TERA's president, Bob Gotham, is taking a well deserved vacation and has asked me to write a little piece for the e-letter, filling in while he is gone. Bob taking off traveling got me to thinking what I had been doing since completing my second term as TERA's president and stepping off the TERA Board. For one thing, I quit worrying about trying to produce the weekly e-letter, a job which has traditionally fallen upon the President since the inception of the e-letter. While Bob's efforts appear to be much more organized than my own and it is rumored he gets some assistance, I'm still willing to be that there is time spent burning the midnight oil debating what to leave out as well as what to leave in.
In addition to not doing the e-letter, I celebrated not being president of TERA by bouncing down the Colorado River in a raft between the walls of the Grand Canyon for 8 days, out of range of all electronic communication except the emergency satellite phone, carried by the guide. Having survived it, this counts as a fabulous adventure where towering rapids and buzzing rattlesnakes drove all thoughts of producing an e-letter from my mind. Since the trip was in July, and the temperature seldom dropped below one hundred degrees, day or night, any thoughts there were turned frequently to Columbo's and the icy-cold martinis that awaited me there on my return.
Later that year, fall found me in China exploring the Forbidden City where the crowds prepared me for the up-coming Eagle Rock Music Festival. While photographing the interior of one palace, I was literally lifted off my feet and moved to another location by the throngs pushing their way through the Forbidden City. What was missing was that great music pouring off the stages set up along Colorado Boulevard and being able to share food and drink with friends walking along the Boulevard. China was beautiful and exciting and I loved visiting the Pandas, but there was no music festival to keep my feet tapping and my soul rocking.
What else to do with all that extra time now that I didn't have to produce the e-letter every week! Perhaps some adventures closer to home. Skiing at Snowmass and Aspen helped fill up some of those empty hours and there are some mighty fine restaurants, but none better or more friendly than Camilo's or Café Beaujolais, both of which are on, if not in, Colorado Boulevard.
Trips to various wineries in Paso Robles and Napa also helped fill the void of not having to produce the e-letter. Or at least the beverages served greatly eased any residual anxiety. And as my fellow traveler pointed out, we took the truck and so were able to bring back many cases of those beverages we found most flavorful. But where did we go upon our return? Why, wine tasting at Colorado Wine Company where the philosophical issue of "Why whine when drinking wine?" was debated to the point of silliness.
On a trip to Chicago I took a "pizza tour" of the City, sampling 5 famous Chicago Pizzerias, but at the end of the day nothing beat Casa Bianca. So Bob, when you return from your travels and are relaxing on your deck high in the hills of Eagle Rock, rest assured that Dorothy from Oz via Kansas was right. There is no place like home.
Hope all you Eagle Rockers are getting the most out of our wonderful community. I know I am.
