Live From Telluride

Oh, it was chilly yesterday morning--20 degrees at 9am. I had to scrape ice off my windshield for the first time in years. (Good thing I saved that scraper!) But once the morning chill burned off, the days here were beautiful. The thermometer said 50 degrees, but it felt like 65. Therefore, no jackets required until about 5pm. Ben Kerr at Koto Radio called it the "January Thaw"--spring-like conditions that tease and cajole until winter comes back with a vengeance in February. I'm enjoying it. I went to Norwood, CO (the actual location of my future home) on Tuesday and the La Sal and San Miguel Mountains looked beautiful.
Later on I hung out with my friend Dan at his pizza place--Brown Dog Pizza. Ummm, pizza.

Yesterday I did some more hanging out with good friends. Chris and I had lunch (thanks Chris!) and then checked out the spanking new indoor ice skating rink. So much fun!
Then Bo and I had dinner at one of my favorite restaurants--The Cosmopolitan (thanks Bo!)--before heading to the Nugget to see The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou. There was a full moon this week, which lit up the mountains as well as the sun does during the day. I hate to pack up and go so soon, but it looks like it's going to snow. Besides, I'll be back.

And, of course, thanks always to Jim Bedford and Luci Reeve for providing warm shelter!

Must-Have Road Trip CD's

Can't drive more than 2 hours without these:
1.) Green Day--Nimrod
2.) Sheryl Crow--C'mon, C'mon
3.) Jackson Browne--Running On Empty and The Pretender
4.) Brian Setzer Orchestra--The Dirty Boogie
5.) The Eagles--Greatest Hits Vol. 2 and Hotel California
6.) Dean Martin--Greatest Hits
7.) The Wallflowers--Bringing Down the Horse
8.) Pure '70s
9.) Matchbox 20--More Than You Think You Are and Mad Season
10.) John Mellencamp--Lonesome Jubilee
11.) Billy Joel--Glass Houses
12.) Clay Pigeons soundtrack
13.) Moulin Rouge soundtrack
14.) Arlo Guthrie--Hobo's Lullaby
15.) Sleepless In Seattle soundtrack
16.) Tim McGraw--Tim McGraw + The Dancehall Doctors
17.) Girls Rule--a little compilation I put together of some of my favorite female rock vocalists

Eye of the Beholder

I never thought I'd see anything beautiful in Needles, CA, but I've been set straight. I got to Needles around 7am yesterday morning on my drive out to Telluride, so the sun had only been up for about 1/2 an hour. It was 50 degrees, there was a light dusting of frost, the sky was clear and cool, and the mountains were crisply outlined. On the north side of the highway the valley was filled with a low-sitting layer of fluffy white fog. Just awesome.

I almost always drive to Colorado and back (in 14 years I think I've flown in 3 times). Friends and family always seem more concerned about my taking on the 16 hour drive than I am (thanks for caring!!!), because I get a lot of enjoyment out of the journey. But I have to admit, when I got up at 2am on Sunday morning my first thought was, "Do I really have to drive all the way to Colorado today?" I did, and once the sun came up I couldn't have been happier. To fly is to miss the sunrise on a desert mountain range, the fog in the valley, the rock formations at Holy Moses Wash, the Painted Desert, the elephant-foot looking columns at Tonalea, and the green highway signs counting down the miles to each town. How can you surpass the pleasure of driving through places with names like Disappointment Valley, Teec Nos Pos, Mexican Water, and Paradox Valley? And one will never be able to comprehend the breathtaking majesty of Monument Valley from the air.

The best book I've read so far on appreciating the western landscape is Edward Abbey's Desert Solitaire. If you can find a copy, give it a read.

The drive yesterday was just great. The weather was gorgeous--it was 60 degrees in Monument Valley--and the skies were pristinely clear. At some points I could see 4 different mountain ranges in front of me. If you're ever in Seligman, AZ, stop in at the Historic Route 66 General Store. The guy who runs it is really nice (his parents live in Cortez, CO) and they have some great Route 66 postcards. (Mom & Dad--yours is in the mail!)


Thanks to the Dixie Chicks, Jackson Browne, The Eagles, Brian Setzer, Tim McGraw, Sheryl Crow, Dean Martin, Willie Nelson, and many others for keeping me company on my long trips. Fine traveling companions, indeed.

The Countdown

Days Remaining in L.A.: 164

The warm Santa Ana winds started blowing on Sunday night--ahh, winter!

For some, 5 months may seem like a long time, but I know it will fly by and there're still so many things I'd like to do before I head for the hills. With limited time and limited funds, it's going to be difficult to accomplish everything I'd like, but I'm going to give it my best shot.

Things still to do in Los Angeles:
1.) go to Sequoia National Forest and Yosemite National Park (17 years in California and I've never seen a redwood or Half Dome. That's pathetic.)
2.) learn to ride a motorcycle (see my friend Jeffrey's article about it on his ezine The-Vu)
3.) go to Swing Camp Catalina, put on by PBDA
4.) go to Disneyland with my friend Jenny
5.) eat at Campanile (I hear it's one of the best restaurants in town)
6.) see Esa-Pekka Salonen conduct the L.A. Philharmonic
7.) go to the Magic Castle one more time
(if anyone can get a pass for me, please email me!)
8.) take a good look at the ocean as often as I can

9.) find a publisher for my children's story
10.) I have about 20 pictures that need to be framed
11.) take Sewing 1C at the Sewing Arts Center
12.) visit the Huntington Gardens and Library
13.) go to Hollywood Forever
14.) go to the Natural History Museum
15.) see the poppies in Antelope Valley in bloom

Looking At Telluride

view from Society Turn


view from east end of town

It's About That Time...

After nearly 18 years in Southern California, it's time to move on. I've decided to relocate myself to a small mountain town that I've been visiting, working in, and occassionally living in for about 13 years now. What's not to love about SoCal, you ask? How about the traffic, a lot of the people, and the high cost of living. I'm not alone in this exodus--most of my closest friends have already gotten out. I'm just "The Next To Go."

I'm intending this blog to mainly be about the experience of moving from a city to a rural town, but first I would just like to state that there are many wonderful things about L.A. Almost 3 years ago I made a list of the things that I really love about Los Angeles (in no particular order).

1.) Bob's Big Boy in Burbank
2.) The Hollywood Bowl
3.) the ocean
4.) The Derby & The Dresden
5.) Pasadena Ballroom Dance Association
6.) within driving distance of Mexico
7.) the weather
8.) The Magic Castle
9.) Grauman's Chinese Theatre & the Cinerama Dome
10.) open 24 hours
11.) Los Angeles County Museum of Art
12.) Central Library
13.) Sunset Boulevard
14.) Don Antonio's
15.) Landmark Theatres
16.) C&O Trattoria
17.) Canter's Deli
18.) ImagExperts (photo lab)
19.) Topanga Canyon, Las Virgenes, and Kanaan Rd.
20.) Magic Mountain
21.) Record Surplus
22.) the jacarandas
23.) the community colleges
24.) my dentist, Dr. Shawaf
25.) my mechanic, Ryan Ito
26.) my framer, Steve Levine, and his cat Sixx
27.) eucalyptus trees
28.) Hennessey & Ingalls
29.) The Sewing Arts Center
30.) the elevator for Encounters at LAX
31.) my friends

If you're ever in town, you should check out some of these people & places.

Special thanks to Matt for helping me set up this Blog, and to James for the idea!