Happy Halloween, I Think

Today is Halloween, which these days seems to be a holiday for adults as well as children. Most of the celebrating took place this past Saturday night, although here in Denver a snowstorm put a damper (pun intended) on the festivities. However, in other cities across the nation, the party went on, and included a shooting at a Halloween gathering in Chicago that injured 16 people, a shooting in Tampa that killed 2 and injured 18, one in Indianapolis that left 1 dead and nine injured, as well as parties that left 3 dead in Texarkana, Texas, and 2 each dead in Dodge City, Kansas, San Antonio, Texas, and Mansfield, Ohio. Since October 31st is on a weekday this year, those trick-or-treaters should have a safe outing, although these days, you never know. The 2nd Amendment crowd will, of course, argue that if those party goers were all armed, none of this would have happened. I have a vision of that in my mind, and it is not pretty. In any case, hopefully trick-or-treating will be a much more low-key affair in Stuart, Florida, where I took the photograph above of my mother Mary in front of a shop window in Old Town back on Halloween in October of 2000. Simpler times back then, or is it still the same as it always was down there? One can only hope.

Denver's First Snowfall

Denver had its first snowfall of the season this past Saturday into Sunday, dropping 7 or 8 inches of the white stuff in the city and a foot in some of the suburbs, including Louisville to the north and Castle Rock to the south. Fortunately, at least around my condo across the street from the University of Denver, the streets were fairly clear, making driving on Sunday much easier than I thought it would be. Denver, by the way, is in a valley (the Platte River Valley), and 14,240 foot Mount Blue Sky (formerly Mount Evans) is just to the west of the city. I am no meteorologist, but it seems to me the city is protected from larger snow amounts by the location of that peak. However, if an upslope occurs, where the storm comes from the east instead of west, it is a different story, and we can get hammered. Of course, the mountains get the most snow, and yesterday Arapahoe Basin became the first Colorado ski resort to open for the season. They had people waiting in line as early as Friday. And let's face it, it gets pretty damned cold up in the moutains at night. It was 10 degrees here in Denver last night. God knows what the temperatures were up there. Perhaps Arapahoe Basin should hire a psychiatrist to talk to all those deranged people standing in line two nights in a row. And will I be heading up to the slopes this year to ski? As humorist Dave Barry likes to say, "the problem with winter sports - follow me closely here - is that they take place in the winter." I very much concur.

The Audubon House - Is A Name Change In Order?

It recently came to light that John James Audubon, author of The Birds of America, was quite a racist, who owned slaves and was involved in the buying and selling of enslaved people. A number of local chapters of the Audubon Society have changed their name over this, although the National Audubon Society decided to keep the name and put more emphasis on inclusiveness. All of this controversy made me think about a trip to Key West my father Nelson, mother Mary, sister Susan and I took back in 1978 (or was it '79?) from Stuart, Florida, where my parents had retired to from Chicago a few years earlier. One of the photographs I took was of my mother and Susan in front of The Audubon House and Tropical Gardens, which is located there. Since I have never been interested in birds, I never gave it a second thought, but after looking at that photo, I wondered what Audubon's connection to Key West was. It turns out Audubon visited Key West in 1832, and used images from those gardens in his drawings of local birds. The house wasn't built until 1846, long after his visit. Which seems a bit deceptive to my mind. And should the name of the National Audubon Society, as well as The Audubon House, be changed? For me, when you hear Audubon, you think of birds, not a person, which is one of the reasons the national society decided to keep the name. As for The Audubon House, the connection to Audubon is very tenuous, but I assume they will keep the name in fear of losing tourists if they don't. My opinion is that they should do what was done with the Robert E. Lee House in Virginia - keep the name the same but have a section devoted to Audubon's controversial and racist past.

Homecoming Week At DU

This is Homecoming Week at the University of Denver. I took the photograph on the left of the main entrance to the university this past Thursday, when it was still sunny and relatively mild - perfect for strolling the campus. Unfortunately, the weather got much colder yesterday, and today Denver is expecting its first snowfall, making a stroll around the campus a pretty chilly experience for all those alumni attending the festivities. By the way, the building on the right in the photograph is University Hall, built in 1890, and the first structure built on campus when DU moved to its new location from downtown Denver, where it was established back in 1864.

Fortunately, DU does not have a football team, and so instead of freezing to death out in the open, everyone was inside Magness Arena Friday night watching the hockey team play its season home opener against Augustana University, which I didn't even know had a hockey team, although being located in South Dakota, what else would they do? The game finished in a 5-5 tie, by the way, shocking the number two rated DU Pioneers. Before the game, there was a "block party" in front of the Ritchie Center featuring free food and refreshments, as seen in the photograph on the right. There was not much of a crowd, I'm afraid, but I assume most alumni decided to skip hanging out in the cold, even if there was free food available. Now, an open bar would have been a different story, but sadly, there wasn't one. Trust me, I looked.

The World Series Starts Tonight!

The World Series between the Texas Rangers and the Arizona Diamondbacks starts tonight. And sadly, I must report that once again, every team I have rooted for this season wound up losing. My Southside heros, the Chicago White Sox, started losing on day one. Their North Side rivals, the Chicago Cubs, lost their 3.5 game wildcard lead just a week or so before the end of the season. The Colorado Rockies, my current hometown team, were predicted to be the worst team in baseball, but wound up only the third worst, which is considered a success here in Denver. During the playoffs, I decided to root for the Minnesota Twins and the Atlanta Braves, who were both eliminated. I finally decided it would be a repeat of last year's World Series teams - the Philadelphia Phillies and Houston Astros, and I'll be damned if both of them lost, too. Is it no wonder that I am not into sports betting? By the way, I plan on rooting for the Arizona Diamondbacks during the series, and so I advise all of you out there to bet heavily on the Texas Rangers. You can't lose. And sending me 10% of your winnings as thanks would be much appreciated.

From Frat House To Senior Living - One Positive Outcome From The Pandemic

When my building across the street from the University of Denver went condo in 2000, buyers with mortgages were legally obligated to live there for one year. Afterwards, a large number of them rented out their places to students, and were obviously not doing background checks. In fact, I rode up to my apartment in the elevator one day as a potential renter explained to the real estate agent that he was being thrown out of the dorm for being too rowdy. The realtor didn't even blink. Welcome to the neighborhood! For years, the building was like a frat house, but during the pandemic, things changed. Housing prices and rents skyrocketed here in Denver, and people, especially those on a fixed incomes, were desperate to find affordable housing. I gradually noticed that more and more older people were now living in the building. It is over 50 years old, after all, with issues, which means cheaper rents and lower sales prices, and is located in a very desirable neighborhood, two doors down from the light-rail station. Perfect for those who rely on public transportation. And then I remembered how when I first moved in, the building was half older people and half graduate students (undergraduates not allowed), owned by the widow of the developer. So after 23 years, it is back to the way it once was. Kind of. Back then, my rent for a one-bedroom was $350. Sadly, some things will never be the same.

Mount Evans Is Now Mount Blue Sky

Mount Evans, the 14,265 foot peak that dominates the western horizon of Metro Denver, has been officially renamed Mount Blue Sky. It was originally named after John Evans, the 2nd territorial governor of Colorado, but due to his setting in motion the Sand Creek Massacre of 1864, which killed at least 230 Cheyenne and Arapaho women, elders, and children, a movement began several years ago to find a new name. Of course, even though the name has been changed, all the signs still say Mount Evans, and it could take a while to change them all. And what I want to know is whether they intend to change the name of Evans Avenue, which runs right past the University of Denver, which was founded by Evans. Will it soon be Blue Sky Avenue? And what about Evanston, Illinois, which Evans founded, along with Northwestern University. Will it be renamed Blue Sky too? Somebody needs to contact the mayor of Evanston, and for that matter, the governor of Illinois, JB Pritzker, immediately. Feel free to mention my name.

The 6th Annual Broadway Halloween Parade

I attended the 6th Annual Broadway Halloween Parade this past Saturday night here in Denver. It was sponsored by the Broadway Merchants Association and City Council District 7, and was a very family friendly event. There were lots of kids in costumes, not to mention many adults, too. The parade led off with three of Denver's mounted police, as seen in the photograph on the left. While the horses were all dressed in costumes, the police were not. I have a sneaking suspicion that those mounted police must have other duties most of the time, since the only times I have ever seen them have been at parades and Opening Day at Coors Field. I even think the horses are probably rented. Why have full-time horses for part-time duty? And where would they park those horses anyway - in the basement of police headquarters? In any case, they were a big hit with the crowd.

South Broadway, where the parade took place, is also known as SoBo (virtually every neighborhood in Denver now has an  acronym, which is actually pretty annoying). The area is filled with bars and restaurants, second hand clothing stores, and a lot of very strange retail shops. There is an annual music festival that takes place in many of those bars every year, and the place is popular with hipsters. Just to the west is the Baker neighborhood, which is one of the best preserved Victorian era neighborhoods in the city. One of the most well known businesses in the area, in addition to the Mayan Theater, which has been around since 1930, is the Wizard's Chest, a toy and costume shop that is celebrating its 40th anniversary. Some of their employees can be seen marching down the street - in costume, of course -  in the photograph on the right.

This was a real neighborhood event. As far as I can tell, anyone who wanted to be in the parade was allowed to take part. There were even a dozen or so low-riders driving in single file down the street, revving their engines whenever they reached an intersection, which I personally found very annoying, but then again, I am an old curmudgeon. The rest of the crowd seemed to love it. A number of the performers in the parade would stop right in the middle of the intersection where I was standing and do their act, which was really nice of them. But since it was getting dark, and they were constantly moving, it was near impossible to get a photo of them that was in focus. I took the photograph on the left when that particular group, which performed a very energetic dance number, finished and stood still for a moment for applause. When it finally got too dark to take photographs, I walked back to my car. I must say, I was impressed with the size of the crowd and the large number of people wearing costumes. Denverites just love Halloween, and I suspect this weekend in Lower Downtown (LoDo), the main nightclub district in the city, will mark the high point of the celebration. And what will my costume be? The same one I wear every day. I call it grumpy old man, and it is remarkably authentic.

Discussing A Hit And Run With Mark Over Lunch

My friend Mark - seen in the photograph on the left - and I had lunch yesterday afternoon at an amusing little bistro called Chez Subway, located on Leetsdale Drive here in Denver. In addition to discussing India's victory over New Zealand in an ICC Cricket World Cup match, we talked about the damage to his car that occurred on the street in front of his house this past Saturday evening while he attended a Colorado Rapids soccer game (the Rapids lost to Real Salt Lake one-nil, but I digress). The police left a note on his door to call about the incident, while neighbors filled in the details yesterday morning.

Evidently, someone stole a Hyundai, and in the process smashed into Mark's car at a high rate of speed, knocking it backwards about 15 feet onto the sidewalk. They then drove that Hyundai into a nearby driveway, got out of the car, leaving it running, and ran like hell, with several neighbors giving chase. Whether they caught that person or not, I do not know. What I do know is that Mark's car looks like it sustained major damage, as seen in the photograph on the right. Hopefully it can be repaired, so he can avoid the major hassle of having to replace a car these days. Hyundais, by the way, are a very popular target for car thieves, since they have a steering column that can be hot-wired very easily, as demonstrated in a popular YouTube video. Nice of YouTube to provide such educational videos. I am a Hyundai owner myself, and wish I could reward YouTube for their public service, although it would probably wind up getting me arrested. Perhaps just a nasty note to their CEO would be more appropriate, and avoid having to call an attorney. Frank Azar, "The Strongarm," would probably refuse to take my case anyway.

Fall Has Finally Arrived In Florida

It has been a very hot, humid, and rainy summer this year in Stuart, Florida, where my sister Susan and I own a condo we inherited from our mother Mary. After renting it out for almost 15 years, we have decided to take it back next August and finally get some use out of the place. Meanwhile, I have been watching the local 11:00 P.M. news on WPTV in West Palm Beach whenever I can, and see that this past week the rainy season has finally come to an end, and the temperatures are cooling off at last. Not surprisingly, the weather forecasters are all excited about this change, marveling about having to wear jackets on their way into work each morning. The only down side is that it will soon be too chilly to go in the water at Stuart Beach for everyone but the snowbirds, who will venture out in their swim trunks and bikinis, with temperatures in the low 60s and a strong wind blowing in off the ocean. That was definitely not the case when I took the photograph above of Susan and our mother Mary on the boardwalk at Stuart Beach back in August of 1995. Call me crazy, but I still like August in Stuart. This year it might have been much too hot and humid, and rained 24/7, but hopefully that was just an aberation, and next summer will back to normal - hot, but with a refreshing breeze off the ocean, and only a short afternoon storm before the sun once again returns. You've got to have a dream, right?

The Collector

I just finished reading The Collector, the latest Gabriel Allon thriller by Daniel Silva, and I must say, I thoroughly enjoyed it. His previous book, Portrait of an Unknown Woman, featured Allon having retired as head of Israeli Intelligence, and living in Venice as an art restorer. That story involved the search for an art forger, which I thought was a less than exciting tale after previous books featured Allon up against Russian spies and Muslim terrorists. And I mentioned this in my Blog review, which I suspect Silva obviously must have read, and then wrote this very exciting tale, which finds Allon rejoining the Mossad and putting together his old team to stop Russia from a plot to launch nuclear weapons against Ukraine. He recruits two Danish citizens to venture into Russia to obtain a copy of the only written document with details of the plan, a mission which goes very wrong. This is a very exciting read, and I thoroughly recommend you pick up a copy. Do it today!

Getting Nostalgic While Visiting Chautauqua Park

My sister Susan and I drove up to Boulder from Denver yesterday afternoon, and even though it was a weekday, the park was filled with people hiking up the Flatirons, lounging on the grass, or just having brunch at the Chautauqua Dining Hall. I was feeling pretty nostalgic heading up Baseline Road towards that park, admiring the beautiful homes as we passed by. Years ago, I remember reading that Mo Siegal, the founder of Celestial Seasonings, lived on Baseline. He was quite the presence in Boulder when I first moved to Colorado, and I wondered whatever happened to him. The answer, after checking on the web, is that he is still in Boulder, probably in the same house, and still runs Celestial Seasonings. He started that company at the age of 20, and although I assumed he must be ancient by now, he is actually a mere 4 years older than me. Still just a kid. The photograph on the left, by the way, shows the Flatirons rising behind a very colorful Chautauqua Park.

I also took the photograph on the right of the Chautauqua Auditorium, where years ago I treated my mother Mary and Susan to a Peter Kater concert. We wound up getting front row seats, and enjoyed a really wonderful concert. The concert featured a clarinetist and flutist who was truly amazing, but over the years his name eludes me. I remember reading that Kater had moved to Hollywood to do scores for films, and also wondered what he was up to these days. After checking the internet, it appears he is back in Boulder, too. Not a big surprise to anyone who has ever visited Boulder that both Kater and Siegel are still there. 

I also couldn't resist taking a photograph of the Chautauqua Dining Hall, which features a truly wonderful patio on which to have brunch and enjoy the scenery. Back in the day, Susan and her late husband George would drive to Chautauqua from Fort Collins, and my mother Mary and I from Denver, to have Sunday brunch. At the time, as I remember, brunch ended at 11:00 A.M., and my mother and I would wait out in front, wondering if Susan and George would make it in time. They always did, but it was always close. Makes me want to drive up there this Sunday to have breakfast on that patio. Perhaps Peter Kater and Mo Siegel will be there too, although to be honest, I could fall over either one of them and not know who they were. Until charges were filed, of course.

Peak Colors Hit Breckenridge

My sister Susan wanted to take another trip up to Breckenridge from Denver to see the fall colors this past Tuesday afternoon. I told her that all the leaves were probably off the trees by now, but we went up there anyway, and as usual, I was wrong. The leaves were at their peak, and well worth the trip. Plus, it was a sunny, pleasant, laid back day in "Breck," as we hipsters call it, and most of the mid-week visitors were retirees, like us. Since I don't have snow tires, or chains, this will probably be our last trip up there for a while. If you are caught on I-70 during a snowstorm without either of those items, and wind up stuck in the middle of the highway, blocking traffic, you can be saddled with massive fines, or even executed on the spot, depending on the mood of the state trooper. 

As I said, the leaves were all still on the trees, and very colorful, as seen in the photograph on the right. I was kind of surprised at that, since Breckenridge is located at an altitude of 9,600 feet, but I guess the weather has been mild up there this fall, just like in Denver, which had its first freeze just 4 days ago. However, snow is starting to accumulate on the peaks, which are at an altitude of 13,000 feet, and is no doubt a harbinger of things to come.

Breckenridge is, of course, a world class ski resort, and some of the currently bare ski runs can be seen in the photograph on the left. My ex-wife Lisa's father owned a condo in Breckenridge years ago, and the entire family would head up there from Colorado Springs every weekend to ski and enjoy that town's wonderful ambiance. However, after virtually no snow for two years in a row, he sold the place, and that was that. Now, of course, Breckenridge is one of the most pricey mountain towns in the country, and finding a condo, let alone a house there for less than a million dollars is virtually impossible. A lesson to be learned - never try to outguess mother nature. It will cost you.

The Tattered Cover Bookstore Files For Chapter 11

Denver's Tattered Cover Bookstore, where I worked as the bookkeeper for almost 5 years before retiring in 2018, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection this past Monday, and plans to close 3 stores  - Westminster, Colorado Springs, and McGregor Square - by the end of the month. This is not entirely unexpected. The store has been struggling ever since long time owner Joyce Meskis sold the Denver bookstore chain back in 2015 due to health reasons. Joyce was a savvy businesswoman and a genius at running bookstores, totally dedicated to keeping the chain running. When hard times hit, such as during the Great Recession in 2008, she loaned the store money to keep it afloat, and was paid back over time in installments. Unfortunately, she sold the chain to people who did not have the knowledge nor resources to run such a large-scale operation, and when the pandemic hit, facing bankruptcy, they sold it to an investor group. And by the way, I took the self-portrait on the left at the Colfax location, where the company offices are located, back when I worked there. And rest assured, regular blog readers, I do not plan to put my ugly mug on every blog photograph from this point on. It is just that this is the only photo I have of what was once the lobby of the Lowenstein Theater, where the Tattered Cover relocated to from its Cherry Creek location in June of 2006.

That move from the four story location in Cherry Creek, at the time one of the largest bookstores in the country, marked a turning point for the Tattered Cover. Due to competition from companies such as Amazon and a move toward e-books, the chain had to downsize its main store. And the three story Lower Downtown (LoDo) location went from three stories to two to one, and eventually it was no longer financially viable to remain at its 16th Street Mall location. The investor group that bought the chain consists of many prominent investors, both local businessmen and publishing executives, but they put people with no bookstore experience in charge. A strategy to increase the number of stores to improve revenue backfired, resulting in the chain being unable to sufficiently stock the shelves with books, further reducing sales. And so the Tattered Cover is now unable to pay its vendors, and thus had to file Chapter 11. And will they be able to reorganize and survive after coming out of bankruptcy? The new CEO is a bankruptcy attorney who was hired to deal with this exact situation, and so hopefully the chain can survive as a four store operation. I wish them well.

Jury Duty - Canceled!

I was sent a summons for jury duty a few weeks ago, requiring me to report to the Lindsey-Flanigan Courthouse in downtown Denver yesterday morning at 8:00 A.M. Which I did. And was informed, to my great joy, that no jurors were needed that day, and I was free to go home. I was also advised that I should have read the document more thoroughly, and called in advance to see if I was still required to appear, but this is the first time that this has ever happened. Usually, they just have you sit in a large room all morning in case a trial pops up, and so I just assumed it was either show up or be thrown in the hoosegow. In any case, I am glad the way things turned out, but does this mean that things are slowing down in the legal profession? Is Frank Azar - The Strongarm - not getting enough work? Does he need someone to set up a "Go Fund Me" page for him? Personally, I suggest more television commercials and billboards. You can never have enough of those.

Does It Count As A Real Anniversary?

Today would have been my 41st wedding anniversary if my then wife Lisa and I didn't get divorced back in 1987. And since we are no longer married, I don't imagine I will be getting any presents from Lisa. Bummer. In any case, the photograph above is one of the few I have of the wedding. When we separated, Lisa took most of those photographs with her, no doubt to hide the evidence. She is now living happily in the Pacific Heights neighborhood of San Francisco, where I visited her several times. And I must admit, I like Pacific Heights and the San Francisco Bay Area even more than Denver, although it is much too expensive to move there these days. In fact, a lot of Bay Area residents have moved to Denver over the past decade or so, selling their modest homes there for a fortune and buying huge Victorians, as well as other much more spacious residences, here. And if they miss San Francisco, they can always fly back and stay with their relatives for a few months or so. But remember people, fish and visitors stink after 6 months. In the photograph above, by the way, from left to right, are my mother Mary, father Nelson, Lisa, and me. Back in the good old days.

Where Oh Where Will The Chicago Bears Go?

Back in my old home town of Chicago, the Chicago Bears football team has announced that they are leaving Soldier's Field, located on the lakefront near downtown, for the suburbs. At first, they thought they would build a new domed stadium at the site of the old Arlington Park Racetrack. They went so far as to buy the property and tear the grandstands down before finding out the property tax bill would be increasing from 3 million to over 16 million dollars a year, which would certainly make me stop and think about moving to Arlington Heights. Now, five suburbs are vying to be the site of that new stadium. In my opinion, no matter where you build it, it will be twice as difficult to get to for at least half the city. Chicago has offered to put a dome on Soldier's Field, but the Bears aren't biting. Their lease runs through 2033, and so they have time to think about it, although they will be able to break that lease in 2026 if they ever figure out what to do. The photograph above, by the way, I took around 1970 from the 24th floor of my sister Susan and late brother-in-law George's apartment at 1130 South Michigan Avenue. It shows Soldier's Field before a series of remodelings, and also the sign atop what was then the headquarters of the Illinois Central Railroad. Both the railroad and the buildings themselves are now gone, replaced by parkland and new high rise apartment buildings, including NEMA Chicago, a 76 story apartment tower at the south end of Grant Park. A great location, but I would advise Bears fans to hold off moving there until the stadium issue is resolved. Be sure to check back in 2033.

Another Very Weird DU Tradition Continues

Yesterday the annual University of Denver Hockey Student Season Ticket Campout took place in front of DU's Ritchie Center, as seen in the photograph above, and was well covered by the local televison news stations this year. And why do I care about this event? Because in the background of that photo is my condo building, and in past years, having hundreds of college students camping across the street often made for a pretty noisy night - loud music, shouting, cheering, as well as other assorted party sounds. Hockey is the big sport at DU, since football was eliminated at the university years ago. In fact, back when I worked as the Finance Manager at the DU Bookstore, before the store was outsourced to Follett Higher Education Group, we sold a very popular T-Shirt that said "University of Denver Football - Undefeated Since 1961." But I digress. This year, the temperature dropped to 30 degrees last night, and the university gave students the option of going home, staying warm, and not losing their place in line when those season tickets went on sale this morning at 7:30 A.M. Which meant a quiet night's sleep for the many seniors (real ones, not upperclassmen) who now live in our building. A win-win for all - at least this year, anyway. And by the way, is the word "upperclassmen" no longer politically correct? Frankly, I don't give a damn. I am a senior, too, after all.

The Leaves Are Finally Starting To Turn

While the Aspens are already past their peak up in the mountains, the leaves have just started to turn here in the Denver area. While the temperatures have been warm during the day, at night it has been getting colder and colder, and today Denver experienced its first freeze.  I took the photograph on the left of Clear Creek, in the heart of Golden, a few days ago. And not surprisingly, the tubers going down that creek appear to have decided to call it a wrap until next spring.

Clear Creek runs past both the Golden History Park, where original pioneer cabins and buildings from the 1800s have been relocated from the old Pearce Ranch in Golden Gate Canyon, as well as the 12th Street Historic District, which features homes from the 1870s through 1920, one of my favorite neighborhoods in all of Colorado. It helps that the Golden City Brewery is located in the backyard of one of those 1870 era homes, just in case you get thirsty walking past all that history. I took the photograph on the right, by the way, of one of those historic district homes, located right across the street from Clear Creek. I was tempted to knock on the door and make them an offer for the place, but since Colorado's "Make My Day" law is still in effect, I decided I better not. Besides, that tree in the front yard is probably fake. Nothing in nature can be that colorful, right?

Columbus Day Versus Indigenous Peoples' Day

This past Monday was Columbus Day, one of 11 federal holidays in the United States. Back when I attended Fort Dearborn Grammar School in Chicago's South Side Brainerd neighborhood, the holiday was celebrated on October 12th, and since I hated school, I welcomed every holiday I could get. These days, of course, Columbus Day is very controversial due to Columbus' mistreatment and enslavement of indigenous people. It is also very complicated. In Illinois, Columbus Day is still celebrated, but in the City of Chicago, it is now Indigenous Peoples' Day. Here in Colorado, it was eliminated as a state holiday and replaced by Mother Cabrini Day, celebrated on the first Monday in October. Back when I was going to school, I really don't think I would have cared if the holiday celebrated Satan, as long as I got the day off. I took the photograph above, by the way, on the walk home from Fort Dearborn one long ago afternoon. I don't remember the name of the kid on the left, but in the center is John Kloak, who lived across the alley from me, and on the right is Neil Finn, who lived down the street from our house on Aberdeen Street. And yes, students in Chicago still get Columbus/Indigenous People's Day off, but students in Colorado do not. And they don't get Mother Cabrini Day off, either. What a ripoff - I suggest that they definitely stage a walkout next year. And perhaps, for good measure, they should do so on both of those very special days.

Attendance At Coors Field Actually Went Up This Year!

Even I was surprised that attendance at Coors Field, home of the Colorado Rockies, actually increased by .4% this year. A total of 2,607,935 fans went through the turnstiles, despite the fact that the Rockies were the worst team in the National League this year. They were predicted to be the worst team in all of baseball this season, but turned out to be only the third worst, and so fans might have wanted to come out and show their appreciation for this achievement, even though it did result in 103 losses. Another possible reason for the high attendance might be that many people have moved to Denver from other cities across the country over the past decade or so, and head to Coors Field, a truly nice ballpark, to see the team they grew up supporting. Let's face it - when the Chicago Cubs, Los Angeles Dodgers, and St. Louis Cardinals, among many others, come to play the Rockies, most of the fans are cheering for the other side. The problem with this is that team ownership (i.e. Dick Monfort) has no incentive to improve the team. Why should they replace all their cronies with baseball people who actually know what the hell they are doing when they have the 14th highest attendance in the major leagues, averaging 32,196 per game? Life is good just the way it is. Let's play two!

The October Issue Of Chicago Magazine Has Arrived!

I recently received the October issue of Chicago Magazine. Living here in Denver after growing up on the South Side of Chicago, a subscription to Chicago, along with watching the WGN television newscast every evening, helps me to keep up with what is happening in my old home town. And the ads in Chicago are often as enlightening as the articles. Compass Real Estate has a two page spread this month featuring residences mostly in the 3 to 5 million dollar range, one page of which are either under contract or recently sold. This just amazes me. There are so many people who will never be able to afford to buy their own home, let alone pay millions of dollars for it. And in a section called The 312, a Gilded Age mansion located in Wicker Park is featured in one of the articles. It was once divided up into separate apartments, but later restored to a single family residence, and is now for sale at the bargain price of 6.95 million. Just in time for the new Gilded Age! It has 5 bedrooms and 5 1/2 baths, which immediately makes me lose interest - I have trouble enough just cleaning a 2 bedroom, 2 bath condo. And happily, for those of us who want to see how the other half lives, the Chicago Architecture Foundation is hosting Open House Chicago this coming weekend, featuring 170 sites spread across 20 different neighborhoods. All for free. Denver has had a similar weekend in the past called Open Doors Denver, but it has been on hold, at least for in person visits, since the pandemic. And even before then, a lot of the sites were not free to tour. In any case, this month's issue has many other interesting articles, including a story about 40 things to do this fall in Chicago, how the city is handling the migrant crisis, and a review of a new book about how the Chicago Fire of 1871 changed Chicago. Pick up a copy at your local newsstand today, especially if you are interested in making an offer for that Wicker Park bargain.

Lunch With Stuart At Spanky's

I had a late lunch this past Saturday afternoon with my friend Stuart, seen in the photograph above, at Spanky's, an "urban roadhouse" just to the west of the University of Denver, where I worked as the Finance Manager of the DU Bookstore for almost 30 years, and where Stuart graduated with a Masters in International Studies back in the distant past. And I have to say, Spanky's is much more lively now that classes are back in session. Stuart and I discussed the uptick in Covid-19 cases, the war in Israel, and, of course, the Chicago Cubs. Stuart is originally from the North Side of Chicago, and a Cubs fan, and tells me he was not surprised that within a few weeks they went from a 3 1/2 game lead in the wildcard race to not making the playoffs. They are the Cubs, after all. As for my South Side heroes, the Chicago White Sox (I grew up in Chicago's South Side Brainerd neighborhood), I could see the writing on the wall after the first week of the season, which culminated in the Pale Hose losing over 100 games for the 5th time in their history. Our current home town team, the Colorado Rockies, were expected to be the worst in baseball this year, and although they were indeed the worst in the National League, they surprised everyone by being only the third worst team in all of baseball this season. Which is considered a great success here in Denver. When I was limping out of Spanky's as we were leaving (I recently pulled a muscle that seems to be a lingering issue), Stuart remarked that I now remind him of Grandpappy Amos, the Walter Brennan character in the old Real McCoys television series. Nobody can possibly take offense at that, although I do have to say that only someone very old - very, very old - can possibly remember that classic television show. Am I right or am I right?

Stuart Beach - Just Not The Same

This past May, my sister Susan and I visited Stuart, Florida, where we own a condo we inherited from our mother Mary. It has been 6 1/2 years since I was last there, and while much of the town seemed the same, there were several major changes, including a large condo building being constructed along the St. Lucie River in Old Town Stuart, and a major change to Stuart Beach. Back when we used to visit our mother, we would head to Stuart Beach each day. Susan would take her boogie board down to the beach and head out on it towards Africa, while my mother - alternating between reading the Stuart News and watching and worrying about Susan's safety - and I would sit in one of the shelters. The photograph on the left shows Susan with her beloved boogie board (which I callously threw away when we started renting out the condo) sitting next to my mother in one of those shelters back in 1996, along with a few locals enjoying the day. It was a very pleasant way to spend a few hours.

However, this past May I discovered that all but one of those shelters have been removed to put in a cafe, with only a few Adirondack chairs available to sit in, as seen in the photograph of Susan on the right that I took on that most recent trip. Which makes it hard to enjoy the view without sitting in the sun on the beach. Even the one remaining shelter has been set up as a table for that damn cafe. You just can't see the ocean if you are sitting in one of those Adirondack chairs, unless you stand up. Do I sound like some old geezer complaining about how nothing is like the "good old days" anymore? That's exactly what I thought.

On the bright side, the beach is still there, and the boardwalk leading to it seems to be the same, as seen in the photograph on the left of me posing next to it. And I suppose that it would not be all that horrible to buy a copy of the Stuart News (and God knows how much a paper copy of it costs these days), order a coffee from that cafe, and if it is early enough, grab that remaining shelter and hang there for a while, before heading for a walk along the ocean to the House of Refuge, an historic structure from 1876. When we finally take back the condo next August, that is exactly what I plan to do, and perhaps just accept all the changes that come along and deal with it. Or not - complaining about change can be fun, after all.

Breckenridge In The Fall

My sister Susan and I headed to the mountains from Denver Thursday afternoon to check out the fall colors on Boreas Pass, and afterwards stopped in Breckenridge on the way home. I must say, it was much different than the last time we were there, on a mid-September weekend for Oktoberfest. Main Street was closed to traffic that day, and packed wall-to-wall with partiers, many dressed in lederhosen and dirndls. Thursday afternoon was much more laid back, with a smattering of tourists, most of them seniors, like us.

Breckenridge is, of course, a world-class ski resort, but although there was a dusting of snow on the mountaintops, as seen in the photograph on the right, ski season is still at least a month away. At the final Colorado Rockies game of the year, there was an ad on the scoreboard that encouraged fans to enter a contest via text message for a free 5-day stay in "Breck," as we hipsters call it. However, I have not yet heard back. The last time I entered such a contest, while attending either the People's Fair or the Taste of Colorado in Denver's Civic Center Park, I wound up being hassled with telemarketing calls from a hotel chain for the next 5 years or so. As so many people have said, the definition of crazy is when you do the same thing over and over, expecting a different result.

And as can be seen in the photograph on the left, the free downtown trolly is still up and running, taking people from outlying parking lots to the center of town and back, although on a quiet mid-week afternoon, there were plenty of spaces available on Main Street. In fact, when we went to Oktoberfest, despite the huge crowds, I was able to find a parking space right in front of the Gold Pan Saloon (which has been in business since 1879). I suspect most people feel the odds are so slim of finding a place to park that they automatically head for the outlying lots and take that trolly. As for me, I don't mind circling the block a few times, until someone pulls out, instead of taking that trolly. Of course, if they were serving free drinks, that would be a different story.

Colorado's Aspens Are At Their Peak Colors

The aspens are at their peak colors in the mountains of Colorado, although I have to say that up on Boreas Pass, which begins just south of Breckenridge, the peak was probably about a week ago. Many of the trees were already bare. I remember driving up Boreas Pass in October a few years ago, and there was not a single leaf left on any tree in sight. This year, as I drove higher up the pass, I was thinking the same thing was happening, but happily, there were still sections along the road with lots of aspens, if not in full color, colorful enough. The problem with photographs of aspens is that they tend to all look the same, but still, since they are so beautiful, I think it is very reasonable that artistic creativity takes a back seat in this instance.

The reason I like to drive up Boreas Pass each year to take aspen photographs is that it is a dirt road with not that many cars, and so in addition to having lots of places to pull over, you can also stop right in the middle of the road and get out of the car, too, if you see an exceptionally scenic view. That is what I did when I took the photograph on the right. If you try doing that on one of the more popular routes, such as Guanella Pass above Georgetown, someone might smash into your rear bumper, or at the very least, scream obscenities as they pass you by. Something like that can take the luster out of the day. Plus, afterwards, as you head back to town to have a beer to soothe your nerves, you find yourself in Georgetown, which is a beautiful little Victorian-era mining town, but frankly, pretty damn boring.

For all you Colorado history buffs out there, Boreas Pass began as Breckenridge Pass back in the 1860s to provide a route to the gold mines. It was widened to become a wagon trail that could handle stagecoaches in 1866, and in 1882 railroad track was laid to connect Breckenridge with Como, Colorado. Now, of course, it is a dirt road for car traffic in the summer and a cross-country ski trail in the winter. And if you follow the road all the way to Como? Como still has a number of weathered structures, including a roundhouse, hotel, and depot, and has been described as having the air of a ghost town that is still populated. I have never been there myself, but it sounds like a great place to take photographs. However, there are actual paved highways that will get you there much faster than traveling along an unpaved, former railroad bed. The scenery is very nice, but after hours of bumpy roads, even that can get pretty old.

Syrup In The Morning

My sister Susan and I have had breakfast several times lately at the Syrup Restaurant across the street from City Park here in Denver. This is a breakfast and lunch place with a really nice outdoor patio, and a great view of the park, as seen in the photograph above. The breakfasts are pretty tasty, and the portions are very sizable, too. Regular blog readers will be happy to know that it is a dog friendly patio, and I was able to take a photograph of what will be the November Mutt of the Month. This restaurant is part of a small Denver area chain, located in the City Park West neighborhood on York Street, just a few doors down from the Smith Mansion, built in 1902 in the French Eclectic style by the son of a wealthy mine owner. That mansion is a massive 14,000 square feet and very hard to miss as you drive by. And it is now - get ready for it - the home of a criminal defense and immigration law firm. They are housed in one of the grandest mansions in Denver, and don't even advertise on TV. I just knew I should have used my University of Denver tuition waiver to go to law school. But it's still not too late - I am only 70, after all. I think I will head over to Syrup at City Park this morning and mull it over.

The October Mutt Of The Month

I found so many dogs to take photographs of when visiting New Terrain Brewery up in Golden, Colorado, this past summer that I wound up having a backlog of Mutt of the Month candidates. And because I took the photograph above of the October Mutt of the Month so long ago, I can't remember where it was taken. Perhaps in someone's backyard, or possibly where it was being incarcerated, behind bars, for bad behavior? In that photograph, however, it is calmly posing for its portrait, bless its heart. As for the next Mutt of the Month? I just hope I don't have to resort to putting up notices looking for candidates on various message boards at PetSmarts throughout the Denver area. People might expect me to pay them money, God forbid.

Halloween Comes Early In These Parts

People in Colorado just love Halloween. Here in Denver, the hipster population will dress up for any kind of holiday - Oktoberfest, Comic-Con, the Zombie Crawl, Cinco de Mayo, but above all, Halloween. Up in Boulder, where the Boulder Mall Crawl on Pearl Street once attracted crowds of up to 40,000 people on Halloween night, until it was finally shut down, a bunch of people decided to dress up in costume and parade down the Pearl Street Mall this past Saturday night, gearing up for Halloween a month early. And so it was no surprise to see many front yards already decorated for the holiday as I drove through Denver yesterday afternoon, including the skeleton in the photograph above. Where do you buy something like that, anyway? Does Amazon deliver it to your door? I'd definitely like to get an "action photograph" of that.

The Final Rockies Game Of The Season

My friend Mark and I attended the final Colorado Rockies game of the season at Coors Field yesterday afternoon. It was a very pleasant fall day, and the Rockies played a very decent game, beating the Minnesota Twins 3-2 in 11 innings. Of course, since the Twins will be playing the Toronto Blue Jays in the Wild Card Series starting this Tuesday, and did not want to use up all their pitchers beating the lowly Rockies, they put in an outfielder to pitch to the Rockies in the 11th inning, and he promptly threw a wild pitch allowing Colorado to win the game. But what the heck, a win is a win.

Mark and I, seen in the photograph on the right (I am the old guy without a hat), were sitting in the upper deck, right behind home plate, and so had a good view of the game. And I must say the Twins did not look so hot. I suspect they will probably be eliminated in the first round of the playoffs. The Rockies have lost 103 games this year, a new franchise record, and for the fifth time in their history, my South Side heroes, the Chicago White Sox, lost over 100, and so I know a thing or two about bad baseball teams. The Chicago Cubs, the White Sox North Side rivals, were 3.5 games ahead in the wild card race the last time I looked, but were eliminated by the Miami Marlins this past Saturday night, and so baseball fans on both sides of Chicago are once again saying "wait until next year." Rockies fans just don't care, as long as they can go to Coors Field and cheer for the team from the city they came from. Which was why a lot of people were cheering for Minnesota yesterday.

The nice thing about the last game of the season at Coors Field is that after the game, the players all walk around the field and thank the fans for their support during the season, as seen in the photograph on the left. This year some of them were taking off their jerseys and giving them to the fans, which was a very nice gesture indeed. And so the regular baseball season is now over and none of my teams will be playing in the post-season. That is okay. Even if they made it to the playoffs, I know in my heart none of them would get very far before being eliminated, and watching those games would cause a lot of anguish. Which is why being a sports fan in Chicago, or for that matter, Denver, is a very relaxing thing.

"Meanwhile, In The Tropics"

Lately, I have gotten into the habit of watching the WGN 10 o'clock news from Chicago, and right after that, a rebroadcast of the WPTV 11:00 o'clock news from West Palm Beach, Florida on my computer every evening, first to catch up on what is happening in my old home town, and then to hear news from "The Treasure Coast," where my sister Susan and I own a condo we inherited from our mother Mary. And this time of year, the weather forecast is the most important, since after the local weather they move on to what is happening out in the Atlantic, where there always seems to be a system forming. Happily, the two tropical disturbances currently out in the Atlantic, Philippe and Rina, are forecast to turn north and stay away from land. But, of course, there is always another system forming out there, which makes it a bit nerve wracking until hurricane season is finally over. Stuart, Florida, where our condo is located, was hit by Hurricane Frances, a Category 2 storm, in September of 2004, and then by Hurricane Jean, a Category 3 storm, just three weeks later, destroying many homes and businesses, especially along the water, including Jack Baker's Lobster Shanty, one of our favorite restaurants, as seen in the photograph above that I took of Susan and my mother back in August of 1995. The restaurant and marina are now just a vacant lot. And so it will be another two months of watching the weather team on WPTV until the end of the hurricane season on November 30th, when everyone can finally release their collective breaths. Hopefully those hurricanes pay attention to that official date, too.