Chocolate Truffles

Walking slow

2011-09-24T15:18:00.000-07:00

It is once again .... off season. I have written about it before in my blog, but every year when it comes around in Telluride, I just have to express what this is like. Today I went to the store and walked very slowly to my car. Just enjoying putting one foot in front of the other and feeling time, roll by ..... Off season is when time is not important. When a chance meeting with a friend at the bank turns into a 45 minute catch up session. No rushing, no lists to check off, no hoops to jump through. Well, actually, my fiscal year ends in about 6 days so there is a tad bit of accounting to catch up on. But, nothing seems all that important except maybe .... a nap.

The little chocolate shop that could

2010-07-11T18:32:00.000-07:00

A little over a year ago I was explainging to yet another person, why, 5 years ago, I built my 1200 sq. foot chocolate company 3 miles out of the Town of Telluride. Why aren't you in town! Absorbedent rents and 5 months of off season to start. And then, there's those 2 other chocolate companies who went out of business in less than a year trying to make it in town. But, this time a little voice inside said ... I wonder if that's still true.

Due to the economic down turn, certain closed doors are swinging open. I wondered if this was one of them. A few hours later I was checking the classifieds and making calls. Within 4 days, I had seen a space that was, well, almost perfect for just a little chocolate retail shop. I've lived in this town for 17 years and, even though this space is just off main street - on the strongest block, I had never known it was there. For over 10 years, it had been the home of a silk screen t-shirt manufacturer. He used it as a factory - no retail. Not many people even knew it was there.

Still thinking this was a wild idea with no chance of materializing I began meetings with the landlord and step by step laying out a lease that would work for me. Because you see, I am skitish when it comes to risk - so I drafted a lease that kept me safe if it didn't go well. And by golly, they went for it because the lease also gave them a very good outcome if I was successful. They were willing to gamble and.... I signed a lease.

Next - I had to turn this absolutely run down, filthy, 300 sq. foot space into a chocolate shop good enough to be called Telluride Truffle.

Oh - it was a mess with great possibilities. High 13 foot mismatched walls topped with a beautiful historic tin top ceiling. Original carved woodwork hidden by draping and layers of ugly grey paint. A filthy, cheap wall to wall carpet covering who knew what sort of floor. A sad little light crookedly hanging from the center of the room. I had to make this little space into a jewel of a chocolate shop. And I only had .... 30 days.

I have to hand it to prayer, Ebay, a plumber that did not give up, a clever carpenter who just kept figuring out how to do it cheaper. And an angel of a faux painter named Eli.

We did open 30 days later and it is everything that I needed it to be. It has a great feel to it. Many people comment they feel they are in Europe as they walk into the door. Even Europeans!

Goats Milk and Chocolate

2009-04-13T07:10:00.000-07:00

Recently my nutritionist suggested I not drink milk but goat's milk is fine. That's OK, I've never been a great fan of milk. But the main place I would miss it is in my hot chocolate. We make really really good hot chocolate (not yet available on the site). So recently I bought some goat's milk and cooked up a cup for myself.

Well, dear readers and fans of Telluride Truffle, I must first of all say ..... please appreciate what I do for you. I offer up my pallate in the interest of informing you, our customers. And I think it's safe to say: Do. Not. (I repeat) Do. Not do it. Trust me. For those of you who are tempted, imagine feta cheese with chocolate poured on it. Wow - that is one nasty taste. But if you must, sugar helps alot. I use agave. Our hot chocolate is not that sweet so adding about 2 teaspoons of Agave made it drinkable. Next .... staytuned for my explorations into rice milk.

By the way - until we get it on the site, if you would like to order the hot chocolate just give us a call and we can get some out to you. One pound $16.

2009-03-01T07:21:00.000-08:00

It's MARCH!!! Oh thank God ...... it's March!

In a town with 6 months of winter, you learn to notice the little changes that say - we've only got a few more months to go!!! And that becomes apparent in .... MARCH! The light changes - it's brighter and more, well ... sunny. But the best part is SPRING SKIING is here. That time of year when skiing becomes effortless. The snow is sooooo soft we call it "hero snow" because you can ski alot better than usual - it's effortless. And you can leave the heavy coat and the layers of long underwear at home. You can ski in just shirt sleeves and a baseball hat. I love .... MARCH!

2009-02-25T10:00:00.000-08:00

I'm going to let you in on a secret because not many people know about this place - even locals don't know about it.

Best place to have breakfast in Telluride: San Sophia Bed and Breakfast opens their doors to the public every morning for a really really good breakfast buffet. Everything is done to perfection. On top of great food they have friendly service and a homey and inviting ambiance. $16 for everything including beverages. I don't know much about their rooms, but considering how happy everyone looks in the breakfast room, I would imagine it's also a great place to stay.

2009-02-01T09:14:00.000-08:00

Last time you heard from me I had just completed turning a 1200 sq. ft. space from a real mess to a beautiful new home for Telluride Truffle. And then ... nothing for two years!! What happened?

1. I got really busy - I didn't even really ski or boat for two years!!! Now THAT is BUSY.

2. I began writing this blog before blogs were even called blogs. I just called it a"Diary from a girl in the mountains." I guess I just picked up the idea from the collective consciousness because now everone is doing it. But way back then, the format to write diary entries was really laborious and finally it quit working and I got busy (see excuse 1). But we updated the site and put in this new format so I'm back in the game. How hip am I - blogging away.

Telluride Truffle News

2007-08-28T09:31:00.000-07:00

I don't often talk about the biz per see in these quips on the life of a girl in Telluride. But if you look at the date of the last entry, you will notice there is a gap of 7 months!! Where have I been ... what have I been doing? You might think I had some horrible ski accident or was kidnapped by bears - we have been broken into twice by bears - it's only natural they would want to take me with them next time - they evidently like the chocolate. "To heck with honey and berries - these truffles are GREAT. Lets just take the leader and we can have them whenever we want!"

However, no it wasn't anything so dramatic but it was the hardest thing I've done in 9 years of doing business.

For the past 4 years I have been working out of two commercial spaces 4 miles apart. One place is where we make the truffles and the other is where they are packaged and shipped. This really got insane in December when we made and shipped 38,000 truffles! All of those truffles were wrapped up in cellophane and transported in my trusty van, driven 3 miles, walked up a flight of stairs, unwrapped and put into their proper packaging and shipped out. This is what one must do when you do business in an area where commercial rent is $23 a square foot! Gotta keep the overhead DOWN. But one must also balance that with one's mental health and by January of this year, I was exhausted.

One day I called into our trusty local radio station, KOTO to Trash and Treasure, a weekly show where people put things up for sale. I called in to give something away and the DJ recognized my voice and said she heard I was looking for a commercial space. To which I answered on the air - "YES - and if anyone knows of 1000 sq feet let me know. I've been looking for 2 years!" It was my lucky day and within the hour I got a phone call, and by the end of the week we were in lease negotiations. I signed on the dotted line April 15.

The new home was a 1200 sq foot place with walls where they couldn't be, carpet that had to go and absolutely no knowledge of how to go about it. And ... not to mention I had to turn a carpeted room into a commercial kitchen with ovens, stoves, sinks etc.

I called a contractor friend, Nick, for advice to which he offered "It is going to take longer than you could imagine and cost more than you could dream. Get ready – it’s going to be a bitch.” Thinking, surely he was exaggerating, I asked “OK, now tell me, is this something I can do myself, calling electricians, plumbers etc, lining them up to work - just tell me the truth - you won’t hurt my feelings, can I do it?"

To which Nick answered, "Hell NO - you gotta get a guy. Someone who knows how to talk to these guys. Someone who knows how to deal with them." Did I take his advice? Stay tuned to hear about what is entailed when a girl with little knowledge builds something on her own in a mountain town. And I thought Bears were scary....

Part II
Keeping Nick’s advice in mind I sought a contractor. A few estimates later I found myself becoming more and more optimistic of my own abilities. Funny how much money can be a motivator! And after all, none of these contractors had actually DONE a commercial kitchen.

So I decided to become a contractor AND run a chocolate business. Now maybe that wouldn’t be such a bad idea in a regular city where tradesmen sign … contracts. But here in Telluride, those contract things are reserved for building BIG houses with A LOT of money. For my little job, asking for a contract would have been insulting. I’m lucky they even showed up to give me an estimate. For that matter I’m lucky they GAVE me an estimate. Not that they really held to those either.

After three long sleepless and sometimes tear filled months, the commercial kitchen was done and everything pretty much worked. But Nick was right – it was a bit of a nightmare that seemed to never end. Glad I’m awake and back in the business of being a chocolatier. Where life is rosy and everyone shows up.

2007-08-26T07:15:00.000-07:00

Actually posted March 1, 2009 - There are about two years worth of posts that are not currently showing up in this new blog format. But we're looking in cyberspace for them!

Valley Floor

2006-02-20T09:35:00.000-08:00

The town voted to continue with condemnation (read February 10 remarks below). And most peopel are just glad it's over. It's so hard to fight in paradise. But questions still remain ... will continuing this lawsuit bankrupt the town.... what if your land is next?.....is the community greedy not taking a good deal? .... Or was it a really bad deal set up with smoke screens in order to "snow" the community while the lawyers laughed all the way to the bank. Is the owner of this corporation, who's wealth came from corporate defense contracts, a big bad wolf amongst the naive??? Stay tuned ... it all remains to be seen.

Valley Floor & Valley Cows

2006-02-10T09:36:00.000-08:00

Usually my remarks on this site are short and sweet, but I've got to explain something in a bit of detail because it is a huge event in our community. We're our own little Iraq right here in the Rocky Mountains.

We often say that the little town of Telluride is a microcosm. Meaning what is happening on a large scale in the world, is happening on a more concentrated level here in our little town. People are fighting worldwide and we're no different. A local war is going on and becoming very heated. It's a fight over a large piece of property that lies at the gateway to our little town known as the "Valley Floor". It's undeveloped, open and beautiful and some may say the soul of Telluride. It's where the Valley Cows live in the summer!

But it is owned by a large corporation who wants to develop it. And since they bought it 20 years ago, they feel they have the right. But a few years ago the community of Telluride voted to begin a "Condemnation Law Suit" to take the property for the good of the community i.e. - even if you own land you can be forced to sell it to the people for the good of the people - this is what is done in order to build highways or set aside land for parks etc. So the condemnation has been raging for a few years and millions of dollars have been spent.

But recently the owning corporation has offered a "deal" - drop the condemnation law suit (which the town very well may loose after spending millions of dollars) and accept a smaller package of development and we all get on with our lives. So the reactions are anywhere from "Take the deal - its the best we can do!" to "Don't give into the fear ... fight for the land, once it's gone - it's gone forever". And everything in between.

On February 14th - the members of Telluride will vote to decide the outcome. And there are arguments going on all over town. Judgements, misunderstandings, misinformation are being thrown at each other - public meetings are being held. The paper is filled with pages upon pages of "letters to the editor" experessing all sorts of empassiioned views on both sides of the argument. It literally is what everyone is talking about and it is heating up to volatile levels.

Snowing!

2005-10-30T09:37:00.000-08:00

It has been a very warm fall. I haven't even worn a coat yet. I was walking down main street yesterday and overheard a tourist saying "It sure doesn't feel like November". But alas - last night it snowed. Good to see the white stuff back.

Get Ready for Skiing Tips

2005-10-15T09:38:00.000-07:00

I love to ski - no doubt, but ya gotta laugh at what we put up with in order to do it. But isn't that what love is all about? So here are some "Get Ready for Skiing Tips". (If you don't ski you may not understand why these are funny.)

1. Visit your local butcher and pay $30 to sit in the walk-in freezer for a half an hour. Afterwards, burn two $50 dollar bills to warm up.

2. Soak your gloves and store them in the freezer after every use.

3. Fasten a small, wide rubber band around the top half of your head before you go to bed each night.

4. If you wear glasses, begin wearing them with glue smeared on the lenses.

5. Throw away a hundred dollar bill - now.

6. Find the nearest ice rink and walk across the ice 20 times in your ski boots carrying two pairs of skis, accessory bag and poles. Pretend you are looking for your car. Sporatically drop things.

7. Place a small but angular pebble in your shoes, line them with crushed ice, and then tighten a C-clamp around your toes.

8. Buy a new pair of gloves and immediately throw one away.

9. Secure one of your ankles in a bedpost and ask a friend to run into you at high speed.

10. Got to McDonald's and insist on paying $8.50 for a hamburger. Be sure you are in the longest line.

11. Clip a lift ticket to the zipper of your jacket and ride a motorcycle fast enough to make the ticket lacerate your face.

12. Drive slowly for five hours - anywhere - as long as it's in a snowstorm and you're following an 18-wheeler.

13. Fill a blender with ice, hit the pulse button and let the spray blast your face. Leave the ice on your face until it melts. Let it drip into your clothes.

14. Dress up in as many clothese as you can and then proceed to take them off because you have to go to the bathroom.

15. Slam your thumb in a car door. Don't go see the doctor.

16. Repeat all of the above every Saturday and Sunday until it's time for the real thing!

There is always a silver lining

2005-07-20T09:39:00.000-07:00

When living in paradise it's hard to complain. But one thing we are not used to is being HOT! And Geez it is hot. We're reaching 90 degrees on some days. That may not seem all that bad, but keep in mind airconditioning pretty much doesn't exist here. Restaurants and hotels are airconditionless. Imagine being a bellman in a hotel charging $300 a night and when the guest is shown a stuffy 90 degree room they have to explain this 4 star hotel does not have airconditioning. "Open the windows" is the only thing to say. So ... I could it could be worse for me anyway ... ah.... there is always a silver lining.

The talk is RIVER RUNNING

2005-05-25T09:39:00.000-07:00

The talk is RIVER RUNNING!!! And they are ... running that is. Everything is in flood stage. Record flows - big water. Lots of boats on top of people's cars leaving town in search of white water.

Paradise returns

2005-05-25T09:38:00.000-07:00

About 6:00pm I was on the phone and looked out my window and almost dropped the phone. The darkness over the mountains was huge, dramatic and moving fast. So beautiful. For the next 90 minutes the ominimous darkness grew and then the show began. Huge claps of thunder and rumbling followed by spattering rain and finally torrential rain. It was like a symphony. After so much dry weather and HOT days, it was a beautiful sight. People were one their decks wooping and hollering - welcoming the moisture. Today, it is clear, cool and beautiful. Paradise returns.

It is spring ... FINALLY

2005-05-20T09:40:00.000-07:00

Wow - what a dark, cold, rainey, depressing off season that was. Ask anyone because it was the topic of conversation all of early May. In the grocery store, at the coffee wagon, on the street people were asking "how ya doing" to which people hung their head and said forlornly ... "hanging in there". But we got through it once again.

Off Season is the test of a true mountain person

2005-05-12T09:40:00.000-07:00

Do you have what it takes to stick with the moutains in their most trying times? Most people run for the desert but you can only do that for so long... then ya have to come back and you always hope you've missed the worst of it. If not, you have to dig down deep in your "love of the mountains" feelings to get through it. Prozac helps.... or so I hear.

This year the mood is WAY up

2004-11-20T09:41:00.000-08:00

At this time of year - a few days before the mountain opens, the town mood is guaged by what sort of ski year this is going to be. For some it's because they ski and for others it's because they are intensely financially dependent upon how good ski season is going to be. This year the mood is WAY up - we've got snow and lots of it. It's even snowing right now! It's really white all over the place.

What a FUN post office we have

2004-11-05T09:41:00.000-08:00

I went to the Post Office today and, as I often do, reflected on what a FUN post office we have. There is a group of people who work there who make it their mission to make you laugh while you wait in line. While all of the postmasters are really nice and helpful people, there is one particular post master, Jim, who leads the fun. Not that he's all that nice. He teases me to death every time I walk in. There is usually a long line as I walk in the post office, Jim spies me and says very loudly for everyone to hear, "Boy I sure wish I had a truffle right now - wouldn't that be good!". And everone looks around and those who live here see me and laugh cause they know who I am.

By Jim's work station are pictures of 30 kids. He knows all of them by name. Jim knows EVERYONE by name. He used to live in the midwest and, as he tells it - he was about 60 pounds overweight, and was a miserable person to live with. "Ask my wife" he says "she's a saiint and puts up with me - God bless her." He moved to Telluride and began runnning. Now he runs the "Imogene." The Imogene is a race done every year where they run from one town to another (Ouray to Telluride). Now these town aren't all that far apart as the crow flies, but they are both at about 8,0000 feet to begin with Oh - and then there is this 12,000 peak that you have to run over during the race. Now I don't want to reveal Jim's age, but he ain't no spring chicken. But he usually wins or comes in pretty close to the front in his age bracket..

I really appreciate all that Jim and his fellow postmasters do at the post office. They think it's fun to make your day a little easier and bring a smile to your face. God bless them. If I go into the post office troubled or in a bad mood - I rarely leave that way.

Gotta make summer last as long as possible

2004-08-28T09:42:00.000-07:00

It was down right cold this morning. Put on the down coat to go out. However, I also had shorts on. Just can't give those up until it snows. Gotta make summer last as long as possible. Took a hike yesterday and was amazed at how many of the Aspens are already beginning to turn. It's going to be a very early fall. I'm thinking we will be in full color in 18 days. Amazing.

Bear Story

2004-08-18T09:42:00.000-07:00

At 5am I heard a crash on my front deck and some loud yelling. By the time I hit the living room, groggy from sleep, the front screen was torn into a ball, a flower pot was smashed and I looked in amazent at my large window, left wide open and easy access to the bear who obviously almost gained access to my house. Later that morning my neighbor told me he was the one who scarred the large bear away by yelling from his second story deck - amazing - usually they don't scare that easy when on the trail of food. My neighbor probably saved my life or at least the condition of my living room. Bears frequently get inside houses up here and they aren't very tidy. But in this case I would probably have walked right into him.

Bears are pretty docile around here. I have walked within 50 feet of one busy with some food - didn't notice him until the last minute. They are not Grizzlies which are much more aggresive as in the northwest, but if our black bears feel trapped, they will use what they've got - power, claws and teeth. In August the bears begin to engorge themselves in order hibernate. When there isn't enough food in the woods, they begin breaking into houses and trash cans. Word is that this year the bears are very aggressive. I was pretty careless to leave a first story window open for easy access. But the truffles are safe and so am I. Thank goodness.

I would like to think that people who fall in love with mountains are stubborn, romantic and idealistic -- dreamers

2004-07-20T09:43:00.000-07:00

I have had the privilege of a high school intern from Virginia working with my company. A lovely young lady, full of energy and promise. She was interning as a student of a class on leadership and I was struck by the education she was getting in our small town. We are a community of leaders.

Her aunt, a close friend of mine, runs her own business writing grants for non-profit organizations, additionally her aunt's husband runs his own business as a solar engineer, helping people build energy efficient homes. She also went white water boating with our good friend Joe Powell, owner of Waterwolf who makes really great boats for white water (which is what we mainly use it for) but is adaptable to all sorts of water sports. In fact, almost all of the people that Megan met here in Telluride were entrepreneurs. And it struck me how different that is from other places. I was recently at a dinner party of about 10 people and someone remarked that all of us supported ourselves with our own companies.

Perhaps this is because, as you grow older in a mountain town, the jobs available are not personally or financially suitable. Therefore you make a choice of leaving or staying and making your own way. Additionally, I would like to think that people who fall in love with mountains are stubborn, romantic and idealistic -- dreamers. And perhaps the mountains have taught them to stay true to what they believe and they will reward them in the end. We're all getting our mortgages paid.

My back yard is 4 feet deep in snow

2004-03-01T09:44:00.000-08:00

Sunny skies today and there haven't been many of those this winter. LOTS of snow. My back yard is 4 feet deep in snow. I've never seen it that deep. Yesterday I went to a small gathering of 6 people, two of whom were on crutches -- one with a broken leg and one had just blown here knee all from skiing. So be careful out there. Deep snow is great, but it also has a tendency to twist things.

There is an orthopedic surgeon turned ski instructor on the ski school staff here in Telluride. We always used to book very nervous customers with him - ski instructor and doctor all in one. He once told me the best way to avoid blowing out a knee was to not fight the fall. Of course, if you're heading for a tree, this may not be the right time to take that advice.

The locals are dangerous

2004-02-23T09:45:00.000-08:00

There is a 3 mile bit of road that comes out of Telluride that we call The Spur. Who knows why - it's just been called that for a long time. It's the only way to get out of town. A very safe looking bit of road, no curves, no cliffs, but it's the most dangerous bit of road in this county. We had another accident there just the other day. The guy was air lifted out of town and I hear he is going to be fine. Now you would think all of these accidents are from tourists gauking at the really beautiful sights - not paying attention. But ... nope.... locals are mostly the ones loosing control of their cars. Why is that. It's one of life's mysteries, but be careful while you're driving into town. The locals are dangerous.

Box Canyon Fever

2004-01-16T09:45:00.000-08:00

We get a thing up her called Box Canyon Fever. It hit me on January 2nd and I got into my car and drove to California for 10 days. Since I've gotten back I've spoken to others who just had to GET OUTTA HERE!!! Yep, sometimes you need to escape from this place - even though it's so beautiful. It's a small place, ya know. And it ends in a box canyon and there are these really tall mountains just towering all over the place. Now normally this is a very comforting thing, but when you get the fever, you gotta go. But I'm back at my post, making truffles for you all - seeing the mountains as the wonderful and beautiful things that they are.

Snow snow snow snow.

2003-12-23T09:47:00.000-08:00

Yep - its been snowing for the past 24 hours and that is the 3rd such storm we've had since winter set in. The mountain opens this week and I think we've got enough white stuff to have fun on. Yesterday I didn't even go outside - whirling windy cold day. But today - as so often it is here - is clear and the sky is bright blue. And everything else is white. Very pretty.

POWDER DAY!!!!!

2003-12-15T09:46:00.000-08:00

Big storm last night and still a white-out today. Over a foot so far and still going strong. Just in time for you guys to ski on for the Holidays!!!

2003-10-10T09:46:00.000-07:00

Since my last entry it had not snowed - until ... yes, we got a big storm day before yesterday and now everything is covered with white stuff. AND, it is raining in southern California which usually means snow for us a few days later.

A dear friend of mine who has worked in the ski industry for 30 years told me years ago that whatever the weather is at the full moon, it will be like for the rest of the month. I worked in the ski industry for 7 years and found that to be true a great deal of the time. And the moon was pretty full as that storm moved in the day before yesterday. Things are looking good for our Holiday visitors. But I'll keep you posted.

Wedding Cake

2003-09-26T09:47:00.000-07:00

Last week I delivered a wedding cake - yep I do that too in addition to truffles. Now - doing wedding cakes in the mountains is a bit different than anywhere else. Transportation sometimes can be very interesting. I have delivered many a wedding cake over dirt roads and up to remote areas. But the cake I delivered this past weekend - that well .... took the cake. There is a little town up here called Ophir about 10 minutes from Telluride only about 1,000 feet higher. The wedding was in a field that was even higher up and down a rugged, very narrow road - 4-wheel drive. No sheer cliffs but there was one stream to cross that I was a bit concerned about getting stuck in. But got there we did. It was a beautiful cake and a beautiful wedding.

Roker on the Road

2003-08-05T09:48:00.000-07:00

About two weeks after I wrote the last entry (June 16) Telluride Truffles was on Food Network - on Al Roker's new show - Roker on the Road and well - that was the last moment I had all summer to write in this locals page. It has been a whirlwind of activity filling orders. It is my intention to keep this page up to date and I will do so from now on at least until I get overwelmed once again. It was a big opportunity for the truffles to show their stuff nationally and I am glad to say that people were very happy with them. I got lots of comments and evidently they are a favorite at Roker Productions. Al even said on the Today show that these were very wonderful. That was very exciting.

I will tell you a little known fact about living in a mountain town -At least if you're a woman.

2003-06-16T09:48:00.000-07:00

Since May and June are months where it can snow or be hot with clear sunny days a girl just doesn't know what to wear. So - all winter clothes and summer clothes ARE ALL OVER THE PLACE. With not enough closet space to have both sets of clothes out they tend to be half way in boxes all over the bed. In the car you need extra sets of clothes cause the weather changes in minutes. I'm normally a pretty tidy person, but this time of year truely tests my organization abilities. After living here for 10 years, I have just learned to put up with the mess for the 6 weeks of interim time. Take today for instance, you need a down coat - yesterday we could have gone swimming.

Mountain Film

2003-05-23T09:48:00.000-07:00

"Mountain Film" has begun and it is by far my favorite festival of the summer. It marks the official end of Off Season which began the day after the mountain closed in early April until Mountain Film in late May. During Off Season the town literally closes up and most people leave. Now, everyone is back in town and full of energy talking about their adventures in the past two months. The main questions asked is: what did you do for Off Season? And adventures are told of going to Baja or Hawaii or well - anywhere with lots of hot sun - rare in Telluride during off season. One year I went to Palm Springs of all places (it's a long story). After 3 days of being poolside in 110 degrees, I turned to my friend and said - "I'm finally warm." But enough about off season.

Mountain Film - It is a film festival for documentaries mainly about mountain life. People come from all over the world for this festival. It is three days of celebrating mountain life and mountain people and the feeling of it is layed back and just alot of fun. You also become very educated about people and lifestyles all over the world where mountains exist.

This year is Mountain Film's 25th anniversary so they decided to do a little pre-festival for the locals. So every day at 5pm, they are giving away free beer, wine and food and then opening up one of the theatres presenting free music, lectures and and movies. It has been great fun and everyone has enjoyed it quite a bit.

2003-05-02T09:49:00.000-07:00

I'm sitting here at my desk watching a neighbor put up a trampoline for his son. It's spring. That doesn't mean no snow - it just means less snow. My neighbor was a member of the US Ski Team in his youth. So he's not putting up just a regular trampoline for his son - no this one has a bar high above the trampoline so that he can hook himself to it and do sumersalts and twists and all sort of fun things safely. I guess his son is training for freestyle or snowboard competition. I just was looking at it and thinking that is a sign of where I live - a mountain town. But I'll tell you more about that later. I've got to take a hike - there's a storm coming in.

HUGE storm hits Denver

2003-03-19T09:49:00.000-08:00

You know that HUGE storm that hit Denver - dropping 5 feet in the mountains - yea, well...it missed us COMPLETELY. Hey, but the good news is it's really hard to ski in 5 feet of snow. It also was really heavy, wet snow so who needs that? We got about 6 inches in the past three days - now THAT you can ski in.

You gotta try out the new skis this year

2003-03-05T09:50:00.000-08:00

It is so good up here. Absolutely beautiful, warm weather, blazing blue skies and LOTS of snow. I can't find words to communicate how beautiful it is here. Every time I go skiing I am amazed at the views we have. They are some of the best of any ski area I've been in. Seriously and I don't even have stock in the ski area - really.

My big suggestion, no matter where you are skiing - you gotta try out the new skis this year. WOW. If you are skiing on old gear, break down and demo a pair of the new short skis. They are remarkable. My old skis were a pair of Rossi Viper 99s that I never was really crazy about - I had been on the Viper X before and LOVED that ski. Anyway - I broke down this year to buy a new pair and got the Rossi Saphir VS in 40 legnth. 40!!!! When I stand by them they come up to my nose. The director of the ski school (who obviously knows here stuff) picked them out for me and I had to ask two other people in the store if this was REALLY my length. My old skis were 77s. Well - let me tell you - these ROCK!!! I go much faster than I dared with my old skis because these are so solid. The bumps are fast and easy.

So - at least demo a pair. They're amazing. Also - for those friends of yours who tried skiing once and it was too hard - get them out on a pair of these. They ski for you.

And one more piece of advice - get a helmet when you get those skis. Cause you're going to go much faster, you'll need the helmet.

Have fun out there.

I really have to hire somebody so I can get some skiing in.

2003-02-26T09:50:00.000-08:00

Its snowing and has been snowing since yesterday and that's after a lot of snow all week. We've got a lot of snow here folks. The ski mountain is reporting 11" in 24 hours and I'm pretty sure that's not counting today - which is probably another foot. Yeah!!! Me - I'm busy making truffles. I really have to hire somebody so I can get some skiing in.

Spring skiing is almost here

2003-02-19T09:51:00.000-08:00

We have gotten all of these little storms that have added up to give us some great conditions right now. And its almost MARCH!!! Spring skiing is almost here.

A funny thing about living in the mountains, you think of spring a little differently. It's not the crocuses pushing through the snow that does it - that doesn't happen until May. No as March hits we still have 3 feet of snow in our yards, so we look for some other signs. The snow is slightly melting so you can look forward to it being gone from your yard maybe by May. The air is warmer and on some days the sun is so bright all you need is a light coat. And you start planning what sort of potted plants to put out this year, even though you can't put them out until June. But its coming. Oh boy!!!

We need more snow

2003-01-21T09:51:00.000-08:00

The bad news is - we need more snow. The good news is - we are enjoying a long run of beautiful, sunny days and they are much appreciated by those who live with long winters in the mountains. I am looking out my window and the mountains are a blaze with sunshine. Now this isn't the best for skiing conditions, but it is great for skiing. Nothing like swooshing down a slope with the sun blazing down and glistening on the snow. The sky - so clear blue. Its just soothes the soul. And isn't that really what its all about?

Igloo New Year

2003-01-01T09:52:00.000-08:00

Last night I went up to the igloo (see Nov. 8 for more info on igloo) for the most magical New Year's Eve. It was storming as I drove up to the pass - that sort of driving that always sets my teeth on edge. Snow deep on the roads, the wind whipping the snow around making it difficult to know which way is up or which way is down - let alone where the road is. But I was bringing the chocolate for the chocolate fondue - so I felt I had to show up. So onward I drove thinking - if its this bad in this canyon - what is it going to be like when I get on top. I've lived in the mountains for 10 years now but I still get edgy driving in this sort of storm. A long time local just died last week - slid off the road. It took them 5 days to find her car. So - its dangerous no matter how long you've lived up here.

Luckily as I got toward the top, the snow almost stopped. The road was clearer and I pulled off to where we start our 1 mile hike up to the igloo. Only two others were there - the storm kept many away. But we put on our snowshoes and began our treck up. The snow was lightly falling. Every once in a while we would stop, turn off our head lamps and just listen. There is such a peace - it is pervasive. And with this peace comes the realization that this is all you need. You are complete in this moment.

For this next year I wish you all peace within yourself and with others. Happy New Year!

On top of this ..... it was a powder day today!!!!! At least 2 feet of new white pretty snow to play in.

9th annual igloo

2002-11-28T09:53:00.000-08:00

Every year for the past 9 winters a group of people (yours truly included) have met in the woods at about 10,000 feet to build an igloo. Its debatable as to whether it is truly an igloo (because we make it by piling up snow and not stacking cut cubes of ice) but we call it an igloo anyway. So the 9th annual igloo was finished last week.

Through the years, the igloo has been different shapes and sizes. The largest sat about 26 people - no kidding. But igloos are warm because of the people in them and when you have 6 people in an igloo built for 26 - its pretty #%$$# COLD. So this year we went back to the quaint size of seating for 14.

Last night was our first party and it was really cold up there, but 8 brave souls showed for our traditional Tai Soup pot luck in the igloo. We straped on snowshoes or put skins on telle skis and started the treck to the igloo hidden in the woods.

Tai soup in an igloo is done by one person bringing the herbs and base for Tai soup and the rest of us bringing ingredients to throw into the wok. So we put the wok on the the camp stove and everyone takes their little bag of whatever from their back packs. We announce what we have and get approval before we throw it in. Broccoli, chicken, snow peas, scallops, rice noodles etc are thrown into the soup and we talk as it cooks.

About an hour into the evening we hear a commotion outside - it is our friend and acclaimed chef, Nick. He drags into the iglloo a large pack that he proceeds to empty with huge amounts of food. He takes over the wok, which is now empty and prepares the most amzaing Tai fired rice. We dubbed it - "Fried Rice your mother wish she could make". No offense to mothers everywhere.

After about 3 hours of being in the igloo, we made our way out joking that we may be too fat to fit through the narrow igloo tunnel to the outside. But make it we did, strapped on the snowshoes and siliently made our way back to civilization.

There is something about being in snow filled woods high up in the mountains on a winter's night. Its magical. Most nights you can see without a flashlight. The stars are BLAZING. The silence is profound. The crunch of each step is freshly audible. Its calming and reminds us all what is really important. ...... HEAT! ha ha.

2002-11-27T09:54:00.000-08:00

Skiing on new skis was certainly OK yesterday. The snow was great - scratchy in some places, but lift 5 was awesome. That was the place to be. It wasn't deep powder, but there weren't any rocks and that is something. Lift 9 was not open. Lift 6 was but only the lift - only one run - See Forever was open - not truely a lift 6 run but accessed by lift 6. But you got to go up and look at that awesome view up there. WOW!! I'm always amazed. They will most likely be opening more and more of the mountain as we get to Thanksgiving. So get on up here. Its good.

2002-11-11T09:54:00.000-08:00

Wow - lots of snow here. The ski area is reporting 4 feet so far and 20 inches in the past few days. Even though many ski areas measure snow suspiciously, I believe them this time. There is alot of snow out there. If I were you, I'd make plans to come up to ski for Thanksgiving weekend - the ski area opens the day before Thanksgiving. Its going to be good. More snow expected this weekend! I'll keep ya posted.

2002-10-29T09:55:00.000-08:00

Its snowing! Its snowing!! Yep the white stuff is all over the place. We got about 6 inches in town on Saturday and then it snowed again last night a bit. The mountains are looking very white. This looks like the beginning of our base for the winter. Yesterday I ran into the Mountain Manager up at Telski (the nick name for the ski mountain) and he said its cold enough to make snow - so making snow they are. Its looking good. So start waxing those skis.

2002-10-22T09:55:00.000-07:00

Its off season here in Telluride. The fall colors are almost gone but the snow isn't here yet. Therefore we don't have alot of visitors.

If you want to see this town at its quietest - this is close to it . Things are slow ... quiet ... peaceful. The air is a bit nippy but still warm enough to sit around at the Coffee Cowboy in the center of town and discuss our opinions about when the snow will come. This time of year we all have time. Life is slow. Its the calm before the storm called .... Ski Season.

2002-10-03T09:55:00.000-07:00

Today, Telluride is the most beautiful I have ever seen. Now isn't that a bold statement? All day I have been looking up and being reshocked. My camera won't catch this, so I've got to try and describe it to you.

A new snow has lightly iced each evergreen. As you look up, the hills are a wash of icy white tipped pine trees looking like a black and white photograph but the aspens are showing vibrant shades of green and gold. Its still stormy - so it's mainly shades of gray except for the vibrant aspens which are electified in this light - almost neon.

It looks like someone has painted colors on a black and white photograh. It doesn't look real and I keep looking at it trying to figure out the illusion.. Because of the storm, the light changes 10 times an hour so the vision moves as if watching a slide show. Every moment its a bit different than the moment before. I hope someone with a great camera was out there. Cause this was the day. It was magical. Yep... thats what the mountains do.

2002-08-07T09:55:00.000-07:00

Went into town today and it was PACKED. Film festival is over so what gives? Imogene. Yep that crazy crazy race that goes up one side of a really really really big mountain and then down the other side. One of my friends did it last year and walked funny for a very long time. I don't know who won yet, but god bless them. Me - I had a great breakfast at Sofio's. The Sunshine Omelet - its the best ....IF you like sourcream and guacamole and the best green chile sauce - YUM. Someone! Please! get me the recipee for that green chile sauce!

2002-07-30T09:56:00.000-07:00

No more fires!! And it's been raining every day. Isn't that great news? Things are looking greener.

Hey - this weekend is Jazz Festival and Telluride Truffle is doing a dessert concession. We will have things like chocolate espresso cake with a true chocolate butter cream. Chocolate truffle cake, great carrot cake, apple tarts, apricot bread pudding etc.

So come on by and get a piece of the best desserts you have EVER had. No kidding. I've been eating them all week.

2002-07-09T09:56:00.000-07:00

The fires I spoke about last have all been put out. However, today, there is a new fire very close to us in Norwood which is about 30 miles away by road, much closer by air. It started as a small fire and now has gotten rather large. Our main concern here is that many people that we know live in the Norwood and Redvale area. Unfortunately due to high winds, the fire can not be fought today - so it grows larger. I am now looking out my office window and can barely see the mountains due to smoke.

The chances of this coming into Telluride is slim and all access to us is very much open. The smoke is only so thick to obscure parts of the view, but is not impeding us in any other way.

How the TRUFFLES got their names

2002-06-01T09:56:00.000-07:00

Divine inspiration I would like to think.

2002-02-25T09:54:00.000-08:00

Tomorrow's the big day. Our first day here is called "donut day" because the ski club - a club that teaches the kids to ski donates donuts for everyone and the mountain donates all moneys to the ski club for the day. And it only costs $24 to ski. So its good for everyone. Looks like they've got a good day.

Happy New Year's Eve

2002-01-31T09:52:00.000-08:00

Telluride is the busiest it has ever been for the Christmas Holidays. People are everywhere. The snow conditions are great and except for a few days, the sun has been shinning through beautiful blue skies. I have not been skiing however, I have been making truffles and boxing truffles, and FedExing truffles and running them to local stores etc. Which makes me very very happy and makes the company very very happy. So - I'm very very happy in general. I'll ski next week.