Today Is The First Day Of Fall

Today is the first day of fall, the Autumnal Equinox, which begins at 6:04 P.M. here in Denver. It has been unseasonably hot here until just recently, and so as you can see from the photograph on the left that I recently took at Washington Park, as of yet there are no signs of fall around Denver. However, all the local weather forecasters are saying that in the mountains, the leaves will be changing much earlier than usual this year due to the severe drought conditions we have been experiencing. And so, to check this out, yesterday afternoon I drove from Denver up to relatively nearby Echo Lake on Mount Blue Sky to see if this was true.

At lower elevations, the leaves were just starting to turn, but when I passed Echo Lake, which sits at an altitude of 10,600 feet (the road to the summit, at an altitude of 14,271 feet, is closed between Labor Day and Memorial Day) the aspens seemed to be close to peak colors, as seen in the photograph on the right. The most popular spot to see the fall colors around here is Guanella Pass, located above Georgetown, Colorado, which rises to an altitude of 11,669 feet. It is so popular that on weekends it is often bumper-to-bumper traffic the entire way, and people who park on the side of the road to take photographs or walk among the aspens are ticketed or towed, which is why I have never taken that drive during "leaf peeping" season.

My favorite spot to view the aspens in the fall is Boreas Pass, located above Breckenridge, Colorado, one of my favorite mountain towns. It is a former wagon road which was later converted to the site of a railroad connecting the towns of Como and Breckenridge. It is now an unpaved road for cars that reaches an altitude of 11,481 feet. The thing I like about this pass is that there are plenty of places to pull to the side of the road and walk around taking photographs, and although there are a fair number of cars on this road, it is not overwhelming. The aspens there are spectacular, with views across the valley to the tall peaks beyond. The photograph on the left, which I also took on Mount Blue Sky yesterday afternoon, reminds me of those views. This year I will not be able to head to Boreas Pass until early next week. Hopefully there will still be leaves on the trees when I get there. And if not, on the bright side, you can always head back to Breckenridge, walk around town, and then have a pint in one of the local bars. A win-win situation.

The 2026 Colorado English Motoring Conclave

My friend Mark is a member of the Rocky Mountain Jaguar Club. And no, he does not own a Jaguar. He just likes the cars, and his favorite event is the annual Colorado English Motoring Conclave, which takes place each year at Oak Park in Arvada, Colorado, just to the northwest of Denver and where enthusiasts display over 500 British cars and motorcycles. My sister Susan and I decided to join Mark at this year's event, which seemed to take many hours to get to, due to Interstate 70, the main route to the park, being closed for repairs. We had to take a roundabout way to get there, but get there we did, and I was very impressed with the festival. Mark introduced us to his fellow Jaguar Club members, some of whom can be seen in the photograph on the left. They were all very friendly, and interesting to talk with, and after a lunch under their tent we walked around looking at the cars.

We started with the Jaguars, two of which can be seen in the photograph on the right. Models ranged from the 1920s through the present. Mark has always wanted to own a Jaguar but has actually been warned off buying one by some of the club members themselves, citing mechanical issues, the difficulty with obtaining parts, and high insurance rates. And, of course, Jaguars in good condition are very expensive. The alternative is buying a car in poor condition and restoring it, which would take a lot of time and experience in restoring old cars. I myself am not much of a car person. I mainly just want a vehicle that can reliably take me from point A to Point B. I do remember once going to the Chicago Automobile Show years ago with my parents and admiring an XKE Jaguar. The sticker on the window said the suggested retail price was $6,000, and we all wondered who could possibly afford to pay that much for a car. Of course, that was MANY years ago.

After the Jaguars, we looked at all the other British cars, including MGs, Austin-Healeys, Triumphs, Bentleys, Aston Martins, Morrises, Rolls Royces, you name it. In my opinion, the best were the older models, such as the one in the photograph on the left. I was amazed at how perfect most of these older models looked. It must take a lot of work to get them into that condition. And a garage to make sure they stay that way. All in all, it was a very enjoyable afternoon, and the weather was perfect for the event - sunny with temperatures in the 70s. And I actually made it back home in less than 3 hours. What could be better than that?

Denver Oktoberfest Is Here!

Yesterday afternoon my sister Susan and I visited Denver Oktoberfest, which takes place on Upper Larimer Street in the Ballpark neighborhood, just a few blocks from Coors Field. This neighborhood is hipster central, and so there is always a huge turnout of 20-somethings for this event, most of them carrying huge steins of beer with them. This festival features stein hoisting, keg bowling, music, and, of course, lots of food and drink. There were two stages, one at the festival's entrance on 20th Street, where a stein hosting contest was going on, and the other at the upper end of the festival at 22nd Street, which was featuring music. Rap music, to be precise. One would expect traditional German music at Oktoberfest, but then again, considering the younger crowd in attendance, I suppose festival organizers felt rap music would be better suited to hipsters than accordion music.

While we were there, a stein hoisting contest was taking place with a group that were all wearing Lederhosen and those funky looking German hats, as seen in the photograph on the right. The MC kept telling everyone that if you dropped your steins, you would have to clean up the mess yourself. I had to wonder if there might have been some ugly stein hoisting incident the previous evening or something. There were a surprising number of people walking around together wearing Lederhosen and Dirndls, and I saw one group dressed like the ones in the photograph trying to get into Scruffy Murphy's Irish Pub with full steins of beer. The bouncer told them the steins had to be empty to enter the bar, and so one of them suggested having a chugging contest at the entrance so they could get in. We didn't wait around to see who the winner was.

And yes, there was indeed a stand selling that hallmark of traditional German cuisine, Das Turkey Legs. I like to joke that all the unsold turkey legs from the previous year are defrosted in the spring and then refroze and defrosted throughout the summer for each festival, ending the cycle during the various Oktoberfests, with the remainder refrozen until next year. Of course, I know they really wouldn't do that, right? Right? In any case, it was fun to walk around, do some peoplewatching, and take in the festival. And for all of you Oktoberfest fans out there, the Denver Oktoberfest continues today through 6:00 P.M. and next Friday through Sunday, too. Be there or be square, as we hipsters say.

Friday Afternoon At Chautauqua

I spent some time up in Boulder yesterday afternoon and made a stop at Chatauqua Park, one of my favorite places in Colorado. It was threatening rain, but that did not seem to stop the intrepid locals from heading up the trail into the Flatirons, as seen in the photograph on the left. I myself would have chosen a sunnier day, but Boulder is known for its hearty outdoor types, who would no doubt shrug off a few raindrops. I hiked those trails many years ago and really enjoyed it. You wind around the back of the sheer face and when you get to the top have a spectacular view of Boulder. Definitely worth the effort.

I passed by the Chautauqua Dining Hall and noticed a fair number of people still having lunch on the outdoor patio, as seen in the photograph on the right. Boulder's Chautauqua was constructed in 1898 with the assistance of Boulder City leaders, the Gulf and Southern Railway, and Texas Regents to create a teacher's school along with a Chautauqua. It consists of a dining hall, an auditorium, and cottages and lodges for students and short-term visitors. All of the original structures are still in use today. I fondly remember having Sunday brunch at the Dining Hall a number of times with my brother-in-law George, sister Susan, and our mother Mary. Having breakfast on that patio with that wonderful view is a great experience.

The General Store in the photograph on the left is a relatively new addition. As for the auditorium, it still hosts many concerts and events. I remember attending a Peter Kater concert there one night with Susan and my mother. The acoustics are truly wonderful. I think my mother used a transit chair to get around at the time, and they put us in the front row, which made for a really wonderful experience. The cottages were originally just for summer residents, but over the years they have been winterized for year-round use and can still be rented by the public. Plus, if you do stay there, it is only a 15-minute walk to Boulder's Pearl Street Mall, filled with restaurants, bars, shops, and performances by various buskers and musicians. I would especially recommend a Friday or Saturday afternoon hiking the Flatirons, and a visit to a very lively Pearl Street Mall in the evening. Tell them I sent you.

The September Mutts Of The Month

I took the photograph above of the September Mutts of the Month at Oktoberfest on South Pearl Street here in Denver this past weekend. I saw them walking up and down the street with their owner several times but was only able to get a shot of both of them as I was leaving the festival. One of them is a service dog. At least it was wearing a service dog vest. I know some people try to sneak their pets into grocery stores or onto airplanes with fake vests, such as the person who tried to take their service kangaroo onto a plane (which sadly didn't work). I think that happened in Australia, where I imagine kangaroo pets are not unusual, but I don't intend to fly 17 hours to Sydney just to find out. In any case, I have no reason to suspect that that particular dog was not a service dog, and both seemed well-trained and friendly. And not a kangaroo in sight.

Big News! In-N-Out Burger Is Coming To South Denver!

I read in the Denver Post several weeks ago that In-N-Out Burger is planning to put 2 new locations in Denver - one near Denver International Airport, located not too far from the Kansas State Line, and the other at 1470 South Colorado Boulevard, just a mile or so away from my condo across the street from the University of Denver. That is big news. I have tried In-N-Out Burger only once, when I spent a long weekend in San Francisco right before the DU Bookstore, where I worked as Finance Manager, was outsourced to Follett Higher Education Group (and don't get me started on this). In any case, I was walking around Fisherman's Wharf, about to walk to the Golden Gate Bridge, and noticed an In-N-Out Burger. I had heard about them mainly through Michael Connelly's Harry Bosch novels. Sometimes, when on stakeout, Connelly's fictional LA police detective would stop first at an In-N-Out Burger to fortify him for the long night ahead. And so, I stopped there for lunch, and the burger was great. In-N-Out expanded to Colorado in 2020, and now has 15 locations in the state, although none anywhere near South Denver. The hamburgers might be great, but I have never wanted to make a long drive just to eat at a fast-food restaurant. But now they are coming to the neighborhood! They are only at the permitting stage right now, but plan to put their new Colorado Boulevard In-N-Out Burger on the site of a former Arby's and Black-Eyed Pea, seen in the photograph above. And I can't wait to try their "double double." Which will probably be in 2028 or so, but what the hell. I've waited this long, after all.

Talking Baseball With Stuart At The Old Chicago In Lakewood...

I got together for lunch yesterday afternoon with my friend Stuart, seen in the photograph above, at the Old Chicago Pizza and Taproom in Lakewood, Colorado, a rather ugly suburb just to the west of Denver. And after discussing a number of topics, the conversation turned to baseball. My South Side heroes, the Chicago White Sox, have not been having a good September, and are 3 and 7 over their last 10 games. They have been in first place in the American League Central Division all year, but as of today are only 1/2 game in front of the Cleveland Guardians. With a mere 12 days left in the season, Stuart and I agreed that they have to turn things around quickly or their playoffs dreams will go up in smoke. But I did have to mention that no matter what happens, the White Sox have had a great year with many promising rookies on the roster, and their future looks bright. As for their North Side rivals, the Chicago Cubs, which is Stuart's team, they still have a good chance of making the playoffs, although how far they go in the post-season is a big question mark. I know Stuart isn't putting down any big bets on them winning it all. Over the past 9 seasons, the Cubs have made the playoffs 4 times, winning a total of 2 series. As for our adopted hometown team, the Colorado Rockies, they have gone 2 and 8 over their past 10 games, and their single goal this season was not to lose 100 games for the 4th time in a row. They currently have a record of 56 and 95, with 11 more games to play. So much for that goal. And as for my South Side heroes, the White Sox, miracles do happen, right? Perhaps someone should e-mail Pope Leo to ask for a little help.

The Fall Quarter Has Begun At The University Of Denver

Classes at the University of Denver began last Tuesday, the day after Labor Day. Last year, I stopped by the DU Bookstore - where I worked for almost 30 years - on the first day of classes to see what it was like these days and was shocked to find only 2 employees at the cash registers and maybe 3 customers on the sales floor. Back in 2012, the last time I ever worked the first day of fall classes, the bookstore was jampacked with students. We had 8 cash registers going the entire day, and lines went halfway to the back wall. I took the photograph on the left yesterday morning, the second week of school, and the scene was more or less the same as last year. And how did this business change so much in 15 years? As far as I can tell, most students now get their textbooks via what is called a "course-by-course" access program, where the bookstore, campus, and publishers sign an agreement to provide textbooks on or before the first day of classes, and the materials are delivered digitally via a "campus learning management system." No need for bookstores to hire extra help to receive physical textbooks or temporary cashiers to ring up all those sales. And so, yesterday there were just two employees to ring up a handful of sales. An entire industry turned upside down, just like daily newspapers, network television, monthly or weekly magazines, and countless others, thanks to this new digital age.

Except for the new student center that replaced the old one on the north side of the Driscoll Center, the new freshman dorm (which the university insists on calling student housing), and a new science building on the south side of campus, everything looks pretty much the same at DU, as does the walk from the Driscoll Center back to my condo. And as usual, I passed by students heading to lunch or their next class, as seen in the photograph on the right. Of course, there are far fewer of them these days, thanks to the shrinking pool of college age students, fewer high school graduates moving on to college, and smaller numbers of international students, thanks to Trump administration policies. DU's administration, which had to deal with a $30 million budget shortfall last fiscal year, has combined divisions and departments and laid off faculty and staff to deal with this new reality. Time will tell if it is enough. Hopefully it is. After all, I live across the street from DU. God knows what would replace it if it went away. A maximum-security prison, an AI data center, the new home of a strange and mysterious religious cult? It just boggles the mind.

Oktoberfest On South Pearl Street

Oktoberfest celebrations began this past Saturday here in Denver, including both the Highlands Oktoberfest and Oktoberfest on South Pearl Street in the Platt Park neighborhood. I attended both festivals last September but only had time to attend one this year. The Highlands Oktoberfest takes place over a 4 or 5-block section of West 32nd Avenue in that popular neighborhood, and is always fun, while Oktoberfest on South Pearl is on a single block, but well attended and very lively. Since South Pearl Street is only a mile or so away from my condo across the street from the University of Denver, I decided to head there, and really enjoyed it. I noticed last year that many of the people attending were wearing traditional costumes, and it was the same this year, too, as seen in the photograph on the left.

Oktoberfest on South Pearl is sponsored by Platt Park Brewing, which is located on that block, and there were over 10 local craft breweries represented there this year. Not surprisingly, that was where the majority of visitors were hanging out. There was also live music, stein hoisting contests throughout the day, brat eating contests, not to mention costume contests, too, which probably explains so many people wearing lederhosen and dirndls. I took the photograph on the right of the men's brat eating contest (there was a women's contest right afterwards). There was quite a crowd surrounding the event, and so I wound up having to stand in the back, hold the camera up high, and hope for the best. Which turned out to work just fine.

My only complaint was that the music, at least when I was there, was all rock and roll, instead of more traditional German melodies. This is also true of the Oktoberfest on Larimer Street in Denver's Ballpark neighborhood, which will take place the next two weekends. The only Oktoberfest that seems to have exclusively traditional German music is Breckenridge Oktoberfest, which takes place this year September 25th through 27th. However, I was happy to see that Oktoberfest on South Pearl did host some traditional German dancing, which was very nice, even if the music they danced to was recorded and not live. All in all, a fun event to attend. With more to come in the next few weeks.

Back In Denver With Mark And The Colorado Spurs

Yesterday morning I went with my friend Mark, seen in the photograph above, to Esters Pub, located in the Virginia Village neighborhood of Denver, to join the Colorado Spurs in watching Tottenham play Everton in an English Premier League Soccer match. As usual, that Tottenham Hotspur supporters group was very enthusiastic, despite Tottenham currently being in 17th place in the standings. The two teams seemed equally matched, and the game ended in a 0-0 tie. This is the first time I have watched a Tottenham match since last year, when they finished one game away from being relegated to the English Championship League, which would be the equivalent of a major league baseball team being demoted to the AAA division. In other words, not a good thing at all. Tottenham has yet to score a goal during their first four games, but I'm sure they will get one by the time the season ends next May, especially since the team spent 380 million pounds during the off-season to beef up the team. But no matter - it is early in the season. There are still 34 games to go. And on the bright side, if you bet big on Tottenham to win it all and they actually do, you could make a fortune.

The Flight Home

My sister Susan and I flew back to Denver from Stuart, Florida this past Thursday, a fun-filled eight hour and five-minute experience, not counting the drive to President Donald J. Trump International Airport (I still can't believe they did that) and the rather pricey Uber ride from Denver International Airport back to my condo across the street from the University of Denver. The problem, of course, is that there are no direct flights between Denver and West Palm Beach during the summer, and so you have to change planes, either with a long layover or a very short one, desperately trying to get to the opposite end of the airport to make your connection. Frankly, I prefer driving, even if it does take 3 full days to get from Denver to Stuart. Much less pain and stress, and a lot of interesting places to visit along the way, with brewpubs now in almost every town. Perhaps just that happy fact is worth putting 4,000 miles on your car each round trip. It's all how you look at things, right?

A Final Visit To Stuart Beach Before Heading Back To Denver

It has been pretty damn hot and humid here in Stuart this summer, but then again, this is Florida, so what do you expect? The good thing about summer down here is that you do not have to fight the crowds to get a table at a restaurant, or, when visiting places like Palm Beach, having to wait in long lines to cross the drawbridge over Lake Worth in order to get back to reality. But best of all, when you are at Stuart Beach, as seen in the photograph above, or even along the St. Lucie River on the patio at Sailor's Return, you get a breeze off the water that makes August very tolerable. And definitely laid back. Sadly, since the tourists and the snowbirds are afraid to come down to South Florida this time of year, fearing they might melt, there are no festivals or events taking place. There used to be Dancing in the Streets every August here in Stuart, but that is long gone, and don't get me started about that 30-year tradition being killed off back in 2017. But no matter - things will start happening again down here around the end of October, including the 2026 Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show, the largest in-water boat show in the world. I definitely plan to attend that event and finally pick out my "forever" Superyacht. Can't wait. I am sure I can arrange an affordable payment plan. They are probably desperate for sales.

The September Issue Of Chicago Magazine

As I have mentioned (complained about) several times before on this blog, Chicago Magazine is no longer doing mail subscriptions, only delivering their magazine by newspaper carrier (the magazine is owned by the Chicago Tribune). And so, the only way for me to read it is the e-edition, which is just not the same, but not the end of the world, I suppose. In any case, I checked out the September issue online, and the cover story is "The Case for a Parking Revolt." Back in 2008, Mayor Richard M. Daley and the city council signed rights to 36 thousand parking meters to a group of investors for a term of 75 years for 1.16 billion dollars. So far, those investors have received a return of almost twice its investment, with 57 years still left on the contract, while Chicago faces massive deficits. Understandably, people are still upset about this deal. One local citizen is trying to get people to simply not pay for parking at those meters, and if they get a ticket, just pay it, since the City of Chicago gets all the ticket revenue. He claims it actually winds up costing less than feeding the meters. Also in this issue, the "City of Big Questions" column recounts the adventures of Lar "America First" Daly, who ran for office in Chicago from the 1930s to the 1970s, often wearing an Uncle Sam suit. He ran for the senate, governor, mayor, and many other offices, and never once won. His last campaign was in 1978, when he ran in the Republican U.S. Senate primary, received 15% of the vote, and died the next month. I remember this guy from back when I lived in Chicago but never gave him another thought from that last campaign until now. Not surprisingly, he was a pretty strange ranger.

And of course, there are lots of articles on restaurants, bars and other food places, including the Guillotine Bakery (owned by three French ex-pats), Kitty's Cosmopolitan Club, and All Well, which has fine dining but gives patrons the ability to choose their ingredients, which is evidently a revolution in dining. And no, the tavern in the photo on the right was not mentioned in the article. It is a tavern I used to walk past on the way to the "L" when I lived in Forest Park years ago. I took the photo back in 2010 when I last visited Chicago. I used to drink Old Style when I lived in Chicago and cannot for the life of me remember why. In the "Chicago Stories" section, there is an article by Meaghan Garvey titled The Torch Singer, which tells about her finding, when a teenager, a binder with 8 x 10 black and white photographs of Helen Morgan, all personally inscribed. Morgan started out as a singer at various nightclubs in Chicago before going on to Broadway and Hollywood, only to descend to Skid Row. Evidently both Garvey's father and grandfather were involved with Morgan, and her father was one of the pallbearers at her funeral. An interesting story of someone who became briefly famous only to come to a sad end. There is also an article titled "Seven New Reasons to Get Away this Fall," which includes Big Sur, which I get, but then also lists Bentonville, Arkansas to visit an art museum, Saugatuck, Michigan for a food and wine festival, the Wisconsin Dells for a medieval themed resort (I would pay big money NOT to go there), New Buffalo, Michigan for a wellness retreat, Indianapolis for its new biking trails (Indianapolis - my God!), and Reykjavik, Iceland in order to "embrace winter adventure." One word of advice for all you people looking to get away this fall - Big Sur or Bust.

Peacocks Are Running Wild In Fort Pierce, And Nobody Thinks It's Unusual

I drove up to Fort Pierce, Florida yesterday afternoon, and just for fun, I decided to drive over to the Peacock Arts District to see if I could spot a peacock. This arts district is centered around The Peacock House, built in 1926 and which Jackson Crain and his wife Mary Lee Steinhoff-Crain made their home. They also operated a travel agency out of it for 29 years. The Crains liked peacocks and brought 7 of them to Fort Pierce to put in their backyard. When they passed away, the estate was fully restored and is now the home of The Peacock House Art Foundation, which offers art education, exhibitions, and creative spaces for artists and visitors. They also have a half-acre dedicated garden space for peacocks, the number of which has grown substantially since those original 7. The estate is open for tours three days a week and charges a $6 admission fee. I have never toured the house but have occasionally seen a peacock or two in a park-like space across the street. Sometimes I didn't see any, but yesterday peacocks seemed to be all over the neighborhood. I took the photograph on the left of two peacocks, along with two babies, right around the block from The Peacock House.

What really got my attention was that people in the neighborhood pay no attention whatsoever to these birds. In fact, I got the feeling that some of the neighbors were surprised that I was actually bothering to photograph them. The photograph on the right is of two adults and one baby walking up the sidewalk to someone's house. They walked around that house and proceeded toward the greenspace behind it. After I got in the car and was driving away, I saw some other peacocks hanging around that grassy lot with a rooster, no less. We never used to see anything like that when I was growing up on the South Side of Chicago, and if someone did, they would be taken away for psychiatric evaluation. But it is just another day in Fort Pierce.

And just for fun, I took the photograph on the left of the male - I think - peacock walking along a wall The other birds totally ignored me and went about their business, but this one evidently did not want its photo taken and kept trying to avoid me. I was lucky to get the photo I did. What I want to know is whether these birds live in that half acre garden behind The Peacock House and just walk around the neighborhood during the day, or if they make their home in vacant lots, green spaces, or people's backyards. And do they cause problems for the neighbors, or do the people who live there just consider it part of life, like the weather? Questions, questions, and no answers. Unless I pay the $6 and go on the tour. I'll think about it.

A Roger Dean Baseball Tradition: Burgers And Beers Before The Game At Das Beer Garden

My sister Susan and I went to see the Palm Beach Cardinals play the Daytona Beach Tortugas at Roger Dean Stadium in the Abacoa neighborhood of Jupiter, Florida this past Saturday night, and as usual, stopped at Das Beer Garden, located just across the street, for burgers and beers before the game. This is Abacoa's neighborhood hangout and taproom, and is a very lively place, especially on Saturday nights. Inside, it was packed with a diverse group of patrons - young families, singles, seniors, groups of friends getting together, you name it. The outside patio was actually pretty quiet, given that it was hot and humid and the fans in the ceiling did not seem to reach the tables. It was no doubt hardcore natives who sat out there, braving the elements. We joined them for a brief time before Susan suggested heading inside for a bit of air conditioning. And as you can see from the photograph above of Susan, Das Beer Garden caters to the sports crowd, and there were plenty of television showing all the college football games going on. Lively, but also hard to hear what Susan was saying from across the table. But no matter - definitely a fun place to hang out before the game. If you happen to be in the South Florida area, I definitely recommend stopping by.

Watching The Palm Beach Cardinals Play The Daytona Beach Tortugas In Jupiter, Florida

My sister Susan and I went to Roger Dean Stadium in the Abacoa neighborhood of Jupiter, Florida Saturday night to watch the Palm Beach Cardinals play the Daytona Beach Tortugas in the next to last game of the Florida State League's regular season. The stadium is located right across the street from that neighborhood's downtown area, which makes it an ideal spot to have dinner at one of the local restaurants and then just walk a short distance to the ballpark. There was a nice breeze blowing, and little humidity, and so it was a perfect evening to go to a game. Palm Beach won 8-7, surviving a comeback attempt by Daytona that had the tying run at third base in the top of the 9th inning. The Cardinals won yesterday's game, too, by a score of 13-5, and finished with the best overall record in the Florida State League's East Division. But are they going to the playoffs? No, since the FSL is divided into first and second halves. The winners of the first half play the winners of the second half, and the overall record does not matter. Which is why the Daytona Beach Tortugas, the second half winners in the FSL East, will be playing the Jupiter Hammerheads, FSL East winners in the first half. This despite the fact that combining the results of both halves, Palm Beach finished in first place and Daytona in last. Does this make sense to you? Me either. I'm sure there is a reason why it is done this way, but no doubt a pretty stupid one.

Lake Worth Beach - Good Value For The Money Or Total Ripoff?

I drove down to Lake Worth Beach, Florida, both the city and the beach itself, a few days ago. I have never been to downtown Lake Worth Beach - formerly just Lake Worth - but recently read on the internet about its wonderful Bohemian atmosphere. And so naturally, I headed right down there to check it out. And found that downtown Lake Worth Beach is very attractive, but in my opinion, not Bohemian in any sense of the word. Of course, this is South Florida, and so South Florida Bohemian is perhaps much different from what people back on earth believe it to be. In any case, to not make the drive a total loss, I drove to Lake Worth Beach Park, right on the ocean and home to the Lake Worth Pier, as seen in the photograph on the left. I parked in the lot closest to the pier and tried to pay for 15 or 20 minutes of parking in order to take a few photographs. And when I put my card in the meter and tried to lower the time to 15 minutes, I couldn't do it. The rate was $3.50 an hour, and as much as I tried, the only rate I could get was for 2 hours, at a cost of $7.00.

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What is the deal with that? Do they assume that everyone wants to spend a minimum of 2 hours at the beach, or 2 hours dining at Benny's on the Beach, one of the biggest attractions on the pier and seen in the photograph on the right? I then remembered I came here last year and wound up actually paying that $7.00, remaining very bitter about it the entire drive back home to Stuart. And is it worth it to pay that price, when parking at virtually every other city along the ocean is free, with the exception of Palm Beach, which has turned ripoff into an art, just like its most famous resident? In point of fact, the beaches in every other city in South Florida are just as good, if not far better, since every weirdo in the State of Florida seems to hang out around that pier. And weirdos do not enjoy having their photographs taken. I know that from bitter experience.

To Cruise Or Not To Cruise - That is The Question

For many years, the Island Princess would take sightseers on cruises on the Indian and St. Lucie Rivers around the Stuart, Florida area, as well the Intercoastal Waterway as far as Jupiter (the city, not the planet). After the Island Princess was purchased by new owners, it went up north to Annapolis for the summer, intending to return to Florida during the fall and winter months. That was well over a year ago, and it hasn't been back, since. Their website says it is looking for a marina to sail out of before they can return to the Stuart area, but that message hasn't changed since the previous summer. And so, you do have to wonder what the deal is. I did take several cruises on this boat years ago. It is 72 feet long, with a lower, enclosed, air-conditioned deck and an upper weather deck (one that is open to the elements). Good for most weather conditions. In the meantime, a company called Treasure Coast River Cruises has started running cruises on a 12-person pontoon boat, as seen in the photograph above docked at Hutchinson Island Marriot Marina. Which is all well and good, but that pontoon boat is open on the sides, and during the summer months here in Florida that can be problematic. It often rains every day during the summer down here, but you never really know when or where. And if you buy your tickets in advance, that means you might have great weather or be caught in a tropical downpour in the middle of the river. The boat does have a canvas roof, but with those open sides the wind and rain from one of those downpours would definitely get you soaked. They will cancel the cruise if bad weather is forecast, but you just never know down here. Probably best to just wait until the dry season, November thru April, when the chances of leaving the boat not looking like a drowned rat are much higher. Although that can be a popular look down here. Just sayin'.

The Devil's Bible

I just finished reading The Devil's Bible, Steve Berry's latest Cotton Malone adventure. Malone is a retired former Justice Department intelligence agent and currently a bookseller in Copenhagen, but his old boss, Stephanie Nell, keeps calling him back for special assignments. This time, he and his girlfriend Cassiopeia Vitt are called in when the king of Sweden's sister is kidnapped. The ransom - an 800-year-old illustrated medieval manuscript, the largest in the world, called the Codex Gigas and also known as The Devil's Bible due to a particularly vivid illustration. The book was taken by Sweden from Bohemia as war loot back in 1648, and Sweden has finally agreed to give it back to the Czech Republic in exchange for their vote to accept Sweden as a member of NATO. Suspicion for the kidnapping falls upon Russia, who opposes Sweden joining that organization, but it turns out to be much more complicated than that. This is the 20th book in the Cotton Malone series, and I enjoyed reading it very much, but it does have a bit of a shocking ending, which I won't give away in case people out there want to read it. I personally think it would be a perfect beach read, and to emphasize that, I took the photograph above at Stuart Beach here in Stuart, Florida. But I do recommend reading this adventure novel wherever you might be. 

The Boston House Restaurant Is Open For Business! But No Ghost Sightings. Yet.

Boston House, an upscale restaurant in Fort Pierce, Florida, opened for business this past May 31st in a mansion built by the Jones family in 1909. It was formerly a law office, with a reputation of being haunted. Some people have reported hearing a female voice singing in there, accompanied by a harp. Cold spots have been reported in the building, as well as a searing hot blast assaulting the body. Some say the house is haunted by a group of Native Americans, while others say it is the ghost of an African American girl with red hair. The most repeated ghost story is that the place is haunted by Aleaceon Perkins, who wanders the hallways looking for her husband and son, who were lost at sea. Some have seen her peering out the upstairs windows of a space that is now a bar. But so far, no reports of any ghost sightings after three months in business. I read a glowing review of the restaurant, written the week it opened, extolling the decor, the food, and the service. Boston House's website describes the restaurant as featuring "refined plates, crafted drinks, and white glove service," which are three things I always try to avoid in a restaurant. I took a look at the menu, and it is indeed on the pricey side. Perhaps that is what finally drove all those ghosts away. Can't say I blame 'em.

Revisiting Harry And The Natives. Still There, But...

Quite a few years ago, I remember stopping at Harry and the Natives, a kitschy restaurant located in Hobe Sound, Florida that prides itself on an eclectic Old Florida atmosphere and has been around, in one form or another, since 1941. I recall being really impressed with all the old Florida memorabilia on the outside patio. There were a lot of items from old Florida tourist attractions on display and funny signs plastered all over the walls. And yesterday, just for fun, since I was driving past it on the way back to Stuart, I decided to stop and check it out. And was very surprised to find it was nothing like I remember. The funny signs were still there, but not a single tacky item from Florida's past. I am sure I took photographs of this place all those years ago, and so, as soon as I return to Denver, I intend to go through my 50,000 boxes of photographs and see if the place really is so different now or if I am just losing my mind. Both are definite possibilities. In any case, I checked their website in hopes of learning something about the missing relics, with no success, but did find out that Harry and the Natives was about to go out of business back in October of 2024, having never recovered from the COVID pandemic. Just a few days after owner Harry MacArthur made the announcement about closing on a Facebook video, it received 400,000 views and massive support from the community, convincing Harry to keep the business going. It still seems like a very pleasant place, just not the one I remembered. Or possibly imagined.

AFAR And Away The Best Travel Magazine Around

I received the summer issue of AFAR Magazine here in Stuart, Florida the other day, which was a big surprise, since magazines are not supposed to be eligible for forwarding, and even much of my first-class mail doesn't get to me down here. But no looking a gift horse in the mouth, right? I really like this travel magazine. The articles in it are very interesting and informative, and even the ads are pretty enlightening, too. How else would I know that The Cooper, a new hotel overlooking Charleston Harbor, has just opened, and rooms are available at rates starting at $850. I have to assume that rate is for the month, since no hotel on earth could possibly charge $850 per day for a room. My sister Susan and I have been considering a road trip to Charleston and Savannah toward the end of this year, and perhaps we will stay at The Cooper instead of the Motel 6 Resort Hotel and Spa, our usual go-to haunt. I know the magazine is geared toward the upper income set, but the articles are still worth reading. It was AFAR magazine that led me to visit San Francisco's Outer Sunset neighborhood, which was a very enjoyable experience indeed. I especially enjoyed the walk from The Cliff House down to the beach and through the fog shrouded Outer Sunset neighborhood to the Riptide, a cozy bar a stone's throw from the ocean, with fog horns sounding the entire way. The magazine is a quarterly, and this issue is all about the water, including articles about the aforementioned Cooper, various cities, including Omaha (which I really like), Minneapolis, and Detroit revitalizing their riverfronts, the Florida Everglades, and things to do on the coast of Maine, including riding the mail boat between five Casco Bay islands. And will I ever visit any of those places? Maybe yes, maybe no, but whether I do or not, it is sure fun to read about it.