Another Kind Of Eden

I just finished reading Another Kind of Eden, James Lee Burke's latest novel. It is one of the few books by him I have read that were not Dave Robicheaux mystery novels, and I must say, it is a very dark story. I read a favorable review of it, and since it takes place during the 1960s in Trinidad, Colorado, which I recently passed through, I decided to give it a try. It features a young aspiring novelist by the name of Aaron Holland Broussard, who gets a job as a ranch hand near Trinidad. The area is plagued by grotesque murders, a vicious wealthy businessman and his son, a corrupt professor, and a drug-addled cult. The end of the story is exciting, but surprisingly supernatural. As in other books, Burke is trying to depict the struggle between good and evil, and the story actually ends on a positive note. Perhaps the lesson that good will triumph over evil makes it worth reading this novel. However, I am glad I did not stay overnight in Trinidad last month. I think from now on, I will stick to Burke's Dave Robicheaux stories.

It's December! The Christmas Season Has Arrived!

Black Friday and Cyber Monday are behind us, and so we are now into the heart of the holiday shopping season. I drove up to Boulder from Denver this past Saturday, and the Pearl Street Mall was all decked out in lights, packed with holiday shoppers and diners.  I popped into the Boulder Bookstore, located on the right in the photograph on the left, and it was so crowded, I began to feel claustrophobic. Good to know that so many people - at least in the City of Boulder - still value and purchase books.

I especially like walking around Boulder during the holidays. They do a tremendous job decorating the downtown area, and the place buzzes with energy, with no small thanks to the thousands of University of Colorado students who frequent the area. It is also fun to be so close to the Flatirons, as seen in the background of the photograph on the right. Not that I was tempted to go on a late evening hike. Just looking at them from Pearl Street was quite enough.

As usual, there were street musicians and buskers on the mall, performing for tips. The fellow in the photograph on the left was juggling lighted torches, and had attracted quite a crowd. On Saturday nights during the summer, these street performers usually entertain the crowds until late into the evening. This time of year, after the sun sets, they are gone. You can't blame them - it is damn chilly at night around here this time of year. Which brings me to a question I have been asking myself for years. No matter how cold it is, there are many many people - especially men - around the Front Range of Colorado who insist on wearing shorts year round, even when it is below zero. What is the deal with that? Perhaps the altitude has affected their brains. It is as good an explanation as any.

Tuk Tuk Tales

Whenever I visit the Denver Zoo, I pass by the old tuk tuk there, as seen - along with me - in the photograph above. That tuk tuk has seen better days, of course, not least because thousands of children love to play on it. These are motorized vehicles that serve as taxis, mostly in Asian countries, but surprisingly enough, there is a company that has started running a fleet of tuk tuks in Denver. They are actually made here in Denver, are all electric, seat up to 6 people, and instead of a taxi, are used for tours. Their website touts city tours, pub crawls, cocktail crawls, and even ghost tours. They can also be rented out for special events such as weddings. I remember that in The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, a movie set in India, the retirees taking a tuk tuk to the hotel they were planning to live at were scared out of their minds by the high speed trip through those crowded streets. However, to me, that ride looked like a lot of fun. Perhaps I should apply to be a driver. In any case, be sure to check out the website for eTuk Ride Denver at https://etukride.com/denver/about-us/ .

Time For A Sunset Photo

It has been a while since I have posted a sunset photograph, but thanks to a case of bloggers block, today is the day to rectify that. I took the photograph above from my living room window, showing the sun setting over the spire of the University of Denver Law School, and in the background, the spire of the School of International Studies. Former Secretary of States Madeleine Albright and Condoleezza Rice both graduated from DU's School of International Studies. Sometimes, they return to campus for fundraisers, but I have never attended any of them. DU expects you to fork over major dollars if you attend, which is something I will not do. And even if they did not outsource the DU Bookstore, where I worked as the Finance Manager for 28 years, I would still not give them a dime. And no, I am not still bitter. Not that much, anyway.

The View From 1130 South Michigan

Back around 1968, my sister Susan moved to a studio apartment on the 40th floor of the building simply called 1130 South Michigan, located in downtown Chicago. Susan just loved that apartment, and the view out the window. The view was especially beautiful at night, although I did note that looking straight down, you could see the cells on the top of Chicago Police headquarters on South State Street, as well as all the action outside the liquor store at the corner of 12th and Wabash. That high-rise apartment building is where Susan met her future husband George, who also had a studio there. After they got married, they moved to a 2 bedroom apartment on the 24th floor, which had a view of Lake Michigan, as well as the headquarters of the Illinois Central Railroad, as seen in the photograph on the left. It also had a view of a giant neon Pepsi sign, which gave the time and the temperature 24/7. To me that was a great feature, but to Susan and George, not so much.

The Illinois Central no longer exists, and it's main train station and offices were torn down years ago. Grant Park was extended to Roosevelt Road, replacing those buildings.  On the south side of that park, along Roosevelt Road, are now a row of highrise apartments and condos, including NEMA Chicago, a 76 floor tower. As you can see from the photograph on the right, back in 1970 there was nothing there but railyards. Strangely enough, Susan and George never liked that 2 bedroom apartment, despite the view, and soon moved to south suburban Flossmoor, where they rented a grand apartment in a 1930s era building right across the street from the Flossmoor IC Station. I myself miss the IC, not to mention Chicago. Time for a road trip from Denver to Chicago. And soon.

The Grand Illumination At Union Station

I took the light rail train to Lower Downtown Denver (LoDo) last evening to see "The Grand Illumination," which is the lighting of the Christmas tree in front of Denver's Union Station. The festivities began with Christmas carols by the Denver Dolls, an Andrews Sisters style vocal group, followed by a visit by Santa and Mrs. Claus. The grand finale was the lighting of the tree and the station itself, as seen in the photograph above. There were several thousand people in attendance, a curious mixture of families and hipsters. As usual, many of the hipsters were zooming around on those damn motorized scooters, several of which came within inches of hittting me. But after all, it is now the holiday season, a time to be jolly, and just shrug off these little irritations, right? Although I still think those little SOBs were aiming at me. And all right, I'll just say it. Bah Humbug!

A Portrait Of Susan

As you can tell from yesterday's blog post, my sister Susan was happy to have her photograph taken back when she was younger. Now that she is older, she just hates it when I aim my camera at her, and it is very rare that I can get a photo of her when she is actually looking at me. I was lucky enough to get the photograph above while we were sitting by the fire pit on the patio of the Odell Brewing Company, up in Fort Collins, a few days ago. She does not look happy, but a photograph is still a photograph. Many people - especially women - feel the same way about getting photographed when they are older. Years ago, that was not the case, the proof of which is all the photos I have of my family members from over the years, many of which I have posted on this blog. One has to wonder what is wrong with our society today, that such a negative attitude toward aging is so prevalent. And as regular blog readers know, I always have lots of questions, but very few answers.