Okay, raise your hand if you’re relieved this year is coming to an end.
For my family’s and my health and well-being, 2012 hasn’t been too bad. Dad got through some major surgery back in January at the age of 90; Mom is hanging in there, helped by the company and love of her sole grandchild Olivia; and my siblings seem to be doing fine.
Mostly I am glad the elections are behind us with the accompanying bluster, anger, anxiety and misinformation. Now we can get back to the usual cooperation and civil discourse …
Of course, if the Mayans are indeed correct, none of us will be around to fall off the supposed “fiscal cliff” anyway, but that’s another matter.
Sadly, we unexpectedly lost the founder of this magazine earlier this year. Ed Quillen was 61 when his heart gave out, leaving a big hole in the lives of his family, our community, readers of The Denver Post, High Country News and this publication.
We also lost some American icons in 2012: George McGovern, Neil Armstrong, Marvin Hamlisch, Gore Vidal, Sally Ride, Kitty Wells, Andy Griffith, Ray Bradbury and Doc Watson, to name a few.
The economy in Central Colorado, though not quite chugging along, is holding its own. Salida got a brand new high school and folks are starting to buy and build homes again.
Now we just need some snow. High country snowpack for this time of year is dismally low, and although the warm November weather has been pleasant, it’s time to get down to the real business of winter – ice, snow, wind and cold. You’ll soon notice that this issue has quite a bit of ski-related content. This is by design an attempt to prompt Mother Nature to bring it on. Salida still remains a tourist town, and brown hills on the Continental Divide going into December are major cause for concern.
Western State Colorado University history professor Duane Vandenbusche has graciously provided two historic articles having to do with skiers and skiing in the region. Dr. Vandenbusche gave his renowned talk on the history of Monarch Pass at the recent open house celebration for the expanded lodge at Ski Monarch. Hundreds of folks put down their beverages and quieted down long enough for him to give his presentation without aid of a microphone. This particular talk of his has traditionally brought snow to the mountain so we are hoping for the same side effect this year.
I also wanted to take a moment to thank Salida author Susan Tweit for providing us with her heartfelt columns for nearly four years. Susan is moving on to focus on writing books, and we wish her the best in her endeavors. In the void created by Susan’s absence, we will continue to provide a woman’s voice every month. We will be alternating the writings of Jennifer Welch, of Buena Vista, who writes about life on her small farm; and Tina Mitchell, a part-time Coaldale resident, who will be offering various musings on the natural world. This is in addition to our semi-regular mélange of talented female writers.
Speaking of writers, congratulations to Colorado Central contributor Bill Hatcher of the northern San Luis Valley. His first book, The Marble Room: How I Lost God and Found Myself in Africa, has been released by Lantern Books, and a review of the book can be found on page 34. Also, we can look forward to a new book by C.C. contributor Charles F. Price sometime next year about the infamous Espinosa Brothers, published by the University Press of Colorado. Renowned Chaffee County author Kent Haruf also has a new book scheduled for release in 2013, and we are hoping to catch up with him to talk about it in an upcoming issue.
Thanks again to all of our readers, without whom there would be no magazine. We do appreciate you and hope that you all have a safe, joyous and loving holiday season. – Mike Rosso
