Columns

Jambo! Jina langu ni Katie Noll. That is Swahili for “Hi! My name is Katie Noll.”
I am a rising eighth grader at the Waldorf School on the Roaring Fork. Each eighth grade student is required to do a project about a topic of interest to them. During my seventh grade year, I began to think about what might interest me and concluded it would be something that would help children less fortunate than myself.

Summer is in full swing and there’s so much to cram into this short but busiest season. The rivers are full, the wildflowers are glorious, the trails are melting out, and the high country beckons. Because our surrounding public lands are most accessible this time of year, we’re all out there busy pursuing the activities that keep us fit and renew our spirits.

In 2009, our first ever Daddy Daughter Trip was Yellowstone and we stayed in a cabin with no lock on the doors and there had been grizzly sightings! It was my first alone time with Shiloh and no Carly and she was a teenager for God’s sake! When the Pillow Pet came out, though, I knew I was still just Daddy. The Lamar Valley was referred to as the “American Serengeti” and that stuck; I wanted to take her to see the real thing. I began saving my money.

Last week, during a Glenwood Springs town hall meeting with Senator Michael Bennet, many locals worried about congress replacing the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Bennet thinks the senate will consider the replacement, the American Health Care Act (ACHA), sometime before July 4.

Of all Carbondale’s many celebrations and traditions, the Wild West Rodeo stands out as a huge testimony to the agricultural way of life that has long been a part of this valley. The dedication of the large number of volunteers and the board to put on a weekly event during the summer is truly remarkable and we salute each and every one. The original Rodeo Club, which started in 1948, enjoyed much success and fun as they put on an annual Potato Days rodeo for the community.

More than one parent has remarked, upon watching a therapeutic “play-date” session in progress at Carbondale’s Smiling Goat Ranch, “This looks like a bunch of kids are just playing together outside!” What the words of this sentiment cannot express is the degree of wonder in their voices. Y

This isn’t my paper; it’s yours.
For five months now, I’ve served as the sole full-time employee of Carbondale’s community newspaper, which could have left me feeling a bit like Will Kane in “High Noon.” If you haven’t seen the classic 1952 western film — and I strongly recommend that you do — it’s about a town marshal who, on the day of his wedding and retirement, finds himself without the support of his community when he needs it the most. That has not been my experience.

What really matters at the end of this life; is it fame? Fortune? The one with the most magazine subscriptions wins? In the end, I think it’s the memories. It comes down to how you make others feel because only through the living does our legacy endure. I like the idea that we’re all in this together and at the end we reconnect in stardust. This thought brings me an easy-going, off-the-hook, peace of mind. Like one of my favorite quotes by Ogden Nash- “There is not a shred of evidence that life is serious.” So, I might as well do what makes me feel accomplished and have a little fun along the way.

I immigrated to the Roaring Fork Valley in 1970. I came for the skiing and had a job waiting for me as a truck driver. I could no longer deal with living in the growing metropolis of Seattle, so I left for four years in the Army (mostly in small towns in Europe), and spent a few months at a ski area in California.

I don’t “get” this country’s fascination with the rich and famous. Years ago, I spent a summer living with former in-laws at the top of Coldwater Canyon above Beverly Hills. On our outings, my beloved mother-in-law would elbow me and eagerly whisper, “Look, that’s Warren Beatty!”
Or whoever.