Happy Halloween!

Today is Halloween, and since I don't have any recent Halloween photographs, I am featuring ones I took back in 2003 at the University of Denver Bookstore, where I worked as the Finance Manager for 28 years. Many of the staff back then loved to dress up in costume, and were more than happy to pose for the camera, such as Donovan, the Computer Department Assistant, seen on the left in the photo, and Tristy, the Bookstore Director, seen on the right, who after working at Cal State Long Beach, Front Range Community College, and the University of Colorado at both Boulder and Colorado Springs, is now working in downtown Denver at the Auraria campus, which is home to the University of Colorado at Denver, Metropolitan State University of Denver, and the Community College of Denver.

Also in costume down on the sales floor were John, one of our full-time cashiers, on the left in the photograph, and Larry, the Operations Coordinator, seen on the right. Larry retired from the bookstore when he turned 62, explaining to me that his father died young and he wanted to make sure he was able to enjoy retirement. Sadly, he was right to do this, since he passed away just a few years later. 

Finally, I took the photograph on the left of Wally, the bookstore's Operations Manager, and Annette, the Textbook Manager. Wally, like me, is now retired and concentrating on his woodworking projects. Annette left the bookstore before it was outsourced to Follett Higher Education Group to work at another university bookstore, but soon came back to DU to work as Coordinator for University Advancement, which I believe is involved in fundraising. And sorry, Annette, I really can't give anything this month. Check with me later. Much later. Happy Halloween Everyone!

Walking Along Stuart Beach

I took the above photograph of my sister Susan and mother Mary walking along Stuart Beach back in October of 1979, exactly 43 years ago. My parents, Nelson and Mary, had moved to Stuart, Florida three years earlier from Chicago, and both of them loved it there. My father thought the place was like Camelot. He was able to play golf every day at the condo complex's par 3 golf course with his brother-in-law, my Uncle Bill, just like they used to do on vacation up in Canada years earlier. My favorite part of Stuart, besides the downtown area, is the beach. Walking from Stuart Beach to the House of Refuge Museum was a must almost every day when we visited, and will be one of the first things I do on my next trip there. However, it is scary to think that when that photo was taken, my mother was 6 years younger than I am now. And I am just a kid - at least in spirit, anyway.

Will Bill Bryson Really Retire From Writing?

I recently reread Notes From a Small Island by Bill Bryson, an American who visited England as a young man and fell in love with the country and a psychiatric nurse whom he met at the sanitarium where they both worked. Notes from a Small Island documented Bryson's farewell trip around England before he and his family moved to Hanover, New Hampshire for a few years to give their children an idea of what living in the US was like. Once I finished this very humorous book, I decided to read The Road to Little Dribbling, written on the 20th anniversary of the publication of Notes from a Small Island, which finds Bryson living back in the UK and documenting the changes in the country since that first book was written. The Road to Little Dribbling was also very funny, and immensely entertaining. And so I was sad to read that in October of 2020, during the heart of the pandemic, Bryson decided he liked staying at home and playing with his grandchildren, and said he had retired from writing. However, I recently read that he has written a new book titled the Secret History of Christmas, which will be published as an audiobook which he will narrate. I think this is a sign that he can't really bring himself to retire. He has stated that he and his wife would like to travel to Russia (this was prior to the Ukranian invasion) and India. If they do that, I am sure there is no way Bryson can hold back writing about his misadventures in those two countries. At least that is what I am hoping.

The 2022 World Series Begins

Tonight is the first game of the World Series between the Houston Astros and the Philadelphia Phillies. If you are not excited about this, join the club. All the teams I wanted to reach the series lost, which is the main reason I am never taking up sports betting, even if the TV ads claim you can't lose. I was especially disappointed that my South Side heros, the Chicago White Sox, who were predicted to make the playoffs, were uniformly mediocre all season, finishing with an 81-81 record. I knew all hope was lost when they struggled to gain a split during a two game series against the Colorado Rockies, who were, as predicted, just horrible. I took the above photograph at one of those games that I attended at Coors Field with my friend Mark, who was able to snag infield seats so that we could see the carnage up close. On the bright side, I don't care who wins the World Series this year, and so it will be a stress free end to the baseball season.

Boulder Mountain Parks

Recently, for the first time in years, I drove up Flagstaff Mountain above Boulder, Colorado to enjoy the view and experience that mountain vibe. As most people know, Boulder is right up against the Flatirons, and surrounded by either mountains or green space. With it's beautiful neighborhoods, the funky Pearl Street Mall, and the University of Colorado campus, it is not surprising that Boulder is the 7th most expensive housing market in the country. Happily, everyone can visit this town, soak up the ambiance, and enjoy a day in paradise, even if you can't afford to actually live there. The photograph above, by the way, was taken as I was driving down from Flagstaff Mountain, just before reaching Chautauqua Park, another one of Boulder's wonderful places. And yes - that is indeed one of the Flatirons in the background.

Moving Is DEFINITELY Harder Than Childbirth

My sister Susan recently decided to sell her townhouse in Fort Collins. Her husband George passed away 4 years ago, and after breaking her hip this past December, she decided she no longer felt comfortable living alone. We met with a realtor last week, and since then I have been working on packing the place up. Susan and George, pictured above in front of their townhouse complex on New Years Eve back in 1994, moved into their place in 1987, and as far as I can tell, spent their time there accumulating all the books, knickknacks, furniture, and electronics for sale in the Western world. Dave Barry once said that moving is harder than childbirth. If something goes wrong during childbirth, you are immediately given powerful drugs. When you are moving and something goes wrong, no one is nearly so helpful. However, I am sure I will have the place ready to sell by December. Not this December, of course, but certainly a December in the distant future.

New Terrain Is Going To The Dogs

New Terrain Brewery in Golden, Colorado is very dog friendly. In fact, almost every other patron seems to have a dog in tow. However, the last time my sister Susan and I were there, some dogs were coming right up to the table to sample our pints, such as the one in the photograph on the left. I am perfectly fine with giving your dog a bowl of beer, as long as the bowl is on the ground, but I draw the line at a dog walking over and drinking out of your glass. I wonder if the ASPCA has an opinion on this issue?

The poodle in the photograph on the right was not as forward as that other dog, although you can tell from her expression that she wants a sip of your pint. Instead of expecting other patrons to supply beer to their dogs, I think these owners should spring for those bowls of beer themselves. And definitely limit them to no more than two. I shudder to think about a couple of inebriated pit bulls running around the place. That is the stuff of nightmares.

CSI: Denver

A murder took place early this past Saturday morning in the club room of my condo building (seen in the  photograph above), the exact spot of the killing three floors below where I was sleeping. I didn't find out about it until I took my sister Susan's dog Blackberry for her morning walk. It was THE topic of conversation on the ride down to the 1st floor on the elevator, as you can well imagine. Evidently, nine Denver police cars, plus a Crime Scene Investigation vehicle, surrounded the building for over three hours, and someone mentioned the presence of homicide detectives in the building. I was surprised to learn later that it was a shooting that took place around 1:30 in the morning. If that wasn't scary enough, the gunshot didn't even wake me up. Whether that is a good thing or bad, I don't know. Two people were later arrested, but what connection they have to the building I still don't know. I would suggest to management that they require background checks for all potential renters, and establish a new policy to reject or evict anyone with a felony. However, I am sure the HOA would say that it would interfere with the condo owner's property rights. God knows we wouldn't want that, no matter how many people are murdered.

Lunch With Bill, Renee, And Mark At Maria Empanada

I had lunch with my friends Bill, Renee, and Mark at the Maria Empanada on Platte Street in Lower Downtown Denver (LoDo) yesterday afternoon. Bill is the former Operations Coordinator at the University of Denver Bookstore, and Mark works at DU's Anderson Academic Commons (the library). Renee, Bill's wife, works just down the street at the REI Flagship Store, and joined us on her lunch break. The food was very good, and Platte Street was hopping with hipsters, two of whom (Mark on the left and Bill on the right) are in the photo on the left in front of Maria Empanada.

Renee had to leave to get back to work at REI, and after chewing the fat for a bit, Mark and Bill and I walked the two blocks to REI and strolled around the place a bit. It is housed in the 1901 Denver Tramway building, right along the Platte River, and I must say REI did a great job of restoring the place. Bill seemed to know all the people who work there, including one who has climbed Mount Everest and will be heading to Argentina in January to climb a 23,000 foot peak, in addition to sampling the region's wine and steaks. Bill and Renee just recently came back from a trip to visit friends in Vancouver, British Columbia, where they lived for 13 years, while Mark and his brother Mike are planning a road trip to Santa Fe, Albuquerque, Abiline, Texas, and Clinton, Oklahoma. Santa Fe I can understand, but Albuquerque, Abiline, and Clinton, Oklahoma? Seriously? And yes, that is a photograph of Bill and Renee on the right, which I took while Renee was between customers.

Whatever Happened To Sister Carla?

Many years ago, back in July of 1983, when I was still married to my then wife Lisa, we were invited, along with my sister Susan and brother-in-law George, to spend the weekend at a condo up in Breckenridge with our friend Father Bob, some of his fellow priests from Denver's St. Thomas Seminary, assorted others, and someone we had never met before named Sister Carla. I was pretty nervous about bringing beer with us up to the condo, considering she was a nun, or at least a nun-in-training (I forget the official term). We had gone to a 4th of July party that same year (I think) at the house of a couple who were friends of Lisa, and brought along beer (it was the 4th of July, after all). It turned out that they were Christian Scientists, and looked at us like we were shooting up heroin. But in Breckenridge. we needn't have worried. Sister Carla, seen in the photo above that I took of her that weekend, was drinking a beer and wearing bib overalls when we drove up to the condo, and was very pleasant and laid back. Eventually Father Bob left the priesthood and got married, and we never heard from him again, which is sad. He evidently wanted to leave his old life behind. And therefore, we also don't know what happened to Sister Carla. Did she get promoted to nun, drop out of the program, or what? We'll never know.

An Afternoon At Sloan's Lake

My sister Susan and I, along with her dog Blackberry, went for a walk around Sloan's Lake Sunday afterrnoon. The place was crowded with people strolling along the lake, or biking, or even rollerblading. Many of them had dogs, too, although Blackberry usually pretends not to notice other dogs (no doubt she has a good sense of self-preservation). On the way back to the car we passed the Odell Brewery, located in the former dormitory for the School of Nursing at St. Anthony's Hospital, which moved to Lakewood a few years ago and has been replaced by upscale apartments, condos, townhouses, and McMansions.  The Odell Brewery has a rooftop patio with great views of the lake, as seen in the photograph above. A few months ago we had a beer up there (it is dog friendly, thank God), and it was very pleasant, although I could not help but notice that they charge several dollars more for beer there than at their main brewery in Fort Collins. Either that or the prices have been raised up there since we last visited. Isn't inflation hell? When are they going to release reserves from the emergency federal beer stockpile to drive down prices? It will be not a minute too soon.

Reverting Back To My Original Blog (At Least For A Day)

I started this blog back in 2010 as a requirement for a photo class that I was taking at the University of Denver, taught by Roddy MacInnes, my friend and head of the photography department there. The assignment was to take photographs each day, and post the best one online. After the class ended, I turned it into a blog about the University of Denver Bookstore, where I worked as the Finance Manager for 28 years. When the store was outsourced to Follett Higher Education Group, the contract required all employees be retained for a minimum of one year. Even before I became a Follett employee, I was told the company was very unhappy with my blog, and that I would be fired unless I removed all references to Follett, and also dismissed if I printed anything they might find objectionable (which seemed to be almost everything). After exactly one year, I was laid off, and the blog became what it is today, by which I mean indescribable. Lately, I have been helping my sister Susan get her townhouse up in Fort Collins ready to sell, and have not had much time to take photographs. Therefore, yesterday, I decided to go back to the best photograph of the day method, which is why today I am featuring the portrait of a squirrel in the photograph on the left. As Flip Wilson used to say when he was playing Geraldine on his variety show, "what you sees is what you gets."

The East Washington Park Neighborhood

The East Washington Park neighborhood is one of the most desirable in Denver, especially if you are lucky enough to have a house facing the park, such as the one in the photograph above. During the fall, with the changing colors of the leaves, it is especially beautiful. Not too long after my then wife Lisa and I got married, we looked at a house on this street that was for sale and priced at $289,000. That was a fortune back then, and naturally we couldn't afford it. Of course, since we later got divorced, neither of us would have been able to hang on to that house anyway, and so our not buying it was not the major financial mistake it might appear to be. These days, the price of one of those houses is astronomical. And no senior discounts, either. Life is so unfair.

A Fall Afternoon In Boulder

My sister Susan and I, along with her dog Blackberry, drove up to Boulder a few weeks ago to walk around and enjoy a lazy Monday afternoon up there. The Boulder Mall is the heart of that city, and many of the commercial buildings date from the 1870s, such as the one housing the Free People store in the photograph on the left. And what do they sell at the Free People store? Beats me. Hopefully not people.

The mall has a lot of unique, locally owned businesses, such as the kite store in the photograph on the right. Back when I was a kid growing up in the South Side Brainerd neighborhood of Chicago, you used to be able to buy kites at the local dime store in downtown Brainerd for next to nothing. They were not elaborate, like the ones sold at Into the Wind, but they flew up into the sky just as well as I imagine the pricey ones do in that shop. And do I sound like an old curmudgeon or what? Don't answer that!

The best part of Boulder is, of course, its location, right underneath the Flatirons, as seen in the photograph on the left. You can walk from the Boulder Mall west along Pearl Street and in no time be in those mountains, which is a truly wonderful thing. Even if you can't afford to live there (it is the 7th most expensive housing market in the country), Boulder is only a 40 minute drive from Denver, and so everyone in the metro area can enjoy it whenever they want. What could be finer?

Muffin Monday

A few Mondays ago my sister Susan decided she had to have a muffin for breakfast. At first I suggested Starbucks, but Susan preferred to go to a regular bakery, leading me to an internet search for one nearby that sold muffins. There were a number of them throughout the Denver area, but not all that close. I finally found the Azucar Bakery on South Broadway (SoBo), which we drove to, and then found out was closed on Mondays, as seen in the photograph above. We headed back to my condo, and on the way, as a last resort, stopped at the local Starbucks, where Susan picked up two muffins and pronounced them excellent. Who woulda thunk it?

Is It Still An Anniversary If You Are Divorced? Will I Get A Gift?

If my ex-wife Lisa and I were still married, we would be celebrating our 40th wedding anniversary today. Now THAT is a long time. Sadly, the marriage did not work out, and Lisa now lives in San Francisco. She came back to Colorado about a year ago while settling her mother's estate, and we got together one morning for coffee at Kaladi Coffee Roasters, just to the west of the University of Denver. We had a really nice visit, catching up on what each of us has been up to during the 10 years since we last saw each other. Lisa is doing well, and recently retired from her job as a music teacher to work full-time at Muir Woods, where she has been working during her school's summer breaks. The good life at last! The photograph above, by the way, was taken, with the help of the timer on my camera, at Golden Gate Canyon State Park, just to the west of Denver, back in 1982, where we went to write our wedding vows. Which, as I recall, was a bit of a challenge for me, and was probably one of the many warning signs that this marriage was not going to work out. Of course, back then I was young, and ignored warning signs like the plague. Explains a lot, doesn't it?

Fall Weather Arrives At Last

The temperatures have cooled down quite a bit here in Denver, and the trees are beginning to change color, too, to the delight of everyone. Even I, who really enjoys hot weather, thought continuous highs in the upper 90s each day was a little much this summer. Even the ducks in Washington Park, seen in the photograph on the left, seemed to be enjoying the lower temperatures. I took this photo just across from Monkey Island, which was a popular gathering spot for hippies back in the 1960s. One of them, a young flower child, disappeared under mysterious circumstances, and is said to haunt the island late at night. I must remember to check that out close to midnight this coming Halloween. What could go wrong?

Meanwhile, up in Golden, the crowd at the New Terrain Brewery seemed to be enjoying the day, too. New Terrain attracts a diverse crowd, including students, families, old, and young. Right before I got in line for a pint, what appeared to be an entire class from the Colorado School of Mines walked into the place and got in line in front of me. On the bright side, because of that, I had the time to take the photograph on the right of my fellow New Terrain patrons, with Table Mesa looming in the background. Behind Table Mesa lies the heart of Golden, and a lot of hikers and mountain bikers head off there on a trail that starts right next to the brewery. But not me - perhaps next weekend.

The October Issue Of Chicago Magazine

I just finished reading the October issue of Chicago Magazine, which I subscribe to in order to keep up with what is happening in my old home town. The feature article this month is "36 Fun Things To Do This Fall," very few of which sound like much fun to me. I would definitely take a pass on a weekend in a tiny upscale cabin near Starved Rock State Park, as well as train trips to St. Louis, Grand Rapids, Milwaukee, or Detroit. And yes! Detroit! Seriously. Attending a stage adaption of a searing poetry collection does not sound so great, either. A staycation at one of four new or remodeled hotels in Chicago doesn't sound like a bad idea, although at one of these establishments the rates start at $645 a night, although to be fair, it is on Michigan Avenue. However, I decided it was best just to check out the Hot List, a monthly column which features 10 Chicago area places everyone's talking about. This month, they feature restaurants with entrees such as hamachi with yuzu kosho, hiramasa with brown butter dashi, and spaetzle cacio e pepe. Yum! Probably it is best not to know what the hell those things are. But seriously, don't they have White Castles back there anymore?

Discussing The Major Issues Of The Day With Stuart At Old Chicago

I had a late lunch with my friend Stuart yesterday afternoon at the Old Chicago Pizza and Taproom in Lakewood, Colorado, and coffee at the nearby Starbucks, where we discussed the major issues of the day: "Is Covid finally behind us?" "No." "Will the polarized political situation in this country ever end?" "Definitely not." Then we got down to the truly important things, such as the baseball playoffs. Stuart does not have much interest in who wins this year. I myself would not mind seeing San Diego or Atlanta in the National League and Cleveland in the American League go to the World Series, but with that said, any team I have ever backed always loses. We both agree, however, that we do not want to see a New York Yankees versus Los Angeles Dodgers World Series, which it will most probably turn out to be. And by the way, I took the photograph above of Stuart at that particular location to show that there are indeed attractive parts of Lakewood, even if they are just islands of green in the middle of huge parking lots. I suspect the people of Lakewood will take whatever they can get.

Lunching With Cheryl, Darrel, and Mark

I had lunch yesterday afternoon at Pete's University Park Cafe with Cheryl, on the left in the above photo and a former University of Denver staff member (including working part-time at the DU Bookstore), Darrel, on the right in the photograph, who is the former Accounts Payable Manager at the DU Bookstore, and Mark, in the middle of the photo, who currently works at DU's Anderson Academic Commons (the library). It has been a while since I have seen Cheryl, and she is doing well in her new position as an executive assistant for a pension fund, and enjoying it very much. Since Pete's is right across the street from campus, a number of people she knows were happy to see her again and came up to the table to say hello. Darrel is enjoying retirement, and he and wife Linda recently took a road trip down to Chama, New Mexico to ride the Cumbres and Toltec Railroad, one of the most famous steam railroads in the country, and which straddles the Colorado-New Mexico border. Mark is taking the week off, catching up on chores at home, and plans to take a road trip with his brother to New Mexico and Texas. Texas? Really? Seriously?

Watching Tottenham Beat Brighton With Mark

I watched Tottenham beat Brighton 1-0 with my friend Mark this past Saturday morning. Mark is a big Tottenham fan and was happy to see them win. The game was played in Brighton, and although we watched the game on television here in Denver, I decided to photoshop Mark into the stadium at Brighton where that soccer match was played. Mark is hoping to head back to Leeds, where he has many friends, this coming spring. I still laugh about how when Mark was going through customs one time, and Mark told the customs agent he was returning to Leeds, that agent became very suspicious. He couldn't believe that anyone would head back to Leeds if they had already actually seen it. To me that speaks volumes.

Columbus Day 2022

Today is Columbus Day (officially the second Monday of every October), which several states have now changed to Indigenous People's Day. In Chicago, where I attended Fort Dearborn Grammar School, located in the Southside Brainerd neighborhood, the Chicago Public Schools have changed their Columbus Day holiday to Indigenous People's Day, too. If they had done that back when I attended school there, I would not have cared. A day off from school is a day off from school, no matter the reason, and always the cause for celebration. I took the photograph above of Fort Dearborn, by the way, in 2010 while holding a photo I also took of one of the Kloak kids on that school's playground back in the 1960s, no doubt a child prodigy in the making. And look how that turned out.

October In Stuart

It was cold as hell here in Denver this past Friday, and if the condo my sister Susan and I own down in Stuart, Florida - which we inherited from our mother Mary - wasn't rented out, I would be loading up the car and heading down there today. And one of my first stops would be Stuart Beach, seen in the photograph on the left that I took of my mother and Susan back in October of 1999.  In October, the weather starts to get cooler down there, and the snow birds have not yet arrived. The restaurants are uncrowded, and since it is still daylight savings time, you can dine out along the water and still admire the view. Perhaps in a couple of years we can take back the condo and I can do exactly that. Everyone has to have a dream, after all.

Disruption At The DAM

I went to the Denver Art Museum (the DAM) this past Thursday to see the new exhibits, one of which was Disruption, which features the contemporary art donated to the museum by Kent and Vicki Logan. I have seen many of these artworks displayed before, and I have always thought that the Logans should be subject to a conservatorship like the one Britney Spears was subject to for 13 years. When they wanted to purchase an artwork like the photo of that woman seen on the left, the conservator would just say no. However, when I read about them on the internet after touring the exhibit, I must say I was impressed. Kent Logan retired from his business in 1994, and he and his wife moved to Vail, Colorado, where they began collecting contemporary art. Kent donated 60 million dollars to the Denver Art Museum back in 2006, in addition to all the artworks he and his wife have donated to that institution over the years. Obviously, the Logans must know what they are doing. Although being rich does not necessarily mean having good taste.

But still - would you choose to put the painting seen on the right of the photograph on the right over your living room couch? Perhaps it would work as a house-warming gift for your inlaws, but other than that, forget it. Of course, I myself have a very red modernist painting of Mary Queen of Scots standing alongside her executioner, complete with axe and basket for the head, so there is no accounting for taste.

The photo in the photograph on the left I have seen a number of times. It shows a woman stuffing cash into her private parts, and during one Final Friday event at the DAM, a comedy team giving a "tour" of the artworks had lots of fun coming up with interpretations of its meaning.  Now if I had wanted to take that photograph, I would have had to hire a model, and after I got done explaining what I wanted to achieve, I would have been arrested and they would have thrown away the key. And if I was in jail, the Logans probably wouldn't have bought it. Reality sucks, doesn't it?

A New Photography Exhibit At The DAM

I went to the Denver Art Museum (the DAM) yesterday afternoon to check out several new exhibitions, including Other People's Pictures, Gifts From the Robert and Kerstin Adams Collection, which I found quite impressive. This is an exhibit featuring 70 of the photographs photographer Robert Adams and wife Kerstin donated to the museum back in 2018. They are mostly black and white images, taken by a variety of photographers on a variety of subjects, some from the 19th century. Adams achieved fame for his work documenting the changing landscape of the American West. I was expecting most of the photographs would be landscapes of that type, but happily, they were of people, small towns, portraits by Matthew Brady and Yousuf Karsh, and of many other subjects. It was well worth the visit, and I definitely intend to see it again before it closes on February 26th.

I also toured "Who Tells a Tale Adds a Tail: Latin America and Contemporary Art," an exhibit which features the work of 19 contemporary artists with connections to Latin America. One of these artworks, seen in the photograph on the right, features both photos of the Denver neighborhood where the artist grew up, and also photographs he took of people in Latin America, all quite interesting. The exhibit also includes videos of people and various ceremonial events from Latin America, too, which were also pretty fascinating, although I still have mixed feelings about the one featuring a talking cartoon fox. The world is just not ready for that.

The October Mutt Of The Month

I took the photograph above of this month's Mutt of the Month at New Terrain Brewery up in Golden, Colorado. This place is located right up against North Table Mesa, and is extremely dog friendly. They still won't serve dogs bowls of beer for some reason, but hopefully that will change in the future. My sister Susan's dog Blackberry is, for the most part, afraid of other dogs, and so pretends she does not see them, no doubt due to a strong instinct for self-preservation. I am sure the dog in the photograph wouldn't hurt a fly, but just try convincing Blackberry of that.

The Final Regular Season Games Of The Year

Today is the last day of the 2022 baseball season. Playoff games start this Friday, and neither the Colorado Rockies, Chicago Cubs, or my Southside heroes, the Chicago White Sox, will be participating. The players on those teams will be on the golf course when the post-season begins. The most disappointing of those teams are the White Sox, who were favored to win the American League Central Division, but struggled to stay above .500 all year long. I watched the decisive turning point for the team on MLB.com, when they played first place Cleveland a few weeks ago. The Sox tied the game at 5-5 in extra innings, as seen in the above photo, but then gave up 5 runs. Instead of getting to within three games of the Indians (I hate the name Guardians), they blew it, and will finish at least 10 games back. However, I have to say, I watched the Sox play the San Diego Padres a few nights ago, and really enjoyed it, despite the game having no significance for the team. Broadcasters Jason Benetti and Steve Stone were as entertaining as ever, the White Sox played well, and they won the game. When you get right down to it, you can't beat the sport of baseball, win or lose. And after beating the Minnesota Twins yesterday, the Sox will finish no worse than .500 this season. Not good, not bad, just mediocre. What more can a White Sox fan ask?

A Quiet Sunday Afternoon In Central City

My sister Susan and I, along with Susan's dog Blackberry, drove from Denver up to Black Hawk and Central City this past Sunday afternoon via Clear Creek Canyon, a beautiful drive which this time of year is spotted with golden aspens. Both Black Hawk and Central City are former mining towns that legalized gambling back in the 1990s. Because Black Hawk had few zoning restrictions and was the first gambling town people from the Denver metro area reached, it became a mini Las Vegas, complete with high rises. Sunday afternoon the place was packed with gamblers. Just three miles beyond, Central City, founded in 1859 and which contains many historic buildings from that period, was, in contrast, very quiet, with virtually nobody out on the streets, as seen in the photograph above.

The official web site for Central City says that it has 6 casinos, but it sure doesn't seem like they are very busy, which I think is actually a good thing. Driving through town, it very much looks like it did back in the 19th Century, while Black Hawk is, for the most part, nothing but clusters of large, modern, and very depressing casinos. Because of the lack of gamblers, Central City paid for a highway that connects it directly with Interstate 70, in the hope of attracting more visitors, but it obviously didn't work. The city has now eliminated height restrictions for new construction on vacant lots around town, but so far, I have seen no new developments. And thank God for that.

My personal advise to the city fathers is to simply go back to promoting Central City's 19th century heritage, and bring back as many restaurants, bars, and retail shops as possible. There are plenty of vacant storefronts that could be occupied by thriving businesses, especially if the city provided some financial incentives. For example, wouldn't the building in the photograph on the right make a great bookstore? Or perhaps a bar called "Geezers," catering to an older crowd that prefers a bar that does not play horrible music at a volume so loud you have to send a text to the person sitting across from you if you want to communicate. Just a thought.

The Silversmith

I just finished reading The Silversmith, Jeff Carson's second book in his David Wolf mystery series. Foreign Deceit, his first book, was on my list to read, although I have no idea how it got there, but I recently read and enjoyed it. I then decided to read The Silversmith, which is more or less a continuation of the story started in Foreign Deceit. This series features sheriff's deputy David Wolf, who comes back from Italy after investigating the murder of his brother, and winds up in the center of a series of murders in the Colorado ski resort town of Rocky Points. I liked both books, and thought they were well written. There are 16 books in the series, and so a lot of other people - especially Coloradans - must like them too. I have to say, however, that if there were as many murders in a real life ski resort like Breckenridge as there were in The Silversmith, a $116 lift ticket would be a tough sell to a sane person, although granted, there are fewer and fewer of them around these days.

Chicago 1976

As regular blog readers know, I have been going through my collection of photographs lately, and have run across a number of them from back when I lived in Chicago. I took the one on the left along Lake Michigan, looking towards Oak Street Beach, back in 1976, when I moved to my first apartment in Forest Park, and would take the "L" downtown on my days off to walk around. I love going through old photos, and was kind of shocked when I read an article, no doubt written by some young whippersnapper, ridiculing stores like Walgreens and Walmart for still providing facilities to print out photographs, no doubt in the belief that storing photos on your phone or computer is the only sensible thing to do these days. Idiot.

Of course, way back in 1976 we all dressed much differently, as can be seen in the photograph on the right. The author of that article disparaging printed out snapshots would, of course, not be surprised. Frankly, these days I would be hesitant to wear my top hat and tails around town, although I still have them in my closet in case that style is ever revived. You never know.

Early Autumn At The Zoo Part II

As I mentioned in yesterday's blog post, I went to the Denver Zoo Wednesday afternoon to take a few photographs. Since the temperatures have moderated now that fall has arrived, most of the animals are more lively and willing to venture out into the sun. An exception is my friend the tiger in the photo on the left, who was sitting as far away as possible from zoo visitors. However, he was still willing to pose for a portrait, even though he was partially obscured by a tree.

The clouded leopard in the photograph on the right was pacing back and forth in front of the door to it's cage, no doubt wanting to head inside for dinner and a little bit of television. As a matter of fact, every time I am at the zoo, he seems to be pacing like that. I suspect he needs a much larger compound, but I don't think that will happen unless he is sent to a different zoo. In any case, as he was doing his pacing, he looked up at me for just a second, and I was able to capture the photo on the right.

I know I tend to feature a photograph of one of the lions every time I go to the zoo, but I can't help it - so many of them are happy to pose for a portrait, including the one in the photograph on the left. I am pretty sure this is Tobias, the father of Tatu and two other cubs born in 2020, right at the height of the pandemic. I remember taking lots of photographs of Tatu as he was growing up, and how gentle Tobias was with him, but I have no such photos of the twin cubs born in 2020. The zoo closed for quite a while due to Covid-19, and by the time things were back to normal, they were no longer cubs, but teenagers. Still another thing to blame on the pandemic. And yes, Tobias is indeed smiling for the camera, God bless him.