Lifestyle

That April, 22 years ago, I hadn't yet moved away from Seattle. In fact, having taken a year between transitioning from flight school to University of Washington to work as a flight instructor, I wasn't quite finished with my degree in Atmospheric Sciences and...

Sicily5 by Dr. Susanna Hoffman

SPRING LAMB STEW WITH ARTICHOKES, DILL, AND A MYSTERY INGREDIENT

The arrival of spring is signaled by the corresponding arrival of a divine culinary treasure, lamb.  The meadows in which the lambs graze also offer up the first herb of the year, delicate, feathery dill as gardens nearby produce their first baby artichoke globes on bladed plants. Combined together the three make an exhilarating stew, in which tender bites of young lamb seem to frolic in the broth made impudent with the artichokes and dill. Such young ingredients can sometimes result in a thinish stew, but a fourth mystery ingredient solves the problem by adding a robust, but hidden richness: anchovies. The anchovies completely dissolve in the cooking, no sign of them appears to put off any anchovy naysayer, yet their hidden presence deepens the stew until guests will ask how you came up with such a sumptuous concoction. It’s up to you whether you reveal the secret or not. The same idea works for a poultry stew as well.  A toss of olives in the mix provides an extra salty sparkle. 

As promised a photo of Ralph Dinosaur performing at Telluride end of ski season festivities from 22 years ago. It's just a teaser - the daffodils are calling for a bicycle tour around the Skagit Valley. Incriminating photos to follow. In the meantime, can...

James Colt had two goals this season skiing in Telluride: He wanted to ski at the top of the mountain and he wanted to ski 50 days.I had the pleasure of starting James on the Magic Carpet, spent a number of days skiing on...

Just as everyone has a "coming to Telluride" story, a lot of people have "end of ski season" stories in Telluride too.  Ralph Dinosaur and his crew performing at Gorrono Lodge were a prominent feature of "Kimm's 'coming to Telluride' story", introducing me to the...

Let me go on the record here: I don't like leaving Telluride, even in the off seasons. But if one is to travel, and there are good reasons (new places, family, friends, etc.) to do so, late March and early April seems as good a time as ever to make a move. Susan's parents, Bob and Bernice Levitt, for many years have spent a few months in Palm Springs, to escape the misery of the New Jersey winter. It has become a habit for Sus and me to go to California at the end of her parents' sojourn to spend a few days with them in the desert, then to take them to L.A. to stay with Sus's sister Debby for a few days before they return to Hackensack.

As one listens to the traffic on Highway 111, the asphalt artery linking Palm Springs with the valley communities all the way out to Indio, it's a little difficult to believe that quiet and peace reside a few hundred feet higher in the hills that border the highway to the South.

IMGP0249 Afew days ago, Sus and I were hiking up a popular trail that leads from 111, up past the elegant homes that cap the ridge leading up to the wild high ground above, up past the large modern house that was Bob Hope's home in Palm Springs, and on up to a promontory which overlooks the valley, the manicured lawns of the condo developments, the well-tended greens of the golf courses, watered by the "inexhaustable" resources of the Palm Springs aquifer, up to the beautiful desert landscape of the mountain.

8th graaders w goat by Kris Holstrom

(Editor's note: Tellurider/director/coordinator Kris Holstrom and The New Community Coaltion (TNCC), the change-agent charged with the greening of the Telluride region, are doing more than talking. TNCC is walking its talk, making a difference, only the changes it is affecting are not flashy and often get lost in the many meetings required to sort out details.

To set the record straight, this is the first in a series of posts to explain what the TNCC has accomplished to date. We begin from the ground up, starting with our kids interested in protecting their legacy.)

TNCC helped start the YES Club in the Telluride High School. That's Youth Empowering Sustainability. The YES Club projects have included: recycle your school supplies - a year end effort that resulted in the recycling of over 500 pounds of paper, 120 3 ring binder notebooks, and countless other school supplies. Usable supplies were saved and distributed to students at the start of the school year - saving money and diverting waste!

[Click the "play" button to learn more from Barclay Daranyi about Indian Ridge Farm & Bakery and other CSA farms]

IndianRidgeFarm_15 (On March 29, the Telluride Film Festival's Erika Gordon has arranged a screening of "The Real Dirt on Farmer John,"  with special guest Kris Holstrom of The New Community Coalition, to discuss the importance of CSA farms.)

Wright's Mesa in Norwood is home to Tony and Barclay Daranyi's Indian Ridge Farm & Bakery, where the rites of Spring have just begun to bear fruits and vegetables, and their CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) is gearing up to serve their 60 shareholders, farmers, volunteers and visitors.


Early Bird discount for students enrolled in Telluride regional schools ends March 31. Enroll today at www.tellurideacademy.com or call 970-728-5311. Telluride Academy is the region's largest outdoor adventure organization for youth ages 5-17, serving local students and visitors to the region since 1981. Telluride Academy...