The incredible flying Dumpster

Column by Hal Walter

Rural Life – August 2004 – Colorado Central Magazine

IT WAS FAIRLY SIMPLE to conclude that my neighbor’s trash Dumpster had arrived about 30 feet across the road from its usual location at the behest of a bear. The crumpled metal box was on its side and seriously damaged, some of its contents were piled next to it.

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The drive-by roostering

Essay by Patty Lataille

Small-town life – August 2004 – Colorado Central Magazine

MARAUDING ROOSTERS at large. Laying hens. Cock fights at 5 a.m. Chicken sex. Uniformed police officers ready to whack my roosters. I never dreamed that the intricate details of chickenhood would be the source of such controversy in my lifetime.

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Susie Allen’s passion for painting

Article by Lynda La Rocca

Artists – August 2004 – Colorado Central Magazin

BRIGHT, BOLD, AND BIGGER-THAN-LIFE: These are the words that immediately come to mind when viewing the works of Leadville artist Susie Allen.

From vibrant oils and acrylics to pencil drawings glowing with unexpected flashes of color, Allen celebrates form and figure in both realistic and fanciful ways.

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Lies, damned lies, and mushroom hunters

Essay by Monika Griesenbeck

Mushrooms – August 2004 – Colorado Central Magazine

THIS FOURTH OF JULY, while most normal people were enjoying barbecues with family and friends, I went to check one of my favorite mushroom patches, which is above 10,000 feet on a certain mountain. The mushroom I like to hunt is the King Bolete (Boletus edulis) and here in the Colorado Rockies it grows in the high pine forests from late July through September.

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Dog Norton goes off his diet

Essay by John Mattingly

Rural Life – August 2004 – Colorado Central Magazine

Pickle came home from a roundup to find his faithful dog Norton lying on the porch next to another dog. Pickle inspected the new dog and saw that it was female. She nuzzled Norton for protection and Norton growled halfheartedly at Pickle for messing with his woman.

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Election Reading

Review by Martha Quillen

Politics – August 2004 – Colorado Central Magazine

ALTHOUGH THE FOLLOWING BOOKS are not “from,” “for” or “about” Central Colorado, they are about what a lot of us are discussing in our region as the 2004 elections draw near; so here’s an overview on popular (and not-so-popular) political tomes.

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Whose land is this, anyway?

Essay by Robert Funkhouser

Recreation – August 2004 – Colorado Central Magazine

“When agencies begin to act like entrepreneurs seeking self-funding through fees, and low-income people are excluded, the public purpose — the very reason for public ownership — is defeated.” (More and Stevens, Journal of Leisure Research, 2000)

“You’re kidding me, right?” I said, laughing.

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Dealing with democracy

Column by George Sibley

Politics – August 2004 – Colorado Central Magazine

“That’s what democracy is about: sometimes you lose.”

I’ve been thinking about that. Martha Quillen said that in last month’s Colorado Central, in a sidebar to Allen Best’s story about Granby, bulldozer operator Marvin Heemeyer and “the dark side of Paradise.”

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The 1779 Comanche campaign

Sidebar by Ed Quillen

History – August 2004 – Colorado Central Magazine

When Juan Bautista de Anza moved into the Palace of the Governors in Santa Fé in early 1779, the Spanish hold on the province of New Mexico was threatened by Comanche raiders who came from the Great Plains, crossed the Sangre de Cristo mountains, and took captives from the upper Rio Grande Valley to be sold as slaves. The provincial government was supposed to protect them, and it didn’t.

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Anza’s Life in Brief

Sidebar by Ed Quillen

History – August 2004 – Colorado Central Magazine

Juan Bautista de Anza was born in July, 1736, in Sonora, Mexico. His father, captain of the presidio at Fronteras, was also named Juan Bautista de Anza. Anza is a Basque name which means “pasture in the dwarf elder trees” and describes areas in the foothills of the Pyrenees Mountains of Spain. His father was killed fighting the Apaches in 1740. Anza joined the militia in 1751, and became a cadet in the cavalry in 1754 at Fronteras, Sonora, Mexico. He was soon promoted to lieutenant and then captain, and was in charge of the presidio at Tubac, Sonora, Mexico (now in Arizona) in 1759. He was soon distinguished for his military skills.

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Following Juan Bautista de Anza

Essay by Ed Quillen

History – August 2004 – Colorado Central Magazine

THIS YEAR, Salida and Poncha Springs will host the Anza World Conference, which runs from Aug. 26 to 28 in various local venues like the Steam Plant and the St. Joseph’s Great Hall. The major public event is scheduled for the evening of Aug. 27 when Don Garate of the National Park Service portrays Juan Bautista de Anza at Chipeta Park in Poncha Springs.

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On the Ground in Guffey

Letter from Tom Elliott

Guffey – August 2004 – Colorado Central Magazine

Ed,

Reading through the June edition I couldn’t help but notice the very interesting Letter from the Editors (What America do you live in), a commentary on the media’s need to simplify, and in so doing thereby miss the reality on the ground.

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Like a visit from friends

Letter from Muriel Reichardt

Colorado Central – August 2004 – Colorado Central Magazine

Ed and Martha,

Yes, your magazine is like a visit from friends, like sitting on the patio listening to you and my children talk about Colorado, the mountains, the intrusive million-dollar homes, and water — I sent your last article to a grandson-in-law who is a water lawyer in Texas. In fact, I often send clippings to my family in Wyoming, too; he is a County Commissioner with similar interests.

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Editor needs some questions

Letter from Bill Wahl

Politics – August 2004 – Colorado Central Magazine

Editor needs some questions

Dear Martha;

I just finished your article, “Finding Fault,” in the July issue. It takes a lot to get me to write a response, but this one did it. You qualify your article as personal musings. The problem with musing about something to yourself is that there is no one to question you. I think you need a little questioning.

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Regional Roundup

Brief by Martha Quillen

Regional News – August 2004 – Colorado Central Magazine

Lightning Strikes…

Once: In mid June, Kevin Maddaford, a recent CU graduate, was struck by lightning on his way up Mt. Lincoln, near Alma. His clothes were torn; his left eardrum was ruptured; the soles of his boots were blown off; his hair and eyebrows were singed; his pants and socks were melted; and he suffered second degree burns on his chest and third-degree burns on his feet.

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Warmer climate draws crowds to parks

Brief by Allen Best

Climate – August 2004 – Colorado Central Magazine

As the climate warms, vegetation will shift, and in response so will the mammals that depend upon that vegetation. Scientists report this is already happening, with species generally moving northward and breeding and flowering earlier in the year.

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Outsource to the outback?

Brief by Central Staff

Economy – August 2004 – Colorado Central Magazine

American companies keep looking for cheap labor and locations for back-office operations like call centers. Many have tried India, and have suffered on the public-relations front.

So, according to an article in the June 9 Wall Street Journal, they’re looking at out-sourcing in rural America.

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Briefs from the San Luis Valley

Brief by Marcia Darnell

San Luis Valley – August 2004 – Colorado Central Magazine

Fire!

In a summer marked by few wildfires, a block of downtown Monte Vista was damaged by flames, smoke and water in June. A fire began in Dave’s Electronics on First Avenue, which spread and destroyed the building. Neighboring apartments and buildings were evacuated, but an auto parts store and a real estate office were damaged by smoke and water. A hair salon and accounting office received minor wounds as well. Kudos to the Monte Vista Fire Department for quick containment.

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And soon, Athrop Heights?

Brief by Central Staff

Geography – August 2004 – Colorado Central Magazin

On a typical month, we receive two or three “Change of Address” notifications from the U.S. Postal Service. (Each one costs us 70¢, so we encourage our subscribers to tell us their new address before they move.)

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The name is Lindstrom

Brief by Central Staff

Colorado Central – August 2004 – Colorado Central Magazine

A couple of errors crept into our July edition. One was the name of the Democratic candidate (and incumbent since he was appointed to replace Carl Miller after he was appointed to the state Public Utilities Commission) in House District 61. The candidate is Gary M. Lindstrom, which we mangled to Lundquist. The district essentially comprises Lake, Summit and Eagle counties.

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John Muir, Go Home

Essay by David Feela

Recreation – August 2004 – Colorado Central Magazine

ANY EXPERIENCED SUMMER TRAVELER through the West might have pointed to my wife and me as classic examples of clueless tourism: “See what you get when you travel without an itinerary? When you think camping has something to do with owning a tent?” I can hear them stifling their snickers, trying to sound sympathetic but finding no compassion.

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