Denver Holiday Lights

One of the annual traditions in Denver is the lighted holiday display at the City and County of Denver building (City Hall). This building lies across Civic Center Park from the Colorado Capitol building, and faces it. It is also just a short walk away from the U.S. Mint that manufactures our coins. On the way home from my company's holiday party at Coors Field tonight, I stopped to take a few photos. These are of the front of the building, which faces east. Here are two of them for you to enjoy.

The display has not been without controversy. The city has a creche on the front steps, which has raised First Amendment issues, but remains as part of the larger display. The display says "Merry Christmas" on one side, and "Happy New Year" on the other. When current mayor John Hickenlooper came into office, he proposed changing the Christmas greeting to the more inclusive "Happy Holidays", since the building belongs to all Denverites. The uproar was too much, so Hickenlooper relented, and "Merry Christmas" remains.

All controversy aside, the lights are breathtaking, and these pictures cannot really convey the impact of seeing them in person. Click on the photos to see a larger version.

Happy Holidays to all!

Prairie Dog

It is getting close to the start of winter here, and this little fellow is probably snuggly hibernating in his burrow tonight. Last summer, he came out long enough for me to get this quick picture of him.

The black tip on his tail tells us he is a member of the Black-Tailed Prairie Dog species, that lives in colonies, or "prairie dog towns" throughout the Great Plains of the United States. These little animals are not "dogs" at all, but a variety of ground squirrel. Their towns are a network of tunnels they create underground, with multiple entrances. They emit a high-pitched bark to warn the others when danger approaches. They are extremely shy.

They also can be somewhat dangerous in the wild, as the fleas they get tend to carry bubonic plague. While today's antibiotics mean the plague is no longer the "Black Death" of medieval times, I still wouldn't want to catch it.

There are other controversies about these cute little animals. As their tunnels can be a nuisance, as well as a danger to cattle stepping into the holes they make, some people poison them by the hundreds. This has caused animal rights activists to fight back, working to relocate colonies rather than allow them to be destroyed.

Here in Northern Colorado, you don't have to look far, even in urbanized areas, to find a prairie dog town. In captivity, they have a lifespan of approximately eight years.