Back to Atlanta

Back from a week working in Atlanta - I must have mellowed, because the place actually didn't seem so bad. When we left Atlanta three years ago, I never wanted to see it again. On this visit, I actually enjoyed being there - as a visitor. It didn't get very hot, but it was very humid - I felt damp and clammy all week. After living in this semi-arid environment, Atlanta seemed like a jungle to me! The traffic jams were minimal, and from where I was staying, I had an easy 20 minute commute to downtown.A friend remarked that I've been living at high altitude for some time now, and probably have more red blood cells than most people. He said that there's a theory that people who are acclimated to high altitude may become euphoric when they come down to lower climes. "It's the euphoria, Bev," he said, "not Atlanta!"

Politics raises its ugly head

Even in idyllic Westcliffe, it is political season, and we have a hotly contested race for the two open county commissioner positions. They've been debating each other by way of political ads in our local weekly, The Wet Mountain Valley Tribune. I read our local paper front to back, and have learned a lot about the valley and the issues, but there are often significant holes in the coverage (why I'm not sure). For example, when the county held caucases earlier this summer, a volley of letters appeared in the 'Letters to the Editor' accusing certain Democrats (a lonely breed in this county) of changing parties for the caucus in a highly organized fashion in order to keep certain Republicans from getting on the primary ballot. Nowhere else in the paper was this controversy addressed - not in news stories about the caucus nor in the editorial column. Strange, thought I. I went to a political BBQ the other night, partly to learn more about the candidates involved, and partly to see whether their supporters were anyone I wanted to be associated with. As it turned out, I could answer the latter question in the affirmative. Talking with them, it appeared that they held similar values to my own.The big issue in this election will be to decide who is better equipped to make balanced decisions about 'smart growth' in this county. Of course, whenever any politician talks about growth, it is always 'smart growth' that he claims to be a proponent of. Finding out what he means by that - exactly - is never any easy task.

Queen of the Rodeo

I thought I would try to give a little bit of the flavor of what it's like to live in this valley. Today we had the annual Westcliffe Stampede parade - many of the horse breeders and ranches hereabouts hitch their prize horses up to buggies, Conestoga wagons and pony carts and drive them proudly down Main St. This year, we had another variety of livestock - two prize calves - in the parade. The 4-H'ers have been showing their livestock the last three days at the County Fair, so perhaps these guys were some 4-H kid's pride and joy. As for the parade, my opinion is that the main attraction here is for bystanders to wave and to heckle all their friends on horseback, flatbed truck 'float', or emergency vehicle. All the activities this week, of course, have been leading up to the annual rodeo, which is the Big Event for all the horsey people in the valley, particularly the Saddle Club and the 4-H kids. They do get some out-of-town cowboys participating, but my sense is that it's primarily a home-grown event. Like most places, not everyone is keen on the rodeo - especially those who have to pick up the pieces when an animal is injured.

I woke up this morning, and it was one of those days when the mountains are higher than the clouds. Every time I see this phenomenon, it awes me. Even though I'd only been awake a few minutes, I had to take pictures right away, even before coffee, because the next time you look, it might be gone. When the sun is shining (which is most of the time), it can be quite intense. I joked with someone the other night that after a few years of this, I'd resemble nothing more than an old prune!

Welcome to Westcliffe!

Welcome to my Westcliffe Blog. Westcliffe is a small mountain town situated in Wet Mountain Valley of southern Colorado. We are about 50 miles west of Pueblo, and about 90 miles southwest of Colorado Springs. The valley floor sits at 7800' and is bounded by the Sangre de Cristo range on the west and the Wet Mountains on the east. One of the main occupations here is ranching, and there is lots of wide, open space. It is a beautiful place to live or to visit.