Ridgway, CO

I was recently visiting with a friend on the phone and was lovingly encouraged to post more oftern :)

I had to agree. There are many times when I think, "Oh, that would be good to write about." Or, "My readers would probably like to know that." Then of course I see a bird flying by and the thought is gone and never to return.

The other thing we can't forget is the pace at which Ridgway life moves. It is, well let's say, slower. That is one of the major reasons why folks around the world are drawn to our little corner. So I could argure that I want that to be reflected in my lifestyle post frequency as well. Probably just an excuse, but hey, a good one...right?

On to the hot topic of this post. MOUNTAIN MARKET IS EXPANDING!! That is so darn cool that I just can't express it in words. One of the biggest struggles is not quite having what we need at the local grocery store. It is a great store, and for sure. running a business, any business, in Ridgway takes precision with ROI calculating.

So as you drive by now you will see a huge mess being made in the front of the store. I don't quite remember but I believe the store will end up being around 16,000sqft and totally dress up the block. The parking lot will be paved with beautiful landscaping.

In these tough economic times I want to personally thank the owners for taking the risk and moving this much needed project forward.

Here's to more frequent posting in the future! Please subscribe to this post and share your comments.

Each fall our little town of Ridgway is blessed with the presence of these majestic travelers. The word is that these guys come down all the way from Alaska. Last week I spotted my first eagle taking a dive from his tree top pirch, into the cold waters of the Uncompahgre River. The river is teaming with another late fall traveler...salmon.

We know when the salmon show up the bald eagle's are soon to follow. Depending on the year, there can be around a dozen in the corridor of the Ridgway River Trail System. The trail system is a concrete walking path that leads from the Ridgway Town Park, all the way to the Ridgway Reservoir. Half way down is the new Dennis Weaver Memorial Park. The memorial park has a massive bald eagle monument at its heart.

This river walk is absolutley incredible. As you stroll quietly along with the majestic San Juan Mountain Range to the south, a couple of the USA's symbols pirched above, and the Uncompahgre River running by. In times like that I have to thank God that I am able to live in such an amazing place.

It's that time again already! In the past my wife and I have been casual observers, but this year we are going to get right into the mix. We have a ton of stuff in our garage, that is not a home for the cars as of right now.

We intend to remedy that in a few weeks. Whatever doesn't sell at the lot sale, goes to charity.

The ROCC and Lupitasale is such a great example of life in Ridgway. People come from all over the region to rummage through everything from a used boat, to the smallest trinket known to man. You see everyone you know there. It can get hard to shop due to all the chatting that tends to happen. Then of course their is always that one or two items that you find you can't live without.

All in all, it's a wonderful day and I look forward to getting out there with the other veteran seller's. It will be a day of hot coffee, deal making, catching up with old friends, and just plain old fall fun. See you there!

Last night, watching the Grammy Awards, reminded me of a notable fact about my little town of Ridgway where I live, about 26 miles south of Montrose, where I work. Ridgway is where John Billings of Billings Artworks creates the Grammy Award, which he's been doing for well over 25 years. Check out his website. It's rather fascinating.

This got me thinking of some other claims to fame that Ridgway can make, such as being a favorite movie location, most renowned being True Grit with John Wayne back in 1969. One of our landmark restaurants and watering holes is The True Grit Cafe. Last year, we enjoyed our inaugural True Grit Days, which was quite successful and looks to become a wonderful annual event.

One of Ridgway's notable long-term and well-loved residents was the late Dennis Weaver, who died in February 2006. Last summer, the Dennis Weaver Memorial Park was dedicated on 60 acres of land along the Uncompahgre River that his family gave to the Town. It is, truly, an inspiring, beautiful place and a great tribute to Weaver. Another one of our famous residents is Ralph Lauren and his wife, Ricky, who own the 22,000-acre Double RL Ranch. For a cute blog post about a Ralph Lauren siting last summer, click here. And then there is Charles ("Charlie") W. Ergen, co-founder of Echostar Copmmunications Corp., parent company of DishNetwork. Charlie may be more of an infamous resident, these days, and, apparently, historically, as this recent article in the Ouray County Newspapers reflects: Bully tactics, Town should hold Ergen to RiverWay commitment.

Not bad for a little town of about 750 residents. For more information about Ridgway, click on the links to the right for Ridgway Chamber of Commerce and for the Ouray County Newspapers. And feel free to leave me comments or ask questions about Ridgway and surrounding areas.

I am marketing Ouray County's first ever Colorado Built Green Certified Home. All I can say is that this experience is ruining my satisfaction with my current residence, in a good way! After spending hours with the builder, Scott Bridger of Bridger Construction Services Inc., going over the homes specs, and how it receives the Built Green approval, I could just feel the money pouring out of my not so "tight" home. To add insult to injury I just completed the Vaned course Building Green: The High Performance Home. Nothing like hours and hours of why most homes aren't very efficient to make you look critically at yours. Just look at this insulation slide:

Don't get me wrong. I love my home. But, after you begin to understand what Building Green can do in terms of energy efficiency, durability, and comfort it may ruin you from buying anything else. Does it cost a little more to build? Sure. However, the level of comfort someone can have knowing that their home is not wasting any energy, was not wasteful in production, and will stand the test of time is incredible. It simply has to be the way all residential construction is headed...fast. The Ouray County Watch paper is doing a special on Building Green and the home in their January 29th issue.

Building Green has so many layers and is such a great concept that I think I'll leave it up to the experts to tell that story. A lot of folks think it's just more insulation or energy star rated appliances. Visit the website for detailed information. Let me warn you though...it may cause you to sell your home and find the closest "Green" builder tomorrow.