New Year's Eve!

Today is New Years's Eve, and despite the Covid-19 pandemic, people will be out celebrating in droves tonight. In past years, I have gone down to Denver's 16th Street Mall to watch the fireworks (there are two shows - one at nine, and one at midnight), but the last time I went, it was so crowded on the mall you couldn't move, and it was near impossible to even see the fireworks. All this while freezing to death on a cold Colorado night. Afterwards, going home on the light rail train was a nightmare, everyone having to wait in long lines, in the cold, to board. I very much preferred, when it was still possible, to spend New Year's Eve up in Fort Collins with my sister Susan, late brother-in-law George, and mother Mary, who used to come up from Stuart, Florida for the holidays when she was alive. I am glad Susan and I still have the memories and the photos from those happy times. In the photograph above, taken in 1994, are my sister and mother after a night out at The Catacombs, a local Fort Collins hot spot, before the owner - Niko - retired. As you can see, my mother was pretty anxious to get to bed. Living for so long in Florida, she was always cold up here, and couldn't wait to get under the covers. These days, I feel the same way. And yes, that is indeed a cat Susan is holding. Could it be Mighty Aphrodite? Maybe yes, maybe no. I am just not a cat person. So sue me.

Biking Past Three Haunted Mansions

A few weeks ago, before the weather changed, I went for a bike ride through Central Denver, and passed by no less than three allegedly haunted mansions. The first was the Grant-Humphreys Mansion, built in 1902 for James Benton Grant, a one term governor of Colorado, and seen in the photograph on the left. It was later purchased by Albert E. Humphreys, an oil barrron, who one evening left the dinner table to clean his gun, and was found a short while later dead from a gunshot to the head. It is rumored he haunts the third floor of the mansion, now owned by the Colorado Historical Society.

I then passed by the Dennis Sheedy Mansion, seen in the photo on the right, which has recently been turned into offices, and renamed the Grant Street Mansion. It is rumored to be haunted by a sad looking Victorian lady, who walks the floors of the house before vanishing. Sheedy had the home built for his family in 1892, but sadly, six of eight Sheedy children died in infancy, and Sheedy's wife, Kathryn Ryan Sheedy, died within three years of moving into the house. No wonder her ghost looks so sad.

The final haunted house I passed was the Croke-Patterson Mansion, seen in the photograph on the left. The original owner, Thomas Croke, had the place built in 1890, but - according to one account - only visited the house once. He felt an evil presence during that visit, and refused to move in. Other accounts vary, but it is a fact that he didn't stay there long. It is rumored that a baby girl was buried inside the walls. When the mansion was being converted to a bed and breakfast, two watch dogs were left overnight to guard the building, and both broke through a third floor window and jumped to their deaths in order to escape the place. And by the way, I got all this information off the internet, and as you all well know, information from the internet is seldom wrong.

Waiting For the CTA 2022 Historical Calendar

It is almost time for the CTA 2022 Historical Calendar to be released. This is something I look forward to each year. This calendar is posted by the Chicago Transit Authority to it's website, and can be downloaded to your desktop, or even printed out if preferred. Each month features historic photographs of neighborhoods throughout Chicago, along with various CTA "L" trains, busses, and streetcars. It is fun and free, great for nostalgia freaks like me. And by the way, the photograph above is from the 2021 calendar, and features a mid-1940s view of the Lake Street Elevated Halsted station. I myself took the Lake Street "L" many times when I lived in Forest Park, a suburb just west of Chicago. That was back before the trains were identified by colors instead of place names. And what is the deal with that, CTA?

The Natural Areas Of Fort Collins

I took my sister Susan to a doctor's appointment up in Fort Collins the other day. While I waited for her, I took her dog Blackberry for a walk, and discovered a large natural area right behind the building, and a trail running along Spring Creek. Fort Collins is filled with these open spaces, which are accessible to everyone, young and old. I am very impressed with this city, and understand why it has become such a popular destination to live, although this unfortunately brings traffic and higher housing costs. I guess you have to balance out the good with the bad. One of those bad things was the fact that Blackberry wound up with a lot of thistles in her fur, especially on her legs, and it was no joy trying to get her to sit still while I cut them off. Maybe that is why she peed on my carpet so much when she and Susan visited me over the Christmas holiday. A revenge pee. Who woulda thunk it?

A Visit From Blackberry

My sister Susan and her dog Blackberry - seen in the photograph above - stayed with me at my Denver condo over Christmas, where we celebrated the holiday. My only complaint was with Blackberry. She usually stays in the kitchen when at home with Susan, and virtually never wees on the floor. However, over the past weekend, all she seemed to want to do was wee on my carpet, and in one instance, my bed, which I REALLY took exception to. I know I shouldn't take it personally, but I think Blackberry has a serious grudge against me. That is the only possible explanation. And I try so hard to be nice.

Boxing Day!

Today is Boxing Day, which is an official holiday in the UK, but has nothing to do with boxes, such as the boxed calendars seen in the photograph above. Boxing Day is actually the day servants receive Christmas gifts and a day off from their employers for all the work they have done over the year, including on Christmas Day. I myself do not celebrate Boxing Day in the traditional way, since I had to close up my villa on the French Riviera and lay off the servants, due to Covid-19 restrictions. Instead, I use the day to take advantage of half price calendar sales at places such as Barnes and Noble Bookstores and Go Calendar stores. It was through thrifty techniques such as these that I was actually able to afford that villa. Still another life lesson from a confirmed cheapskate.

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas Everyone! Today I am featuring a photograph taken on Christmas Day back in 2008, when my mother was living with me at my Denver condo after too many falls at her place down in Stuart, Florida. From left to right are my late brother-in-law George, sister Susan, myself (in the background), and my mother Mary. It was a happy time, being all together for Christmas like that. I am glad my sister and I have the photos and the memories.  And to quote from A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens, "A merry Christmas to everybody! A happy New Year to all the world! God bless Us, Every One!

A Visit From The Three Spirits - A Yearly Tradition...

Today, of course, is Christmas Eve, and every year on this date I watch the pope's Midnight Mass from St. Peter's Basilica in Rome, go to bed afterwards, and during the night am visited by three spirits, each one trying to change my curmudgeonly ways. And they have never succeeded. You would think they would have given up by now, damn it. But no. Still another cross to bear each year. And by the way, the photograph above is of the ghost of Marley showing me around hell on a visit there last Christmas Eve. What I want to know is who took that photograph? I'm afraid to think.

Strolling Denver's 16th Street Mall During The Holidays

Although it is nothing like Chicago's Magnificent Mile during the holiday season, the City of Denver still does a good job of making the16th Street Mall pretty festive this time of year. The photograph on the left is of the Denver Pavilions Shopping Center, located on the upper part of the mall. Every year the city has what is called the Parade of Lights, and afterwards, the parade floats are parked all over the downtown area, several of which can be seen in the photo.

The photograph on the right shows the patio of a restaurant called West of Surrender (don't ask me why), which also seems to be decorating it's outside area with lights, although I don't know if they are a permanent feature or are just there for the holidays. This restaurant opened up in September of 2019, just in time for the coronavirus pandemic, although they are now back open, and appear to be doing well. They are located in what was once an upscale restaurant called Marlowe's, which closed after 36 years in business, due to competition from new bars and restaurants in LoDo, as well as the increased costs of running a restaurant downtown. That does not seem to bother the West of Surrender people. Good luck to them. Never surrender!

My Annual Christmas Card

I sent out my annual Christmas card this past Saturday, and hopefully it will arrive in everyone's mail box by Christmas Eve, brightening the holiday for all. I started making personalized Xmas cards ever since my mother Mary came to live with me back in 2006, signing both our names to it, and kept up the tradition after she passed away. I do this for several reasons. For one, to let everyone know that my sister Susan and I are still alive. Two, to remind them all that I am indeed still crazy. And three, that I have everyone's addresses and know where they live. Definitely a holiday tradition worth keeping, in my opinion. And by the way, in the back row of the photograph above, from left to right, are my maternal grandparents, Bill and Louise Spillard, my paternal grandparents, Fleta and Claire Hoyt, and moi! In the front row are my mother Mary and father Nelson, my late brother-in-law George, and my sister Susan. In the background of the photograph is my world famous Christmas tree, and the lighted tower of the University of Denver's Ritchie Center, adding to the holiday cheer.

The Winter Solstice

Today is the Winter Solstice, the shortest day of the year. Although it is celebrated in the UK at places such as Stonehenge, by self-proclaimed pagans, until recently there were no such events here in Denver. This year, however, there are a number of Winter Solstice celebrations, two of which took place this past weekend and really caught my attention. The first was "A Witches Gathering for the Winter Solstice," sponsored by a group called Horrid Spirits, which is a ticketed affair thru event management company Eventbrite. Another celebration was called the "Young Witchy Denverites Full Moon and Winter Solstice Celebration," which was looking for new members to join their coven. Obviously, WAY too many Californians have moved here in recent years. Both events, by the way, used the above photograph in their advertising. Perhaps it is the only known photograph of a group of witches. I'm just speculating here, of course.

Spring Training Is Only Eight Weeks Away!

I know this is Christmas week, but baseball spring training is only eight weeks away, assuming the labor dispute between owners and players is resolved by then. I am no longer obsessed with baseball, but back when I took the photograph above of Coors Field, under construction in 1994, I was fixsated on the Colorado Rockies, then in their second year of existence, playing games at Mile High Stadium until their new ballpark was completed. Back then, I was at the Coors Field construction site every week, photographing it's progress. Ironically, that year, the players staged a strike in August, which resulted in the cancellation of the playoffs and the World Series. Coors Field's grand opening did not occur until April 25th of the following year. Hopefully, both players and owners have learned their lesson from that experience, and will settle their differences before the season begins. Yeah. Right.

One Weird Bathroom...

I have been up in Fort Collins, Colorado a lot lately, helping out my sister Susan. I have been sleeping on the floor in the kitchen, right next to the heating vent (the living room sofa is just too damn uncomfortable, and that living room, to me, is too damn cold. That's not weird, right?). But what really strikes me is the bathroom on the first floor, as seen in the photograph above, which I have been using while staying here. Every wall surface is covered with photos and drawings, not to mention my reflection in the mirror (find my face in the photo and you could win a big prize, although I get to define what a "big prize" is). Is this the bathroom of a true eccentric, or what? And I have absolutely no problem with true eccentrics. Actually, I happen to be one myself. I'm just sayin'.

The Littleton Museum Part II

As I mentioned in yesterday's blog post, I went to the Littleton Museum a few days ago to walk around and take a few photographs. The Littleton Museum's grounds include "living farms" from the 1860s and 1890s. The farmhouse from the 1860s was actually just a log cabin, and pretty damn basic. The farmhouse from the 1890s, as seen in the photograph on the left, was quite an upgrade, and looks pretty comfortable.

As with the pigs, the two oxen were very much interested in their food, and not interested in posing for a portrait. Like with the pigs, I moved on and then came back later, when one of them finally decided to look up from it's meal and look at me, when I took the photo on the right. Of course, it did not stop eating while it did, which I personally find pretty rude, but I imagine museum personal don't have time to teach the animals manners. Perfectly understandable.

The goat in the photograph on the left shares a pen with two cows, with whom it was trying to compete at the feeding trow as I approached. It finally looked up for a minute so that I could take it's photo, and then went back to chomping down on some hay - yum! I evidently arrived during the dinner hour, since on previous visits this creature would put it's two front hoofs on the fence and try to interact with visitors. Not this time - I guess everybody has their priorities, even goats.

As I was leaving, I decided to take one more photograph of a ram, seen in the photo on the right, since they were so numerous. According to the Littleton Museum website, the animals here are ones that were kept on these farms back in the 1860s and 1890s. These days, there are still a number of buildings from that era in downtown Littleton, which sprang up to serve those farms, and makes a pleasant place to shop and dine. However, except for the Littleton Museum, the farms are all gone, replaced by suburbia. It is really wonderful that the city fathers had the foresight to preserve this part of their past.

Revisiting The Littleton Museum

I drove down to the Littleton Museum, in the suburb of Littleton, just south of Denver, a few days ago to walk around and take a few photographs. In addition to the museum proper, the grounds include two "living farms," one from the 1860s, seen in the photogrdaph on the left, and one from the 1890s. This area was settled by farmers in the 1860s, and soon the town of Littleton was established to help serve this market.

The best part of the museum are the farm animals, of course. The first time I encountered the pig in the photograph on the right, it was totally involved in scarfing up as much food as it could get in it's snout (it is, after all, a pig). After a while, I gave up and moved on to the other animals. When I came back a second time, it looked up briefly to see who was there, which is when I snapped the photograph on the right.

I had no trouble getting the attention of the sheep in the photograph on the left. And you can tell from it's expression how happy it was to see me. Perhaps if I had brought a snack - perhaps a Snickers bar. Coming from the south Side of Chicago, where farm animals are a bit of a rarity,I am not all that familiar with different kinds of sheep, and why it is not white like the others. And as long as it poses for me, I don't really care.

The ram in the photograph on the right was also quite willing to pose for a portrait. The Littleton Museum seems to have a lot of sheep on the grounds. Perhaps they got a deal on them. In any case, if you live in the area, you can't go wrong spending an afternoon here. And best of all, it is free. My favorite price-point.

The December Mutt Of The Month

I took the above photograph of the December Mutt of the Month a few weeks ago, on the patio of the Denver Beer Company, located on South Downing Street here in Denver. It was such a happy dog, wanting to interact with everyone who passed by, including me. When it jumped up to greet me, it was as tall as I was, and knocked my glasses off. But no problem. It was fun to see how much that dog wanted to visit with one and all, filled with joy and happiness. Kind of like me after a couple of those Denver Beer Company IPAs. And that makes me have to wonder - are it's owners giving it pints of beer? It would explain a lot.

A Bike Ride Before The Storm

Since it was in the mid-sixties and sunny yesterday afternoon, I decided to take a bike ride from my condo across the street from the University of Denver to downtown and back, especially since it is mid-December and I might not have too many more biking opportunities this year. It has been a mild fall here in Denver, but when I got home last night, the weather forecasters were warning that today could be rainy, with hurricane force winds, and wind gusts up to 100 miles per hour in the foothills. They are predicting power outages, massive dust storms, and the end of civilization as we know it. I'm glad I got my ride in when I did. And by the way, in the background of the self-portrait above is the Grant-Humphreys Mansion, owned by History Colorado, and rented out for weddings and other events. It is reputed to be haunted, just like almost every other house in Denver over 100 years old. I have not yet seen any ghosts when biking past it - or seen any ghosts anywhere, for that matter - but continue to have high hopes, just like the hope of one day seeing a moose here in Colorado.

Denver - A Top Christmas Destination?

I read in the Denver Post the other day that Conde Nast Traveler named Denver one of the best U.S. cities to visit at Christmas. They mentioned such things as the Denver Zoo Lights, shopping and ice skating downtown, attending a performance of A Christmas Carol and The Nutcracker, and even visiting the Mile High Tree on the 16th Street Mall, which can be seen in the photograph on the left. That tree is kind of nice during the evenings, but during the day it is all metal and wires, and pretty damn ugly. 

I guess the Christmas lights on the 16th Street Mall, seen in the photograph on the right, are nice, but personally, I think the lights in downtown Fort Collins and Boulder are much nicer. Plus, those communities are much smaller, and to me have more of a holiday feel to them. And I also have to note that Denver is only one of 23 cities featured in the article, which includes Chicago, Charleston, South Carolina, Alexandria, Virginia, St. Augustine, Florida, and Santa Fe, New Mexico, all of which I have either lived in (Chicago) or visited, and would prefer to visit rather than Denver during the holidays, if I didn't already live here. One of the other recommendations is Las Vegas, which I can't imagine being a great place to visit during the holidays. Talk about a crass kind of Christmas.

The Conde Nast article also mentions the Denver Christkindlmarket, located in Civic Center Park, which it calls one of the best German Christmas markets in the country. I visited it this past Friday, and took the photograph on the left while I was there. It was a nice place to walk around for a bit, despite the cold temperatures and strong winds, but I would not come to Denver just to see it. I recommend the Nuremberg or Munich Christmas markets instead, although I think that both have been canceled again this year due to the coronavirus. Am I being disloyal to my adopted city? Do I care? You can probably guess the answer to that. In any case, check out the complete list of Conde Nast's best Xmas cities at https://www.cntraveler.com/gallery/the-best-places-to-spend-christmas-in-the-us.

Denver's First Snowfall

Denver got it's first snowfall of the year this past Friday, tieing a record snowless streak set in 1887. It wasn't much of a snow storm, but hopefully, it will calm down all the weather forecasters on the local television newscasts, who have been absolutely manic about the lack of snow. They take the weather very seriously here. And by the way, the building in the background of the photograph above is the Ghost Building, built in 1889 for real estate developer Allen M. Ghost. It was scheduled for demolition at it's original location, but a local architect disassembled the facade and reassembled it at this site. And after getting - officially, anyway - three tenths of an inch of snow and ending that snowless streak? The hysteria seen on the local weather reports will end, and we will get back to warmer temperatures, sunny skies, and continued outdoor dining here in Denver. Still another upside to climate change, at least for now.

Flossmoor 1972

My sister Susan was reminiscing the other day about her apartment in Flossmoor, Illinois, a suburb south of Chicago. She and her husband George moved there from their apartment at 1130 South Michigan, in downtown Chicago, back in the early 1970s. I took the photograph on the left back in 1972 of the front of the building, built back in 1933. Their apartment was a 2 bedroom with a huge entry hall, and a large living room with a big fireplace, with beautiful wood trim throughout. Back in 1976, when my parents moved to Stuart, Florida, I stayed with Susan and George in the spare bedroom while looking for an apartment of my own. Someone had removed the radiator from that bedroom, and so it was a bit chilly in there. Each night, I came home from work at the Waldenbooks in the North Riverside Mall, and my sister would ask if I had found an apartment yet. Not that I didn't feel welcome, of course.

Their apartment was right across the street from the IC Station, which took South Suburban commuters to downtown Chicago. I remember one time, while working at a part-time job downtown, I was waiting for the train, and saw it approaching. I also noticed my sister burst out of the front entrance of her building, sprint across the street, and arrive on the platform just as the train arrived. Which is how she has timed things all of her life. In any case, the thing that strikes me the most in the photo on the right are the cars. They look ancient, and yet to me it doesn't seem all that long ago that I took that picture. Then I did the math, and this photo was taken almost 50 years ago. Fifty years! My God. I am indeed old. How did that happen?

Addressing Social Welfare Issues At The Denver Zoo

As I mentioned in yesterday's blog post, I went to the Denver Zoo this past Wednesday afternoon to take a few photographs. And walking around the grounds, I noticed a number of "red flags" concerning the animals, that zoo officials should address. For one thing, when any of the other mandrills approach mother Kumani and Akali, her baby daughter, she goes into the stance seen in the photograph on the left. Are the other mandrills, including father Jelani, that threatening, or is she simply being too overprotective? Either way, the zoo social worker needs to talk with her.

Another concerning issue is that Cerah, the 2 year old orangutan, and daughter of mother Nias and father Berani, seems to be hitting the bottle pretty early these days, as seen in the photograph on the right. Granted, Cerah has had a lot of trama in her short life. Her mother Nias passed away last December at the age of 32. Her father, Berani, has stepped up to raise the youngster, but it is always a struggle for a single father. He can't be around all the time, and might not even be aware of the problem. Definitely another issue for the zoo social worker to address.

Finally, one look at the hyena in the photograph on the left tells you that it is dealing with severe depression. As I have said many times before, being locked up for life at the zoo is a very hard thing for many animals to deal with. I have suggested that a program be started to let zoo visitors take some of these animals home for the weekend, where they can play with the kids, and get a break from their monotonous routine. Of course, zoo officials refuse to do this, thinking that taking a hyena, or any other animal, home for a visit might cause problems, and possible lawsuits, although personally, I think their concerns are misplaced. In any case, the zoo's animal psychiatrist needs to deal with this problem immediately. Perhaps anti-depressants will work. And as usual, I am available for consultation 24/7.

Playing Ball At The Denver Zoo

I went to the Denver Zoo this past Wednesday afternoon, and couldn't help but notice that a number of animals were playing with balls of various sizes. No doubt this is part of the zoo's plan to get the animals more involved in sports, in order to keep them in shape. Joona, the 2 year old rhino in the photograph on the left, seems very enthusiatic about the whole thing, although I am not sure what kind of game that ball is used for. The rhino's mother, Tensing, can be seen giving Joona a puzzled look. I overheard a docent tell a group of zoo visitors that Tensing wanted to be a mother, but since there was no suitable male rhino around, she consented to artificial insemination, a process that took 4 years. She said the zoo never does anything the animal does not want to do. And just who at the zoo speaks rhino? Perhaps I just misheard.

Kumani and her 7 month old baby mandrill Akali are also deep into some sort of ball game, although once again, I am not sure what that game might be. And I have to say that baby Akali seems just as interested in eating as in the game, which is also true of Colorado Rockies baseball fans when they attend a game at Coors Field. Of course, Rockies fans are also interested in drinking beer, which I suspect mandrills are not. But then again, mandrills don't have to watch the Rockies play baseball.

Burgers And Beer With Stuart At Old Chicago

I had an early dinner with my friend Stuart at the Old Chicago in Lakewood, Colorado yesterday afternoon. Stuart lives in Lakewood, a suburb just to the west of Denver, and actually likes it there. Personally, I think the place is ugly and boring, but of course, I am used to frequenting hipster hangouts, which Lakewood definitely is not. Usually, we sit upstairs on the rooftop patio, but the patio has been closed since the restaurant reopened after the end of Covid restrictions, due to staff shortages. What I want to know is how all these people who are not returning to the workforce are supporting themselves? Living with their parents? If so, will we have to wait until all those former workers get thrown out of the house by their parents before things get back to normal? And when they do come back, I bet they will all be pretty grumpy. You think service is bad now, just wait. 

An Historic Family Moment?

I ran across the photograph on the left a few years ago, which shows my Grandmother Spillard and her son, my Uncle Bill, behind their apartment at 5731 South Prairie Avenue, on Chicago's South Side. Is that a moving van in the background? If so, was that photograph taken the day they moved from that apartment to the Brainerd neighborhood, where both sides of my family, including me, lived for many years? I can only guess, since my mother Mary is no longer around to ask. I suspect the photograph was taken in the 1920s, but can't pinpoint it any closer than that. About 10 years ago, I went back to Chicago and checked out that neighborhood, but there was only an empty lot where that apartment building once stood. And yes, those are indeed the "L" tracks they are sitting beneath.

My mother remembered that neighborhood very well. She went to school at St. Anselm, just a few blocks away on South Michigan Avenue. Her Grandmother (my Great Grandmother) Spillard, also named Mary, paid the tuition. She also remembers meeting her father, my Grandfather Spillard, at the nearby "L" station when he came home from work in the evenings. My grandfather was a legend in the family for bringing home a huge Xmas tree Christmas Eve on the "L" train, during rush hour no less.  I imagine his fellow commuters must have just loved that. The photograph on the right, by the way, is of my mother next to those same "L" tracks around 1920 or so. It is such a cliche to look at the past through rose-colored glasses, but those were definitely simpler, and perhaps happier, times.

Oh Deer!

As I mentioned in yesterday's blog post, I drove from Denver to Waterton Canyon Sunday afternoon for a short hike. At the trail entrance, there was a sign posted telling in detail what to do and not do when wildlife approaches, specifically bighorn sheep and mule deer. I did not see any bighorn sheep, although toward sunset I did spot a couple of deer. Deer are pretty common in Colorado, and so seeing one is not all that exciting, although I did take some photographs of them. What I really want to see are bear, moose, and mountain lions, but have had no success.

In fact, I have driven all over the states of Colorado and Wyoming looking for moose, but despite newspaper and magazine articles claiming these states are jam-packed with moose, I have never caught a glimpse of one. I suspect there are no moose in Colorado at all, and moose sightings are just made up by the tourist bureau to attract visitors. I will probably see a unicorn before I ever see a moose. As for bears and mountain lions, I have never actually gone looking for them, for obvious reasons, but have never seen any of them, either. For better or worse, it looks like I will never be able to take a "selfie" with any of these creatures, which I have heard can be quite tricky. But definitely doable.

Hiking Waterton Canyon

Yesterday afternoon, I decided to hike Waterton Canyon, a popular trail southwest of Denver. It is only a little over half an hour away from my condo across the street from the University of Denver, and so I am not sure why I haven't visited there until now. In any case, the parking lot was full when I pulled in, which was surprising, since it was after 3:00 in the afternoon in early December when I started walking. I discovered that the trail was actually a dirt road, and a lot of people were going up the canyon on mountain bikes, many with fishing poles under their arms.

The trail winds along the South Platte River, which is a heck of a lot cleaner there than it is in Central Denver. Despite the number of fishermen, I did not see anyone actually catching a fish. In fact, I have never seen a fish in a stream or river here in Colorado. I suspect there are none, and the existence of fish is another myth spread by the tourist industry to attract visitors. Still, at least they get to enjoy the scenery, such as the view of the Platte and the canyon in the photograph on the right.

I made sure that I turned around and headed back down the canyon in time to arrive at my car by sunset. On the way, I was surprised to see a number of people still heading up the trail, especially since a cold front was predicted to drop the temperature to a chilly 20 degrees, which it did just as I reached my car. I noticed a couple of official looking pickup trucks on the trail, one heading up the canyon and one parked at the entrance, and I suspect it is their job to keep track of people on the trail, and bring them down to their cars once hypothermia sets in. No doubt they have seen this movie before.  

The Parade Of Lights 2021

I went downtown yesterday evening to watch the Parade of Lights, an annual holiday tradition here in Denver. I have attended this event many times, and usually it is well below freezing before the first float arrives. This year, however, thanks to a very warm fall, it was actually a very pleasant night, and I stayed around until the end of the parade. As can be expected, the crowd was made up mostly of families, taking advantage of a night of free entertainment with the kids. After the parade ended, there was a huge crowd heading down 17th Street toward Union Station, and I had visions of having to wait hours to get a space on the light rail train home. Happily, that wasn't the case. Perhaps the crowd was scared off by recent stories in the news media that the Union Station area has the second highest crime rate in the city, and is filled with drug dealers, addicts, and the lifeless bodies of their many victims. I think that is a slight exaggeration, but if it gets me a seat on the light rail, so be it.

The First Friday Of December

Yesterday, I attended the First Friday Art Walk on Denver's Santa Fe Drive. It was by no means as crowded as during the summer months, but there were still a fair number of people in the galleries. And I was happy to see that a lot of those galleries actually had photographs on display. Of course, years ago, there were several galleries on Santa Fe Drive that were completely dedicated to photography, including John Fielder's Colorado Gallery, which is now occasionally rented out to allow various artists to display their work, as seen in the photograph on the left that I took yesterday evening. And was that John Fielder himself I saw at the bar, drink in hand, looking around the room, shaking his head?

I must say, however, that a lot of the art galleries have been replaced by what to me look like second-hand outlets. I have never considered old clothing and knickknacks as art, but as they say, art is in the eyes of the beholder. I am guessing that once spring arrives, more traditional art galleries will return. One of the most notable buildings on Santa Fe Drive is the old Santa Fe Theater, seen in the photograph on the right, which rents out space for events, in addition to housing a bar. The marquee above the door, by the way, is calling out the City of Denver for doubling their property taxes this year. Which I guess is understandable, since directly across the street a huge upscale apartment building is being built. But can small business owners in the area survive as the neighborhood continues to gentrify? That must explain why the Santa Fe Theater looks like it has been deferring maintenance since the 1930s.

The alleys behind the galleries are often more interesting than the art displayed inside them. At one time, an entire block contained paintings of "Bad Barbie" on the alley walls, showing her passed out next to a liquor bottle, and in other embarrassing situations. Artists can sometimes be a vicious lot. I took the alley photograph on the left last night, with a very strange mannequin next to an open door. I peeked in, but it did not look like a gallery to me. Best to just walk away than to throw caution to the winds and step inside. After all, this is the state which has the Colorado Make My Day Law, which gives homeowners the right to blast to pieces anyone who crosses their threshold uninvited, a particularly favorite law of Colorado Congresswoman Lauren Boebert, whom I think would be a lot of fun at a party, especially if everyone was armed.

Walking Around Sloan's Lake - Yes! Again!

It was a pleasant fall afternoon this past Tuesday, and so I took a light rail train from my condo across the street from the University of Denver to Sloan's Lake (SloHi), one of Denver's up and coming neighborhoods. There has been a lot of development around the south end of the lake, including Lakehouse, as seen in the photograph on the left. Condos there start at $540,000 for a one bedroom, one bath, and $825,000 for a two bedroom, two bath. The most expensive unit sells for a cool $1,700,000, and is actually under contract, damn it. That was the unit I was considering buying, and so I decided to take a walk around the lake to take my mind off that disappointment.

Sloan's Lake was once a farm back in the 19th century, and the owner decided to drill a well on the property. He wound up hitting a natural spring, and the next morning, the farm had turned into a lake. The City of Denver eventually bought it, along with some adjoining land, and turned it into a park. The neighborhoods bordering the north and east sides of the park were always kind of upscale, while the south end was an Hispanic neighborhood. That is the area where all the new apartment buildings, condos, and McMansions are being built, including Lakehouse. As I walked around the lake, there was still a wide variety of people out enjoying the afternoon, although young affluent hipsters seem to be in the majority these days. And just where do they get the money to live in all those pricey residences? I was tempted to walk up to some of them and ask, but decided it would ruin the day if I was thrown in the clink, and so kept the questions to myself.