Eyes On Alameda

It has been a while since I have driven north on Denver's Pearl Street as it crosses East Alameda Avenue. And so yesterday afternoon, as I approached that intersection, I noticed for the first time the building in the photograph on the left with the huge eyes staring out at you. I like this mural very much. It is very understated in its colors and makes you smile as you look at it while waiting for the light to change.  This building is an older, tree-lined neighborhood and this mural seems to fit right in. There are not that many murals on the buildings in this particular locale, which gives this one more impact when you come across it.

As opposed to the murals in Denver's River North (RiNo) neighborhood, which are everywhere, all of them with very vivid colors, often with messages, such as the one in the photograph on the right.  RiNo is Hipster Central, with lots of bars and brewpubs and very expensive apartments catering to the younger crowd. In fact, I read an article on my web browser that lists RiNo as one of the coolest neighborhoods in the city. In other words, a place that expects exactly that kind of art. Different neighborhoods, different murals, but all of them interesting.

Keeping Track Of Important Chicago Moments With The CTA Historical Calendar

As regular blog readers know, I just love the CTA (Chicago Transit Authority) Historical Calendar. It comes out each year on January 1st and has great photographs of Chicago and its various forms of public transportation from years past. And this month the featured photo is of the opening of the new State Street Bridge back in 1949, as seen in the photograph above. It shows a large crowd on that bridge surrounding a "Green Hornet" streetcar, one of many that went into service back in 1948. Sadly, streetcar service ended in Chicago in 1958, the year I entered kindergarten at Fort Dearborn Grammar School in the South Side Brainerd neighborhood of Chicago. And if I ever rode one of those streetcars, I can't remember it. Yet another opportunity to experience a part of Chicago history thwarted. And by the way, there are still 5 months of historic photographs left to see on the 2026 edition of the CTA Historical Calendar. Be sure to download a copy at https://www.transitchicago.com/historicalcalendar/.

Hemingway Days! Missed It Again...

Hemingway Days took place this past weekend down in Key West, Florida. This is an annual event celebrating the life of Ernest Hemingway, who lived in Key West back in the 1930s. The festival features all kinds of activities and contests, including the Hemingway Look-Alike Contest at Sloppy Joe's Bar, where he used to drink, and the Running of the Bulls, seen in the photograph above, which I obtained courtesy of WLRN, a Public Radio and Television Station that serves South Florida. The last two years, my sister Susan and I have been in Florida during Hemingway Days but never attended. I have been tempted to go, but Stuart, Florida is a 5-hour drive from Key West, there are no Motel 6s in that town, and even the modest places are something like $300 a night during that particular weekend. Not to mention having to deal with big crowds. All of which tempers my enthusiasm. On the bright side, all the local television newscasts in the Sunshine State cover the event, and you can see the highlights on the 11:00 o'clock news. Just like being there, and much cheaper. However, here in Denver, the local news broadcasts don't mention Hemingway Days at all. What gives with that?

The 13th Annual Cheesman Park Art Fest

The 13th Annual Cheesman Park Art Fest took place this past weekend here in Denver. I've always liked this festival, which takes place in such a pleasant setting, as seen in the photograph on the left, but have not attended it for the past two years because my sister Susan and I were in Stuart, Florida, escaping Denver's brutal hot weather. This year, however, we were here in Denver and able to attend. It was enjoyable, but as usual, very hot. In fact, a local television news station covered the event, but only focused on how the artists were coping with the heat. Quite well, I would say, since most of them were in the shade, under the canopies over their booths, with portable fans helping to cool them off, while the art patrons had to deal with 103-degree temperatures under a cloudless sky. But I'm not complaining. It was definitely worth visiting. There were 150 artists from across the country, as well as a stage with live music. The Delta Sonics, who were at the Centennial Fine Art Festival back in May, were playing their blues music at this event, too. They are really quite good, and I recognized them immediately as we passed by the stage.

Someone else at this festival who I recognized was Spenser Yowell, who was also at the Pearl Street Art Fest in Boulder. He is from Wyoming, and his photographs of animals in the wild are quite good, especially his portraits of bears and moose (mooses?). Check out his work at https://www.truvirtuephotography.com/. Another photographer at the show was Greg Davis, a National Geographic published photographer from Texas. His work focuses mostly on people and cultures from across the world. I am pretty sure I have seen his work before, especially his photographs from India and Cuba. I immediately recognized the photograph of an older Cuban woman smoking a huge cigar as I passed by his booth, which always makes me smile. His work can be found at https://gregdavisphotography.com/. All in all, a very pleasant Saturday afternoon indeed.

My Parent's 86th Wedding Anniversary

This would have been my parent's, Nelson and Mary's, 86th wedding anniversary if they were still alive today. They were married at what was known in the family as "Uncle John's farmhouse" in Geneva, Illinois, back in 1940, and seen in the photograph on the left that shows my parents walking out of that house right after the wedding. It was a location my mother wasn't crazy about, which I inadvertently discovered could still be a sensitive issue even after 75 years when I mentioned that to my Uncle Jack 10 years or so ago. But that is another story. That farm was owned by my Grandfather Hoyt's brother-in-law, John Tallman, who was also a plumber and whose shop later became the Mill Race Inn, a popular restaurant in Geneva that closed back in 2011 after being in business for 78 years. In any case, I have an 8mm film of that wedding, in color no less, that I have kept in a cigar box for decades. When I finally decided to do something with it, my friend Mark recommended I take it to someone he knew at the University of Denver, who converted it into a digital copy for me. Which I unfortunately cannot upload to this blog, since it exceeds the 100mb limit. Sorry about that. You'll just have to live with the photo. And I do know what a big disappointment that is. Everyone enjoys looking at other people's wedding videos. The longer the better!

Grin And Bear It

An acquaintance of my friend Stuart went on a 3-day camping trip here in Colorado with two of her friends last week, and the very first night they had their food stolen by bears. Unfortunately, one of those bears was able to get into that friend's car and caused $8,000 worth of damage. They went into town and purchased more food, but the bears came back the next night and took that food, too. But she did manage to take the photograph on the left of one of the perpetrators. And I must say, I am a bit jealous. I have never seen a bear in the woods before and have always hoped to get a photograph just like that one. But of course, if the price to get it was $8,000 damage to my car, I would just as soon skip that particular life goal. I don't know what happened the third night, but since she was able to get an estimate on the damage to her car, I assume all three survived with limbs intact. Bear sightings are by no means rare this year. Due to severe drought conditions, thanks to record low snowpack, the berries, fruits, and grasses, among other things they eat, are in short supply, leading to many bears heading to Denver's suburbs in search of food. There have been sightings in Keenesburg, which is way the hell out on the Eastern Plains, Wheat Ridge, which borders Denver, Arvada, Louisville, and Broomfield, all 3 in the northern suburbs, as well as all over Dougles County, including Castle Pines and Roxborough to the south of Denver. Colorado Parks and Wildlife stress the need to secure trash, remove bird feeders, keep garage doors closed, store pet food and grills indoors, and in general not leave out anything bears might want to eat, such as young children. Wise advice. And by the way, it was Stuart who came up with the phrase "Grin and Bear it." Hopefully that was not what he said to his friend after she told him about the 8K damage to her car.

Recess!

I read in the Denver Post yesterday that Recess Beer Garden, located in Denver's Lower Highlands (LoHi) neighborhood, will be adding a location in the Tivoli Student Union on the Auraria Campus, which is the home of the University of Colorado Denver, Metropolitan State University, and the Community College of Denver. They will be occupying the space vacated by Tivoli Brewing Company, a brew pub which operated at that location for 10 years, until closing in 2023. And by the way, the Tivoli Brewing Company building, which is now the student union, was built in 1864 and housed the original Tivoli Brewing Company, which was a major brewery until it closed in 1969. I have patronized the later version of Tivoli Brewing several times, but never heard of Recess Beer Garden until yesterday, and decided to check it out. However, the website said its address was on 17th Street, and when I walked up the hill, found an entrance to the place in a back alley, and went in that way. It was not until I was leaving that I found the main entrance, seen in the photograph on the left, which in fact is on Erie Street, not 17th. Very confusing indeed. 

In any case, Recess Beer Garden is in the very heart of LoDo (aka Hipster Central), and is actually very much like a garden, with trees and landscaping all around its patio, as seen in the photograph on the right. This brewery has been around since 2015, and I find it strange that I have never heard of it for the past 11 years. Perhaps the hipsters wish to keep it a secret from the non-hipster set, who would probably crowd into the place if was better publicized. That would explain the address that leads you to a very non-descript back entrance in the middle of an alley. Originally, I was just going to take a photograph of the garden area from the street and not actually go into the bar, but there was a very tall fence that completely hides that garden from view. Well folks, the secret is out. Now that the great unwashed know about the place thanks to my blog, the LoDo hipsters will be competing for tables with a whole new crowd.

Recess does have an inside bar and dining area, which is what I saw when I first came through that back-alley entrance. And I must say, it is a really nice space, but it is the huge patio which is the real draw, and I headed straight past the bar and went outside, where I took the photograph on the left. They do serve food, and have a happy hour, too, although only Bud Light and Labatt Blue are on that happy hour menu. The one thing I found unusual is they have separate dog hours for their patio, unlike places like New Terrain in Golden, where you can bring your furry friends anytime they are open. While dogs are welcome open to close Sunday thru Thursday, they are restricted to 11am to 5pm on Fridays and 11am to 2pm on Saturdays. To me that is strange. Imagine you and your dog being evicted at 5:01pm, just as happy hour is starting to get going full steam.  Kiss your Bud Light or Labatt Blue goodbye, people!

The Gentrification Conundrum

I got to know West 23rd Avenue here in Denver while biking from my condo in South Central Denver to Sloan's Lake, on the city's west side. After biking around that lake and starting home, I would head down West 23rd past many Victorian homes and what were once corner grocery stores. One of those former groceries is now Briar Common Brewery and Eatery, located in the Jefferson Park neighborhood. The Sloan's Lake area east and north of the lake itself has always been a desirable location, but Jefferson Park, not so much. Federal Boulevard is the main business street for the area, and many of the businesses and homes in the neighborhoods along the length of Federal are Hispanic or Latino. During the 1990s, due to the affordability of Jefferson Park and its proximity to downtown Denver, not to mention being close to both Sloan's Lake and the very desirable Highlands neighborhood, "Jeff Park" began to experience a renaissance. These days, it is filled with pricey apartment buildings, as well as homes from the 1890s, 1910s, 1920s, 1940s, and 1950s. And I suspect it is now anything but affordable. Gentrification has taken a firm grip on the area. And so, biking past the corner of 23rd and Federal on my way toward downtown, I am always happy to see two traditional Mexican businesses on the corner - Taqueria Mi Pueblo, seen on the right in the photograph on the left, and Pinateria La Fiesta, across the street from it.

I especially like the outside of Pinateria La Fiesta, which sells flowers and pinatas. I saw an old photo of this building on the web, and it was painted white and a bit run down but now is painted red and decorated with many festive drawings, as seen in the photograph on the right. I assumed that it now attracts its Latino customers from further south, where most if not all of the businesses are Hispanic, but then I looked up Jefferson Park on the internet and saw that it was still 44% Hispanic or Latino, which hopefully means that the gentrification process did not drive all of the long-term residents out of the neighborhood. I remember working with a woman at the Tattered Cover Bookstore here in Denver who lived in the home she grew up in in the Lower Highlands (LoDo) neighborhood, which today is hipster central. She is still there, but remembers the good old days when parking was easy to find, there were no crowds of hipsters walking around night and day, and the property taxes were a fraction of what they are today. But, as I said, she is still there. Hopefully that is the case for many of those residents who have lived in Jefferson Park all their lives.

Police Action In RiNo

I was driving on a street that borders the Platte River in Denver's River North (RiNo) neighborhood the other day and happened onto a police action of some sort. I drove past, found that the street I was on dead ended, and went back the way I came, which is when I took the photograph above. I don't think I have ever witnessed police with guns drawn and pointed at someone before. The photograph was taken through the front windshield of my car, and so is pretty low quality, but you can get the drift of what is happening. The man on the right appears to be homeless, and I am not sure what the threat was that made the police draw their weapons. One of the officers did turn the gun away after I took the photo, so hopefully the confrontation started to deescalate from there, although the other officer was still holding what I assume was a stun gun, but am not sure. I did not stick around to find out. But it does make you realize that incidents like this are happening a lot more often these days. This area, before it was lined with expensive apartment buildings, was popular with the homeless, who would build makeshift shacks along the river. Those structures are gone now, but I imagine the homeless still hang out there, many either mentally ill or with drug or alcohol problems, which creates problems for everyone else, which I suspect was the root cause of the incident that I saw. With so few state-operated psychiatric hospitals these days, which years ago used to treat these people, they now have nowhere else to go but the streets. A problem that definitely needs to be fixed.

A Return To The Past In Idaho Springs

The other day I was driving down Colorado Boulevard in Idaho Springs, a former mining town about 40 minutes west of Denver, and took the photograph on the left of a house located at 804 Colorado Boulevard. It was built in 1891 in the Queen Anne style and back in 2006 the owners filed for and were granted the house's designation as a Historic Preservation Site. I have no idea how long they have actually been restoring the place, but I have to say that I have never seen this house not undergoing repairs. It seemed like they worked on that gazebo-style entry porch for months and months, and now it looks like they are beginning to repaint the outside. And have they been working on the inside of the house since 2006? Lord knows. All I have to say is that owning a 135-year-old home has its downsides, the biggest one being that you can never stop working on it.

The owner of this home also seems to like restoring old cars, two of which can be seen in the photograph on the right. If I removed the color from that photo, you would not be able to tell it wasn't taken in the early 20th Century. Perhaps that is the goal - turning that particular corner of Idaho Springs back to a simpler time, allowing you to sit by the fire, the house lit by gas lamps, and look out the window and see a scene straight out of the 1920s. Get rid of the televisions and computers and smart phones and you are back in the past. No war in Iran, no mass deportations, no attempt to establish an authoritarian dynasty throughout the country. And by the way, Calvin Coolidge was the president back in the 1920s, who, I might add, restored public confidence in the White House after the many scandals of the Harding administration. Now that is something to think about.

Low Flow, But Still A Go On Golden's Clear Creek

Clear Creek in Golden, Colorado is the Denver area hotspot for tubers, and despite lower flow due to a dry winter that resulted in record-low snowpack, the crowds are still coming, especially on the weekends, as seen in the photograph above. In fact, driving down Washington Avenue, Golden's main drag, the other day, it seemed like every other person was walking around with a tube, no doubt having just rented it from Adventure West, which operates a river tube rental stand. The co-owner of that store, Beth Battilla, believes that the lower flow makes the tubing experience more comfortable, as opposed to previous years, when high, fast flowing water can make for a pretty intense adventure. However, Adventure West is not renting tubes in Littleton this year due to low water levels on the South Platte River making tubing difficult. In Boulder, Boulder Creek is also much lower, resulting in a significant drop in the number of tubers there, too. Which means they are probably all coming to Clear Creek. No wonder there are so many traffic jams on that body of water this summer. Time to hire a water cop to keep things moving. I'd apply for the job myself, but it might involve getting wet.

Watching The World Cup Final With Mark

I watched the World Cup Final, which was played at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey yesterday afternoon, with my friend Mark. The game pitted Spain against defending champion Argentina, with Spain dominating the game from the start, although neither team was able to score a goal during regulation play. It wasn't until thirty-nine seconds into the second half of overtime that Ferran Torres kicked an 8-yard shot into Argentina's net, giving Spain a 1-0 victory. Mark was cheering for Spain in this match, but his favorite team was England, which lost to Argentina 2-1 in the semifinals. However, France and England played a very exciting game for the bronze metal this past Saturday, which England won 6-4. That game was actually far more exciting than the final, which seemed to me to drag on a bit too long. But that is just my personal opinion. And yes, that is indeed Mark in the photograph above celebrating the victory with the Spanish team through the magic of Photoshop.

The Tennyson Street Fair

Yesterday afternoon I spent an hour or so at the Tennyson Street Fair, which takes place in Denver's Berkeley neighborhood. This area has become extremely popular over the years, so much so that the northern part of Tennyson Street is a canyon of apartment buildings, prompting residents to take action to save the rest of the old-fashioned business district, which is where the fair took place. The festival took up 4 blocks of Tennyson, and featured over 200 local artisans and merchants, with an entire side street filled with food trucks. And I must say, it was very well attended. The most popular spot seemed to be Berkeley Untapped. Its shaded patio was packed with people and was standing room only, which makes sense, since it was 95 degrees with very little shelter from the sun out there.

The Tennyson Street Festival also featured musical acts. Mojomama, "known for a sonic blend of blues, funk, soul, and rock" according to the festival's website, was playing while as I was there, and a crowd had gathered under the trees in the park across the street to listen to them, as seen in the photograph on the right. This group was pretty good, too, I might add. Just beyond the point where the street fair ended, at the corner of 44th and Tennyson, I checked out Parisi, a well-known Italian restaurant here in Denver that has been in business for 27 years. They had a fire several months ago and have been closed ever since. I looked to see if there was a date to reopen, but the sign in the window only said that it was closed until further notice.  That restaurant and the nearby Oriental Theater, which opened in 1927 as a movie theater and is now a music venue, are the two most iconic businesses in the neighborhood. Hopefully Parisi will be back in business soon.

The 49th Annual Pearl Street Arts Fest

I took in the 49th Annual Pearl Street Arts Fest yesterday afternoon, which takes place each year on the Pearl Street Mall in downtown Boulder, Colorado. This festival began as the Downtown Boulder Art Fair in 1978, the first community event held on that mall, which was dedicated back on August 6th, 1977. This year there are over 100 artists from 22 states displaying sculptures, watercolors, oils, photography, mixed media, as well as a variety of other mediums. I really enjoyed walking around looking at the art, especially the photography. I very much liked the wildlife photography of both Matthew Ross (https://www.mrossphotography.com/) and Spenser Yowell (https://www.truvirtuephotography.com/), as well as the landscapes by Becky Batch (https://beckybatchphotography.com/). It is definitely worth checking out their booths.

The best part of this art fest is looking at all the art the while walking down the Pearl Street Mall. It is landscaped so beautifully, and the combination of the art and the landscaping really adds to the ambiance, as seen in the photograph on the right. Plus, as you might have suspected, Boulder is ground zero for peoplewatching. Such an incredible mixture - hippies, hipsters, college students, seniors, families, you name it. And plenty of restaurant and bar patios on the mall to sit and have a drink and watch it all from your table. 

And it is especially fun to stroll the mall on a Friday or Saturday night during the summer. There are magicians, jugglers, musicians, such as the guitar player in front of the Boulder Bookstore in the photograph on the left, and all manner of other kinds of buskers, too. Many people have dinner on the mall and then spend the rest of the evening going from one act to another. And during the Christmas season, the mall is elaborately decorated along its entire length. In any case, the Pearl Street Arts Fest continues today from 10:00 A.M. to 7:00 P.M. and Sunday from 10:00 A.M. to 5:00 P.M. If you are in the area - within 400 miles, give or take - you should definitely take it in.

Idaho Springs Has A New Tourist Attraction

This past April, the Mighty Argo Cable Car, seen in the photograph on the left, opened in Idaho Springs, Colorado, an old mining town about 35 minutes west of Denver. That cable car now whisks visitors up 1,300 feet in elevation over 1.3 miles to an upper terminal, which features a three-level facility with food and beverage options, an amphitheater, and an observation deck. This new tourist attraction is hoping to bring in a lot more visitors to Idaho Springs, which struggled this past winter due to a lack of snow. The number of skiers who stopped at Idaho Spring's restaurants and bars on their way home declined significantly, and it is hoped this cable car will help bring in more business. My sister Susan saw the local television news stories about that cable car and told me she would like to ride it to the top of the mountain this summer. However, yesterday, when she saw the actual cars going up the steel cables, she denied ever saying that. No spirit of adventure, I'm afraid.

The owner of the Mighty Argo Cable Car is also co-owner of the Argo Gold Mill and Tunnel, Idaho Spring's top tourist attraction, and seen in the photograph on the right. The tunnel was built between 1893 and 1910 to drain the gold mines in the area. It was such a success that a gold mill was built to process all that gold, recovering 10.1 trillion in today's dollars. The tunnel, by the way, is 4.16 miles long and connected almost all the gold mines between Idaho Springs and Central City. Idaho Springs itself is a nice old town with many homes from the Victorian era and a nearly intact 19th Century business district, with brew pubs, tourist-oriented shops, and the original Beau Jo's Pizza. Susan, my late brother-in-law George, and George's cousin Richard once wound up at Beau Jo's after a day of skiing when I-70 was closed due to a major snowstorm. I believe they spent half the night there waiting for the road to reopen. All three seemed to lose their appetite for Beau Jo's pizza after that evening. Go figure.

Watching The World Cup Match Between England And Argentina And Talking Baseball, Too

I had lunch yesterday afternoon at Spanky's Roadhouse, located just to the west of the University of Denver campus, with my friend Stuart, seen in the photograph above. Since DU is on summer break, I was surprised to find the place so crowded, everyone no doubt there to watch the semi-final World Cup match between England and Argentina. When we arrived, England was ahead 1-0, but I noticed that all the action seemed to be taking place right in front of England's net, and Argentina came back with two late goals to win the game 2-1 and move on to play Spain in Sunday's final. Which is all well and good, but no substitute for Major League Baseball, which will not resume until tomorrow, after the All-Star break. My South Side heroes, the Chicago White Sox, will begin the second half of the season tied for first place with the Cleveland Guardians in the American League Central, and Stuart's team, the Chicago Cubs (Stuart is originally from the North Side of Chicago and worships false gods) are 12 games above .500. Although 5 games out of first place in the National League Central, they are in a good position to make the playoffs. And will our teams continue their winning ways in the second half? Being Chicago baseball fans, we both know things can go downhill very quickly indeed. Hopefully that will not be the case this year. As for our adopted hometown team, the Colorado Rockies, they are much better than last year, have a number of promising young players, but are nevertheless currently in last place in the National League West with a 39-59 record. The goal for this year seems to be not losing 100 games for the 4th time in a row. A modest but reasonable target, but hopefully a much more ambitious goal is in the offing for next year. And about time.

Bear Attack!

A woman was attacked by an aggressive black bear around 5:20 P.M. a few Sundays ago while hiking the Enchanted Forest Trail in Apex Park. That trail runs through Apex Park from Golden, Colorado up to nearby Lookout Mountain, which is where I took the photograph above of the trailhead. The woman said she felt something tugging at her backpack and then a paw or claw touch her thigh and start pulling her backward. At first, she thought it was a person or a mountain lion trying to attack her, but when she turned around, she saw a young adult black bear. She started yelling at it, making herself look larger, and threw rocks at it, but it kept circling and charging her. And she did not have cell phone service in that part of the park. She was joined by another hiker heading downhill, and they headed back up the trail while the bear followed them. Eventually a third person joined them, and after a while the bear went down another trail and began following a different set of hikers. Once they had cellphone service, they called 911 and park rangers were dispatched. Colorado Parks and Wildlife said that the bear was probably "habituated," unafraid of humans, and was no doubt looking for food. It was the first bear attack of the year here in Colorado. The woman involved wished to remain anonymous, according to the Denver7 website, no doubt fearing that if her name appeared in a newspaper article or on a website, the bear might be able to track her down. It reminds me of an old Far Side Cartoon, where a man opens the door and finds an elephant, wearing a hat and trench coat and holding a revolver, standing there. The elephant then says "Remember me, Mr. Jones? Kenya, 1956? If you are going to shoot an elephant, Mr. Jones, you need to make sure you finish the job." And by the way, the woman was unhurt, and plans to bring bear mace and a Garmin (a GPS-enabled product) with an SOS function the next time she goes hiking on that trail.  Talk about brave.

Celebrating Bastille Day In Cherry Creek North

Today is Bastille Day, and although it wasn't quite the same as watching fireworks over the Eiffel Tower while sitting on the Champ de Mars, they celebrated Bastille Day on Fillmore Plaza in Denver's Cherry Creek North neighborhood this past weekend. It was only a block long, but still, there was everything French at this festival, including the Cafe de Paris Bar, no doubt moved here from France just for this event and seen in the photograph on the left.

They even had a VIP Tasting Area, as seen in the photograph on the right. What I want to know is who are these VIPs? And how do you get to be a Denver French Fest VIP? No doubt they are tasting wine. Are they wine experts? So many questions, so few answers. All that I know is that it must cost big bucks to sit there. That's Cherry Creek North for you.

There was also music at the festival, as seen in the photograph on the left, but it did not sound very French. I would have expected an accordion player like they have on the Paris Metro, who goes from one car to the other at each stop and plays a short tune, asking for tips. I would suggest that next year they have an accordion player just like that walk through the crowd playing tunes and asking for tips. I would especially recommend that accordion player spend a lot of time around that VIP tent. No doubt they are big tippers. And yes, they even had little dogs in baby strollers at the festival. Are there a lot of people in Paris who go around pushing their dogs in baby strollers? I wouldn't doubt it for a second.

There were also a number of French-like props at the festival, such as the old Citroen automobile in the photograph on the right. At least I think it is a Citroen. I don't know any other French car company, so I will just go with Citroen, whether it is or not. They also had a 10-foot wire Eiffel Tower on display, but it was not very impressive, to say the least. Which reminds me that years ago, I saw an Eiffel Tower bottle opener for sale at Restoration Hardware at the Cherry Creek Mall, but didn't buy it. Once I became a full-fledged Francophile after my first visit to Paris, I went back to Restoration Hardware, but found no trace of it. Now, of course, Restoration Hardware has become RH Denver, the Gallery at Cherry Creek, "the leader in luxury home furnishings, interior design and hospitality." And so, kiss that Eiffel Tower bottle opener goodbye forever, at least if you're looking for it at RH. In spite of that, Happy Bastille Day Everyone!

It's The All-Star Break, And The Chicago White Sox Are In First Place!

Miracles do happen. My South Side heroes, the Chicago White Sox, swept the Oakland (Sacramento?) Athletics yesterday afternoon at Rate Field to finish the first half of the season tied with the Cleveland Guardians (Indians?) for first place in the American League Central Division. Last year, the Sox ended the regular season with a 60-102 record, finishing last in that division, and so it has been an amazing turnaround. Yesterday they won 9-1 against the Athletics, and most of the damage was done in the first inning, when the Sox scored 6 runs for a 6-1 lead. The Athletics, of course, have suffered some major injuries, and are struggling, but I think that the big difference is that Munetaka Murakami, the "Japanese Babe Ruth," is back in the lineup after 6 weeks on the injured list. The Sox were 17-18 with Murakami gone, but are once again playing great baseball now that he has returned. The crowds are back at Rate Field, too, as seen in the photograph above. Meanwhile, their North Side rivals, the Chicago Cubs, are playing great baseball, too, 5 games behind the Milwaukee Brewers, who have the second-best record in baseball. If the Cubs don't finish in 1st, a wild-card berth looks like a sure bet. Could this be the first Subway Series between the Sox and Cubs since 1906? The White Sox, known as the "Hitless Wonders" that year, won that series 4 games to 2. Just remember, baseball fans, as you put your bets down on the Series, that the Pope is a White Sox fan. Which very well might be the biggest factor in the White Sox's resurgence this year.

A Shocking Notice From Chicago Magazine

I just received an e-mail from Chicago Magazine informing me that they have made the decision to end subscriptions by mail, and that my final issue will be in August. The magazine is owned by the Chicago Tribune, and from what I can tell, you can have the magazine delivered to your door, just like newspaper home delivery, but if the Tribune doesn't offer home delivery in your area, you are out luck. And sadly, they do not offer home delivery here in Denver. And why the hell not, I must ask. There are plenty of ex-Chicagoans here. But I digress. And yes, they do have a digital edition, and you can read the magazine in its traditional format when you log in, but it is just not the same. When the Denver Post got to the point that home delivery cost something like $500 a month, and even then, the carrier would leave the paper in front of my condo building instead of delivering it to my door, I switched to the e-edition and grudgingly adjusted to it. But I have to agree with author and journalist Bill Bryson when he says that life just keeps getting shi**ier.

Cheesman Park: The Game

I read an article in the Denver Post (https://www.denverpost.com/2026/07/09/cheesman-park-game-casey-cantor/) a few days ago about a Denver software engineer's new online game, which involves players deputized as park rangers in order to fight ghouls and ghosts in Denver's Cheesman Park using Frisbees. Yes! Frisbees! Cheesman Park started out as a cemetery in 1858, the year Denver was founded, but was turned into a park back in 1910. The city hired undertaker E.P. McGovern to move the bodies to Riverside Cemetery, just to the north of Denver in Commerce City, but to make additional profit, he cut up the bodies and put them in multiple coffins. When the city found out about this, they fired McGovern and halted the project. Which left the remaining bodies in unmarked graves in both Cheesman Park and the neighboring Denver Botanic Gardens. Needless to say, ever since then, there have been alleged sightings of ghosts wandering the park and the botanic gardens after sunset, which is the starting point for the new online game. Once nighttime arrives, the object is to kill off as many zombies and ghosts as you can before they get to you. It is a very simple game, kind of like Ms. Pac-Man, the arcade game from the 1980s, but incorporating the history of the park into it makes it all kind of interesting. And yes, the photograph above is indeed of Cheesman Park, with the Cheesman Park Pavilion in the background. And for God's sake, be sure to stay out of that park after dark. Check out the game at https://cheesmanparkthegame.com/.

No Slowdown In Denver's Cherry Creek Neighborhood

Denver's status as one of the country's top spots for relocation ended right after the Covid pandemic, when housing costs skyrocketed, downtown suffered due to high office building vacancies and shuttered businesses, and wages could no longer keep up with the high cost of living. Apartment vacancy rates are higher, and empty lots once destined to be apartments and offices are now no longer financially viable. However, the Cherry Creek neighborhood is the one exception. It is growing by leaps and bounds, with office buildings, condos, and luxury apartments going up all over the neighborhood. This is a very upscale area, and so affordability is not an issue for the targeted market. The photograph on the left shows Cherry Lane under construction. It is a mixed-use project "envisioned as a luxury, pedestrian-friendly district blending high-end retail, dining, offices and retail." A few blocks to the east, the Waldorf Astoria Residences is being built, described as "a luxury residential development reinforcing Cherry Creek's high-end positioning."

And right across the street from Cherry Lane, Cherry Creek West, a 13-acre mixed use development that will provide 840 residences, 600,000 square feet of office space, 100,000 square feet of retail, along with walkability and green space, is under construction, as seen in the photograph on the right. Those green spaces will connect the North Cherry Creek District with the Cherry Creek waterway, which will make it a very pleasant place to walk or bike. The developers describe it as "an integrated live-work-play environment." For most of us, however, although we might be able to play or even work in Cherry Creek West, actually living there might involve winning Power Ball or the Mega Millions lottery.  

The Year Denver Parks Lost Their Flowers

I went walking through Denver's Washington Park the other day and spent some time in the garden there. And I must say, it is very impressive this year, as seen in the photograph above. Standing in that garden reminded me that two years ago, Denver eliminated spring flowerbed planting in most of the parks to address the city's migrant crisis, which was projected to cost the city $120 million. I never paid much attention to the flowers in Denver's parks in the past, but you sure noticed it when they were gone. Over 43,000 undocumented immigrants arrived in Denver starting in January of 2023, thanks mainly to the governor of Texas busing migrants to Denver, Chicago, and New York, and the city needed to provide shelter, food, and other services for them. It had to be done, of course - most of those people were facing winter dressed for the tropics and with no means of support. The flowers came back the following year - I did take notice - and it is estimated that half of those immigrants decided to stay in Denver. Although with the Trump administration's mission to deport "the worst of the worst," which to them seems to mean all undocumented immigrants, who knows what their numbers are these days. Regardless, it is time to stop and smell the roses, or any kind of flowers, for that matter. Especially these days.

The July Mutt Of The Month

I took the photograph above of the July Mutt of the Month tied up in front of the entrance to Venice, an upscale Italian restaurant in Lower Downtown Denver (LoDo), located just around the corner from the Wynkoop Brewing Company. And no - I wasn't dining at Venice, but just feeding the meter while dining at the Wynkoop. Just for fun I checked out Venice's webpage when I got home and found that all of the items on it were in Italian, although the descriptions below were in English. Spaghetti con Polpettine is, of course, spaghetti and meatballs. I would complain about the price for it, but everything seems to be expensive at restaurants these days, even at Olive Garden. You would have saved a mere 8 bucks dining there instead. And in case you were wondering, Venice has the largest wine cellar in Colorado. Of course they do. I just hope the owners of that dog were not having a three-course meal while their dog was tied up out there. As I recall, it was starting to get chilly. The least they could have done was to send out the sommelier with a decent vintage for the poor thing. Who knows - perhaps they did after I left. One can only hope.

The Crossroads

I just finished reading The Crossroads, C.J. Box's latest Joe Picket novel. This series is about a Wyoming game warden who gets involved in all manner of dangerous situations that he has to resolve, usually with the help of his off-the-grid friend, Nate Romanowski, and wife Marybeth. The story begins with Joe being found in his pickup truck at Antler Creek Junction with a gunshot wound to the head. Antler Creek Junction leads to three ranches owned by three dangerous families, all of whom Joe has been investigating. He is flown to a hospital in Billings, Montana in critical condition and put in a medically induced coma. While Marybeth sits next to Joe in his hospital room hoping for the best, their daughters Sheridan, April, and Lucy, along with Nate Romanowski, begin their own investigation into the shooting, determined to find out who is responsible. I really enjoyed this story and can definitely recommend it as a good summer read. And, I might add, this was the first book I have read in several months where I did not have to constantly re-read sections to understand technical details or to figure out the meaning of a passage. In other words, a perfect book to read just for fun.

The Cherry Creek Arts Festival

Every year I make a point of attending the Cherry Creek Arts Festival, and this year, it's 35th, was no exception. This event took place this past 4th of July weekend in Denver's North Cherry Creek neighborhood and featured 260 juried artists from across the world. It has been awarded the Gold Grand Pinnacle Award, presented by the International Festivals and Events Association (IFEA), that association's "highest accolade," "recognizing festivals and events that excel in balancing all key elements essential for a successful event." In other words, this is a very prestigious art festival, and even I recognize the high quality of the artwork presented. I especially liked the paintings with a touch of humor to them, as well as some of the very colorful modern artwork, most of which was selling for thousands of dollars. But as usual, I was especially interested in the photography, which was also very good, including the work of Igor Menaker, who specializes in black and white images of Chicago and whose booth is seen in the photograph on the left. You can view his work at https://www.menaker.com/.

Menaker has exhibited his photographs at the Cherry Creek Arts Festival a number of times, as has Xavier Nuez, who is also from Chicago and describes his photography as "light painting," which is very spectacular indeed. His booth can be seen in the photograph on the right. Nuez lights his photos, which include abandoned factories, deserted streets, walkways, and other subjects in a variety of colors, creating stunning effects, which can be seen at https://www.nuez.com/. There was another booth also exhibiting light paintings by Chris and Katie Robleski, which were also quite good. Nuez has conducted workshops on his technique for many years, and I have to wonder if these photographers might be former students now competing against him. And I did notice on his website that he is not conducting any more workshops until October of 2027. Perhaps hoping to avoid still more competition? I also enjoyed the work of Joel Anderson, especially his farm animals, which can be seen at https://www.joelandersonphoto.com/. 

I was also impressed with the photography of Brad Pogatetz, who specializes in photographing ruins, and Kyle Spears, with his wonderful photographs of Europe. But as I mentioned before, there were all manner of art forms on display at the Cherry Creek Arts Festival this year, most of it very good, including the humorous paintings hanging on the side of the booth in the photograph on the left. And, as you can imagine, this festival is great for peoplewatching. In fact, I attended this event twice this year, once to take photographs and the second time to just look at all the artwork and do more peoplewatching. A great festival that I hope to attend next year, too.

The 16th Annual Park Hill 4th Of July Parade

Yesterday the 16th Annual Park Hill 4th of July Parade took place down 23rd Street in that historic Denver neighborhood. This is the first 4th of July parade I have attended since the ones that took place in Cannon Beach, Oregon back when we had some Hoyt family reunions on 4th of July weekends there. Just like in Cannon Beach, the parade was made up of community groups, marching bands, classic cars, politicians looking for votes, non-profits, and costumed characters. The photograph on the left features The Westernaires, a volunteer-run nonprofit youth riding organization. This group is also a regular at the annual National Western Stock Show Parade here in Denver every January, when the temperature can be about 70 degrees lower than they were yesterday. A whole different kettle of fish, as we say here out west.

There were a lot of families with children attending the parade, as you might expect, and those kids were thrilled to see various superheros at the event, including someone who I think was Captain America riding on a motorcycle, as seen in the photograph on the right. I also saw Batman taking part in the parade as well. The parade featured over 50 groups and over 1,000 marchers, riders, and performers, and so it was no surprise that it took almost 2 hours to complete. Not that I was timing it or anything.

It really surprised me how many candidates running for offices such as state representative, state senator, and city council took part in this parade, having their volunteers hand out campaign information to the crowd lining the streets. Of course, that was the case at the Stuart, Florida Christmas Parade last year, too. I remember the master of ceremonies remarking that the Democrats were now passing the reviewing platform, all two of them.  Which was both funny and also not too much of an exaggeration. The horse-drawn wagon in the photograph on the left was promoting the reelection campaign of State Senator James Coleman, who is currently President of the Colorado Senate and represents the Park Hill neighborhood. And why the horse-drawn wagon? Your guess is as good as mine. Politicians are inscrutable. 

Happy Fourth Of July!

Today is the Fourth of July, the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, a day of fireworks, parades, picnics, and a new tradition - an extremely long speech by Donald Trump on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. "just to show that I can do anything," as he put it a few days ago. Oh joy! Meanwhile, here in Denver, fireworks will be taking place at Coors Field after the game tonight between the Colorado Rockies and San Francisco Giants. And I am featuring - not for the first time - a photograph of the fireworks at that ballpark that I took back in 2021. As I recall, I spent a long time waiting for those fireworks to begin - it was like watching paint dry. And so instead of going through all that again, I am just using this photograph instead. Let's face it - one fireworks display looks like any other. Can you really tell that this photograph was taken 5 years ago and not after the Rockies game last night? I didn't think so. Just enjoy all those fireworks and parades and ballgames and Trump's extremely long speech (scheduled for 9:45 P.M. Eastern Daylight Savings Time). Which reminds me - what ever happened to the legislation to make Daylight Saving Time permanent? I thought it was a done deal. This is so unlike our elected representatives to let things slide like this. Oh well, what the hell. Happy Fourth of July anyway!

Talking Baseball At The Old Chicago Pizza And Taproom In Lakewood, Colorado

Yesterday afternoon I ventured out to Lakewood, Colorado, located to the west of Denver and in a completely different universe, to have lunch at the Old Chicago Pizza and Taproom with my friend Stuart, seen in the photograph above. For some inexplicable reason, a lot of people like living in Lakewood. There is a treatment for that, which involves driving down Colfax Avenue from one side of town to the other, but perhaps that would be too great a shock for vulnerable residents. In any case, as I have mentioned before, you can't see Lakewood from the bar area at Old Chicago, and so no problem. Over lunch, Stuart and I discussed the state of our respective baseball teams. The last time we had lunch, Stuart's team, the Chicago Cubs (Stuart is originally from the North Side of Chicago) had gone into a June swoon and were barely above .500. As of yesterday, they were 9 and 1 over their last 10 games, 11 games over .500, and 5 games out of first place in the National League Central. My South Side heroes, the Chicago White Sox (I am originally from the South Side Brainerd neighborhood of Chicago), are still in first place in the American League Central and 6 and 4 over their last 10 games, but a mere 4 games over .500. The Sox are holding their own, but have some big names on the injured list, including Munetaka Murakami, "the Japanese Babe Ruth," who was leading the American League in home runs when he pulled a hamstring on May 29th. They definitely need those players to return to the lineup soon if they want to make the playoffs. As for our adopted hometown team, the Colorado Rockies, they are currently tied with the Kansas City Royals for the worst record in baseball with a .398 winning percentage. But they are 5 and 5 over their last 10 games and have a number of promising rookies, and so it looks like they will eventually put together a good team. It might be 2 or 3 years down the road, but it is better than the situation the club has been in the past 5 seasons or so. The important thing is that Coors Field, where they play, is a great place to hang out, win, lose, or draw. Although winning would be better.

Watching England Come From Behind To Beat DR Congo At The World Cup

I watched the World Cup soccer match between England and DR Congo yesterday morning with my friend Mark, who is a big fan of England, and seen in the photograph above standing in front of hundreds of English soccer fans celebrating their team's victory after the game. And I must say, it was a very exciting contest. DR Congo scored a goal in the first 7 minutes, and their goalie, Lionel Mpasi, kept England from scoring most of the game. And then England's Harry Kane scored twice in the final 15 minutes of the match to beat DR Congo 2-1. England now heads to the final 16 to play Mexico on Sunday. I was especially happy about the outcome since Harry Kane is one of only two active soccer players whose names I actually recognize. The other is Son Heung-min. Both of them played for the Tottenham Hotspurs of England's Premier League before moving on to other teams (Kane to Bayern Munich and Son to Los Angeles FC). England will have a tough time against Mexico, I'm afraid, since the match is being played at Estadio Azteca in Mexico City, where Mexico has lost only two of 89 competitive matches, and most of the 87,523 fans will be rooting for the home team. I suggest not betting the entire farm on England. Perhaps just half.

Biking In Denver After A Two-Year Hiatus

I was finally able to take a bike ride to downtown Denver and back yesterday morning after almost two years. I brought the Trek bicycle I have owned for many years down to our condo in Stuart, Florida back in the fall of 2024, and planned to have the bike I inherited from my brother-in-law George, tuned up the following spring, which wound up being this spring, instead. But no matter. I finally have a bicycle here once again and today was reminded what a great town Denver is for cyclers. I remember one of our work study students at the University of Denver Bookstore once said that he preferred biking in Denver than back home in Paris. I didn't think he could be serious at the time but am now wondering if maybe he was right after all.

And for the first time, I was able to get a look at the swan boats out on Smith Lake in Washington Park on my way downtown. And I must say, I have to take partial credit for the swan boats now there, one of which can be seen in the background of the photograph on the right. Several years ago, I wrote several blog posts about how Denver's City Park had swan boats on its lake and wondered why Wash Park had to make do with boring utilitarian models. Was this some kind of slight by the city? But now here they are, the city no doubt influenced by my blog post. No thanks necessary - happy to have made an important difference in the lives of the people of Denver.

After riding through Washington Park, I headed through the older neighborhoods of Denver to downtown's 16th Street (formerly the 16th Street Mall), which underwent a three-and-a-half year, $176.7 million renovation that was completed this past October. That project had a major impact on the businesses along that 13-block stretch, many of which went out of business during the renovation, which came on the heels of the Covid-19 pandemic. But I am happy to report that the mall is now looking really good, with lots of people sitting under tree-shaded restaurant patios having lunch and strolling around, checking out the stores and local bistros, many of them new. All this on a Tuesday morning. And the city is not finished with improving the district even further.  They recently purchased the Denver Pavilions, a multi-level open-air mall right off 16th Street, as seen in the photograph on the left, and intend to make it a mixed-use hub for Upper Downtown. And just this past week, the University of Colorado Denver announced they were purchasing Independence Plaza, a 25-story office tower on 17th Street, with a block long frontage on 16th, for $29.8 million and will transform it into a multi-use hub for both educational and commercial purposes. I just hope they reintroduce those Friday night summer concerts they used to have on their 16th Street patio, which I used to bike to religiously back in the day.

All in all, it was a very good bike ride, and I was very impressed with the new vibrancy of the area. For years now people have been bemoaning downtown Denver, complaining about the store vacancies, the empty office buildings, the homeless situation, you name it. Although it is not as busy as before the pandemic, it has definitely turned a corner. And it is now a place where you might see a friendly, abnormally tall cowboy moseying down the street, such as the one in the photograph on the right. And no, I have no idea why he was there, if he was being paid to be there, or if he was just another eccentric, for which Colorado is world-famous.