Ah, Facebook

Well I'm on, and I'm hooked. I'm embarrassed to say I spent nearly 5 hours "chatting" with more than a dozen old pals from my CNN days. Folks have moved, married, had kids, started a business, and more. We were all a bunch of kids when we started together in the 80s, and we grew up together at that place. It took me back, way back. Seems like a different life.

Anyway, you can now find me on Facebook (under my name), and I must admit, it's a little more fun than blogging.

Bear Creek Basin

I don't know how much longer until the leaves fall, so I snapped this photo of Bear Creek from the river trail across the street from our house. I think I'll snap the same view as the seasons change; it'll be something when we get hit hard with the snow!

If you look in the middle of the photo where the mountains meet, that's Bear Creek, and behind the falls, Bear Creek Basin. Tuesday we hiked up to the Nellie Mine (historic remnants of mining efforts from the late 1800s) into the basin. Two hours uphill was quite an effort, but well worth it. It's hard to believe what kind of conditions the miners worked in and the physical labor they endured. Here are some photos from Nellie Mine.







We've been hiking everyday now for awhile, and I think I am enjoying it more than ever. But still not as much as Boomer and Riley.

Last day of Summer

It doesn't make much sense that Fall is just starting tomorrow. It's been Fall-like here for over a month now, and the leaves started changing last week. The color on the mountains is amazing and should only get even more colorful before the leaves fall. 

This morning Jim and I went on a long walk out the river trail with the dogs. When we started, I was in four layers, the last being a rain jacket since it was sort of drizzling and very threatening when we left. Over the next two hours, I was in every combination of those layers since the weather seemed to change oh, about every 10-15 minutes. At the end of the walk, it was just a t-shirt and shorts, and a lot to carry. 

We are in the process of digging out the winter clothes and putting up the summer wear. Each of us has a few must haves for winter, but all-in-all not a lot of winter clothes. We'll have to live through the season here to know what we're missing rather than just guess. We've already had some snowfall up in the mountains, and the dusting on the peaks is quite beautiful. I am not, however, ready for it to really snows here on E. Colorado Ave.

A GREAT week!

It's the last day of our week-long visit with my folks here in Telluride. Not only did they survive staying in the Igloo, but (they claim) they were comfortable and slept well. We all had a lot of fun together hiking, enjoying great meals, watching sports, and enjoying each others company.

The photo above is David and Ronnie at the start of a hike we did through Wilson Meadows, a beautiful area about a 20 minute drive from our house. I think I must have good genes because these guys are strong hikers! In fact this morning, my dad hiked up Bear Creek in a little over an hour, which is more like the time of a person 20-30 years younger. 

Tonight we will enjoy one last dinner out after a string of fun dinners at home. We're going to Cosmo's which is the favorite to all of us. Then tomorrow we'll be off to Montrose to drop them off at the airport, stock up on some groceries and then it's back to the ranch. 

I am working Thursday and Friday at this cute little pet store called Mountain Tails up the street. My friend Jen owns it, and she just lost some of her help and wants to be able to go on a planned vacation. It'll be fun, and I'll earn some extra cash, which is always nice, especially these days.

The Igloo

Tomorrow my parents (Ronnie & David) arrive from Atlanta for a weeklong visit. I am fortunate that Jim really gets along with them and is actually excited about them coming. It would be a bit difficult to spend a week with the Rents/In-laws in this little house if we weren't all cool with each other! 

Now I must confess that they are staying down in our basement, some may call it a dungeon --  or as we affectionately call it, "The Igloo." You see a year or so ago our dear friends Melanie and Bill found themselves temporary residents of our basement while their new house was under construction. It was so darn cold down there, even though it was summer, that Bill started calling it the Igloo -- and then just "The Gloo." That sounded better than "the basement," or "dungeon," especially for house guests, so it stuck. 

We've made a few improvements down there over the years, but it's still quite "campy." The bed consists of a queen mattress (no boxspring since we can't physically move it down there) sitting on top of a wood platform a few inches off the floor. When we first got the house 8 years ago, that platform was suspended by chains a short distance from the ceiling thus making the climb in and out of bed a bit of a challenge. Ronnie and David politely suggested cutting the chains, and we did. 

My dad is crazy enough that he likes to sleep in freezing temps, and I do mean freezing. We think Mom may make her way out of the Gloo and onto the sofa at some point. It's that or a hotel.  

Could be a football widow

As many of you know, I really enjoy watching football. College football (especially the SEC) and the NFL, I just love the game. The thing is, Jim loves football much more. And now that we are on Mountain Time, this makes all day and evening viewing a lot easier. No staying up until midnight for that last game. In fact, all the pre-game action starts around 10am, so we conceivably can do a 12-hour deal for two days straight. This evening we are watching our third NFL game. Not sure how many Sundays I will have interest in doing this, especially since Tom Brady is injured. Like I said, there's a good chance I could become a football widow. 

On a roll

Can't even count how many days in a row it's been just downright gorgeous weather here in Telluride... highs in the upper 60s, not a cloud in the sky, cool, crisp air and just enough wind to cool us off while we hike.  The lows are getting down to in the 30s at night, so first thing in the morning it's a bit nippy, but we are still able to hike in shorts and a t-shirt.

Jim and I just finished doing our door to door voter registration effort on behalf of the Obama campaign. It went pretty well; we hit nearly 70 homes, got to meet some of our neighbors, and never ran into a McCain supporter. A good afternoon, indeed.

Earlier today I had a meeting with a couple of new acquaintances with whom I am going to be producing a documentary film about how (when & why) people found and stayed in Telluride. We plan on getting grants and sponsors from the community such as the Telluride Museum. Fortunately, my co-producer has experience in this area, as she is a former Mayor of Telluride.  

I'm not exactly sure how it is that I've become so busy and entrenched in the community here, but it sure is nice. 

Hope you all enjoy your weekend!

Volunteer Fever

We've been recruited, and tomorrow (Thursday) Jim and I begin volunteering for the Obama campaign. If you can believe it, there's actually a campaign office here in Telluride and, less hard to believe,  quite a few volunteers. We've both been asked to staff the office in addition to going door to door to get folks registered to vote.  While we intend to keep this blog free of political rants, by virtue of us volunteering for Obama, you at least know a bit more about where we stand this election year. 

Our next volunteer event will be this Saturday when a few hundred crazies run this insane 17 mile mountain challenge called the Imogene Pass Run. We figured we can hang at the finish line, hand out gatorade and cheer rather than do any heavy breathing just getting to the start of the race. 

This will be Jim's first two volunteer efforts since moving to Telluride. He may get the fever like me. 

Here goes nothing

So I just finished talking with my college pal Sheri who suggested I start a blog. I'm thinking you will be the ones to decide if I have enough to say and it's entertaining enough to sustain. For now though, welcome, and I hope you at least get a mild chuckle from time to time. 

Most of you know that Jim and I are now living in Telluride full-time after years of careful planning and a ton of chutzpah. Our home here is less than one-third the size of our previous homes, no garage, and well, it's not exactly in the greatest shape. But no violins necessary, as we are in heaven. The air is pure, the mountains abundant, the people are wonderful, and life is, well, good. 

Jim left his law firm after 23 years of practice and couldn't be happier. He spends his time hiking, reading, socializing,  even helping me with household chores. I just finished working a volunteer staff position with the Telluride Film Festival which was lots of fun. The energy in town was amazing, and I got to meet a lot of interesting people. Then of course there were the celebrity sightings... Salmon Rushdie, Leonard Maltin (sorry to even mention them in the same sentence), Greg Kinnear and a slew of noteworthy producers and directors (such as David Fincher -- Fight Club and the upcoming The Curious Case of Benjamin Button). 

Then of course there are our dogs -- Boomer and Riley are two of the happiest dogs ever. They hike 2-6 hours a day, chase wildlife all over the mountains, and still get to hang out on the sofa whenever they want. You can expect to see future blog entries from them as we have learned from overhearing them talk that they have been maintaining an underground blog for some time now, which we have convinced them to merge with this blog. 

SO thanks for joining us, and please feel free to post your comments. We would love to hear from you. More From the Lillypad soon.