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January 2010

With so much variety in Telluride, it's easy to forget how much there is to do within a few hours' drive in any direction. Saturday, January 23, Damon Demas and I took an overnight trip to Moab and Arches National Park to show...

27 January, 2010 /
[click "Play" to hear Colin Sullivan's description of Billings' workshop]

L1000363 Susie X. Billings is one of the fine artists in the muscular stable of the Telluride Gallery of Fine Art. She is also a regular teacher at the Ah Haa School for the Arts, where she is offering an exclusive (only 8 participants/workshop) workshop in an exotic location: Billings' Zacatitos studio located in the coastal region northeast of San Jose del Cabo, Mexico, on the east cape of the southern Baja peninsula.


The two "Mixed Media Painting and Journal Workshops" takes place over six days and seven nights. The first runs from February 6  – 13 and the second, April 5 – 12. Home base is a beach home, but participants will be visiting nearby arroyos, gardens, and seascapes for inspiration.
27 January, 2010 /

Telluride, after the storm Friday, January 22, was a long-awaited powder day in Telluride. After a few runs on open terrain, I decided to check out "Captain Jack's". Renamed and with some...

26 January, 2010 /
[to hear Sasha Cucciniello and Colin Sullivan talk about "Reenactments" click "Play"]

IA sheridanrules They all get their 15 minutes of fame: Telluride legends and forgotten characters resurrected: prostitutes, skiers, miners and donkeys in "Inaccurate Reenactments, " a musical comedy commissioned by the Telluride Historical Museum and created by Sasha Cucciniello and her merry band of SquidShow Theatre thespians.

IAskiersandwhores "Inaccurate Reenactments" opened in Telluride in December to packed houses and hosannahs. The FREE encore performance is Thursday, January 28, at Telluride's historic Sheridan Opera House. Showtime is 8 p.m.

26 January, 2010 /


It's looking like deja vu at The Peaks Hotel & Spa in Telluride's sister town, The Mountain Village. And that's a good thing.

Way back when The Peaks was Telluride Inside... and Out's next door neighbor, the joint was always jumping. The Peaks' Great Room was a go-to place for locals to meet apres-ski, a hang-out where conversation and drinks flowed unedited and friends applauded friends providing first-rate nightly entertainment. Then the bubble burst way before the bubble burst. Now it's all coming back, ahead of the curve – again.
25 January, 2010 /
Mrs R 6 Editor's note: Telluride Inside... and Out welcomes a new writer to our pages. Tracy Shaffer is an award-winning playwright and actress, realtor and ass-kicker, who has worked in New York, Los Angeles, and the Denver Metro area. Founder of Thriving Artist Alliance, a member of the Denver Center Theatre Company, a Chameleon’s Stage Playwright, and mother to sons, August & Gabriel. Tracy has been to town to participate in Jennie Franks/Sparky Productions Telluride Playwright's Festival. She is about to star as Mrs. Robinson in an upcoming production of "The Graduate"  at Denver's Aurora Fox Theatre, 9900 E Colfax Ave, six miles east of the State Capitol in Aurora, Colorado. The show runs from February 12 – March 14. Show time on the weekends are Friday and Saturday, 7:30 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m. For tickets call (303) 739-1972 or visit www.aurorafox.org

Look for Tracy Shaffer on TIO for whatup in Denver.

A Cougar and Her Spots

by Tracy Shaffer

I’m in rehearsal, which is usually no big thing, but this time it’s for the iconic role of Mrs. Robinson in the upcoming production of The Graduate.

24 January, 2010 /
The Telluride Nordic Association: Fun Tour and Ski Race on the Valley Floor, Sunday, January 24.

File The 15km “Flat and Fast Race” starts at noon, Sunday. A team race also starts at noon: two skiers are invited to pair up and each ski one 7.5km loop. The “Flat and Fun Tour” begins immediately after those two races. The course is 7.5km.

The Fun Tour is a new addition to Telluride Nordic Challenge Race Series. The event is for skiers who want to enjoy a relaxed day skiing and socializing with other free-heelers without the pressure of a race. As TNA’s Nordic Director Midnite Scholtes explains:

 “I’ve had a lot of people over the years tell me they want to come out and race, but are intimidated by the idea of racing. Lots of communities have Fun Tours in which people can ski at their own pace and not worry too much about a race result. We hope the Tour will appeal to all of the region’s Nordic lovers, and become social, community event. At the same time, Flat and Fast is a great way for skiers to challenge themselves and compete. I know we’ll have racers in Telluride from out of town, so the competition should be strong.”
23 January, 2010 /

Our friend, Ted Hoff of Cottonwood Ranch and Kennel, has sent another video of his Labrador puppy Drake. Drake is learning about his world around Cottonwood, including a surprise meeting with a pheasant rooster, and another with the retrieving Kitty.It's no wonder our...

23 January, 2010 /
P1110009 When the January freeze is over and done, Telluriders tend to store our down jackets and grab for our soft shells.

" Softshell jackets combine the hard-wearing aspects of a Gore-Tex jacket with the mobility, breathability and feel of a much softer fabric," explains Erik Dalton of Jagged Edge. "Though they won’t replace your rain jacket come summertime, these softshell jackets are perfectly suited for our cold and dry conditions in the mountains of Colorado, and for the ups-and-downs of backcountry skiing, hiking, and ski mountaineering."

Erik's pick: Cloudveil's Rayzar, a jacket that offers protection from the fiercest storms and coldest chair rides, while keeping the wearer cool when it comes time to move.
22 January, 2010 /

January 21 to 28, 2010

Visible Planets: Morning: Mercury, Mars and Saturn    Evening: Jupiter

Aquarius, Uranus, Creative Crisis and Catharsis

Aquarisu The Sun entered Aquarius this year on January 19th at 9:28 p.m. MST, shortly before the Moon came into a conjunction aspect @ 23º Pisces with Uranus, the Aquarian planetary ruler, paving the way for a highly charged zodiac month of sudden change and rapid developments, when we’ll be feeling awakened, excited and pretty much in on-and-off creative crisis or catharsis the entire time. And, believe it or not, this is good!

Surprised? Well, that’s both Uranus and Aquarius. Expect the unexpected, think outside the box, try something new, change your patterns, do it different. Aquarius is the traditional revolutionary influence, the part of us that wants freedom, liberation and the right to pursue our heart’s desires. It’s where we are truly individual and where we seek out other individuals with whom to share our wildest dreams, highest hopes and most idealist visions.

22 January, 2010 /