It's New Year's Eve!

It's New Year's Eve, and in honor of this occasion I am featuring a classic photograph of my mother Mary and sister Susan on New Year's Eve back in 1994, showing the contrast between their respective ideas of how to celebrate. My sister is dressed up and ready to head out to party, while my mother is brushing her teeth, getting ready to sleep on the living room sofa in Susan's townhouse up in Fort Collins, Colorado. The first floor of that townhouse could get pretty nippy at night, and my mother, visiting during the holidays from Stuart, Florida, was not used to the cold, and from bitter experience (pun intended), always brought a sweatsuit to wear at night up there. All that's missing in this photo are the party hats. Party hearty, everyone, but stay safe.

Denver Has A Spring-Like Snowstorm - In December!

Denver had a spring-like snowstorm this past Wednesday night into Thursday morning, and the weather people were going crazy reporting on it. The morning news programs yesterday reported on nothing else. It was by no means comparable to the storm in Buffalo, and due to the varying elevations in the metro area, some areas received over a foot while Denver officially received 7 inches. Because of the relatively warm temperatures, the snow was wet and heavy, breaking many tree branches and causing some power outages. And naturally, once the storm ended and the sun came out Thursday morning, there was a major traffic jam on I-70 as people headed up to the ski resorts to take advantage of the fresh powder. I hope they all have a season pass, since a one day lift ticket at Breckenridge is $255. Although I suppose that is a small price to pay for spending a day out in the cold after driving several hours through bumper to bumper traffic, with a nightmare drive back home to look forward to. Enjoy!

Venturing Out To The Suburbs During The Holidays

I drove from my condo in Denver to to the Park Meadows Shopping Mall in south suburban Lone Tree, Colorado yesterday afternoon in my quest to find a Rick Steves Wall Calendar. Park Meadows is the largest shopping mall in the state, and despite the rain and cold, it was packed. You could tell it was in the suburbs because at least half the shoppers were teenagers. It actually surprised me that teens still hang out at the mall - I thought that was part of a bygone era, but evidently they still do. The mall features "grand mountain lodge" architecture, including a big fireplace in the "dining hall," and also a large central atrium, as seen in the photograph above. Of course, I really don't care much about shopping malls. All I wanted was to find that damn calendar, which sadly was nowhere to be found. I finally ordered it online from Calendars.com. If I took their 35% discount, they charged postage, and if I didn't use the discount, the postage was free. In other words, whatever you did, you wound up paying full price. Welcome to the wonderful world of shopping on the internet.

Visiting New Terrain During The Holidays

My sister Susan, seen in the above photo, and I stopped at New Terrain Brewery in Golden, Colorado this past weekend for a pint of beer and to check out the holiday vibe at the place. It was packed, as usual, with families and students and everybody in-between, all having a good time, taking a break from their Christmas shopping. This place is now my favorite brew pub. The views of Table Mesa are great, and the beer is much cheaper than other brew pubs I have visited in Denver. Plus, everyone there seems to be friendly and having a good time. And almost everyone has a dog. What's not to like? If you are in the Denver area, be sure to check it out at your earliest convenience. Try it! You'll like it!

Calendar Day...

Yesterday may have been Boxing Day, but for me it was also Calendar Day - the day most stores start selling their 2023 calendars for half-price. I headed out to the Go! Calendar Store at the Colorado Mills Mall in Lakewood, and picked up several, but could not find a Rick Steves Wall Calendar, which I always hang up on my bathroom door each year. I hate to contemplate the idea of ordering one online and paying full price, plus postage. I much prefer driving around the Denver Metro area to find a half-price one. I know I will be spending more in gas than I will save, but it is all about the principle of the thing. That principle being that I am a dyed-in-the wool cheapskate.

Boxing Day!

Today is Boxing Day, the day the privileged class gives gifts to their servants to thank them for their service. And since they also give them the day off, these affluent types wind up having dinner at places like the Brown Palace Hotel here in Denver, the lobby of which can be seen in the above photograph. Boxing Day is actually an official holiday in the UK, where judging from the television shows I have seen, there seems to be a lot of households requiring servants. I myself had to let all my servants go when the pandemic struck, since I was unable to travel to my villa in the south of France. Which is sad, of course, but on the bright side, I am saving a fortune not having to buy all those Chia Pets.

Merry Christmas Everyone!

Today is Christmas Day, and I want to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. I usually use the photograph from my Christmas card on Christmas Day, but decided to skip a family photograph on my card this year.  The one above is from last year. I did this for several reasons. First, it has been an extremely busy fall for me. And second, last year's card has my entire immediate family on it, all of whom have passed away except for my sister Susan and myself. What more can I possibly add? It's not perfect, but it is good enough for me. In the front row, from left to right, are my mother Mary, father Nelson, my brother-in-law George, and sister Susan. In the back row, from left to right, are my Grandfather Bill Spillard, Grandmother Louise Spillard, Grandmother Fleta Hoyt, Grandfather Claire Hoyt, and moi! All exactly as I remember them. I hope all of you are lucky enough to be spending this day with your families. If so, cherish those moments. Merry Christmas Everyone!

Same Old Story: Change Your Miserly Ways, Or Else. Yada Yada...

Today is December 24th, and as regular blog readers know, each Christmas Eve I am visited by three spirits trying to convince me to change my miserly ways. I never do, but they keep trying. And as I do every year on this day, I am featuring the photograph above of Marley's Ghost giving me a tour of my future accommodations in hell. Actually, they seemed quite nice - far nicer than that motel room I stayed at in Texas a few years back. Sorry guys - try again next year.

The Big Freeze

It got down to 24 degrees below zero here in Denver yesterday, just one degree shy of the record. Of course, the official weather station is at Denver International Airport, which is located on the Great Plains, not too far from Kansas, and so hopefully it was a little bit warmer closer to town. Which explains why you still see so many guys wearing shorts this time of year. I myself decided to stay inside all day Thursday. However, the weather forecasters say it will reach a balmy 15 degrees today, and so I plan to take advantage of the warm weather and do some shopping. Gotta take advantage of this heat wave while you can, after all.

Saying Goodbye To Blackberry

My sister Susan's dog Blackberry has been in failing health the past few weeks, and last weekend she unfortunately went downhill pretty fast, first not eating her food, and then by Monday not able to walk. And so, on Tuesday, we took her up to the vet in Fort Collins, where she was mercifully put to sleep. It was sad, but Blackberry was almost 16 years old and had a very happy life. Susan spoiled her rotten. There was nothing Blackberry enjoyed more than heading up to the New Terrain Brewery in Golden, back when she was still living the good life a senior dog is entitled to. Nothing like having a nice bowl of beer and watching all the other dogs pass by. Rest in peace Blackberry. I'll miss you.

The Winter Solstice!

Today is December 21st, the Winter Solstice, the shortest day of the year and the point when the days begin to get longer. I have looked every year to find Winter Solstice celebrations here in Denver, but the pickings are very slim. To properly celebrate this holiday, you need to head to Stonehenge in England, where modern day Druids are allowed to run free around the grounds on the solstice. And because of the dearth of Druids here in Denver, I once again had to create my own photograph for today's blog, as seen above. I myself steer clear of Stonehenge on the summer and winter solstices. I still worry about human sacrifices, which the fake media have always ignored. Never trust a Druid, I always say.

Christmas Returns To Union Station And The Terminal Bar

As happens every year, the Christmas decorations are up once again at Union Station, which a number of years ago was transformed into a hipster hangout, with bars, restaurants, and upscale shops. It is now the hub for Denver's light rail system, and there is also daily Amtrak service, with a train to San Francisco leaving in the morning and service to Chicago in the evening. The waiting area for passengers has been reduced from the entire "great hall" to a row of benches at the rear. The Terminal Bar, seen in the photograph above, is a tribute to the old Terminal Bar, where Jack Kerouac used to drink and also rent a room on the second floor. The building it was located in is still there, two blocks away, but is now the home of Jax Fish House and Oyster Bar. Ick!

Lionel Messi And Argentina Win The World Cup!

I watched the World Cup Final between France and Argentina with my friend Mark yesterday morning, and even I have to admit it was an exciting game. Tied 3-3 at the end of the 2nd overtime, Argentina won the game with penalty kicks, which has only happened in two previous World Cups. Mark, seen photoshopped into the post-game celebration at the stadium in Qatar, was rooting for Argentina and wearing his Lionel Messi jersey. I, of course, was rooting for France, who not surprisingly, lost. As regular blog readers know, any sports team I root for loses. I could make a fortune getting people to pay me to root for the team they are betting against. Definitely a sure moneymaker.

Dreaming Of Cap's Place...

One of my favorite restaurants in Florida is Cap's Place, located in Lighthouse Point, Florida, just north of Pompano Beach. It was originally a speakeasy and casino back in the 1920s, and is now an historical site in addition to a restaurant. It is located on an island in the intracoastal waterway, and so to get there, you need to take a boat from the restaurant's dock. Dining there is quite the fun experience. I took the photograph above of my sister Susan and mother Mary back in 1994 as we were headed in for dinner. If you happen to be in the South Florida area, I definitely recommend it. I first read about the place in a Florida guidebook, which quotes a chatty bartender saying that Winston Churchill, John F. Kennedy, and Marilyn Monroe have all dined there, although not at the same time. It is definitely on my list of places to visit the next time I am in Florida.

A New Self Portrait - With Apologies To Chuck Close

They say imitation is the highest form of praise, and in that spirit I am posting a self portrait of myself that is modeled on (stolen from) a self-portrait by world famous photographer Chuck Close, and which is part of the photography collection at the Denver Art Museum. I myself consider it a form of praise, and not just pure plagiarism, which sounds so damn ugly. And why did I spend all that time and effort to copy this self portrait? One reason is because I saw it at the Denver Art Museum and really liked it. The other is because there was a leak inside the walls of my condo the other day and I had to wait around while the plumber fixed it. Idle hands...

History Lurks In The Old Denver Auditorium

The other week I walked past the old Denver Auditorium, now part of the Denver Center for the Performing Arts, and seen in the photograph on the left. It is notable as the location of the 1908 Democratic Convention, when Williams Jennings Bryan was nominated as their candidate for president. The next time Denver hosted a political convention was exactly 100 years later, when Barach Obama was nominated to be the Democratic presidential candidate in 2008, although it was not held at the. same venue.

When Barach Obama was nominated to run for president, it was a huge deal for the city, and downtown was really buzzing. He was nominated at the relatively new Colorado Convention Center, seen in the photograph on the right. And by the way, getting back to William Jennings Bryan, I walked past his home in Lincoln, Nebraska when I was there for software training during my time as Finance Manager for the University of Denver Bookstore. The only thing I know about Bryan is that he was the prosecuting attorney in the infamous Scopes Monkey Trial, where he faced Clarence Darrow, who was representing the defense. Not something to put on your resume, of course. Although these days, in some political quarters, that may no longer be the case.

Is Somebody Living In The Eugene Field House?

I have been walking in Washington Park quite a lot lately, and each time I have noticed people in the Eugene Field House, the front porch of which can be seen in the photograph above. This was Field's residence here in Denver from 1881 to 1883, when he was the managing editor of the Denver Tribune. The house was moved from its original location on East Colfax Avenue to Washington Park back in 1927, with the financial assistance of the "unsinkable" Molly Brown, where it served as a branch of the Denver Public Library for a number of years. It was occupied by a city employee, possibly a police officer, for a time, but after a mini-scandal broke out about how little rent was being charged, it became vacant again, and stayed that way until now. If someone is living there, they had better be paying market rent, which in that neighborhood is pretty damn high.

December At The Zoo Part II - Just Hanging Around

As I mentioned in yesterday's blog post, I went to the Denver Zoo this past Sunday to photograph the animals, and although the lions and tiger were willing to pose for portraits, this was not true of the monkeys, who were just hanging around and staring into space, including the one in the photograph on the left.

The orangutan in the photograph on the right was climbing to the very top of a tree, and zoo visitors were getting kind of anxious about the chances it was taking. However, I did notice that before it moved higher, it would always test the branches first to make sure it would hold it's weight, which shows that it is pretty intelligent, definitely smarter than MAGA Republicans, although that is not setting a very high bar.

The Northern White-Cheeked Gibbon was hanging around monkey island, dividing its time between playing with the other monkey in the compound and scowling at zoo visitors. This monkey often does look the camera in the eye, but not this particular Sunday, no doubt too interested in finding and eating food to bother with anything else. I noticed that many zoo visitors this past Sunday seemed to be of the same mind-set. Not a surprise.

December At The Zoo

I went to the Denver Zoo to take a few photographs this past Sunday afternoon. The weather was sunny and pleasant, and most of the animals were out and about, enjoying the day. I know that I always tend to post photographs of the lions and tigers, but they are the only animals that will pose for me on a regular basis, which is why I am featuring a photograph of each of them today, including one of the "bachelor" lions seen in the photo on the left. The docent at the zoo says that the zoological association recommended that they not breed. A quite different kind of organization recommended the same thing for Lauren Boebert and Marjorie Taylor Greene.

When I arrived at The Edge (the tiger compound), the docent was talking about the tiger in the photo on the right, who at the time seemed to be eating a cardboard box. I don't know if the zoo is trying to economize or what, but I personally feel that is not a healthy meal. They should definitely start giving it some meat. Afterwards, it went into the far corner with it's back turned away from zoo visitors, but I walked around the corner of the compound, and it was kind enough to once again pose for the camera, bless her heart. Reliable as ever.

The December Issue Of Chicago Magazine

The December issue of Chicago Magazine, in addition to articles featuring the Chicagoans of the Year and the 50th anniversary of a 737 crashing into the West Lawn neighborhood, contains an article about the possible move of the Chicago Bears from Soldier's Field to North Suburban Arlington Heights. The Bears have an option to purchase the now closed Arlington Park Racetrack, and want to build a new 5 billion dollar football stadium and mixed use complex there. The gist of the article is that the Bears will require Arlington Heights to provide massive subsidies, which most experts agree would be a big mistake for the city and its taxpayers. Here in Denver, the 3 and 10 Broncos were recently purchased by the Walton family, owners of Walmart and the richest family in America. They too have made sounds about building a new multi-billion dollar stadium in the suburbs, even though the current stadium, located near downtown, is a mere 22 years old. And the big benefit of spending all these billions and deserting a perfectly good stadium? Hosting the Super Bowl. Makes sense to me. Glad to know all these people have their priorities straight.

Holiday Joy!

I mentioned in a previous blog that I found an old photo album belonging to my late brother-in-law George in the back of a closet in my sister Susan's townhouse up in Fort Collins. It was filled with many family photos from the early 1970s, including a number of them taken during the Christmas season, such as the one on the left of Susan and my mother Mary  - holding our dog Irma - taken in the living room of our house in Country Club Hills. Although I hated that southern suburb of Chicago, the entire extended family lived close by, which made for especially cheerful Christmas celebrations.

The photograph on the right was taken in the recreation room of that split level home, and features George, Susan, and Grandfather Spillard, who lived in a townhouse in nearby Park Forest. I liked Park Forest, a suburb built for returning veterans and their families after World War II. I especially liked the Park Forest Shopping Center, which featured a Marshall Fields Department Store, where I often did my Christmas shopping at the bargain table upstairs. It was an outdoor shopping center, and very Christmassy during the holidays, especially after a recent snowfall. The last time I visited, back in 2010, the place was mostly vacant. Sad.

Although I hated Country Club Hills, I loved Flossmoor, located just a few miles to the east. It was an old established suburb, and Susan and George had a large apartment above the downtown shops in an old building directly across the street from the Illinois Central Railroad station. The photograph on the left shows my father Nelson looking very jolly sitting by the tree in that apartment, while my sister Susan is bending down beside our dog Irma, no doubt reprimanding her for something or other. I am surprised Susan even allowed us to bring her into the apartment. Nothing like old holiday photos to put you in the Christmas spirit. Which is saying something for an old curmudgeon like me.

Getting Takeout From Pepper Asian Bistro

I drove to Pepper Asian Bistro last night to pick up an order of pork fried rice to serve with last night's dinner. I think Pepper - located on Colfax Avenue, just down the street from my old employer, the Tattered Cover Bookstore - has the best Chinese food in Denver. The pork fried rice tastes just like the fried rice our family used to get at the Lang Lee Chop Suey Restaurant back in Evergreen Park (which borders the South Side Beverly neighborhood of Chicago) when I was a kid. That chop suey joint was located at 95th and Millard Avenue, just down the street from my Uncle Jack and Aunt Helen's house. What I want to know is what ever happened to chop suey? Has it become politically incorrect to serve? These days, I usually order Mongolian beef, but I suspect it is just chop suey by a different name. As you can tell, I am nothing if not a discerning gourmet.

Blue Bear Redux

Walking around downtown Denver the other day, I once again passed the "Big Blue Bear," which is officially called "I See What You Mean." It is a 40 foot high sculpture of a blue bear peering into the Colorado Convention Center, created by Universirty of Denver art professor Lawrence Nigel Argent. I know I have posted photographs of this bear before on this blog, but I can't resist. It is to Denver what the Eiffel Tower is to Paris - kind of. Sadly, Argent passed away in 2017 at the age of 60 the day after having liposuction surgery. And yes, his family did sue the doctor for malpractice. A sad end to a talented artist.

The December Mutt Of The Month

I took the photograph above of the December Mutt of the Month coming out of the Christkindl Market in Denver's Civic Center Park a week or so ago. This Christmas market is very dog friendly, which is a very pleasant change from Oktoberfest in Breckenridge, where dogs were strictly verboten. I'm not sure what the difference is - both venues take place outdoors and serve food and beer. What they should do next year in Breckenridge is allow dogs and ban anyone wearing lederhosen and those funky hats. Just my personal opinion, of course.

A Campus Devoid Of People

I took the photograph above of the University of Denver's Ritchie Center at dusk the other day. Classes ended Thanksgiving week at DU, and will not resume until the Tuesday after New Year's. Why such a long break? Because DU is on the quarter system. The down side of the quarter system is that the spring quarter extends into June, a disadvantage to DU students competing for summer jobs against students on the semester system, who end classes in mid-May. DU did explore the idea of switching to semesters, but decided against it. The official reason, besides the expense, was that students are exposed to more classes on the quarter system, and thus receive a broader eduction. However, rumor has it that the real reason was that both students and faculty did not want to give up their long holiday break. Is that a cynical attitude, or what?

The Cows Of Fort Collins

I was driving home after dropping some boxes off at a storage locker on the north side of Fort Collins the other day, and passed the cow pasture seen in the above photograph. The remarkable thing is that this pasture is within the city limits of Fort Collins itself. For such a fast-growing city like Fort Collins, home of Colorado State University, I think this is just amazing. Where I grew up, on the South Side of Chicago, cow pastures were few and far between. The only area that was even semi-rural was the Dan Ryan Woods, and there was not a cow in sight there. Probably due to a city ordinance, I suspect. I'll have to look that up one of these days when I have the time. Perhaps in a decade or two.

Watching The World Cup With Mark

I watched England beat Senegal 3-0 and move up to the quarter-finals at the World Cup in Qatar yesterday afternoon with my friend Mark, seen in the above photograph wearing his England team jersey. Mark is quite the Anglophile, with many friends in Leeds, and has been pulling for England to go all the way to the championship. Mark is also a big Tottenham fan, and there are 4 Tottenham players on the English team, including Harry Kane, one of the few current soccer players I can actually recognize. And if England wins it all? Will the players all go to Disneyland? One can only hope.

Remembering The Illinois Central Railroad

I found the photograph on the left of my sister Susan in an old album on a shelf in the bedroom closet of her townhouse up in Fort Collins, which I am cleaning out to prepare it to be sold. I am pretty sure it was taken at the Illinois Central's Roosevelt Road commuter stop. At the time, she and George, her late husband, lived in an apartment at 1130 South Michigan, right across the street from both that platform and the very grand Central Station, which was the IC's main station and corporate headquarters.

Susan and George's apartment was on the 24th floor, and looked out on a giant neon Pepsi sign, which gave the time and temperature 24/7.  Talk about handy. If you stuck your head out the window and looked to the left, you were abe to see Central Station (in the forground of the photograph on the right), as well as the Field Museum, Shedd Aquarium, and Adler Planetarium, with Lake Michigan in the background. Sadly, once Amtrak took over passenger rail service back in 1971, the station was abandoned and torn down. The commuter train still stops there, but operations were taken over by the Regional Transportation Authority (RTA) and the is now part of Metra. The IC is now only a distant memory.

The Golem Of Paris

I just finished reading the Golem of Paris by Jonathan Kellerman. I have quite a few books on hold at the Denver Public Library, but there seems to be hundreds of people ahead of me in the queue for each one those titles. Therefore, I went to my bookshelves and selected an advanced reading copy (ARC) of The Golem of Paris to read that I picked up at the Tattered Cover Bookstore back in 2014, when I worked there as the bookkeeper. I thought it would be a straight forward LAPD detective novel, but soon found out it was also a supernatural tale involving a golem and a group of angel/human hybrids. It wasn't until I was halfway through the book that I realized it was the second of a two book series, but I decided to finish the story anyway. I did enjoy reading it, and am now reading The Golem of Hollywood, the first book, to fill in details I did not understand in The Golem of Paris. It is definitely a series well worth reading. I am only sorry that I am 8 years late writing a review. Oh well - better late than never, right?

Is RTD Finally Getting Back to Normal?

As I mentioned in yesterday's blog post, I took the bus from my condo across the street from the University of Denver up to Colfax Avenue, and then walked from there to Lower Downtown (LoDo) and the light rail train home. After all the news stories about how much RTD (Regional Transportation District) ridership has dropped since the pandemic, I was surprised to see so many other fellow riders. Perhaps the death of public transportation here in Denver has been greatly exaggerated. Of course, RTD does keep shooting itself in the foot. Last month a train operator went around a curve at 4 times the speed limit, resulting in the derailment of all the cars. Service was cancelled on that line for a month while they did repairs. I certainly hope they talked to that driver about curbing his enthusiasm for speed before sending him back out on his route. It could get embarassing if things like that keep happening. 

Resuming The Walk Down 17th Avenue

It has been a long time since I took the RTD bus from my condo across the street from the University of Denver up to Colfax Avenue, and then walked from there down East 17th to Lower Downtown Denver (LoDo) and the light rail train home. However, last week, I finally had an afternoon free, and did exactly that. This street has lots of late 19th century structures, both residential and commercial, and is in the heart of the Uptown neighborhood, which is yet another Denver hipster haven. What surprises me is that Colfax Avenue, frequented by the homeless and the poor, is just 2 blocks to the south of 17th and parallel to it, but yet each group steers clear of the other. On the right in the photograph on the left is an apartment building built in 1890 with a two bedroom, two bath condo for sale for $575,000. It looks really nice from the real estate photos on the web, but is still too pricey for me. And in the background is a Phillip Johnson designed high rise where the Father's Day Bank Massacre took place back in 1991, where 4 unarmed guards were killed. The person accused of the crime was acquitted, and the case never solved. Lots to contemplate on this walk, to say the least.