Indulgent Serenity

Mar 18, 2007
Current mood:peaceful

Indulgent Serenity

It's early morning on St. Patrick's Day and I'm escaping. With every mile closer that I get to I-70 West, I can feel my chest inflate involunatraily with deeper breaths, my body knowing subconsciously that soon I'll be absorbing the crisp air of Snowmass Village. It's so warm and sunny! I'm cruising down the highway with the windows down, the sunroof open and the southern voice of Louis Armstrong emanating from the speakers singing its "A Wonderful World". Yes, it really is.  As soon as I pulled onto E-470, I flipped through my music case, looking for something to match the mood of the drive when I came across a blank CD, curiosity got the best of me so I popped it in and with the first notes I was taken back in time, last fall, with butterflies swirling in my tummy,  and a smile swept across my face with the memory. There were only two of these discs made and it is full of songs I had remotely forgotten.........it was perfect..........perfect for where I wanted my mind and heart to be today and this weekend.

Snowmass Village.....my first home in Colorado!

I haven't been to Aspen since last September when Sarah, the boys and I stayed a weekend here. It was an amazing weekend….in many little ways.

The trip to the Roaring Fork Valley is three and half-hours though it never seems that long. I know this drive so well, and as I have my little routine pit stops along the road trips back to Seattle, so too do I have them on this one. First stop is always at Starbucks at the off ramp for Downieville. Today was my really lucky day! As I was standing in the line to grab some Green Tea, the barrista announced that if anyone was interested in an Iced Venti Cinnamon Dolce, that it was a mistake and it was free. Never being the one to pass up an unprecedented opportunity, I took it and headed west. Mmmmmmmmmm, this is really good! It kind of tastes like Mexican hot chocolate….but cold! The second stop will be destination Joe Kelly's condo at the top of the village in Snowmass.


Joe playing guitar and Gary in the back singing Sweet Caroline

Driving along the valley with snowy Mt. Sopris dominating the horizon, I have my hand out the top of the car to feel the cold sharpness of the wind curving around my fingers in the wind, drawing in the fresh scents of the wilderness and I can't help but wonder what it feels like to be a dog. It must be incredible to hang your head out the car window or stand in the back of a truck absorbing more of only a bit of what my hand feels.

Joe and Gary Quist have a band. They play tonight in downtown Aspen.

Last night, way too late( or way too early......depending how you look at it), I got a wild hair and called them, along with my girlfriend, Gina, to ask if I could have someone's couch for the weekend. Two years ago, I met all three of them when I was working the ski season at the Snowmass Club. Gary would sing in our lounge during Après on Friday nights and Joe would sing on Saturday's. Gina came in the middle of the season, looking like a real live Barbie doll from Nebraska, and we became instantaneous friends. Joe is larger than life. He was the lead guitarist for Tina Turner and does charity fund raisers in Snowmass with Vince Gill, his voice is strong and paralyzes you with its deep, smoky power. His single, "Flying High" is only in the hands of  a few before it makes it to it's release and blows his solo career wide open. 

Gary is more subdued than Joe….until he gets on stage. Gary used to play in the Larry Gatlin band and was the stunt double for Kurt Russell once upon a time. His voice is sultry and commanding and his casual subtly is his strength of presence.  He has a song he sings just for me.  Tonight sitting in an old wooden chair, looking out the 2^nd story window of this historical Victorian building onto the streets of this mountain town, I hear him sing, "I Am, I Said" and deep inside I realize how everything is where it's suppose to be for this moment. O pow'lelo a hima'lele.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7wYpVy9W29M   ~Neil Dimond's "I Am I Said" :)

My heart is scattered in pieces from Alaska to Colorado. Different places holding cherished memories. This village is one of them, one of the strongest. This is how I came to know Colorado. At night, when the dark is so deep, the lights of the village are indistinguishable from the stars in the sky. Here you are on top of the world, closer to God, closer to heaven. You feel as if you could reach out and touch the moon with one more step. It's a simple life. A decadent life in indulgent serenity. I wish I could capture it and bring it back home to unleash it so it could touch everyone's world as it fills mine.