On Thin Ice

I stopped at Denver's Washington Park on my way home from work this past weekend, where I took the above photograph.  I thought it was an idyllic scene to put on the blog, but as soon as I got done snapping the shutter a retiree starting talking to me about what happened out on that lake a few years ago.  Evidently a kid from California ran out on the ice, and when he got to the middle of the lake went down like a ton of bricks. Colorado has a lot of temperature extremes during the winter, and it can go from below zero to the 60s in a day or two.  This does not make for a very thick layer of ice, and the poor kid wasn't aware of that. The retired guy told me the kid's body was retrieved by helicopter - not a pretty sight.  And so the moral of the story is that looks can be deceiving.  Those "stay off the ice" signs are there for a reason.

Fools' River

I just finished reading Fools' River, Timothy Hallinan's lasted Poke Rafferty thriller.  The series takes place in Bangkok, Thailand, and features Poke Rafferty, a travel writer who lives with his Thai wife and their adopted daughter, a former street waif, and who is constantly helping people out of dangerous situations.  In the story, he is asked by the son of an American ex-pat to find his father, who is being held captive while his bank accounts and credit cards are being drained.  There have been a dozen other victims, and all but two were found dead in a Bangkok canal.  Another is brain dead.  It is an excellent read, and gives a good look at life in Bangkok, much of it not very pretty.  Buy a copy from your local bookstore today!

Dusk In Fort Collins

I haven't seen any sunsets lately, since it has been pretty cold and snowy the past week, and so instead you are getting a Fort Collins dusk.  As I have said before, Fort Collins, home of Colorado State University, is a very pleasant town, with an attractive downtown called, appropriately enough, "Old Town."  It is filled with restaurants and bars and brew pubs, and is quite lively, as befits a university town.  The neighborhoods surrounding the downtown area are filled with tree lined streets and older, often historic homes.  I took the above photograph in one such neighborhood as I was driving to Los Tarascos' to have dinner with my brother-in-law George.  And yes - if I see a photo-worthy subject as I am driving down the street, I have no qualms about stopping the car and taking the shot.  Of course, it does get a little dicey on freeways, but the important thing is capturing the image, right?  Right?

Eating Mexican At Los Tarascos'

I drove up to Fort Collins to visit my sister Susan, who is still recovering from a combination of the flu and a low sodium problem, and afterwards went to have dinner at Los Tarascos', a kind of upscale Mexican restaurant near the Colorado State University campus, with my brother-in-law George.  The food was pretty good, if a little pricey, but on the other hand, almost every restaurant seems a little pricey to me these days. George is recovering nicely after his surgery back in November, and is seen in the photograph above drinking a margarita the size of the Gulf of California.  You've been through a lot the past 3 months,  George so you deserve it.  Enjoy!

The First Weekend Of Spring Training Games!

Today is the first weekend of spring training baseball, and what better way to mark this special occasion than featuring a photograph of none other than Harry Carey, the late Chicago White Sox and Chicago Cubs announcer in front of the iconic billboard at old Comiskey Park on the South Side of Chicago.  I took both photographs (and photo-shopped them together) back in 1980, back when the world was, in many ways, a happier place. That, of course, is looking back in time through rose colored glasses.  But back to the topic at hand - let the games begin!

Spring Training Games Begin Today!

At last!  Spring training games begin today in Florida and Arizona.  And down on the Treasure Coast of Florida, there are now five major league teams in residence, including the Houston Astros and Washington Nationals in West Palm Beach, the New York Mets in Port Saint Lucie, and the Saint Louis Cardinals and Miami Marlins at Roger Dean Stadium in Jupiter, Florida, where I took the above photograph of my mother Mary one August when we attended a Florida State League baseball game.  I like Roger Dean Stadium, but like all the new facilities, it is a mini major league stadium - nothing like the old spring training facilities like Payne Park in Sarasota (where the Chicago White Sox used to train) and Dodgertown in Vero Beach. These older fields had a lot of personality, a much more intimate environment where the players and fans used the same entrances and exits, which made for much better player-fan  interactions.  But even so, spring training is a lot of fun.  If our condo in Stuart, Florida wasn't rented, I would be down there in a flash.  I wonder if my tenants would mind a house guest for a few days, or possibly weeks?

The Degas Exhibit Is Here!

The big Degas exhibit is now open at the Denver Art Museum (the DAM).  It is officially titled Degas: A Passion for Perfection and is organized by the Fitzwilliam Museum of the University of Cambridge. Amazingly, Denver is the only city the exhibit will appear.  And why is that?  Isn't it good enough for any other city?  Does Denver have some sort of an "in," such as a large cash bribe or blackmail photographs? And where is that damn buffet table on Final Fridays these days?  These are all questions I have to have ask when I do go to see the exhibit.  They love me at the DAM, by the way.