Untitled Creative Fusion - In Stitches

I attended "Untitled Creative Fusion - In Stitches" at the Denver Art Museum (The DAM) last night, which turned out to be a pretty subdued affair. This is a quarterly event that takes place on the last Friday night of the month. Yesterday, the focus was on collaborative art projects and art as therapy, with small groups working on fabric related, collaborative art projects. This affair has replaced Final Fridays, for many years a monthly event at the DAM that featured a DJ blasting music, tours of the museum, a free buffet table and cash bar, and my favorite part: a comedy team from the Buntport Theater that featured "Joan and Charlie," a routine based on one of the museum's iconic art works. These evenings drew big crowds every month, which gradually diminshed as the event kept getting scaled back, a big reason being the closure of the North Building for renovations back in 2017. This October, that building will reopen, but will Final Fridays be back, too? I certainly hope so. I hate to say it, but "Untitled Creative Fusion" is DAM boring.

Is That Really A Cigarette-Smoking Giant Turtle?

I took the photograph on the left at the San Diego Zoo years ago while visiting my Uncle Jack, who lives in San Diego. My sister Susan really liked the photo, telling me it looked like that giant turtle was smoking a cigarette, while at the same time giving me the evil eye. She asked for a copy to display in her house, and that photo is now sitting in her bathroom, which I consider a place of honor, more or less. I have never seen a giant turtle in the wild, although they lay their eggs on the beach in Stuart, Florida each year, where my mother lived for almost 30 years. My ex-wife Lisa once sent me a video via Facebook showing one of them crawling back to the sea from Stuart Beach after laying those eggs, which I found quite impressive. Getting to see sights like that are one of the many advantages of living right on the beach, as opposed to the very real negatives of cost and hurricanes. In any case, I am just glad we still have those creatures around, and hope we always will. 

Visiting Cool Cats On A Hot Summer Day

As I mentioned in yesterday's blog, I visited the Denver Zoo Tuesday afternoon despite the 96 degree heat. Unlike the lions, the heat didn't seem to bother the tiger in the photograph on the left. It was in the upper level of it's compound, pacing back and forth, and was kind enough to stop for a minute and pose for a portrait. The tigers at the Denver Zoo occupy a new compound called "The Edge," which is supposed to be better, but does not seem all that larger than it's previous home at the zoo.

The old home of the tigers is now occupied by a serval, a wild cat native to Africa that can reach speeds up to 50 miles per hour. When I started working on this blog post, I could not remember it's name - a rare lapse in memory for me - and I had to look it up on the internet. I was truly surprised to find that it is not an endangered species, and that people often make them pets. There were two sites on the internet actually selling these creatures, and one site warning of the dangers of buying one. Considering that they can run up to 50 miles per hour, if you do decide to make one a pet, be sure not to drop the leash when you take it for a walk, or else in a couple of hours, it will be in the next state.

One Hot Summer Day At The Denver Zoo

I went to the Denver Zoo yesterday to take a few photographs - it is always a great place to go if you get blogger's block. The temperature reached 96 degrees while I was there, and some - but not all - of the animals really seemed to suffer from the heat, especially the zebras, including the one in the photograph on the left. Zebras are native to Africa, and can be found in the wild along the equator, which, if I am not mistaken, is much hotter than Denver. I suspect these animals have been spoiled by their air conditioned cages, three meals a day, and being allowed to watch Animal Planet on cable TV.

The Cape buffalo are also native to Africa, and roam the area around the equator, too, but also seem to have trouble with the heat, including the one seen wallowing in the mud in the photo on the right. Cape buffalo are considered one of the most dangerous animals on the African continent, and gore and kill an average of 200 people a year. They are known to be very tempermental, and therefore have never been domesticated. The heat probably makes them even surlier, too. I suspect they are not popular at petting zoos, either. 

My Parent's 81st Wedding Anniversary

Today would have been the 81st wedding anniversary of my parents, Mary and Nelson, if they were still around today. They got married in 1940, at a farmhouse in Geneva, Illinois owned by Uncle John, my Grandmother Hoyt's brother-in-law. When she was young, my sister Susan sometimes spent the weekend at that farm, and remembers going to the barn with Uncle John each evening to say goodnight to the cows. By the time I came along, that farm was long gone. But I digress. I am not sure where and when the above photograph was taken of my parents, but it is exactly how I remember them when I was a kid. Wish you were still here to celebrate, guys.

Biking Downtown In The Summertime

 

I have been doing a lot of biking lately, despite the heat, usually first heading to downtown Denver and then to Sloan's Lake and back. This past Saturday, I was pleasantly surprised to find the temperature was in the mid 80s, much cooler than usual, and perfect for biking. I took the self portrait on the left from the top of the Millenium Bridge, which leads to Commons Park and the Lower Highlands neighborhood, one of the city's trendiest. Back when I first moved to Denver, the Commons Park area was nothing but freight yards. Now it is a park surrounded by pricey apartment buildings and condos.  Definitely beats railroad tracks.

On the way back home, I walked through Larimer Square and took the photograph on the right. The street is still closed to traffic to allow restaurants more patio space. Businesses seem to be doing very well, especially on the weekends, and will remain pedestrian only through at least November, when it might be prudent to bring a jacket along, if you are dining al fresco. Larimer Square, by the way, was saved from the wrecking ball by local preservationist Dana Crawford. Back during the height of urban renewal in the mid 1960s, Larimer Street was Denver's skid row, and the city thought that if they tore down every building on the street - many of which were architectural gems, such as the Tabor Opera House - the homeless would also disappear. Only this one block was saved from destruction, thanks to Crawford, forever giving Denverites an idea of what life back in the 1870s was like here. And was the city successful in eliminating the homeless? What do you think?

Remembering A 1985 Trip To Stuart Florida

I ran across some photographs from a trip to Stuart, Florida back in 1985 the other day. My then wife Lisa, sister Susan, and I were visiting my mother Mary at her condo there, and as usual, we did a lot of touristy things, including hanging out in Old Town Stuart and at Stuart Beach. I took the photograph on the left at a park along the St. Lucie River, near Old Town. From left to right are Lisa, Susan, and my mother Mary. Old Town Stuart is very quaint, a popular destination for both residents and tourists. This photo is pretty undramatic, but I did take a photograph of Susan - a number of years later - climbing into a fountain in the middle of a traffic circle and posing with Lady Bountiful, the statue at it's center. I am still looking for a copy of that one.

We also hung out a bit at the pool next to the condo complex's clubhouse, where I took the photograph of Lisa and Susan on the right. I myself am not a pool person, and so I doubt it was my idea to spend the afternoon there. More likely, I wanted to head to Miami Beach to check out the action, but was overruled. And as for pools, I have lived in the same building in Denver for almost 34 years, and have never once been in the pool there. I like to look down on it - right below my balcony - but feel it best to keep a fair distance, to avoid getting wet.

I am pretty sure that the photograph on the left was taken at Huckleberry's, a restaurant on the St. Lucie River just to the west of Old Town Stuart, where we often went for Sunday brunch. Everybody looks like they were in a pretty good mood, and so I must have told them that I would be picking up the check. Those were indeed happy times. I wish life could be just one happy, never-ending vacation. But of course it can't. What a bummer.

Touring The DAM On A Hot Summer Day

I went to the Denver Art Museum (the DAM) this past Wednesday afternoon to see what was new there, and the answer was: not much. There were only two galleries open - the rest were closed for the installation of new exhibits. On the first floor was an exhibit called "Each/Other." It features the work of two Indigenous artists whose work is the result of a collaboration by many Native peoples. The artwork in the photograph on the left is made up of hundreds of beads, each created by a different person.

The other gallery features "The 19th Century In European and American Art," one of the museum's permanent exhibits. There are many impressionist painting on display, most of which were donated by the late Frederic C. Hamilton, former chairman of the museum's Board of Trustees. I have toured this exhibit many times, but it is always a joy seeing these paintings. The museum's North Building has been closed for renovations since November 2017, severely limiting the viewing of it's collection. The doors to that wing are right past those impressionist paintings, as seen in the photograph on the right, but will stay locked until this October, when there will be a grand reopening, no doubt accompanied by grand galas, at even grander ticket prices.

Thoughts On Ward Colorado

I went for a drive this past Tuesday along the Peak to Peak Highway, which runs from Interstate 70 to Estes Park, Colorado, an official "scenic highway" providing views of the Front Range Mountains. I eventually decided to turn off at the town of Ward and head back down the mountain to Boulder. I remember years ago watching a series of short films at one of the Denver Art Museum's Final Friday events, and one of them was by a woman who moved to Ward and featured the community in her film. Watching it, the place seemed pretty small and run down, and I can confirm that it still is, as seen in the photograph on the left that I took of it's main street. 

As I recall, the film was mainly about the people who lived there, mostly in modest, often very rustic homes and cabins, choosing an alternative lifestyle up in the mountains of Colorado. And on the way down to Boulder, I must say, I passed a lot of those types of residences, and really admire what still appears to be a resilient pioneer spirit up there. Allegedly, there are a lot of moose in this area. I have never actually seen a moose before, and was secretly hoping to see one walking down the main street of Ward, just like in the opening credits of Northern Exposure, a long ago television show about a small town in Alaska. Fort Collins Magazine once featured a story that said there were now so many moose in Colorado that Coloradans were in great danger from them. I myself have concluded that moose do not actually exist in this state. It is just a myth spread by the Colorado tourist industry to attract visitors, damn them.

Boulder In The Summertime

I drove up into the mountains this past Tuesday afternoon, and stopped in Boulder, Colorado on the way home. It was happy hour on the Boulder Mall, seen in the photograph above, and everyone was out and about, enjoying the hot and sunny weather, many of them on the patios of their favorite watering holes. Boulder is one of my favorite towns, located just underneath the Flatirons, and filled with Victorian houses and storefronts. Recently, Boulder was named the Best Place to Live in the US for the second time in a row by US News and World Report. Of course, it is also one of the most expensive places to live in the US, too. And, as a matter of fact, Denver, Colorado Springs, and Fort Collins also finished in the top 20, meaning that still more of those damn Californians will be moving here.

Problems On The Poudre

My sister Susan and I - along with her dog Blackberry - drove up Poudre Canyon, just to the northwest of Fort Collins, this past Monday afternoon to take in the ambience. It was a hot, sunny day, and the Poudre River was filled with rafters. There are a lot of companies in the area who take bus loads of tourists up the canyon, and lead them on guided rafting adventures. Everything on that Monday seemed serene, including at the Upper Landing picnic grounds, seen in the photograph above and located just upstream from The Mishawaka, a popular riverfront music venue, bar, and restaurant. I am very glad we went when we did, because yesterday afternoon the area was hit by heavy rainstorms, resulting in flash floods, mudslides precipitated by last year's forest fires, and mandatory evacuations. Living in the mountains is never easy, especially in these times of climate change. Not new news, but true nevertheless.

A Hall Of Fame Moment, And I Didn't Even Realize It.

A few weeks ago, I went with my friend Mark to Play Ball Park at the Colorado Convention Center, a baseball event held in conjunction with the All-Star game that recently took place in Denver. They had activities for kids, a display featuring the Negro Leagues, and other exhibits, including a selection of Baseball Hall of Fame memorabilia. And I was surprised to see on display the jersey that Minnie Minoso, one of the Chicago White Sox's most beloved players, wore on October 4th, 1980 when he became one of only a handful of players to play baseball in five different decades. I took a photograph of it in it's case, as seen in the photograph on the left.

I was there that day, and didn't even realize I was witnessing history, although I did take the photograph on the right of Minnie up at bat. Bill Veeck, who owned the White Sox at the time, made him the designated hitter that day so he could reach that important milestone, a really nice gesture, in addition to being a great publicity stunt. Veeck sold the team after that season, but the White Sox invited Minoso to bat again in 1990 to become the only player (I think) to play in six different decades. Major League baseball officials refused to allow it, however, calling it a publicity stunt that would tarnish the image of the game. What a bunch of stick-in-the-muds. 

Visiting Avery House

My sister Susan and I visited Avery House up in Fort Collins, Colorado this past Saturday afternoon. This house was built by Franklin and Sara Avery back in 1879. Franklin came to Colorado to survey the new town of Greeley back in 1870, and then did the same in Fort Collins in 1873. He later founded First National Bank, and he and his wife raised three children, necessitating two additions to the house. The City of Fort Collins bought the place in 1974 and restored it, turning it into a museum. As it was being restored, the two remaining children of Franklin and Sara, both over 100 years old at the time, donated many of the family's original furniture pieces, and helped recreate the home as it was when they lived there. It is filled with beautiful antiques, many of them from the family, and visiting this home is like a trip back to the Victorian age. If you ever have a chance, it is definitely worth a visit. And yes, that is indeed my sister Susan in the above photograph of Avery House. She has threatened to cause bodily harm to me if I ever take another photo of her, but thanks to the wide lens on my new camera, she suspected nothing. And thank God for that. 

Remembering Summer Vacation

It is the heart of summer, and back when I was a kid in the South Side Brainerd neighborhood of Chicago, these were the golden days, when going back to school at Fort Dearborn Grammar School was far, far away. Back then, school started up again the day after Labor Day, as God intended. These days, most schools seem to start in August, which, of course, is against nature. After all, Fort Dearborn, like most schools in Chicago, did not have air conditioning, and it would have been pretty damn hot in there in mid-August. Our teachers might have actually swooned, although that would have been a sight worth seeing. And yes, that is indeed me in front of our house on Aberdeen Street back in the day.

Hanging Out With Wally And Mark

Our mutual friend Wally (seen in the photo on the right) invited Mark (on the left) and I over to his house last night for dinner in his backyard, featuring burgers cooked out on the grill. Wally is doing well and keeping busy in his woodworking shop these days. His wife Linda is visiting their kids out in San Francisco this weekend, and so he is "batching it" until Sunday. Wally himself prefers to read about travel rather than actually going anywhere, although I must say that for someone who hates to travel, he travels a lot. Next up: Red Lodge, Montana. Have a great trip!

A Late Lunch In Exotic Lakewood

I had lunch Wednesday afternoon with my friend Stuart (seen in the photograph above) at the Qdoba Mexican Grill in the Denver West Village Shopping Center, located in exotic, fascinating, but still incredibly ugly Lakewood, Colorado.  Later on we had coffee a few doors down at the Barnes and Noble Starbucks. Stuart is doing well, and enjoying the good life in that Western Denver suburb. As regular blog readers know, I am not - with some exceptions - very fond of the suburbs, including Lakewood, which features lots of strip malls, pawn shops, and car dealerships. It's best feature is a "new downtown" called Belmar, that was built on the site of an old shopping center called Villa Italia, which is probably the inspiration for Festival Italiano, which takes place each year at Belmar. However, the last I heard, Belmar has gone into foreclosure. I guess it just can't compete with those ever fascinating Lakewood strip malls. Makes sense to me.

An All-Star Review

Major League Baseball's annual All-Star game took place this past Tuesday night here in Denver, and I went down to the Ballpark Neighborhood to check out the action.  As I approached Coors Field, I saw that Trump supporters had taken a prime position out front, as seen in the photograph on the left. I know that a majority of Republicans believe the election was stolen, but I always find it scary when I see them out and about, running loose and constantly denying reality. Whatever Trump says, they believe him, no matter how preposterous the lie. Very scary indeed.

There were several festivals going on, just across the street from the ballpark, and also over on Larimer Street, where the bars and restaurants were doing a land-office business. The photograph on the right shows a typical group of baseball fans (no doubt ex-Californians) entering Zan Z Bar, a local watering hole. No doubt they are wearing their favorite team's colors. 

I also stopped by McGregor Square, the new mixed use development just across the street from Coors Field. The place was packed, as seen in the photo on the left, and there was a huge line to buy beer at a kiosk run by Mile Post Zero, a new food hall at the complex. I could not help but notice that a single can of India Pale Ale was selling for $11.00, which is what a 6-pack of Odells IPA costs. I personally feel that you would have to be crazy to pay that much for a can of beer. And it has suddenly occurred to me that I am implying that everyone I have featured on today's blog is a little (or perhaps a lot) on the crazy side - crazy each in their own way. Is it just me? Have I really turned into an old curmudgeon? Don't answer that! And by the way, the American League beat the National League by a score of 5 to 3, and Liam Hendricks, the closer for my South Side heroes, the Chicago White Sox, made the final three outs for the save. Go Liam!

Happy Bastille Day!

Today is Bastille Day, an official holiday in France, which celebrates the storming of the Bastille, a notorious prison, and marks the start of the French Revolution back in 1789. The Bastille was pulled down by the mob, and so there is nothing left to see. However, there is an outline of where it stood in the Place de la Bastille, which my sister Susan and I walked past in May of 2019 on our way to Place des Vosges, four blocks away and considered one of the most beautiful squares in Paris, and perhaps in all of Europe, and seen in the above photograph. It dates from 1612, and was originally called Place Royal, but after the French Revolution, the name was changed, and I suspect a number of the aristocracy who lived there at the time lost their heads, as well as their homes. But happily, unlike last year, when everything was locked down due to the coronavirus pandemic, Paris will once again be celebrating Bastille Day with a military parade down the Champs-Elysees and a fireworks display at the Eiffel Tower. And if you catch a flight now, you might still be able to take part in some of the action. Better hurry.

The July Mutt Of The Month

I photographed the July Mutt of the Month while I was walking back to the light rail train from the fireworks show at Denver's Coors Field a week or so ago. This dog was doing a lot of people watching while her owner was having dinner on the patio of the Rock Bottom Restaurant and Brewery. And I must say, there were a lot of interesting (i.e. weird) people to look at, including, of course, myself. My friend Stuart and I visited this brewpub a number of times years ago. I remember taking home a coaster from there that said "You Have Hit Rock Bottom." I think I have it in a drawer somewhere. I wonder if they still put those out on the bar? One can only hope.

A Britannia Flashback

My sister Susan was waxing nostalgic the other day about Britannia, a resort on the Lake of Bays, near Huntsville, Ontario, which I have mentioned a number of times on this blog. Our family used to spend the first two weeks of July there back in the early 1950s, and my sister just loved the place. My mother, father, and sister would drive up there from Chicago - sometimes along with my mother's parents - and my mother's brother and his family would drive up from Cleveland. My father and Uncle Bill would play golf, while Susan and her cousin Judy would raise hell for two weeks, making the lives of the waitresses in the dining room miserable - they definitely earned their money. It was evidently a wonderful place to vacation. However, once the owner died, and the son took over, it became prohibitively expensive, and the family started going to a cheaper resort called Lumina, which unlike Britannia, is actually still there. In the photograph above, in the back row, from left to right, are my Aunt Elsie, Uncle Bill, my mother Mary, and father Nelson. In the front row are my cousin Linda, cousin Judy, sister Susan, Grandmother Louise, and Grandfather Bill. I myself wasn't even thought of back then. I'm still just a young guy, after all. Right? Right?

Play Ball Park

I went with my friend Mark to Play Ball Park at the Colorado Convention Center yesterday. It is a baseball event held in conjunction with the All-Star Game taking place in Denver this coming Tuesday, and features a Baseball Hall of Fame exhibit, autographing sessions with former ballplayers, including Hall of Famers, and varfious other exhibits, including one on the Negro Leagues. There are also mascots there from various major league teams, including the mascot from the St. Louis Cardinals, posing with Mark in the phitograph on the left.

There were also a number of speakers at Play Ball Park, including Luis Tiant, who pitched for the Boston Red Sox back in the 1970s and can be seen in the photograph on the right. Mark and I listened to his talk, and Tiant - now 80 years old - is definitely very old school. He is not a big fan of computer generated analysis in baseball, saying everyone just needs to use their brains to make decisions, and thinks pitchers these days do not stay in the game nearly long enough, which might be the cause of frequent injuries. He was very positive about his career, however, and very grateful that he was able to do what he loved all his life. All of us should be so lucky. Great to see you, Luis!

It's All-Star Weekend!

It's All-Star Weekend here in Denver, and that summer baseball classic will take place at Coors Field - seen in the photograph on the left - this Tuesday night. Between now and then, there are all kinds of events that will take place, including the "MLB All-Star Play Ball Park" at the Colorado Convention Center, which will include a traveling version of the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum. The last time the All-Star game was in Denver, back in 1998, I went with Colin, the young son of my friend Robin, a former co-worker at the long gone Hatch's Bookstore. We had seats in the Rockpile, where the view was only slightly better than from the parking lot, but it was definitely worth the experience. Back then the tickets were pricey, and - no surprise -  they cost even more today, and so my attitude this time around mirrors that of Ed, my former DU Bookstore boss, speaking about the rodeo: "Once is interesting, twice is a mistake."

Not surprisingly, all the hotels, restaurants, bars, and other businesses are out of their minds with joy that the game is being held here, and there are signs and murals all over town, such as the one in the photograph on the right, at the entrance to the downtown Sheraton hotel. The local news programs are spending all their time covering the events leading up to the big game, and one station is even broadcasting the evening news from the rooftop of McGregor Square, right across the street from Coors Field. The All-Star game in Denver back in 1998 was the highest scoring game in it's history, and as I recall, the national media thought Coors Field was a joke because of all the hits. The game lasted for hours. Now that the baseballs here are put into a humidor to compensate for the altitude, perhaps this time they will have a different opinion.

The crowds will be huge in downtown Denver this Tuesday, consisting not only of out-of-towners and local baseball fans, but thousands of the Millennials and Gen Zers who live here, don't care about baseball, but love to party, no matter what the excuse. There will be a huge festival on Larimer Street, just two blocks to the east of the ballpark, and there will also be something called "All-Stars on Larimer Block Party" between 4:00 and 8:00 P.M. on Larimer Square, five blocks to the south, and seen in the photo on the left in calmer times. All the media outlets have been doing nostalgia pieces on the 1998 All-Star game, and I was shocked to learn that Glory, the beanie baby given out to fans at that game, is now worth upwards of $500, one of which is sitting on my living room bookcase. Think what it will be worth in another 23 years, when I am 91. I'll be rich! And by the way, do they still even make beanie babies these days? I haven't kept up on these things over the last several decades. A very bad habit indeed.

Dark Sky

I just finished reading Dark Sky, the latest Joe Pickett novel by C.J. Box. I had it on order from the Denver Public Library for months, and then just last week found a copy at the Barking Beagle's Little Free Library up in Fort Collins. How amazing is that? This time, Pickett, a Wyoming game warden, is asked by the governor to take a social media CEO (no doubt based on Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg) on an elk hunting trip up in the Bighorn mountains in hopes of convincing him to expand his operations into the state. Once they make camp in a very remote part of the mountains, they are attacked by a family out to exact revenge on that CEO, blaming him for not stopping the online bullying and resulting suicide of their daughter and sister. Soon Pickett and the CEO find themselves fleeing for their their lives through the wilderness. This book is a real page-turner, and I strongly recommend it. Pick up a copy today.

July At The Zoo Part II

As I mentioned in yesterday's blog post, I went to the Denver Zoo Tuesday afternoon to walk around and take a few photographs. It was overcast for much of the day, and only hit 80 degrees, and so all of the animals were out and about, enjoying the day. Two of the bachelor lions were just hanging out in the smaller lion compound, as seen in the photograph on the left. They are always willing to pose for a photograph, God bless them, and are patiently waiting for their Covid shots, which zoo officials say could happen as soon as this week.

The lion pride that includes Tatu and twins Oskar (named for the Oskar Blues Brewery in Lyons - this is Colorado, after all) and Araali were all in the main lion compound, called Predator Ridge. The photograph on the right is of one of the pride's lionesses. She is posing for the photo, but does not exactly look happy about it. Nothing worse than a cranky lioness, I always say. The problem these days with this family is that both Tatu and the lion cubs are now pretty much fully grown, and it is hard to tell who is who. The Denver Zoo definitely needs more cuddly cubs. They make for much cuter photos.

All the elephants were out and about, too, including Jake and Chuck, half brothers who came to the Denver Zoo from Ontario, and seen in the photograph on the left. They tend to stick together most of the time, no doubt reminising about their time up in Canada, a much colder climate where you don't have to throw dirt on your back to cool off. I wonder if they spent much time on the Lake of Bays, where our family used to vacation back in the 1950s? Of course, my parents and sister never mentioned anything about elephants at Britannia, where they used to stay, but perhaps it just slipped their minds.

A New Baby Mandrill At The Denver Zoo!

I visited the Denver Zoo yesterday afternoon, and was surprised to find that it has a new baby Mandrill, as seen in the photograph on the left. The new addition is named Akili, joining big sister Kesi, who herself is only two years old and full of energy, constantly on the move. Akili is only two months old, and her mother Jelani does not allow her to leave her side. Akili either clings to it's mother as she roams the compound, or else is led by the hand by Jelani.

I took the photograph on the right of Jelani and Akili sitting together in their compound. I am not sure what the expression on Jelani's face means, but I suspect she was thinking about what she went through raising Kesi, who I imagine was and still is a handful, and the unfairness of having to go through all that again. On the bright side, most of the mammals at the Denver Zoo will be getting Covid-19 vaccinations starting this week. I very much would like to be able to be there and take photos when the vet goes into those cages and gives the animals those shots. Talk about a photo opportunuity.

The photograph on the left is of Kumani, the proud father. He does not appear to be too involved in the raising of the kids. I suspect he is busy worrying about all of the things he needs to do, such as dealing with the teenage years, finding money for college, etc. etc. This is one of the animals that I would really like to see vaccinated by the vet. Sit him down, swab his arm, and give him the needle. What could be simpler?

Blackberry For Top Dog!

I entered my sister Susan's dog Blackberry in Odell Brewery's Fort Collins Top Dog contest yesterday, at her urging. Odell is sponsoring the contest for the benefit of the Northern Colorado Wildlife Center. The 15 dogs with the most donations, along with 1 "social media star" will compete for the title on Odell's taproom patio on Saturday, September 25th. Along with the adulation, the winner will get it's face on an Odell's beer can. Blackberry would just love all that attention. I am pretty sure that Blackberry won't collect many donations, but am hoping she will snag that social media spot. Check out her posting at https://www.mightycause.com/story/Za9abg.

A Favorite 4th Of July Memory

One of my favorite 4th of July memories was going to Cannon Beach, Oregon for a Hoyt family reunion back in 2012 with my Uncle Jack (my father Nelson's brother) and his family. Barb - my cousin John's wife - and her family have a home on the beach there, and her father graciously allowed us to use it over the 4th of July weekend. In addition to getting to know my father's side of the family, who all grew up in California, and I had not seen since 1968, it was fun just to celebrate the 4th of July in such a picturesque, small beachside town. The 4th of July parade down main street, which we all attended, seemed to include all the locals, and was just plain fun. What a great time. I hope everyone out there had an equally fun 4th of July this year, too. And, in the photograph above, from left to right, are my cousin Kathy's husband, Kathy, my Uncle Jack, cousin Annette, Annette's son Jason and daughter Gracie, Barb - my cousin John's wife - cousin John, and my cousin Denise, who was just a toddler the last time I saw her. Talk about a great reunion.

Happy 4th Of July!

Today is the 4th of July, the first in a while that can be celebrated more or less normally, and so I resolved to head to downtown Denver and take photographs of the fireworks after the Colorado Rockies-St. Louis Cardinals game at Coors Field Friday night. I checked online, and the Rockies were ahead 3-2 in the bottom of the 8th inning, and so quickly headed to the light rail station, hoping I would get downtown in time for the fireworks. I needn't have worried - the Cardinals tied the game in the 9th inning and scored 6 runs in the 10th to win the game. While I waited for the fireworks to begin, I stood across the street from the stadium and watched the crowds moving from bar to bar in what is called the LoDo (Lower Downtown) neighborhood. It had been years since I was down there that late on a weekend, and it was just as frenetic as I remembered. Years ago, I was considering buying a loft in this neighborhood. I asked to see it, but when we got to the 2nd floor, it was just one large empty space, and was told they could show me drawings of what it would someday look like. I said the hell with that, and am glad I did. What a circus that neighborhood is - living there would have driven me even crazier than I am now.

The First Friday Of July Art Walk

I attended the First Friday Art Walk on Denver's Santa Fe Drive last night, and was happy to see that virtually all of the galleries were open and the crowds on the street back to normal. I stopped in at the Artists On Santa Fe Gallery and ran into my friend and former University of Denver Bookstore co-worker Carol Till, seen in the photograph on the left, who was exhibiting her etchings there. Carol retired from the DU Bookstore to work full time as an artist, and is very happy things are finally getting back to normal. Be sure to check out her artwork at http://www.caroltill.com/index.html.

I also stopped in at the Sync Gallery, seen in the photograph on the right, and viewed a photography exhibit by Lynda Tygart titled Her Sanctuary, a collection of photographs of her grandmother's farmhouse taken by Tygart on the eve of her grandmother's funeral. I found the photos and her descriptions quite moving. And I was pleased to see that a number of other galleries were featuring photography, too. Progress at last!

I must say that a lot of the art on display this month was really good, although there was a lot that was pretty mediocre - or just plain weird - too. I took the photograph on the left just outside the back entrance of a store called ReCreative Denver, a place that strives to make reuseable art materials more affordable and keep them out of the landfill. All I have to say about this display is that I would not like to stumble upon it in the dark, late at night.

Still Another Chicago White Sox Update!

As of today, my South Side heroes, the Chicago White Sox, are in first place in the American League Central Division, a full five games in front of the Cleveland Indians. Of course, one thing I don't want is for the White Sox to peak too soon. Their North Side rivals, the Chicago Cubs, often do this, and after a strong start, lose almost every game during August and September. And by the way, the above photograph was taken at Payne Park in Sarasota, Florida, back in March of 1985, before the White Sox deserted that historic spring training facility for the greener pastures of Arizona.  And, I might add, I have visited the Phoenix area, where the White Sox now train, and have to report that there is very little green out there.

Hillary For Prison? Still?

Every time I take my sister Susan's dog Blackberry for a walk around her neighborhood up in Fort Collins, Colorado, I pass the car in the photograph above with the bumper sticker "Hillary for Prison 2016." I am still not sure what crimes she needs to be jailed for, but I do have to admire the persistence of so many Trump supporters. Not only do they still want Hillary Clinton jailed, they wholeheartedly believe, without any proof whatsoever, that the 2020 election was stolen. Many also believe that Trump will be reinstated as president in August. How wonderful it must be to live in a reality-free world. No doubt very liberating. Trump himself says it will be up to his supporters to decide how his possible reinstatement this August will turn out. Which is a very scary thought indeed. I only hope Canada will allow refugees from the U.S. pretty soon. I kind of like Ontario.