Serving you, homeowners in the Telluride valley, with insights highlighting the abundant happenings and hidden surprises of this wonderfully remote mountain community which we call our year-round home
LIVING IN AND AROUND TELLURIDE
With the elements of the natural world so compounded in Telluride’s box canyon, everyday is a foray into nature’s wonderful bounty.
This summer we have noticed that every time the elk gather on the valley floor so do the tourists! It is amusing to watch this novel human behavior in our valley! The sight of elk on the valley floor even stops Telluriders in their tracks! WHAT IS happening on the valley floor? To passerby’s, it appears that we have a new herd of elk roaming the landscape and more to the point when on earth did we get so many of those darn cute prairie dogs? The prairie dog population has exploded exponentially.
Well a few years back, this normally dry zone flooded very badly thus they migrated to the south side of the highway …coincidentally while the lands ownership was still in question. Due to the pending litigation, the irrigation on the south side was put on hold. Since their last prairie dog camp was flooded, the opportunistic prairie dogs settled in to what the locals call a prairie dog town- an un-irrigated, dry side. Differences are mounting in opinions about whether to “control” the rodents or let them be. Meanwhile their high profile location caught the interest of a local botanist who claims that they may very well be a unique and rare breed of prairie dogs that is endangered. In other words the irrigation is still on hold and their hold continues to grow in that region of the valley floor... Down the trail a click or two you will take notice of a larger mammal that is also indigenous to our valley. The neighboring elk herd has returned to their traditional early summer calving site along the valley floor. Cattle have grazed the valley floor since the 1950’s. Since those days the elk have mostly avoided these open lands for calving in the late spring. The
average gestation period is approximately 255-days for elk. The timing of their migration from low land winter feeding to higher elevations for summer grazing pastures varies year to year. The cows halt their journey in fertile river valleys to calve. A reliable water source is a key consideration for the cows when choosing a calving site. We love them! There is a strict NO DOG policy in effect on the valley floor and please watch for tourists suddenly applying their brakes while driving along the valley floor! Just a thought…it is too bad that elk don’t eat prairie dogs! Boy would that be in perfect balance.__________________________________________________________________
Why Wait?
2007/2008 SEASON SKI PASS is for sale for a discounted early bird pricing till October 31
Opening day will be November 27th and closing day will be April 5th, 2009
Before October 31st: Adult $1,198 Child (6-12) $125 Junior Pass (Age 13 to 12th grade) $175
After October 31st : Adult $1,850, (SAVE $652!) Child (6 -12) $425 (SAVE $300!) Junior Pass (Age 13 to 12th grade) $575 (SAVE$400!)
1-800-801-4832. online at www.tellurideskiresort.com till August 22nd
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Once again we are happy to notice the prolific iridescent blue lupine- a true mark-your-calendar sign of early summer here in the high alpine countryside. This native flowering alpine plant is so alkaloid that it is actually toxic to deer and even better yet it is a self seeder! Because our early summer months had been so unseasonably cold the arrival of the blue lupine, the yellow mules ear, the purple larkspur are a sight for sore eyes. The gardens and wildflowers are abundant this year- come and see for yourself!
Location has everything to do with success in your high altitude garden. Flower beds in Town are prolific with variety, seasonal color displays and seemingly not-a-care-in–the-world involved in their success. Imagine; lilac, roses, iris, day lilies, peony, cosmos, delphinium, various lupine. While outlaying communities like those of the Ski Ranches, Aldasoro, the mesas and the pasturelands of the West Meadows have deer and elk populations to contend with, know that a large investment of capital will afford you a garden you desire in any of these locations. Some of
the homes we care for are in challenging locations yet still have gardens worthy of notice. While none of them are planted with the amazing showy flower beds of Town they have distinct character and flow giving passer bys a strong sense of place and beauty. Other mountain flower mixes for your garden are: the deer resistant perennials purple coneflower, peony, blazing star, Shasta daisy, Mexican Hat coneflower, lily-of-the-valley, forget-me-nots and marjoram. Other flowers that the deer browse on less are lamb’s ears, saliva, larkspur, viola, marigolds, water iris, saponiara, flowering thyme, wild geranium, flowering laburnum, blanket flower, black-eyed susan, liatris, hyacinth, larkspur, lavender, mtn harebell, sage and the coneflower. There are high altitude-wildlife aware plantings that work! Just ask us.__________________________________________________________________
Deal of the month: 98 Palmyra
This European log and stone ski chalet is just steps to Bridges ski run and has 6 bedrooms, 6 ½ baths, a state of the art movie theatre that seats 12 with one of a kind snack/wet bar. In addition this home has an incredible ski room with lockers & boot warmers, separate chef’s entrance, bunk room sleeps up to 6, storage area/flex space is pre-plumbed and can easily be converted to additional suite. The home is being sold fully furnished. The owner of this home will also finance the new purchase price. Call Lee at 970-729-0526 for additional information and pricing on this great buy in the Telluride Mountain Village.
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July 2008 Calendar:
Thursday, July 17, 2008
Pinhead Geek Fest
Freak la chic at Pinhead’s annual fundraising extravaganza in Ophir, 6:30 p.m. 970.708.7441
Friday, July 18, 2008
Josh Ritter
Critically acclaimed folk rocker Josh Ritter takes the Sheridan Opera stage, 8:30 p.m. 970.728.6363
Friday, July 18, 2008 - Sunday, July 20, 2008
Nothing Festival
Nothing, nothing…followed by nothing.
Saturday, July 19, 2008
Colorado Symphony Orchestra
The Sheridan Arts Foundation presents the 70 musicians of the Colorado Symphony Orchestra on the Palm Theatre stage, 2:30 p.m. 970.728.6363
Saturday, July 19, 2008 - Sunday, July 20, 2008
San Miguel Basin Rodeo
Professional rodeo in Norwood complete with bronc bustin', calf ropin', barrel racin' and more. 970.327.4393
Sunday, July 20, 2008
An Evening with Leo Kottke
Leo Kottke takes the stage at the Sheridan Opera House,8 p.m. 970.728.6363
Thursday, July 24, 2008
Fireside Chat
Jerry O'Rourke presents a talk titled "Gold Heist at Idarado Mining" at 5:30 p.m. at the fire pit in the Mountain Village Core. This conversation is hosted by the Telluride Historical Museum and free to the public. 970.728.3344
Friday, July 25, 2008
Ah Haa Art Auction
This annual fundraiser is known for selling an array of art objects, trips and services in both a silent auction and a fast-paced live auction. Doors open 5 p.m.; live auction begins at 7:30 p.m. 970.728.3886
Friday, July 25, 2008 - Sunday, July 27, 2008
Rotary 4x4 Rally
Jeeping on both days and a BBQ on Saturday. 970.708.222
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Sunset Concert Series
Listen to free music every Wednesday (June 25-September 3) in Sunset Plaza in the Mountain Village. Bring a blanket, a picnic, dancing shoes and the family. This show: Carrie Rodriguez. 970.728.1904
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WHATS HAPPENING- aside from the art galleries 3rd Thursday night of the month art walks, arts & crafts festivals, the Ah Haa Schools art exhibits and such there are numerous entertainment options here during the summer months. There is the Mountain Village Summer Concert series held every Wednesday at 6PM in the core of the village. Live music can be enjoyed at a few locations mid week and on the weekends; The Oxygen bar, Tommys’, Fly Me To The Moon Saloon, often Allred’s has piano music at sunset. At times there has been live music at the Noir Bar at Blue Point restaurant. The Telluride Conference Center has summer concerts frequently. The Blues and Brews Festival flys into Telluride in mid-September (12-14th) and the radio station KOTO has it’s annual fundraiser Doo-Dah Concert on July 12th. Call or check the web for dates and information. PLEASE don’t miss the Ah haa Schools annual big fundraiser art auction…..July 27th
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MOUNTAIN TIP: Pencil in a date with a local photographer for a family portrait or architectural portrait of your mountain home. We have had many years of success with Doug Berry at www.dougberryphotography.com. He is the main force along with his partner Ben Edmonson behind the wonderful photographs of luxury rental homes at Kastle Retreats. www.telluriderealestateguide.com ,As the crowds of the Bluegrass Festival have passed through the valley we find short day hikes, lingering bikes rides and long car drives to regional destinations resplendent with wildflowers, un-crowded country roads and great Mom and Pop restaurants along the way.
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RESTAURANT SCENE : The ever so casual La Cocina de Luz has improved and expanded their outside patio dining area creating an extremely pleasant scene while lingering over your morning joe or frosty margarita. Truth be told this establishments popularity has exploded thus the initial ordering line can cause a short wait but know that the meals are prepared fairly quickly and the people watching is matchless. The mix of having the outside patio seating, a locals favorite coffee house, The Coffee Cowboy, and a prime spot for viewing a daily sampling of Telluride’s finest babies, dogs and idle chatter is like a reality show about Telluride! In a more secluded corner of town the French cuisine at the quaint La Marmot restaurant can easily be enjoyed in a new outdoor sofa seating arrangement in their brick courtyard………. sample their appetizers outside and gather inside for dinner with advanced reservations.Rodeos help keep the history of
Ouray County Fair and Rodeo in Ridgway, September 2-3
San Miguel Basin Rodeo in Norwood, July 15-16
Making the effort to drive to the nearby townships of either Ridgeway or
AT YOUR HOUSE- Kastle Keepers, LLC Update
….Things That We Hide from You (actually behind the scenes!)!…..when you are not in residence you realize of course that we walk through the homes and do a thorough house check each and every week of the year.
What you may not know we do is…….if we notice any uninvited house guest of the four legged type we use glue traps to eradicate them. We advise against traditional snap type traps…..we would hate to ruin any vacations for Fido by leaving out rat poison and active mouse traps….. We hook up your car batteries to electric automatic battery chargers while you are away…………………..otherwise the LED (liquid display) drains your otherwise idle battery…………………. We walk through and check doors and windows after your departure for any that may not have been relocked after use………………….. We haul in the garbage can after your departure- especially if it is in known bear territory (like in Town)….. we carefully coordinate this courtesy duty to help the We Care About bears campaign…………………..We top off the hot tubs whenever they get a little low…………….. We open up your refrigerator and check for operations, smells, spoiling food………………… We turn ice makers on and off according to arrivals and departures……………. We cover up all those nice paintings/furniture hard goods and floral arrangements so that the sunlight doesn’t destroy them…………….We turn down your thermostats while you are away if you forgot to………We snoop around your mechanical room troubleshooting for new and unusual leaks, weird noises and anything out-of-the-ordinary ……… We have the greatest time flushing all the toilets so those nasty little mineral rings don’t get a chance to buildup and, well………. you get the picture!
July places us in the midst of summer. Our attention span wanders outside as much as inside. There are yards and irrigation systems to watch over, supervision of flower watering and maintain ace staff and outdoor projects to iniate and follow through to completion. There are many homeowners using their homes, entertaining house guests and packing a lot of activity into each day. Naturally, premier activities like private fly fishing trips and guided jeep tours get booked up faster for the prime time slots so any advanced planning through Trevor at Kastle Keepers, LLC alleviates the hassle and gets better results.Lee, Trevor, Rusty, Keith and Freddie have been meeting the tradesmen at the homes day in and out for ongoing work, new projects and scheduled maintenance. This is the busy season for sure. Some neighborhoods have more evidence of construction and development than others which causes delays and longer work hours for all. Thus we pay more attention than ever to scheduling vendor service calls and other services involving time on the road. Calls for our Suburban shuttle services, airport shuttles, grocery and box deliveries and many other periphery services have been steadily rising. This summer in particular we have noticed that a higher percentage of clients have requested concierge services like personal airport pickups, out-of-state car deliveries, in house chef services, event catering and planning. We love that Telluride finally has all these amenities and conveniences. um Within the scope of our personal backgrounds and depth of experience in arranging for these considerations we feel as though we are the experts. By all means try out that guide whom you may have accidently met on your own or a ski instructor who moonlights as a bartender. That is an alluring and attractive asset of Telluride. Everyone is so accessible. Yet if time is precious and memories are a priority, please feel free to run it thru one of us. We certainly will not steer you wrong!
See you and yours on the slopes, at the fireside or a mid summer concert series.
Lee, Sheilagh Trevor, Rusty, Freddie and Keith
Dad, it is almost time for 1st grade!
