August 2009

Thumbprints. Snowflakes. Telluride. Harold O'Connor's jewelry. These are all unique, one-of-a-kind.O'Connor is in town to teach a class in his art at the Ah Haa School. In addition he will appear at a reception and a showing of his work at Telluride Gallery...

Just a little maintenance. Honestly, it's not something you'd care about. :)But hey, feel free to use this post to comment on the site, make requests, that sort of thing! ...

[click "Play" for Eileen's conversation with Catherine Carson]

Bag challenge poster NO STORE 2 23 (Small) The Colorado Association of Ski Towns Reusable Bag Challenge is winding down, but the number of single-use plastic bags being eliminated every day continues to climb and is pushing 3 million. Currently, the United States uses 100 billion plastic bags per year at an estimated cost of 4 billion dollars and 12 million barrels of oil. Helping to make a dent in eliminating single-use plastic bags is the Colorado Ski Town of Steamboat Springs, currently in 6th place out of more than 30 participating communities who have joined the CAST Challenge since March 1st.   The contest ends September 1st with the winning town receiving a $10,000 grant from sponsors Alpine Bank and PCL Construction to install a solar panel system at a public school for the winning community.  Independent Power Systems will install the panels for free.

Catherine Carson is Treasurer for Yampa Valley Recycles and one of the founding members of "Team Bag Ladies,"  the driving force behind Steamboat Springs participation in the CAST Challenge.  Yampa Valley Recycles Misson Statement reads: "YVR believes it is possible for people to coexist with the environment without depleting natural resources or polluting the environment. We aim to expand and support comprehensive recycling programs in the Yampa Valley by educating, promoting, and implementing creative solutions to help communities reduce, reuse, and recycle."  One of their primary accomplishments has been the sale of more than 8,000 green bags.  According to Catherine Carson, "Team Bag Ladies and Steamboat Springs," has their sights set for a piece of the podium come September when all the numbers for the CAST Challenge are tallied and winners are announced.

IMG_0394 In previous posts I have mentioned that it is difficult to leave Telluride in any season, but in Summer, for me, it is hard to even contemplate. Susan left two weeks ago to finish a major commitment to get her teaching credentials in her yoga discipline, Viniyoga. I stayed in Telluride to hold down the fort until time to join her for her last few days at Mount Madonna, California, and to attend her graduation ceremony.

Because my days were not going to be too busy, of course I brought along some toys. I wasn't sure I would be using the kayak, but I wasn't sure I wouldn't, so it came along. I thought my mountain bike might be more versatile for our location than the road bike, so that came as well.

[click "Play" to hear a new Ted Hoff dog story]

Pheasants_3 Telluride Inside... and Out's Top Dog, Ted Hoff of Cottonwood Ranch and Kennel, is not above telling tales on himself. The story of Cabela is an example.

Cabela, a family pet, is a German Shorthaired Pointer, named after the company, a favorite in the Hoff family, known for its quality hunting, fishing and camping gear.

August 20 to 27, 2009

Visible Planets: Morning: Venus and Mars  Evening: Jupiter and Saturn

A Leo New Moon and the Courageous Quest of the Lionhearted


1 The 27º 31’ Leo New Moon @ 4:02 pm on Aug. 20th is the first lunation in quite a while that is not an eclipse. Can you feel the less stressful energy, the lessening intensity of this New Moon? Can you finally take a deep breath and know in your heart that something is “over” and you’re on the flip side of trauma and drama, headed toward health and healing?

That said, this lunation is still one of great strength and force as it is the fourth of five “supermoons” this year – which is when the Moon is at perigee (its closest approach to the Earth) and syzygy (a New or Full phase) – and gravitational pulls on tides, tectonic plates and physical bodies reach record highs.

072001H1 Harrypotter This week August 21-27, Telluride's Nugget Theatre will be showing three movies. Harry Potter is back for another week. In addition, "Ice Age III" can be seen early in the week, including a matinee on Saturday. "The Ugly Truth" rounds out the week's program.

We know about Harry Potter: watch for the continuation of that story. "Ice Age" is the animated sequel to that series, rated PG for some potentially scary scenes.

"The Ugly Truth" is a romantic comedy, rated R for sexual content, in which Mr. Wrong plays Cyrano to a TV personality looking for Mr. Right. You can probably guess how this turns out.Theuglytruth_smallposter

For reviews and trailers, see the Nugget website. See showtimes below.







[click "Play" to hear susan's conversation with Julie McNair]

Head shot 2009 copy Sculptor and long-time Telluride local Julie McNair makes doll-like figures – but don't be thinking of Barbie. Barbie has curves. McNair's whimsical creations throw you a few.

Dolls have a history dating back 25,000 years. The earliest dolls evolved out of a  spiritual context and were used in a wide variety of rituals and ceremonies to heal the sick, make barren women fertile, capture the spirit of an enemy, influence the outcome of love and war. Shaman are known to have worn dolls on collars and belts. The use of dolls in the voodoo religion is the stuff of B movies.