Will Grandbois

Whenever my life feels out of balance my first instinct is to get on the river. Over the past 19 years I have floated over 15,000 miles of rivers — kayaking, raft-guiding and doing swiftwater rescue/CPR training. The river feels like home to me. However, I have seen and experienced some life-threatening moments in those years.
Recently, I watched a woman lose consciousness after two other boats with small children got surfed and almost flipped in the ledge-hole (on-river left) at the kayak park in Glenwood Springs. Incredibly, the woman was resuscitated by five kayakers that got her to shore. They began CPR and revived her before the paramedics arrived.

Town selling surplus equipment and vehicles • Garfield County adopts new land use code

What’ll it be for the center of the new roundabout at Highway 133 and Main Street?
A specially commissioned piece from Missouri Heights sculptor James Surls?
How about a rotating work of art as part of the town’s on-going Art aRound Town series?
Then there’s always the minimalist approach — nothing but concrete.

Carbondale’s art scene continues to expand with the opening of its newest gallery, Art 215. Located at 215 12th Street, this large, airy space contains artwork of every style, size and price, with much of it being sold on consignment.
George Scott and his wife, artist Suki Scott, told The Sopris Sun they are enthusiastic about their new venture, which features many oil paintings done by Suki as well as traditional and contemporary works from a variety of other artists.
The gallery’s first room (on the ground level) is comprised primarily of consignment art, George said, with European prints, works by Louis Icart and “early Suki work.”

Credit-card “Town” mystery solved • Meet the new volleyball coach • Another Sun? • Looking at clouds that way • GarCo fields Komen team

Imagine a world where dreams come true. That’s the world being created by the visionary children of Camp Run-a-Muk, an after school and summer camp in Carbondale. Last week they celebrated the realization of a wish made by a special Roaring Fork Valley resident, Amanda Boxtel, who was paralyzed from the waist down in a skiing accident in 1992.
For the past 21 years, wheelchair-bound Boxtel has dreamed of walking again. It was a dream shared by many, including Jennifer Soucie who taught preschool with Boxtel before her accident. Believing in the power of intention, they created a ritual of envisioning Boxtel walking, which they kept to nearly every day at 11:11a.m.

Solar Friendly Communities has awarded the town of Carbondale a Silver Level certification for adopting “best practices” designed to make it faster, easier and more affordable for residents to go solar.
“Carbondale has long been a solar leader…,” said Rebecca Cantwell, senior program director for Solar Friendly Communities.

Huge drum sale after the circle • English in Action seeks volunteers • Davi Nikent goes M4W • Clay Center holding classes • RFC seeks monitors

Nearing the end of July and I haven’t had a day off since the middle of June, won’t have one until late August, and while at first I was staying socially buoyant by going to the Snowmass Concert Series, hanging out with friends and sleeping, more than a few weeks ago I hit full-tilt hustle, became a pinball wizard, and have had my eyes glued to the silver ball of my life bouncing around the bumpers and chutes of various local rivers racking up enough fish, funds and clients to keep me afloat in non-profit-teaching-writing land for another year.