The Fall Colors

Today was the day I was going to feature a photograph of the Aspens changing color that I wanted to take on a drive into the Colorado mountains with my friend Stuart this past Sunday.  As the above photograph shows, the conditions were less than ideal.  We were damn lucky it didn't start snowing.  But on the other hand, there was indeed color out there.  Just not bright colors.   And lets face it - doesn't photograph after photograph of golden Aspens get boring after a while?  Maybe it's time for a little atmosphere with the scenery.  We definitely had plenty of that last weekend.

Another Trip To The Mountains With Stuart

This is the third year in a row that my friend Stuart and I have taken a drive into the mountains to go on a hike and see the spectacular colors of the leaves, only to wind up drinking beer and eating hamburgers or pizza in a local bistro. In all fairness, yesterday afternoon it started raining like crazy just as we got underway, making leaf peeping a bit of a challenge.  In any case, all felt better once we got back to civilization, if you can call the Old Chicago in Lakewood, Colorado civilization.  The jury is still out on that one.

A Visit To The Matador

I had dinner and drinks with the old DU Bookstore Accounting Office gang yesterday afternoon at The Matador, a trendy new restaurant in the West Highlands neighborhood of Denver.  In the photograph above are (from left to right) Linda and her husband Darrel, former DU Bookstore Accounts Payable Supervisor, Chris, former Accounting Office Assistant and her husband Jim, and moi!  I usually avoid restaurants with skulls on each side of the entrance (that was usually a warning sign back on the South Side of Chicago), but the food was actually very good.  Great to see all you guys!

Final Friday Already?

It seems like I was just complaining about the buffet selections at the Denver Art Museum's Final Friday event, and here I was once again last night standing in line, filling my plate with food.  It reminds me of the old Woody Allen joke about two older women at a resort in the Catskills. One complains about how lousy the food is.  The other replies "Yes, and such small portions, too."  But this monthly event is not about food for the body but food for the soul, and so after I stuffed myself with hors d'oeuvres, I attended a brief talk by DAM curator Angelica Daneo about the museum's European portrait collection (see photograph above). It was very interesting and informative, although I must say that every single portrait the Italian born Daneo discussed seemed to have some Italian influence or connection.  Even after 2000 years, all roads still seem to lead to Rome.

Nostalgia Time Again? Yes! Deal With It!

I ran across the above photograph of my father sitting in our Stuart, Florida condo the other day while perusing some old family photo albums.  It must have been taken around 1976, because my father is sitting on the couch we had back in Chicago, which was soon jettisoned by my parents for something a bit more tropical. The thing that strikes me most about this photograph - besides the obvious sentimental reasons - is that everything in it besides the couch is either still in that condo or in my condo here in Denver.  That must make me either a very strong traditionalist or quite a cheapskate.  Most likely both.

Hanging With The Beautiful People For Cents A Day

Yes!  It's true!  You can hang out at the remodeled and ultra-hip Union Station here in Denver for next to nothing.  The Terminal Bar has turned the entire waiting room into a fancy cocktail lounge for the beautiful people.  But it is still a train station, too, so you can bring in your own coca-cola and a glass and pretend you are drinking rum and coke.  As I've mentioned before, Jack Kerouac used to drink at the old Terminal Bar, which was located just down the street in what is now Jax Fish House, but these days he wouldn't be able to afford either place.  In any case, I would definitely avoid coming here and drinking Thunderbird wine out of a bottle wrapped in a brown paper bag, which used to be the style here at Union Station.  These days the beautiful people who hang out here drink their Thunderbird out of glasses.

The Colorado Rockies Have Left The Building

I took the above photograph of my friend Stuart right after the Colorado baseball players did their traditional walk around the field after the last home game of the season.  As you can see, it did not take the fans long to desert the place right afterwards.  I think both the fans and players want to put this season behind them. However, since the team - third worst in baseball this year - drew 2.8 million fans, it is unlikely the owner will make many changes.  You can't argue with success - financial success, that is.   When one fan e-mailed owner Dick Monfort to complain about the quality of the team, Monfort e-mailed him back and told him to stay away. So much for constructive criticism.  A lousy team, but a great party deck, Dick!  Keep up the good work.