Spring Arrives At The Denver Zoo

I went to the Denver Zoo yesterday afternoon to take a few photographs, and was pleased to see that despite the cool temperatures, most of the animals were out and about, including the tiger in the photo on the left. When I first arrived, it was lying down and sound asleep, but once the gate to the inside portion of the enclosure opened (where there was, no doubt, food, drink, central heating, and Animal Planet on cable), it woke up, posed for a portrait, and quickly went on its way.

While the tiger was happy to pose, the clouded leopard never stopped pacing, and it was only by chance that I got the photograph on the right when it briefly looked up. This creature was waiting for a zoo employee to come and throw some treats over the fence, which eventually happened, but did not stop the pacing. As I have mentioned before, this clouded leopard was originally paired with a mate, and they produced a litter together. However, once the kids grew up and left home, they began to constantly fight, and agreed to a separation, taking turns sharing the larger compound (no doubt part of the joint custody arrangement). I wonder if the zoo tried bringing in a marriage counselor to try and patch things up before the big split?

Back in April of 2020, twin lion cubs, a male and a female, were born at the Denver Zoo. The newspaper gushed about how cute they were, but as some of you out there might remember, that was right when everything, including the zoo, shut down due to Covid. Once things got back to normal, and I was finally able to visit the zoo again, they were no longer cute. They are now almost two years old. Since the two lions in the photograph on the left were doing a bit of roughhousing, as adolescents tend to do, I am assuming  these are those cubs, although coming from the South Side of Chicago, where African lions are a rarity, I can't be sure. In any case, if these are them, they do not look the least bit cuddly.  Still another sad consequence of the pandemic. I definitely feel the Denver Zoo owes its members another set of lion cubs, and should do whatever it takes to make this happen. Just my humble opinion, of course.

Touring Manitou Springs

My sister Susan and I, along with her dog Blackberry, visited the Colorado mountain town of Manitou Springs this past Sunday afternoon, after first driving through the Garden of the Gods, as mentioned in yesterday's blog post. Manitou Springs is a charming little town located at the base of Pikes Peak, just to the west of Colorado Springs. It was founded by William Jackson Palmer (who also founded Colorado Springs) and his business partner William Abraham Bell back in 1872 as a "scenic heath resort," thanks to its many mineral springs.

Manitou Springs is filled with Victorian buildings, many catering to tourists, and it also has a large number of Victorian homes, such as the ones seen in the photograph on the right. Manitou Avenue, the main drag, was filled with tourists on Sunday, and traffic was backed up at the roundabout in the center of town. I was especially surprised to see so many out of state license plates so early in the season. There were cars from Utah, Texas, Wyoming, as well as other states, but I suppose they could all be transplants who have not gotten their Colorado plates yet. If so, do it soon, guys.

Although Manitou Avenue was jammed with cars and people, once I turned down Ruxton Avenue toward the Manitou Incline (which is no longer a funicular railroad, but a hiking trail consisting of 2,744 steps) the crowds thinned out quickly, as seen in the photograph on the left. The retail stores all seemed to be vacant, although that might have been because the summer tourist season has not yet begun, and perhaps those empty storefronts will open again in a few months. In any case, it was a fun place to visit, and I would not mind heading back there to enjoy what was named one of the 10 coolest small towns in America back in 2008. Granted, that was 14 years ago, but I have to say it still seems pretty cool to me. And by the way, the Manitou Incline rises 2,000 feet in less than a mile, so if you are tempted to climb it, I suggest you sit down until the feeling passes, to paraphrase a line from Mark Twain.

Visiting The Garden Of The Gods

My sister Susan and I, along with her dog Blackberry, drove down to Colorado Springs from Denver this past Sunday, and our first stop was the Garden of the Gods, that city's most popular park. I took the photograph on the left of the start of one of the many trails in the area. The Garden of the Gods is famous for it's very impressive red rock formations. It is said that back in 1859, two surveyors, who helped set up nearby Colorado City, visited the site, and one of them exclaimed that it would make a great beer garden. The other replied that it was a fitting place for the Gods to gather, and they settled on naming it the Garden of the Gods. However, after 163 years, there is still no beer garden located there. Bummer.

An early settler named Charles Elliott Perkins purchased 480 acres in 1879 that included part of the present day Garden of the Gods, and upon his death in 1909, the family gave it to City of Colorado Springs, on the condition it would become a public park. William Jackson Palmer, the founder of Colorado Springs, owned the Rock Ledge Ranch, which included the rest of the site, and it too was donated to the city upon his death. Soon after, the park was established. In addition to the 21 miles of trails, there is a perimeter road that circles the park, as seen in the photograph on the right, which allows people in both cars and on bicycles to enjoy the scenery.

Although I myself have visited the park a number of times, and even our parents and maternal grandparents visited it during a road trip to Colorado back in the late 1930s, this was my sister's first trip there, and she was quite impressed. In fact, she thought the park, directly beneath Pikes Peak, had some of the most spectacular scenery she has ever seen. Which is high praise indeed for a place that doesn't even have a beer garden. I'm just sayin'.

The March Mutt Of The Month

Since March is almost over, I made it a point today to feature the March Mutt of the Month, which was tied up at a table on the garden patio at Kaos, which is a pizzeria located on Old South Pearl Street here in Denver. This creature was looking straight at me while I was sitting at the table behind it, but as soon as I got up to take a photo, it turned away, no doubt thinking how tiring it is to be photographed all the time. Despite this, I took the photograph above, and let the poor thing get back to its pizza and beer. Sorry for the interruption, guy!

The First Bike Ride Of The Year!

The temperature reached the mid-70s yesterday here in Denver, which was finally warm enough for me to get on the bike for the first time this year and head downtown. The 16th Street Mall was crowded with people, as were the patios of the restaurants along it. I continued on to McGregor Square, located right across the street from Coors Field, and expected to see a Colorado Rockies spring training game on the giant outdoor screen. Instead, there was a UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship) match being televised, showing two women pounding the hell out of each other. And there were a lot of people actually watching it. What's the deal with that? Even if the Rockies game was not being televised, they could at least have shown a different contest, even one featuring the Chicago Cubs - whom, I might add, the Rockies beat by a score of 17-1 on Friday. Was I witnessing - in person - the decline of Western Civilization? Best to just hop back on the bike and not even think about it. Which is my go-to philosophy for a lot of things these days.

Visiting "Breck" During the Season

My sister Susan and I, along with her dog Blackberry, drove up to Breckenridge - the main square of which can be seen in the photograph on the left - from Denver this past Wednesday to check out what it is like there during the heart of ski season. Not surprisingly, there were a lot of people out and about, including students on spring break. And since it was such a pleasant spring day, I assume there were far more people up on the slopes, despite the fact that a daily lift pass there now costs over $200. My God! That is hard to believe. No wonder so many people head out into the backcountry to ski, despite the risk of avalanches.

Of course, the majority of people who live in Colorado and ski regularly buy a season pass, which although pricey, pays for itself after just a few weekends on the slopes. I suspect it is the out of state tourists who pay those daily rates, since, after all, they are on vacation. I myself gave up skiing years ago, after my friend Richard took me on a black run at Arapahoe Basin, and when I baulked at heading down the slope, directed me to what appeared to be a cliff. From the base of that precipice, he shouted up at me to "remember to snowplow." No doubt it was a none too subtle attempt to kill me. Since then, I have stuck to perusing the quaint shops and restaurants in the various ski towns I have visited, such as the one in Breckenridge in the photograph on the right, and avoided those steep slopes at all costs.

As always, it was very pleasant walking around Breckenridge, which is as cute a mountain town as you will ever find. But to be honest, I much prefer it in the summer and fall, when the restaurant patios are filled with summer visitors, and you can sit outside and do a bit of people watching. Plus, buying a beer and sitting on the patio in nice weather costs a hell of a lot less than $200. And when you get tired of hanging around town, there are hiking trails throughout the area, which locals claim are filthy with moose. They are lying, of course. I have spent years looking for a real live moose in Colorado, and have never found one. I did spot a unicorn once, but that was after having a couple of pints on one of those sidewalk patios. Which of course does NOT mean I didn't see it.

Stuart In Kaos

I had a late lunch with my friend Stuart - seen in the photograph above - yesterday afternoon at Kaos, the South Denver pizzeria located in a 100-year-old cottage with a wonderful garden patio. Dining outside is the only way to go at Kaos, and happily, it was a perfect spring day. Stuart is doing well, excited about starting a new job, but when the talk turned to baseball, he expressed reservations about his favorite team, the Chicago Cubs. Stuart is originally from the North Side of Chicago, while I am from the South Side, and, of course, a Chicago White Sox fan. The Cubs got rid of all their stars last year, and are in a rebuilding mode, while the White Sox have just finished their rebuilding program and are ready to compete. I can't wait for the "subway" series this year, when the Cubs and White Sox go head-to-head, although I doubt Stuart will be open to a friendly wager. But you never know - hope always springs eternal for Cubs fans at the start of the season.

Cutthroat Dogs

I just finished reading Cutthroat Dogs, the latest mystery by Loren Estleman, featuring Detroit private eye Amos Walker. These stories are written in an old fashioned, noir style, and I find them quite entertaining. They even make me want to visit Detroit, at least until I finish reading the book. This time, Walker is hired to prove that a man who has been in jail for 20 years for murdering his girlfriend is innocent of that crime. Once Walker starts investigating, he finds that there are people who do not want him to find out the truth, and will go to great lengths to stop him. I liked this book very much, and recommend it, along with all the others in the series. It might even make you want to vacation in Detroit this coming summer. Might. 

Reminiscing About Bookstores. Again!

This past Sunday afternoon, I walked past the former location of the Stone Lion Bookstore in Old Town Fort Collins. It closed long ago, first moving from its original location on Old Town Square to a spot across College Avenue, where it closed for good back in 2000 due to competition from both the internet and the Barnes and Noble Bookstore chain. The original location, which opened back in 1982, is now the home of Next Door American Eatery, as seen in the photograph on the left. If you look closely, you can see the stone lion head above the rounded arch over the door, which gave the store it's name.

Regular blog readers will remember that I recently posted the photograph on the right of my sister Susan and mother Mary in front of that doorway around Xmas of 1988, when the store was still a thriving operation. Sadly, running an independent bookstore is a tough job these days, and requires a great location and a large population of people who actually love books. The Strand in New York City, Powell's (the world's largest independent bookstore) in Portland, and even the Boulder Bookstore here in Colorado come to mind, all of which I have visited at one time or another. And thank God, they still exist. Let's hope they continue to do so.

The Northern Hotel

I took a walk around Old Town Fort Collins a few days ago, where I took the photograph on the left, showing the Northern Hotel in the background. It now houses seniors 55 and over, but started out life as the Agricultural Hotel, built in 1873. Fort Collins began as Camp Collins back in 1862 on the banks of the Cache La Poudre River, it's mission being to protect travelers on the Overland Trail from Indian attacks. After a flood, the camp moved to higher ground in what is now Old Town. However, the Indians never bothered anyone, and the camp closed in 1867. By 1872, Fort Collins was a thriving town serving farms in the area, and growing quickly. Thus the need for a hotel like the Northern. 

I had never set foot inside the place before this past Sunday, and was really quite impressed with the lobby, as seen in the photograph on the right. I took a peek up the stairs, where there appeared to be a common area with couches and chairs, but didn't want to go up there for fear of being arrested for trespassing (it would have made for a stressful afternoon). I didn't see anyone at the desk in the lobby, or I would have asked permission to walk up there. Maybe next time. By 1877 the Colorado Central Railroad had begun serving the area, and the hotel benefited from the traffic. The Northern stopped being a hotel in 1975 after a fire on the upper floors, although shops continued to operate on the ground floor. By the 1990s, those shops had disappeared, and a non-profit bought the place and turned it into an affordable residence for seniors. And happily, the ground floor of the hotel along College Avenue once again is occupied by shops, including Starbucks. I wonder if they sell coffee for 1873 prices at that location? I'll have to check that out.

Spring Training Is In Full Swing

Baseball spring training games started this past Thursday, and teams are working hard to get in shape by Opening Day, which due to the recent strike has been delayed until April 7th. In addition to all the work on the field, teams are also signing free agents that they think will help them get to the playoffs. The Colorado Rockies just signed former Chicago Cubs superstar Kris Bryant, who owner Dick Monfort thinks will take the team to the World Series. Good luck with that one. My only advice to the Rockies is that they should avoid signing more than one additional former Cubs player. My favorite newspaper columnist, the late Mike Royko, wrote many years ago about the "ex-Cub factor," which is a phenomena where if three or more former Cubs are signed by another team, these players give off a negative energy called "Cubness," which dooms any chance the team might win it all. I think this was scientifically proven true several years ago. Rockies management, you have been warned! The photograph above, by the way, was taken by me at Payne Park, in Sarasota, Florida, back in 1985, when it was the spring training home of my South Side heros, the Chicago White Sox. This was back when spring training was a lot more informal, teams played in small parks where players and fans all used the same entrance, and getting in shape, not making money, was the main purpose during the spring. Now, most of the teams play in smaller versions of major league parks, and tickets cost as much or even more than a regular season game. Oh, for the good old days.

Springtime In The Rockies!

Today is the first day of spring, which is a very welcome thing indeed. However, here in Denver and across the rest of Colorado's Front Range, springtime can mean 70-degree temperatures one day, and a snowstorm the next. In fact, March and April are Denver's snowiest months. We had snow this past Thursday, and after a sunny weekend with temperatures in the 50s and 60s, we will be getting another round of snowstorms this Monday and Tuesday. Of course, weather like this is much better than back in Chicago, my old hometown, where it can be cold, snowy, and just plain dreary every day for months on end. I'll take "Springtime in the Rockies," as opposed to "Dreary in the Loop," anytime.

Spring Break Begins At The University Of Denver

Yesterday was the last day of finals at the University of Denver, and all the students are now on spring break, heading to Florida, Mexico, the Costa del Sol, Jersey City, and all of the other hot spots for partying college students. The students might be partying, but the work goes on for the staff at the bookstore preparing for the spring quarter. The University of Denver outsourced the DU Bookstore, where I worked for 28 years, to Follett Higher Education Group back in 2012, laying off the entire staff, but after all those years, I still think about all the work we had to do in such a short period of time, especially preparing for the spring quarter. These days, of course, my only duty during spring break is walking my sister Susan's dog Blackberry across campus, as seen in the photograph above, so she can piss on the grounds. And no, that is in no way meant to be a negative comment about DU's past actions. I am a much bigger person than that, right? Right?

Remembering Uncle Jack

I got a call yesterday afternoon from my cousin John, letting me know that his father - my Uncle Jack - passed away at the age of 99 a few days ago. Uncle Jack was 14 years younger than his brother - my father Nelson - and moved, along with his wife Helen, to California to start a career as a civilian engineer with the Navy back when I was just a child. I never got to know Uncle Jack, his wife Helen, and his four children until years later. Uncle Jack loved his job, and got to travel all over the world for meetings and speaking engagements. After he retired from the Navy, he taught engineering at a university in England, and then came back to San Diego and taught at San Diego State. He was a really nice guy, highly intelligent, and I am glad I got to know him and the rest of the family in later years. The photograph above, by the way, is of Uncle Jack and his daughter Denise, who along with her husband Paul moved to San Diego to help Uncle Jack after he started to lose his eyesight. It was taken in Cannon Beach, Oregon at one of our Hoyt Family Reunions. Though it is sad to hear he passed away, I am very happy that Uncle Jack was able to have such a long and happy life. 

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Today is St. Patrick's Day, and people here in Denver just love to celebrate this holiday. This is not because we have such a large Irish population, but because we have such a large number of 20-somethings, who like any excuse to party, be it St. Patrick's Day, Halloween, Opening Day at Coors Field, or, of course, New Year's Eve. I took the photograph above in front of Scruffy Murphy's Irish Pub this past Saturday, where revelers were out in full force. This saloon is located between Lower Downtown Denver (LoDo) and the River North (RINO) neighborhood, both of which are popular with hipsters. In fact, there are so many young adults moving to Denver that there is a shortage of upscale apartments in the trendier neighborhoods. I suspect these newcomers are probably forced to live with up to 10 roommates, just so they can have access to a brew pub every half block. Happily, real estate developers are building high rise apartments like crazy to alleviate this problem. Enjoy those Guinnesses guys, and don't even think about whether it is your turn to do the cleaning this week.

High Above Georgetown

And no - this is not a reference to Colorado's reputation as a marijuana friendly state. I am actually referring to driving up the Guanella Pass byway a short distance last week after my sister Susan and I toured the quaint mountain town of Georgetown, Colorado, located at the base of that former burro trail. Since Georgetown sits at an altitude of 8,500 feet, it didn't take long for the road to become snow-packed, and so I turned around and took the photograph above out the car window as we descended. This road is extremely popular during the fall, when the aspens turn golden, but during the winter, not so much. Having to be rescued from up there would be quite embarrassing. Not only that, but some local governments are now starting to charge people for the cost of the rescue. Talk about adding insult to injury.

Visiting Georgetown

My sister Susan and I, along with her dog Blackberry, drove up to Georgetown last week to look around and also take a few photographs. Georgetown is only a 45-minute drive up I-70 from my condo in Southeast Denver and is a really pretty little mountain community. It was founded in 1869 to supply silver mining camps, and it's historic downtown contains many of it's original buildings, as seen in the photograph on the left.

Georgetown is a popular summertime destination, but is pretty damn quiet during the winter. There were not many people out and about, but it was still fun to drive around and look at all the old buildings and the quaint 19th century homes. The population is only 1,000, and so I have to wonder if many of those houses are just weekend homes. Living full time there and commuting to Denver is fine during the summer, but during the winter, if a snowstorm is bad enough, they close I-70, and people have to sit in their cars, often for hours, until the road reopens. Unless you also have a place in the city, of course, which would be nice, but no doubt expensive.

Talking Tottenham With Mark

I visited my friend Mark this past Saturday morning and we watched the soccer match between Tottenham and Manchester United. It was a pretty exciting game, which Manchester won 3 - 2 thanks to the hat-trick by Cristiano Ronaldo, who because of that became professional soccer's all-time leading goal-scorer. Mark, a Tottenham fan, was, of course, disappointed with the result, but after all, we did watch history being made. I took the above photograph of Mark in his backyard after the game, wearing an old (classic) Tottenham jersey. These days, their jerseys feature A1A in large letters along the front. No doubt the team is sponsored by that famous highway that runs along the entire East Coast of Florida. After all, the Brits just love the Sunshine State. And why not, with their weather? I think that was the real reason the Pilgrims set sail to America in the Mayflower, if I remember my history correctly.

Spring Training Begins Today! For Real!

At first, I didn't believe it, either. But through some sort of miracle, baseball owners and players were able to reach an agreement that will allow the entire 2022 baseball season to take place, with regular season games beginning on April 7th. It has been a cold and snowy start to the year here in Denver, and so I am looking forward to watching some spring training games on MLB.com from warm and sunny Florida and Arizona. I am very hopeful that my South Side heros, the Chicago White Sox, go all the way to the World Series this season. As for the Colorado Rockies, who have been pretty bad the past 3 years, and have now lost their top two position players, it will be interesting to see how much worse they can get this season. Years ago (1961 to be exact) my father Nelson took me to Wrigley Field to see the Chicago Cubs play the Philadelphia Phillies, who were in the process of setting the major league record for the longest losing streak since 1900. He had a hunch that the Cubs might actually win that game, and he was right. Is it possible that I might be able to watch the Rockies beat that record at Coors Field this year? Definitely something to look forward to. Nothing like watching history in the making. And by the way, the photo above was taken back in 1996 at Municipal Stadium in West Palm Beach, Florida, spring training home of the Montreal Expos. Sadly, neither the Expos nor Municipal Stadium exist anymore.

My Father's 113th Birthday!

My father Nelson would have been 113 years old today - which is no kid - if he were still alive. He was born in 1909 in the South Side Brainerd neighborhood of Chicago. He was a dentist for most of his life, and hated it, but was finally able to retire to Stuart, Florida with my mother Mary back in 1976, where he was able to play golf and enjoy life until he passed away in 1983. He thought Stuart was like Camelot, and just hated to leave the place. I noticed the photograph on the left of him on a shelf in my sister Susan's townhouse, and decided to feature it on today's blog post. It was taken at the Beverly Hills Studio near 95th and Ashland, most likely back in the 1930s. The South Side Beverly Hills neighborhood of Chicago, by the way, is now just called Beverly, to avoid confusion with a rather tawdry city by that same name in Southern California. After all, we South Siders do have our standards to maintain.

The Demise Of The Independent College Bookstore

I was walking on Laurel Street, directly across from the Colorado State University campus, a few weeks back, and took the above photograph showing a few of the neighborhood businesses that cater to the college crowd. The building in the background with the rooftop patio used to be the home of the Rams Book Store, which closed a few years ago after 50 years in business. It was an independent operation, in competition with the official university bookstore, but evidently was unable to stay afloat in recent times. Independent college bookstores near the University of Colorado in Boulder and CU Denver have also met the same fate. As for the official university bookstores, it is rare these days to find one that has not been outsourced to chain operations like Follett Higher Education Group, which is not a good thing. They have limited staff, tend to overcharge, and favor an Attila the Hun style of management when dealing with employees, as I well know from personal experience. Trust me - those javelins are sharp.

DU Women's Lacrosse Fans - Devoted Or Demented?

I was walking my sister Susan's dog Blackberry around the University of Denver campus yesterday afternoon and noticed that there was a women's lacrosse game about to begin between DU and Boston College. That is all well and good, but the temperature was in the teens, and the wind chill made it feel like six degrees. Still, there were actually a surprising number of fans heading to the game. It was sheer misery to be out there in that horrible wind, but there they were. Is it because they are fanatical fans, or that they have friends or family members playing, or are they just plain crazy? I vote plain crazy, but that's just me.  

One Dollar Houses For Sale In Italy. Tempted?

I sure am. Every so often I see an article on CNN's web site about another town in Italy that is selling homes for one dollar, just as long as you agree to spend a little money to restore it. And how much money? Excellent question. One article featured the experience of an American couple who wound up buying somebody's vacation home, the city believing it was uninhabited. But still, it does sound tempting, especially after I read that a small town near Rome has started offering those one-dollar house sales, too. Of course, I don't think you will be able to find any of those one dollar bargains in Rome itself, where I took the photograph above of the street in front of my sister Susan and my hotel, just around the corner from Campo de' Fiori, back in 2019. For a location like that, I am sure it would cost at least a couple of hundred.

The Campus Lounge - Once Again A Neighborhood Favorite

My sister Susan and I had dinner at the Campus Lounge a while back, and I am happy to report that it is once again a popular destination for residents of Denver's Bonnie Brae neighborhood, not to mention the rest of the city. About five years ago, Jim Wiste, a star hockey player for the University of Denver, who went on to play in the NHL, decided to retire after running the place for 40 years, and sold it to new owners who announced they would turn the place from a "dark and smokey dive bar into an open, airy restaurant." They renovated the place extensively, took out all the televisions, and began serving items like Thai style duck meatballs and a large selection of vegan entrees. You can imagine how the old-time regulars reacted to that. The place soon closed, but a group of 13 bar owners, many who grew up in the area and used to hang out at the Campus Lounge, bought it, put back the television screens, and returned to a more appropriate, sports bar oriented menu. And I must say, the place looks great, and the customers have come back in droves. Nice job guys!

A Dreary First Weekend Of March

It was rainy and overcast this past Saturday, and snowy as hell on Sunday, which was kind of a depressing way to start the month of March. After the rain stopped on Saturday, I took my sister Susan's dog Blackberry for a walk across the University of Denver campus, where I took the photograph on the left of the back of University Hall, the oldest building on campus, constructed in 1890. I did some research to see if there was anything remotely interesting to mention about it, but there was zilch. Not even a ghost rumored to haunt the place. However, I am pretty sure I saw a ghost looking down at me from that dormer window. I should probably report the sighting to the proper authorities.

In any case, people actually have reported seeing ghosts in both Margery Reed and Mary Reed Halls. It is rumored that Margery Reed, who died suddenly at the age of 30, might have been murdered by her husband, resulting in him inheriting her money, which I am sure must have perturbed her, to say the least, and thus the reason for the hauntings. Her mother, Mary Reed, donated the money to construct the building named in her memory. Mary Reed also donated the money for Mary Reed Hall, seen in the background of the photograph on the right (the entrance to University Hall is in the foreground), and who is rumored to haunt her namesake building, although I am not sure why. I can only assume she does it just for the laughs. It must be fun to scare the hell out of some of those university officials whose offices are in that building. I myself just have to say "you go girl."

Deja Vu All Over Again - A Flashback To 1994

I ran across the photograph above from 1994 the other day, showing my sister Susan and brother-in-law George as we were about to tour the inside of Coors Field, which was under construction at the time in Lower Downtown Denver. That was the year the longest strike in Major League Baseball history began, and which didn't end until the following year. The grand opening of Coor's Field was delayed until April 26th, to the great dismay of Colorado Rockies fans. And sadly, it is beginning to look like history is about to repeat itself, as baseball players and owners cannot reach an agreement during this current strike, and the first two series of the season have already been canceled. From the articles I have read, the consensus is that the owners are most to blame, but I say a pox on both their houses, just to be sure.

Savage Run And Winterkill

I recently read both Savage Run and Winterkill, the second and third novels written by C.J. Box about Joe Pickett, a Wyoming game warden who gets into all kinds of exciting adventures. I had picked up a new edition of his first book, Open Season, to read a few weeks ago, and it had the first few chapters of the next book, Savage Run, in the back. I decided to read that story, and the next in the series, as well. When Box finally found a publisher for Open Season, after 5 years of trying, he was signed to a three-book deal, and I must say, all three are excellent reads, and I highly recommend them.

I have attended author signings by Box at the Tattered Cover Bookstore here in Denver a number of times, and enjoyed them very much. My sister Susan was hoping to attend the C.J. Box author event coming up at the Lone Tree, Colorado Arts Center this month, in conjunction with the publication of his newest Joe Pickett novel, Shadows Reel. Unfortunately, many author signings are not like they were in the good old days, when you went to the bookstore's event space, grabbed a chair, listened to the author speak, and then decided if you wanted to get in line for a signed copy. These days, more often than not, you have to buy tickets in advance, which include the book and an additional service charge as well. This is the case for the C.J. Box event this month. You have to buy a ticket for $39, which includes a copy of the book (which retails for $28), and if you want to attend with a family member, each one has to shell out the $39, even though you only need one copy. Is that progress or greed? You decide.

Portrait Of Blackberry

I took the photograph above of my sister Susan's dog Blackberry the other day, relaxing on one of the couches in the living room of my condo, located just across the street from the University of Denver. She is not allowed up on the furniture, but as you can see, does not seem particularly bound by that rule.  Susan tells me she trained Blackberry to be a free spirit, and she certainly is that. She also treats the outdoors as her own private buffet, and no matter how many times you tell her not to eat something, she does so anyway. Being a free spirit is not necessarily a good thing, especially for a dog like Blackberry.

RMNP In Late Winter

My sister Susan and I, along with her dog Blackberry, drove to Rocky Mountain National Park from Denver Tuesday afternoon, and headed up Trail Ridge Road until we reached the gate closing off the rest of the highway for the season. There is an observation point there, where I took the photograph on the left. It was almost 70 degrees back in Denver, but up there it was windy and pretty damn cold. I was going to suggest to Susan that we continue up Trail Ridge Road on foot, but since it was impossible to get her to walk more than a few feet from the car, I decided that that suggestion would not go over well. And after all, she did just celebrate her 80th birthday this past January, but as they say, 80 is the new 40.

On the way back down, since there was so little traffic, I was able to stop the car in the middle of the road and take photographs, such as the one on the right. I am sure it is much busier on the weekends during the winter, but nothing compared to the summer, when it is often bumper to bumper traffic, and there is absolutely no place to park at the trailheads. The park has now instituted a reserved, timed entry system for visitors during the summer, and provides shuttle bus service from the parking lots near the park entrances to all the popular trailheads. That reminds me of that famous quote from humorist Dave Barry, repeating a line from park literature telling visitors to "Avoid the traffic by using one of the park's shuttle buses, and view the elk rut with a park ranger." No way I can top that one.

Ash Wednesday

Today is Ash Wednesday, the first day of Lent. Ideally, I would have posted a photograph of people coming out of the local Catholic church with ashes on their forehead, but that would have meant delaying today's post until later today. If I has done that, regular blog readers would have thought I was dead and called the appropriate authorities to do a welfare check, which would have made me surly. I suppose I could go out now, take that photo, and use it next year, but I never plan that far ahead. In any case, instead, I am featuring a photo of the Evans Chapel on the University of Denver campus, with a sign out in front announcing a Catholic mass at 6:00 P.M. That sign has been there every time I walk by, and so I can't say for sure if they still really have mass there. But regardless, I hope you all had a fun Fat Tuesday. Now it's time to enjoy Lent!

Fat Tuesday!

Today is Fat Tuesday, the final day of Mardi Gras, when countries like Brazil and cities like Venice and New Orleans have huge street parties before the start of Lent. Here in Denver, various hotels, restaurants, and bars have Mardi Gras celebrations, such as the NOLA Voodoo Tavern in the photograph above, but unfortunately, the city has no parades or street parties. I took the photo of NOLA a few days ago, not wanting to be there today, in case they were having voodoo ceremonies. However, since it was such a boring snapshot, I decided to add photographs of some of the University of Denver Bookstore staff that I took on Halloween back in 2003. From left to right are Donovan, who was the Computer Department Sales Assistant, Tristy, the Bookstore Director, Wally, the Operations Manager, Annette, the Textbook Department Manager, John, one of the Sales Associates, and Larry, the Operations Coordinator. Sadly, Larry passed away a few years ago, but I am sure the rest of the group will be partying until midnight, wherever they now are.