Dear Money: A Great Story of Our Times

Oh dear, I need money.  Such is the plight of all writers, unless you’re independently wealthy or you’re among the few to achieve John Grisham-like success.  There isn’t a writer on this earth—published or nonpublished—that couldn’t identify with the struggles of India Palmer, the main character and narrator in Martha McPhee’s recently-released novel, “Dear Money.”  And I’m one of them!

In this beautifully crafted fourth novel, Martha reveals the travails of India from the angst over paying bills, to the challenges of “keeping up with the Jones,” to the long hours a dedicated writer must log at her desk (sunny days and all) and much more.  Clearly Martha, a highly-acclaimed writer that happens to live in New York city like her protagonist, has drawn from personal experience to spin this exciting tale of a cash-strapped writer that’s tempted by the allure of a more high rolling life in the Big Apple.  India ends up doing the unthinkable:  She trades her artist’s life to become a bond trader.  Funnily enough the idea behind the novel comes from a real-life offer.  A legendary bond trader did claim that he could transform Martha into a booming Wall Street success in eighteen months; fortunately for us she declined and wrote “Dear Money” instead.  It’s not surprising to learn from the intricately-detailed passages written about the highly competitive and adrenaline-charged life among New York’s financiers that Martha shadowed a bond trader to learn the ins and outs of mortgage-backed securities during the height of its rise.  I found the contrasts between the writer’s life and the financier’s life to be one of the most compelling parts of this book.

Sweet Martha

You may be wondering why I’ve taken such an interest in Martha and her work.  As usual, serendipity played a hand in our connecting with each other.  I actually skied with her, her family and some friends of hers last March in Telluride. We both shared that we were writers but little else about our work was discussed. Since it was the height of the busy season, I didn’t find a moment to Google her.  I feel as though I really came to know Martha after she sent me “Dear Money” later on in the spring, especially because it’s a book that has resonated so much with my writer’s life (sans the bond trader dimension, of course).  Now perhaps the next time we ride the chairlift together we’ll shed our squirrel-y shyness about our work (seemingly a classic character trait of writers) and get down to some real exchanges about the creative process.

It looks as though that just might happen since plans are in the works for Martha to give a presentation at the Wilkinson Public Library in Telluride next March.  I’m vying for that program to include a writer’s workshop, too!

If you’re a writer, you must listen to the Travel Fun interview I conducted with Martha earlier this summer. Avid readers will love it as well.  And how’s that pile of summer reading doing at your bedside?  I bet it has dwindled but if you’re like me, you feel like you’re just warming up.  Keep adding to the stack and continue that summer reading mode all year long.  I provide some great reading suggestions at the end of this interview that will steer you toward more excellent book picks, both fiction and nonfiction.

Capella's Mountain Elegance

There are lots of travel deals out there these days but you won’t find any as enticing as the ones I’m presenting to you below.  And best of all, by making a pledge for them you’re supporting KOTO community radio in Telluride, one of the few entirely community-sponsored radio stations in the country.  More and more people tune in on the Internet as well during T-ride’s famed Bluegrass Festival (when KOTO broadcasts live) or just any ‘ole day of the year.  It’s a great way to get the flavor of a happening mountain town along with some fine music and talk.

If you don’t know about my Travel Fun radio show, please tune in live one of these Tuesdays.  Or you may listen to some of my past interviews that I’ve posted as podcasts.

Now for the good stuff.  Here’s what you can snatch up in exchange for a pledge, just e-mail me through my Contacts Page to lock in your travel premium.  (You can also go there to sign up for my RSS feed and/or to receive bi-monthly Travel Fun announcements.  Be sure to provide all your contact information including phone and address (e-mail as well as snail mail, please) and your desired prize.  Know that I’m accepting pledges on a first come, first serve basis, so act fast!

TELLURIDE TEMPTATIONS

First-Rate Dinner and Lodging at Capella

$150. pledge: a two-night stay in a standard room (pictured above—wow!) in this stunning hotel, valued between $200. and $500.

$75.  pledge: dinner for two at Onyx, Capella’s signature restaurant, valued at $100. not including tax and gratuity.

Feeling sophisticated?  It sounds like you need to spend some time at Capella, the newest bright star of Telluride’s hospitality offerings.

The Himmel Spa Relaxation Room at The Klammer

Gorgeous Health and Beauty Treatments from the Fairmont Heritage Place, Franz Klammer Lodge

$75. pledge: One-hour facial, valued at $130.

$75. pledge: One-hour massage, valued at $120.  Note that both include access to the pool, fitness center and spa facilities for the day.  How delightful, how de-lovely! Read what I have to say about The Himmel Spa at The Klammer in my story, Telluride’s Ultra Luxe Mountain Spas.

OUTSIDE OF TELLURIDE

Almost Like Home: Box Canyon Lodge

Great Getaway to America’s Little Switzerland

$50. pledge: Enjoy an overnight, valued at $100., at Box Canyon Lodge & Hot Springs, in Ouray.  Read my Ouray story as a primer.

Chef Kenny Gilbert

Wow, did you watch Bravo’s Top Chef last night?  Our Telluride favorite, Chef Kenny Gilbert, was voted off the show in a flash in the pan, all due to some kind of flub with beet and goat cheese dishes.  I think that was it—it all happened so fast, I couldn’t keep track.  I hate this part of Top Chef—how one bad dish can blow your whole chance.  I wish they’d find a way of scoring cumulatively, especially since Kenny certainly shined throughout every episode.  The other cheftestants even referred to him as The Black Lightening.  At least the judges commended him in his final episode for his leadership abilities.  It comes as no surprise when you hear about some of his philosophies. Scroll down to his Book Pick at Top Chefs to gain more insight into his approach.

I interviewed Kenny just about a year ago when he was still Executive Chef of a leading hotel here in Telluride.  Click on the play button below to hear him chat about how he became a chef and what’s most important to him in the kitchen.

I had chatted with Kenny on the occasion of the Telluride Festival of the Arts:  A Visual & Culinary Arts Festival that takes place annually in our lovely mountain town. This year it happens August 13-15.  Yes, that means it begins tomorrow, so try to take in at least one event over this fun weekend.

As for me, I’m headed on a rafting trip.  But I’ll keep all my favorite top chefs in mind, particularly since Kelly Liken is still in the running and I think she’s looking mighty fine.

Phish Phans Philing into Telluride Town Park

Well, we did it. Our little mountain town has survived—very well in fact—the invasion of some 10,000 Phish fans. Aside from a smattering of arrests (mostly drug-related), an excess of garbage (which has already been expediently cleaned up) and a few trampled flower beds, most appears pretty much back to normal.

Sure, here in T-ride we’re accustomed to putting on big festivals, big doings that see the population of our town nearly quadruple in less than forty-eight hours. But this was Phish, the widely popular jam band that enjoys a spectacular following everywhere they go. Even Phish fans have to obtain concert tickets through a carefully orchestrated lottery; their shows consistently sell out in record time and those that make it to the event are die-hards, devoted followers that think nothing about crisscrossing the country to take in a show. Especially if it’s in a venue as stunning as Telluride’s Town Park, a setting as celebrated as the numerous artists that have played there.

Psyched to See the Show

My first glimpse of dedicated Phish fans en masse occurred late Sunday afternoon, the last day of the Telluride Jazz Festival. The crowd more than doubled, shifting from mountain casual to urban hippie as Phish fans poured into this mellow gathering in Telluride Town Park. I knew already that despite an abundance of tie dye and weed, these folks came from every ilk, every socioeconomic background, every corner of the U.S. Already I suspected many of them to be closet hippies, the kind of people that wore suits and serious expressions most days to work yet their real drug of choice was attending a Phish concert, an enviable outlet that leaves even the most seasoned concert goer in awe.

That’s just how I felt Tuesday night, the second night of Phish’s two-day stint in T-ride. (I had skipped Monday’s show and, in fact, decided only Tuesday morning to attend the second when my boyfriend, Steve, threw a ticket my way. The whole town was buzzing about the event, so how could I stay home?)

It was a gorgeous evening, one of the prettiest of the summer, perfect for baring skin and parading about in all manner of costume-y outfits. And of those there were many. From sequins to tinsel, feathers to beads, face paintings to piercings and tattoos, the entire scene provided some of the best people watching of any concert I’ve attended.

And as the puffy clouds stretched across orangey-pink bands in the faded blue jean sky, the sun set out far beyond our cathedral canyon. My hunny and I remarked about the number of people turning to this gorgeous vision, gazing skyward in amazement, snapping pictures on cell phones and cameras, craning their necks to take in the full glory of this Kodachrome moment.

Our Cathedral Canyon

“I think they’re trying to figure out how much of what they see is real or a hallucination,” my hunny quipped.

Indeed I had never seen so many trip-y looking people. A thick cloud of smoke clung to the air and the smell of pot, tobacco and clove cigarettes permeated the entire park as people swayed and bobbed to the pulsating beat of the music. The crowd roared from the minute Phish took to the stage, mouthed almost every word of every song and communed with one and other as though they were at a massive neighborhood block party (albeit a pretty out-there one). And although the vibe felt relatively mellow, the enthusiasm exhibited among these hardcore fans reverberates through the mob as fast as a rumor spreads that this iconic jam band is coming to town.

“I can’t believe this is all legal,” I commented to my hunny.

“Most of it isn’t,” he replied.

Lighting Up

Really, in all the concerts I’ve ever attended—from my first biggies in Saratoga Springs (SPAC) which included Fleetwood Mac to Grateful Dead in Boston during my college years to the Rolling Stones and Police in Paris to the countless in Telluride including Dylan—never had I taken in such a scene. Still though, everyone seemed to be in possession of themselves. This must have been what Woodstock was like, I thought to myself. I didn’t know a single song but I had fun, I felt glad to take in such a display.

The mood became more uproarious after the set break when the band broke out with Party Time, a riotous song which prompted fans to toss massive quantities of glow sticks and rings into the audience. Although this jolly show of neon further enhanced the sensational lighting effects of the show, I couldn’t get past how awful it was to mindlessly throw all these toxic, plastic vials about. Clearly a lot of Phish fans lack some real environmental awareness. I had never seen this happen anywhere before, especially not in T-ride. (And if they ever come back here, I doubt they’ll repeat this offense again.)

I actually learned yesterday on the local news that cleaning up from these shows entailed the biggest effort ever. Fortunately we have crews that know how to restore our park to one of the most pristine public places in the country. They combed the last blades of grass for the pesky debris that remained including cherry pits, cigarette butts and bottle caps. Phish fans have a lot to learn from our festivarians, especially from the Telluride Bluegrass devotees, a crowd that’s well versed in protecting the environment. But hey, they’ve been coming to our beautiful mountain town for nearly four decades.

All things considered, you did good Phish.  Just next time, tell your Phans to leave the glow sticks at home and to better pick up after themselves. Oh, and maybe you could turn the music down a little. That was the loudest concert I ever attended and it feels like my ears are still ringing. Liked the improv though. And, of course, the super-friendly, groovy, free-spirited people.

Phish Jamming on Telluride Town Park Stage

Thank you to Merrick Chase, from Telluride Photography, for the above images.  To view the entire two days of Phish in Telluride (and more!), visit the Telluride Photography Web site and blog.

For more on Telluride festivals, read Summer in Telluride:  A Sea of Festivals and More.

The Westin Riverfront Resort & Spa Pool

Perfect pool days can be few and far between here in the Rockies since July and August bring monsoonal rains and impressive thunder and lightening storms that can force the heartiest souls indoors. Thankfully this happens mostly in the afternoon and not typically every day. (The past couple of weeks in southwestern Colorado, however, have been particularly dreary.)

So when you plan a day to lounge poolside (and who doesn’t love to do that in the summer?), I suggest you choose a most promising place. This means a drop-dead gorgeous pool with a grand pool deck, great scenery, ultra comfy lounge chairs, expansive umbrellas for when the sun becomes too strong (or even to hide beneath in case of a passing shower) and excellent poolside food and drinks. Friendly service from the pool and wait staff goes a long way, too. Relaxation is your number one priority, so you don’t want to be left hanging looking for more ice for your beverage or a rubbery plastic noodle upon which to float. You’ll find all this and more at The Westin Riverfront Resort & Spa at the base of Beaver Creek Mountain.

I discovered this repository of recreation last spring and yearned to come back and enjoy it with my hunny on a sultry summer’s day. That’s exactly what we did on a picture-perfect day a few weeks ago. Together we knocked out our laps in this property’s glorious, saline-filled pool and then enjoyed a delicious lunch served poolside from Avondale, the hotel’s signature restaurant. I was bold enough to order one of their special cocktails, a fresh-squeezed lemonade made with house-infused berry Vodka while my boyfriend savored a perfectly chilled Margarita. Needless-to-say the rest of the afternoon passed seamlessly. We were glad to have gotten our workout in early on.

Perhaps the only regret we shared was that it was too hot to venture into one of the resort’s infinity hot tubs (although some people were clearly enjoying these stunning lobster pots). I guess those amenities in and of themselves give you good reason to come here on a cloudy day.

The Westin Riverfront Resort & Spa at Beaver Creek offers day pool passes to non-hotel guests at a cost of $40 per day per person.  This entitles you to one group fitness class at The Riverfront Club. You may procure a week-long pass for $125. which entitles you to attend three fitness classes.  Or you may indulge in a spa treatment and benefit from the use of the pool and gym facilities gratis.

Read more about The Westin Riverfront Resort & Spa at Sleek and Sustainable:  Two Stellar Colorado Properties.