Colorado Central Articles From — September 2009

by Susan Bavaria

Ranging in age from 81 on down, several regional women authors have written books as varied as river stones. Tackling subjects ranging from geology to self-publishing, these six writers exemplify the moxie needed to endure the publishing process and a love for language that creates worthy content. Some have taught students. Some have experienced far-flung adventures in the quest to find a good story. Some are members of the Colorado Authors League. All share a passion for good literature and an innate curiosity about the world we share. Read the rest of this article

by Hal Walter

A friend once suggested I write myself a check for $50,000, $75,000, or something like that, and just tape it to the refrigerator as a payment to myself for this grand lifestyle I’ve chosen.

Perhaps I should just make it an even, cool $1 million. Read the rest of this article

when your throat is lined
with new confessions
blocked by fear
of repercussions Read the rest of this article

(Tips for high-altitude gardeners)

by Suzanne Ward

By this time of year you will have been harvesting your garden produce throughout the summer and hopefully, not too soon nor too late. Harvest timing is learned by experience. It is determined by what tastes best to you. Sample your vegetable produce at various stages of ripeness and you will learn the right harvest time for each vegetable to suit your tastes. Here are some general harvest rules. Read the rest of this article

by John Mattingly

Prior to September, 2001, I thought of home, land. and security as three separate words.  But as patriotic fever has spread through the country, possibly a fourth has presented itself as home and land as one, and from that, a few points of thought.

1. Look both ways.  Soon after we attacked Iraq, we often heard the mantra, “The safety of America depends on the outcome of the battle in the streets of Baghdad.” Then it moved to include the streets of Kabul, and now Karachi. Read the rest of this article

by Sarah E. Moffett

“Climbing at altitude is like hitting your head against a brick wall-it’s great when you stop.” – Chris Darwin

There are things we can’t let go of in life, and then there are things that won’t let go of us. Mount Elbert and I fell into both categories thanks to childhood experiences. Growing up, Leadville was a magical place set in the clouds. Sitting at 10,152 feet and shadowed by the towering Sawatch Range, the temperamental weather, stunning scenery and crisp scents made it a backdrop for dreams, imaginations and uncertainties. It was where anything could happen. So naturally it did. Read the rest of this article

by Mike Rosso

Salida-based musician Bones has put quite a few achievements under his belt over the past 25 years. He has performed in a variety of rock bands from England to Los Angeles and was a member of the popular Afro-beat band Jaka as well as the Grateful Dead tribute band, Shakedown Street. Read the rest of this article

2007-2009
By Ed Berg
Blurb, Inc: May 2009. $14.95

Reviewed by Eduardo Rey Brummel

The San Luis Valley is a distinctly different world. Perhaps the clearest demonstration of the Valley’s unique nature is the thirty-some square miles of sand dunes serving as foyer for the Sangre de Cristos’ western flank. In the same view, you have Lawrence of Arabia sands foregrounding snow-stippled mountains, with Medano Creek pulsing at your ankles. In his book, Sand, Wind, and Light, author Ed Berg begins where we all do – attempting to reconcile the existence of the Great Sand Dunes: Read the rest of this article

[amazon-product]0826346502[/amazon-product]

by Duane A. Smith
photographs by John L. Ninnemann
Published in 2009 by University of New Mexico Press
ISBN 978-0-8263-4650-6

Reviewed by Ed Quillen

The Sawatch Range is the highest in the Rockies, the Sangre de Cristo Range is the longest, and the Mosquito Range is the richest in overall Colorado mineral production. But it is the San Juan Mountains that provide the quintessential Colorado mining-camp imagery and lore: soaring jagged peaks, frothing streams in narrow gorges, steam-powered narrow-gauge trains, immense old mines in sites apparently accessible only by jaybirds, and Victorian towns in various states of preservation. Read the rest of this article

by George Sibley

The Sunday New York Times is always a good place to go for inspirational reading on the seventh day, especially for us communicants at the American Church of Mammon; early in August it carried interesting stories about a couple of Masters of the Universe. Read the rest of this article

Daniel Majok Gai and Isaac Khor Behr were only six years old when civil war broke out in their village in Southern Sudan. Fleeing their home and becoming separated from their families, Daniel and Isaac joined 30,000 other war orphans for a 1,000 mile journey to a refugee camp in Ethiopia. Walking barefoot, fighting enemy soldiers, starvation and disease, Daniel, Isaac and the other Sudanese children became known as the “Lost Boys of Sudan.” Read the rest of this article

by Susan Tweit

The call came on one of those afternoons when life moves so quickly that even though you’re going as fast as you possibly can, you feel like the Red Queen in Through the Looking Glass, as if you’re barely keeping up.

“Susan, it’s Jim,” my friend said, and then paused. “I’ve got sad news: Carol Jacobson died yesterday in a rafting accident on the Green River.” Read the rest of this article

Natural Gas Exploration in Baca on Hold Until Ruling

CRESTONE – Toronto-based Lexam Explorations has agreed not to drill for gas on the Baca National Wildlife Refuge until a federal judge rules on an environmental groups’ request for a preliminary injunction on drilling.

The groups are seeking an injunction to block any ground-disturbing activity on the 92,500-acre refuge until the lawsuit is resolved. Read the rest of this article

(and other items of interest)

Nestlé Permit Granted

SALIDA – Despite overwhelming public opposition, the Nestlé Corporation of Vevey, Switzerland was given unanimous consent on August 26 by the Chaffee County Commissioners for its application to remove water from a private spring adjacent to the Arkansas River and truck it to Denver to be bottled and sold. Read the rest of this article

Editor’s note: Colorado Central Magazine contacted most of the legislators in our region asking for their thoughts on the current health care reform debate. Only State Senator Schwartz was able to respond in a timely manner. Read the rest of this article

by Bill Hatcher

photos by Mike Rosso

It happens without fail every September. Driving down a county road where I live in the northern San Luis Valley, I am given yet another opportunity to ruminate on why I love living here so much. No, not it’s magnificent scenery. Instead, the little reminder of pastoral patience I’m referring to lumbers along over cloven hooves, tended by that durable American icon, the rancher-cowboy, reins or twist-throttle held loosely in gloved hands. Read the rest of this article

Is the Greater Arkansas Valley ready to join forces with a multitude of towns, cities, and counties who have signed on to become leaders in the growing global task force to address peak oil, climate change and economic stability?

Considering the number of concerned citizens who are connecting in Salida, Buena Vista and surrounding areas to adopt the “Transition Model” (www.transitiontowns.org) – all with the intention of engaging a significant proportion of the people in their community to kick off a “Transition Initiative” – it appears that the local community is ready to commit to change. Read the rest of this article

Ever since the 2000 presidential election, it’s been fashionable to divide America into “Red States” and “Blue States.” That’s because the major television networks used maps that showed George W. Bush states in red and Al Gore states in blue. Read the rest of this article

Wolfwood, a state-licensed, non-profit animal refuge based in Ignacio, CO, brought some of its residents to Salida in August as part of an education and fund-raising tour of the state. Read the rest of this article

To the Editor;

San Luis Valley residents continue to stand up against development and intrusion. Current battles against Wolf Creek ski area growth and Crestone gas drilling follow previous campaigns against military training overflights and groundwater exportation/exploitation. More recently, Villa Grove residents blocked a local contractor’s bid to operate a gravel pit near the town. Read the rest of this article

To the Editor,

Regarding John Mattingly’s “Agriculture and War,” Paragraph 3: Naw, John, the bodies just couldn’t have been that deep. Considering that there are 27,878,400 square feet on every mile of the Earth’s surface, and that the average human body contains no more than 2.78 cubic feet of flesh, bones and blood, then you could fit ten million bodies into each square mile. Read the rest of this article

To the Editor:

I saw the rainwater collecting note (August 2009, p. 19); it’s a bit unclear, so I’m offering clarification. I’ve even heard realtors express shock that it’s been illegal all along (damn, sigh…), but you’re right—this is the first time it’s legal, if the process is followed. Read the rest of this article

To the Editor: (and to the editor of the Saguache Crescent)

I served my apprenticeship as a hand compositor from 1965 and progressed a couple of years later to a 1924 Linotype with a gas-heated melting pot (which proved a problem when Scotland converted to natural, or North Sea gas, in 1970). Read the rest of this article