Column by Hal Walter

Mountain Life – December 2003 – Colorado Central Magazine

THERE WAS AN INITIAL quiet thump, and then another, and by the time I looked up from the kitchen, the old spaniel dog was in a full head-over-heels tumble from the stairs that lead up to my office. It appeared to be slow motion, but in fact was happening so fast that I could not react. Read the rest of this article

Sidebar by Wynelle Catlin

Local History – December 2003 – Colorado Central Magazine

My interest in Sears-Bilt homes was sparked by my sister, Shirley Patterson, of Henrietta, Texas, who presented a paper on the subject at the National Cowboy Symposium in Lubbock. She said there was one in my area — the Ferris home. Read the rest of this article

Article by Wynelle Catlin

Local History – December 2003 – Colorado Central Magazine

ROB AND KATIE FERRIS are the proud owners of a Sears Honor Bilt Home which is their Tumble Creek Ranch residence in north Chaffee County.

For 75 years, the sturdy well-constructed house has stood, surrounded by a white picket fence, on the gently sloping base of Buffalo Peaks, a few miles north of Buena Vista. Read the rest of this article

Article by Sue Snively

Local Artist – December 2003 – Colorado Central Magazine

“As an artist, I rely on intuition, spontaneity, movement, immediacy and serendipity. What is important is to be engaging with the media at an intuitive or felt level. My work becomes a record of that process. I want my art to surprise me — to reveal to me what art is and can be, to express my humanity in ways my intellect alone is unable to conceive” Read the rest of this article

Column by George Sibley

Economics – December 2003 – Colorado Central Magazine

LAST MONTH I was mucking about in the morass where private property and the public interest intersect. A fairly messy intersection in this society that doesn’t like to think about the balance between personal freedom and public responsibility. Read the rest of this article

Sidebar by Marcia Darnell

water – December 2003 – Colorado Central Magazine

What is SWSI?

The Statewide Water Supply Initiative is a series of forums run by the Colorado Water Conservation Board. The CWCB gathers people in each basin in the state — ranchers, environmental activists, wildlife biologists, farmers, politicians, and just plain folks — to discuss current water-supply problems and possible solutions. Read the rest of this article

Article by Marcia Darnell

water – December 2003 – Colorado Central Magazine

WATER MAY BE THE LIFEBLOOD of the San Luis Valley, but unity is its heart.

The Statewide Water Supply Initiative invited a score of water users to a roundtable discussion on October 16 to decide what’s important when it comes to water in the Rio Grande Basin. The panel represented environmental groups, recreational users, ranchers, farmers, and government, with public input sought in an evening session. Read the rest of this article

Letter from Slim Wolfe

Modern life – December 2003 – Colorado Central Magazine

Missing spontaneity

Editors:

Amidst all the spectacular tragedies filling the news there’s a less-noticed event which may be the ugliest hallmark of the new millennium: the rapid strangulation of human spontaneity. I’m guessing that’s an old Greek word and if I listen to the sound, it evokes a splatter of paint from a wet brush — which is not too far from the meaning. Read the rest of this article

Essay by Marcia Darnell

Public meetings – December 2003 – Colorado Central Magazine

Last month, I attended three forums in four days. Three forums in four days. Try saying that five times fast.

Forums (forae?) are a unique aspect of democracy. People — government entities, concerned citizens, coalitions, contingents, and groups — come together to discuss problems and try to find solutions. The discussions can be boring, fascinating, mundane, brilliant, or argumentative, but they provide a glimpse into what’s going on in the minds of those with the dedication to make it to the meetings. Read the rest of this article

Letter from Allen F. Chew

Modern life – December 2003 – Colorado Central Magazine

More reasons for pessimism

… and some optimism

Dear Martha,

Your analysis of the decline of our (mythical) middle class (“Divided and Conquered,” September issue) was excellent. However, it omitted a few additional reasons for pessimism: Read the rest of this article

Letter from Orville Wright

Modern Life – December 2003 – Colorado Central Magazine

Somehow they survived

Editors:

Got November’s issue of Colorado Central on Monday, and noted the thought-provoking piece. Read the rest of this article

Letter from Dick Bulinski

Orthography – December 2003 – Colorado Central Magazine

Principled spelling

Martha,

In the November issue, the Spellchecker let you down. I don’t know how you do this, but it needs to be told that:

princiPALS are either friendly people or money (too many people seem to think that money is your best friend); Read the rest of this article

Review by Lynda La Rocca

Favorite Books – December 2003 – Colorado Central Magazine

I’ve always been fascinated by the way a seemingly inconsequential act can generate unimaginably far-reaching — and unforeseen — consequences.

In House of Sand and Fog, a clerical error sparks a crisis that engulfs the novel’s protagonists and culminates in a tragedy that, while almost preordained, is nevertheless profoundly shocking. Read the rest of this article

[amazon-product]0826330983[/amazon-product]Review by Ed Quillen

Political Biography – December 2003 – Colorado Central Magazine

Pat Schroeder: A woman of the House
by Joan A. Lowy
Published in 2003 by University of New Mexico Press
ISBN 0-8263-3098-3 Read the rest of this article

[amazon-product]0965809854[/amazon-product]Review by Steve Schechter

Alternative energy – December 2003 – Colorado Central Magazine

Power with Nature – Solar and Wind Energy Demystified
By Rex A. Ewing
Published 2003 by PixyJack Press. LLC
ISBN 0-9658098-5-4 Read the rest of this article

[amazon-product]0399146229[/amazon-product]Review by Abby Quillen

Colorado history – December 2003 – Colorado Central Magazine

The Mineral Palace
by Heidi Julavits
Published in 2000 by G.P. Putnam’s Sons
Republished in paperback in 2003
ISBN 0-399-14622-9 Read the rest of this article

Essay by Ralph “butch” Clark

Water – December 2003 – Colorado Central Magazine

MUCH TOO OFTEN GRAND SOLUTIONS go in search of problems. Such was the case with Referendum A on Colorado’s ballot. We were simply told that Colorado must store more water or lose it to downstream states. Read the rest of this article

Essay by Ed Quillen

Water – December 2003 – Colorado Central Magazine

EVERY SO OFTEN, some political issue becomes an obsession, and Referendum A captured me this year.

It’s rare for me to feel good on the day after an election, but this Wednesday after the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November had me almost ecstatic: Referendum A had lost, and it wasn’t even close. Statewide, the margin was an overwhelming 2-1 against, and it did not pass in a single one of Colorado’s 64 counties. Read the rest of this article

Article by Orville Wright

Local lore – December 2003 – Colorado Central Magazine

BEING TIED UP (down) by three surgeries this summer has left me with too much time on my hands. I still can’t exercise and I’m getting fed up with sitting in a lounger reading books and watching the idiot lantern. As a result, my mind is working overtime and the word processor is really catching it. Read the rest of this article

Brief by Ed Quillen

Salida Yards – December 2003 – Colorado Central Magazine -

The irreverent may call them “bathtub Marys,” and many others wonder why they adorn yards — not just in Salida, but throughout the world. Read the rest of this article

Brief by Central Staff

Salida Yards – December 2003 – Colorado Central Magazine

The two statues above are on the grounds of the Heart of the Rockies Regional Medical Center (although they are indoors by now, since they go inside for the winter.) Read the rest of this article

Brief by Mike R0sso

Salida Yards – December 2003 – Colorado Central Magazine

It’s hard to miss the lawn ornament on the 400 block of 4th Street in Salida.These weapons of mass destruction aren’t the product of some politician’s imagination. The late John Ribal of Salida, who served in the U.S. Navy, created the bomb memorial as a tribute to his brother Chris who had served in the Vietnam War in the 1960s. John’s daughter Janet, a Pueblo resident, believes that it was done in the same spirit as the yellow ribbons that have become a common way to show support for members of the military serving over seas. Read the rest of this article

Article by Hal Clifford

Environment – December 2003 – Colorado Central Magazine

THE SAN LUIS VALLEY is a high desert with table-flat farmland surrounded by mountains. It’s a slice of Colorado that feels like New Mexico.

Just over a decade ago, the Valley made national headlines when cyanide holding ponds at the Summitville gold mine failed spectacularly and poisoned the Alamosa River, which runs through the village of Capulin. The 1990 spill killed everything living in a 17-mile stretch of the river — and turned a national media spotlight on the dangers of modern mining. Read the rest of this article

Cartoon by Jack Chivvis

Modern Life – December 2003 – Colorado Central Magazine Read the rest of this article

Brief by Martha Quillen

Regional news – December 2003 – Colorado Central Magazine

Campaign 2003

There were so many different local initiatives this year, that we decided to report election results in a separate story.

But there’s one result worth double coverage. As the Leadville Herald Democrat put it: “For the first time in 31 years, a school bond issue passed in Lake County.” Read the rest of this article

Brief by Central Staff

Media – December 2003 – Colorado Central Magazine

If you feel charitable, send a Colorado map to the Rocky Mountain News in Denver. They could use one.

The Oct. 25 edition had an article about off-beat attractions in Colorado. Among them was the Alligator Farm on Colo. 17 in the San Luis Valley. Read the rest of this article

Brief by Allen Best

Geography – December 2003 – Colorado Central Magazine

It’s now official. The U.S. Board of Geographic Names has named two hitherto unnamed summits near Granite after Carl Blaurock and Bill Ervin, who were the first and second mountaineers to bag all the peaks then considered fourteeners. Read the rest of this article

Brief by Central Staff

Media – December 2003 – Colorado Central Magazine

Low-power community radio arrived in Salida earlier this year with KHEN, and by next spring, Westcliffe and the Wet Mountain Valley should have their own station: KWMV at 95.9 mHz. Read the rest of this article

Brief by Marcia Darnell

San Luis Valley – December 2003 – Colorado Central Magazine

Gateway to Open

Alamosa Voters approved a new lodging tax to fund the building of a Gateway Center, slated to house a cultural center, visitors center, and museum. The city also passed a sales tax to fund water treatment for arsenic. In Monte Vista, businessman Don Schall was elected to the city council. Schall, a member of the committee to resurrect the city’s finances, is seen as the town’s best hope to recover after years of money mishaps. Read the rest of this article

Brief by Central Staff

Politics – December 2003 – Colorado Central Magazine

In this off-year election, Central Colorado voters mirrored the rest of the state.

There were three statewide issues on the ballot. All were defeated, and none came anywhere close to passing up here. The major difference between us and the rest of the state was the margin of the no vote — we were more emphatic. Read the rest of this article

Comic Strip written and drawn by Clint Driscoll

Mountain Life – December 2003 – Colorado Central Magazine Read the rest of this article

Essay by Jeff Milchen

Civil Rights – December 2003 – Colorado Central Magazine

A quick opinion poll: The mass murders of Sept.11, 2001, were allowed to occur because:

A. Letting airline passengers carry potentially deadly weapons such as box-cutters was a bad idea. Read the rest of this article

COLORADO VOTERS REJECT WATER INITIATIVE

Colorado voters turned down ballot measures to provide as much as $2 billion for new water projects. Denver Post; Nov. 5 <http://www.headwatersnews.org/stories/redirect.php?id=11860> <http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/election/article/0,1299,DRMN_36_2403413,00.html> Read the rest of this article

Column by Hal Walter

Real Estate – November 2003 – Colorado Central Magazine

IT’S BEEN SAID that the golden time from mid-September to mid-October almost makes it worth all the hassles of living here the rest of the year. Read the rest of this article

Letter from Slim Wolfe

American life – November 2003 – Colorado Central Magazine

Editors,

Some time back, I wrote a few words about the sort of verbal currency found in these parts (and elsewhere, as well): People, not finding dollars and cents sufficient, are always trading “youcant’s” and “yougottas” in the endless struggle to get a leg up on other folks. I have since realized that my list was woefully incomplete. Read the rest of this article

Letter from Dick Scar

Outdoors – November 2003 – Colorado Central Magazine

Editors:

Gail Binkly is one lucky girl to have survived camping for nearly 20 years in a $19.95 tent [September, 2003, edition]. She joins countless others having copious amounts of good luck who climb to the summits of the 14,000-foot mountains around us wearing shorts and a T-shirt and without raingear, maps, compass or any emergency gear. I am amazed after every summer season that the mountain trails are not littered with the bodies of some people I see on the trail. Read the rest of this article

Letter from Bob Cross

Water – November 2003 – Colorado Central Magazine

Editors:

Regarding George Sibley’s column in the October edition:

Labeling your feelings as “paranoia” is simply too self-deprecating. Let me suggest that your observations are more properly classified as the vigilance of true patriotism. Remember that in Federalist No. 10, Madison was arguing that representative government is the remedy for “the violence of faction.” Read the rest of this article

Letter from Larae W. Essman

Language – November 2003 – Colorado Central Magazine

Editors:

In the August 2003 issue of Colorado Central (pg. 27), Ed Quillen used the word suffragettes, a word that triggers a grim visage and a rude exclamation on my part. It is true that both words denote an advocate for the extension of political voting rights to women, but suffragette is never used to describe male suffragists. Read the rest of this article

Article by Columbine Quillen

Local Artist – November 2003 – Colorado Central Magazine

MANY AREA RESIDENTS are familiar with Peg Corthoust. She was one of the fastest skiers at Monarch’s Town Challenge Race last winter and she loves a good river trip. She always seems to be smiling and ready for a tasty conversation or a funny joke. But what a lot of people don’t know about Peg is that she is a phenomenal painter. Read the rest of this article

Sidebar by Marcia Darnell

Education – November 2003 – Colorado Central Magazine

Some day you may do what Ed Quillen did, and idling in Main Street traffic in Alamosa, ask yourself, “Why the hell is there a branch of Trinidad State Junior College here?”

“I’m not sure how we got together,” recalls Tom Scarlett, dean of instruction and student services. The facility used to be the San Luis Valley Area Vocational School, under the control of the Alamosa School District. Read the rest of this article

Article by Ed Quillen

Education – November 2003 – Colorado Central Magazine

IN THE HOPE of finding cheap student labor to exploit, I talk to college journalism and writing classes as often as possible. After those visits, it’s impossible to avoid generalizing about the students, and that led to a surprising observation. Read the rest of this article

Sidebar by Martha Quillen

Education – November 2003 – Colorado Central Magazine

If you want to know where American law stands on prayer, it’s probably best not to ask the courts. But in the last sixty years, there have been numerous cases handed down.

In 1962, the Supreme Court heard Engel v. Vitale, and decided it was unconstitutional for government agencies, including schools, to require prayers. Read the rest of this article

Essay by Martha Quillen

Education – November 2003 – Colorado Central Magazine

AFTER READING A SUNDAY supplement feature about depression last week, I realized that I’m not particularly prone to depression. The article talked about people who felt hopeless, suicidal, tired, and defeated, and who thought that there was nothing they could do to change anything. Read the rest of this article

Sidebar by Alison Hobbs

Agriculture – November 2003 – Colorado Central Magazine

THE FOLLOWING RECIPES were adapted (with slight alterations) from Colorado Farmers’ Market Cookbook: Delicious Recipes and Tips fresh from Colorado Farmers’ Markets and Chefs, by Melissa Craven, Laura Korth, and Janis Judd, with permission from CD Read the rest of this article

Sidebar by Alison Hobbs

Agriculture – November 2003 – Colorado Central Magazine

THE FOLLOWING RECIPES were adapted from Vegetarian Celebrations and Great American Vegetarian by Nava Atlas. Atlas is also the author of The Vegetarian Family Cookbook; Vegetarian Soups for All Seasons; Vegetariana; and several other books about vegetarian cooking which can be ordered from local bookstores. Read the rest of this article