anyone who is interested in British police procedurals.  I definitely intend to order Rankin's newest book from the library when it comes out in October.  And if you are planning a trip to either Edinburgh or Aberdeen after the end of the coronavirus pandemic, I would advise you to watch your step.

Happy Bastille Day Everyone!

Today is Bastille Day, a French national holiday that celebrates the French revolution. Traditionally, there are parties in every neighborhood of Paris on this day (although I am sure the coronavirus pandemic will result in significant changes this year), but the really big celebration is near the Eiffel Tower, where there is a huge fireworks display in the evening.  I took the photograph on the left of the Eiffel Tower last year, when my sister Susan and I visited Paris and Italy. And will the fireworks show go on this year as usual? Probably not.  Very few people are interested in seeing a fireworks show to die for. As Chicago Cubs fans are so used to saying, wait until next year.

A Virtual Visit To Tottenham Hotspur Stadium

My friend Mark (seen in the above photograph on the right) and I attended (virtually, of course) the soccer match between the Tottenham Hotspurs and Arsenal yesterday morning.  It was a lively game, and Tottenham won it by a score of 2 to 1.  Ordinarily, we would go to Ester's Neighborhood Pub to watch the game with the Colorado Spurs fan club, but those gatherings have been put on hold due to the coronavirus, on the theory that watching even a Tottenham game is not worth dying for.  As as you can see, both Mark and I are sporting Tottenham jerseys. A1A is evidently an Asian insurance company that is one of the team's sponsors, but for me it will serve a dual purpose.  When I am with the Colorado Spurs at Ester's, they will know I support the team and will therefore not hate me, and when I am down in Stuart, Florida, everyone will think I am a big fan of Florida State Road A1A, which runs along the Atlantic from Key West to the Georgia state line. Definitely a win-win situation. Perfect!

A Little Bit Of Chicago Nostalgia

I ran across some slides that I took in Chicago back in 1971, when I often used to walk around the city taking photographs - most of them, I am sad to say, not very good.  I much prefer the digital era, where you can immediately check the results and retake the photo a dozen more times, if need be, to get it right.  People just love me for that little habit of mine.  In any case, the photograph on the left shows Buckingham Fountain, located in Chicago's Grant Park, all lite up on a summer's evening.  What could be nicer than that?

I am pretty sure I took the photograph on the right of the State Lake Theater on the same night that I took the photo of Buckingham Fountain.  I see on the marquee that The Red Tent, starring Sean Connery and Claudia Cardinale, was playing there at the time. Not only did I never see the film, I don't think I have even heard of it.  In any case, the State Lake was located on the corner of those two streets.  At one time, State Street was a pedestrian only mall, but since a CTA bus is in the photograph, it must have been reopened to traffic by then. As I recall, State Street was on the downward side when I left Chicago for Denver.  The last time I visited, even Carson Pierre Scott had deserted it's Louis Sullivan designed store located there.  Sad.

Speaking Of Larimer Square...

Yesterday I wrote a blog post about the Burlington Hotel on Denver's Larimer Street, and in passing mentioned how developer Dana Crawford saved Larimer Square from urban renewal.  As it happens, I walked through Larimer Square yesterday evening, and found that the street has been closed to traffic to allow restaurants to expand their outdoor dining, as seen in the photograph on the left.  In the background can be seen The Market, which was a grocery store that Crawford owned between 1978 and 1983, before selling it to two brothers from New Jersey, who turned it into a deli, coffee shop, and popular local gathering spot.  Sadly, they decided to close the place for good after businesses were ordered shut due to the coronavirus.

Since I have been biking up and down the length of Larimer Street a lot this summer, I decided to peruse a book I have on my shelves called Denver's Larimer Street, written by local historian Tom Noel, which is where I found the photograph on the right.  It was taken around 1900 at what is now Larimer Square, and features horse-drawn wagons in front of the various shops.

Just for fun, I decided to take a photograph of that same location last night to see how much it has changed. There were no horse-drawn wagons in sight, but other than that that, the buildings look very much the same.  Of course, last night the street was filled with people dining al fresco, serenaded by a D.J. playing very loud rap music for their listening pleasure.  I don't think they had that problem back in 1900.  Makes you nostalgic for the past, doesn't it?

Biking Past The Burlington

The day before yesterday, I took a bike ride from my condo across the street from the University of Denver to the 16th Street Mall, Lower Downtown (LoDo), and the River North (RiNo) neighborhood - damn those acronyms, I might add. On my way back, I biked down Upper Larimer Street, which was once Denver's skid row, but in recent years has become pretty upscale. You are much more likely to run into gaggles of hipsters instead of winos these days.  I took the photograph on the left as I passed by the Burlington Hotel Building, which houses the Whiskey Bar on the first floor, along with other upscale bars and shops, and apartments on the upper floors.

However, back in the 1970s, The Burlington was Denver's most dangerous flop house, where according to historian Tom Noel, in his book Denver's Larimer Street, men were killed for a bottle of wine or the change in their pockets.  The photograph on the right comes from that book and shows The Burlington as it was back in the 1970s.  And how did Upper Larimer become skid row? Because Lower Larimer Street was skid row back in the 1950s and 1960s, and to solve this problem, the city used urban renewal funds to bulldoze the entire area, including many of Denver's most historic buildings. Developer Dana Crawford was able to save a single block, now known as Larimer Square, which these days is one of the city's most popular destinations.  The bums and winos who had lived there simply moved a few blocks north. And where are they, and the rest of the homeless, now? Everywhere.

The New DU Community Commons Is Right On Track

The University of Denver's new Community Commons Building looks to be right on track for it's mid-October grand opening.  It is being built on the site of Driscoll North, which was the north half of the university's student center, and built back in 1984.  It is connected to Driscoll South, where the DU Bookstore is located, by a bridge over East Evans Avenue. And as regular blog readers know, I was the Finance Manager of the DU Bookstore for almost 30 years before the university outsourced the store to Follett Higher Education Group (aka "The Evil Empire"). And yes, I do plan on attending the grand opening ceremonies.  I am sure there will be a free lunch, and as an official University of Denver retiree, I want my fair share.  I want everything that is coming to me, although that might not be a good thing.

The Edge Of The Great Plains

Each time I drive up to Fort Collins from Denver, I am reminded that Colorado's Front Range represents the edge of the Great Plains, which dramatically ends where the foothills of the Rocky Mountains begin. I can just imagine the early pioneers crossing this great expanse of flat, boring country on their way to California, and then seeing those Rocky Mountains looming in the distance.  I think a great many of them must have said "This is good. We've traveled far enough. Let's settle here." And thus the population of Northern Colorado began to grow. And to whom does that long string of box cars in the above photograph belong?  The Great Western Railway, a freight carrier that connects Fort Collins, Greeley, Loveland, and Longmont, with a whopping 80 miles of track.  One of the few small train lines in the State of Colorado that does not offer a scenic train for tourists to ride. I wonder why?

A Drive Up Poudre Canyon

My sister Susan and I, along with her two dogs Tutu and Blackberry, drove up Poudre Canyon, west of Fort Collins, a few days back to enjoy the day and escape the heat.  The road follows the Poudre River 65 miles west to the top of Cameron Pass (10,249 feet above sea level).  After you cross the pass, you head downhill and eventually reach the State of Colorado's Moose Visitor Center, where I have never once seen a moose that wasn't stuffed. Beyond that is flat, treeless cattle country, in the center of which is the town of Walden, the only down side to the place being that you are in the town of Walden.  Susan and I decided to stop just before the pass, and before heading back, took the dogs for a walk down to Joe Wright Reservoir, seen in the photograph above.  I must say, it was indeed nice and cool up there, and Blackberry and I were game for a walk along the water.  Susan and Tutu, not so much.  Just like my father, Susan prefers to look at the wilderness from the safety of the car.  A little bit of wilderness goes a long way for ex-Chicagoans.

Revisiting The Croke-Patterson Mansion

I biked past the Croke-Patterson Mansion, located in Denver's Capitol Hill neighborhood, the other day (and seen in the above photograph).  I did a blog post about it a while back, but decided to feature it again after I discovered that there is a documentary film about the place called The Castle Project (check out the trailer at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z8PiFQn-nXU). This mansion was built in 1890 and has a reputation for being Denver's most haunted building.  Years ago, it was being remodeled into a bed and breakfast, and the workers reported a lot of paranormal events. In one case, a guard dog allegedly jumped out of a third story window to escape a demonic presence.  The place is now called the Patterson Inn, and you can stay here for $255 a night, although they might very well charge more for rooms with a demonic presence. But worth it, I'm sure. Enjoy!

More Florida Nostalgia: The Prawnbroker Has Closed!

I read in the newspaper (the online version, of course) that the Prawnbroker, one of my favorite restaurants in Stuart, Florida, has closed permanently due to the coronavirus.  This restaurant has been a fixture in Stuart for 35 years. Whenever I visited Stuart, my mother Mary and I would always dine there, preferably sitting in the bar area on a Friday night, when it was at it's liveliest (for Stuart, that is).  I took the photograph on the left of my mother - with eyes closed, unfortunately -  on one of those visits years ago.

One of the nice things about the Prawnbroker was that they had a complimentary buffet table in the bar area, which is a feature not too many restaurants have anymore.  After my mother moved up to Colorado to stay with me, we would still go down to her condo three times a year for eye appointments and to check on the place. On one of those visits we took Elaine, my mother's next door neighbor, to dinner there, and I took the photograph on the right of Elaine (on the left) and my mother at the bar as we waited for a table (in the bar area, of course - it was, after all, Friday night).

The Prawnbroker was located right next to the St. Lucie River, only a stone's throw from the ocean, and so after dinner we would usually head to the House of Refuge, built in 1876 as a shipwreck life-saving station, to take a few photographs around sunset, which is where I took the photo on the left. My parents moved down to Stuart in 1976, and since that time many of our favorite restaurants in Stuart have closed. In addition to the Prawnbroker, Casablanca, Two Guys Pizza, the Flashback Diner, The Ashley, Huckleberry's, the Island Reef, the Admiral's Table, and Jack Baker's Lobster Shanty have all closed, the last two destroyed by hurricanes.  I once thought I would like to live along the ocean down in Stuart, but after seeing the damage that three hurricanes caused to condos and beach houses, not to mention waterside restaurants, in just a one year period, I have changed my mind. Better safe than sorry has always been my motto, for better or worse.

Happy 4th Of July!

Today is the 4th of July, although thanks to the coronavirus, the number of official fireworks shows this year will be few and far between. Of course, like everywhere else in the country, people in Colorado are buying illegal fireworks left and right and have been shooting them off for weeks now.  Every night on the local news there are stories about illegal fireworks and how violators can be fined $1,000 if caught. Then they break for a commercial and there are ads for fireworks stores just across the border in Wyoming. What is the deal with that? In any case, since there will be no fireworks displays at Denver's Coors Field this year, I am featuring a photograph that I took back in 2013 in front of the stadium.  I decided to skip the game that year and just hang out in front and take photos.  It is much cheaper that way, and you are still able to watch the show.  What can I say? I have always been a cheapskate.

A Triumph Of Soviet Style Architecture!

It has been 20 years ago almost to the day that I moved into my condo across the street from the University of Denver.  I have been living in the building since 1987, but the building was sold to a condo developer in 1999, and it was either buy or move out.  At the time of the sale, the Rocky Mountain News described the structure as "Soviet style architecture."  Of course, the Rocky Mountain News is long gone, but the building is still here.  Dan Ritchie, the chancellor of the University of Denver at the time, wanted to buy the place and tear it down, feeling that it detracted from the ambiance of the Ritchie Center across the street, which he paid for out of his own pocket.  Evidently the price of the building was too steep even for him.  I am thinking of petitioning the City of Denver to give the building an historical designation.  After all, how many Soviet style buildings can there be in Denver?