Early Autumn At The Zoo

I went to the Denver Zoo this past Wednesday afternoon to take some photographs, and was happy to see that most of the animals, especially the primates, were out and about, lured into the open due to the more moderate fall temperatures we have been having lately. The monkey in the photograph on the left is able to head to an outdoor island with the other monkeys via an underground tunnel, but as you can see, it preferred to hang onto the bars of its cage looking pitiful, no doubt hoping to garner sympathy from zoo visitors who might help him or her effect an escape.

Four year old orangutan Cerah and big sister Hesty were both enjoying the day, hanging around their compound, as seen in the photograph on the right. Cerah was raised by father Berani after mother Nias passed away unexpectedly due to a heart condition. Hesty I don't know much about, except that she loves to cover herself in a large shawl and hide, pretending that zoo visitors can't see her. 

I was very happy to see that Kumani, the mother of 3 year old mandrill Kesi, seen in the photo on the left, has finally stopped holding on to her 24/7, and given her a little space. However, when I started taking photographs of Kesi, her mother ran up to the viewing glass, looked me in the eye, and slammed her hand against it - twice. What's the deal with that? Did she think I could somehow get through the glass and cause Kesi some harm? Or did she just want no photographs. For God's sake, even primates are now objecting to me taking photographs.

And, as you can see from the photograph on the right, when Kesi walked up to the glass to visit with that little baby in its mother's arms, mother Kumani didn't object at all. THAT I find highly insulting. The mandrills now get to decide which zoo visitors are okay and which are not? That is so wrong. It is definitely time for the Denver Zoo to hold classes on inclusiveness, and make sure every animal there has it as one of their goals for the coming year. 

Hurricane Ian Comes Ashore

Hurricane Ian came ashore in Southwest Florida yesterday afternoon with sustained winds of 150 miles per hour, which is very scary indeed, and moved northeast toward Orlando and the Atlantic Ocean, leaving flooding and wind damage in its wake. That is close to a Category 5 storm, and almost as strong as Hurricane Andrew, which destroyed much of South Miami 30 years ago. Tuesday night, what with all the storm coverage on the news, I checked out the webcam at Sloppy Joe's as Hurricane Ian was passing to the west of Key West. By midnight Sloppy Joe's, Hemingways favorite bar back in the 1930s, had closed up and rain was pouring down, as seen in the photograph above.

Earlier, however, there were people out and about, despite the outer bands bringing wind and rain from Hurricane Ian. I suspect that if Sloppy Joe's and the other bars in Key West hadn't closed early, people would have been wandering around until closing time. That's the kind of town it is - nothing is allowed to get in the way of a good time down there. Of course, in other parts of Florida, people actually have hurricane parties during those storms, which is definitely tempting fate. John D. McDonald's novel Condominium should be required reading for anyone moving into the state. And anytime you want to check out the action at Sloppy Joe's, go to https://liveduvalstreet.com/.

The Aspens Are Changing!

After visiting Breckenridge, Colorado this past Saturday, my sister Susan and I, along with her dog Blackberry, drove up Boreas Pass Road to look at the aspens. At 11,451 feet, they have begun to change color, and the "leaf peepers" were up there in force. Unlike some places, Boreas Pass has wide spots in the road where you can stop, get out of the car, and take some photographs, such as the one on the left.

In addition to the aspens, the view of the mountains is really nice from there, too. There is a lake on the valley floor, seen in the photograph on the right, which I am happy to report has more water in it now than the last time I was up there, during the heat of summer. The road is unpaved, and has more than its share of potholes, but is well worth the trouble. During the winter, the road is closed to traffic and becomes a cross-country ski trail. I skied there with my ex-wife Lisa several times many years ago, but these days tend to avoid heading up to the mountains in the winter. If you get caught in a snow storm, and your car is not properly equipped to drive in winter, you can get in big trouble if you wind up getting stuck and blocking the interstate. Colorado law now mandates steep fines and/or being shot and pushed off the side of the mountain, along with your offending car, for such a violation. Best not to attempt it.

I try to get up to the mountains each fall to take photographs of the aspens, and have learned to always go early rather than later. Once October comes along, many trees have already lost their leaves, and it is depressing to have to drive around all over the place to find a tree with a leaf or two still on it. Of course, having taken photography classes at the University of Denver, I know that photographs of golden aspens are not considered very artistic, since after a while, they all begin to look the same. Perhaps some female nudes would make those photos more artistic. I'll have to give careful consideration to that idea for next year.

Oktoberfest In Breckenridge! No Dogs Allowed

My sister Susan and I, along with her dog Blackberry, drove up to Breckenridge from Denver Saturday afternoon to check out the Oktoberfest celebration being held there. I found a parking space just a block away from the festival, but when we tried to walk in, we were told that no dogs were allowed. An outrage! I left the dog with Susan, walked into the event by myself, and noticed that the line for beer was at least a block long. No skin off my back - I refuse to buy a beer, even a large stein of beer, if it costs the same as several cases at the local liquor store. That did not seem to deter the crowd - they must have all been rich Californians.

Breckenridge was founded in 1859 to serve the gold miners working along the Blue River, which runs right through town. Many of the original buildings are still there, and the place looks exactly like a 19th century mining town would if it had been settled by wealthy 1800s era hipsters. The winter ski season is still the busiest time for Breckenridge, but it is also popular in the summer and fall, proof of which is the hoard of visitors there for Oktoberfest. The main street was closed off and set up with tents selling beer, food, and merchandise, although all the restaurants and bars were doing a land office business too, as seen in the photograph on the right.

As Susan and I and Blackberry were walking back to the car, we passed the Gold Pan Saloon, which has been in business since 1879 and is the oldest bar in Breckenridge. It was crowded inside, but appeared to have more of an Old West vibe than a German one. Back in the day, Breckenridge was actually affordable, and many Coloradans, including my ex-wife Lisa's family, had a condo there. These days it is no longer affordable. If you are looking for a mountain home on the cheap, I suggest buying a piece of land in the middle of nowhere and putting an old doublewide trailer on it. The good life on a budget!

The Final Rockies Home Game Of The Season

My friend Mark (in the photograph on the left) and I went to the final Colorado Rockies home game of the season yesterday afternoon at Coors Field. The weather was perfect, and there was a good crowd (over 40,000) on hand, but the Rockies did not rise to the occasion, and lost the game to the San Diego Padres 13-6. Kyle Freeland gave up seven runs and nine hits in 2 2/3 innings, and the 7 relievers who followed did not look so hot, either.

The game last 3 hours and 43 minutes, and many of the fans left before the end, skipping the ceremonial walk around the field after the game by the players to thank the fans for their support. In years past, they would throw hats, tee-shirts, and other freebies to the crowd, and also greet fans and exchange pleasantries. This year there was none of that. I don't know if this was because of the new protective netting that now separates the fans from the players, or if the team just wasn't into it this year, since it is currently 41 games out of first place. And I have to say that they circled the stadium pretty damned quickly yesterday.

I looked hard for Charlie Blackmon, who has been one of the Rockies best players for many years, and has always been especially friendly to the fans during this ceremonial walk in years past.  I finally spotted him as he passed by, and took the photograph on the left, with Charlie in the center. He was not as outgoing as usual, which might have been due to an injury he sustained in the 8th inning, causing a discernible limp, or might be because he was frustrated at the team's poor showing. After Nolan Arenado and Trevor Story left the team in hopes of playing for a playoff contender, Blackmon is, in my opinion, the sole remaining star on the roster. And I am sure he very much wants to play for a winner, too.

Remembering A Long Ago Visit To Vail

My sister Susan and I, along with her dog Blackberry, drove from Denver up to the mountains yesterday afternoon, which got me thinking about a trip to Vail we made years ago, and where I took the above photograph of Susan posing in a fountain. I suggested to her we head back to that same spot in Vail, where I could take an updated version of that photo, but she said she was too old to attempt something like that these days. Which is sad - another photo opportunity missed. And how old is Susan now? I wouldn't think of mentioning her age on this blog, but will say that when she was a child, "Right in the Fuhrer's Face" was at the top of the music charts.

Catching Up With Blackberry

My sister Susan's dog Blackberry, who is 15 years old, has been dealing with health issues lately, which we think has to do with the excessive heat here in Denver this past summer. Just to be sure, we took her to the vet a few weeks ago, where she was given a special diet and medicine for an infection. Whether it was due to that, or the drop in temperature lately, Blackberry is feeling much better, thank you very much. Not incidently, I learned that vets charge about four times as much as regular doctors, and even worse, that Blackberry does not have a credit card. The photograph above, by the way, was taken of Blackberry at the New Terrain Brewery up in Golden, where she was enjoying a nice bowl of beer. And why not?

Rainbows Over Denver

I took the above photograph a few days ago of a rainbow that stretched from over my condo in Denver to the University of Denver's Ritchie Center. In fact, if you look closely, you can see that it is a double rainbow, too. And when we think of rainbows, we think of Judy Garland singing "Somewhere Over the Rainbow." And just what is over the rainbow in this case? Kansas - one of the most flat and boring states in the union. Definitely not a land that I heard of once in a lullaby, but a land I had to make a hellish drive through in order to get back to Denver from Florida. Reality is a bitch.

The First Day Of Fall 2022

Today is the first day of fall, and it certainly feels like it here in Denver. It went from sunny and 90 on Tuesday to the 50s and rainy yesterday, with more of the same predicted for today. Yesterday, I bundled up with a sweater and jacket for my walk to the auto repair shop to pick up my car, and noticed that as usual, many people, both on the University of Denver campus and elsewhere, were wearing shorts and tee-shirts to show that you can wear that type of apparel here in Denver year-round, even if it does kill you. It has been like that ever since I moved here in 1981, and you can only just shake your head and move on. I can't even blame California transplants for this one, as much as I would like to. Homegrown insanity without a doubt.

Lunching With Stuart At Spanky's

I had a late lunch with my friend Stuart, seen in the photograph above, at Spanky's Roadhouse, located just down the street from the University of Denver campus, where I worked at the bookstore for almost 28 years before the store was outsourced to Follett Higher Education Group. Our conversation about baseball was pretty short this time. The Colorado Rockies are 20 games under .500 and almost 40 games out of first place. Stuart's team, the Chicago Cubs, are 22 games under .500, but a mere 24 games out of first. My South Side heroes, the Chicago White Sox, are a mediocre team in a mediocre division, and yesterday afternoon I held out no hope for them. However, last night, I saw on MLB.com that they were still playing, well past 11:00 P.M. Chicago time, down 5-3 in the 10th inning against Cleveland. However, the score suddenly change to 5-5, and I decided to tune in to the game. Of course, as soon as I started watching, the White Sox reliever gave up 5 runs in the top of the 11th, and although they did score two runs in the bottom of the inning, Cleveland won 10-7. And so, instead of being just 3 games behind the first place Guardians (I hate that new name), they were now 5 back, and I really do think you can stick a fork in them. It is time to put "Abandon all hope ye who enter here" over the entrance to Guaranteed Rate Field.

The City In September

You really can't compare Denver to a city like Chicago, which is the third largest city in the US, and in addition to having a spectacular lakefront and many wonderful neighborhoods, is filled with lots of exciting things to do. While Denver is no Chicago, it is still a nice place to live - a vibrant downtown and nightclub area, many old Victorian neighborhoods, lots of parks, more brewpubs than you can shake a stick at, and just a short drive from the mountains. And, of course, although it can't compare with the Picasso in Chicago's Daley Plaza, the famous Blue Bear in front of the Colorado Convention Center, seen in the photograph on the left, is a local favorite.

When I first moved to Denver, the city's nighclub districts were located in the city of Glendale, a truly ugly city surrounded by Denver, and on East Hampden Avenue, on the outskirts of the city. The only entertainment in the downtown area was Larimer Square, a one block street of 1870s era commercial buildings that were saved from the wrecking ball by local preservationist Dana Crawford. Over the years, however, the Lower Downtown (LoDo), River North (RINO), and Lower Highlands (LoHi) neighborhoods, among others, have really come alive and become hipster havens, thanks to so many people moving to Colorado, especially all those Californians who demand a certain level of hipster happenings. Larimer Square, seen in the photo on the right, is still a popular gathering space, and is now traffic free.

As I have already mentioned, Denver has a lot of parks scattered throughout the city, and is a wonderful place for biking. A student from Europe I knew at the University of Denver was actually unhappy about having to move to Paris to pursue his studies and leave Denver's bike friendly environment. My favorite spot in the city is Washington Park, seen in the photograph on the left, just a short distance from my condo. In addition to Washington Park, Denver has City Park, Chessman Park, Commons Park,  and Sloan's Lake, which truly elevate the quality of life here. Sadly, however, there is no lakefront, as in my old home town of Chicago. It is just something you have to deal with. I guess.

Chicago is famous for its architecture, and I personally believe that no other city in the country can come even close. Denver is not exactly famous for its architectural landmarks, and those that did exist did not garner much support from the city or its residents years ago. Back during the 1960s and 70s, when urban renewal was in vogue, the city tore down most of the historic buildings on Larimer Street, in hopes of eliminating the homeless problem on what was then skid row. Even just recently, the City of Denver started remodeling the 16th Street Mall, designed by world renowned architect I.M. Pei. The photograph on the right shows the reflection of a Denver high-rise designed by I.M. Pei, which as of today is not scheduled to be demolished. I think.

Celebrating Oktoberfest In Denver 2022

Oktoberfest was celebrated here in Denver this past weekend, and will also take place next weekend, too. My sister Susan and I headed down to 20th and Larimer Streets to see what this year's festival was like, and I have to say that some things were the same, and some things a lot different. It was, for the most part, a young crowd, many of whom were drinking from huge glass steins of beer, which cost God only knows how much - I could not find any prices posted either at the festival or online afterwards. There were also the usual food booths selling traditional German favorites, such as "Das Turkey Leg," as seen in the photograph on the left.

What was different was that instead of traditional German beer hall music, there was what I would describe as a heavy metal band, seen in the photograph on the right, playing music so loud it was almost unbearable. Even two blocks away, it was still very loud and horrible, and my sister, describing this as the festival from hell, demanded that we leave immediately. Of course, it is obvious that the sponsors of this kind of event are catering to the younger generation, those who will pay any price for giant steins of beer, and if they want to communicate with the person next to them, will simply send a text message instead of trying to be overheard over the "music." Of course, we might just have hit Oktoberfest 2022 at an atypical moment, and traditional German Oom-Pah music is actually the norm. However, neither Susan nor I want to go back next weekend to find out.

La Salle Street 1973

As I mentioned in last Sunday's blog, I recently ran across a bunch of black and white photographs that I took of downtown Chicago back in 1973. One of these photos, of La Salle Street and the Chicago Board of Trade, I scanned into my computer as a color photograph, resulting in the sepia-toned image seen on the left. I believe I took this photo standing near The Rookery, an architectural masterpiece designed by Daniel Burnham and John Root back in 1888. The glass roofed lobby was remodeled by Frank Lloyd Wright in 1905. I always used to walk through this lobby whenever I was in the area. As for the Art Deco Chicago Board of Trade building, built in 1930 and home to the oldest futures and options exchanges in the country, it was always fun to go up to the viewing room overlooking the trading floor, and watch the controlled mayhem going on down below. Sadly, thanks to the dawn of the computer age, that trading floor is now (I think) long gone, still another sign of the decline of Western Civilization.

Foreign Deceit

I always make a list of new books by my favorite authors, as well as those recommended in book reviews, and reserve them in advance at the Denver Public Library. Foreign Deceit, by Jeff Carson, was on that list. I placed a hold on it, and recently picked the book up and read it. However, I was surprised to find it wasn't a new book, but the first in a series of mystery novels about a sheriff's deputy in Colorado's Summit County. And for the life of me, I can't figure out why I put a book published back in 2013 on my list. But no matter - I enjoyed reading it. Its main character is David Wolf, who is competing to be sheriff of Summit County against an unscrupulous competitor who happens to be the son of a weathly landowner. A week before the county commissioners are set to decide who becomes sheriff, Wolf learns that his brother has committed suicide near Lake Como, in Italy. He immediately heads to Europe, where he discovers that his brother was actually murdered, and begins his own investigation to find who killed him. I thought this was a very good mystery, and recommend it highly. In fact, I think I will pick up the second book in the series this weekend.

Psycho Bunny

I took a walk through the Park Meadows Shopping Mall, located south of Denver in suburban Lone Tree, Wednesday afternoon while waiting for my sister Susan to get done with her hair appointment. I visited the Tattered Cover Bookstore's "pop-up" store, where I was the only customer the entire time I was there (a very bad sign), before walking past the future location of Psycho Bunny, as seen in the above photograph. I am guessing that Psycho Bunny sells bunny rabbits fed with marijuana edibles, in order to make them "psycho." Marijuana edibles are legal here in Colorado, and so I assume it is legal for rabbits, too. Psycho Bunny must feed their rabbits these edibles to the point where they become psycho, and then sell them to eager customers with written instructions on how much edibles to keep them psycho. As a matter of fact, since my sister Susan's dog Blackberry is getting old and slowing down, I am thinking that getting Blackberry a  psycho bunny to play with might just be the ticket to get her more active. I definitely plan to head back to Park Meadows once the store opens.

The September Mutt Of The Month

I took the photograph on the left of the September Mutt of the Month on the patio of the Denver Beer Company Brewery on South Downing Street here in Denver. The Denver Beer Company has good beer, but is a bit pricey, especially compared to New Terrain Brewery up in Golden. On the other hand, the Denver Beer Company is only a little over a mile from my condo, whereas New Terrain is a 25 minute drive. Considering the price of gas these days, I suspect it all evens out. However, the cheerful pooch on the patio doesn't care. He or she simply greets everyone and then goes back to it's bowl of beer. Which is what we all should do, I guess.

All Quiet Around Wynken, Blynken, and Nod

I took my sister Susan's dog Blackberry for a short walk in Denver's Washington Park the other day. It was hot as hell, and so there were not many people out and about. While there, I took the photograph above of the Wynken, Blynken, and Nod statue with the Eugene Field House in the background. The house was built in 1875 and located on West Colfax Avenue, until a group of preservationists convinced the "unsinkable" Molly Brown of Titanic fame to buy the place and move it to Washington Park, where it became a branch - a very small branch - of the Denver Public Library. Field only lived in Denver between 1881 and 1883, when he was managing editor of the Denver Tribune, before moving on to Chicago. He didn't publish his famous poem until 1889, and so his ties with Denver are not what I would call very deep. The house is now empty, although I would be happy to offer the City of Denver a few thousand dollars to take it off their hands. I wonder how that would go over?

The September Issue Of Chicago Magazine

I recently received the September issue of Chicago Magazine, the cover article this month proclaiming The New Age of Sushi, as seen in the above photograph. I myself have not adjusted to the old age of sushi, let alone the new one, and so I was not too excited about it. Taking raw fish to the next level has never been a life goal. There is also an article about how Fall Out Boy's lead guitarist found his place in Chicago's punk rock scene while a teenager growing up on Chicago's North Shore. Surprisingly enough, I am not a punk rock fan either. Perhaps this is because I grew up on the South Side of Chicago in the Brainerd neighborhood. As I recall, we had neither sushi nor punk rock there. We did have Lang Lee's chop suey joint in Evergreen Park, however. Not to mention the constant playing of Frank Sinatra records blasting out the windows of the Buell's house next door. The same, only different, I guess.

Watching Last Week's Tottenham Game With Mark

I visited my friend Mark this past Saturday morning and we watched Tottenham's last soccer match (which took place a week ago) before games were paused due to the death of Queen Elizabeth II. That match was against West Ham, which is a pretty bad team, although the game ended in a 1-1 tie. Tottenham still remains in third place, however, despite the disappointing result. Mark works at the University of Denver's Anderson Academic Commons (the library), and today marks the start of the Fall Quarter, which was a pretty significant event when I worked at the DU Bookstore. For almost 30 years I was the Finance Manager there, and for much of that time also the "rush" coordinator. Even after "retiring" (i.e. outsourced) in 2012, I still think about all the tasks that have to be done this time of year, such as putting together schedules for the cashiers, puzzling out lunch break times, making sure all cash registers are up and running at peak times, and answering lots of questions, among other duties. And by the way, I took the photograph above of Mark in the backyard, which is the pride and joy of Mark's brother Mike, who works at the Denver Botanic Gardens. Mike feels about gardens like Mark feels about soccer, which is really saying something.

Chicago In Black And White

I recently ran across some black and white photographs that I took in Chicago back in 1973, when I was still attending the Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT). I was commuting to school from our family home in south suburban Country Club Hills (which had neither a country club nor hills), and liked to walk around Chicago on the weekends. The photograph on the left is, of course, of an "L" station in the Loop. When I moved to my first apartment in west suburban Forest Park, I frequently took the "L" downtown on my days off from the Walden Books in west suburban Lombard. And does this photo look like something out of the past to you? Not to me, even though it was taken 49 years ago. On the other hand, back in 1970, when I was 17, did I think photographs from around 1920 looked ancient? No comment.

The photograph on the right is of the clock at the Marshall Fields on State Street, which I suspect was taken in 1973 during the Christmas season, since there seem to be Christmas trees at the entrance to the store (nothing escapes my razor sharp vision). Marshall Fields was bought by Macy's long ago, and for many years after, picketers gathered at the store every Christmas to protest that takeover. And yes, in the background of the photo is Grant Park, which along with Lincoln and Jackson Parks makes Chicago one of the most beautiful cities in the world. Period. It has been about 12 years since I last visited Chicago, and back then it seemed to be thriving. Even my old stamping ground in the South Side Brainerd neighborhood looked to be doing well. Time to head back there soon for another visit.

The Kingdoms Of Savannah

I just finished reading The Kingdoms of Savannah, a new mystery novel by George Dawes Green. I have never read anything by this author before, or even heard of him. However, I read a good review of the book in the Denver Post, requested a copy from the library, and it turns out it is indeed a very good novel. And Green even won an Edgar award for one of his previous books. The Kingdoms of Savannah is about a homeless man who was stabbed to death, and his companion kidnapped. The body of the murder victim was moved to a vacant building, which was set on fire, and the owner of that building is accused of arson and murder. He hires a society matron, who owns a private detective agency, to prove his innocence. She lives in a huge house in Savannah, Georgia, where the book is set, and is despised by many of Savannah's citizens, including some of her own family, who she enlists in the investigation. The book is a real page turner, and paints a pretty dark picture of Savannah, especially its upper crust. I really enjoyed reading it, and highly recommend you pick up a copy. 

Saying Goodbye To Valarie

Valarie, my good friend and former University of Denver Bookstore co-worker, passed way yesterday morning after a long battle with cancer. Valarie was full of life, always volunteering for good causes, and died way too young. I always admired her for having the courage to take chances to achieve her goals. She owned an art gallery, as well as Capitol Hill Books, a used bookstore right across the street from the Colorado State Capitol, before becoming the Operations Manager of the DU Bookstore, where we first met. After she left DU, she worked for the Action Center in Lakewood, which helps people facing financial struggles in Jefferson County. I took the photograph above of Valarie and her daughter Cheyanne at the Action Center's Beautiful Junk Sale at the Jefferson County Fairgrounds back in October of 2016. Valarie passed away in the loving company of her daughter Cheyanne, son Dyllan, and husband Jake, which I am sure was a great comfort to her. Rest in peace Valarie.

Late Summer In Golden

It has been hot as hell here in Colorado, as has been the case for most of the West, and so even on a weekday afternoon people are still tubing down Clear Creek in Golden, not to mention wading in it, too. I suspect many are students at the Colorado School of Mines, which is back in session, keeping the town pretty lively after the end of tourist season. I took the photograph on the left as I was crossing the Washington Street Bridge over the creek, heading into downtown Golden.

In addition to tubing down the river, there were people walking along Clear Creek trail, enjoying the day. There were not too many people in the Golden Historical Park, however, where I took the photograph on the right. This wagon made my sister Susan reminisce about the time she and our mother Mary lived with our grandparents on East 85th place on the South Side of Chicago during World War II, when my father was in the army and overseas. Susan told me how there would be people going down the alley behind the apartment building in horse-drawn wagons just like this one, selling all kinds of different things to people in the neighborhood. Talk about a different era. Now THAT was a long time ago.

On the way back to the car, we passed the Golden City Brewery, which advertises itself as Golden's second largest brewery. It is located in the backyard of the house in the photograph on the left, which was built in 1879 for a member of the Colorado Territorial legislature, which met just down the street in a room over a bar before Colorado became a state. The bar is still there, although the territorial capitol was soon moved to Denver through political shenanigans, thus leaving Golden a charming and historic small town. It all turned out for the best, in my opinion. Especially if you are lucky enough to live here.

The World Turned Upside Down - Chicago Public Schools Start Early!

Hard to believe, but Chicago Public Schools started classes on August 22nd this year. Up until now, they have always started on the day after Labor Day, as God intended. Back when I attended Fort Dearborn Grammar School in the South Side Brainerd neighborhood of Chicago, it was tramatic enough having to start school in September, let alone August. I don't know how it is these days, but back then there was no air conditioning at Fort Dearborn, as well as most other schools in Chicago. Hopefully they have all been upgraded by now. Otherwise, there must have been a lot of disgruntled students these past two weeks. In any case, I am featuring a photograph I took at Fort Dearborn back in the early 1960s of my teacher Mrs. McCormick, who reprimanded me for taking it. I have used this photo before on this blog, but don't remember when. It could have been last year or last decade, but here it is again. Deal with it.

The Taste Of Colorado 2022

This past weekend the 39th annual Taste of Colorado took place here in Denver's Civic Center Park, its traditional home, unlike last year, when it took place on the 16th Street Mall. The festival was cancelled in 2020 due to the pandemic, and for some reason, it was decided to have it on the 16th Street Mall in 2021, which I am sad to say took away all of its charm. Happily, it was back to normal this past weekend in Civic Center Park with food vendors, an arts and crafts marketplace, musical acts, and an annual chalk art festival relocated from Larimer Square. And if the photograph on the left looks familar, it should. I took almost the same photograph for the Cinco de Mayo festival back in May. The only difference is that instead of the roasted corn booth in the photo, there was an empanada stand. I must admit that these festivals are a lot alike, and often have the same food vendors. In a few weeks, there will be a number of Oktoberfests here in Colorado, all selling "das turkey legs." And the music will go from Mexican in May, rock and roll on Labor Day weekend, to German bands during Oktoberfest. But still lots of fun.

As usual, the food and drinks at these festivals are not cheap. I passed the booth of a local brewpub and brewery yesterday that was selling a pint of beer for $12. I have to say that if someone put a gun to my head and ordered me to buy a pint of beer at that price, I would have to give it some thought first, kind of like that old Jack Benny routine where a guy with a gun comes up to him and says "your money or your life." When Jack just stands there for a while, the robber says "come on, come on, your money or your life," and Jack tells him "I'm thinking, I'm thinking." And don't even get me started on the prices at the arts and crafts marketplace.

The annual Denver Chalk Art Festival has been held in Larimer Square since 2003. Back then, if my memory serves me correctly (and often it doesn't), it was originally called the Italian Chalk Art Festival. Why Italy has been taken out of the equation I don't know - no doubt it probably involves political correctness. But in any case, the festival was postponed or severely limited during the past two years due to the pandemic, but now has a new home on 12th Street, just south of Civic Center Park, as seen in the photograph on the left. Larimer Square was closed to traffic in 2020 to allow outdoor dining during the pandemic, and this change has become permanent, which I assume is the reason why a new location was chosen. I know I sound like an old curmudgeon, but the chalk festival was a lot more fun and much more atmospheric in Larimer Square, a block of 19th century commercial buildings evoking another time. I think if they had tried, they could have made it work there despite the outdoor dining, but that's just me. Unfortunately, the city never calls me for advice. Go figure.

It's Labor Day! Time For A Hike!

Today is Labor Day, and here in Colorado it is a popular day for hiking. Back in the day, my then wife Lisa, sister Susan, brother-in-law George, and I used to go hiking in Rocky Mountain National Park on both Memorial Day and Labor Day. Of course, these days thousands of people head up there on weekends, especially holiday weekends, and so today is not a good time to go, unless you enjoy bumper to bumper traffic. In addition to Rocky Mountain National Park, we also used to go hiking in the Flatirons above Boulder. I took the above photograph there sometime in the mid-1980s when Lisa and I and Susan and George (in the background) went hiking with our friends Father Bob, a Catholic priest at St. Thomas Seminary, and Linda, a church volunteer (in the front row). Father Bob eventually left the priesthood and married Linda, and we never heard from them again, which is kind of sad, but I guess they wanted to make a fresh start and leave their past lives behind. Which is certainly understandable. But I still miss all the fun we had back then.

Remembering those Boulder To Lyons Bike Rides

Years ago, my then wife Lisa, sister Susan, brother-in-law George and I used to go bike riding on the weekends - sometimes here in Denver, sometimes up in the mountains, and once in a while we would bike from Boulder to Lyons, which was and still is a very popular route for cycling. I haven't attemped it on my bicycle for years, but do drive that route on my way to Rocky Mountain National Park. And I must say, I always marvel at what a long distance it is there and back. Of course, we were all much younger then, which makes quite a difference. I took the photograph above of - from left to right - Lisa, Susan, and George back in July of 1985. I have always thought it was taken in Lyons, since our destination was always a German restaurant there, but now am not sure. All I know is that everyone looks pretty happy and alert in that photo, and so it couldn't have been taken at the end of the ride, when I seem to recall that everyone would collapse into a chair at an outdoor table with a beer, looking like they had just run a marathon, but pretending otherwise.

The Omega Factor

I just finished reading The Omega Factor, the latest novel from Steve Berry. This is a stand alone novel, as opposed to his bestselling Cotton Malone series, but I thought the book was pretty good, although I am starting to get tired of all these thriller writers making renegade members of the Catholic clergy the bad guys. Are Dominican friars really used as muscle by the Vatican, and are there cardinals out there who will stop at nothing, even murder, to become pope? Can't they pick on some other religion for a change? In any case, this story is about UNESCO investigator Nicholas Lee, who travels to Ghent, Belgium to visit his ex-fiancee, who is now a Catholic nun doing restoration work on a medieval masterpiece, which when Lee arrives is in the process of being destroyed by a mysterious figure, who escapes with a laptop containing high resolution photographs of the art work. Nick follows this person to a convent on the outskirts of town, raising many questions and marking the start of a dangerous investigation. This was an exciting story and a page turner, and I recommend it, although I must confess I am looking forward to Berry's new Cotton Malone thriller coming out next year. That series is where Berry shines.

English Cottages In Wash Park?

Yes! It certainly looks like it to me. Quite often I take my sister Susan's dog Blackberry for a walk along a stretch of Washington Park that has a lot of shade, since Blackberry seems to suffer from the excessive heat we have been having here in Denver lately. Our path leads past the two houses in the photograph above, which share a very large yard right across the street from Washington Park and to me look like cottages from the Cotswolds. Of course, here in the US, these "cottages" seem more like mansions, but very tasteful and discreet. I myself would not mind living in either of these homes. I have thought about knocking on the door of each of these places and making an offer, but I am afraid the offer would be met by a call to the police. Probably best to stick to my nearby condo and avoid prison time. But that's just me.

The CSU Flower Trial Gardens

I took the photograph above up in Fort Collins a while back at Colorado State University's Flower Trial Gardens. This is a really nice garden located in front of the Colorado State University Center for the Arts, which was originally Fort Collins High School. When I am up in Fort Collins, I often take my sister Susan's dog Blackberry for a walk there. I think Blackberry's favorite smell is the urine of other dogs (her philosophy being you need to stop and smell the urine along the way), but I think she likes the smell of the flowers, too. The place seems to be very popular, with lots of people walking around enjoying the grounds, as well as students walking to and from art and music classes across the street. If you are ever up in Fort Collins, be sure to check it out before the weather turns. After the first snow, it does seem to lose a bit of its cachet. Happily, Blackberry never seems to notice.