It's New Year's Eve!

It's New Year's Eve! Time to party, although to be honest, these days, I much prefer to stay home, avoid the crowds, and keep warm. I used to go down to Denver's 16th Street Mall each year and watch the fireworks, but it never seemed to be all that fun. They have 2 shows - one at 9:00 and one at midnight - and around 100,000 people usually attend. I would take the light rail downtown, but it stopped at the convention center, several blocks from 16th Street. And the mall was so crowded, when the fireworks did begin, I often could not see them. After all that, once the fireworks were over, everyone moved as a group back to the light rail stop, and it took forever to finally get a train and go home. And did I mention that the temperature was usually in the teens the entire time? Far better to hang out and celebrate at home, such as in the photograph above that I took years ago of my mother Mary, sister Susan, and brother-in-law George celebrating a holiday at Susan and George's townhouse up in Fort Collins. And in addition to spending time with family, a celebration at home is much sweeter if you are not the one doing the cooking, not to mention the dishes. Ah, to be able to go back to those days.

A Christmas Week Doubleheader

I watched a soccer match yesterday morning with my friend Mark at the DNVR Bar in Denver and then had a late lunch with my friend Stuart at the Old Chicago Pizza and Taproom in Lakewood. Mark and I met up with the Leeds United Colorado Supporters at DNVR to watch a game between Leeds United and Derby, which Leeds won by a score of 1-0. This group attracts a lot of fans and are quite a welcoming group. Leeds is currently in first place in the Championship League standings, and if they keep playing as well as they are now, will head back to the Premier League, England's top soccer division, next year. The photograph on the left is of Mark, on the right, and Bo, the head of the group, on the left, taken during halftime.  And as you can see, everyone was in good spirits thanks to the team's recent success.

That afternoon, I had lunch with my friend Stuart, seen in the photograph on the right, at the Old Chicago in Lakewood, the suburb just to the west of Denver, where most of the conversation centered around another 4 years of Donald Trump. Stuart seemed quite apprehensive about the prospect, while I expressed the hope that Congress and the Supreme Court will assert their constitutional roles and keep Trump from exercising questionable policies, such as invading Canada or putting 20 million illegal migrants in camps with the goal of deporting them. Surely the adults in the room will take charge in those situations, right? Right? Right?

It's Winter! But Still No Snow. Nothing Like Back In 1979 In Chicago

Here in Denver, there has not been much snow so far this season. Granted, areas around Denver that are at a higher altitude, especially the mountains, have had their share, but with temperatures in the 40s and 50s here in town, there is currently no snow in sight. Although I have been through a lot of big storms both here and back in my hometown of Chicago, I remember the snow we had back in 1979 the most.  It was not just one storm - the snow just kept coming and coming all winter long. At the time, I was living in a studio apartment in Forest Park, just to the west of Chicago, and eventually the snow accumulated to a point where you were driving through canyons of snow, and the playgrounds of the local schools were plowed out to allow people to park their cars. I was working at Walden Books in the Yorktown Shopping Center in west suburban Lombard at the time and commuting there was definitely pretty tricky that winter. But happily, on my days off, I could walk half a block to the Oak Park "El" station and be in downtown Chicago in 20 minutes or so. I would get off at State and Randolph and walk up North Michigan Avenue to Water Tower Place for lunch. I took the photograph on the left during one of those days off as I passed the little park where the historic Chicago Water Tower is located.

I would head into Water Tower Place, have lunch at McDonald's (I have always had high standards when it comes to dining establishments), cross over to Rizzoli's Bookstore to browse around a bit, and then head to Marshall Field's to check out their books, too. I checked on the internet, and none of those businesses are still there. Marshall Field's, of course, was taken over by Macy's years ago, but Macy's is not in Water Tower Place either. I did see that Harry Caray's 7th Inning Stretch Restaurant and Sports Bar is now there, and something called Gateway Newsstands (Chicago still has newsstands?) is there too, and so if I still lived in that studio in Forest Park, I could still take the "El" downtown and do a modified version of my walk up North Michigan Avenue. Of course, realistically, that ship sailed long ago. On the other hand, I could always fly back to Chicago to recreate that walk. What's not to love about Chicago in mid-winter?And if I stayed at a hotel in or near downtown, I could start the walk from there. By any chance is there a Motel 6 on Michigan Avenue these days? A Super 8?

Visiting New Terrain During Christmas Week

My sister Susan and I visited New Terrain Brewing Company in Golden, Colorado yesterday afternoon, thinking it would be pretty uncrowded, what with the cool weather and all. The big draw at New Terrain has always been its outdoor patio, filled during the summer with all manner of people, many with their dogs in tow, having a beer while enjoying views of nearby Table Mesa and Table Mountain. And so, I was surprised to find cars parked along the street as we approached the place, and, of course, a full parking lot. After finally getting a parking spot, we did indeed find a pretty empty patio, but inside the place was packed. We found one table that was empty, but with a baby carriage in front of it. We sat down, and soon a couple of guys, one with a one-year-old baby, approached, but happily were willing to share the table.

There were families, young people, retirees, you name it enjoying themselves at New Terrain yesterday. In the summer, musical acts perform on a stage out on the patio, but in the winter, they play on a make-shift stage inside, mostly on Tuesday and Wednesday evenings. And I saw on a poster that this New Year's Eve, none other than Foggy Mountain Spaceship will be playing "original compositions, bluegrass favorites, psychedelic instrumentals, and more." Unfortunately, I am not sure I want to listen to psychedelic instrumentals. I think psychedelic instrumentals might be an acquired taste. Perhaps next New Year's Eve instead.

Casa Bonita Lives On!

I stopped at the shopping plaza in Lakewood, Colorado that houses Casa Bonita, a Mexican restaurant that has achieved cult-like status here in the Denver area, to buy Christmas wrapping paper at the nearby Dollar Tree this past Christmas Eve. And I must say, Casa Bonita is looking good. It closed at the start of the pandemic and a year later the owners filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. Happily, Trey Parker and Matt Stone, the creators of South Park, bought it for $3.1 million and then spent $40 million renovating it. Seriously. Forty million dollars to renovate it. For years Casa Bonita was a kitschy place, serving mediocre Mexican food and featuring a 30-foot indoor waterfall, from which cliff divers would jump for the amusement of the diners. It was an all-you-can-eat place, and all you had to do was raise the Mexican flag in the center of the table and the waitress would come to refill your plate. These days it has somehow gone upscale, featuring a well-known chef and upscale prices as well - $40 per person for dinner, and $45 if you want to be close to the waterfall. What I want to know is whether it is still an all-you-can-eat kind of place now that the food is actually decent? And even at those prices, it is very difficult to actually get a reservation. In any case, no matter how much they charge, I suspect they will never recover that $40 million. How in God's name could it cost that much? It boggles the mind. And by the way, the Dollar Tree was completely out of wrapping paper. Figures.

Boxing Day! (AKA Half-Price Calendar Day)

Today is Boxing Day, an official holiday in the UK. It was originally the day servants were given gifts and the day off by their employers after working throughout the holidays, including Christmas Day itself. These days, it seems, at least in England, the day is spent watching soccer matches. I myself had to lay off all my servants at my mansion on the French Riveria during the pandemic.  And so, instead of giving out gifts, I spend the day looking for half price calendars at the local mall. And some of them are indeed in boxes. So there. An appropriate Boxing Day activity.

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas! I hope everyone out there has a wonderful day spending time with friends and family, celebrating the true spirit of Christmas. I took the photograph above of my mother Mary one Christmas years ago when she was staying with my sister Susan and brother-in-law George for the holidays at their townhouse up in Fort Collins. She really enjoyed visiting us here in Colorado at Christmas, as well as during the summer, too, but since she was used to Florida, after living there for over 20 years, she found it a bit cool up here in the wintertime. She would wear a sweatsuit when she retired for the night to the living room couch. But, of course, she really didn't mind. What is a little chill in the air when we all get to spend time together at the holidays? A very small sacrifice indeed.

Dealing With The Spirits On Christmas Eve

Today is Christmas Eve, and every year I have the same problem: three spirits show up one by one starting when the clock chimes one. The first takes me on a journey to see glimpses of my past that I would rather not see. The second gives me a view of Christmas present - which these days is pretty bleak - and then the third gives me a vision of the future. You can imagine what that looks like. Then I wake up and assume it was all a dream, until I see the photograph above on the nightstand, no doubt taken by the doorbell camera at the entrance to hell. It appears to show Jacob Marley and I greeting each other and me inquiring how old Scrooge is doing these days. Pretty good, actually. He now owns Tesla and SpaceX.

Rick Steves' European Christmas

This month, public television stations across the country have been showing Rick Steves' European Christmas, that travel guru's holiday special about the celebration of Christmas in Europe. And I have to say, it is the best thing Rick has ever done. I personally have watched it a number of times this year, and it never gets old. The sights and sounds of Europe during the holidays are just wonderful. I strongly recommend watching it before the Christmas season is over. Although you can access it on Rick Steves' website, it is always fun to actually watch it on television. Here in Denver, it will be broadcast one more time this Wednesday - Christmas night - at 9:00 P.M. Wherever you are, it is definitely worth watching. Enjoy!

Christmas In Brainerd

Christmas is only three days away, and I have been thinking a lot lately about Christmases years ago at our home in the South Side Brainerd neighborhood of Chicago. The photograph above was taken some time in the mid-1950s, when my sister Susan and I were young, and we were all together as a family. My father Nelson was a dentist, and had his office just a few blocks away, allowing him to come home for lunch every day. My mother Mary was a housewife. Our grandparents were all alive and living nearby, as were most of our other relatives, too, and we all spent a lot of time together. These days that is a very rare thing. Now, except for our cousins, my sister Susan and I are the only ones left, and we both miss those good old days. Christmas is all about family, and so I hope everyone out there who are able will spend as much time as possible with their family during the holidays, enjoying each other's company, even if some of them are Trump supporters. Nobody's perfect, after all. And I should know.

The Winter Solstice!

Today is the Winter Solstice, the shortest day of the year, which is famous for being celebrated by modern day Druids, especially at Stonehenge, the grounds of which are open to visitors only on the winter and summer solstices. I have heard rumors that South Florida is a Druid hotspot and was hoping to celebrate the solstice down there to find out for sure, but unfortunately had to return to Denver for eye surgery. I recently read on the internet that the ancient Druids were really into human sacrifices. They would burn people in large wickerwork images, crucify them in temples, or pierce them with arrows, and then examine the victim's innards or death struggles to divine the future. I can see why modern-day Druids admire them so much. Probably all Trump supporters. If I had come across any South Florida Druids celebrating the solstice, which I imagine would look a lot like the scene in the photograph above, I would have liked to ask them if they, too, were into human sacrifices, and if in Florida it involved alligators and giant pythons. But sadly, I didn't get the chance. Perhaps next year.

Camino Ghosts

I just finished reading Camino Ghosts, John Grisham's third book in the series, which takes place on a thinly disguised Amelia Island, located just to the north of Jacksonville, Florida. The two main characters are Bruce Cable, owner of a very successful bookstore on the island, and Mercer Mann, a bestselling author who owns a cottage on the beach that she inherited, along with her sister, from her grandmother, who was a local legend. The first book in the series, Camino Island, centered around Cable's purchasing of a stolen collection of original F. Scott Fitzgerald manuscripts, and the hiring by the FBI of Mercer Mann to find proof of this. In the end, all turned out happily ever after for all concerned. In the second book, Camino Winds, Cable's reputation has been cleaned up by Grisham and the plot centers around a murder during a very dangerous hurricane. In Camino Ghosts, Cable, the leader of the literary crowd on Camino Island, suggests to Mercer that she write a non-fiction book about a woman named Lovely, who used to live on nearby Dark Isle, which was settled by runaway slaves, and is now threatened by unscrupulous developers. The story focuses on the fight to save the island and make it an historic site. I liked the book, although the storyline is not nearly as dramatic as the first two books. However, it definitely makes me want to visit Amelia Island and Fernandina Beach, the island's Victorian-era main town. One of these days...

Things Are Looking Up!

And not just because Santa, seen in the photograph above, has arrived at the Cherry Creek Shopping Center here in Denver from the North Pole. Today is the first day I have been able to look up after having eye surgery last week. Which means, of course, I am finally able to drive my car again. One of my first stops while doing my many errands today was Cherry Creek. And seeing Santa makes me remember how when I was a kid back in Chicago, every department store had their own Santa, each one claiming to be the one and only Santa Claus. Of course, with the advent of shopping centers, there wound up being only one Santa per mall, usually placed in the center court. But the big question is whether the real Santa back then was at Marshall Field's Department Store or Carson Pierre Scott and Company? The only way to find out is to ask the man down there. I'm sure he'll remember which one he was at. And if not, he is no doubt a FRAUD!

Nostalgia Time!

I am getting nostalgic about Florida again, and so today I am featuring a photograph taken of my mother Mary, my grandmother Louise, and myself at the Sun Castle Club and Motor Hotel in Pompano Beach, Florida, back in 1963. It was during the month of August, rates were cheap (something like $8.00 per person per day), and breakfast and lunch were provided. And it was right on the beach. What could be better? Paradise found!

Thoughts About The St. Lucie River

The condo my sister Susan and I own in Stuart, Florida is a short walk away from the South Fork of the St. Lucie River, as seen from the pier of our condo complex. It is a really pretty river, but is plagued by discharges instigated by the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers to lower the level of Lake Okeechobee, which is surrounded by a series of levees. This Lake Okeechobee water has been polluted by the many sugar plantations that let pesticides flow into the lake, and in addition to this, fresh water mixing with salt water also causes problems. Years ago, an algae bloom formed all along the banks of the St. Lucie, bringing national attention to the problem, with promises of solutions, but those solutions have not yet happened. Recently, the Army Corp of Engineers announced that they will begin discharges once again to lower the lake, which has been met by protests from environmental groups. Will it help? I hope so. God forbid that Florida politicians make wealthy sugar plantation owners clean up their act.

The December Issue Of Chicago Magazine

I just finished reading the December issue of Chicago magazine, and it has a lot of good articles in it this month. In the "312" section is a piece about how Mayor Brandon Johnson's approval rating has dropped to 25%, and how he could learn from how Mayor Richard J. Daley and his son, Richard M. were able to retain power and popularity for a combined 43 years. Another article discusses Chicago's $1 billion budget shortfall for 2025 and how it got there. There is an article about a really nice, 3-story, 3,000 square foot 19th Century Old Town Row House on the market for just under 1.5 million (which would be a tremendous bargain here in Denver). And in the "Backroom" section, there is an interview with respected Chicago newsman Bob Sirott, who back when I lived in Chicago was a well-known rock and roll DJ. All in all, a really interesting issue.

A Boogie Board Flashback!

Ned, the manager of my condo building here in Denver, came up to our unit the other day to check out the repairs being done in the kitchen after a leak was discovered behind the wall there. He asked about our time in Stuart, Florida, and Susan told him how much she loved it there, and how much she loves walking down to the St. Lucie River to sit and watch the boats pass by and to go to Stuart Beach each day. She also mentioned how disappointed she was that I threw away her boogie board, which she used to float out in the ocean on. Of course, that was 15 years ago, when we began renting the condo out after our mother Mary died, but some people have long memories. I have offered to buy her a new one at Walmart and help launch her out to sea, but she keeps putting me off. In any case, I took the photograph above of Susan and my mother Mary at Stuart Beach back in August of 1996, just before Susan started another one of her boogie board adventures.

The December Mutt Of The Month

I took the above photograph of the December Mutt of the Month as I was walking along the pier at the Sunset Bay Marina, along the South Fork of the St. Lucie River in Stuart, Florida. I suspect it is a watchdog guarding that sailboat. If I had tried to board it, I am sure it would have launched itself off the boat and torn me to shreds.  Fortunately, I didn't try. I had to bike home and make dinner. You have to have your priorities, after all.

Missing The Monterey Yacht And Country Club's Christmas Party

My sister Susan and I were planning to attend the Monterey Yacht and Country Club's annual Christmas party, held each year at the yacht club, just a short walk from our Stuart, Florida condo. Unfortunately, we had to leave Stuart early so I could have eye surgery in Denver, and so we missed it for the 48th year in a row. And I have heard that it is quite lively. If you have ever seen the Christmas party scene in The Apartment, a 1960 comedy-drama starring Jack Lemon and Shirley MacLaine, it is said that the Monterey party is just like that. Perhaps next year. And by the way, the photograph above shows my sister Susan walking home after we sat on the pier along the St. Lucie River on a pleasant sunny afternoon in Florida. As you can see, there are no boats, since the developer was never allowed to dredge, but that did not discourage the condo residents. "No boats? No problem. We have a yacht club. We can have parties there!"

It's The Christmas Season! Time To Celebrate!

And what better way to celebrate than hanging out at the airport, waiting for your flight to (hopefully) take off? I took the photograph above at the Orlando International Airport after my sister Susan and I were looking for a restaurant to eat at after going through the security checkpoint on our way to catch our flight to Denver. The only sit-down restaurant was On The Border, a Mexican Restaurant. I found that mildly disappointing, since after going through airport screening, I really wanted a couple of nice IPAs, and most Mexican restaurants serve only Mexican beers. But I was pleasantly surprised to find that On the border serves Wicked Weed Pernicious IPA, made by Wicked Weed Brewing in Ashville, North Carolina, which is really, really good. Ashville, as everyone knows, was hit hard by Hurricane Helene, but I looked it up on the internet, and that brewery survived the storm, and is still open 7 days a week. Good news for beer drinkers.

Watching A Sailor's Return Sunset - Was It Only One Week Ago?

How different a week makes. Exactly one week ago my sister Susan and I were watching the sunset from the outdoor bar at the Sailor's Return Restaurant along the St. Lucie River in Stuart, Florida, and today I am recovering from eye surgery in Denver. No complaints - I am very happy to have insurance that will cover the operation, and a chance to head back to Stuart at a later date. And by the way, if you happen to live anywhere within a couple of thousand miles of Stuart, the outdoor bar at the Sailor's Return is a great place to hang out. It is right next to the Sunset Bay Marina, and last week I noticed that two very nice-looking yachts were for sale and docked right next to the bar's outdoor patio. You could have a drink or two and buy your own yacht in a single visit. What could be more perfect?

Experiencing Eye Surgery At the Kaiser Permanente Franklin Medical Offices

I had to come back to Denver from Stuart, Florida for eye surgery at the Kaiser Permanente Franklin Medical Offices, located in the City Park neighborhood, just east of downtown Denver, and seen in the background of the above self-portrait (it is much more beautiful in the spring, of course). I learned during my appointment with the doctor that I will have to spend an entire week looking down, only being able to look up for 10 minutes each hour. The doctor seems very nice and very professional, but sometimes I have to wonder about these various instructions. Could it be possible that all the doctors and nurses there get together for happy hour every Friday and tell each other what crazy things they actually got their patients to do that week? Just kidding, of course, but still...

The Joy Of Flying - Same Old Same Old...

My sister Susan and I flew home to Denver from Orlando Saturday night. Neither of us has flown on a plane since 2019, and that particular flight wound up being diverted from Houston, where we were to change planes, to Dallas, where we wound up having to stay the night, not getting another flight until the following evening. And I have to report that things have changed little over the past 5 1/2 years. This time, our flight was supposed to take off at 9:15 in the evening. It all started out well, everyone boarding the aircraft and taking their seats. And just when it was time to take off, we were informed the plane was now out of service, and we had to leave the plane and sit down in the waiting area across the aisle and wait to board plane number 2. We arrived in Denver over an hour late, and deplaned right on the tarmac, as far away from where we were supposed to be picked up by an Uber as you could get. It said on my phone that we needed to get to the pickup area by 1:19, which we were not going to do. I was able to call the driver, thank goodness, a very kind man who said he would wait for us, no problem. The problem is that these days flying is more often a nightmare than a joy. Surprise! Who would have thunk it?

Goodbye To Stuart - For Now

My sister Susan and I had hoped to stay in Stuart, Florida through Christmas, but due to unforeseen circumstances, we have to head back to Denver. And so, goodbye to sunsets at the Sunset Bay Marina, as seen in the photograph above, as well as sunny skies and 75-degree temperatures in mid-December. At least for now. But on the bright side, we will be able to visit the Denver Christkindl Market, held every year at Civic Center Park, which is a lot of fun to visit even if it does get cold as hell there after sunset. And who doesn't love a white Christmas, at least if you don't have to drive through all that snow? So, it is time to look on the bright side. I am definitely looking forward to flying back to Denver. I haven't flown anywhere since 2018, and I hear that airline travel is more fun than ever these days. At least that is what the airlines say. Would they lie?

Pearl Harbor Day...

Today is the 83rd anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, by the Japanese back in 1941, an attack which killed 2,403 Americans and resulted in the United States entering World War II. It also resulted in my father Nelson being drafted in 1943 at the age of 34 into the army and being sent to Okinawa, where I believe the photograph above was taken. He was a dentist and fought both teeth and typhoons before coming home in 1947. Fortunately, the fighting was about over on Okinawa by the time he arrived, and since he was not crazy about being a dentist, being on Okinawa was kind of like a break from the office for him. Believe it or not, he told me the experience was very much like the television show MASH. Hot Lips on Okinawa? Back when I was a kid, Pearl Harbor Day was a big deal, but it seems to get a lot less press these days. Events like September 11th, which killed 2,996 people and happened much more recently, have attracted more attention from the media when such anniversaries roll around. Horrible events keep on coming, after all, and probably always will. And by the way, in the photograph above my father is sitting in the back row, third from the right. I'd recognize him anywhere.

OK. OK. I Admit It. Yes Virgina, Manatees Do Exist...

It got down to 45 degrees here on the Treasure Coast a few nights ago, and as everyone knows, when it gets cold, manatees supposedly head to waters near the power plants to get warm. And so, I thought I would give it one more try to spot one and stopped by Manatee Lagoon in West Palm Beach yesterday afternoon.  I did not really believe I would see a manatee, but it turns out I saw not one, but at least eight or more manatees swimming in the waters right below the Florida Power and Light Power Plant, as seen in the photograph on the left. I believe it is called a herd of manatees, also known as sea cows. I don't know what I was expecting, but it appears manatees do not poke their heads up out of the water so you can take a portrait of them. They usually just stick their nose into the air and then submerge again. And so how do you take a good photograph of one? Good question.

The answer, I believe, is to take photographs of them under the water. And I think this could have been done yesterday if Manatee Lagoon had more foresight before they built their center. If they had put in a lower level that went below the waterline and featured a wall of glass windows featuring views below the surface of the lagoon, I might have taken a really great photograph. As it was, I took something like 154 photos of the damn things, and the best I could come up with was the manatee in the photograph on the right. It is a bit blurry, taken from a distance with a point and shoot camera, but at least I caught it with its eye open, and it is indeed proof positive that manatees do exist. And I hold Manatee Lagoon personally responsible for this less than overwhelming photograph. I would ask them for a free lifetime pass to their educational center as compensation if it wasn't already free.

The Manatees Are Late In Arriving - Don't They Check The Calendar Anymore?

The official website of Manatee Lagoon, located in West Palm Beach, Florida and dedicated to educating the public about manatees, states that manatee season is November 15th through March 31st. I have visited this educational center and checked the waterways a number of times since mid-November and have not seen a single manatee. This center, seen in the photograph above, is operated by Florida Power and Light, which has a power plant just to the north. Manatees crave warm water during the winter and are attracted to power plants because they warm the nearby waters. But the manatees are NOT showing up. What's the deal with that? I think this educational center should start rounding up these creatures and put them where they belong - the waters of Manatee Lagoon. If the manatees will not pay attention to the calendar, it is only right that this action be taken. After all, how hard could it be to capture and move a few dozen or so 1,200-pound sea cows? No problem at all, in my opinion.

Exactly Ten Weeks Until Spring Training!

Roger Dean Stadium, located in the Abacoa neighborhood of Jupiter, Florida, and seen in the background of the above photo, is pretty quiet now, but in exactly ten weeks spring training begins, and things will pick up pretty quickly. Pitchers and catchers report on Wednesday, February 12th (Lincoln's birthday, I might add), and the rest of the team reports the following Sunday. At Roger Dean Stadium, the St. Louis Cardinals and Miami Marlins play their spring training games. Down in West Palm Beach, the Washington Nationals and Houston Astros will be working out, and the New York Mets play up in Port St. Lucie. Unfortunately, my South Side heroes, the Chicago White Sox, the Colorado Rockies, my adopted hometown team, and even those hapless North Siders, the Chicago Cubs, all train in Arizona. Which is a shame. The White Sox, as loyal fans will remember, set a Major League record last year for most losses in a season, which was quite an achievement. I can't wait to see what they will do next season. Only time will tell. As for the Rockies, everyone in Colorado knows what they will do next year (finish last, as usual). The Cubs, of course, will always be the Cubs. Give their fans hope early in the season and crush their spirits at the end. The White Sox will never do that. Consistency has its value.

As Wild As It Gets

Having been down in Stuart, Florida for three weeks, I was hoping to have seen some exotic animals by now. There are supposed to be alligators, manatees, panthers, and even bears in the southern part of Florida. And it was recently reported on the local television news that Port St. Lucie (more specifically the Tradition neighborhood) is overrun with wild boars, even threatening young children in their backyards. But to date, the most exotic animals I have come across are the pelicans seen in the photograph on the left. And even they were nowhere to be found during the summer - they have only recently started to fly south for the winter. It is the same story as in Colorado. I have never seen a bear, a fox, a moose, or a mountain lion in the wild the entire time I have lived in Colorado.  And I am beginning to suspect that all those moose sightings in the state are just made up to attract tourists.

There are, of course, all kinds of squirrels about, but they are no different from the ones in Colorado. Both the squirrels in Denver's Washington Park and the ones at Stuart Beach look exactly the same, and are all after one thing - a handout, such as the squirrel in the photograph on the right. Stuart Beach has the Seaside Cafe located on the boardwalk, and the place is filled with people eating. And so, both the birds and the squirrels are always out and about looking for crumbs. I have even seen a few rats, too, but they are not as photogenic as the birds and squirrels. And I have to ponder - how do you get rid of rats at the seashore and not harm all the other animals as well? But not too much pondering - time to head out to Lake Okeechobee, home of the most alligators in Florida, to take a few closeups of them in their native habitat. What could go wrong?  

Marking The End Of Hurricane Season In Key West!

This past Saturday, November 30th, marked the end of the 2024 Atlantic hurricane season, and down in Key West, they have a special way of celebrating that important event. To the sound of conch shells being blown, Paul Menta and Jai Somers, the leaders of the Florida Keys' ceremonial Conch Republic administration, doused hurricane flags with rum and set them on fire, with an applauding crowd looking on, as seen in the photograph above. I really love Key West, although the last time I visited it was back in 1979, when my father Nelson, mother Mary, sister Susan, and I drove down there from Stuart, Florida for a few days. I had never heard of this particular annual ceremony until I saw a story about it on the local television news, but I do know that it is only one of many such celebrations in that quirky city. I have often considered attending Hemingway Days there in July (I want to see the Running of the Hemingways in person), but the cost of a motel in Key West is astronomical, and it is, after all, a 5-hour drive from Stuart. Perhaps I'll wait until relations thaw with Cuba to the point that they restart the overnight ferry from Key West to Havana. You used to be able to drive your car onto the ferry, stay in a stateroom overnight, and drive off the next morning in Havana. That way I could catch the Running of the Hemingways, and afterwards head to the ferry, avoiding the price of a motel room. A cheapskate's dream come true. And I would get to see Cuba, too. Perfect! I am sure with Trump as president, that will happen very soon.

It's December 1st! Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!

It's December, time for the snow to start flying, and in fact, this weekend lake-effect snowstorms have been hitting the Upper Peninsula of Michigan and towns along Lake Erie and Lake Ontario, with Watertown, New York expecting 4 to 6 feet. In Buffalo, they are expecting 2 feet of snow, and the Buffalo Bills are asking fans to help shovel out Highmark Stadium before tonight's Bills game with the San Francisco 49ers. In Colorado, they have had a lot of snow in the mountains, but not much in Denver as of yet. Here in Stuart, Florida, we don't expect a white Christmas. In fact, over the past 48 years, I am aware of snow flurries around here exactly twice - once on our dog Irma when my mother Mary brought her inside after a walk, and once when I was down visiting my mother in December. And, of course, both times those flurries melted as soon as they hit the ground. When I was a kid, I used to love when it snowed, especially when it snowed so much that school was canceled. I took the photograph above out the window of my bedroom back in 1962 when we lived in the South Side Brainerd neighborhood of Chicago. The older I got, however, the less I liked the snow, especially when I had to drive in it. Back when I lived in a studio apartment in Forest Park, just to the west of Chicago, I remember one year there was so much snow on the sides of the road it was like driving through a canyon. You had to park your car in the thankfully plowed schoolyard each night and walk home. I suspect there is little chance of that happening here this year.