Happy Halloween!

Today is Halloween, a holiday very popular not only with kids, but these days, with adults, too. Here in Denver the big thing seems to be haunted houses, where the object is to scare the living hell out of you. For a price, of course. Looking on the internet, there seems to be dozens of these places around town. And, in addition to a lot of guided ghost tours, this being Denver and all, there are also several "Boos and Brews Haunted Pub Crawls," too. To me, it all seems pretty tiring, not to mention cold out there (I am, after all, feeling damn old these days). In my opinion, it would be best to do all your trick or treating down in Florida, where I took the photograph above years ago of my sister Susan and mother Mary at an arts and crafts show at Riverside Park, in Vero Beach. And no, we did not buy those two ghosts seen in the photograph. They actually wanted money for them. Go figure.

Boulder In The Fall

Boulder is definitely a fun place to be in the fall. Of course, as usual, much of the action takes place on the Pearl Street Mall, as seen in the photograph on the left that I took this past Sunday afternoon. There was a nice mix of University of Colorado students, retired couples walking hand-in-hand, as well as families out and about enjoying the laid-back day. And as can be expected, there were some people in their Halloween costumes, but not too many. Years ago, Boulder was the epicenter for Halloween in Colorado, with the Boulder Mall Crawl taking place each year the Saturday night before Halloween. When the crowd swelled to 300,000 one year, resulting in damage to stores, drunken brawls, and other mischief, Boulderites decided they had had enough. The following Halloween it was announced there would be no official mall crawl, and police established roadblocks to keep everyone not a resident from entering the city. It took a few years, but they eventually were able to stop that annual tradition. When a group wanted to revive the mall crawl a few years ago, the idea was quickly squashed.

Boulder was founded in 1858, when miners arrived at the mouth of Boulder Canyon. When gold was discovered in Boulder Creek the following year, more miners and merchants began to show up, and the city grew from there. Much of Boulder, located beneath the Flatirons, is filled with old, tree-covered Victorian neighborhoods, and the Pearl Street Mall is filled with late 19th Century era commercial buildings. All that, combined with the University of Colorado campus just a few miles away, makes the place a perfect spot to hang out. As my sister Susan and I walked the mall this past Sunday, the patios were filled with people lingering over a late lunch, enjoying the view of the Flatirons. A great place to visit, a mere 45 minutes from Denver, and an even greater place to live, if you've got big bucks. Of course, if you are a college student at CU, you get to live like a native for 4 years, or even longer if you decide to go to graduate school. With a bit of determination, you might even manage to stay in school through late middle age. Worth a try, right?

The Buchtel Bungalow Is For Sale? Say It Ain't So, Joe!

I was driving down East Evans Avenue here in Denver the other day and noticed a "for sale" sign in front of the Buchtel Bungalow, which has been part of the University of Denver since 1927. Yesterday, I made a point to stop and take some photos of it, and in the process met someone waiting to do an inspection of the place for a potential buyer. The home was owned by Henry Buchtel, DU's 3rd chancellor, and built in 1906. As chancellor, Buchtel oversaw the funding of 5 new buildings, saw enrollment double under his tenure, and set DU on the path to becoming a major university. He was also the 13th governor of Colorado and a Methodist minister. His daughter gave the house to DU in 1927, and it has served a number of purposes over the years, including as an event space. When I was the Finance Manager for the DU Bookstore, we once had our holiday party there, and I saw that it was a very nice place indeed.

Back in 2007, Buchtel Bungalow underwent a major renovation and became the official residence of the chancellor. Robert Coombe, the chancellor at the time (and who also, by the way, approved the outsourcing of the DU Bookstore to Follett Higher Education Group in 2012, resulting in the layoff of the entire staff) waxed poetic about how historical the place was, and how now it would be preserved instead of being sold and torn down to make way for a new structure. Buchtel House is located in the University Park neighborhood, just to the east of DU, parts of which were recently made into an historic district by the City of Denver over DU's strong objection. Evidently, due to declining enrollment, DU wanted to sell the house, and it would not bring top dollar if a buyer couldn't level it and build a suitable mansion on the property. And if it is in an historic district, the chances of demolition are slim. So much for caring about its historic past. DU did the same thing years ago when they sold the Phipps Mansion, built in 1933 and located in the Belcaro neighborhood of Denver. It was given to DU in 1964 and became the Phipps Memorial Conference Center. That is where the Summit of the Eight Conference took place back in 1997. Every year, a holiday party would be thrown for DU staff and faculty in the mansion's Tennis Pavilion, and afterwards, everyone who wanted to could walk up to the mansion and take a self-guided tour. The chairs in the conference room, I noted at the time, were marked with plaques telling who sat where at that summit (Bill Clinton, Boris Yeltsin, Tony Blair, etc.) DU sold the place in 2010, no doubt for big bucks. And there is also no doubt what DU's priorities are, if there ever was.

Remembering Rocky Mountain National Park In The Fall

The trees are changing color here in Denver, but up in the mountains they are now past their peak. I had hoped to get up to Rocky Mountain National Park this fall, but never did. I remember years ago my sister Susan, her late husband George, and I would go hiking up there every Autumn. I am pretty sure that I took the photograph above of Susan and George when we were hiking the Glacier Gorge Trail, which starts just before you reach Bear Lake, one of the most popular spots in the park. But as you can see from the photo, the Glacier Gorge Trail is a pretty damned impressive place to hike, too. And by the way, in the photo George is wearing his News Cafe T-shirt, which Susan bought for him when she, our mother Mary, and I drove from Stuart, Florida down to South Beach on one of our visits there. I also bought a News Cafe T-shirt for myself, but after Susan moved in with me after she sold her townhouse in Fort Collins and saw it, she quickly appropriated it for herself. But I am not bitter, because after closing during the pandemic, the News Cafe, a Miami Beach institution, has once again reopened, and so I can pick up another one when we head back there one of these days. Hopefully with Susan paying for it. In any case, I definitely intend to hike the Glacier Gorge Trail next year, without fail. You should too.

Dinner With The DU Bookstore Gang, And Other Friends, Too!

Darrel, my friend and former University of Denver Bookstore Accounts Payable Manager and his wife Linda hosted a dinner for some of us DU Bookstore retirees, along with some other friends, too. The dinner was excellent, and it was fun to get together and hear what everyone has been up to lately. In the photograph above, starting on the bottom left, are my sister Susan, and next to her Fifi and her husband Moise, who are visiting here from Peru and staying with Jake, whose late wife Valarie was the DU Bookstore's Operations Manager back in the day. At the head of the table is Darrel. He and Linda are planning a trip to Germany next year, where their grandson is now living in Berlin. Talk about a fun place to visit! Next to Darrel is Jake, who has been spending time working on his cabin outside Walsenburg, Colorado. Next to Jake is Linda, who cooked a wonderful dinner for us all, and next to her are Chris, the former DU Bookstore Accounts Payable Assistant, and her husband Jim, who are spending a lot of time down in Pueblo helping out Chris' father. Chris brought a huge tray of hors d'oeuvres to the party, which we eagerly devoured while chatting in the living room. A very nice evening with great friends. What could be better?

Monkey Business

As I mentioned in yesterday's blog post, I went to the Denver Zoo Thursday afternoon to take a few photographs, but unfortunately, very few of the animals were willing to pose for a portrait. It appears they were all doing their own thing. The monkey in the photograph on the left was obviously absorbed in its own thoughts, no doubt pondering the meaning of life, why it was imprisoned, and when dinner would be served. Too absorbed to look up and let me take a damned photograph of it. Next time I suppose I could bring some tomatoes to throw and make it look up, but I suspect that might be against zoo regulations.

The orangutan in the photograph on the right was all about nurturing its one-year-old baby. Over-mothering, if you ask my opinion, but what do I know? If you left it to its own devices, it would probably get into all kinds of trouble and wind up becoming a delinquent, and sent to orangutan reform school, which I am sure would be supervised by unpaid Denver Zoo interns. But no problem - they wanted to work at the zoo and were willing to do it for free, so they have to take what they get. And I understand that if interns complain about their assignments, it will be back to cleaning the cages for them. Not a very pretty thought at all.

A Tale Of Two Cats

I went to the Denver Zoo yesterday afternoon to take a few photographs, and I am afraid it was slim pickings. The weather was sunny and mild, but virtually none of the animals would look into my camera lens for a portrait. The exception was one of the tigers, who was pacing his or her cage the entire time I was there. It finally went up onto the ledge lining the cage and on one of its trips back and forth looked down at me as it passed, as seen in the photograph on the left. I even think it was smiling at me. Talk about a positive attitude. Thanks guy!

Contrast that tiger's attitude with the lions in the Predatory Ridge compound. All but one were turned around and sleeping with their backsides to zoo visitors. The one exception was asleep, but suddenly raised its head. I took a photograph hoping to capture it looking me right in the eye, but I'll be damned if it didn't even open its eyes, and immediately went back to sleep. On average, lions sleep 15-20 hours a day, and I definitely can believe it. I still say the zoo should hire interns to go into the lion compound and poke each of them with a big stick, which I am sure would liven things up.

Catrinas En Mi Cuidad

This past Saturday I attended Catrinas En Mi Cuidad (Catrinas in my City), an outdoor art exhibit inspired by Mexico's Dia de Muretos, at the Denver Performing Arts Complex's Sculpture Garden, where I took the attached photographs. Catrinas are symbolic of Dia de los Muertos, the Day of the Dead, which takes place every November 1st and 2nd. The Sculpture Garden, by the way, is where "Dancers" is located, which features what looks like two 60-foot-tall dancing space aliens, and has generated a lot of talk here (mostly negative), and cost Denver taxpayers 1.58 million dollars. On the bright side, the Catrinas En Mi Cuidad exhibit diverted everyone's attention from those dancers, at least for the afternoon.

This exhibit of larger-than-life catrinas was created by Jaen Cartoneria, a collective of artists from Mexico City, and costume and set designer Ricardo Soltero. The Day of the Dead, of course, is a holiday that celebrates and remembers family and friends who have passed away, and is celebrated in Mexico and among people of Mexican heritage everywhere. Curiously, the exhibit took place on the same day as the Denver Zombie Crawl, a few blocks away in Denver's Larimer Square, which made it very convenient to move from one festival to the other, which I thought was pretty nifty.

In addition to the giant Catrinas, there was also a living Catrina walking around, as seen in the photograph on the left. And this reminded me that First Friday takes place in Denver's Santa Fe Arts District on November 1st, a week from this Friday, and the Museo de las Americas, located there, hosts an annual Catrina Costume Contest, which also includes a parade along Santa Fe Drive. Be there or be square, as we hipsters like to say.

Climate Refugees

I was driving past the Evergreen Golf Course up in Evergreen, Colorado several days ago when I noticed a large number of deer and elk gathered on the course, as seen in the photograph above. That is not a surprise this time of year. It has been getting much colder at the higher altitudes the past several weeks, and there is now snow on top of Mount Blue Sky (formerly Mount Evans), the summit of which is at 14,200 feet. During the summer you see elk and deer around and about, but not in these numbers. Evergreen, at an altitude of 7,200 feet, is a much more inviting spot to spend the winter. In addition, a local resident mentioned to me as I was taking photographs that it is hunting season further up the mountain, and these animals have learned that they are much safer here, where the worst that can happen is being hit by an errant golf ball instead of a bullet. And since they are all sitting away from the fairway, that is probably very unlikely. These animals are definitely not dumb.

Watching Tottenham Play West Ham With Mark

I visited my friend Mark this past Saturday morning and we watched Tottenham play West Ham in a Premier League Soccer match. Both teams are from London, and so Tottenham Hotspur Stadium was packed to the rafters, as seen in the photograph above, with Mark standing in the foreground through the magic of Photoshop. He is wearing his Tottenham jersey, which features shirt sponsor A1A, a multinational insurance company, although A1A is also the famous highway that runs along the Atlantic Ocean from Key West, Florida to the Florida state line. When I get back to Florida, I intend to wear my A1A shirt to Stuart Beach every day to let everyone know I am a big fan of that highway. But I digress. Tottenham quickly fell behind 1-0 to West Ham at the start of the game, but came back strong to win 4-1.  And I have to wonder why Tottenham never wins like that when we join the Tottenham Hotspur Supporters Group at Esters Pub here in Denver. Whenever we are there, they seem to lose big time, and everyone slinks away all depressed. Are we jinxes? Probably so. The same thing happens whenever I watch a White Sox game. Go figure.

The Undead Are Back! They Are Alive!

For the first time in 5 years, the Denver Zombie Crawl took place here in Denver this past Saturday. For many years, it was held annually on a Saturday in October on the 16th Street Mall. Then it was canceled due to the pandemic, and starting in 2021 the city started a major renovation of the mall, making it unsuitable for such a large event. The mall is still being renovated, and so I was surprised, and delighted, to learn that the Denver Zombie Crawl was going to be held after a 5-year absence at Larimer Square, an historic block saved from urban renewal by Dana Crawford, a tireless advocate for preserving historic buildings and neighborhoods in Denver, as well as other towns and cities in Colorado.

And I must say, in addition to seeing so many Denver zombies finally out and about, it was nice to see Larimer Square filled with people once again. In addition to the loss of foot traffic due to the high office vacancy rate here in Denver, Larimer Square's new owners started a renovation that resulted in many vacant store fronts, and most times when I walk through it, there are very few people around. But this past Saturday, it was just like the good old days. Since the zombie crawl was limited to just a single block, it was a smaller affair than in the past, but still fun. There is nothing Denverites love better than dressing up in costumes and parading around in Lower Downtown (LoDo), the Ballpark neighborhood, or River North (RiNo), which are filled with bars and bistros and brew pubs catering to the hipster set. And as you can tell from the photos, they must take a lot of time to look as authentic as they can, assuming that some, if not most of them, are not real zombies.

What I would like to know is why clowns have been singled out as being so sinister. At every zombie crawl I can remember, there are always a fair number of ghoulish looking clowns walking up and down the street. Is it because of serial killer John Wayne Gacy's penchant for dressing up in clown costume and makeup? Whatever the reason, it has sure given clowns a bad name. They used to be a staple of circuses throughout the country, but since circuses have mostly disappeared due to the ASPCA's successful campaign to outlaw their use of animals, clowns have mostly disappeared from the scene. My sister Susan told me once about being taken to the circus by our Grandfather Spillard when she was young and getting to meet the clowns backstage. My grandfather was involved in vaudeville years ago, and knew a lot of those clowns when they were on the vaudeville circuit. Once vaudeville died out, often being a circus clown was the only work they could get, and Susan actually found it kind of sad. But I digress - I really enjoyed the Denver Zombie Crawl this year and hope it will be back bigger and better next year on the 16th Street Mall. One can only hope.

Homecoming Weekend At The University Of Denver

This is homecoming weekend at the University of Denver, where I worked for 28 years as the Finance Manager for the DU Bookstore, and also where I earned an MBA. Being a DU retiree and an alumnus, I got an e-mail inviting me to the HocktoberFEST Pregame Festival before the hockey game yesterday evening between the University of Denver Pioneers and Northeastern University. Since HocktoberFEST was taking place right across the street from my condo, I decided what the hell, and reserved two tickets and two drink coupons (my sister Susan wanted to go too). Susan decided not to attend after all, and so I was forced to use her drink coupon as well as my own, but I bravely faced up to the situation and had two Melvin IPAs, which were truly excellent and brewed in Alpine, Wyoming, just outside of Jackson Hole.

There was a large crowd inside the DU Field House, as well as outside in the beer garden, and everyone was in a festive mood. The big event was, of course, the hockey game. DU won the NCAA National Championship last year, and people are excited about the current season. DU ended its football program 63 years ago, and so hockey is the big sport. When I worked at the DU Bookstore, one of the most popular t-shirts had "University of Denver Football, Undefeated Since 1961" on the front. I never bought one before we were outsourced to Follett Higher Education Group, and since Follett has no sense of humor whatsoever, I suspect I will probably never see one of those again. And sadly, the team known as the Denver Pioneers no longer has a mascot. The university determined that Boone, a Walt Disney designed cartoon pioneer, wearing a coonskin cap, was deemed not fit to be a mascot because it was not gender neutral, and many on campus are not too crazy about the word "pioneer," either. Talk about not having a sense of humor. And by the way, DU won both the Friday and Saturday night games by scores of 5-2 and are now a perfect 4-0 for the season. Go Pios!

Endless Summer Is Over. At Least In Colorado. For Now.

After what seems like forever, the warm temperatures and sunshine here in Denver have finally come to an end, at least for now. The temperatures have fallen from the 80s to the 50s, and some parts of the state have even seen rain - unheard of - and in the southwest part of the state, a lot of snow. Up in Evergreen, the clouds rolled in quickly, and it rained on and off all yesterday afternoon. The photograph on the left shows Colorado 103, which leads to Echo Lake and from there to the 14,200-foot summit of Mount Blue Sky (formerly Mount Evans), toward which I decided not to continue. Driving a road in heavy fog, with sheer cliffs along its sides, is less fun than you might think.

I took the photograph on the right yesterday afternoon of Elk Meadow Park, in which I have never seen a single damn elk. I have seen them on the Evergreen Golf Course, in Dedisse Park along Evergreen Lake, and several dozen sitting on someone's lawn across the street from Evergreen's Hiwan Heritage Park. I have even seen a herd of elk cross the street - in the crosswalk, no less - toward Alderfer/Three Sisters Park, but for some reason, they avoid Elk Meadow Park. Probably don't want to conform to expectations. Kind of like me.

A Late Lunch With Stuart At Old Chicago In Lakewood

I had lunch yesterday afternoon with my friend Stuart, seen in the photograph above, at the Old Chicago Pizza and Taproom in Lakewood, Colorado, a suburb just to the west of Denver. Lakewood, as regular blog readers know, is not my favorite place in the world. For one thing, it is a suburb, and most of the businesses in town are stand-alone big box stores, restaurants, strip centers, fast food outlets, and pawn shops, among many other assorted concerns located along Colfax Avenue. Although I have to admit, the city tore down a large, mostly vacant mall called Villa Italia, which was replaced in 2004 by the Belmar Shopping District, which has become an attractive downtown for Lakewood. It is still there, but began to decline during the pandemic, and went into foreclosure before being sold to a new owner. Evidently the citizens of Lakewood prefer gritty Colfax as THE place to shop (there are no pawn shops in Belmar, after all). It confirms my opinion that ugly is "in" in suburbia. In any case, Stuart and I each had a leisurely 3-course meal at Old Chicago for the bargain price of $10.95. And no sports talk at all.  The regular baseball season is over, our teams are not in the playoffs, and there is nothing left to say about it. Although I did read that Jerry Reinsdorf is seriously thinking of selling the Chicago White Sox. And thank God for that.

The October Issue Of Chicago Magazine

The Best of Fall. Theater! Music! Books! Art! Podcasts! Dance! That is the cover story for this month's issue of Chicago Magazine. These "best of fall" cultural events include a concert by Ratboys, a ballet that "turns Mexican lore into a metaphor for postpartum depression," and a doomsday podcast, among other can't miss events. Is it just me, or do these best of fall events sound like something to miss rather than attend? Probably just me - I'm old. Much more interesting was French novelist (now an American citizen living in Chicago) Camille Bordas' take on the recent 2024 Democratic National Convention in Chicago, which kind of confirmed what I have always thought. Most of the speeches and events were repetitive and boring, and there was very little substance beyond platitudes. The press briefings were mostly uninformative, and there was no reason why the convention could not have been held in one day instead of four, except to generate publicity and television time.

The 312 section of Chicago also had an interesting article speculating on how the city would fare if Trump were elected to a second term. During his first term, he compared Chicago to a Middle Eastern war zone, called its crime rate "an embarrassment to the nation," and sent in agents from various law enforcement agencies as a publicity stunt. Sadly, we very well might find out what he will do during a second term pretty damn soon. On the bright side, I am happy to report that the ads for real estate for sale in Chicago Magazine show quite a few bargains, ranging from $715,000 to 11.7 million. They even have a place on Sedgewick Street, in the Lincoln Park neighborhood, where my sister Susan once lived with 5 or 6 roommates, for sale at a bargain 2.5 million. When I was in Chicago back in 2010, which is when I took the photograph on the right, I did not see that house. Susan suspects it was probably devoured by roaches years ago and collapsed into a pile of rubble.

A Sort Of Anniversary

Today would have been my 42nd wedding anniversary if I was still married, but my ex-wife Lisa and I have been divorced for 37 years now. Is it still an anniversary if we don't exchange gifts? In any case, the photograph above was taken at Maroon Bells, located just outside of Aspen, Colorado back in October of 1982 while we were on our honeymoon. This is an extremely popular tourist destination, and these days you need to make a reservation if you want to visit there between May 15th and October 31st. It costs $10 for a permit to park a car, but you must arrive before 8:00 A.M. No cars are allowed to enter between 8:00 and 5:00, which to me seems to be quite a hassle. You can take a shuttle, which costs $16 for an adult, but a mere $10 for seniors, due to their advanced age. Back when that photograph was taken there were no such restrictions. You drove there and parked. That was it, and thankfully, there were not too many tourists during the month of October. In other words, the good old days. Perhaps I should call Lisa, who now lives in San Francisco, and tell her we could get senior discounts if we decided to go back there for old times sake? I wonder how that would go over? Not well, I suspect.

Watching Nations League Soccer AND Women's World Cup Cricket With Mark.

I went over to my friend Mark's place to watch a UEFA Nations League soccer match between England and Finland Sunday morning and a cricket match broke out. When I arrived, Mark was glued to the television watching Australia play India in a Women's T20 World Cup cricket match. I didn't even realize there were national teams playing women's cricket until two days ago. The games were supposed to take place in Bangladesh, but due to political unrest, they are being played in the United Arab Emirates instead, a place I never hope to see in my lifetime, if possible. Australia won the match 151 to 142. Meanwhile, in Helsinki, England was beating Finland by a score of 3-1, which is how the game ended. I myself have never been interested in visiting Helsinki. It seems too modern a place, and I prefer to visit cities that have a lot of history attached to them. However, seeing the above view of Helsinki Olympic Stadium, with the city in the background, it does indeed look like a very pretty place. Mark, seen in the foreground of the photo, is one third Finnish, visited the city a few years ago for half a day, and wants to go back and stay longer. Be sure to bring a jacket, Mark. I hear Finland can get pretty nippy.

Columbus Day! (aka Indigenous Peoples' Day)

Today is - or was - Columbus Day, which to me always meant a welcome day off from school back when I was attending Fort Dearborn Grammar School in the South Side Brainerd neighborhood of Chicago. I revisited that school for the first time in 44 years back in 2010, which is when I took the photograph of it on the left, evidently still going strong. These days, Columbus Day is still a federal holiday, but in Chicago, it is now called Indigenous Peoples' Day, although students still get the day off. Frankly, back when I was going to Fort Dearborn, I wouldn't have cared what it was called as long as I got the day off. As you can tell, I was never crazy about school, which is probably why I never went back to visit Fort Dearborn for 44 years. 

Here in Colorado, Columbus Day is no longer a state holiday, and students do not get the day off. Columbus Day was replaced by Frances Xavier Cabrini Day on the first Monday of October, but students don't get that off, either. If I were a student in Denver Public Schools, that would make me very mad indeed. Columbus Day has always been very controversial here in Denver. In the year 2000, the Columbus Day Parade was restarted by an Italian American society after being discontinued in 1992, and each year Native American groups, up to 600 to 700 in number, would protest the parade, blocking the parade route and facing off with Denver police, resulting in many arrests. It was an annual free-for-all for many years, but eventually the parade was reduced to just a few floats, and eventually just faded away. Perhaps it is now time for an Italian American - Indigenous Peoples Friendship Day here in Colorado that will once again be a school holiday. Colorado's youth will thank you for it, governor. And yes, I also took the photograph on the right back in 2010, showing the one thing that was different from when I attended Fort Dearborn - a sign at the main entrance. Progress at last!

Speaking Of Circle Bay...

I mentioned Circle Bay, which is located on the St. Lucie River in Stuart, Florida, in yesterday's blog post. It is located right next door to my sister Susan and my condo, which we inherited from our parents, Nelson and Mary. One of my favorite photographs, which I took in the late 1970s, is of my father standing on the dock at Circle Bay next to one of the boats moored there, as seen in the photograph above. When Susan and I would visit our parents down in Stuart, we would often wander over there and walk past the boats, admiring them and sometimes hopping aboard for a quick photo. Circle Bay has an inlet from the river that allows each tenant to dock a boat in front of their condo. However, my father's interest in boats only went as far as looking at them. He actually loved golf, and our condo has a 9-hole course that he loved to play. And as I have learned over the years, golf clubs are much cheaper than boats. My parents had many friends at Circle Bay, and so we were always welcome at that condo complex back then. These days, Susan and I don't know anyone there, and since everyone in the State of Florida seems to be armed these days, I'm afraid that if we did try to walk around over there, we probably wouldn't be walking back. It is Florida, after all.

The Weirdest Boat I've Ever Seen...

I have to take my car in for an oil change next week, which made me think about my last oil change, down in Palm City, Florida. I drove my car across the Palm City Bridge, left it at the Goodyear Auto Service Store, and then walked back across that bridge to my sister Susan and my condo in Stuart. I must say, the view was much more interesting than the walk down East Evans Avenue I will be taking next week. As I was crossing that bridge, I saw the vessel in the photograph on the left going under the span. And my first response was "What the hell?" I have no idea what that boat's purpose might be. I assume it is a work boat, but why is it square? I don't expect to see it moored at the Sunset Bay Marina the next time I go for a drink at what I call the Jolly Sailor Pub (the outdoor bar at Sailor's Return), which overlooks the marina, but you never know. After all, it's hip to be square. Right? Or not so much these days?

When I crossed that bridge, I also got to see our condo complex's yacht club from the water. It is the building on the right, with the red roof, in the photograph on the right. And as you can see, there are no yachts, or for that matter, even dinghies in sight. When the complex was built, prospective buyers were told they would be able to moor their boats there, but the developers could never get permission to dredge. And so the yacht club is now only used for parties, which is exactly what it would have been used for even if they could have had boats moored there. Next door, however, is Circle Bay, which was able to dredge, and provides a berth in front of their condo for each owner. Which means the boaters are over there, and the golfers (our complex has a nine-hole course) are over here. Just as God, or perhaps Martin County officials, intended it to be.

The $15 Breakfast - Say It Ain't So!

The other day I once again accompanied my sister Susan, seen in the photograph on the left, to one of her favorite spots for breakfast, which has a patio overlooking City Park here in Denver. I myself just have coffee, but Susan likes to order a traditional breakfast of 2 eggs, 2 strips of bacon, toast, and potatoes, at a cost of $15. The coffee is an additional $4, and so the total bill, including a coffee for me and the tip, was $30. If I had the same breakfast as Susan, the bill, with tip, would have been almost $50. For breakfast. Does this not seem a bit pricey to you, or what?

Granted, this breakfast place has a nice view of City Park from its patio, as seen in the photograph on the right, and people are often willing to pay more for this. And in fact, the minimum wage in Denver ($18.29 per hour for regular employees and $15.27 for tipped workers) has made keeping costs down hard these days in Denver. Piccolo, an Italian and Mexican restaurant that operated in Denver for 50 years, shut down last year mainly because they could no longer afford to pay the minimum wage. They used to hire kids going to school looking for extra money, but now had to pay what politicians determine to be a living wage. I understand the reasoning, but still, it is pricing small businesses out and driving customers away. In comparison, Maria's in downtown Stuart, Florida serves the same breakfast (less one egg) for $8.50. But since it is a long 3-day drive from Denver, going there for breakfast might not be cost effective.

Peak Colors Reach Mount Blue Sky

My sister Susan and I have driven up Colorado Highway 103 (which leads to the top of Mount Blue Sky) from Bergen Park toward Echo Lake several times now, and the colors seem to be more vivid each time. We once went all the way to Echo Lake and then down the other side to Idaho Springs, but lately I have been turning onto Winter Gulch Road, where I took the photograph above, which leads down to Evergreen. Not only is this drive very pretty, but unlike Boreas Pass near Breckenridge and Guanella Pass above Georgetown, it is pretty close to Denver, which makes for a pleasant but relatively short trip. Mount Blue Sky, by the way, used to be known as Mount Evans, but was renamed after Cheyenne and Arapahoe tribal leaders, residents, and local government officials lobbied for the change due to the role of territorial governor John Evans in the 1864 Sand Creek massacre. During that massacre, 230 Cheyenne and Arapahoe people, most of them women, children, and elderly, were killed at Sand Creek by U.S. Army calvary soldiers. In the aftermath, Evans did not acknowledge or criticize what happened, and even defended and rationalized it. But it is now Mount Blue Sky, and so enjoy the colors while you remember that event.

Walking The DU Campus With Stuart

My friend Stuart (seen in the photograph above) and I walked around the University of Denver campus yesterday afternoon before we had lunch at Spanky's Roadhouse, located just to the west of DU. Both Stuart and I are alumni of DU, and I myself worked as the Finance Manager of the University of Denver Bookstore for 28 years before it was outsourced to Follett Higher Education Group. Both good times and bad. In any case, when we got to Spanky's, since baseball is over for both Chicago teams, not to mention the Colorado Rockies, we discussed politics and also the Category 5 hurricane fast approaching Florida. It is indeed scary how strong these storms are becoming, and you have to wonder what lies in the future if these catastrophic events keep happening. Massive destruction, unaffordable property insurance, the future does not look good for the sunshine state.

The Cherry Creek Arts Festival. Best In The World?

Yes! Denver's Cherry Creek Arts Festival has been named the best festival in the world, beating out other events such as the Kentucky Derby and Rome Future Week, which is very impressive indeed. This past 4th of July weekend it drew 150,000 people and had $4.6 million in artist sales. The festival won the Gold Grand Pinnacle Award from the International Festival and Events Association (IFEA), and it is the 6th time they have won this award. Runners up were the Philadelphia Flower Show and Pasadena's Tournament of Roses.

I myself attend this festival every year, as regular blog readers can attest to. I took the photographs displayed here this past July, and posted them back then, but hey, winning such a prestigious award certainly makes the case for showing them again, right? I usually concentrate on the photography booths at that festival, of which there are many, such as the one in the photo on the right featuring black and white photographs of Cuba. And I am not surprised that the artists earned $4.6 million this year. The art work on sale there costs a fortune, often in the thousands of dollars. Which is why I have never bought anything, at least yet. Of course, since the festival takes place in Denver's Cherry Creek North neighborhood, there are plenty of people around who can pay those prices. But why buy anything anyway? The best part is just looking at the art and doing some serious people-watching. Can't beat that. And by the way, next year's festival will be July 4th thru 6th. Mark your calendars.

Getting Together With The Colorado Spurs At Esters Pub

My friend Mark - seen in the photograph above - sister Susan, and I met up with the Colorado Spurs, a Tottenham Hotspur supporters group, at Esters Pub in the Virgina Village neighborhood of Denver yesterday morning to watch Tottenham play Brighton in a Premier League soccer match. Tottenham was coming off a 3-0 win against Manchester United and a 2-1 win in a Europa match against Ferencvarosi, and so the place was packed with fans expecting another big victory. In fact, there were so many fans in the room set aside for the Tottenham group that we had to sit in the main part of the restaurant to watch the game, although the loud chants and the singing of "When the Spurs come marching in" could be heard throughout the building. And it looked like Tottenham would deliver. They were up 2-0 by the end of the first half. The fans went outside during half time for a group photo and were in a great mood. And then Tottenham gave up 3 goals to Brighton in 18 minutes during the second half and lost 3-2. When the game ended, the Spurs fans quickly and silently left the building. If this keeps up, the Spurs will soon be known as the Chicago Cubs of the English Premier League. Talk about a fate worse than death. 

Visiting With Carol At The Fall Arts Invitational At Cheesman Park

I was driving down 8th Avenue here in Denver yesterday afternoon and began to see signs saying "Art Festival," with an arrow pointing straight ahead. And straight ahead was Cheesman Park, where the Cheesman Park Art Fest takes place every July. I missed that event this year while I was in Florida, but when I got to the park, it looked exactly like the same festival was taking place this weekend. Evidently an organization called Colorado Art Weekend sponsors these events in various Denver neighborhoods during the summer and fall, and I must say, I was very impressed with the Cheesman Park version. The July event has over 150 artists displaying their work, while this one had a very respectable120, including, I discovered by accident, my friend and former University of Denver Bookstore colleague Carol Till, seen in the photograph on the left. Carol is a very talented printmaker and etcher, and began working full-time on her art after the DU Bookstore was outsourced to Follett Higher Education Group. And it was fun to catch up on what each of us has been up to lately. Be sure to check out her artwork at https://www.instagram.com/carol_till/.

I did not know this event was happening this weekend, but word must have gotten out, because there were a lot of people there. The booths occupied both sides of the ring road at the south end of the park, and I was happy to see a number of booths featuring photography, too. The festival also takes place today between 10:00 and 4:00 and is definitely worth attending. Cheesman Park, by the way, was once Denver's first cemetery, and was later converted to a park. Unfortunately, the person hired to move the bodies to a different location, who was paid by the coffin, decided to make more money by cutting up the bodies and putting the remains in more than one box. When the city fathers found out, they fired him, and left the remaining bodies where they were. Not surprisingly, there are many reports of supernatural activity around there, and I have to wonder if the security guards who watched over the booths last night experienced anything unusual, or if they even wound up staying there. Guarding the booths from thieves is one thing, but from ghostly spirits is an entirely different matter.

The October Mutt Of The Month

I took the photograph on the left of the October Mutt of the Month at, appropriately enough, the Denver Oktoberfest a few weeks ago. In fact, there were a lot of dogs at that event, feeding on Das Turkey Legs that their owners could not finish after just a bite or two, and slurping bowls of German beer to wash them down. This golden lab, however, seemed happy just to hang out with its owner and enjoy the atmosphere, which featured lots of people dressed in lederhosen and dirndl dresses carrying around huge steins of extremely expensive beer. I can't say for sure, but it looks to me like that dog is laughing at them. Bad dog!

Breckenridge In The Fall

After taking photographs of the aspens up on Boreas Pass Road this past Monday, I headed back down to Breckenridge to walk around a bit. Breckenridge is my favorite Colorado mountain town, filled with Victorian era houses and commercial buildings now occupied by shops, bars, and restaurants, many with outdoor patios. Perfect for a fall afternoon. Breckenridge was founded in 1859 during the Colorado Gold Rush, and after the gold petered out, it had another boom when silver was discovered in 1879. But the opening of the Breckenridge Ski Resort in 1961 put the town on the map, and these days Breckenridge is a popular destination for visitors both winter and summer.

As can be seen in the photograph on the right, the fall colors are on full display in Breckenridge, brightening up Ruby Jane, a fashion accessories store. The building they are located in is also known as the H.H. Vogan House, built in 1898. Herb Vogan was a prospector, and lived there with his family, but would head to sunny Arizona to do prospecting in the winter and return in the spring, once the weather improved. I bet that really endeared him to his wife and kids, enduring those harsh winters on their own. Just sayin'.

The house now housing Olive Fusion in the photograph on the left is also known as the Albia Hoopes House and was built in 1880. Hoopes was a hardrock miner, who in 1883 became owner of the Laurium Mine, which became a major producer in the area. In 1948 it was purchased by "Madam" May Nicholson as a retirement home, where she lived until she passed away in 1971, and the place eventually became Olive Fusion, which sells olive oils, spices, teas, as well as may other products I would never purchase in a million years. But I do like the house. Perhaps they could start brewing beer and add an outdoor patio. Now THAT would get my attention.

Boreas Pass Is At Peak Colors

I drove up to Boreas Pass Road from Denver this past Monday afternoon to check out the Aspens, and the colors were spectacular. I always like to drive that particular gravel road in the fall, not only because of its many Aspens, but also because there are plenty of places to pull over, get out of your car, and take photographs. And on weekdays, there may be other cars up there, but not too many, and everyone politely pulls over to let the oncoming vehicles pass, if necessary. Boreas Pass started out as a railroad pass between Denver and Leadville during the Colorado Gold Rush. It is now open to cars, bikes, and hikers spring, summer, and fall, and to cross-country skiers during the winter.

Boreas Pass Road starts just south of Breckenridge, Colorado. For the first few miles, it is a paved two-lane highway lined with homes, small subdivisions, and resorts. Eventually the pavement ends, there is a parking lot for hikers and cross-country skiers, and then it heads up to the top of the pass as a gravel road, with views of the Blue River Valley below, as seen in the photograph on the right. You can also see the ski runs at the Breckenridge Ski Resort on the other side of the valley. Years ago, my then wife Lisa and I would drive up there and do some cross-country skiing in the winter. As I recall, it was not a very steep grade for the first few miles, and by the time you got to the steeper part of the road, you were ready to turn around anyway.

The best part of driving Boreas Pass Road in the fall or doing some cross-country skiing in the winter is that you can turn around and quickly head back to Breckenridge, walk the quaint 19th Century business district. and have a beer at any number of outdoor patios. And these days, Breckenridge is pretty lively any time of year. The only problem is that driving up to the mountains from Denver on the weekend takes forever, especially on Friday afternoons. People blame this on the huge increase in Denver's population in recent years, but I distinctly remember it was just this bad years ago, too. Lisa and I used to spend a three-day weekend every October at a large condo complex called Wildernest in nearby Silverthorne. We would drive up Friday afternoon, and it would take forever to get there. We would stay through Sunday night and drive back to our jobs Monday morning, avoiding the drive home Sunday afternoon, which is bad now and was also bad back then, too. But still worth it to see those fall colors, I might add.

Visiting The National Wildlife Refuge With Darrel, Kim, and Joel

I met Darrel, my friend and former DU Bookstore colleague, along with his daughter Kim and grandson Joel, at the Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge to take some photographs of Joel, who will soon be graduating from high school. I have visited this refuge before, but never gotten out of the car to walk around its trails and scenic areas, and was quite impressed with the area, which consists of 15,000 acres located 10 miles northeast of downtown Denver. This area was once farmland, then a war-time manufacturing site (chemical weapons, no less), and finally a wildlife refuge. At one time, it was proposed that Denver's Stapleton Airport be expanded onto the Rocky Mountain Arsenal, but as I have said before, Denver City Fathers decided to build an entirely new airport near the Kansas border, instead, and so the Rocky Mountain Arsenal Wildlife Refuge was then established there in 1994, home to bison, deer, raptors, coyotes, and prairie dogs, among other wildlife. My favorite wildlife story at the Arsenal is Darrel telling me how he once had to sit in his car and wait while an entire buffalo herd crossed the road. How fun is that, unless you have an important appointment to get to. The photograph above, by the way, is of Darrel and his grandson Joel standing in front of one of the refuge's many lakes. All in all, it was a very fun day. Great to get together with all of you, guys!