The Magic That Is Santa Fe

Ever since I moved to Denver, the City of Santa Fe, New Mexico - "The City Different" - has been a favorite destination for a weekend getaway. I first went there with my then wife Lisa, who was and still is both an opera singer and a fan, and insisted we attend the Santa Fe Opera when we were there. We bought standing room only tickets, which could have been a drag, but wasn't. At the time, the opera house was open to the sky in the middle, not to mention on the sides, and after a brief but heavy downpour, we were able to sit down in some prime seats that had been vacated. That particular opera was a modern, experimental work, which I thought was horrible, but the view was more than enough entertainment for me.  I took the photograph above of, from left to right, my mother Mary, Lisa, and sister Susan on a different trip to Santa Fe back in July of 1985. Santa Fe is a wonderful place, only 6 hours from Denver, and filled with historic structures dating from 1610. Plus, it has excellent restaurants, many of which are quite reasonable. How great is that? I want to go back there now, despite the pandemic. Can you blame me?

A Cold, But Rather Surprising Weather Forecast

The weather forecast here in Denver is for a very cold holiday weekend, with at least several inches of snow thrown in for good measure. Yesterday was forecast to reach 28 degrees, and I kept looking at the temperature displayed on my phone to see when we reached that temperature, which is when I intended to go out and do my errands. Unfortunately, it never got higher than 11 degrees, and I had to venture out into those freezing temps. And by the way, I took the photograph above from my living room window, while sitting in front of my space heater to stay warm (sadly, there are no fireplaces in my condo building to sit beside). While sitting there, I also read an article about the national weather outlook on the CNN website, which said that many parts of the country would see below zero temperatures, and 75% of the nation would remain below freezing throughout the weekend. The article went on to suggest, among other things, that since it was Valentine's Day weekend, people should stay home and "make a baby." That is something I have never read in a weather report before. A nice idea, but it could be far more problematic for some than for others. What is the phone number for "It's Just Lunch," anyway?

Lincoln's Birthday!

Today is Lincoln's birthday, and each year on this date I think back to my days at Fort Dearborn Grammar School, which I attended while growing up in the South Side Brainerd neighborhood of Chicago.  I was not crazy about school, and it was therefore a great joy to have Lincoln's birthday as a day off, and then just 10 days later, Washington's Birthday, too. These days, of course, those two holidays have been combined into President's Day, depriving students of one of their holidays. What a ripoff. Of course, that change happened during the Nixon administration, but just the idea of it still makes me mad. And yes, I do have a long long memory. By the way, I took the photograph on the left of Fort Dearborn when I went back to visit the old neighborhood in 2010, holding a photo I took of one of the Kloak kids years ago on the way home from school.

The photo on the right I have used quite a few times on this blog. It shows Mrs. McCormick, my teacher at the time, as well as the inside of a Fort Dearborn classroom back in the early 1960s. She actually caught me taking this photo, and warned me never to take another. However, she did not confiscate my camera, thus allowing this historic photo to be saved for posterity. I was sitting in the middle of the classroom that year, but my favorite spot was next to the window, where during the first half of June, I would listen to the lawnmowers, feel the warm breeze, and count the days until classes were over. And the last day of school before summer vacation? Talk about wonderful.

Fort Collins Is Also Cow Country - No Surprise There, Of Course...

I mentioned in yesterday's blog that there are a lot of horses around Fort Collins, Colorado. It will come as no surprise that there are also a lot of cows around, too. In fact, it is practically nothing but cattle country between here and Chicago, the next outpost of civilization. However, I was surprised to find that the house right across the street from the horse farm I featured yesterday was keeping cows, too, even though it looks more like a rural home than a working farm. Perhaps they just like fresh milk.

Fort Collins, Colorado - Horse Country?

Yes! It seems like there are horses all over the countryside surrounding Fort Collins, whether close to the foothills or out on the plains. There is one horse farm right off Interstate 25, just five minutes from the city limits, that I often pass by. I had a little extra time last week, and decided to stop there and take a few photos. Happily, all of the horses out in the pasture decided to head over to greet me, including the one in the photo on the left.

I am not sure if I have a special connection with these animals, or if they just think I have food to give them. The fact that they quickly wander off when I don't produce something edible pretty much answers that question. The two horses in the photograph on the right were gone in a flash.

As you can see, the horse on the left is wearing some sort of cape or covering. Why this is the case, while the rest of the horses aren't, is a question I cannot answer. Does this particular horse get easily chilled? Is it just some sort of equine fashionista? Does it's owner insist on dressing it up, whether it likes it or not, like those people who dress up their cats (at considerable risk, I might add) like pirates. So many questions, so few answers.

I think I have developed a close friendship with the horse on the right. That look in it's eye either says "You're the tops," or perhaps just "I think you are crazy." Not surprisingly, he or she also quickly ran off as soon as it found out I didn't have food. Sadly, these animals do not yet understand that "man (or woman, to be politically correct) does not live by bread alone."

Waiting For The North Building At The DAM to Reopen

It has been over three years since the Denver Art Museum (The DAM), closed the North Building for remodeling, and to build a new visitor's center, both seen in the background of the photograph on the left. It was supposed to reopen over a year ago, but thanks to the pandemic, that never happened. Now, they are planning to have a grand reopening in the fall. There is, of course, not a pandemic related reason why it can't reopen now. I suspect the museum wants to have a large, splashy opening gala to generate both revenue and publicity. Can't blame them, I guess, although they will be disappointed to learn I will not be attending. I suspect the tickets might be a bit pricey, and as regular blog readers know, I hate pricey.

The inside entrance to the new visitor's center and North Building is located right past the 19th Century European and American Art exhibit featured in yesterday's blog. I myself am very anxious to visit this new space. I fondly remember the good old days, years ago, when the museum hosted Untitled Final Fridays on the last Friday of each month, with a buffet table where that new visitor center now sits. At first, they served hot Horderves, enough so that it could serve as your dinner. Later, it was reduced to just munchies - snack mix, cheese, fruit, and veggies. Once the North Building - where the kitchens were located - closed, there was no food at all, except for food trucks on the street that sold items you had to pay for yourself. Looking at art lost a lot of it's appeal to me after that. Let's hope that buffet table reappears this fall. If not, I shall want to know the reason why.

A New Exhibit At The DAM! Really!

I can't even remember the last time I visited the Denver Art Museum (The DAM). Although I am a member, there are only so many times you can see the same pieces of art over and over again. The museum's North Building has been closed for remodeling for over three years now, leaving only the Hamilton Building (seen in the photograph on the left) for exhibits, and they have seldom changed in that time. The top two floors have featured "The Light Show" for what seems like a decade, and Treasures of British Art: The Berger Collection just closed after a very long run indeed. There have been major exhibits during this time, such as Claude Monet: The Truth of Nature, which I enjoyed very much, but these are special ticketed events, and when you have to pay a premium to see these shows, you tend to pick and choose. 

Happily, yesterday marked the debut of The 19th Century In European and American Art, which replaces that British art exhibit. The DAM is best known for it's collections of art by indigenous peoples, and until recently, their European collection was fairly limited. However, back in 2013, Frederick C. Hamilton, the Chairman of the Board of Trustees, loaned his collection of impressionist paintings to the museum for a special exhibit. The following February, when the exhibit was about to close, the museum asked if they could keep the paintings. Hamilton said yes, as long as the museum provided him with copies as replacements (which probably wound up reducing Hamilton's householder's insurance cost considerably). This new exhibit contains all of these paintings, plus the 19th Century European and American works originally in the museum's collection.

One of these paintings is Claude Monet's Waterloo Bridge, next to which I am posing, looking as if I am about to snatch the piece away. This pandemic has made all of us look like holdup men (or women). Not only do I admire this painting, but if I could find a Monet like this in a thrift store, I would be set for life. I can dream, can't I ? Besides, the odds of something like that happening are much better than winning the Powerball lottery. That's not saying much, of course, but I do find myself wandering through thrift and antique stores much more often than I used to. Hope springs eternal, after all.