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Beyond Telluride

by Art Goodtimes

BOULDER PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC

IMG_2224 Okay, so I’d never seen a Tesla showroom before. But I saw one in Boulder -- where I went (after my political duties last month) to visit some old friends, who balance Imago counseling with commercial construction and have a cozy condo duplex unit in a carefully manicured residential greenbelt.

Boulder is such a trip. It seems every spot of lawn has a dog baggie dispenser box, and even the street people carry REI sleeping bags.

01 June, 2010 /

by Tracy Shaffer

Denver starts to rock, the season of new beginnings. The town is warming up for the summer nights to do what Denverites do best— hit the streets! Not long after the ski slopes close, concert venues open: for the next five months, music will waft through our city’s all too thin air. Picnics in the park, treks up to Red Rocks: I can almost hear the clickety-clack of Prada sandals as the charge of the Botox Brigade hits the patio at Elway’s.  Kicking it off this Saturday is the 7th annual Five Points Jazz Festival at 27th & Welton Street.

Long before Denver welcomed the likes of Matt Holliday or the Birdman, Duke Ellington, Charlie “Bird” Parker and Billie Holiday roamed the streets of Five Points, frequenting the jazz clubs and speakeasies that tarted up the streets. Sitting down for coffee with Denver Office of Cultural Affairs Public Programming Coordinator, Gina Rubano, the talk was all that jazz and how the festival pays tribute not only to the rich cultural heritage of the Five Points neighborhood, but to modern day jazz icons as well.
20 May, 2010 /

by Tracy Shaffer

Eli and Betty Black and White Dec 2008 Life as a single parent is rough. Tales of being overwhelmed, of budgets and stress, fly across tables at your local Starbucks. The crash of weary heads falling into pillows echoes through our nation’s nights and while some of us rise and fall to the daily drill, others patiently teach a little one to tie a shoe, even if it takes all year.

After a day at the soccer field and showing houses I met up with sister-single-mom and Autism Society of Colorado’s Betty Lehman to wrap up my stories for Autism Awareness month. Looking like a softer version of Sarah Jessica Parker, Betty burst into Racine’s, spotting me in an instant though we’d never met before. She is keen and kind, pin-point focused as we launch into an energetic conversation sharing stories of raising sons. The difference is, that while I foray into the land of the teenage boy, Betty Lehman is the mother of a child with autism.

15 May, 2010 /
IMG_0497 Annie Clark, an Occupational Therapist and popular yoga instructor, heads the Telluride region's Autism and Behavioral Consultation Team (ABCT), designated a Model Autism Team by the Colorado Department of Education (CDE). Her group 's mission is to develop increasingly comprehensive family support inside and outside the school systems in five districts: Ouray, Ridgway, Norwood, the West End and Telluride.

April was National Autism Month, so Clark was on the run non-stop. And she does not plan to stop any time soon.  On Saturday, May 15, Clark (and her pup Nala) are participating in the 2nd Annual West Slope Autism Walk in Montrose. The event begins at the Johnson Elementary School at 9:30 a.m.
13 May, 2010 /

The Telluride AIDS Benefit (TAB) is pleased to announce that it will give over $100,000 to five HIV/AIDS charities in Colorado and Africa. TAB will distribute the funds to the Western Colorado AIDS Project, Denver Children’s Hospital Immunodeficiency Program, Brother Jeff’s Community...

10 May, 2010 /

Editor's note: For eight years, Telluride local/mountaineer Ben Clark and a few friends/professional colleagues have made Spring treks to the majestic mountains of the Himalayas. If you have missed any of Ben's posts, just type "Ben Clark" into Lijit Search to find them all. Sadly, this is likely to be the last dispatch of his most recent adventure.

Benbioshotlr-254x300 "Dispatch 10: So it is done, my ankle is broken

My ankle is broken after my fall yesterday. We iced 8 times, we went through 5 rounds of Ibuprofen and Tylenol and we kept it elevated almost 14 hours before I slept in a compression wrap and elevated for the night. Currently, I believe it wants to ski or hike downhill...because that's the only way it will point! Then I try to move it...ooooh. It looks like a baseball that has soaked in water staining the lower part of my foot with a purple and green base. Yuck.

So...I guess that this Spring, even after our initial and really charged foray onto the hill, we will not be going higher. Jon says so and I just nod. He's a great partner who despite ambition can see the facts. We have gone over every boot-cutting splinting option you can imagine...None will get me back across base camp even. Ha...ohh, we are climbers.

02 May, 2010 /

Editor's note: For eight years, Telluride local/mountaineer Ben Clark and a few friends/professional colleagues have made Spring treks to the majestic mountains of the Himalayas. Follow his adventures on Telluride Inside... and Out, including links to his regular podcasts. If you have missed any of Ben's posts, just type "Ben Clark" into Lijit Search to find them all.

Benbioshotlr-254x300 "Dispatch 9: well...hmmmm

Jon and I feel stronger than ever. Our spirits are up, our sense of adventure is high, and today we departed for base camp to begin the summit climb. I love moving in the mountains. The first moment was incredibly invigorating.

The sun highlighted the Southeast ridge. I waved goodbye to our cook staff, I turned.

Then I rolled my ankle in the sand. With a 60 pound pack on. I wasn't 120 paces out of camp. I hit the ground and knew immediately that everything would be okay. Well, almost everything. Well, maybe not the ankle right then. Oh man. Shit, it feels like it snapped in half.
02 May, 2010 /
Editor's note: For eight years, Telluride local/mountaineer Ben Clark and a few friends/professional colleagues have made Spring treks to the majestic mountains of the Himalayas. Follow his adventures on Telluride Inside... and Out, including links to his regular podcasts. If you have missed any of Ben's posts, just type "Ben Clark" into Lijit Search to find them all.

Benbioshotlr-254x300 "Dispatch 8: 20'600' and man it's awesome up here!

You have to be crazy to explore high altitude. Not conventionally crazy, like constantly repeating the same thing and expecting a different result. You have to be comfortable with getting a result that is punishing and optimistically believing the opposite will happen next time. Crazy thing is...it does, every time. That's why flatlanders label it extreme. I guess it defines risk as well.

Jon and I traveled light and high to 20,600' yesterday on our objective, 23,390' Baruntse, it was hard on us. We climbed half our expected five-day route in a little over 24 hours, just three days after arriving in base camp. As much as we enjoyed the scenery and the awkward sensation of oxygenless stupor, we also descended fully to base camp in time for supper. FAST. Today we rest in anticipation of a summit strike in a couple of days. Weather is moving in as the sky is swarming moisture in from the Northwest, a testy condition I have sat through before in a less comfortable position testing my patience.

01 May, 2010 /

by Tracy Shaffer

Brian
Brian Jacobson

Spring fever hit Colorado, creating the perfect opportunity to stroll away a sunny afternoon with virtuoso chef and Foodswings owner, Brian T. Jacobson. First stop, coffee at Paris on the Platte; Brian swinging in with his energy as fresh and delicious as the food he cooks. Dipping biscotti into double espresso, we talk food, spices and the five essentials I must have in my kitchen. Brian leads me down the spice trade routes and into my very own culinary Age of Discovery. We speak of Dutch West Indies Trading Company, talk of blends, balance and the culture of cardamom. Trading the secrets of pepper and hanging on his every word, and armed with my vintage parasol, I’m restless to sojourn in the sunshine. Under the umbrella of a turquoise floral print, I link my arm in Brian’s and saunter up Little Raven to the Savory Spice Shop.

26 April, 2010 /