Category Archives: CO and Routt County

Street Walking with Joy

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“Cherish your visions and your dreams as they are the children of your soul, the blueprints of your ultimate achievements.”~ Napoleon Hill 

Yesterday I gave myself a break; took time to do something fulfilling for myself. I strolled the streets and retail spaces, preparing for my personal celebration today. This is a landmark – my 1,000th blog on All Things Fulfilling. I can hardly believe it, myself. 

Today, I  share all things Christmas with you through photographic images. Enjoy this day, and I am going to do the same myself. I may even make a little yummy, sweet, holiday treat and put my feet up, just for a little bit, then I’ve got more work to do. 

Thanks in advance to all shop-owners who let me photograph their retail spaces – there will be more pictures of my walking tour of Ski Town, U.S.A next week, too!. Come on back.

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Entry of the United Methodist Church “Open Hearts, Open Minds, Open Doors

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Off the Beaten Path, a fine Indie Bound Bookstore is loaded up with The Lost Christmas Gift. A winter adventure set in Steamboat Springs, on the Colorado’s Best Seller list, it hit LA Times Holiday Book Gift list and is sold out in most outlets. OTBP has plenty and the author will have a book signing tomorrow – 12/8/12 at 2:30pm!

 

 

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Always a Beautiful Retail Space to visit in town, Steamboat Art Company all decked out!

 

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Window Shopping, a scene outside the Bucking Rainbow Outfitters – what is inside is even better! Attention, fly fishing enthusiasts!

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Fuzziwigs Candy Shop – Stocking Stuffer Sweets Galore!!

 

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Christmas Tree bedecking Colorado Mountain College’s brand new facility – meets all LEED standards and has a great business enterprise center, too! This new building raises the college to all new levels!

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F.M Light Store’s horse ready for Xmas. A real landmark in town. This business has been selling  cowboy boots and hats for more than 100 years! Best selection for miles around!

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Homesteader Kitchen Shop – The aromas coming from this shop were enough to draw me in! Daniella was cooking up her chocolate treats and toffee (more pictures of Homesteader next week). The cinnamon,vanilla coated almonds are outstanding!

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Aptly Named, “Om” this shop is a great place to calm the spirit after walking the streets. Love the lit decorative hangings that you can buy year round to add to a sacred spot in your abode, or for a thoughtful gift for a loved one.

 

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Lyons Drug, yes indeed, great thoughtful gifts in this store, and even an old fashioned soda fountain!

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Branches, Home Decor. Come back next week and there will more images of places to shop locally. Support local business, it’s what makes communities tick!

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Treasures from the Heart

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“He who has not Christmas in his heart will never find it under a tree. “ ~Roy L. Smith 

Ok, so, I hadn’t thought that much about Christmas until Sunday. I was too busy planning Thanksgiving and enjoying the memories of our family reunion. Singing “Oh Come, Oh Come Emmanuel” in church on Sunday, and the lighting of the first candle of the Advent Season made me feel even jollier already. Ever since I was a child, I have loved everything about the magic of the Christmas season. 

shop locallyIf you have any doubts about whether winter is here in Colorado, just take a stroll down Lincoln Avenue in Steamboat and step inside the doors of the retail establishments. On Sunday, I allowed myself a few minutes to peek inside a few stores. I was not disappointed. The stores are beautifully “dressed” for holiday shoppers. I spied stylish women’s clothing artfully displayed and coordinated, outstanding assortments of coffee table books, sparkly western jeans and dazzling ornaments to accentuate trees or as an accessory to a  beautifully wrapped package. Rugged, yet, very classy men’s clothing is neatly folded and just waiting to be picked up. In many of the stores I saw a number of items that would make thoughtful gifts for under $20. There are treasures to be found with smaller bucks, too!

I look forward to stepping inside many more shops, visiting our local independent bookstore, Off the Beaten Path, http://bit.ly/VgvEE3 and in galleries located throughout town to take in the Christmas spirit over the next few weeks. 

Since I came to the Yampa Valley four years ago, despite challenging times, many of the stores in town have overhauled their retail spaces, updated their stock and generally spiffed up. Lookin’ good, Steamboat! Inspires me to shop!

Happy Treasure Hunting for big and small! And remember, shop Local, whenever possible.

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Sounds of a Pioneer Valley

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The weekend before Thanksgiving I attended a concert called “What a Wonderful World” presented by the Yampa Valley Singers.

A fulfilling selection of thirteen songs was so appropriate to the season of thanksgiving; reminding me of things I am grateful for. The compositions ranged from spiritual to patriotic to contemporary show tunes. Most of the songs familiar; some  creative renditions of the originals. Here is the list of musical numbers from the event.

  • How Can I Keep from Singing?
  • America the Beautiful
  • For the Beauty of the Earth
  • Home (from the Broadway show The Wiz)
  • Try to Remember
  • Blowin’ in the Wind
  • Stopping by the Woods (based on Robert Frost’s poem)
  • A Long Way from Home
  • Blow Bugle Blow
  • All Good Gifts
  • I Vow to Thee, My Country
  • Hava Nagila
  • What a Wonderful World 

I am so grateful the Yampa Valley Singers come together several times of the year to share their artisic talents and voices with our community. I’ve gotten such enjoyment out of each of their concerts since I moved to Steamboat.

As I  sat enjoying the tune “How Can I Keep from Singing?” I thought if it wasn’t for my lack of a decent musical voice I would answer their call and join in. But, they wouldn’t want to hear my vocal utterances. Why ruin a good thing?

The Yampa Valley Singers sell independently published DVDs of their concerts- affordable gifts!  The choral group is comprised of approximately 30 -35 of people -friends and neighbors to many in this valley. To order a CD of the music from the concert “What a Wonderful World,” please click on this link. http://bit.ly/UnLPCO. There are also some wonderful cds from the Yampa Valley Boys that make for great gifts.For ordering Christmas Trail by the Yampa Valley Boys. click here.

Thank you for a very enjoyable evening, Yampa Valley Singers, and to the United Methodist Church in Steamboat for providing a space to hold the concert.

This blog brought to you by Sue Batton Leonard, author of Gift of a Lifetime:Finding Fulfilling Things in the Unexpected.

 

Generation of Smart, Healthy Children

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“As a kindergarten teacher, I have come to understand the powerful interplay between our senses, memory and food.” ~ Grady Turner

There is an e-book project in the works that I am more excited about than many others I have heard about. I desperately want to see it come to fruition. Why? This independent publishing project is about the new generation and teaching through interactive e-books.

Eat, Play, Learn Books, LLC is a company that is developing “kids activities that use healthy food as a learning tool.” These lessons have been successfully used and tested in the classroom by award winning  kindergarten teacher, Grady Turner, B.A., MEd. They meet and reinforce academic standards.

The impetus behind this Eat, Play, Learn Books is a need our country has – raising children who know about the benefits of staying healthy and fit. 

This series published by Eat, Play, Learn Books, LLC covers four diciplines of learning – reading and writing, math, science and social studies. The e-books, complimented with video, will lead parents and children through a series of fun activities that reinforce healthy food choices. It is geared for children aged 4 to 9. The activities can be done at home, providing parents and children outstanding quality time together. Through the activities in the books, children are introduced food that is both nutritious and commonly found in homes and the grocery store.  

Electronic books published by Eat, Play Learn Books, LLC are downloadable on e-readers, computers and palm-size digital devices, too – such as cell phones.Click here for Eat Play Learn – Lessons 1-3 Reading and Writing

Please join me in supporting this wonderful publishing project and raise a generation of healthier children.

This blog brought to you by Sue Batton Leonard, author of Gift of a Lifetime: Finding Fulfilling Things in the Unexpected

Writing and Spiritual Journeys

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“Be faithful to that which exists within yourself.”  ~ Andre Gide

Yesterday’s blog posting led me to much deeper thoughts about the value of writing about health issues.

There are many men, women, and couples, who have found help and spiritual healing by writing about their own experiences of dealing with health issues of all kinds. If it weren’t for independent publishing, many of these stories would not be available for others to read. Important that these stories be told to help others who are going through difficult diagnoses and treatment, independent publishing serves as a valuable avenue in getting these books out to the public. Unique books, with personal stories, are often sold and marketed through e-commerce (sold on the internet).

There are many books available on cancer but there are three independently published books that I would like to mention in honor National Breast Cancer Month. To read more about these publications or to order them, please visit the links beside each title.

Fine Black Lines: Reflections on Facing Cancer, Fear and Loneliness by Lois Tschetter Hjelmstad  Click here for info & ordering

The Heroics of Falling Apart: One Couple’s Breast Cancer Journey, Julie and Dan Gordon http://bit.ly/SYjX7xClick here for info & ordering

The Cancer Odyssey Author: Margaret Brennan Brumel http://bit.ly/RAPOrHClick here for info & ordering

As a member of the Colorado Independent Publishers Association www.cipabooks.com , I have the opportunity to meet many authors who have published award-winning stories that help others. Although I do not know Julie and Dan Gordon or Margaret Bermel, I do know Lois Tschetter Hjelmstad. She is an amazing woman for many reasons, not just because she is a cancer survivor. She also has written other books about personal relationships. Each time I see her at a publishing event, we enjoy speaking with boeach other. I have observed something that she writes about – a very, very long lasting, successful marriage. She has been married 64 years, as have my parents. Her musings on what it means to have a fulfilling marriage are thoughtful and inciteful.

Although you may think your own story would not be of interest to others, I encourage people to find creative ways of telling them. It may just benefit someone else or at least yourself. It is very the reason, I told my story of childhood illness, (unrelated to cancer). For more information click on this link. Gift of a Lifetime:Finding Fulfilling Things in the Unexpected.

This blog brought to you by Sue Batton Leonard andwww.CornerstoneFulfillmentService.com.

Images, Words and White Space

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“We’ve arranged a civilization in which most crucial elements profoundly depend on science and technology.” ~ Carl Sagan

On Monday, our local paper Steamboat Today was printed on pink paper in honor of National Breast Cancer Month. It seems that no one is immune from knowing someone who has been touched by this cancer. The month of October is dedicated to raising awareness of the importance of early detection. 

The color of the newspaper was more than just a blush of pink, bolder than that, yet not as dark as fuchsia either. That edition made me realize something – the importance of white space. Although, as always,  I read the paper from cover to cover, I found reading from pink paper difficult and in fact, it slowed down my progress because my eyes were straining. As I struggled to read the article on raising money at the local level through events such as The Bust of Steamboat http://thebustofsteamboat.org/, I couldn’t help but think of what white space means to publishing. 

Digital reading devices, such as Kindles, have now gone through a few generations of development, improvements have come with each new model. The Kindle Paperwhite is purported to give the reader the clearest text, the best reading experience, due to its bright white screen. Yet not everyone can afford this top model. Many people do not have the luxury of buying a digital reader at all. 

I thought about how this relates to funding for breast cancer. Over the years, there have been advancements in detection through technology, yet people still slip through the cracks and find out about their case too late. Not every woman is able to afford mammograms and treatments either, which means not every woman has a chance of survival. Thank goodness for non-profit organizations such as the Susan G Komen Foundation http://bit.ly/TqInTF at the national and local level that work hard at trying to provide the means for everyone through their fundraising efforts. 

I don’t mean to trivialize the devastating disease of breast cancer by comparing technology of Kindle readers to a very personal medical issue. Digital reading devices are luxuries, and having medical technology and treatment for cancer is a necessity for survival; two very different issues. 

 These are just a few independent thoughts that came to my mind regarding white space as I read the news of the day on pink paper. That’s all….

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Fairy Tale Paper Artist

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“I was a great reader of fairy tales. I tried to read the entire fairy tale section of the library.” ~Beverly Cleary

Last week I posted a blog about ways to creatively recycle book pages. Su Blackwell, an artist from the U.K.,  creates three dimensional book sculptures made with discarded books. Many of her creations are scenes from fairytales and folk lore stories.

Her work is reflective of the books she read and the fulfilling make-believe world she created while playing in the woods during her childhood. Blackwell went on to study arts, specifically textiles, obtaining a M.A. degree at the Royal College of Art in London.

“The Quiet American” was her very first sculpture which was created from a second hand book called the Kao San Road she purchased on a trip to Thailand. She says she reads books once or twice before she begins her creation of a scene from the book.

The trend of repurposing books to create art sculpture is becoming popular in many places, including here in Colorado. Artist Kim Keith, exhibits and sells her geometric shaped paper sculpture and other mixed media, at the Red Contemporary Gallery here in Steamboat. She says her creations keep “alive the tactile sense and physicality of “book”. http://bit.ly/PrThwI.

Click here for books on repurposing books for art projects.

 
For more information, on the amazing work of Su Blackwell, please visit this link. http://bit.ly/RTrcwA.

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“The Boat” Brings Prized Authors to Community

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“I try to be respectful of how other people think, I try to listen to what they’re saying.” ~Rick Scott

This past weekend was Literary Sojourn weekend here in Steamboat Springs, Colorado. This event has been held annually since 1993. So popular, people arrive from all over the country to attend it. Each year it sells out very quickly.

As a way of extending the event, the Bud Werner Memorial Library invited two Bellwether Prize winners to speak on Sunday. For those who were not fortunate enough to get tickets to Saturday’s discussions, the second part of the “Sojourn” weekend was open to everyone at no charge. The two featured authors were Naomi Benaron and Hillary Jordan, Bellwether award winners in 2010 and 2006, respectively.

Jennie Lay, adult programs coordinator at the Bud Werner Memorial Library, asked the authors “what winning this book prize has meant to them?” Each expressed it has done wonders for their publishing careers. All contestants for the “Bellwether” must have a previously unpublished novel. Along with winning $25,000, winners are given publishing contracts with Alqonquin Books.

Jordan and Benaron discussed how fiction writing is useful for telling stories that are interwoven with issues of culture, politics and social justice. However, Benaron stressed the importance of writing stories about controversial issues in a “respectful manner.” She also mentioned how research into a culture brings credibility and correctness to the story.

“Literature,” Benaron said “is the only art form that takes you into another person’s brain.” Essentially, she said, as readers, we are better able to feel and live the story along with the characters through fictional dialogue.

To read more about the publications of these impressive authors, visit these two websites,Hillary Jordanand Naomi Benaron.

For more information on the Bellwether Prize, which was established in 2000, solely funded by author Barbara Kingsolver and administered by the PEN American Center, please visit this site http://bit.ly/Rom01E.  For information on Barbara Kingsolvers latest book, click here: Flight Behavior: A Novel.

As I left this most enjoyable event, I thought to myself “living in a community with avid readers and writers, certainly has its benefits.”

Thank you to our local library and our local “Indie Bound” bookstore, Off the Beaten Path” for their participation in this event.

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Common Community Through Art and Culture

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“In art, the hand can never execute anything higher than the heart can imagine.”  ~Ralph Waldo Emerson

Have you ever noticed how artists flock together and build common community?

People find kinship in their writing, painting, poetry, music, filmmaking, knitting,the performing arts and so forth. You know how it goes. Everyone in the group speaks the same language. 

The Colorado Creative Industries has worked to identify communities where art contributes greatly to the overall culture,  enhancing the lives of local citizens and tourists.  

Telluride has been designated as a one of five prospective Creative Districts in Colorado. Forty-four towns and cities were under consideration. The goal of the Colorado Creative Industries is to bolster the artistic community by providing consulting and technical assistance and an $8,000 grant to help grow the community as an economic driver through art. 

During the winter, outstanding skiing is the impetus behind visiting this “box canyon” with stunning and dramatic scenery, but in summer it is all about art festivals. Each weekend from May to September people flock to the area for two film festivals, music concerts and gatherings of playwrite/screenwriters. There is also a Cajun weekend, chamber music, yoga and bike races,  and more. 

There is even a Compassion Festival held in Telluride, which I was not aware of until I picked up some tourist literature. This event brings in academia from different parts of the country who lecture on the benefits that compassion brings to overall health, well-being and stress reduction. Cultural differences in compassion is also part of the discussion. It is held in collaboration between the Telluride Institute http://bit.ly/U87yzg and Stanford University’s Center for Compassion & Altruism Research & Education (CCARE). Interesting! Please visit this link to read more about it.http://bit.ly/QVb8Kn

Congratulations, Telluride! When I was in the area recently I was impressed with your charming Victorian homes, art galleries, retail spaces, historic hotels, the amazing scenery and the emcompassing flavor of the artistic community. It was fun visiting. I’ll be back!

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The Power of Love

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“The simple act of reassurance from another human being becomes a tool of the spirit.” ~John Ortberg, Jr. 

“Ok, so, I bawled yesterday in church and had to pull out the Kleenex.  It all began with the christening of a little baby. It took me back to 24 years ago when my husband and I were standing at the font with our little one.

I didn’t fall apart until the after the baptism was almost over. As the congregation began singing “Child of Blessing, Child of Promise”, the water works started. I couldn’t sing; I just listened. The melody and words made me feel the embracing power of love, hope, faith and all good things that support children in their development.

My tears were only momentary. When our minister started his sermon on friendship, his commentary about Facebook friends was hysterical. I could relate completely. On a more serious note the pastor  also talked about what it means to have friends who stick by you through thick and thin. That was inspiring.

The message was craftily brought around to include the words of a song written in 1971 by Carole King. We watched a short video of one of King’s performances singing that trademark song “You’ve Got a Friend” to a packed audience. By the end of the video, I and many others in the congregation were singing along, with huge smiles on our faces. I carried that uplifted feeling with me until the day’s end.

Week after week, as I sit in the pew, I am reminded of the art of delivering a good sermon. If every minister had talent like ours does to  communicate  such a relatable message , every church in America would be standing room only.

Thank you, Reverend Tim, for all you do in healing the spirits of our people. And I just want to know –  Are you Facebook friends with the old guy that was standing in line in front of me waiting to shake your hand after the sermon?” He doesn’t really look like he knows how to turn on a computer. Could it be that you know him from another of your networking circles?

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