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Wooly suit For escapist entertainment at its finest, follow in Telluride Inside... and Out's footsteps and make a beeline for New York's Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum, the former home of industrial magnate Andrew Carnegie. (And then later to Ma Peche. See below.)

The featured show at the Cooper-Hewitt is "Set in Style: The Jewelry of Van Cleef & Arpels." The most comprehensive exhibition ever organized of the masterworks of the vaunted company, the exhibit is generating lots of buzz – and very long lines. For good reason: "Set In Style" is a magnum of Champagne. The cat's meow. Kitsch-fabulous razzle-dazzlement at its best –  and brightest. (Shades recommended.) 

Among the 350 pieces on display is bling worn by Her Serene Highness Princess Grace of Monaco (my fingers are genuflecting as I write out the title), Elizabeth Taylor, Jackie Kennedy Onassis, Marlene Dietrich, Eva Peron and Greta Garbo to name a few of the high profile ladies who lunched.

21 April, 2011 /

 

by J James McTigue

 If Telluride is a ski town, then San Anselmo, CA is a bike town.

San Anselmo is one of many small hamlets tucked in the rolling Marin hills. Traveling north from the Golden Gate Bridge, there is a series of towns like San Anselmo— Sausalito, Mill Valley, Larkspur, and San Rafael.  Each is linked to the next by bike trails, bike lanes and winding back roads, perfect for the bike commuter, the recreational rider and the competitor.


Biker From San Anselmo, riders can bike to Nicasio Valley and further north to Pt. Reyes, or circle back on a loop called Lucas Valley. The country is rural. Horses roam the green fields and cows graze against the rolling hills. At this time of year, pink cherry blossoms are in full bloom and their fallen petals silence the sound of your front bike wheel as it rolls over them.

18 April, 2011 /

 By Emily Shoff

Tidepooling at Puako at Sunrise There’s a little trip Andy and I like to take with the girls when we’re on the Big Island of Hawaii. We drive over from Puako, just north of Kona on the dry side of the island, to Hilo, the wet side.

Mornings in Hawaii usually start early. The near-equatorial light and the trumpet of bird sounds call us out of bed by 6 a.m. But on our Hilo day, we leave the condo at first light. There’s a lot to see and the earlier we start, the more time we’ll have. Besides, sunrise is a great time to be out in Puako. Guava pinks and mango oranges swim across the sky, while just off the fringing reef in the water, humpback whales travel north.

17 April, 2011 /

by Jon Lovekin

(Editor's note: One of the pleasures in publishing Telluride Inside... and Out is getting to know new  [to us] writers. Susan and I independently ran across Jon Lovekin on Twitter. She took the next step, checked out his writing, liked what she saw and asked if he would be interested in contributing to TIO. Herewith, another article from Jon.)

Snow shoe tracks
My snowshoe tracks

It was May and early for a fishing trip but we went anyway. No one was in the campgrounds and we backpacked from there in to the lakes at the base of the cliff. Once we got setup and started exploring we came across deep paths in the snow with large paw prints in them. We were curious and at first thought it must be a mountain lion. The deeply worn path ran along the base of the cliff. We gave up fishing for the moment and started snowshoeing along the path. Eventually we came to an area beneath a broken region in the cliff face and the path, and tracks went up there. We climbed to where fresh snow melt was cascading through the rocks at the base of a small cliff. My buddy had enough at that point and was content to stay there for the view but I wanted to keep going, for now my curiosity was at fever pitch. These tracks were unusual and this didn't fit what I knew about cats. The large animal had gone up and down this path all winter. Might still be around.

12 April, 2011 /

By J James McTigue

Hotel afar The Mountain closes, we tie up loose ends, pack the bikes and flip flops, head west. That has been our family’s off-season routine the last few years. This year we got an added bonus -- that super-generous offer that never actually works logistically. The reasons are multiple:  The timing is wrong, travel is too expensive, we can’t get off work. But this year, when the phone rang and friends invited us to Deer Valley for two days of skiing, we were all in.

I didn’t think to google where we were staying until we were 30 minutes from our destination, partly because I didn’t have time and partly because I didn’t care. I’ve never been a ‘hotel’ girl. Growing up, we camped on family vacations. Apparently this bothered my sister, because when she was ten she put on her list to Santa “to stay in a condominium when we go on vacation , like my friends do.”

As we approached Park City, I got out my smart phone to figure out where we were going. “What’s the name of the place?” I asked my husband, Jake.

“The Montage,” he replied.

12 April, 2011 /

Timmy, leading the faithful
Timmy O'Neill leads the faithful, 2010

After record attendance and extraordinary critical acclaim last year, Mountainfilm in Telluride is poised for yet another bumper year. Even prior to the announcement of officially accepted films, the festival is garnering more interest, inquiries, support and sales than ever, according to Executive Director Peter Kenworthy. He predicts that the Memorial Day weekend event will sell out this year and attributes the event’s growing popularity, in large part, to the programming prowess of Mountainfilm’s festival director, David Holbrooke.

“David has an unusually extensive network of connections in diverse worlds – those of independent
filmmakers, writers and artists, foreign policy experts, media personalities, activists and athletes – that
he draws on," explains Kenworthy. "And he has a great eye both for compelling films and for mixing and matching guest presenters so that they fully engage and complement each other. It’s a winning combination and we’re definitely seeing the benefit.”

10 April, 2011 /

by Jon Lovekin

(Editor's note: One of the pleasures in publishing Telluride Inside... and Out is getting to know new  [to us] writers. Susan and I independently ran across Jon Lovekin on Twitter. She took the next step, checked out his writing, liked what she saw and asked if he would be interested in contributing to TIO. Herewith, the first article from Jon.)

We awoke early that morning as was our custom even though we had been up most of the night, stargazing and watching the meteor shower. Our tongues had been loosened by the incredible night sky glowing with brilliant starlight and we told stories far into the night. Early meant dawn and all the struggles that go with sore muscles, lack of sleep and the hard ground. The coffee solved most of that as we plunged into our gear and sorted what we would need in our packs for the day.

Stunner Campground We were headed up a steep drainage, above Stunner Campground, to where the old mine was marked on the map. As was often the case, the mines were no longer associated with any visible road or trail, at least not from the campground. The terrain was typical of the Eastern San Juans, rugged and unforgiving. The drainage marked a slash in the ground that was visible high above treeline as yellow dirt where the erosion fanned out into the rocky ledges above. We humped on the packs and got going as the sun flickered on the ridges above. It would be hot again, at least for a time during the middle of the day.

08 April, 2011 /
[click "Play", Beau Staley talks about diamonds]

 

 

Diamond rings "They will show up the wearer if they can," from The Sandcastle, by Iris Murdoch.

Telluride's Dolce Jewels returns for its regular featured engagement: Birthstone of the Month. And this month, we do mean engagement. April, the month of the Ram and the Bull, is also the month for diamonds.

The name "diamond" is derived from the ancient Greek "adamas," meaning "unbreakable." In the case of the renowned Taylor-Burton Diamond, weighing in at 69.42 carats, the diamond was. The relationship wasn't. After her divorce from Richard, the dearly departed Liz sold her world-famous pear-shaped stone, planning to use part of the $5 million proceeds to build a hospital in Botswana.

07 April, 2011 /

  

J. James McTigue

In school we learn about the four seasons, the ones everyone knows about. But in life we learn that the weather, or anything really, just isn’t that neat and tidy. There is a lot of in between. Different places have particular seasons unto themselves. The ‘other’ season may be the rainy season, harvest season, or hurricane season. In Telluride, it’s Off Season.

Off Season is the time when the lifts close and skiing on Telluride Mountain is officially over.  Residents have two basic choices—get out of town or embrace the quiet. Some eagerly head somewhere warm, excited to exchange their ski boots for flip-flops. Others stay in Telluride to embrace the quiet lull after a frantic ski season. Still others opt for choice c -- make it up as you go. Walking down Main Street on Tuesday, there was evidence of all of the above.

 

06 April, 2011 /

    

The Telluride Ski Resort closed this weekend reporting a 68-inch base and 215 inches for the season. But closing weekend isn’t about the snow—it’s about letting your freak flag fly – and this year was no exception. 

Pink Flamingo Sunny skies, and temps in the high 50’s Friday and Saturday, brought perfect spring skiing conditions to the mountain and hoards of people to Main Street for KOTOs pink flamingo street party. Strong, spring winds can bring a layer of red sand through Main Street this time of year. But, Mother Nature spared us, and instead graced the town with calm skies and breath-taking light for the annual street dance.

Those who took to the street Friday to enjoy the opening local band, The Great Funktier, and headliner, cross-dressing, Ralph Dinosaur and The Fabulous Volcanos added their own color to the evening. Pink tutus, plastic pink flamingo yard ornaments, pink bodysuits, pink hair—anything pink—adorned revelers. Dancing on Main Street, below the northern face of the ski area, was an obvious reminder of the celebration’s focus.

 

04 April, 2011 /