The Collector

I just finished reading The Collector, the latest Gabriel Allon thriller by Daniel Silva, and I must say, I thoroughly enjoyed it. His previous book, Portrait of an Unknown Woman, featured Allon having retired as head of Israeli Intelligence, and living in Venice as an art restorer. That story involved the search for an art forger, which I thought was a less than exciting tale after previous books featured Allon up against Russian spies and Muslim terrorists. And I mentioned this in my Blog review, which I suspect Silva obviously must have read, and then wrote this very exciting tale, which finds Allon rejoining the Mossad and putting together his old team to stop Russia from a plot to launch nuclear weapons against Ukraine. He recruits two Danish citizens to venture into Russia to obtain a copy of the only written document with details of the plan, a mission which goes very wrong. This is a very exciting read, and I thoroughly recommend you pick up a copy. Do it today!

Getting Nostalgic While Visiting Chautauqua Park

My sister Susan and I drove up to Boulder from Denver yesterday afternoon, and even though it was a weekday, the park was filled with people hiking up the Flatirons, lounging on the grass, or just having brunch at the Chautauqua Dining Hall. I was feeling pretty nostalgic heading up Baseline Road towards that park, admiring the beautiful homes as we passed by. Years ago, I remember reading that Mo Siegal, the founder of Celestial Seasonings, lived on Baseline. He was quite the presence in Boulder when I first moved to Colorado, and I wondered whatever happened to him. The answer, after checking on the web, is that he is still in Boulder, probably in the same house, and still runs Celestial Seasonings. He started that company at the age of 20, and although I assumed he must be ancient by now, he is actually a mere 4 years older than me. Still just a kid. The photograph on the left, by the way, shows the Flatirons rising behind a very colorful Chautauqua Park.

I also took the photograph on the right of the Chautauqua Auditorium, where years ago I treated my mother Mary and Susan to a Peter Kater concert. We wound up getting front row seats, and enjoyed a really wonderful concert. The concert featured a clarinetist and flutist who was truly amazing, but over the years his name eludes me. I remember reading that Kater had moved to Hollywood to do scores for films, and also wondered what he was up to these days. After checking the internet, it appears he is back in Boulder, too. Not a big surprise to anyone who has ever visited Boulder that both Kater and Siegel are still there. 

I also couldn't resist taking a photograph of the Chautauqua Dining Hall, which features a truly wonderful patio on which to have brunch and enjoy the scenery. Back in the day, Susan and her late husband George would drive to Chautauqua from Fort Collins, and my mother Mary and I from Denver, to have Sunday brunch. At the time, as I remember, brunch ended at 11:00 A.M., and my mother and I would wait out in front, wondering if Susan and George would make it in time. They always did, but it was always close. Makes me want to drive up there this Sunday to have breakfast on that patio. Perhaps Peter Kater and Mo Siegel will be there too, although to be honest, I could fall over either one of them and not know who they were. Until charges were filed, of course.

Peak Colors Hit Breckenridge

My sister Susan wanted to take another trip up to Breckenridge from Denver to see the fall colors this past Tuesday afternoon. I told her that all the leaves were probably off the trees by now, but we went up there anyway, and as usual, I was wrong. The leaves were at their peak, and well worth the trip. Plus, it was a sunny, pleasant, laid back day in "Breck," as we hipsters call it, and most of the mid-week visitors were retirees, like us. Since I don't have snow tires, or chains, this will probably be our last trip up there for a while. If you are caught on I-70 during a snowstorm without either of those items, and wind up stuck in the middle of the highway, blocking traffic, you can be saddled with massive fines, or even executed on the spot, depending on the mood of the state trooper. 

As I said, the leaves were all still on the trees, and very colorful, as seen in the photograph on the right. I was kind of surprised at that, since Breckenridge is located at an altitude of 9,600 feet, but I guess the weather has been mild up there this fall, just like in Denver, which had its first freeze just 4 days ago. However, snow is starting to accumulate on the peaks, which are at an altitude of 13,000 feet, and is no doubt a harbinger of things to come.

Breckenridge is, of course, a world class ski resort, and some of the currently bare ski runs can be seen in the photograph on the left. My ex-wife Lisa's father owned a condo in Breckenridge years ago, and the entire family would head up there from Colorado Springs every weekend to ski and enjoy that town's wonderful ambiance. However, after virtually no snow for two years in a row, he sold the place, and that was that. Now, of course, Breckenridge is one of the most pricey mountain towns in the country, and finding a condo, let alone a house there for less than a million dollars is virtually impossible. A lesson to be learned - never try to outguess mother nature. It will cost you.

The Tattered Cover Bookstore Files For Chapter 11

Denver's Tattered Cover Bookstore, where I worked as the bookkeeper for almost 5 years before retiring in 2018, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection this past Monday, and plans to close 3 stores  - Westminster, Colorado Springs, and McGregor Square - by the end of the month. This is not entirely unexpected. The store has been struggling ever since long time owner Joyce Meskis sold the Denver bookstore chain back in 2015 due to health reasons. Joyce was a savvy businesswoman and a genius at running bookstores, totally dedicated to keeping the chain running. When hard times hit, such as during the Great Recession in 2008, she loaned the store money to keep it afloat, and was paid back over time in installments. Unfortunately, she sold the chain to people who did not have the knowledge nor resources to run such a large-scale operation, and when the pandemic hit, facing bankruptcy, they sold it to an investor group. And by the way, I took the self-portrait on the left at the Colfax location, where the company offices are located, back when I worked there. And rest assured, regular blog readers, I do not plan to put my ugly mug on every blog photograph from this point on. It is just that this is the only photo I have of what was once the lobby of the Lowenstein Theater, where the Tattered Cover relocated to from its Cherry Creek location in June of 2006.

That move from the four story location in Cherry Creek, at the time one of the largest bookstores in the country, marked a turning point for the Tattered Cover. Due to competition from companies such as Amazon and a move toward e-books, the chain had to downsize its main store. And the three story Lower Downtown (LoDo) location went from three stories to two to one, and eventually it was no longer financially viable to remain at its 16th Street Mall location. The investor group that bought the chain consists of many prominent investors, both local businessmen and publishing executives, but they put people with no bookstore experience in charge. A strategy to increase the number of stores to improve revenue backfired, resulting in the chain being unable to sufficiently stock the shelves with books, further reducing sales. And so the Tattered Cover is now unable to pay its vendors, and thus had to file Chapter 11. And will they be able to reorganize and survive after coming out of bankruptcy? The new CEO is a bankruptcy attorney who was hired to deal with this exact situation, and so hopefully the chain can survive as a four store operation. I wish them well.

Jury Duty - Canceled!

I was sent a summons for jury duty a few weeks ago, requiring me to report to the Lindsey-Flanigan Courthouse in downtown Denver yesterday morning at 8:00 A.M. Which I did. And was informed, to my great joy, that no jurors were needed that day, and I was free to go home. I was also advised that I should have read the document more thoroughly, and called in advance to see if I was still required to appear, but this is the first time that this has ever happened. Usually, they just have you sit in a large room all morning in case a trial pops up, and so I just assumed it was either show up or be thrown in the hoosegow. In any case, I am glad the way things turned out, but does this mean that things are slowing down in the legal profession? Is Frank Azar - The Strongarm - not getting enough work? Does he need someone to set up a "Go Fund Me" page for him? Personally, I suggest more television commercials and billboards. You can never have enough of those.

Does It Count As A Real Anniversary?

Today would have been my 41st wedding anniversary if my then wife Lisa and I didn't get divorced back in 1987. And since we are no longer married, I don't imagine I will be getting any presents from Lisa. Bummer. In any case, the photograph above is one of the few I have of the wedding. When we separated, Lisa took most of those photographs with her, no doubt to hide the evidence. She is now living happily in the Pacific Heights neighborhood of San Francisco, where I visited her several times. And I must admit, I like Pacific Heights and the San Francisco Bay Area even more than Denver, although it is much too expensive to move there these days. In fact, a lot of Bay Area residents have moved to Denver over the past decade or so, selling their modest homes there for a fortune and buying huge Victorians, as well as other much more spacious residences, here. And if they miss San Francisco, they can always fly back and stay with their relatives for a few months or so. But remember people, fish and visitors stink after 6 months. In the photograph above, by the way, from left to right, are my mother Mary, father Nelson, Lisa, and me. Back in the good old days.

Where Oh Where Will The Chicago Bears Go?

Back in my old home town of Chicago, the Chicago Bears football team has announced that they are leaving Soldier's Field, located on the lakefront near downtown, for the suburbs. At first, they thought they would build a new domed stadium at the site of the old Arlington Park Racetrack. They went so far as to buy the property and tear the grandstands down before finding out the property tax bill would be increasing from 3 million to over 16 million dollars a year, which would certainly make me stop and think about moving to Arlington Heights. Now, five suburbs are vying to be the site of that new stadium. In my opinion, no matter where you build it, it will be twice as difficult to get to for at least half the city. Chicago has offered to put a dome on Soldier's Field, but the Bears aren't biting. Their lease runs through 2033, and so they have time to think about it, although they will be able to break that lease in 2026 if they ever figure out what to do. The photograph above, by the way, I took around 1970 from the 24th floor of my sister Susan and late brother-in-law George's apartment at 1130 South Michigan Avenue. It shows Soldier's Field before a series of remodelings, and also the sign atop what was then the headquarters of the Illinois Central Railroad. Both the railroad and the buildings themselves are now gone, replaced by parkland and new high rise apartment buildings, including NEMA Chicago, a 76 story apartment tower at the south end of Grant Park. A great location, but I would advise Bears fans to hold off moving there until the stadium issue is resolved. Be sure to check back in 2033.