Monday, July 4, 2016

Independence celebration, Denver, 2016














































Photo album on Flickr, 281 photos here

People asked me if I am photographer for a magazine, or do I sell these or what. I told them they're for a web site and they accepted that as reasonable answer. Everyone I spoke with posed. "May I photograph your dog?" They stop and offer their dog. Young people love having their photo taken. I tell them their photograph is going to make people love Denver. 

14 comments:

ricpic said...

Is that big squat building behind them City Hall?

And where's the band? There had to be a band. Playing John Philip Sousa, I hope.

Who forgot to bring the potato salad?!

virgil xenophon said...

Would that be the Mint, Chip? Been so long since I was thru there(67) my memory's shot.

ndspinelli said...

Years back I took the family to Estes Park and Denver for a long Labor Day weekend. Serendipity brought us to the Taste of Denver. This looks like where that's held.

Lem the artificially intelligent said...

Nice pics ChipA.

Joe Biden, America's Putin said...

Not the Mint. I think that building is The Paranormal Palace. The Mint is directly west of the Court House.

The Denver Mint

Joe Biden, America's Putin said...

Happy 4th everyone.

ndspinelli said...

Back at you, April.

Lem the artificially intelligent said...

Happy 4th April and everybody.

virgil xenophon said...

Back to say Happy Fourth to everyone! And btw, April ever get up to Estes Park and drop by the (in)famous Dark Horse Bar with the Merry-go-round/Carousel horses painted black w. red saddles as bar-stools and also as booth dividers (with legs sawed off they sit atop the booth dividers) Talk about a place with tons of atmosphere! (and I haven't even gotten to the drunks yet :) )

virgil xenophon said...

PS: A GREAT drive today would be up thru Estes Park, to Grand Lake, then take Trail Ridge road along the top of the Rockies all the way in an arc from n to s ending up South Of Boulder coming back into Denver via Upper Bear Creek Canyon road (iirc)

Chip Ahoy said...

This is the Civic Center. It is two blocks north. The building lit up with changing colors is Denver County Courthouse. On the opposite side of the park is the capitol building.

I could, but I didn't, walk out the garage to the alley, head north 1/2 block, cross the street and be at south end of the Art museum Hamilton building. The museum goes for two blocks and ends (starts really) at the main library. When I pass the library cross the street then I walk straight into the neoclassic pavilion at its side, not its center. It's back entrance at the side, putting me at the edge of seated audience.

I went there twice. Walked around the whole park. Except the crowed pressed right into the the front of the courthouse, so I avoided that with a shortcut through the center of the pavilion.

A man on stilts, very tall ones, I have photos of him and his pal, handing out high quality magnifying glasses. To check the fine print on petitions. They were working against the various petitioners who inevitably glom onto large gatherings of happy people to remind them of serious things of their deep concern.

Do you ever see conservatives do this? No? Why is that? Because they're so infuriatingly conservative that's why.

Except the stilts guy and his pal run counter to this conclusion in their attention grabbing, expensive freebie giving manner.

A civic group is handing out the flags that you see. I was offered one but I'm all, are you kidding? The blue is wrong, and the stars are crammed together, thank you but NOT!

Kidding. The handles of the flags light up. They are good gifts to pass out. People loved those things. The kids loved LOVED LOVED waving them around. The boys wave them really hard!

The two brothers playing with light up swords and jumping over the banister by the bicycles are always a blur. Their photos are fantastic because you can't see them. It's how they were the whole time I was positioned there. Finally they sat next to me and calmed down for moment. "Say, are you guys ninjas, or what?"

"No. We have knight's swords."

"May I take your picture?"

"Sure." I already did fifteen times. Now, that's one of the better portraits.

They're also handing out fans with layered flags printed on them.

They were passing out some pretty good things. I passed on all of that. The magnifying glass is the same as I bought from Meininger's. Mine was expensive. And it looks exactly like theirs. Those people got a very good glass. I use mine all the time. It's right here.

The lines for food are obnoxious, but the food looks great. The entire sunken flat area of the pavilion is packed tightly with people waiting in line. (They observe me approaching and part for me like I'm Moses and they're the Red Sea. It's brilliant. That's why I left. I can't do a line like that. Then I'd have a plate of food to manage. No can do. So I left. The metal seat at Burger Fi next to my apartment is so tortuously uncomfortable on my bony butt and scrawny back that the pain in my feet disappeared and my legs turning to noodles healed back to normal instead of giving up. They're building! I felt just like when I started. So went upstairs for new battery and went back.

Chip Ahoy said...

The cover band sure did cover thing very well. The did two very long sets. Then at dark they cleared their stage and a military band took over for Souza and America the Beautiful and when the music becomes martial you now the fireworks are near.

I have a photo of firework people on top of the roof from earlier)

I exited 1/3 way into the fireworks ignoring the climax so that I could walk fast as possible, slow to everyone else, and position myself where they must collect for traffic lights when leaving en mass in all directions. I'll catch the group coming my way head on. Pretty smart, eh? I'm getting better at this. You should see me flirt. I'm terrible. I told the girl to my left after asking for her photo, she leaned back and smirked and her boyfriend leaned forward and smiled, "Look at you, Little Smarty Pants, this one is best of all. You win." She giggled mischievously. Then I showed them their picture and I wish I could have a picture of that. I learned early when I ask then show them the picture they gave. They're sometimes disappointed because they want to be beautiful like a model and I go, "Oh man, this is ART! You are art. It's perfect." Even if it's not.

ricpic said...

Here are three of my picks that really are art:

Best picture shows lean middle-aged woman lighting cig or about to light cig on porch on right side; rest of picture darker, kid swinging one of those glowstick things. This is a great picture. Don't ask me why it just is.

Tied for second place are: a) center of picture young man back view t-shirt cropped hair; orangey blur of woman left side of picture front view moving left to center. Her blurred image offsets his stable image and makes the picture click: b) young father holding his toddler son or daughter in his arms as woman leans in from left gesturing to child and second woman (his wife?) smiles. Almost all the action in this picture is in the left half, right half empty street and small figures on far curb.

MamaM said...

I tell them their photograph is going to make people love Denver.

Even better than that, their photograph helps people enjoy if not love life again. In addition to restoring hope and inviting celebration.