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The right to carry arms, or guns, can be traced back to the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.
In Colorado, the right to conceal that weapon is traced much closer to home. In fact, it stops at the door of the Archuleta County Sheriff's Department.
Current records show 481 valid permits have been issued in Archuleta County, totaling about 4.8 percent of county residents. In a statewide comparison, those numbers give the county the number-one ranking in per-capita numbers of permits. La Plata County slides in at number two with 574 permits issued among a population of 43,941.
Archuleta County Sheriff Tom Richards Jr., said most people who request a concealed-weapon permit simply want to comply with the law and stop worrying about what is and what is not "concealed."
"I really appreciate that too," he said.
Reasons for needing to carry the weapon vary.
He said some people want it for safety in the backcountry. They may have been carrying a weapon for years, but are concerned about the legal issues if it were to be under a rain coat or tucked away in inclement weather.
Others are in the agriculture or ranching business and use the weapon in cases where an animal is injured and may need to be euthanized.
Another group is people who must transport large amounts of cash for business purposes.
Colorado law allows people to keep a loaded weapon on their person or in their vehicle as long as it's not hidden. Defining "hidden" or "concealed" creates the gray area these people may want to avoid.
"When I get asked what concealed means, I tell them anything that's not in plain view may be considered as concealed," Richards said. A concealed weapon permit gives the permit-holder the right to carry that loaded weapon in a brief case, shoulder holster or by a means otherwise concealed.
Getting caught carrying a concealed weapon without a permit is a Class 2 misdemeanor, punishable by up to a year in prison and $1,000 in fines.
To qualify for a concealed weapon permit in Archuleta County, Richards said, people must be a resident of the state and over 25 years of age. No permits are issued to people charged with domestic violence, those who are under a restraining order or who have been convicted of a felony.
"We're very careful who we issue permits to," he said. Although the vast majority of the permits are issued to county residents, the sheriff does have the authority to issue permits to people from other counties in the state which Richards said happens on rare occasions for some of the same reasons listed above.
Anyone requesting a permit is fingerprinted and a background check is done through the Colorado Bureau of Investigation.
"We won't issue one without that," Richards said. Applicants are also charged a $36 fee to cover the cost of the background check. Once a permit is issued, it covers both legal handguns and long rifles, he said.
Since Richards began issuing annual permits about four years ago, less than six have been rescinded, he said, a good indication that people are being responsible. There are also some restrictions that limit even a concealed-weapon permit, said the sheriff. For instance, schools and government buildings are off-limits for concealed weapons, and carrying one while consuming alcohol is considered "prohibitive use of a weapon," a completely different law.
Besides leaving the issuing of these permits up to local law enforcement groups, Colorado state law gives these agencies the same discretion over the release of information, including the names of the permit holders.
Sheriff Richards said he believes in keeping the names of concealed-weapon permit-holders private for two reasons. First, he said, it would be important to tell people when they apply for the permit that their name was public information, something that hasn't been done.
"I think I should afford them that courtesy when I issue the permit, which I did not," he said. "I think I would be infringing on them some if I was going to do that (make the names public)."
Second, he said, the release of the names could place those who have the weapon as a safety measure when carrying large amount of cash in added danger.
In the past two legislative sessions, bills aimed at permanently preventing the release of the names of concealed-weapon holders have been defeated.
Archuleta County will probably place a 2 percent countywide sales tax on the November ballot in accordance with a general agreement reached among the three county commissioners at an Aug. 2 workshop.
The commissioners also agreed to limit the proposed tax, if voters approve the issue, to seven years. In general, the commissioners hope to write the ballot question in such a way that it will appear to be a continuation of an existing 2 percent sales tax.
The proposed ballot question is being drafted for the November ballot. The language of the proposal will be reviewed by County Attorney Mary Weiss, then forwarded to the Colorado Department of Revenue for review, recommendations, and approval.
Finally, it must be submitted to June Madrid, the county clerk, recorder, and elections official, no later than the close of business Sept. 12, Madrid said, to be eligible for placement on the Nov. 6 ballot. This year's November general election will be conducted entirely by mail, Madrid added.
Included in the language of the ballot question will be stipulations that the tax is a continuation, not a replacement of the 2 percent sales tax last approved by voters in November of 1994 and expiring Jan. 1, 2003. In addition, the ballot question will stipulate that half the 2 percent be given to the Town of Pagosa Springs.
Using the word continuation in the ballot question has important legal bearing on a looming sales tax confrontation between the county and the town.
Last April town voters approved a sales tax of up to 3 percent to run in perpetuity. Triggering implementation of the town tax are a number of possibilities including repeal of the county's sales tax, repeal and readoption of the county sales tax, the county's sales tax determined not to be effective, or the county's sales tax expiring in whole or in part in an amount greater than 1 percent.
County officials hope, in the event of legal confrontation, use of the word continuation will be interpreted to mean other than expire, thereby avoiding implementation of the town tax when the county tax expires.
The town's successful election was called, according to Town Manager Jay Harrington, in order to protect the town's revenue stream from failure of the county referendum in November, or from attack via potential county citizen initiatives, as happened in the recent past.
If the county sales tax election is successful in November, then two voter-approved sales tax measures will be alive. Only one can be implemented, since state law limits sales tax collection rates to 7 percent, including three percent skimmed off of the top by the state. An additional 2 percent shared equally by the town and county has been voter approved in perpetuity and consequently is not an issue.
With both a county and town voter approved sales tax, a way must be found to decide which will prevail.
One way to avoid confrontation would be for either the county or the town to withdraw, leaving the other to collect the tax. A second method could be open confrontation in court.
At this point in time, each entity assures the other that, regardless of outcome, an intergovernmental agreement can be reached assuring each entity half the total sales tax revenue, as is now the case
During Thursday's discussion, Weiss urged the commissioners to consider proposing a sales tax to be levied only outside the town's corporate limits in order to avoid confrontation with the town.
The actual language which will appear on the November ballot is not formally established because it has not been formally voted on by the board of county commissioners. That language and the conditions of tax implementation could change before final adoption.
How bad are the roads in your area of Archuleta County?
Want something done about it?
Want a voice in how the roads are classified and designated for maintenance?
Here's your chance.
The Archuleta County Board of Commissioners is looking for a few good citizens, people who are concerned about roads in their areas, to serve on a planned, new Standing Road Committee.
"We want people from the Navajo, Blanco, Chromo, Arboles and other areas to be represented," said Commissioner Alden Ecker.
He proposed Tuesday night that the working committee which has been analyzing county roads for classification, be named as the formal Standing Road Committee, specifically naming as members Bill Ralston, Rod Preston, Gene Cortright, Fred Ebeling, Jim Carson, Allen Bunch, Kevin Walters and himself.
"We need a road plan for the future for Archuleta County," he said. "We must do a better job with the roads in the county and this committee is the place to start."
Commissioner Bill Downey, while agreeing on the need for the road planning panel, said he feels concern that "five of the eight names suggested represent the Pagosa Lakes area and two represent this board."
"I'd like to see representation from all the other population concentrations in the county," he said, citing "Fourmile Road, Arboles, Navajo and the Blanco area."
Ecker agreed "wholeheartedly, if we can get people to volunteer for such service it would be a great means of grass roots participation."
Commissioner Gene Crabtree, board chairman, said "We've already got an upper Blanco volunteer, Ike Oldham."
An audience member told the board, "If you'd put together a statement of what you plan for this committee to do, what you want to accomplish, I think you'd get the committee volunteers you want."
Ecker said the committee is to be charged with formally establishing road classifications, degree of maintenance desired for each classification, means of removing some areas from maintenance for two-to-three-year periods to allow more action in more heavily traveled areas, and develop a long-range county road plan with with both expansion and maintenance priorities.
Ebeling, in the audience, said "Nothing has been set in stone in our preliminary studies. As a Pagosa Lakes representative, I think it would be good to have representation on the committee from all parts of the county,"
Downey said, "We need to get the word out that we are seeking members from all areas. We need people to know they can have a voice on future roadways. If we can get others, we can reduce the number of Pagosa Lakes people and I don't think they would be offended."
That said, Ecker invited any county resident interested in serving on the committee to contact him in the commissioners' office. "If I'm not there, they can leave their name and I'll get back to them."
Downey said he feels a committee of 10-12 members would not be unwieldy, and would give the project a greater geographic representation of ideas.
Ecker's motion to approve the appointments was not seconded, the board opting instead to see, first, if more volunteers will come forward.
A severe electrical storm swept across Archuleta County Aug. 6 and a bolt of lightning left county residents in the dark for two hours.
The storm began in earnest around 4 p.m. with repeated cloud-to-ground lightning and sheets of heavy rain. As the storm passed over the Stevens Reservoir area northwest of Pagosa Springs, lightning hit the Stevens Tri-State Substation, and the juice went out over most of the county.
"The lightning hit a recloser at the Stevens Tri-State substation," said La Plata Electric Association District Manager Russ Lee. Tri-State is the power supplier to La Plata. "We lost our phones, so we had difficulty communicating with anyone."
Lee said the bolt of lightning hit a recloser between the main Tri-State line bringing electricity to the area from Bayfield, and the lower voltage lines that feed several local substations. LPEA customers in Archuleta County, with the exception of those living near the Yellow Jacket substation on the west edge of the county, and residents of Arboles, were without power.
"It fried the recloser," said Lee of the lightning strike, "and Tri-State had to respond. In the meantime, our crews worked at the site and we were able to connect to an old line from Bayfield. We managed to get everyone back on within two hours."
When a Tri-State crew arrived at the substation at Stevens, the burned recloser was bypassed, allowing power to flow from the main line to the local substations. "Tri-State had everyone back to the normal feed by 10:30 that night," Lee said. "We're sorry for any inconvenience."
People in the construction business are being asked to keep their eyes open and their equipment locked away after a series of thefts over the last 2 1/2 weeks.
Captain Bob Grandchamp of the Archuleta County Sheriff's Department said eight residential construction sites in an area bordered by Piedra Road, Laurel Drive, Escobar Avenue and Granada Drive have been hit.
Around $5,500 in equipment has been reported stolen so far, Grandchamp said. That includes both big ticket items such as an air compressor worth between $800-$1,000, and smaller tools such as a $5 bucket of chalk used in delineating straight lines. Other equipment reported stolen includes a tool bag, orbital sanders, saws and a miter stand.
"Most of the items were pick up and carry," Grandchamp said. All of the thefts occurred at night, between 9 p.m. and 5 or 6 a.m. The first reports came in around July 16.
Grandchamp said it was important for contractors and neighbors to keep their eyes open for suspicious activity around residential construction sites and to make note of identifying characteristics of people and vehicles. He also urged contractors to lock up tools before leaving a job site and to report all thefts, no matter what the value of the items.
"It's like a big puzzle and every little thing can help take me in a different direction," he said.
Contractors should also mark tools and other equipment with their driver's license number to help law enforcement officials spot the stolen pieces faster, the Captain said. Driver's license numbers are preferable to social security numbers, mother's maiden names or other identifying marks because they are easily checked even during a traffic stop.
The investigation into the thefts is continuing, and, although no suspects have been indicated, deputies are searching for a suspicious car seen in the area. Anyone with information regarding the recent series of thefts is asked to call the Archuleta County Sheriff's Department immediately.
A county commissioner workshop on road maintenance conducted July 31 produced wide-ranging discussion of a variety of county road problems, but few specific solutions.
One purpose of the meeting was to define county road maintenance policy in order to help make determinations relevant to preparation of a road maintenance budget for the coming year. Budget preparation is now underway, even though a final budget need not be adopted before late December.
One result of the back-and-forth discussion during the workshop was an opinion shift by Gene Crabtree, chairman of the board of county commissioners, concerning maintenance of private roads.
After Commissioner Alden Ecker suggested some things need to be done in Arboles, Commissioner Bill Downey asked, "Are you aware the Arboles roads are private?"
"If we have people willing to take on roads let's help, even if it is private," Crabtree said. "It's one less road to think about."
At another point early in the meeting Crabtree said, "If we can bring those roads up to a certain level and they (they being residents of any particular subdivision or community irrespective of who owns the roads) want to take over maintenance after that, I say let's do it." Or, "if we have a maintainer in the area and the road is only a mile or two long, it isn't that hard to do it."
After learning that roads constructed during the early 1960s in the Piedra Park subdivisions near Navajo Lake at Arboles are private, according to county planning staff research, Crabtree changed his attitude later during the meeting, saying "That wipes them out. We need to go down there and tell them that we cannot do their roads."
"If we spend public funds on private roads we open ourselves up to serious problems," Downey said.
"We don't need to do all of the (private) roads," Crabtree said. "Just some each year."
"I don't think with our growth rate we can continue to ignore certain situations," Ecker said. "There are roads not on the county system with ruts so deep . . . I don't know the answer but I do think we need to do something for the citizens of the county."
Attending the work session in addition to the three commissioners were Kevin Walters, county road superintendent, two representatives from Pagosa Lakes, Fred Ebeling and Jim Larson, and J.R. Ford.
"It would be sad to use tax money on private roads," said Ford from the audience, "when a lot of public roads are not being done. Those people bought cheaper property. One reason it was cheaper is because it had poor roads. That's not the taxpayers' responsibility."
"Snowplowing is not done on private driveways," Ecker said. "We can't continue to ignore the citizens of the county."
"In most subdivisions, if they are recorded, the rights of way are dedicated to the public," said Ebeling.
"The Piedra Park subdivisions were accepted by the county," said County Attorney Mary Weiss, "but the right of way dedications were specifically excepted."
In general, Ebeling and Larson urged, and the commissioners agreed, that the county needs a road maintenance plan. Key elements of the proposed plan will be compiling a list of roads, classifying the roads according to usage, then establishing a maintenance level for each road classification.
A citizen road advisory committee may be used to help the commissioners establish road maintenance priorities.
"We're looking at maintenance," said Ecker, the commissioner liaison with the county road and bridge department. Ecker also owns and operates Ecker Construction Company which engages in earth moving activities including certain facets of road construction and maintenance.
"We've got to get a plan in place, determine how much money we need," Ecker said. "I want at least a 5-year program. We need to maintain paved roads, maybe pave some more. We need to do things in Arboles. They need to form a metro district. We're getting increased population and traffic."
"I ask that we consider adding mileage to the magnesium chloride program so Kevin can budget for it," Crabtree said. "How many miles should we add, maybe 30?"
"We need to review our needs," Walters said. "We need to consider doing some roads twice a year. La Plata County is doing that. It solves some maintenance problems. They use their own converted water truck. We should consider buying a truck." Archuleta County now uses a contractor, Desert Maintenance, to apply magnesium chloride to county roads.
No conclusion was reached concerning a county decision several years ago to establish a moratorium against accepting new roads into the county road maintenance system. The moratorium remains in effect.
"It's time to get off of the pot and do something, not just say we'll study it," Crabtree said. "We need to show something."
"There is no way the department can manage more (roads)," said Walters. "We can't manage the work load now. We don't have enough crews or equipment. If we take on Piedra Park there are an almost uncounted number of additional roads in other subdivisions that will clamor for maintenance."
"If it isn't in the current system we shouldn't do it," Downey said. "If we add roads to the system, then we should maintain them, not just pick up roads here and there."
By the end of the meeting, Crabtree agreed that the county should not maintain private roads.
Concerning the Arboles area, it was suggested that Walters look for grant funds to be used to improve Marina Road, the entrance to Navajo State Park.
"From where I sit," Ecker said, "there is $992,000 in the road capital improvement fund. I don't think that money should sit in a bank drawing interest. I want to do projects."
The meeting ended without the commissioners reaching any hard-and-fast conclusions concerning county road maintenance policy. Time remains before any decisions need be made for next year's budget.
A county commissioner workshop on road maintenance conducted July 31 produced wide-ranging discussion of a variety of county road problems, but few specific solutions.
One purpose of the meeting was to define county road maintenance policy in order to help make determinations relevant to preparation of a road maintenance budget for the coming year. Budget preparation is now underway, even though a final budget need not be adopted before late December.
One result of the back-and-forth discussion during the workshop was an opinion shift by Gene Crabtree, chairman of the board of county commissioners, concerning maintenance of private roads.
After Commissioner Alden Ecker suggested some things need to be done in Arboles, Commissioner Bill Downey asked, "Are you aware the Arboles roads are private?"
"If we have people willing to take on roads let's help, even if it is private," Crabtree said. "It's one less road to think about."
At another point early in the meeting Crabtree said, "If we can bring those roads up to a certain level and they (they being residents of any particular subdivision or community irrespective of who owns the roads) want to take over maintenance after that, I say let's do it." Or, "if we have a maintainer in the area and the road is only a mile or two long, it isn't that hard to do it."
After learning that roads constructed during the early 1960s in the Piedra Park subdivisions near Navajo Lake at Arboles are private, according to county planning staff research, Crabtree changed his attitude later during the meeting, saying "That wipes them out. We need to go down there and tell them that we cannot do their roads."
"If we spend public funds on private roads we open ourselves up to serious problems," Downey said.
"We don't need to do all of the (private) roads," Crabtree said. "Just some each year."
"I don't think with our growth rate we can continue to ignore certain situations," Ecker said. "There are roads not on the county system with ruts so deep . . . I don't know the answer but I do think we need to do something for the citizens of the county."
Attending the work session in addition to the three commissioners were Kevin Walters, county road superintendent, two representatives from Pagosa Lakes, Fred Ebeling and Jim Larson, and J.R. Ford.
"It would be sad to use tax money on private roads," said Ford from the audience, "when a lot of public roads are not being done. Those people bought cheaper property. One reason it was cheaper is because it had poor roads. That's not the taxpayers' responsibility."
"Snowplowing is not done on private driveways," Ecker said. "We can't continue to ignore the citizens of the county."
"In most subdivisions, if they are recorded, the rights of way are dedicated to the public," said Ebeling.
"The Piedra Park subdivisions were accepted by the county," said County Attorney Mary Weiss, "but the right of way dedications were specifically excepted."
In general, Ebeling and Larson urged, and the commissioners agreed, that the county needs a road maintenance plan. Key elements of the proposed plan will be compiling a list of roads, classifying the roads according to usage, then establishing a maintenance level for each road classification.
A citizen road advisory committee may be used to help the commissioners establish road maintenance priorities.
"We're looking at maintenance," said Ecker, the commissioner liaison with the county road and bridge department. Ecker also owns and operates Ecker Construction Company which engages in earth moving activities including certain facets of road construction and maintenance.
"We've got to get a plan in place, determine how much money we need," Ecker said. "I want at least a 5-year program. We need to maintain paved roads, maybe pave some more. We need to do things in Arboles. They need to form a metro district. We're getting increased population and traffic."
"I ask that we consider adding mileage to the magnesium chloride program so Kevin can budget for it," Crabtree said. "How many miles should we add, maybe 30?"
"We need to review our needs," Walters said. "We need to consider doing some roads twice a year. La Plata County is doing that. It solves some maintenance problems. They use their own converted water truck. We should consider buying a truck." Archuleta County now uses a contractor, Desert Maintenance, to apply magnesium chloride to county roads.
No conclusion was reached concerning a county decision several years ago to establish a moratorium against accepting new roads into the county road maintenance system. The moratorium remains in effect.
"It's time to get off of the pot and do something, not just say we'll study it," Crabtree said. "We need to show something."
"There is no way the department can manage more (roads)," said Walters. "We can't manage the work load now. We don't have enough crews or equipment. If we take on Piedra Park there are an almost uncounted number of additional roads in other subdivisions that will clamor for maintenance."
"If it isn't in the current system we shouldn't do it," Downey said. "If we add roads to the system, then we should maintain them, not just pick up roads here and there."
By the end of the meeting, Crabtree agreed that the county should not maintain private roads.
Concerning the Arboles area, it was suggested that Walters look for grant funds to be used to improve Marina Road, the entrance to Navajo State Park.
"From where I sit," Ecker said, "there is $992,000 in the road capital improvement fund. I don't think that money should sit in a bank drawing interest. I want to do projects."
The meeting ended without the commissioners reaching any hard-and-fast conclusions concerning county road maintenance policy. Time remains before any decisions need be made for next year's budget.
A county commissioner workshop on road maintenance conducted July 31 produced wide-ranging discussion of a variety of county road problems, but few specific solutions.
One purpose of the meeting was to define county road maintenance policy in order to help make determinations relevant to preparation of a road maintenance budget for the coming year. Budget preparation is now underway, even though a final budget need not be adopted before late December.
One result of the back-and-forth discussion during the workshop was an opinion shift by Gene Crabtree, chairman of the board of county commissioners, concerning maintenance of private roads.
After Commissioner Alden Ecker suggested some things need to be done in Arboles, Commissioner Bill Downey asked, "Are you aware the Arboles roads are private?"
"If we have people willing to take on roads let's help, even if it is private," Crabtree said. "It's one less road to think about."
At another point early in the meeting Crabtree said, "If we can bring those roads up to a certain level and they (they being residents of any particular subdivision or community irrespective of who owns the roads) want to take over maintenance after that, I say let's do it." Or, "if we have a maintainer in the area and the road is only a mile or two long, it isn't that hard to do it."
After learning that roads constructed during the early 1960s in the Piedra Park subdivisions near Navajo Lake at Arboles are private, according to county planning staff research, Crabtree changed his attitude later during the meeting, saying "That wipes them out. We need to go down there and tell them that we cannot do their roads."
"If we spend public funds on private roads we open ourselves up to serious problems," Downey said.
"We don't need to do all of the (private) roads," Crabtree said. "Just some each year."
"I don't think with our growth rate we can continue to ignore certain situations," Ecker said. "There are roads not on the county system with ruts so deep . . . I don't know the answer but I do think we need to do something for the citizens of the county."
Attending the work session in addition to the three commissioners were Kevin Walters, county road superintendent, two representatives from Pagosa Lakes, Fred Ebeling and Jim Larson, and J.R. Ford.
"It would be sad to use tax money on private roads," said Ford from the audience, "when a lot of public roads are not being done. Those people bought cheaper property. One reason it was cheaper is because it had poor roads. That's not the taxpayers' responsibility."
"Snowplowing is not done on private driveways," Ecker said. "We can't continue to ignore the citizens of the county."
"In most subdivisions, if they are recorded, the rights of way are dedicated to the public," said Ebeling.
"The Piedra Park subdivisions were accepted by the county," said County Attorney Mary Weiss, "but the right of way dedications were specifically excepted."
In general, Ebeling and Larson urged, and the commissioners agreed, that the county needs a road maintenance plan. Key elements of the proposed plan will be compiling a list of roads, classifying the roads according to usage, then establishing a maintenance level for each road classification.
A citizen road advisory committee may be used to help the commissioners establish road maintenance priorities.
"We're looking at maintenance," said Ecker, the commissioner liaison with the county road and bridge department. Ecker also owns and operates Ecker Construction Company which engages in earth moving activities including certain facets of road construction and maintenance.
"We've got to get a plan in place, determine how much money we need," Ecker said. "I want at least a 5-year program. We need to maintain paved roads, maybe pave some more. We need to do things in Arboles. They need to form a metro district. We're getting increased population and traffic."
"I ask that we consider adding mileage to the magnesium chloride program so Kevin can budget for it," Crabtree said. "How many miles should we add, maybe 30?"
"We need to review our needs," Walters said. "We need to consider doing some roads twice a year. La Plata County is doing that. It solves some maintenance problems. They use their own converted water truck. We should consider buying a truck." Archuleta County now uses a contractor, Desert Maintenance, to apply magnesium chloride to county roads.
No conclusion was reached concerning a county decision several years ago to establish a moratorium against accepting new roads into the county road maintenance system. The moratorium remains in effect.
"It's time to get off of the pot and do something, not just say we'll study it," Crabtree said. "We need to show something."
"There is no way the department can manage more (roads)," said Walters. "We can't manage the work load now. We don't have enough crews or equipment. If we take on Piedra Park there are an almost uncounted number of additional roads in other subdivisions that will clamor for maintenance."
"If it isn't in the current system we shouldn't do it," Downey said. "If we add roads to the system, then we should maintain them, not just pick up roads here and there."
By the end of the meeting, Crabtree agreed that the county should not maintain private roads.
Concerning the Arboles area, it was suggested that Walters look for grant funds to be used to improve Marina Road, the entrance to Navajo State Park.
"From where I sit," Ecker said, "there is $992,000 in the road capital improvement fund. I don't think that money should sit in a bank drawing interest. I want to do projects."
From periodic rains to almost daily rains.
That was the story of the past week and one which could continue for the next week but with a progressively drier outlook as the period progresses.
Officially, Pagosa Country had measurable rain on five of seven days in the past week with a total rainfall for the period, measured at Stevens Field, of 1.86 inches. As you might suspect, the bulk of that moisture - 1.11 inches - came during the Monday evening deluge which also resulted in widespread power outage (see separate story).
Michael Meyers, a meteorologist for the National Weather Service in Grand Junction, said the storms Monday and Tuesday were an "anomalous condition" with moisture flow from the northeast rather than the typical southwest monsoon variety normal this time of year.
He said the residuals of a tropical storm moving inland and northeasterly from the Gulf of Mexico created the situation which found moisture from the gulf being pushed back southwest by a northern low pressure area.
That situation is diminishing now, he said and "you'll be seeing a return to more traditional flow from the southwest in the next few days."
A high in the mid-80s was expected for today, with lows of 53 to 62 tonight and a slight chance for evening showers and thunderstorms. The chance of showers continues Friday, with the temperature rising to highs between 82 and 92 and lows of 55-65. The same temperature range is expected Saturday through Tuesday as the chance of evening showers continues but rainfall totals should be substantially lower than those in the past week.
During that time, instruments at Stevens Field recorded .06 inches Aug. 1, .50 Aug. 3, .02 Aug. 5, 1.11 Monday and .17 on Tuesday for total rainfall in the period of 1.86 inches.
Temperatures ranged from a low of 52 on Aug. 3 to a high of 84 Aug. 2. Average high for the period was 81 and the average low 55.
The Upper San Juan Regional Planning Commission will hold its regular meeting at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Aug. 8 in the Archuleta County Commissioners' Meeting Room in the Archuleta County Courthouse. Public comments are encouraged and welcomed.
The agenda includes a call to order, discussion on a sketch plan, a replat, preliminary plan, a request for extension of a deadline, review of minutes and other business.
The meeting begins with a request for a sketch plan review of the Quintana Minor Impact Subdivision. This is a one-lot subdivision that involves dividing a 5.0-acre parcel from their 86.5 acre ranch.
The property is located at 1585 and 1565 CR 973 and U.S. 151 near Arboles. The property is legally described as a portion of Section 6, Township 32 North, Range 5 West, N.M.P.M., Archuleta County, CO.
The next item is a review of the replat of Parcel 4 in South Village Lake. This Replat would legally subdivide Parcel 4 into two parcels - 4A and 4B. Parcel 4A would contain the Mountain Meadows Townhomes CUP, and 4B would contain the recently conditionally approved Capstone Village Subdivision.
The parcel is located at 195 Lakeside Drive approximately 1,000 feet from the junction of Lakeside Drive and Park Avenue. The property is legally described as Parcel 4 in the 2nd Replat of the South Village Lake Subdivision, SW 1/4 Section 17 and NW 1/4 Section 20, Township 35 North, Range 2 West, N.M.P.M, Archuleta County, CO.
The commission will also review the Preliminary Plan for the Reserve at Pagosa Peak. The proposed subdivision would be located on a 239-acre parcel, which would be subdivided into 140 single-family parcels of varying sizes. One hundred thirty-five of the lots would range from 1/3 to 1/2 an acre; the other five lots will be 4-18-acre lots.
The property is located at 6101 CR 600, approximately six miles north of the intersection of U.S. 160 and CR 600 (Piedra Road). The property is legally described as the SW 1/4 SE 1/4 and SE 1/4 SW 1/4 of Section 24, that portion northerly of County Road 600 (Piedra Road) in the E 1/2 NW 1/4 and W 1/2 NE 1/4 of Section 25, and a tract of land consisting of 19.5 acres, previously known as the Rendezvous Lot 12, in Section 25, all in Township 36 North, Range 2 1/2 West, N.M.P.M., Archuleta County, CO.
The last agenda item before review of past minutes begins is a request for an extension of time from the Preliminary Plan review to the Final Plat submittal for a 35-acre parcel that the developer is proposing to subdivide into four parcels and an additional parcel for open space.
The property is generally located 1 1/2 miles South of the intersection of U.S. 160 and U.S. 84, on the East side of U.S. 84. The property is legally described as the S 1/2 SE 1/4 of Section 19, and the NW 1/4, NE 1/4 of Section 30, Township 35 North, Range 1 West, N.M.P.M., Archuleta County, CO.
Dedication. Selflessness. Compassion. And 7,000 hours of free time.
That's what 60 volunteer firefighters donate to Pagosa Country annually.
They come from all walks of life for all reasons to work toward one goal - suppression of structure fires, grass and brush fires and fire prevention in a 160 square mile area of Archuleta County that is the Pagosa Fire Protection District.
So far this year, members of the district have responded to over 170 calls, on track to pass the 300 mark for the second year in a row, Fire Chief Warren Grams said. Their average response time is 8-12 minutes.
To cover the district, firefighters have access to 15 pieces of equipment based out of five different stations. They are trained by the district at a cost of about $1,500 each, Grams said. Several go the extra mile to become a Certified Firefighter 1 or better, or an EMT. A few are also being cross-trained as a first-response hazardous materials team. Most participate in monthly training sessions.
Fires and ...
Although fighting fires is the number-one responsibility of the district, the duties of firefighters extend into several other areas of emergency response and day-to-day fire safety.
At motor vehicle accidents, volunteers for the district direct traffic, cooperating with Emergency Medical Services personnel from the San Juan Hospital District mitigating possible hazardous material danger. In addition, members of the district perform fire inspections annually on all businesses in town.
"Right now we are in the midst of checking and flowing hydrants of which we have close to 1,000," Grams said.
Grams added that firefighters help out with community service projects, assist residents in removing pets (including a Macaw) from trees, and respond to emergencies at the county airport, Stevens Field.
Compassion required
Firefighting is much more than training, equipment use and putting "the wet stuff on the red stuff," Debbie Tully, a 12-year veteran of the district and a board member said. It requires a willingness to provide something for nothing and great compassion.
"They (firefighters) are so careful when they walk into somebody's house to make the least mess they can," she said. They will work to save homes, people and even give CPR to a family pet if necessary.
Tully pointed to that compassion and the camaraderie displayed by members of the department as two of the reasons she's enjoyed being a firefighter. Despite the different strengths and limitations of each person, she said, everyone consistently comes together as a team.
At any fire scene, people are needed to perform a variety of jobs, Tully said, and physical strength isn't always required.
"I think anybody could do it," she said.
Some, of course, must be willing to don full gear including breathing equipment to enter the burning building. Hoses must be carried, attachments made, equipment wielded. Once the blaze is extinguished others are needed to help with clean-up.
Many involved must sacrifice time at work or with families. Support from the community is required.
"Most employers let their people respond and still pay them for their time, and there are some employers who won't let them respond at all," Grams said.
Lessons learned
Tully and other volunteers agreed that each fire has a different lesson to teach. Some of the worst are when a home is lost.
"You go and a house is fully involved," Tully said. "Everything is black and people are going through their stuff. That's devastating. You can tell them that things can be replaced and I think they know that, but where do you start with just the clothing on your back? Those are the tough ones in general."
Those kinds of tragedies stick in Ron Maez's mind as well. He remembers last year's Christmas Day fire that resulted in loss of a house, and some pretty serious injuries to at least one person. However, a wedding dress readied for a ceremony was saved.
"The good Lord had a hand in that," he said.
Then there are the many times the department can successfully extinguish the blaze without serious losses. Maez gave the example of a chimney fire in a house on the San Juan River.
"It could have taken the whole house, but with the fast response from the fire department it turned out to have minor damage."
A captain on the force, with six years of service under his belt, Maez said the experience has taught him many things on an emotional level.
"You learn integrity, respect, and you gain a lot of discipline," he said.
The beginning
Although neighbors have been fighting each others' fires as a volunteer force since the town's inception, the town of Pagosa Springs officially formed a volunteer fire department in the 1940s, Grams said. Meanwhile, fire protection districts sprouted up in other places around the county. Eventually, the town's volunteer department and a district in the area of Pagosa Lakes combined to form the Pagosa Fire Protection District. The district then took in subdivisions and properties on U.S. 84, building a station south of town on the highway.
"The next inclusion was the Aspen Springs area and the last inclusion was Upper Piedra which now constitutes the whole of the fire district," Grams said.
Keeping numbers up
Despite what can be difficult, demanding and even dangerous work, the district not only maintains close to 60 volunteers, but usually has a waiting list. Right now, three are waiting for a spot.
The success, said Grams, is due to the management, the treatment of people and the nature of volunteer work.
"They aren't fighting for monetary compensation."
That doesn't mean everybody stays.
"We have about a 10 percent rollover rate," Grams said. The rollover comes from people moving in and out of the area. Others with longtime ties to the community have been members of the department for 15-22 years.
Tully said another bonus was the availability of retirement benefits.
Firefighters Maez and LeRoy Lattin agreed that ongoing training had a lot to do with the department's success.
"Chief Grams and Diane (Bower, fire district administrator and arson investigator) have seen to it that we have good equipment to work with," Lattin, a 22-year veteran of the district, said.
Although some equipment is new, including a thermal imaging camera that helps quickly identify hot spots or locate people inside fire-filled structures, Grams said, the department continues to roll with six trucks 20 years old or more.
"The addition of the aerial truck was to satisfy the Insurance Services Organization because of the addition of some large buildings in the district such as the courthouse, the high school and some large condos," Grams said. "Due to enlargement and growth of the district we have purchased used equipment to satisfy department needs. This equipment is becoming old and will need replacing."
Bottom line
The ability of the department, with its five paid staff members, to keep a volunteer department healthy goes beyond saving time and talent to save the community money as well.
"In 1994, the mill levy for taxation for the fire district was 4.684 mills," Chief Grams said. "Our current mill levy is 4.067 mills. Even with the tremendous growth of the district we have managed to lower the tax levy for the district."
Two women in Broken Arrow, Okla., were recently charged with felony animal cruelty after they left two dogs in a car while they shopped. The temperature outside was nearly 100 degrees with a 108-degree heat index. Passersby called the police, and the dogs were saved.
Hot weather can be deadly for dogs, especially those left in cars. During these dog days of summer, the temperature inside a parked car can climb to well over 100 degrees in just a matter of minutes. Beating the heat is extra tough for dogs because they can only cool themselves by panting and sweating through their paw pads.
Heat stroke can come on quickly and result in brain damage or death. Watch for symptoms, such as restlessness, excessive thirst, heavy panting, lethargy, lack of appetite, dark tongue, rapid heartbeat, fever, vomiting, or lack of coordination. If you see a dog showing any of these symptoms, get her to shade immediately and call a veterinarian. Lower body temperature gradually by providing water to drink, applying a cold towel or ice pack to the head, neck and chest, or immersing the dog in tepid (not cold) water.
"Every summer we hear about tragedies that could have been prevented," says PETA Cruelty Caseworker Martin Mersereau. "Many people don't realize how quickly animals left in a hot car or outside without shade or water can succumb to the heat."
Prevent heat stroke by taking these precautions:
Never leave a dog in a parked car. On a 78-degree day, the temperature inside a shaded car is 90 degrees, while a car parked in the sun can reach 160 degrees in minutes. Animals can succumb to heat stroke in just 15 minutes
If you see a dog in a car, take down the car's color, model, make and license plate number and have the owner paged inside the store, or call local humane authorities or police
Don't carry your dog in the bed of a pick-up truck. This is always dangerous, but the heat brings the added danger of burning the dog's feet on the hot metal
Don't take your dog jogging - except on cool mornings or evenings - and don't force exercise. On long walks, rest often and bring plenty of water. Hot pavement can burn dogs' paws; choose shady, grassy routes
Trim heavy-coated dogs' fur, but leave an inch for protection against insects and sunburn. Keep an eye on areas where hair is thin, like eyelids, ears and nose
Keep your dog indoors. If he must stay outside, avoid the hottest part of the day. Provide shade, water, and a kiddie pool. Keep drinking water in an anchored bucket or heavy bowl
Be a watchdog for chained dogs. Make sure they have food, water and shelter. If you see a dog in distress, contact humane society authorities. Give the dog immediate relief by providing water.
Dear Editor,
Lately it seems to me that one of the writers of "The Shepherd's Staff' is overstressing the need to get everything right so that at the ultimate moment we won't find ourselves standing at the gate holding the wrong ticket, so to speak. He suggests that the right ticket can be found by studying 1 John.
We should recognize this is one of the world's oldest sales techniques: create anxiety in your subject by getting him to feel inadequate, insecure or unacceptable and then present your product or service as the cure. Worse than a mortician who plays on your emotions at a stressful time or a car salesman who piques your ego is a pastor who rattles your faith by planting the suggestion that throughout all your life you've had it wrong and your salvation is in jeopardy.
Is it human to do everything right? For Christians, isn't salvation always in jeopardy? Will we ever really know whether the gate will open for us until the goats have been culled from the sheep?
Until then, isn't it a matter of faith, hope, love and trying, trying, trying? When the Pharisees, referring to their mess of conflicting laws (mostly consisting of negative "thou shalt nots"), asked the Master to name the most important one, He bamboozled them by coming up with two positives they hadn't wanted to consider.
Aren't these two the ticket? What help is it to wallow in the paranoia of 1 John?
Henry Buslepp
Proud of them
Dear Editor,
The headlines this past week stopped me in my tracks: "Pagosa students struggle to meet low state CSAP averages." I had to re-read the headline to be certain I hadn't missed a word or two. Perhaps Mr. Walter had better reread the test scores he printed in that article. Furthermore, it may behoove Mr. Walter to adopt a new policy in his reporting, something along the lines of "accentuate the positive."
As an educator in the Archuleta School District, I witnessed first-hand our student body and our faculty sweating over the CSAP. Printing such statements as "While the scoring level achieved locally seems commendable on the surface, some say keeping pace with lower than expected state averages is not really an admirable achievement," diminishes the success of our students and our faculty, especially when such statements have little or no basis.
The first line of Mr. Walter's article tells the tale truthfully: "Pagosa Springs students appear to have kept pace with state averages at every grade level where . . . CSAP tests were administered to 700,000 students earlier this year."
Make that your headline, and help our kids know what a good job they've done and how proud of them we are.
Sean Downing
Great fair
Dear Editor,
I would like to thank our county fair board members for putting on a great fair. I personally know how much work goes into it year-round and what a strain it is on a family. Yet what a gift to families and individuals alike the fair is; the fair truly has something for everyone.
I am especially impressed with what the youth of Archuleta County do with 4-H and what leaders like Shirley Brinkman, Evelyn Miner and Charlie King offer these open minds. It is heartwarming in a world often cold and full of depressing news. While it seems easy to find something to complain about, I think the fair board and 4-H leaders did an excellent job offering a variety of things to see and do, and dealt with problems which came from the lay of the land and weather as best they could.
Congratulations and gratitude to you all.
Addie Greer and family
Cancer battle
Dear Editor,
Pagosa has always been known as a great community, where residents rally around and support neighbors in need.
This is a time of need for a beautiful young lady who has lived in Pagosa a short time. Amanda Brady is 25 years old and is battling cancer. Like most young people, at age 25 Amanda has no insurance. Due to her health problem she is unable to work.
Amanda was accepted for admittance to a cancer clinic in San Diego Aug. 19. She is in desperate need of $3,500 to pay for medical fees.
Family and friends of Amanda Brady will hold a benefit yard sale Saturday, Aug. 18, at the Happy Camper RV Park, but money is needed immediately to secure her position at the clinic in San Diego.
We encourage Pagosans to reach into their hearts and pockets to help with Amanda's expenses. If you are able to make a monetary donation it will be greatly appreciated. Checks may be made payable to the Amanda Brady Fund For Life and can be dropped off at Citizens Bank.
Thank you in advance for your love and support for this very special young woman.
Kim Moore and Terri House
Friends of Amanda Brady
Dear Editor,
Prompted by Richard Walter's "Do you remember" and Katherine Cruse's "exposure to Alpaca shearing."
Is there anyone in the county now who has watched a sheep shearing crew working on Hersch's sheep, one man per animal, in the wool barn with a loading dock by the railroad tracks at Sunetha? The shearing machine was powered by a gasoline motor. This building is still standing on the south side of the present highway across from the sight-seeing tower on Pagosa Resort grounds. It was painted an attractive red with corrals around it to hold and move the sheep into as they had their annual shearing. The Meadows, Trails and Vista land were sheep pasture. The old railroad grade is still visible in many places.
And I remember that young and pretty Nellie Hotz, working in the Post Office when it was located in the Montroy Building, where the Pagosa Springs SUN building is at present. Some years later she worked part time for me when I was bookkeeper for Dunagan Motor Company, one of the two car dealerships in our nice little town. Never a sleepy town! The Dunagan building was on the southwest corner of the stoplight intersection of Fifth, Lewis and San Juan Streets. San Juan Plaza has been built there in recent years after fire destroyed the old buildings of subsequent owners of the Chevrolet Agency.
This site is in the picture in the SUN issue of July 26, Preview section 2, page 2. It is the intersection of San Juan and Lewis Streets on the south (right) of the lead team of the wagon load of logs ahead of the more visible wagon load of logs pulled by oxen. The two-story building in front of the first ox team was painted red and housed a blacksmith shop, later a garage. Charles O. Dunagan purchased the building and business in about 1924. It is now the site of Western Auto Store. Mr. Wicklam built a brick building across Fifth Street to the west which housed Dunagan Motor Company.
Genevieve Phelps
Gas prices
Dear Sir,
For the record, I noted the following gas prices on a trip to Denver this past weekend. All prices are for mid-grade (unleaded plus), gas at either Conoco or Texaco stations: South Fork, $1.62; Del Norte, $1.52; Poncha Springs, $1.58; Conifer, $1.49; and Denver, $1.49 to $1.51.
As usual, never in the competitive loop, stations in Pagosa are charging $1.70.
Oh, well!
Yours very truly,
Bob Outerbridge
Cora M. (Snow) Barngrover, a native of Pagosa Springs and a longtime Salida resident, passed away Aug. 1, 2001 at Columbine Manor Nursing Home in Salida.
Mrs. Barngrover was born on May 23, 1917 in Pagosa Springs to Otto and Mabel (Green) Snow. She moved to Salida in 1965 from Grand Junction.
She was preceded in death by her parents, a son, James Doyle Barngrover, and a daughter, Carolyn Barngrover.
She is survived by a sister, Fay (Keith) Marsh of Canon City; daughter-in-law Debbie (Johnny) Scanga of Poncha Springs, and grandchildren Chris and J.T. Scanga of Poncha Springs.
A graveside service was held Aug. 6 at Hilltop Cemetery in Pagosa Springs.
Karen Velois Brown, 47, died Saturday, July 21, 2001 in a Fort Worth hospital following a lengthy battle with breast cancer.
Funeral services were held July 24, 2001.
Ms. Brown was born Dec. 4, 1953 in Rankin, Texas to William F. "Bill" and M.J. (Richardson) Brown. The family moved to Graham in 1966. She was an honor graduate of Graham High School, Texas A&M University (Class of '76), and the Navy Postgraduate School, Monterey, Calif. She was commissioned in the United States Navy following graduation from Officers Candidate School, Newport, R.I., in July, 1981.
She served in various duty stations in San Diego and Monterey, Calif., Washington, D.C., and San Antonio, Texas. During the Persian Gulf War, she received special recognition for her work with the cruise missile system and served on the Pentagon briefing team. After serving in the navy 15 years, she received a medical discharge and retired at the rank of lieutenant commander, and remained in the Washington area as a technical specialist and senior systems information engineer with the Defense Information Security Agency.
In April of this year, she returned to Graham to make her home. She was a member of the First United Methodist Church.
Survivors include her parents, Bill and M.J. Brown of Graham; brothers Dr. Bob Brown of Pagosa Springs, and Bill Brown and wife Janet of College Station, Texas; a sister, Janice Ray and her husband, Rupert, of Keller, Texas; her grandmother, Velma G. Richardson of Oklahoma City; and eight nieces and nephews, including Amanda and Will Brown of Pagosa Springs.
The Francavilla family is proud to announce the forthcoming marriage of their daughter, Patricia Christine Jensen, to Robert Raymond Shoffner Jr. The wedding will take place Saturday, Sept. 8, 2001 at Williams Creek.
The 18th annual Softball Blowout in Pagosa Springs could have been a washout, but Sue Jones and a vast team of volunteers turned the Sports Complex quagmire into four playable fields for the weekend tournament.
Monsoonal rains on Thursday and Friday had people worried about the scheduled start of competition Saturday morning in the traditional end-of-summer tournament.
Jones, coordinator of the event, had tons of sand and bags of chemical moisture absorbent hauled in to the complex.
And suddenly there was a volunteer crew working on every field. Familiar faces and others who just wanted to help got involved. People like Dave Belarde, Mark Young and Nathan Barela; Matthew Jones, Jody Martinez, Andy Gonzales, and Ricky Ochoa joined in; Heather Emberry, Casey Belarde, Everett Coen and Dan Janowsky all were seen laboring over the muddy fields.
Trenches were dug, pools of water drained away or soaked up. Mud was treated with the chemicals and even some of the visiting players were working the basepaths to get them into shape.
When games got underway, nearly two hours late, there still were boggy areas but competition was fierce with 34 teams giving everything they had in quest of the titles and prizes.
Five of the six winning teams were from Albuquerque (one with a local sponsor) - the sixth from Monte Vista. In the Women's Division first place went to the A-Team, second to the Wildcats and third to A-1, all from Albuquerque.
In the Men's Division, first place went to a Pam Eaton Realty-sponsored team from Albuquerque; second to the Crazy 10s of Monte Vista and third to the Noblemen from Albuquerque.
The big winners of the Blowout, however, are the youth of Pagosa Springs who are involved in wrestling.
For the second year in a row, the proceeds will go to the wrestling program for the purchase of weight-lifting equipment designed to assist wrestlers in developing muscle groups used specifically in that sport. If sufficient funds are available, a VCR also will be purchased for film viewing.
In a letter to Jones, coaches David Hamilton and Janowsky said:
"Regardless of the outcome, we would like to express our thanks to you for the time, organization and effort you put into putting on this fine tournament. It helps our local softball teams, our local economy, and more importantly, our youth. You are to be commended for your efforts."
Last year's proceeds - $2,000 - allowed the wrestling program to purchase a special scoring clock and stationary exercise bicycles for weight-room conditioning programs.
By Monday morning, Jones was estimating this year's benefit amount at $1,600 and possibly higher, after all special expenses have been covered.
Two-man best ball competitions, in which the team records the lower of the two players' scores, often feature very low total scores since only one player has to score well on each hole for the team to do well.
The Pagosa Springs Men's Golf League event Aug. 1 proved the rule as Ward Lawrence and Ray Henslee shot a 16-under-par 56 to win the low net competition. Bob Chitwood and Ray Laird took second shooting a 59, with Ray McCumber and Jere Hill taking third at 61.
Wayne Huff and Tom Griffin shot a 6-under-par 66 to take first place in the gross competition. Dave Prokop and Fred Campuzano were 2 under par at 70 to take second, followed by Robin Elder and Malcolm Rodger at even-par 72.
The Men's League is open to golfers of all levels. League dues are $25 for the season, payable in the pro shop. Competition begins every Wednesday at 1 p.m. Sign up in the men's locker room before 5 p.m. the Tuesday afternoon before each play day.
The Totah Festival golf tournament is scheduled Aug. 17 at Pinon Hills Golf Course in Farmington with an 8 a.m. shotgun start.
Awards and door prizes will be given. Cost is $65 per player or $260 per team which includes green fee, golf cart fee, continental breakfast, lunch and range balls.
Registration has been extended to 5 p.m. Aug. 13.
Call (505) 327-9673 or (505) 599-1174 for registration forms.
The first session is over and Kathy Carter knows who - and what - she has to work with in the next ten days to get her Pagosa Pirates golf squad ready for its opener Aug. 17 in Alamosa.
Presently, there are eighteen prospective team members, including last year's lone state playoff contender, senior Luke Boilini, sophomore Garrett Forrest, who fired three aces during junior varsity competition last year, Ty Faber who saw both jayvee and varsity action last year, and a lone female contender for the team, Brett Garman.
Threatening weather which later turned into the worst electrical storm of the year, limited first night practice, but Clark was able to outline for her squad what she expects from them, what they should expect of themselves, and how they should conduct themselves on the links and in the respective clubhouses.
The Pirates will play out of Pagosa Springs Golf Club, and will host their only home event of the year at that venue on Aug. 25. By that time, according to the initial schedule, the Pirates will already have competed in matches in Alamosa, Cortez and Durango.
First day competitors for team slots, in addition to those already mentioned, were Casey Belarde, Steven Sellers, Sean Spear, Dominic Maez, Kyle Wiggers, Dan Coggins, Matt Lattin, Craig Lucero, Adam Timmerman, Jake Mackensen, Derrick Rader, Jesse Trujillo, Justin Bloomquist, Steven Parker and Jared Lincoln.
They will be working out daily as the season rapidly approaches and Carter is expected to name her varsity lineup for the Alamosa match next Monday.
Don Blaine, a substitute teacher in the Archuleta County school system, is a man who lives up to the credo he teaches his students.
"If you want to be successful and good in life, there are two things that must be done," he tells youngsters. "No. 1 is to believe in God and No. 2 believe in yourself! You can then accomplish and be anything that you want to be."
Blaine took that feeling with him last weekend when he entered the Rocky Mountain Senior Games in Greeley.
He won the 50-meter championship and brought his gold medal back to Pagosa Springs.
And, what was he doing Monday morning? Working out.
He's getting ready for the 2003 Senior Olympics to be held in Virginia by training for the 100, 200 and 400 meter races.
This type of challenge is not new to Blaine. In the early 1950s, he was the Marine Corps League sprint champion in the 100 and 220 and the long jump and then was an all-Marine League football halfback averaging 12.3 yards per carry. During that time he was awarded what was then the highest award a military athlete could receive - the John Freeman Memorial Trophy which gave him three college scholarships - to University of Southern California, UCLA and Trinity in track and football.
During the Korean War, he joined the U.S. Air Force. He completed his schooling at El Camino College and graduated from the University of Texas. He holds a general engineering license, a lifetime teaching certificate from Texas and a certificate from Colorado.
And, it's evident he practices what he preaches - "If you believe you can, you can!"
All students interested in playing junior high football must report to the junior high school gym on Monday, Aug. 13. Practice starts at 4 p.m. and will go until 6 p.m.
Players should come to practice with a physical and parent permission form completed. This form can be obtained through a local physician, and it must be given to a coach before a student can practice. Students should come to practice in shorts and T-shirts and with enthusiasm to play football.
If there are any questions regarding practice, call Chris Hinger at 264-5802 or Jason Plantiko at 731-9592.
Dylan Cole Young-Poston was born June 22, 2001 at Mercy Medical Center in Durango. Dylan, who weighed 9 pounds, 9.2 ounces and measured 20 inches, is the son of Chad Poston and Sherry Young. Grandparents are Joe and Martha Young of Pagosa Springs, Jim Poston of Pagosa Springs and Toni Poston of Fort Worth.
William Everett Black was born July 20, 2001 to Michael and Lisa at their home in Pagosa Springs. Grandparents include: Rebecca Brown of Columbus, Ohio; Dennis and Nancy Black of Beaumont, Texas; Ellen and Jeff Allen of Denver; Greg Dowd of Little Canada, Minnesota. William's aunt is Tracy Dowd of Pagosa Springs and her uncle, Darron Black, lives in Houston.
Real Estate Transactions
Seller: Cynthia Marie Sprague
Buyer: Larry Daniel Sprague
Property: Pagosa Meadows, Unit 3, Lot 88
Price: Not listed
Seller: Cynthia M. Sprague
Buyer: Larry D. Sprague
Property: 3-32-6W
Price: Not listed
Seller: Randy L. Stefanowicz
Buyer: Val and Sharon Lowder
Property: Twincreek Village, Lot 629X
Price: $230,000
Seller: Timothy and Gloria Jean Shumaker
Buyer: Donald Wayne Chippindale and Christine Toni Figliolino
Property: Lake Pagosa Park, Lots 7 and 8, Block 6
Price: $249,500
Seller: Colorado Timber Ridge Ranch
Buyer: Timothy B. and Gayle E. Clark
Property: Colorado's Timber Ridge, Phase One, Lot 53
Price: $60,800
Seller: O.C. Hamilton Jr.
Buyer: Chris and Michele Smith
Property: North Village Lake, Lot 20
Price: $19,000
Seller: Dave and Debbie Whittaker
Buyer: Frank S. Orth
Property: North Village Lake, Lot 119
Price: Not listed
Seller: Frank S. Orth
Buyer: Arthur D. and Connie J. Byers
Property: North Village Lake, Lot 119
Price: $40,000
Seller: Jerry F. and Martha J. Venn
Buyer: Peter and Inis M. Reardon
Property: 17-34-4W and 8-34-4W three tracts
Price: $312,000
Seller: Jerry F. and Martha J. Venn
Buyer: Peter and Inis M. Reardon
Property: Water rights
Price: Not listed
Seller: Patricia H. Poluchin
Buyer: Linda Cormier
Property: North Village Lake, Lot 54
Price: $19,500
Seller: Jean Marie Hartman, Linda L. and Larry J. Veik
Buyer: Luetta M. Dodge
Property: Pagosa Vista, Lot 20
Price: $40,000
Seller: Robert J. and Judy A. Cecka
Buyer: Richard W. and Adele J. Roberts
Property: Easement, see document
Price: Not listed
Seller: Robert J. and Judy A. Cecka
Buyer: Robert S. and Rebecca L. Gisburne
Property: Piedra Estates, Lot 37
Price: $1,075,000
Seller: Ruby Gomez Archuleta (estate of)
Buyer: Margaret Daugaard
Property: Cor. Rec. #97005192 and 20000335 legal description/water rights, 33-33-1W, 34-33-1W, 3-32-1W, 4-32-1W and 9-32-1W
Price: Not listed
Seller: Archuleta County Public Trustee, Everrett L. and Marilyn P. Coen
Buyer: Well Fargo Bank Minnesota NA
Property: Pagosa Vista, Lot 183
Price: Not listed
Seller: Timothy M. Perry
Buyer: B. Eugene and Patricia H. Criss
Property: Village Service Commercial, Lots 15 and 18 NE 30 Ft.
Price: $337,000
Seller: Laura Perry
Buyer: B. Eugene and H. Patricia Criss
Property: Village Service Commercial, Lots 15 and 18 NE 30 Ft.
Price: Not listed
Seller: Dana G. III and Nancy C. Griffin
Buyer: Griffin Family Trust
Property: 21-36-1W
Price: Not listed
Seller: Archuleta County Public Trustee, Ladonna Radney
Buyer: Bank One NA, First National Bank Chicago (TTE) (FKA)
Property: Pagosa Vista, Lot 109
Price: Not listed
Seller: Anthony T. and Kimberly Colletto Rev. Lt.
Buyer: Anthony T. Colletto
Property: Twincreek Village, Lot 709
Price: Not listed
Seller: Anthony T. Colletto
Buyer: Kyle and Ray Disilvestro
Property: Twincreek Village, Lot 709
Price: $8,000
Seller: Timbered Canyon LLC
Buyer: Thomas D. and Elizabeth A. Johnson
Property: Elk Park Meadows Subdivision Phase 1, Lot 17
Price: $83,200
Seller: Sunrise Construction Inc.
Buyer: Linda L. and Gerald C. Caves
Property: 29-35-1W and 32-35-1W
Price: Not listed
Seller: Richard and Peggy Carrai
Buyer: Anne S. Miller
Property: Aspenwood Condos, Unit 115, Bldg. 35
Price: $88,000
Seller: Colorado Dream Homes LLC
Buyer: Colorado Dream Homes Inc.
Property: Piedra Estates, Tract H
Price: Not listed
Seller: Archuleta County Public Trustee, Debra L. and Kenneth W. Ford
Buyer: State Street Bank and Trust Company
Property: Pagosa Vista, Lot 177
Price: Not listed
Seller: Lotsland Investors Inc.
Buyer: Great New Homes Inc.
Property: North Village Lake, Lot 31
Price: Not listed
Seller: Great New Homes Inc.
Buyer: Ronald A. and Wilma M. Harrington
Property: North Village Lake, Lot 31
Price: $197,900
Seller: Shirley J. Peterson
Buyer: James R. Peterson
Property: 14-32-6W
Price: Not listed
Seller: Bell Country Land Co.
Buyer: Rodney L. and Lisa C. Catlin
Property: Pagosa Vista, Lot 235
Price: $11,000
Seller: Albert and Anita Abranovic
Buyer: Albert and Anita Mary Abranocic, Albert and Anita Mery Abranovic Rev. Trust
Property: Pagosa In The Pines, Lot 13X
Price: Not listed
Seller: Albert and Anita Abranivic
Buyer: Albert and Anita Mary Abranovic, Albert and Anita Mery Abranovic Rev. Trust
Property: Pagosa In The Pines, Lot 12
Price: Not listed
Seller: Charles Richard Stith (estate of)
Buyer: Xavier and Susan K. Larsen Gonzalez
Property: 5-32-1W and 6-32-1W
Price: Not listed
Seller: Gloria Lorraine Stith (estate of)
Buyer: Xavier and Susan K. Larsen Gonzalez
Property: 5-32-1W and 6-32-1W
Price: Not listed
Seller: Patricia J. Hatcher and Kevin K. Moore
Buyer: Patricia J. Hatcher and Wanda Y. Duffin
Property: Pagosa Meadows, Lot 13
Price: Not listed
Seller: Bell Country Land Co.
Buyer: Chris Bell
Property: Pagosa Vista, Lot 272
Price: Not listed
Seller: Archuleta County Treasurer, Charley L. and Shana L. Bidwell
Buyer: International Ventures Inc.
Property: Aspen Springs Subdivision 6, Lot 760
Price: Not listed
Seller: Archuleta County Treasurer, Charley L. and Shana L. Bidwell
Buyer: International Ventures Inc.
Property: Aspen Springs Subdivision 6, Lot 759
Price: Not listed
Seller: Roger C. Gibson and Brenda Berczik
Buyer: Revocable Living Trust for the Benefit, Sarah R. Hadley Revocable Living Trust
Property: Friendly Forest Tract 3
Price: $339,000
Seller: Roger Gibson
Buyer: Revocable Living Trust for the Benefit, Sarah R. Harley Revocable Living Trust
Property: Friendly Forest Tract 7
Price: Not listed
Seller: Brenda Berczik
Buyer: Revocable Living Trust for the Benefit, Sarah R. Hadley Revocable Living Trust
Property: Friendly Forest, Tract 7
Price: Not listed
Seller: John W. Osborn III
Buyer: Thomas E. Meeks Jr.
Property: North Village Lake Lot 18
Price: Not listed
Seller: Thomas E. Meeks Jr.
Buyer: William L. and Beverly A. Hyrnko
Property: North Village Lake, Lot 18
Price: $42,000
Seller: Patrick L. Beaulieu
Buyer: Patrick L. and Carol L. Beaulieu
Property: Lake Pagosa Park, Lot 12, Block 17
Price: Not listed
Seller: Karl Kuby
Buyer: James Patrick Bergan
Property: Aspen Springs Subdivision 2, Lot 2, Block 7
Price: $7,000
Seller: Thomas D. Easley
Buyer: Davidson Williams Case
Price: $127,800
Seller: Saundra K. Easley
Buyer: Barbara Case, Rich Walter and Olivia A. Barkley
Property: Pagosa Meadows, Unit 3, Lot 97
Price: Not listed
Seller: Kimberly A. French
Buyer: Anthony T. Colletto
Property: Twincreek Village, Lot 709
Price: Not listed
Seller: TMS Mortgage Inc.
Buyer: Homecomings Financial Network Inc.
Property: Aspen Springs Subdivision 1, Lot 39, Block 13
Price: Not listed
Seller: Homecomings Financial Network Inc.
Buyer: Gabriel and Janet A. Campuzano
Property: Aspen Springs Subdivision 1, Lot 39, Block 13
Price: $75,000
Seller: Pagosa San Juan No. 2
Buyer: Mark and Stacey Jehnzen and Andrew G. Popowicz
Property: 27-35-1W
Price: Not listed
Seller: Michael and Carolyn I. Kittredge
Buyer: Pagosa San Juan No. 3
Property: 27-35-1W
Price: Not listed
Seller: Pagosa San Juan No. 3
Buyer: Mark and Stacey Jehnzen and Andrew G. Popowicz
Property: 27-35-1W
Price: Not listed
Seller: Pagosa San Juan No. 9
Buyer: Mark and Stacey Jehnzen and Andrew G. Popowicz
Property: 27-35-1W, 33-35-1W and 34-35-1W
Price: Not listed
Seller: D. William and Joan C. Pike Trust
Buyer: Brad S. and Faith A. Carey
Property: Martinez Mountain Estates, Lot 16
Price: $51,000
Seller: Anita K. Schwendeman
Buyer: James R. and Diane K. Hoyt
Property: San Juan River Resort Subdivision Unit 1, Lot 84
Price: $183,000
Seller: Colorado Logsystems Inc.
Buyer: Diane G. Purdy
Property: Pine Crest Subdivision, Lot 7
Price: $155,000
Seller: Cal and E. Ruth Stanger Trust
Buyer: Rockridge Partnership
Property: Rock Ridge Country Estates, Lot 20, Block 1
Price: $110,000
Seller: Pagosa Springs VFW Post 9695
Buyer: William Lou Clifford Basnett Sr.
Property: Aspen Springs Subdivision 2, Lot 1, Block 2
Price: $95,000
Seller: Dorothy Bell
Buyer: Dorothy Bell, First American Financial LLC
Property: Pagosa Vista, Lot 242
Price: Not listed
Seller: Gerald L. Galles Trust
Buyer: Alturas Log Homes LLC
Property: Lake Forest Estates, Lot 91
Price: $15,500
'Archie': Winning name for our bear
We had a terrific time with our Name the Bear Contest, and are delighted to announce our winner.
We have 128 entries in this hotly contested race, some of which were hilarious, some blatantly silly and some downright thought-provoking. You do need to know that when the list of potential bear names was given to the directors, the folks who suggested said names remained nameless.
All entries were e-mailed to our fearless directors for their perusal and ultimate vote, and a clear winner emerged: "Archie" (bearly) wins, and was submitted by Diplomat Lillian Steele, who resides right here in Pagosa.
I think Lillian's reason for selecting "Archie" might have given her the final edge over the other contestants. She cited the fact that he lived in Archuleta County made it the perfect moniker and, obviously, the directors agreed.
Thank you all for your participation in this contest, and honorable mention goes to another Diplomat, Carol Gunson, for her "oso" close name of "Archie Oso."
'Twas fun, and I hope you all will come to the Visitor Center to see Archie if you haven't done so already.
Grand opening
Nancy Green, owner and proprietor of the Spirit Elk Gallery, invites you to join her tomorrow evening, 4-8 p.m. for her Grand Opening. This is a great opportunity to meet the artists and sign up for one of several door prizes that will be awarded to lucky participants.
To whet your appetite, one of the prizes is an original Image of Stone by Syl Holly-Lobato.
Nancy will be serving refreshments at this celebration and hopes you will join her to officially open the Spirit Elk Gallery located at 117 Navajo Trail Drive, Suite A, in the Silverado Shopping Center.
If you would like more information, please give her a call at 731-4565. Hope to see you all on Friday night.
Home and Garden Tour
Remember that this Sunday, Aug. 12, marks the first-ever Pagosa Springs Arts Council Home and Garden Tour, from noon until 5 p.m.
The selection of homes to be toured include mountain style, French country with craftsman details, Victorian, Santa Fe with unique art collection, rock gardens and yard art and a complete solar home. You will also be treated to a greenhouse of vegetables and flowers in this unique tour.
To keep up your strength, you can make a few pit stops at the Arts Council Gallery in Town Park for refreshments from 11-4 that day.
Tickets for this event are $10 each and $8 for Arts Council members. The discounted tickets can be purchased at the gallery and all others are available at the Chamber of Commerce, Moonlight Books, Taminah Gallery and Gifts and Wolftracks Bookstore and Coffee Company.
Mountain gardening can be especially challenging with the short growing season we experience, so it will be particularly helpful to learn some tips from the pros. Please join us on Sunday for yet another Pagosa first.
Fabulous Fair
Many thanks and hearty congratulations to the hard working folks - lots and lots of them - who put together this year's county fair. I am always somewhat overwhelmed by the behemoth challenges of such an event and the massive coordination efforts required to pull it off. Obviously, President Emzy Barker and the entire fair board are more than up to the task because they did a splendid job of it and created a delightful weekend filled with more events than ever before.
Our sincere thanks to all of the fine folks who volunteered so many of their precious hours to this annual gala. The Golden Anniversary was a great success, and we all look forward to the next fifty years.
Stats and stuff
Every now and then I like to give you some figures regarding the Visitor Center so you will know whether we're up or down from the previous year and learn which states love us most.
This time I'd like to share some information about our newly-created WebDurango.com web site. We are extremely pleased with the new site and have had many positive comments from our members about the beautiful presentation and the ease with which it can be used.
The counter was installed on July 18, and the total number of visitors to the site July 18-31 was 13,618, which is pretty remarkable for a new site. We're hoping that we will break all previous records this year with number of visits on the site. One kinky little piece of information on the report is a "reference by domain" directory which indicated that we had 12 hits from askjeeves.com. I find that mighty interesting.
The Visitor Center traffic was down a bit in July (about 300) and we feel that the odd juxtaposition of the July 4 holiday (right slam in the middle of the week) combined with the highway construction on both sides of us and gas prices probably account for this. I think most businesses in Pagosa would agree that the construction, albeit necessary, has had some effect on our tourism numbers this year. That being said, May and June v foot traffic numbers were both up from the previous year - 3,305 this year as opposed to 2,888 last year in May, and 7,071 this year over last year's 6,917.
The breakdown with areas differs a bit from previous reports in that Texas is "way out in front" with 4,262 folks from the Lone Star State visiting us year-to-date. Colorado visitors come in second with 3,210; New Mexico next with 1,948; Oklahoma in fourth place with 1,052 and, last but not least, Arizona in fifth place with 985. Surprisingly, Florida's 444 visitors outnumber Utah's with almost 100 more people coming in. One would think that a contiguous state would outnumber an East Coast state, but that just wasn't so. Curious animal, this tourism game.
The information packets requested and sent tells a different story, and these are the things that keep us on our toes trying to figure out. To date, Coloradans have requested 409 packets, Texans 391, New Mexicans 129, Californians 128 and Oklahomans 108. The only real consistency I see between foot traffic and requests is that New Mexico ends up right in the middle both times. Curiouser and curiouser.
Nice round numbers to announce this week with four new members and four renewals. We have just received our new 2001-2002 renewal forms, letters and decals and, as I promised, you'll be seeing a lot of silver and stars during this silver anniversary year. The silver decals are especially fun.
Our first new member this week is Shanah Schaffer who brings us Squirrel's Pub and Pantry located in the Oak Ridge Best Western at 158 Hot Springs Boulevard. Squirrel's serves a buffet from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. seven days a week, with Karoke every Tuesday evening at 6 p.m. You can enjoy Happy Hour weekday evenings from 5-7, and on Friday and Saturday, join Debbie Ramey Live at 8 p.m. If you have questions, please give Shanah a call at 264-6763.
Our next new member is Drew Horn who brings us Rocky Mountain Publishing currently located in Muskogee, Oklahoma, at 224 North Main Street. Drew will be creating an Archuleta County Telephone Directory, and we will keep you updated on that project as we receive more information. In the meantime, if you would like to learn more, please call Drew at (918) 776-7161 or (918) 682-1401.
New member number-three is an old friend who left Pagosa Springs but has returned because we're so doggoned irresistible - or something like that. Gayle Allston joins our ranks with Allston Designworks offering advertising and marketing consultation as well as graphic design, illustration, copywriting and production. Gayle specializes in creative and affordable marketing solutions for Pagosa area businesses and brings twenty years experience to our table. If you would like to chat with Gayle about your needs, please call her at 731-2643.
We next welcome the new owners and fine folks at Domino's Pizza, Theo and Sonia VanderViede. Domino's is located at 634 San Juan Street in the mid-town Sunoco building right off Sixth Street. Domino's Pizza offers great pizza at a great price. (We should know - they donated 10 pizzas to the Membership Appreciation Car Wash.) Stop in soon for a great tasting pizza or call for delivery within a limited area at 264-6682.
Renewals this week include Bill Goddard and Connie Bunte at the Choke Cherry Tree, and Jennie Blechman with Artemisia Botanicals. All three of our Associate Member renewals this week are valued Chamber Diplomats. Jean Sanft has been with us for many years and was made Cutting the Cheese Queen for a Day at last year's Diplomat luncheon. Before your mind goes asunder, Jean cut pounds and pounds of cheese for our Wine and Cheese Tasting last September. Ron and Sheila Hunkin renew this week, and along with being Volunteers of the Year a couple of years ago, you must ask Ron about the crown thing here at the Chamber. We sure do love giving our Diplomats a hard time, in case that isn't apparent.
Medicare supplement data welcomed; third picnic set
We were happy to have Andy Fautheree from the Veterans Service Office visit with our folks on Wednesday. Andy has a radio program, the "Bill Miller Show," on KWUF every Tuesday from 6-9 p.m. where he plays music from the 1940s to 1960s. This should appeal to a lot of folks.
A belated happy birthday (Aug. 1) to Rose Perea, who is one of our kitchen staff. We hope it was a great birthday. Also, we welcome Agnes Maez to our kitchen staff.
Our thanks to Lloyd Moore and Scott Stamper from United American Insurance who were our guest speakers on Friday. They presented information regarding different types of supplementary Medicare insurance policies. They also donated a $100 gift certificate from Wal-Mart for a drawing. Judy Ulatowski won the drawing. We are happy to honor Kent Schaffer as our Senior of the Week.
It was a pleasure to have Gordon and Ruby Hughes, from Louisiana, join us on Friday as guests of Carolyn and Bo Kuban. We welcomed Trudy and Erik Eriksen, from Tacna, Ariz., on Monday. They were guests of Bobbie and Carroll Carruth. A big welcome back to Lena Bowden.
August 17 is our third picnic in the park for the summer. The planned menu is oven fried chicken, pork n' beans, veggie salad, rolls and fruit mix. We hope for a large turnout. Bring your family members along if you would like (suggested donations are $2.25 for folks over 60 and a required fee of $4.50 for others).
Patty Tillerson, who so generously donates her time to take blood pressures for our folks, was scheduled to be at the center on Aug. 17, but has rescheduled to Aug. 24 because of the picnic on Aug. 17.
Several sign-up sheets for upcoming social events are in the lobby at the center. On Aug. 16 we take the next Durango shopping trip; on Aug. 11 the bus will provide transportation to Creede for a day of fun - visiting the Underground Mining Museum, lunch at a restaurant, then attending the presentation of "The Nerd" at the Creede Repertory Theater that afternoon; and on Aug. 23 we plan to go to the Bar D Chuckwagon in Durango for dinner and entertainment. Please note prices and sign up soon if you wish to attend any of these events. You may call 264-2167 and talk to Cindy or Musetta if you have questions.
The San Juan National Forest, together with several agencies and individuals under the title "Interpretive Alliance," will conduct several interesting events in August - the next being the Wildflower Hike, Aug. 13. Meet at the Wolf Creek pass parking lot at 9 a.m. On Aug. 15 they will sponsor a Pioneer Museum Open House, "Evening with the Natives" from 7-9 p.m. and on Aug. 18 is an Historic Walking Tour, which leaves from the Archuleta County Courthouse at 9 a.m.
Each Tuesday morning in August, at 8:30 a.m., there will be a 90-minute presentation on Bill Moyer's series "Death and Dying" - one video presented each time, four total. This is very informative, especially as it relates to Hospice care, etc., so we hope folks will take time to attend these presentations.
High-Tri triathlon opens at 8 a.m. Saturday
Pagosa Lakes Recreation Center will be a very happening place Saturday morning.
The annual High-Tri triathlon will start from the recreation center at 8 a.m. made up of three stages. The race begins with a 7.2 mile run followed by a 14.4 mile mountain bike ride and finishes in the indoor pool with a half mile swim.
Late registrations are still being accepted - right up to 7:45 a.m. on Aug. 11. Teams are still being formed and if you would like to run, mountain bike or swim, call me at the center at 731-2051. Volunteers, spectators, cheerleaders and all casual observes are welcome.
People ask me why we finish our local triathlon with a swim instead of starting off with the swim. When you consider the elevation of the swim/bike run concept, it all seems quite random. Of the first Ironman on Oahu, the founder of Ironman racing John Collins said, "We started with the swim first in 1978 because we had few good swimmers and we did not want to lose track of anyone. The bike was second because we knew we would be going into the night and did not want anyone on the public roads in the dark on a bike." There is nothing sacred about the order of events and while it is still a young sport, we can make necessary changes. It is a lot less complicated to fit 50 to 60 athletes into a four-lane, 25-yard indoor pool after natural selection staggers the competitors over the course of the run and bike legs of the event.
While road runners, cyclists and swimmers have grown technical and obsessed with gear, splits and training logs, the breed of athletes that get involved in the High-Tri triathlon are looking for a good time and some adventure in a competitive setting. People go in with the attitude that "this is going to be a fun time," and afterward they have fun telling stories about their crashes out on the course. This local triathlon is definitely a sport where you can race in baggy shorts, ride your bike with toe straps, and have fun without being intimidated like you might at a typical road triathlon. See you on Saturday.
Workshop results
A design workshop held at the recreation center on June 11 yielded comments and suggestions from the 48 property owners and center members in attendance.
In an open forum, we discussed the most problematic issues with the current building, and developed a potential "wish list" of enhanced current uses and potential new uses for the recreation facility.
One concept that had significant popularity was the potential outdoor pool that would not only be an additional amenity for PLPOA families, but also mitigate the impact of timeshare property owner families during the summer peak season. This concept would divert children to an outdoor pool, leaving the indoor activity area less impacted by kids. Funding for some of the major capital projects will need to be resolved jointly with Fairfield (currently under new ownership of Cendant).
A second workshop to be held Aug. 13 at 6 p.m. at the recreation center, will give all interested persons a chance to review conceptual plans for expansion of the facility. These are conceptual plans, and any and all changes are best implemented at this stage. Please attend to give us your input.
Quillen cited for bridging government, citizenry
Richard Quillin, a Pagosa resident in the late 1990s, has recently received the Pioneer Award given by the E-Government Consortium for innovation in web-based government for a program he developed as a part of his job as CIO (Chief Information Officer) for the Human Services Department at the State of New Mexico.
In 1998 the Workforce Investment Act (WIA) was passed requiring states to develop systems designed to deliver to all interested residents a broad spectrum of employment related and economic development services. In other words, a system to help citizens access services that they are eligible for and how to find them.
To support this initiative in New Mexico, Governor Gary Johnson created the WIA Information Technology Council comprised of subject-connected departments and making Richard Quillin the Project Manager.
The prototype work force project was developed in three months and is called the Virtual Service Center.
In New Mexico any individual who has access to a public library, public school, community college, senior citizen center, or, for Native Americans, a chapter house, or a pueblo community center will be able to use the Virtual Service Center, and individuals who have Internet access at home or work will be able to access the information.
The purpose of the Virtual Service Center is to bridge the government agencies with the citizen in the most efficient and affordable way - to establish a single point of contact between citizen and government.
The laws that are passed are one thing; finding people with needed expertise to carry out the legal mandate is another. And having the time and money to pursue finding those in need is another. That is where government and citizens can gain by joining the Internet evolution.
The Virtual Service Center is the only program in the U.S. that has come up with an efficient way to fulfill the mandates of the Workforce Act of 1998. Because of this, Richard Quillin has been invited to other states to present the concept: in Florida, Washington, D.C., Maryland, Iowa, California, and Oregon. It was for developing this concept that Richard Quillin was awarded the Pioneer Award.
Carol and Richard had a condo in Pagosa for a number ofyears before moving here full time in May of 1996. Between then and May 1998, they were volunteers at the Sisson Library assisting with a number of projects. Richard also tutored "at-risk" fifth graders at the elementary school.
Fun on the Run
A bum asked a man on the street for $2.
"Will you buy booze?"
The bum replied, "No."
"Will you gamble it away?"
Once again the bum replied, "No."
"Will you make bets at the golf course?"
The bum replied, "No, I don't play golf."
Then the man asked, "Will you come home with me so my wife can see what happens to a man who doesn't drink, gamble or play golf?"
Steady stream of vets visited fair booth
As I write this week's column I am at the Archuleta County Fair Veterans Service Office booth and I would have to call this endeavor a resounding success. I was able to meet with many new veterans from our area and found a great interest in veterans' benefits. Doubly nice was the fact I was able to meet many veteran wives and families. And of course it was nice to old familiar faces of veterans stopping by the booth to say hi.
Starting with Friday afternoon it seemed like I was meeting and greeting a steady stream of veterans. Some said they had read the Veterans Corner column and came out to the fairgrounds to meet me and learn about veterans' benefits. I was able to enter their information directly into our local veteran database with a portable computer I had on site. Quite a few signed up for the terrific Veterans Health Care program the Veterans Authority and the U.S. Congress is funding for most all veterans with active military duty and an honorable discharge. I was able to fill out applications for benefits right at the fair booth, print them out and have the veteran sign them.
Quite a few asked about progress of the new VA medical clinic in Durango. The latest word I have on this project is that it is now scheduled for around the first of the year, 2002. This is a bit disappointing as we had hoped it would be opening sometime this year. Veterans in this area have to travel to the VA Healthcare clinic in Farmington, N.M. The Farmington facility is an outpatient clinic. The clinic will make appointments at the VA Hospital in Albuquerque for veterans needing higher levels of health care.
Being a firm believer in the information technology age, I hope to establish a e-mail database on our local veterans. Then it would be a simple matter to send information to these e-mail addresses on current VA information, news articles, etc.
I have already started adding this information to our system. I would like all veterans to send me an e-mail at firstname.lastname@example.com. Once you send me an e-mail address I can add it to our data base. By the way, all the information this office collects is strictly confidential and is never divulged to anyone.
You can be assured this office will have a booth at the Archuleta County Fair in 2002. I would also like to expand these outreach programs to include the health fair next spring. It is the goal of this office to personally meet or contact every veteran in Archuleta County. If you know of any veterans who have never been in contact with the Veterans Service Office, please urge them to contact me, even if by phone.
Please note: This office will be closed for vacation Aug. 12-18.
For information on these and other veterans' benefits please call or stop by the Veterans Service Office located on the lower floor of the Archuleta County Courthouse. The office number is 264-2304, the FAX number is 264-5949, and E-mail is email@example.com. The office is open from 8 a.m. to noon and 1 to 4 p.m. Monday through Thursday, or Friday by appointment. Bring your DD Form 214 (Discharge) for registration with the county, application for VA programs, and for filing in the VSO office.
Co-ed League championship tilt tonight
Adult league tournaments ended this week for the men's and coed leagues.
The three teams left in the competitive tournament were Ken's Performance (undefeated in the tournament), and PPP Playboys played U Can Afford in the losers' bracket.
In the recreational league the Tigers of Dulce are undefeated and were set to play the winner between American Legion and the Black Sox.
The coed league tournament will end tonight with the championship game played at 7:45 p.m. Jann Pitcher, the number-one seed, was defeated by Fairfield in the first night of play.
It came down to head-to-head play and total runs scored. In the end, Ken's Performance/Paint Connection came away as league champions with a standing of 11-2; Jann Pitcher finished out league play 11-2, three games behind Ken's/Paint. Rowdy Bunch finished third at 10-3, and Radio Shack ended the schedule 8-9. Wells Fargo and Club 15 both finished 4-9, UBC/KWAL was 3-11 and Fairfield 2-12.
Youth soccer
This year's youth soccer program will start Aug. 21 with a coaches' meeting followed by practices set to begin Aug. 27.
Early registration, at the $10 fee, will end tomorrow and the fee will be raised to $15.
Games will be played Tuesday and Thursday evenings starting at 4:30 p.m. Registration forms are available at Town Hall. The recreation department is currently looking for sponsors for the upcoming season. A sponsorship fee of $200 provides teams with shirts emblazoned with the sponsor's name, which players keep. Call the recreation department at 264-4151 x232 if your business is interested in sponsoring a team this year.
Reservoir Hill
The month of August has been a busy time on Reservoir Hill.
In addition to two weddings on the Hill this month and the upcoming Folk Festival scheduled to start a day earlier, on Friday, Aug. 31, the Hill is undergoing a tree thinning process. The area being thinned is in a new section of property between the old and new fence lines, on the eastern border of the property. Trees are being thinned and oak being cut to provide a cleaner, more fire hazard-free park.
A project to clear trails of mulch will take place after the cutting is complete and before the Folk Festival begins. The tentative work date is the last week of August. More information will be available in this article and through the Wolf Creek Wheel Club. All volunteers will receive Wheel Club goodies like race socks, t-shirts and much more.
Commission meeting
The Park and Recreation Commission will hold its monthly meeting Aug. 20 to discuss a number of park and recreation issues.
On this month's agenda will be an update on the tree thinning program on Reservoir Hill, renewal of a rental agreement for the radio tower on the Hill, a recreation update and more. Meetings are held at Town Hall at 6 p.m. and are open to the public.
Reception for two photgraphic talents
A reception at the gallery at Town Park will be held Aug. 16 from 5-7 p.m. for two very talented photographers, Denise Mudroch and Pat Francis.
Both of these ladies were first introduced to photography by the gift of a camera as a birthday present. It was the beginning of a life-long love affair with photography which has been nurtured by knowledge and experience. They continue to seek to improve their skills through classes and workshops and the results are evident in the quality of the photos they produce.
Denise's exhibit is titled "The Diverse Southwest" and her photo of a wild iris is representative of her excellent use of contrast, color, detail, movement and shadow to bring to the viewer the exquisite beauty of a single flower.
Pat's exhibit, "Italian Landscapes," is a study in the dramatic use of composition and depth which draws the viewer as a participant into the actual scene depicted. Combine this viewer involvement with excellent subject matter, striking color, and all things Italian and the end result is not just a visualization but an experience of being at that place in that moment of time. Is this not what photography is all about?
The exhibit runs through Sept. 5. If you enjoy photography, you won't want to miss this one.
Homes and garden s
The Pagosa Springs Arts Council is sponsoring a first-time event in Pagosa - the Home and Garden Tour. Sunday from noon to 5 p.m. will be the time to view some wonderful homes and breathtaking gardens.
The selection of homes includes Mountain Style, French Country, Victorian, Santa Fe and a complete solar home. Each garden is totally unique. One is a wild and natural five acres of paths that lead to nature's little surprises including a greenhouse of vegetables and flowers. The French Country home garden is an artistic master plan of rock gardens featuring beautiful vistas. A white picket fence encompasses a Victorian home nestled in the midst of an enchanting garden. From the Mountain-style home one is treated to a panoramic view of Square Top, Nipple and Snow Cone; a backdrop for the carpet of beautiful Colorado flowers.
If you ask gardeners why they garden, the answer is invariably the same: cultivating a patch of soil leads to discovery, growth and an appreciation for living things. In Pagosa we have an abundance of mountain plant life and the perfect environment for gardens to thrive. Our participants will share their secrets and show off the fruits of their labors.
Tickets are on sale for $10 to the public and $8 to PSAC members. Discounted PSAC tickets need to be purchased at the gallery in Town Gallery. Public tickets can be purchased at Moonlight Books, Wolftracks, Taminah Gallery and Gifts and the Chamber of Commerce. Refreshments will be served at the gallery from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Family Theater
Pagosa Pretenders Family Theater presents "The Legendary Life of a Local" - a story about Fred Harman and Red Ryder. An outdoor dinner theater will be held at the Fred Harman Art Museum at U.S.160 and Piedra Road Aug. 17, 18 and 25. On Friday, Aug. 24 there will be a performance only - no dinner that evening. Tickets will be $5 for adults and $3 for children under 12. Tickets for the dinner theater are $15 for adults and $8 for children under 12. Tickets are available now and must be purchased no later than 24 hours prior to show time to provide a dinner count for the caterer.
On Aug. 17 and 18, dinner entertainment will be provided by Mountain Harmony Ladies Choir. On Aug. 25, John Graves and Warron Big Eagle will be featured. A vegetarian sandwich may be requested as a substitute for the barbecue dinner at the time of your ticket purchase.
All plays start at 7 p.m.
Advance tickets can be purchased at the Chamber of Commerce, Sisson Library, Wolftracks, The Plaid Pony and the PSAC gallery.
Pagosa Pretenders Family Theater is a non-profit division of PSAC. All proceeds from the show will be donated to community projects. For additional information, contact Susan Garman at 731-2485.
Only one left
There is only one two--week exhibition slot available at the PSAC Gallery for this year. Sept. 6-19 is an excellent slot and will not last long. If you are interested, get your application in to Joanne at the gallery as soon as possible. Call her at 264-5020.
Writers needed
Give Joanne a call at 264-5020 if you would like to write a PSAC Artsline column in the Preview whenever there are five Thursdays in a month.
The Petroglyph, our quarterly newsletter, is in need of a person to do layout. All you talented people out there, give a few minutes of your time to support the arts in our community.
Help, help!
Volunteers are always needed at the gallery and for other arts council functions such as our snack booths. We will work around your schedule. Call Joanne at 264-5020.
Tole Painters
Angel Box Painters is a group of tole painters who meet every Tuesday at 2:30 p.m. to paint small boxes which are sent to hospitals to be given to parents who have lost a child. For more information, call Rosie Hatchett at 264-6987.
Watermelon: American favorite that's good for you
Today - Oil Painting, Extension Office, 9 a.m.
Aug. 14 - Rocky Mtn. Riders, Extension Office, 6 p.m.
Wonders of watermelon
While there is no such thing as the perfect fruit, a crisp, juicy slice of watermelon on a hot summer day comes close.
Watermelon is an all-American favorite ideal for both snacks and meals. In addition to being a refreshing summer treat, watermelon is packed with nutrition. Take a look at seven nutritional benefits watermelon has to offer.
Source of vitamin A
Vitamin A has many roles in promoting overall health. It helps your eyes see normally in the dark, promotes the growth and health of cells, and protects against infection by helping to maintain healthy skin and tissues. It also is involved in hearing, taste, growth and normal development of fetuses. A two-cup serving of watermelon provides 20 percent of the recommended daily intake for vitamin A.
Source of vitamin C
Like vitamin A, vitamin C has many responsibilities in the body. Probably vitamin C's most well known role is as an antioxidant protecting body cells from damage by free radicals.
Studies have shown that cell damage by free radicals may lead to chronic health problems, including cancer and heart disease. Antioxidants, such as vitamin C, appear to counteract the effects of free radicals. Vitamin C is also required for the production and maintenance of collagen, it boosts the body's ability to fight infection, and helps keep capillaries and gums healthy. A two-cup serving of watermelon supplies 30 milligrams of vitamin C.
Although the scientific reasons are not fully understood, foods high in potassium may help protect against high blood pressure. Potassium also helps regulate fluids and mineral balance in and out of body cells, aids in muscle contraction, and helps transmit nerve impulses. Several fruits and vegetables are among the best sources of potassium, including watermelon, which has approximately 350 milligrams per two-cup serving.
Watermelon contains 15-20 milligrams of lycopene, an antioxidant that may help reduce the risk of cancer and other diseases, per two cup serving. Found only in select fruits and vegetables, lycopene, like vitamin C, neutralizes cell-damaging free radicals. A study conducted by researchers at Harvard University found that men who consumed lycopene-rich diets of tomatoes and tomato products had a much lower risk of developing certain cancers, specifically prostate cancer.
Staying properly hydrated is extremely important, particularly during the hot days of summer. While plain water and other beverages provide a significant amount of most people's fluid requirements, solid food, especially fruits and vegetables, also provide a substantial amount. Watermelon is 92 percent water by weight, the highest percentage of any fruit.
Low calories
A two-cup serving of watermelon has only 100 calories. However, as a result of its high water content, watermelon is quite filling.
Low fat, cholesterol free 0
Among its other health benefits, watermelon is naturally low in fat and cholesterol free. Research suggests that diets moderate in fat and cholesterol promotes health and may aid in the prevention of certain chronic diseases.
Just a reminder: Always wash the outside of a watermelon with tap water before you cut it open. This is important to prevent the spread of bacteria that might be on the outside surface to the interior of the melon.
Average is...average
With news last week of a less-than-impressive performance of local students
on state-mandated standardized tests, two responses are predictable.
One will come from those who believe acclaim is due a lackluster performance. A second will demand a Spartan environment, rife with steel, sweat and suffering.
Both responses are weak-minded and unproductive; both fail to reckon with key realities.
First is a myopic emphasis on standardized tests by state government, welding the fortunes of school districts to test results. This is a glib political gloss of a complex dilemma.
Second: the fact the average performance by students reveals our public school district, like most American public school systems, is . . . average.
It is not average because of teachers and administrators.
The reason, in part, reflects a cultural problem and the problem resides in the home.
We have average public schools because our schools mirror the general state of our society, because communities and parents do not demand anything better. In fact, they often press for the opposite.
Ours is increasingly a culture of consumption and self-indulgence - more concerned with immediate gratification and subjective states than with history or a long-term vision of what the world will be like for our children and grandchildren. This style of life has eroded most of our basic values: moral, civic, educational.
Most teachers and administrators will tell you there is an increasing number of parents showing up at schools to complain rather than help. They arrive to demand rules and standards be changed to benefit their children, to make their lives easier. Ask teachers how many parents request that more demands be made on a student, that courses be more difficult, more advanced.
Too many parents are content if a child excels in an environment with low demand and lax standards, and are unwilling to accept modest success in a more rigorous system.
There are numerous parents intent on being their child's friend, acting as a conduit of unearned goods and services rather than as a role model, imposing a sense of discipline and work on the child - parents eager for a child to reinforce them, to validate their worth, to excuse their failures.
There are parents who rush to teachers, administrators and school boards to bark about unfair conditions and judgments, unhappy the school does not regard their child in the same golden light they do, eager to blame anyone but child and parent for difficulties.
Many parents condemn the value of homework, are opposed to competition (unless their child wins), are hostile to teachers who ask the child to surpass him or herself, who want nothing more than that their child reflect their own inflated sense of accomplishment and importance.
There are parents who find their way on to school boards and champion Romanticist notions colored with hand-wringing concern about self-esteem and feelings; who condemn traditional values of competition, praise, criticism and evaluation, urging that children - suddenly imbued with the same status as adults - create their own educational destinies. This happens, paradoxically, as the boards fund additions to facilities for sport - the paradigm of competition, criticism and praise.
As long as we have parents and elected officials who tout confused subjectivity, who accept an ever-diminished set of standards and expectations, we will continue to have average schools - without honors programs or advanced placement classes, without up-to-date and extensive occupational studies for youngsters who won't and shouldn't go to a university.
Anyone surprised by the average performance of our children should take a hard look at the forces acting on public education. People not content with average should pay heed to what the heralds of self-indulgence and happy feelings on one hand, and smug state politicians on the other, are foisting on our schools.
If we don't like it, we need to get involved and change it.
Otherwise, average is average. We, and our children, will have to live with what it brings. Test scores and all.
Karl Isberg
It's a great day for an anniversary
Dear Folks,
This is my lucky year. August 9 falls on a Thursday. August 9 is not very significant to most folks, unless it's the date of their wedding anniversary.
And if year in year out, Thursdays have established themselves as one of the dominant days of your week, it helps to have your wedding anniversary fall on a Thursday. It's the one year you remember your anniversary.
In 1984 I was starting to feel somewhat familiar with the newspaper business and all that was involved with publishing the SUN. By then my life mostly revolved around Thursdays. Another edition of the SUN had to be off the presses every Thursday. The papers had to be at the post office and on the newsstands on Thursday. The deposit for that week's payroll had to be accumulated by Thursday. My Thursday-centered regimen had been going on for the past three years.
I had started at the SUN in late April of 1981. I first saw Cynthia in late August of 1981. I had dropped in on the annual first-of-the-school-year faculty-staff meeting of School District 50 Joint. (Earlier that month Cynthia had been hired to replace Mrs. Ima Edmonds as librarian for the antiquated portable building that served as the junior high-high school library.) I sat at the back of the elementary school cafeteria. Cynthia sat toward the front. When the meeting was over she stood up, looked around and smiled at no one in particular. It was the first time I had ever seen her.
It would be another month before I mustered the courage to introduce myself to her. Toward the end of October I swallowed hard before asking her for a dinner date. She accepted. That Thursday evening we dined at Vera's Kitchen in Chama.
It would be another three years before she finally accepted my conditional proposal for marriage. The condition was that we would get married on a Thursday afternoon. That way the SUN would be off the presses and we would be able to spend a three-and-a-half-day honeymoon.
Since I had to be back at work by Monday morning it was agreed we'd get married at the Fort Lewis College Chapel, spend the night in Durango and then drive to Albuquerque for our honeymoon. I know it's hard for most folks to understand, but fortunately for me, Cynthia agreed to the Thursday-oriented agenda. So it was that we were married the afternoon of August 9, 1984, in her hometown of Durango.
To some folks that might sound like a strange, or strained way to start a marriage. So I probably shouldn't mention that Cynthia also agreed that it would be all right if my mother rode with us to Albuquerque. Mom had flown up for our wedding and her flight back to Houston was around noon on Friday.
Our 10th anniversary was a most enjoyable one. Since August 9 fell on a Tuesday that year, we waited until Saturday and Sunday to celebrate our anniversary. We spent the weekend in Durango and rode our mountain bikes at Purgatory. And finally, I was able to give Cynthia an engagement ring.
It's obvious that Cynthia has put up with a lot during the past 17 years. That's why I can't risk forgetting that today is our 17th anniversary.
I've already asked her what she would like to do on our anniversary. I'm sure in the back of her mind she was thinking: "I'd like it if you would remember the date of our anniversary." Instead, she said she'd like to go riding on our bikes.
Thanks to Cynthia's understanding patience and encouragement I've survived 20 years of deadlines, press runs, payrolls and note payments. She now has a real library at the new high school. And one of these days, if I don't forget, we'll take a real honeymoon.
Know you are loved and please keep us in your prayers. David
100 years ago
Taken from The Weekly Times of August 8, 1901
The benefit ball given Tuesday evening for W.N. Townsend, who got his leg broken recently, and Matt Arnold, who accidently shot himself, was a success, there being $19.50 taken in and yesterday F.M. Dunnavant succeeded in raising enough to make the amount over $20.
District court convenes the third Monday of the month, August 19. Much water adjudicating will be settled, which is the most important business before the court at this time.
Cyrus Graves arrived Friday from the Farmington district with a load of peaches.
Mrs. Ruder's new dwelling in the park is fast nearing completion and they will soon be able to occupy the same. It is very commodious and has a very neat appearance.
75 years ago
Taken from SUN files of August 13, 1926
The 30th annual meeting of the San Juan Pioneer Association convened at Pagosa Springs this morning and will continue until tomorrow noon. All persons settling in the San Juan Country prior to July 4, 1881, are eligible to membership in the association; also their children as soon as they arrive at the age of 21. Dr. A. J. Nossaman of Pagosa Springs is president of the association.
Philip R. Johnson and Reef Egger motored to Creede last Saturday eve to attend the Democratic legislative assembly for this district. Each county designated a candidate for representative as follows: Archuleta - J.B. Patterson; Hinsdale - F.S. Williams; Mineral - Oscar McCoy. We do not know whether all three will accept the designations.
50 years ago
Taken from SUN files of August 10, 1951
H. Ray Macht, chairman of the fair committee announced this week that a general meeting of those interested in the fair this fall is to be held next Monday, August 13. The fair, first in the history of the county, is to be held on September 28 and 29 at the Red Ryder Round-up grounds. Judging of exhibits will be held on the first day and a junior rodeo and livestock sale on the second day. The fair is for the benefit of the community, townspeople and ranchers, alike.
Three men were found guilty August 3rd in county court of dynamiting fish in the San Juan River on July 4. The three men were fined $35 each plus costs, which amounted to $49.10 apiece. They were given a 30 day jail sentence, to be suspended, upon payment of the fines.
25 years ago
Taken from SUN files of August 5, 1976
The town board approved the annexation of an area south of the city limits at its Monday night meeting. The annexed property is that of the school recreation complex, the Pagosa Springs Sanitation District, and the site of Radio Station KPAG's transmitter tower. This is the largest annexation of property to the town in its history and increases its size by about one-fifth, but it does not bring in any new residents.
Riders reenacting the trail ride made by the Dominguez-Escalante expedition will be guests at a Chamber of Commerce sponsored barbecue at Carracas tonight at 7 p.m. There will be other distinguished guests from the Southern Ute Tribe, from New Mexico, as well as local officials who will be present to greet the riders as they enter Colorado.
'Tis the season of guessing the season
Calendar designations have little relevance here
Our April showers come in August. Our winter often lasts 'til May. Spring flowers bloom in summer, While farmers try to hay.
Oh what a crazy, mixed up weather pattern we favored few try to exist with in Pagosa Country.
If you've come here from almost any other climate, don't expect to find seasons at the same time. In fact, don't expect any really delineated seasons save, perhaps, one which is more normally associated with more southern climes - Monsoon.
Winter often comes early and stays late. Spring sometimes fails to appear at all. Fall might be just a four-week opportunity for the trees to shed their leaves before the vile winds of October whip the first heavy snows across the terrain.
Summer months, as designated by the calendar, often are merely repetitive hot, dry days followed by monsoonal evenings. Sometimes, however, that season is preceded by Saharan style dryness which turns gardens into baked blocks of earth and produces foreboding of ensuing water shortages.
Then the rains come, the river turns muddy and rises threateningly. The flowers which had not bloomed in their normal season suddenly thrust stems high and burst forth in color. Gardens which had struggled for survival suddenly appear bountiful and lawns which had browned and appeared dead come to green reality.
But don't count on it lasting three months like the calendar says.
Freeze comes without warning in Pagosa Country.
It is a precursor, normally, of the most snow in Colorado, at least at Wolf Creek Ski Area.
But just as you come to trust the evidence of winter on the horizon, the famed Indian Summer of the Southwest comes to our mountain wonderland and footballs, and soccer balls fill the air.
Contractors rush to complete their projects before the faux summer turns into seasonal reality. The snowbirds begin to pack the campers and travel buses for a return to more balmy temperatures than those which lie ahead here.
Some folks plastic-seal the windows from the inside and begin to mulch the flower beds and gardens to protect bulbs and give growing soil nutritives to sustain next year's crops.
Summer lawn and garden tools are cleaned and stored away and the snow shovels and plows put at the ready.
State, county and city highway departments get in their stores of road salt and chemicals and piles of sand to be spread as the ravages of the season are anticipated.
The summer shorts, T-shirts and sandals are stored in a closet and out come the field boots, sweaters, heavy jackets and gloves. Seems the warm weather clothes last longer than the others in the closet. Perhaps it is because they get less use due to the rapid passing of their seasons.
The sports season fades from outdoors to the basketball courts and wrestling mats and then, one morning, you get up to go to work or to school and find a blanket of white covering the ground.
People who have never driven in the snows of Pagosa Country are thrilled by the sight and stumped by how to operate a vehicle in it. Some drive too fast, take curves too fast and stop too fast. Others drive too slowly to maintain momentum and their drivers find themselves stuck. The snow shovels and plows get their first tuneup for what's to come.
Inexorably, the days become shorter, the time reverts to standard, and daylight is at a premium. Time seems to be the only part of the seasonal equation which can logically be anticipated here. Like the atomic clock which regulates the world from Colorado Springs, it moves steadily forward.
We natives look at this as God's Country and the delineation of seasons as His alone, not those designated on calendars devised by men who never saw this area nor lived through the variations in its changing climates.
We who are fortunate enough to live here year round learn to live with the fractured seasons as they unfold from one into another and sometimes back again at no specifically designated time.
As a teen here, when U.S. 160 and part of U.S. 84 were the only paved roads around, I learned one put on snow tires or chains in October and took them off in April - if one intended to travel anywhere other than those two stretches.
Today, with paved roads running in all directions, though often not for great distances, and with winter maintenance generally above average, drivers get the feeling they can go anywhere with no problem. They view warning signs as being for others who don't know how to drive in the snow. They view speed limit signs as indicating applicable minimum speeds no matter what the weather.
And often, they end up viewing the highway signs from an upside down position in a ditch or over a cliff.
Man is by nature defiant. He believes he is fully understanding of his own capabilities, no matter what the situation.
He has, however, never mastered the whims of Pagosa Country weather.
There are lessons here:
Enjoy each changing pattern as it happens
Don't expect conditions at the same time you would elsewhere
Exercise caution whenever and wherever you go in our mountain paradise, and
Forget your cares and frustrations. Learn to live with constant change in our environment and you'll be able to do it in the more challenging urban setting you return to.
Tracing the county's biggest gold rush
By: John M. Motter
Pagosa Country residents looked ahead during the mid-1890s, probably because they didn't have much to look back on. During an era when agriculture was the only means of support for ordinary folks, Pagosa settlers learned the land was harsh, the climate severe, and the growing season short.
Looking back from today's vantage point, that time in history appears romantic. It wasn't. Life consisted of working from sunup to sunset for little or no pay, dirtiness, maybe a set of clothes, one pair of shoes, and a meager diet. Few people actually handled money.
Hope in the form of payrolls entered Pagosa Country during the early 1890s. The New Mexico Lumber Co., fresh from marketing most of the gigantic stands of ponderosa pine along the Chama River in New Mexico, entered Archuleta County in 1895. A narrow gauge railroad was extended from Lumberton, N.M., to Edith. The logging mogul behind the venture, E.M. Biggs, promised his railroad would soon reach Pagosa Springs. With rail access to the outside world, the ponderosa forests blanketing Pagosa Country could be delivered to ready buyers. Lumber mills and logging provided payrolls. The economic future of Archuleta County never looked better.
We have been tracking Pagosa Country history week by week from the pages of The Pagosa Springs News and through the eyes of its editor, Daniel Egger. Last week, we completed 1895. No papers remain for 1896. We pick up the historical pursuit from the January, 1897, pages of The News.
Newspaper item, Jan. 15, 1897: As its share of the internal improvement fund (apparently a state government fund) Archuleta County will ask for an appropriation by the present legislature of a sufficient fund to construct a substantial steel bridge across the river on San Juan Street in Pagosa Springs. As our senator and representative do not belong to the combine we do not know what influence they can bring to bear to secure the appropriation.
Motter's comment: The first bridge across the San Juan River in the vicinity of Pagosa Springs was located one mile south of the Great Pagosa Hot Spring and was erected in 1861-62, years before the town or even Fort Lewis occupied the site. When the town sprang up around the Hot Spring, a wooden bridge (circa 1879-1880) was constructed across the river connecting the east and west branches of San Juan Street. Keep in mind that San Juan Street was not officially designated until 1883 when the town was laid out. The old bridge one mile south was burned shortly after the wooden bridge was erected. The old wooden bridge may have been rebuilt at least once before the first effort to build a steel bridge took place. In this article we see the fledgling steps of the move to build a steel bridge. Steel bridges prevailed at that location until the 1950s when the existing bridge capsized due to a 4th of July collision with a pickup. At that time, the replacement bridge was moved to its present site on Hot Springs Blvd.
Newspaper item, Feb. 5, 1897: The parties who are making their cracks as to what they will do to this editor if they were so and so, are hereby reminded on the quiet that he has never was licked.
Motter's comment: A good editor always had spunk. A good frontier editor was often required to back up the written word with fists and even guns. Dave Day, editor of the Solid Gold Muldoon during San Juan pioneering days, is said to have fought more than 20 duels.
Newspaper item, Feb. 12, 1897: Mountain of Gold. A party of Coloradoans, among them Sen. Henry M. Teller and ex-senator J.M. Freeman of Greeley, have begun the development of a mining location in Archuleta County that will either amount to nothing or else a vault from which they can extract gold dollars sufficient to satisfy them the remainder of their natural lives and those of their children.
These gentlemen have secured possession of a vast area of country on the west or government side of the Navajo river, about 25 miles north of Chama, N.M. On this land, which they have held since 1894, they have found what is believed to be a great mineral deposit. On top of a mountain, 1,500 feet above the river, a mineralized body thousands of feet long and 600 feet wide has been discovered. Forty assays have averaged over $5 gold per ton. Individual assays have returned $35, $50, $55, $300 and several streaks of thousands of dollars. Last November a small force of men were put to work on a tunnel just above the river, which is to be driven 500 feet to see what there is at depth. This tunnel is now in sixty feet and so far has pierced a mass of mineralized porphery carrying quite a quantity of iron pyrites, the same as found on top of the mountain, and the assays have been of the same value as the former. This strong indication of a mountain of low grade ore has been a source of great encouragement, and work on the tunnel will be kept up as a consequence. The facilities for mills are adequate, and construction will follow a satisfactory demonstration of the extent of the deposits. -Denver news.
Motter's comment: This is the beginning of Archuleta County's greatest gold rush. We will track this excitement to its conclusion during coming weeks. The land on the upper Navajo east and south of the Navajo River was formerly part of the huge Tierra Amarilla land grant. By 1895, it was already in the possession of Thomas Catron, a lawyer and member of the infamous Santa Fe ring. The land west of the river belonged to the government in 1895. Currently, both sides of the upper river valley are in private hands. Teller is a big-time name in Colorado history.
Newspaper item, Feb. 26, 1897: Harold Carlile, who at one time was a prominent cattleman of Southwestern Colorado, was arrested at Kansas City the other day on the charge of being a member of a gang of cattle thieves operating in Mesa county. It is claimed that cattle stolen in this state by the thieves were sold at Kansas City by Mr. Carlile.
Motter's comment: A huge English cattle company referred to as the Carlisle Outfit operated in Four Corners Country in the years before fences. I don't know if the Carlile referred to here is the same as the Carlisles from England. A definitive history of the pioneer cattle industry in the Four Corners area has not been written, but could prove fascinating.
Newspaper comment, Feb. 26, 1897: The road between Pagosa and Lumberton is now nothing more than a trail. Road overseer Cooper went out with two teams yesterday to put the road in usable condition if possible.
Motter's comment: The Lumberton road was Pagosa Springs' main connection with the outside world. Typically in March, when the snow melted and the ground defrosted, outside freight was prevented from reaching Pagosa Springs because of muddy roads.
Newspaper item, March 5, 1897: When the authorities have the numerous burros impounded what will they do with them? They certainly can not afford to feed them any length of time for what the burros will bring if sold.
Motter's comment: Today's stray dog problem is nothing compared to the burro problem of yore. In those days, prospectors wandered around the hills with their burros during summer months. When winter snows arrived, prospectors hied into town, turned their burros loose, and parked their elbows on the counter of the nearest water hole. There is no evidence that the town ever operated a burro pound.
Newspaper item, March 12, 1897: At a meeting at the school house last Saturday of people interested in building a M.E. church, it was decided to build the church if the necessary funds can be raised. A motion was adopted to construct a building 28x45 feet, to cost about $1200. A soliciting committee was named as follows: J.V. Blake, Wm. Mott, A.N. Hatcher, Mrs. J.F. Spickard, Rev. J.N. Tomlin, P.M. Cockrell, W.P. Underwood, W.H. Harpst & Co., Montroy & Co., Miss Lena Adams, D.L. Egger. An estimating committee was also named as follows: C.S. Triplett, E.H. Chase and S.E. Hatcher. A vote of thanks by those present was tendered to Dr. Hover for his gift of a lot to the church.
Motter's comment: Here we read of the beginning of Pagosa Springs' first church building. It is almost unbelievable that the town had been settled since 1878, almost 20 years, before someone put up a church building. Church meetings were held in the school house or private homes prior to the erection of church buildings. The names listed are a roll call of the important people in the community at that time.
Garbanzo or Ceci, it's a bean to like
Sounds like something an Italian circus performer shouts right before he leaps off the platform on the trapeze.
Sounds faintly sinister: "Hands off the garbanzo, buddy."
Or: "Whoa, that is the most incredible set of garbanzos I've ever seen."
A Mediterranean card game?
A Sicilian horse, renowned for its showy gait?
Does Ceci sound better - the Cs pronounced with a ch sound? Sounds like something from haute couture, doesn't it? "I bought her a brand new Ceci gown and she wore it to the debutante ball."
Go ahead, say each word aloud.
They mean the same thing; they refer to a legume, a bean. A hard, grainy-textured, nut-like bean. Sometimes called - to confuse things - the chickpea.
And it's a bean I really like.
The garbanzo, or Ceci bean is not a food product I grew up with - like pinto beans or kidney beans.
The garbanzo was found only the deepest reaches of North Denver during my childhood. It lurked in the traditional Italian neighborhoods out around Mount Carmel and Holy Family schools; on the shelves, dried and canned, in the old grocery stores on West 38th Avenue and Navajo, Osceola and Mariposa streets.
Maybe there was a Lebanese family or two somewhere in town whose members knew the bean. Perhaps a French chef straggled into town by mistake and had a passing acquaintance with Provencal cuisine.
Garbanzos, Cecis, are familiar items in the southern Italian menu, in North African and southern French recipes.
Elsewhere, until fairly recently, they were as alien as a rabbi studying the Talmud in the basement of a Lutheran church.
I first ran across garbanzos when I consorted with a hippie princess named Shrinking Violet, back in the mid 60s. I was making my living as a drummer and Shrinking Violet was profoundly concerned about my health, what with the late hours and all.
Violet put me on a bizarre nuts, grains, legumes, rice, nectar regimen, bound and determined to align my chakras, bring me to a peak of health, propel me into an enlightened orbit. Garbanzos were part of the daily dietary plan. Garbanzos and plenty of other beans. I was bloated, emitting fumes. I lost friends.
Fortunately, Shrinking Violet met another man - a Hell's Angel named Doctor Sound. She packed her legumes, corralled her German shepherd Steppenwolf, and ran off with the biker, ready to work on his chakras.
I immediately transmogrified from a gaseous to a solid state, and went back to my bad habits. It wasn't until I moved to New York City to play clubs and studios that I ran across garbanzos again.
In the city, I found the bean in Middle Eastern cuisine. I played in a club on St. Mark's Place called the Balloon Farm and had to traverse quite a distance to return home to a little apartment near the corner of Charles and Bleeker streets on the West Side. Generally, I started home at four in the morning or so and, luckily, there was a stand on Bleeker Street, open 24 hours. The stand specialized in falafel and hummus - both composed primarily of garbanzo, Ceci, chickpea. Falafel is a spiced, moist concoction with a base of coarse-ground garbanzo, formed into balls, deep fried and served inside a warm pita with various vegetable condiments and a healthy dose of garlicky, sesame-tinged sauce. Hummus is a paste-like concoction with ground garbanzos and tahini paste, lavished with plenty of garlic, olive oil, salt, pepper, lemon juice and, sometimes, fresh mint.
I bought garbanzos. I ate garbanzos. I liked garbanzos.
Plus, the food at that stand - and at many more I discovered - was cheap and fast. Like me.
When I moved back to Denver, falafel and hummus disappeared for a few years, until the city experienced an influx of Middle Eastern eateries.
Meanwhile, I became acquainted with Provencal cuisine - the food of southern France. A well-known element in that cuisine, and in that of several North African taste-alikes, is a pancake-like staple made with chickpea flour. I never quite mastered the recipe, and I need to try it again some day. You make a runny batter with the flour (which you can find at health food stores, in a barrel next to the flax seed), a bit of regular flour, and water, then spice it anyway your little heart desires: garlic, a touch of lemon, cumin, onion, garlic. Use whatever you've got. Batter is put in a hot, oiled frying pan in a thin layer and cooked like a pancake, or a grainy crepe. The texture is somewhat chewy and the cake goes beautifully with any dish made with copious amounts of olive oil, garlic, tomato, peppers. It is great with beef and lamb and serves as a heck of a scoop when you get impatient during a meal.
You can add garbanzos to salads (a move common to tacky salad bar operations), or you can make the bean the centerpiece of a salad, mixing cooked beans with a bit of oil, lemon, parsley, salt and pepper, minced garlic and shallot. Let it sit for a couple of hours so the beans absorb the flavors.
Ceci go great with a cold pasta salad and even better with a hot dish, the beans tossed with the pasta, oil, garlic, maybe a bit of finely minced anchovy, and freshly-grated Parmesan.
Shrinking Violet might have a tantric breakdown if she heard what I am about to say, but she's probably a housewife in Santa Cruz now, just returned from a stint at rehab and has better things to worry about - like her son Lothar who needs a special gown sewn for his debut with a gay roller skating revue.
Don't go to the trouble of soaking and cooking dried chickpeas. Oh, you can do it and the results are peachy, but why waste your time? Buy canned garbanzos, high grade, rinse them and drain them; they'll work pretty darned well for any application.
The bean makes a fine side dish.
I've experimented recently with two uses of chickpeas and found one result very likable.
Saute minced onion or shallot in butter until soft. I add the beans and a bit of salt and pepper and warm the beans through. I squeeze in a measure of lemon juice and add a bit of mashed garlic, keeping the mix over low heat. In goes chopped parsley and then, depending on what I am serving with the side, in goes a wad of spice. Cumin is great, as is a whisper of oregano. A minimalist treatment with salt and pepper works wonders as well. This goes great with roasted or grilled chicken or meats.
The beans can also be pureed, with the addition of heavy cream, salt, pepper and butter, and used like mashed potato - carrying the cargo of a red wine reduction with a beef dish as well as any tuber. I need to work on this one, but it has great promise.
"As the drivers readied for the start, Fabrizio was in the pole position, strapped tightly in the cockpit of his powerful Garbanzo wondering, ominously, if this would be his final Grand Prix de Monaco."
Say it rough.
Say it soft.
Try this baby - it's an unusual bean.
Give the garbanzo a shot.