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November 2008

Take a left turn out of Telluride and people wind up some place wonderful in the great wide world, where they do wonderful things in a state of wonderment. That’s part of what we mean by the “Out” in the name of our blog: we will be documenting Telluriders when they are out and about having fun, making a difference.  

Local landscape designer Elisabeth Gick and Judge Sharon Shuteran both recently traveled to the Far East, as tourists and ambassadors of goodwill.

30 November, 2008 /

Thanksgiving has come and gone, we're still eating the leftover turkey and stuffing, and that means TASP is open for business. We'd love to have more snow, but the weather looks hopeful, and we remember last year, when a slow start resulted in a banner snow year in Telluride.

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We do have a few runs open, and I have just spent two days skiing with James Colt, who has been ready for the opening since probably August.

James had a bad rockfall accident two years ago while climbing on the Ophir Wall, not far from Telluride. This resulted in a traumatic brain injury. It has been a rough go for him in the meantime, but he is a fighter. Last year James and I had an encouraging start to the ski season, but our hard work aggravated some old injuries, and we had to call it quits - but just for that season.

James spent the Summer in Telluride walking untold miles, and even more miles on his recumbent bicycle, culminating in a 75 mile ride across the west end of San Miguel County. In addition, James drove himself to Seattle this Fall.

29 November, 2008 /

November 27 to December 4, 2008
Visible Planets:
Morning: Saturn
Evening: Venus and Jupiter

Happy Thanksgiving to All. Don't forget to check out Venus and Jupiter in the southwestern sky at dusk and early evening as they move toward a magnificent, beautiful conjunction with the Moon over the next few days. May your week be filled with kindness, gratitude, joy, peace and love. God bless.

29 November, 2008 /

You're going to have to take my word on this one, at least for now: there is a Telluride connection. It goes through Rick Silverman and Telluride Mountainfilm. Sus can tell that story later. We've been off the radar for a while now, partly because we've been moving fast, partly because internet connections have not often been dependable.

We may have been off the radar, but that doesn't mean we have not been having a good time. We left Telluride on 3 November, watched the election returns on 4 November with a number of sympathetic people with Telluride local Jo Schernoff at her Denver condo. The next day we left for Santiago, Chile, where we were met by our young friend, Tomas Correa. Tomas came to Telluride in the Northern Summer, 2006, and stayed with Damon and Elaine Demas for nearly two months.

IMGP2130 The ostensible reason for our trip was to celebrate the 60th birthday of our hostess, Vivien Jones, combined with an early birthday for me, at Residencia Historica de Marchigue, a new resort in the Colchagua Valley wine growing region of Chile that Vivien and her partner, Silvio Castelli have created from the ruins of an old monastery.

24 November, 2008 /

Kicker: 2009 season features “The Sound of Music” and “Taming of the Shrew”

When the New York Shakespeare Festival staged its adaptation of Shakespeare’s “The Taming of the Shrew,” the director had Petruchio and Kate go toe-to-toe against the backdrop of the Wild West. Coincidently, the misogynistic romp opened on Broadway in July 1990 at almost exactly the same time a new theatre company was born in a small Western town that had long ago shed its chaps and buckskin – save for a few crusty old goats and cowboy wannnabes.

Nineteen years later, in June, 2009, the Telluride Repertory Theatre plans to mount its version of the sassy battles of the sexes, reinserting a linchpin in the town’s summer entertainment calendar: Free Shakespeare in the Park.

22 November, 2008 /

November 20 to 27, 2008

Visible Planets:
Morning: Saturn
Evening: Venus and Jupiter

Giving thanks and feeling grateful are gifts of grace. In our ever-changing world and apparently faltering global economy, it’s easy to fall victim to fear, anxiety and insecurity. And yet, we all have so much to be thankful for. Abundance is key to the Sagittarian ethic, and ‘tis the season of the Archer.

Finding comfort and discovering the joy in life’s most simple pleasures - fresh air, clean water, solar warmth and food on the table are just a few – bring us to a place of celestial harmony and open the doors of divinity. The cosmic essence of any particular time is constellated in the heavens and can be experienced via the energetic expression of the tropical zodiac sign in orb at the time.

As the Sun moves into mutable fire and the holiday season begins, it’s both our job and our mission to open our hearts and put our minds to work on exploring the multi-faceted realms of gratitude. Change negative thoughts into positive thinking and become a co-creator of magic and miracles. And keep your eyes to the skies at twilight and early evening, as magnificent planet Jupiter – the Sagittarian ruler – and dazzling Venus move ever closer toward conjunction on Dec. 1st. Happy, happy and may the force of these two great benefics carry you through the holidays with love, grace and beauty.

22 November, 2008 /

Once upon a long time ago, her former husband, Bunzy Bunworth,
tried to convince his brand new bride to leave the East coast and head West to a ski town in the mountains. Reading up on her prospective new home, Suzan Beraza was pleased to discover that Telluride had a theatre. Being an ambitious and hardworking young actress, she decided to jumpstart her new life by sending along an 8x10 head shot and a resume.

15 November, 2008 /

November 13 to 20, 2008

Visible Planets: Morning: Saturn 

Evening: Venus and Jupiter


The magnificent lunar fruition of Nov. 12th has passed, and with that passing comes the increasingly dark skies of a waning Moon, the very best time for stargazing. The constellations of autumn – Pleiades, Orion the Hunter, Taurus the Bull and the Twins of Gemini – are now rising in the east and traveling across the blue-black canvas of deep space, creating a celestial masterpiece of stunning beauty and extraordinary sparkle. In the west, Venus and Jupiter dance together in early darkness, moving ever-closer as November ends. And mark your calendars for Dec. 1st, when these two legendary “evening stars” shimmer, shine and shape-shift with a delicate crescent Moon for the most striking planetary conjunction of the year. Look for a blazing triangle of stellar brilliance against the backdrop of turquoise twilight, low above the southwestern horizon at dusk, following sunset. What a fine opportunity for us all to bless the heavens and touch the stars!

14 November, 2008 /

"Come to Telluride for break - I'll fly you in." It had sounded like just the distraction I needed after having going through a monumental breakup. Dropping down below the level of the surrounding fourteeners, the approach into the blind canyon was the sort of bumpy that was disconcerting to the women talking architecture near me. I just admired the skill of the pilot; seeing the runway ahead of us and more mountains beyond, I remember thinking it would be a good idea to make the approach a good one the first time.   

10 November, 2008 /

The late Steve Butts, who fell victim to an avalanche while skiing in Canada in 2005, dreamed of introducing people to the unique lifestyle of Telluride. Telluride Properties became his means to that end. Steve’s spirit remains top of mind as his brokers/friends continue to carry the torch he lit.

Now 22 years old, Telluride Properties has long been recognized as a marketing innovator among industry leaders and its peers. “Truly Telluride” is the company’s award-winning publication.

The magazine began modestly as a 20-page booklet. Today, “Truly Telluride” features 50 pages of the region’s finest real estate offerings and candid stories about residents who spice up the town.

For its fourth issue, Telluride Properties’ marketing director, Wendy McKeever, asked me to write about three part-time locals: Richard Holbrooke, Ed Barlow, and Bonnie Cohen. “Full-Time Change Makers, Part-Time Telluriders” profiles three extraordinary individuals, who have lived very different lives and have strikingly different personalities, but share an understanding that blessings come with obligations: each is a dedicated philanthropist/activist committed to making a difference in the world.   

Look for “Truly Telluride” on the newsstands around Thanksgiving.

08 November, 2008 /