Graduation Madness!

It is graduation time once again, and living across the street from the University of Denver's Ritchie Center, I get a reminder of this two or three times a day during the month of May, when it seems like every high school in the Denver area holds its graduation ceremonies there. I took the photograph above yesterday afternoon of the crowd gathering outside the Ritchie Center after commencement ceremonies for Aurora, Colorado's Gateway High School. It is a festive time for graduates, but kind of hellish for residents living nearby. Graduation attendees often park in tenant's assigned spaces at apartment and condo buildings in the area, despite signs declaring "No DU Event Parking," put up in the hope the new graduates are able to read. And the traffic after the ceremony lets out clogs all the streets in the area, making getting out of the neighborhood a true adventure. In any case, it is just another rite of spring here in the DU neighborhood. And the crowd is indeed cheerful and very festive, creating a celebratory atmosphere. And so, only a bit grudgingly, I say Happy Graduation!