The Summer Solstice!

Today is the Summer Solstice, the first day of summer and the longest day of the year.  At Stonehenge, modern day Druids, Pagans and New Agers celebrate this day with gusto (and are even allowed onto the grounds of this 4,500 year old site).  And celebrate they do - they open the grounds at 7:00 P.M. on June 20th, and allow people to remain there until 8:00 A.M. the next morning. However, since I could not make it to Stonehenge this year, I instead decided to simply feature a self portrait of me at sunset on the Summer Solstice, looking solefully out the window of my condo at the University of Denver campus, where I worked as the Finance Manager of the Bookstore for almost 30 years, until we were outsourced (and I am no longer bitter about that. After all, do I look bitter?).  And I have to add that I did search the newspapers and the internet for Summer Solstice celebrations here in Denver that I might be able to photograph, but could not find a single one.  Evidently the Druid and Pagan population here is pretty thin - probably too many hipsters in Denver for their liking.  In any case, Happy Summer Solstice Everyone!

Monet Is Coming To Denver!

I just purchased tickets to the big Monet exhibit that will be coming to the Denver Art Museum (The DAM) this fall.  Despite being a cheapskate, I decided to buy these tickets as soon as possible, just in case the show is a sellout.  It will feature 125 of Monet's paintings, on loan from some of the most prestigious museums in the world, and the Denver Art Museum will be the only venue for this exhibit.  The show will run from October 21st, 2019 thru February 2nd, 2020, and I am especially looking forward to it since my sister Susan and I just toured Monet's home and gardens at Giverny last month.  The brochure seen on the left advertising this exhibit shows one of Monet's famous paintings of the Japanese Bridge, located in his garden at Giverny.

And coincidentally, just last month I took a photograph of this very same bridge, as seen in the photograph on the right.  It is not quite as tranquil as in Monet's painting, since it is jammed with tourists.  In fact, all of the major tourist sites my sister and I visited in Europe were overrun by tourists.  It really detracted from the trip, and this over-tourism is becoming a major issue not only in Europe, but all over the world. And the solution?  Travel in the month of February, like my friends Bill and Renee.  Just remember to bring a very warm coat to help stave off hypothermia when sitting in the sidewalk cafes on Paris' Rue Cler (my favorite street in that wonderful city). On the other hand, what a way to go.

The Light Show

It was a dreary, rainy afternoon yesterday, and so I decided to head over to the Denver Art Museum (the DAM) to see if there was anything new to see. And there was! The DAM has a new exhibition called The Light Show, which features photographs, paintings, sculptures, and even a corridor of mirrors, all of which demonstrate the concepts of light and shadow.  On exhibit are photographs by Ansel Adams and Man Ray, religious paintings by European and Mexican artists, and many other works of art from the museum's collection. All of these items on display have been in storage, due to the renovation of the museum's North Building, and I have to say this exhibit is well worth seeing.  The only discordant note is that I read in the museum brochure that the North Building will not reopen until the fall of 2021, which means there will be no free buffets at the museum's Final Friday events for at least 2 years.  Talk about a bummer.

Live Right And Find Happiness

I found a copy of Dave Barry's book Live Right and Find Happiness at the Fort Collins Library Resale Store, and bummed $2.00 off my sister Susan to buy it.  I took it to Europe with me and read it as we traveled through France and Italy.  It has been out a few years now, but is still pretty funny, and I was damn glad I took it with me.  I strongly recommend that you get hold of a copy and read it, even if you are not going to Europe.

The Highlands Street Fair Is Going To The Dogs

This past Saturday was the 37th annual Highlands Street Fair, and I have to say that  it has gone to the dogs.  I have never seen so many dogs at a festival before, and there were a significant number of booths catering to the needs of today's hipster dogs, too.  I try to attend this fair every year.  It is a very large festival, extending over 4 blocks down 32nd Street, the main drag of the Highlands neighborhood. This is one of Denver's oldest neighborhoods, and was once an independent town before Denver swallowed it up in the late 1800s.

When I first moved to Denver, it was promoted as the "affordable alternative to Washington Park," which is one of Denver's premier neighborhoods. These days the Highlands  is just as unaffordable as Wash Park, if not more so.  And for good reason - it has lots of beautiful Victorian homes, plenty of nice restaurants and bars, a great used bookstore (West Side Books), and even a brew pub - The Oasis - located in a former church, which makes perfect sense, since beer has become almost a religion out here these days.

In hindsight, it is probably good that I never bought a house here when I had a chance.  After I got divorced, I would probably not have been able to afford the mortgage payments.  Plus, I notice they have shops around here such as "Kale Me Crazy," which must do a good business or they wouldn't be around.  Which means a lot of California transplants must live here now. Scary.

Happy Father's Day!

Today is Father's Day, and so I am featuring a couple of photographs of my father Nelson, who would now be 110 years old if he were still alive today.  The photograph on the left shows my father and I together back in 1953, when I was at my charming best.  We were sitting in the backyard of our house  in the south side Brainerd neighborhood of Chicago.  This was before we built the enclosed back porch that later became my sister Susan's room.  Step out the back door back then and watch out.

The photo on the right was taken by me of my father in Charleston, South Carolina, probably in the late 1970s, when my sister Susan and I visited our parents down in Stuart, Florida - where they moved to in 1976 - and we did a road trip to Savannah and Charleston.  Both of those cities are truly beautiful, and if you have never visited them, I advise you to head on down there.  In any case, we had fun taking that trip, as well as several others around the State of Florida.  They were always short trips, since my father absolutely loved Stuart, and hated to be away from there for long.  He only had 7 years of retirement down there, but I am glad he was able to at least enjoy those years after a lifetime at a job he hated. Happy Father's Day!

An Official (More Or Less) Return To DU

I got an e-mail from my friend Mark telling me that there would be a retirement party that afternoon for Rebecca Chopp (seen in the above photograph), the Chancellor of the University of Denver, who is leaving her position due to health issues. Feeling that I needed to be there to represent the original University of Denver Bookstore staff (who worked there before it was outsourced to Follett Higher Education Group) and also sensing that a free lunch might be involved, I decided to head right over, where there was indeed a free buffet. Soon after I arrived, the speeches began, and I must say that the university community seems to have a very high opinion of the outgoing chancellor.  The head of the Board of Trustees actually broke down in tears during her speech. This is the first time in 6 or 7 years that I have actually attended a non-sports related DU event, and I was kind of surprised at how many former DU colleagues I met and who actually remembered me ("It's crazy old man Hoyt!").  I even spoke with the Vice Chancellor of Business and Financial Affairs (under whose auspices the DU Bookstore, where I worked for almost 30 years, was outsourced) for a few minutes, exchanging pleasantries. Finally! Back in the good graces of the DU community, just like the past 7 years didn't even happen.