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Around Telluride

 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 /

 Lucky us! Ted Hoff of Cottonwood Ranch and Kennel has a new video ready. As we have mentioned before, active play is an important part of the experience for dogs at Cottonwood. In this video, Ted shows us Bree, in the act of having a...

15 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 /

  

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 /

We are in Denver with Kid #1 and family. Yesterday Kimm, Michael and Matthew went "walking in the sunshine", temperature hit 81 F., definitely t-shirt weather. Today's primary event was a baseball game at Coors Field, Rockies vs. Arizona Diamondbacks. Still Summer today?...

03 April, 2011 /
[click "Play" to hear Brandt Garber's conversation with Susan]

 

 

Cinematheque poster "It's A Gift" to Telluride. And there are lots of folks to thank.

Cinematheque, a free film club, is an ongoing collaboration between the Telluride Film Festival and the Wilkinson Public Library. The series is programmed by Telluride Film Festival co-director/historian Gary Meyer.

The current series, covering films from the Great Depression, explored the ways in which cinema served as a valuable medium for social commentary, as well as an emotional release during an extremely trying (and historically relevant) chapter in U.S. history. The fourth and final installment of Films of the Great Depression for Winter 2011 is a double feature: "It's A Gift" (1934,68 min.) and "Duck Soup" (1933, 68 min.) The event takes place in the Program Room of the Library on Monday, April 4, starting at 5:30 p.m. for the pre-SHOW reception. Telluride Film Festival Production Manager and film buff Brandt Garber is Ringmaster.

01 April, 2011 /

Mycologist and author Paul Stamets will return as a featured speaker at the Telluride Mushroom Festival’s 31st annual gathering in Colorado, Aug. 18-21.

For over 30 years, Paul has named new mushroom species, pioneered countless techniques in the field of edible and medicinal mushroom cultivation, and written six ground-breaking books, including his latest – Mycelium Running: How Mushrooms Can Help Save the World.

01 April, 2011 /

[click "Play" to hear Jenny Patterson's interview with Susan]

 

 

GB #15 Poster What if we bring back the horse & buggy to Telluride? On second thought, the idea does not make horse sense because horses emit carbon out their exhaust pipes, just like cars.

According to The New Community Coalition, 40 percent of our carbon footprint in San Miguel County comes from the way we move from one place to another, primarily driving personal cars and trucks. By carpooling, using public buses, bikes, skis, roller blades, and plain old walking we drastically reduce that impact and save money. Talk about a win/win. (For the record, TNCC has taken some steps towards addressing local transportation challenges by resurrecting its Telluride Townies bike share program in cooperation with the Wilkinson Public Library.)

Just in time for spring break, Friday, April 1, 8:30 a.m., Telluride-based The New Community Coalition present Green Business Roundtable #15. The event takes place at the five-star Wilkinson Public Library and targets regional transportation and carbon offsets.

30 March, 2011 /

[click "Play" for Susan's chat with jumpin' jan]

 

 

WFR '11 STREET DANCE KOTO's history is the history of Telluride from the days of cowboys and hippies to the present era of relative financial stability. (We said "relative.")

In the wild and wooly days of the 1970s, The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) had a small niche in its restrictive regulations that allowed a private nonprofit to build and operate a 10-watt FM radio station. Into that niche jumped a odd assortment of locals. An application was filed. Time, money and space were provided by dozens of folks. Town Council came up with $10,000 over two years for equipment. The FCC said "Do it." KOTO was legally broadcasting on October 3, 1975. Since then, our radio station has been entirely supported by the greater Telluride community, in an elite club that includes only  six other stations nationwide. No advertising. No underwriting.

29 March, 2011 /