Columns

One hundred years ago, my grandfather was leaving his wife, his four small children and his law firm to join the “war to end all wars”. The trenches where he would soon serve had been dug nearly two years earlier. On July 12 and 13, 1917, the Germans began bombarding allied troops there with mustard gas. Nearly one million French soldiers had already been killed. Conditions were so horrific that several French Army mutinies had already occurred.

English is the language in my dreams at night — the one that comes most naturally — but I’ve lived in this country for thirty-six years and I still manage to mess up the English language. Mostly I have it down pat — or is it down pack? Hang tight while I go ask Google. Oh, yes; down pat. You see, English is tough. Learning any language is a big challenge.

I’m not going to debate facts with you. Stuff like – this part of Colorado is Spanish-speaking because it was part of Mexico until 1845, or that immigrants commit crime at a much lower rates than than people born here, or that immigration has always been a race issue since Europeans landed and determined native peoples here were religiously not people, or that immigrants are not stealing our jobs – none of this is going to change your mind about ‘putting America first’.

July 6 will mark the 23rd anniversary of the Storm King Mountain Fire just outside Glenwood Springs, as tragic and momentous an event as this area has ever seen. Fourteen firefighters were killed. For this innocent from back east, it was heart-wrenching and intimidating. I was the Glenwood Post’s man on the scene.

I recently binge-watched the entire first season of the show Stranger Things, and it made me nostalgic for the 1980s. The storyline is a cross between The Goonies and a Stephen King novel- think Firestarter. But it was the costumes and set design that really took me back — all the way to the way-back of the station wagon we had when I was growing up.

I am grateful for my life and time in Carbondale. I consider Carbondale my hometown, and I will always be connected to this place. Carbondale has given me many gifts.
When I was small, I learned to swim in our pool. I grew up knowing how to treat the water and mountains. Here, I learned the terrifying art of public speaking, because I had to speak up for our watershed. I know that the dandelion is a nutritious, and medicinal flower, not a weed. It is in our culture to take care of the beautiful natural resources that support our lives and nourish our spirit.

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.