Columbine Quillen

Colorado Trail

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by Columbine Quillen

Once, a great long while ago, a donkey named Virgil and I hiked from Denver to Buena Vista on the pristine Colorado Trail. The Colorado Trail is a 486-mile footpath that traverses the state from Denver to Durango through the rugged foothills and the Rocky Mountains. Finding myself in Colorado this summer with a couple of spare weeks and the need for solitude, I thought I would start up where I left off and walk until it was no longer an option to ignore my pending responsibilities. I went deep into the backcountry seeking solace and isolation but, surprisingly, I found a gregarious band of appealing souls that made me reconsider having only myself as company for two weeks. During a short time each year, high up in the Colorado Rockies, is a wandering band of wayfarers that keep an eye on one another and form a short-term community.

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Columbine Quillen

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In an era where children are constantly being asked, “What do you want?” or “What do you think?” might I offer you the Ed Quillen School of Child Rearing.

The next time your child is clamoring at you to buy him something, don’t say no or tell your child to get a job. Instead quickly respond, “People in hell want ice water.” If your child is too small to understand this sentiment, take your time to explain it to him. You will find that soon your children never ask for anything other than tepid water – which is usually free and easy to come by.

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Zipping across a canyon

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Article by Columbine Quillen

Recreation – September 2006 – Colorado Central Magazine

“I take lemons and make them into lemonade,” replied Monty Holmes when asked what made him think of the idea to open a zip line park on an old mining claim east of Salida.

And sweet it is that he was able to make a desert box canyon that was not producing any gold into a modern- day adventure gold mine that houses five different zip lines, plus caverns, and lime kilns.

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Tami Sheppard: A passion for beads

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Article by Columbine Quillen

Local Artists – January 2005 – Colorado Central Magazine

THERE ARE MANY ARTISTS IN Salida, but there are probably very few who focus more on their materials than on the finished product. Tami Sheppard happens to love beads as much, if not more, than beading. “I have a real passion for beads,” she says.

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Keith Gotschall: A few steps beyond furniture

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Article by Columbine Quillen

Arts – March 2004 – Colorado Central Magazine

WHEN YOU MEET Keith Gotschall, any notion you might have of someone who spent twenty-two years in Boulder, such as Vegan, Sierra Club Member, Rolfing guru, or herbal tea drinker — and especially any notion you might have of a Boulder artist, such as arrogant or full of oneself — will be quickly dismissed.

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Ghost Stories

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Article by Columbine Quillen

Local lore – January 2004 – Colorado Central Magazine

ASK ABOUT GHOSTS In Salida and you’ll hear plenty of stories. Some say the old bookstore used to be haunted, the Lovelace, the First Street Café, the Odd Fellows Hall, or perhaps even most of the buildings on First Street, and many of the upstairs apartments overlooking F Street. But Amícas, over on Second Street, seems to house the most spooks.

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Peg Corthoust and her flowering art

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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.

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Cindy Lilly: Silversmithing and stones, set in Salida

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Article by Columbine Quillen

Local Art – March 2003 – Colorado Central Magazine

ANYONE WHO COMES THROUGH Salida these days notices all of the art galleries. Artists from all over the country have moved here in recent years, but very few of them grew up here.

Cindy Lilly’s trade, however, wasn’t learned at an art institute or a faraway college, but acquired right here in the town where she was raised.

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Racing at the top

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Article by Columbine Quillen

Pack-burro racing – January 2003 – Colorado Central Magazine

IT’S A SHORT SEASON for a professional donkey racer; the pack burro racing season is not nearly as long as the football, basketball, or hockey seasons. And the profession is not nearly as prestigious — nor as lucrative. But to keep winning the ultimate prize in pack burro racing, as Barb Dolan has, you have to train all year. Winter is not an excuse to hang out and watch television for nine months.

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Getting it for a song (actually an essay)

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Essay by Columbine Quillen

Mountain Life – December 2002 – Colorado Central Magazine

THE ICE PALACE INN in Leadville could be yours for only $230 — and a bit more.

Giles and Kami Kolakowski, the owners of the Leadville bed and breakfast are sponsoring an essay contest in which the winner will take over the ownership and maintenance of the inn including all of its furnishings. The Kolakowskis say they want to move to Seattle, Washington so that they can be closer to their family — and they have decided that this is the best way to enable someone else to live his or her dream.

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A couple of artists: Tammie and Dave LaVercombe

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Article by Columbine Quillen

Artists – March 2002 – Colorado Central Magazine

SALIDA ARTISTS Tammie and Dave Lavercombe offer a diversity of art, from bright colorful landscapes, to wood and paper-maché sculptures, to elegant silver jewelry. They are one another’s biggest fans and they create an atmosphere in their home and studio that welcomes creativity and encourages admiration not only for one another’s art but for the beautiful world that inspires them.

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Gloria Jean Countryman: Making Time to Paint

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Article by Columbine Quillen

Art – August 2001 – Colorado Central Magazine

IN SALIDA, where every restaurant and gift shop hangs art, and where galleries are more common than clothing stores, the artwork of Gloria Jean Countryman still stands out. Her watercolors are vibrant, impressionistic landscapes, still lifes, and Salida street scenes that show an attention to detail and a touch of realism which reveal the artist’s dedication to practice and education.

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Competing in Colorado’s Six-Legged Race

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Article by Columbine Quillen

Pack-Burro Racing – August 1999 – Colorado Central Magazine

I HAVE NEVER considered myself an athlete. Athletic yes, athlete no. My only dream to be an athlete was demolished when I was a little girl and dreamt of being a gymnast. Every day, I cart-wheeled, flipped, and somersaulted in Alpine Park, waiting for Bella Karolyi to find me — just like he found Nadia. But he never did. And eventually I found out that Olympic gymnasts often broke bones and had to perform with painful injuries.

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Kennel of Love by Dogman

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Review by Columbine Quillen

Local Music – January 1998 – Colorado Central Magazine

Kennel of Love

Dogman

Sealed Records

I HAVE TO HAND IT to this band for two reasons. First, because they are in the forefront of the Salida recording scene. And second, because they have not succumbed to growth or tourism in hopes of making some cash.

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Sometimes you can’t help asking stupid questions

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Essay by Columbine Quillen

Tourism – November 1997 – Colorado Central Magazine

Although I had been surrounded by it for most of my life, last summer I finally got a taste of the whitewater rafting business. That’s when I worked for Colorado Whitewater Photography — where my job involved going to various rafting companies to sell their clients pictures of their once-in-a-lifetime whitewater adventure.

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Arrangements of Motion: Barbara Baker

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Article by Columbine Quillen

Local arts – April 1997 – Colorado Central Magazine

Barbara Baker was born in Central Colorado, but left our region at the age of three. Although born in Fairplay, Baker studied ballet in London and modern dance in New York City, and she danced professionally in both Chicago and New York.

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