Column by Hal Walter
Mountain Life – May 1999 – Colorado Central Magazine
IF THE WOOD PILE’S LOW, the bank account’s zeroed out (thanks to the IRS), and I’m up to my hocks in mud, it could only mean one thing:
It’s Springtime in the Rockies.
T.S. Eliot — the British poet who to my knowledge never owned a trophy home in Central Colorado — was correct when he wrote that April is the cruelest month. But March has its moments as well, especially for those who do business locally.
Review by Kenneth Munsell
Tourism – May 1999 – Colorado Central Magazine
The Myth of Santa Fé – Creating a Modern Regional Tradition
by Chris Wilson.
Published in 1997 by the University of New Mexico Press
ISBN 0-826-31746-4
Review by Allen Best
Skiing – May 1999 – Colorado Central Magazine
Ice Crusaders: A Memoir of Cold War and Cold Sport
by Tom Wolf
Published in 1999 by Roberts Rinehart Publishers
ISBN: 1570982562
Sidebar by Ed Quillen
Communications – May 1999 – Colorado Central Magazine
We got tired of slimy and illegible faxes, so last fall we bought a plain-paper fax machine for Colorado Central. Its output quality is excellent, but it has been a headache to get it to work properly with our phones: we want it to grab faxes and leave other calls for us or the answering machine.
Article by Rayna Bailey
Communications – May 1999 – Colorado Central Magazin
BEING DUMPED by a lover following a long-term relationship — that maybe wasn’t always a great romance, but after all those years was at least familiar and comfortable — is painful. When the dumping comes in the form of a Dear John letter, pain often is replaced with anger, frustration, and a fear of the unknown: What happens next? Will I get to keep kitty, the leather sofa and the Jimmy Buffet CDs?
Essay by Martha Quillen
Modern Life – May 1999 – Colorado Central Magazine
IT’S THE MERRY, merry month of May — a good time for Central Coloradans to return from Arizona and Texas. Or in my case — since I haven’t gone anywhere this winter — it seems like a good time to quit musing about world history and international events and turn my thoughts toward home.
(Besides, I suspect everyone could use a vacation from speculations about the president’s peccadillos and the hazards of Y2K. And more to the point, I’m really not up on Balkan policies, politics, or history.)
Sidebar by Ed Quillen
Wildlife – May 1999 – Colorado Central Magazine
Colorado’s 3 wild cats
According to the reference book Mammals of Colorado, the state is home to three species of wild cats. The biggest is the mountain lion (Felis concolor hippolestes), also known as the puma, cougar, or panther.
They can be as large as 9 feet long, plus nearly a yard of tail, and weigh more than 200 pounds. Until 1965, Colorado paid a bounty on lions, but they are now protected as game animals; about 200 are killed each year by hunters.
Article by Allen Best Wildlife – May 1999 – Colorado Central Magazine LYNX are running free in Colorado once again. The first lynx to be released — in what has become a controversial reintroduction plan — scrambled across the snow south of Creede on February 3rd. Yet by all admissions, little is known about lynx …
Article by Nancy Ward
Local Artists – May 1999 – Colorado Central Magazine
WHAT DO AIR FORCE RADAR, goose eggs, maps, flowers, rocks, Spanish explorers, Ute Indians and books have in common?
The answer — Yvonne Halburian, dynamic artist of exceptional versatility, jolly disposition, and enough enthusiasm and energy to power a rocket. The Saguache artist is a popular figure throughout Central Colorado, the Front Range, and the San Luis Valley.
Brief by Martha Quillen
Politics – May 1999 – Colorado Central Magazine
Why National Politics Are Better For You
Everybody has heard of Monica Lewinsky and Slobodan Milosevic.
But does everyone know the names of all their U.S. Senators, U.S. representative, state representative, state senators, county commissioners, town councilmen, local school board members?
It seems unlikely. At the local level, politics just don’t generate as much media saturation. (Also, local radio stations and weekly newspapers seldom enthrall viewers with as much sexual or violent content as the media barons do — thank goodness.)
Brief by Central Staff
Local Lore – May 1999 – Colorado Central Magazine
Attention FATs, EYEs, and EARs
In a recent edition of the Wet Mountain Tribune of Westcliffe, we saw a headline that referred to a Wetmore resident as a “Wetmoron.”
That ranks up there with our favorite Colorado geographic appelation — Lamar residents who call themselves “Lamartians.”
Brief by Central Staff
Politics – May 1999 – Colorado Central Magazine
Buena Vista reclaiming state recall championship
After Park County recalled its commissioners, and Leadville took out a school board member, Buena Vista might have been in danger of losing its title as the “Recall Capital of Colorado.”
But do not despair for the town’s honor — most of its trustees now face a recall election.
Brief by Ed Quillen
Transportation – May 1999 – Colorado Central Magazine
When the mines close, the railroad follows. That’s been the pattern for the past century or so in Colorado, and this decade is no exception.
Creede’s last silver mine closed in 1992, and now the Union Pacific has proposed abandoning the tracks that served the place when it was “day all day in the daytime, and there is no night in Creede” — a poem written by Cy Warman, who drove steam locomotives from Salida before he took up newspapering and poetry in Creede a century ago.
Brief by Marcia Darnell
San Luis Valley – May 1999 – Colorado Central Magazine
Developer Backs Down
Land Properties, Inc., has scrapped plans for a 48-acre RV park along the Rio Grande east of South Fork. Loud opposition to the development persuaded the company to withdraw its application for a zoning change of the property. The Rio Grande County commissioners had allowed 30 days to consider the request and hear from the community. Kudos to Land Properties for listening.
Brief by Anonymous
Humor – May 1999 – Colorado Central Magazine
3 men in a bar
A Californian, a Texan, and a Coloradan walked into a bar and each ordered a drink.
After downing his white wine spritzer, the Californian tossed the delicate stemware over his shoulder, where it shattered.
“Why on earth did you do that?” the bartender asked.
Comic Strip by Clint Driscoll and Laura Ravenwood
Mountain Life – May 1999 – Colorado Central Magazine
Essay by John Clayton
Politics – May 1999 – Colorado Central Magazine
When the Republic strays, people demand more democracy
by John Clayton
“Are we gonna get to vote?” comes the refrain from the crowd. “Why won’t you put the issue up for a vote?” “People throughout the county deserve a vote.”
I am moderating a public meeting. It’s a question-and-answer session; my job is to keep information flowing, civilly. On a panel sit elected officials and a consulting engineer. In front of us sit 80 citizens, expressing varying degrees of frustration and anger.