The Pitkin Miner

Fall Edition 2014

Published September 22, 2014 Updated October 10, October 17, November 2, November 3, November 4, November 16, November 21, November 23, December 9, December 12, and December 18, 2014 Editor, Suzy Metzler – please email with any additions or corrections – [email protected] with “Miner” in the subject line

*REVERSE 911 LINK for Cell Phone Users who have homes here: pg. 30* *Info on ordering the new Pitkin Cookbook (all money going to the Pitkin Volunteer Fire Department) is found on pg. 31*

EVERYONE’S WELCOME!

December 24 – Christmas Eve Church Service, Pitkin Community Church, 6:30 p.m. December 31 – New Year’s Eve Party at Newcomb Community Center

December 18, 2014

Breaking News! Today the Pitkin Hotel was sold by JoAn Bannister to Bob & Lin Pope of Mississippi! The Popes are very excited! Lin is a Geology Professor who will be retiring in about a year and a half and Bob is also a geologist. Both Bob and Lin are looking forward to spending much of their time in Pitkin.

Bob Pope, JoAn Bannister, and Lin Pope today, just after closing the deal on the Pitkin Hotel. Inside the Pitkin Hotel, December 18, 2014.

JoAn has owned the Pitkin Hotel for 33 years and lived in Pitkin year-round until the past few years when she would go down to Saguache to live near her daughter Becky Toepfer for the winters. She has been returning every May to run the Pitkin Hotel until around October 1st. She will return to Pitkin in the Spring for a short time to show Lin and Bob the ropes!

Lin and Bob Pope with JoAn Bannister today

The small white dots in these photos are snowflakes – we had light snow almost all day today!

JoAn explains how she has owned the hotel for 33 years.

Pitkin Hotel, December 18, 2014, within an hour of it changing hands from JoAn Bannister to Bob & Lin Pope of Mississippi.

December 12, 2014

Don’t forget the QCIA Christmas Pot Luck Dinner is tomorrow at 6:30 p.m. at the Newcomb Community Center!

Tree Lighting Ceremony Success

This past Sunday December 7 we had 31 people participate in the Pitkin Tree Lighting Ceremony, a record! Cookie bars, hot chocolate and brownies were available, and the tree lights went on magically at 4:30 p.m. (thanks to Rand Makowski’s help hooking up the lights and setting a timer earlier that afternoon!) The lights will be on from 4:30 p.m. until 10:00 p.m. daily through the winter so be sure to notice them! Very pretty!

December 9, 2014

Last week was busy with a baby shower for Christine Duetsch Bolton, oldest daughter of Nancy & Phil Duetsch, at my house on Wednesday, then on Thursday we had another Pitkin Ladies’ Night Out in Gunnison at the Blackstock Bistro!

Weather has been mild – TOO mild – and I am looking forward to fresh snow which may be arriving over this coming weekend. There is still snow cover other than on slopes that are being hit too hard by the bright sunlight, but there is ice and refrozen slush, making walking more difficult. Main Street is melted down to the pavement, though.

Scott Linenbroker Update

Scott’s Mom, Glenna Linenbroker, wrote yesterday:

“Hi,

Well, it's been 4 weeks today since Scott's accident with the tree falling on him. My time goes fast..... He is doing really good, he is still at our house, he came here the week of Thanksgiving. (He was in the hospital 4 days and then in Rehab at the nursing home.) His shoulder is still giving him fits, there isn't much to do for a broken shoulder, He still wears a sling, but is doing side and raising the forearm to his shoulder. His right leg that was crushed is doing good, (healing) we went to the doctor on the 1st of this month and the x-ray showed the bones were starting to heal together. He can bend his knee good and does leg lifts, doing lots of exercises. They took him off the blood thinner today.

He has the same therapist he had 19 years ago with his bad accident. She is a real sweet heart always trying something new. She is using caster oil on his shoulder and leg, it helps take the swelling out and calms the muscles and helps dissolve the bone chips. Sure helped my foot that had bone chips in it.

Scott and Shelly went up to the shop last night and played pool, the therapist wasn't to happy about that. Scott said he leaned on the pool table and could balance himself. He won't be able to put any weight on the leg until after Christmas or the 1st of the year.

Ed goes to the Doctor Wed. for his back, they took a MRI and it shows lots of change since the last one. Will find out what that means, Sure hope not surgery.

Thanks for all the cards and prayers.

Glenna”

When I asked her if she’d like me to post the above in the Miner, she wrote back and said

“Hi Susy,

If you want to put it in the Miner it would be great. I don't have everybody's email that sent cards. Scott really appreciated them. Glenna”

Scott’s address is further down on page 4 and I know he’d love to hear from people!

Need a holiday gift idea?

Don’t forget that you can still get the new Pitkin Cookbook mailed to you in time for Christmas! Just send a check to Suzy Metzler, PO Box 100, Pitkin, CO 81241 and she will get the cookbook(s) mailed right out. There is information on how much to send on page 25. For Priority Mail for more than one cookbook, it will be more than the prices listed. I will update tomorrow with correct pricing for multiple books.

November 23, 2014

Snow Report:

I am just getting ready to go out and do some snow removal and I’m guessing that received about 8 inches here in Pitkin since yesterday afternoon. The sun has been out for the past hour and a half or so, most of the time, but the weather prediction is that we will be getting more snow this afternoon and it could snow off and on through Monday late afternoon.

November 21, 2014

Cancellation: The Pitkin Thanksgiving Pot Luck Dinner for tomorrow night, November 22, has been canceled. With the recent snow and lots of other projects going on related to next week’s national holiday, it just isn’t a good time for many of us to gather together.

I am not sure when this was canceled, but I just found out about it today!

I am not sure if I am going to be here on the evening of November 30, so we may need to reschedule the tree-lighting ceremony for December 6, Saturday. I will update this here as soon as I know. Since I am the one coordinating this event, I feel like I should be here!

SNOW

We have more snow in the forecast over the next two or three days and I hope we really do get more! It’s so pretty when it snows. I am addicted to fresh snow!

TOWN MEETING AGENDAS

Town Meeting agendas are being sent by our Mayor to the Pitkin website webmaster, Ethel Coffman, at the same time he sends the agendas to Town Trustees and the Town Clerk/Treasurer, so before our monthly Town Meetings, beginning sometime on Sunday two days before the meeting (they’re always the 2nd Tuesday of every month), you will be able to find the agenda for the upcoming meeting on the Pitkin website in the Government section.

November 16, 2014

Scott Linenbroker Injured

Glenna Linenbroker wrote to me yesterday in an email and said:

“Scott Linenbroker was in an accident Monday while cutting wood. A large tree twisted and came down on him pinning him. Ed & I were both there and was able to take the tractor and lift the tree off of him. He was in the hospital until Friday and he was moved closer to home to a rehab home. He has a broken femur bone in his right leg (shattered), and they did surgery and the Doctor was pleased that he got lots of the broken slivers and chips out. They put a steel rod in his leg. He has a broken shoulder on his left side. They can't operate on it. So he is going to have a long recovery. They did finally get him on his foot and in a chair Thursday afternoon.

I'm sure he will be happy in a little while, as we're taking his dog Buddy to see him this morning. Buddy didn't leave his side after he was hit with the tree, and stayed about 6" from him while the ambulance crew worked on him.

Right now he doesn't want phone calls, he has trouble getting the phone. I'm sure he would appreciate cards or notes. Scott Linenbroker, 221 Century Farm Rd., Rosebud, Mo. 63091”

Scott, if you’re online and reading this, I want you to know that lots of us are thinking of you and keeping you in our prayers as you go through this difficult stretch in your life. Pulling for you…Suzy

OTHER NEWS

It has been pretty quiet here in Pitkin! I think the snow began on Friday and it snowed until sometime in the middle of the night (early Sunday morning) and I woke up to clear skies and a low of 3 degrees this morning. Beautiful! We got about 10 inches of snow and it’s just gorgeous!

I’m a little bit challenged right now in doing the Miner because of the new puppy, Bruno, who is about 4-1/2 months old. He is so much fun, but I spend most of my time downstairs where I can block off rooms with carpeting and also things that would interest Bruno so much (like my looms and my baskets of yarn!)…and I have to do the Miner up on my desktop computer. I will try to add a nice snow photo later this afternoon.

November 4, 2014

OHIO CITY TOWN HALL NEWS

Rachel Magruder of Ohio City sent this a couple of days ago and I wanted to share it…

I thought perhaps some of you may like to view the link below which is on the Gunnison County website of the Ohio City Town Hall Project. It provides some history and progress of the building project. http://www.gunnisoncounty.org/628/Ohio-City

I hope you like it. Rachel

November 2, 2014

Pitkin’s Happy Halloween

At my house I had thirteen trick-or-treaters, all of which I greatly enjoyed! At the High Mountain Gallery, Lisa Jabas hosted a Halloween evening Bonfire…I did not go because I have twisted my knee and it was really hurting that evening, but I heard it was a fun time!

The first group of trick-or-treaters included Duemke’s dog, Aspen, and my new puppy Bruno was very interested to see first of all, such a large dog, and not only that, but Aspen was in costume! Aspen’s Mom Joy and brother Ian were with him! Really, counting Aspen, I had fourteen trick-or-treaters.

Here we have Kiernan and Tristan Serrato and Alder and Topher Lamar.

Topher and Alder’s Mom Sara was dressed as a mechanic!

Logan Hoskins said he didn’t come trick-or-treating for the candy so much as he likes to visit people! We had a nice chat and I really enjoyed it!

Finally, this large group from Ohio City arrived in their awesome costumes! Left to right are Tessa McCrery, Jaycee Dillingham, Brooke Dillingham, Trinity McCrery, Morgan Dillingham, Jared Dillingham and Tayten McCrery!

Exercise Classes Held at Newcomb Community Center

Ticia Logan has been a wonderful yoga and pilates instructor for up to 10 women at a time at the Newcomb Community Center with classes that began on October 13. This past Monday October 27 was Ticia’s last time for a little while but she’ll be back leading us again around November 19th! So far since Ticia left, Annette Nicholl, Laurene Farley and I have been doing a Get Moving DVD on Monday, Wednesday and Friday mornings. Ticia was leading classes Monday, Wednesday, Thursday (strength training) and Fridays and she is very patient and so helpful.

I love it that there were always (until this past week) anywhere from 6 to 10 of us participating. I think that the last of the summer people headed out this past Thursday, October 30. I know that Kahaneks and Greens both left that day…I haven’t seen any other part-timers around since then. Pitkin is quiet and snow is falling today!

October 17, 2014

Fall Harvest Celebration Sunday!

Don’t forget the Fall Harvest Celebration that will be happening this coming Sunday, October 19, at the Newcomb Community Center! It’s all decorated up already and there are fun activities and games for the children, all of that beginning at 4:00 p.m. Then at 5:30 there is a Pot Luck Dinner for everyone!

Exercise Classes in Full Swing!

Ticia Logan has been leading the ladies of Pitkin in yoga and strength training beginning this week! Yoga was held at 8:30 a.m. on Monday and Friday, and at 11:00 a.mm on Wednesday. Strength training was at 8:30 a.m. on Thursday! There has been a lot of participation and it’s been really fun! Ticia is doing a wonderful job leading the group!

Ron & Lora Wilson could use Prayers

Today Ron will be having surgery on his ankle. On top of that Ron and Lora lost their malamute, Chloe, just yesterday. So please keep them in your prayers! Their address is 4115 Nordland Trail, Castle Rock, CO 80109. Their daughter Stacie Wilson-Hymel let me know about this and their whole family appreciates the thoughts and prayers.

October 10, 2014

Happy News!

Presenting Mr. & Mrs. Cory Nasso! Stephanie and Cory arrive at the reception after their wedding on October 4, both looking happy!

Since the last update, Pitkin has had some very happy news! On October 4, Cory Nasso and Stephanie Wier were married in a beautiful ceremony at the Pitkin Community Church at 4:00 p.m. After the ceremony, Michael Ebert of Pitkin took lots of photographs of the happy couple and their family, then a reception was held at the Newcomb Community Center. A delicious dinner was served, followed by dancing and a wonderful evening for everyone who attended.

On the Thursday evening before the wedding, October 2, twenty-six women, the majority from Pitkin but some visiting relatives and two ladies joining in from Ohio City, gathered at the Blackstock Bistro in Gunnison for a Bachelorette Party for Stephanie! We were all up in the bistro’s private area overlooking the rest of the establishment. Patrons who were downstairs enjoying drinks or dinner commented to members of our party that they wished they could join OUR party upstairs! We did have a great time.

Neither Cory nor Stephanie like CAKE so they ordered in a selection of pies which were made in Denver and brought to Pitkin that day by the Gavan and Joy Duemke. Being a lover of sweets, I could not resist this beautiful table full of wonderful pies!

Stephanie Wier at the Bachelorette Party held by the ladies of the valley on October 2 at the Blackstock Bistro! Lisa Jabas brought a veil and Stephanie wore it throughout the fun evening!

Kandy Nasso at the Bachelorette Party, October 2, mother of the groom!

Stephanie and her mother at the Bachelorette Party, October 2, 2014.

Ladies from Pitkin and Ohio City enjoying the party, October 2, 2014.

Stephanie opens gifts at the Bachelorette Party, October 2, 2014.

Stephanie displays a beautiful stained glass wedding ring design that was created and given to Stephanie by Gwen Mataisz of Pitkin.

Juliet Serrato and Laurene Farley enjoying the gathering.

Lucinda Lull, Melissa Duetsch, Juliet Serrato and Dee Woodard at Stephanie’s Bachelorette Party at Blackstock Bistro on October 2, 2014.

Gwen Mataisz, Suzy Metzler, Cyndi Wick, Lisa Jabas and Kathryn Walker at the Bachelorette Party on October 2, 2014.

Kathryn Walker and Juliet Serrato (who planned this event) on October 2, 2014, at the Blackstock Bistro for Stephanie’s Bachelorette Party.

Yum, Carrot Cake for dessert at the Bachelorette Party!

Just for fun...lots of ladies pitched in on one of the gifts that Sara Lamar (right) had picked up for Stephanie, and money was collected to tip the waiter…left is Kandy Nasso and center is Jo Buchanan. It was such a fun party! Sad News

Larry Pillow, longtime summer resident of Pitkin, passed away on Thursday, September 18 after a long battle with cancer. Larry and his wife Helen, who passed away in December, 2012, were delightful and were very involved in the community while they were here in Pitkin. Larry and Helen’s daughter Linda Frazier and sons Dwight Pillow and Dwayne Pillow survive Larry. Linda Frazier’s address is 6313 CR 608, Burleson, TX 76028. Here is Larry’s obituary from Legacy.com.

Larry Pillow went home to be with the Lord on Thursday, Sept. 18, 2014, after a long battle with cancer. Funeral: 10 a.m. Monday in Laurel Land Memorial Chapel. Interment: Laurel Land Memorial Park of Fort Worth. Visitation: 4 to 6 p.m. Sunday at Laurel Land Funeral Home. Larry was born June 22, 1937, in Jackson County, Okla. He loved spending his summers at his cabin in Pitkin, Colo. He also enjoyed working on old cars and trucks, especially his 1939 Chevy truck. Larry was preceded in death by his wife, Helen; and his parents, J.D. and Hazel Pillow. Survivors: Sons, Dwight Pillow and wife, Kim, of Cleburne and Dwayne Pillow and wife, Lisa, of Keene; daughter, Linda Diane Frazier and fiance, Jerry Franklin, of Burleson; sister, Carlene Perkins of Enid, Okla.; grandchildren, Mark Awtrey, Chanse Awtrey, Bryan Pillow, Justin Pillow, Mackenzie Pillow and Erin Pillow; and great-grandchildren, Shelby and Rylee Awtrey and Daniel Hendrix. - See more at: http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/dfw/obituary.aspx?n=Larry- Pillow&pid=172521553#sthash.OKbgIL7E.dpuf

Read more here: http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/dfw/obituary.aspx?n=Larry-Pillow&pid=172521553#storylink=cpy

The Pillows touched so many people here in the Pitkin area and they have been missed especially this summer, when Larry did not come up to his cabin on State Street. He did come up alone last summer (2013) and was going through the difficult period of grieving his beloved wife Helen at that time. This year he was hoping to come up again but was too ill to do so.

RAINY MONDAY MORNING

A seasonal fall day, September 22, 2014. Both Sunday and Monday mornings brought rain and whisps of clouds to Pitkin, with rain much of the day on Sunday the 21st, the last full day of summer. As Jeff Milton who lives in Juneau, Alaska, and his parents Jim & Jan Milton would say, very Juneau-esque! Jeff was with Jim and Jan here in Pitkin not too long ago and has since returned to Alaska.

FALL FOLIAGE REPORT

It has been amazing to see the trees change so quickly and to see such vivid color this year! Last Sunday, there was not much color at all and I was wondering if the leaves were EVER going to change. Each day after that they changed quite a bit and yesterday, a gorgeous day until late afternoon when the rains began, the trees were putting on a beautiful show for everyone to see. I went out in my Jeep and snapped some photos with Cyndi Wick, who hopped out and snapped some of these photos with my camera!

At the base of Waunita Pass, September 20, 2014, photo by Suzy Metzler.

At the base of Waunita Pass, September 20, 2014, photo by Cyndi Wick.

Photo taken from Waunita Pass, September 20, 2014, by Cyndi Wick.

Photo from near Windy Point on Waunita Pass, September 20, 2014, by Suzy Metzler

Waunita Pass, September 20, 2014, by Cyndi Wick.

“Downtown Pitkin,” September 20, 2014. By Suzy Metzler.

Town Maintenance Building, September 20, 2014, by Suzy Metzler.

Pitkin, September 20, 2014 by Suzy Metzler

Lower Pitkin, September 20, 2014, by Suzy Metzler

New Cookbook – repeated from the Summer 2014 Pitkin Miner

The new cookbook, entitled Pitkin to Parlin Revisited, a fundraiser for the Pitkin Volunteer Fire Department, arrived here in Pitkin yesterday! The cookbooks are on sale at the Silver Plume General Store, the High Mountain Gallery, and the Pitkin Café. Suzy Metzler will be handling the mailing of cookbooks to those who are not able to come to Pitkin this fall.

If you would like to buy a single cookbook and have it mailed to you, please send a check made out to the PVFD (Pitkin Volunteer Fire Department) for $20.00 to Suzy Metzler, PO Box 100, Pitkin, CO 81241, and I will mail the cookbook out to you. The price breakdown of the $20 is $14 for the cookbook and $6 for priority mail postage which includes $50 in insurance.

This afternoon I learned that there is a mail service called Library Mail and for all orders EXCEPT single-cookbook orders, it is the least expensive way to ship and insurance up to $100 is included on the Library Mail postage amounts.

If you want me to send you more than one cookbook, please email me at [email protected] so that I can set aside the number of cookbooks you want to order. Then you can mail me a check made out to the PVFD at this address: Suzy Metzler, PO Box 100, Pitkin, CO 81241. I will ship these out just as quickly as I can.

Number of cookbooks Subtotal ($14 each) Postage w/ ins. Total Due

5 $70 $7.92 $77.92

4 $56 $7.00 $63.00

3 $42 $6.54 $48.54

2 $28 $6.08 $34.08

Note: If you want more than 5 cookbooks shipped together, please email me at [email protected] with your address and the number of cookbooks you would like me to ship to you and I will find the least expensive way to get them to you, then I’ll email you back with the total amount that you need to send to the PVFD so that I can ship them to you!

REMEMBER – checks are not made out to me, but to the Pitkin Volunteer Fire Department, or “PVFD” and then mail them to me, please, at my address which is above.

IMPORTANT: REGISTER YOUR CELL PHONE FOR REVERSE 911 CALLS - UPDATED

For those who are in the Pitkin area at summer homes and who have disconnected your local Gunnison area phone numbers, please note the following:

REGIONAL EMERGENCY NOTIFICATIONS: To register your Voice over IP (VoIP) or Wireless Telephones, please use the link provided just below to go to the Intrado Target Notification System (TNS) and fill out the registration form. Each number provided will be added to the regional emergency database to receive voice notifications when your address is impacted by a disaster or emergency.

Each number can only be associated with one address in the system. Copy and paste this link into your interner browser. https://public.coderedweb.com/CNE/BF7ED953CC69

If you are registered, you will receive a Reverse 911 call in case of emergency.

Pitkin Calendar of Events 2014

Tuesday, November 11 – Pitkin Town Meeting, Pitkin Town Hall, 7:00 p.m.

TENTATIVE Sunday, November 30 – Tree Lighting Ceremony, meet at the Post Office at 5:00 p.m. for hot chocolate, treats and caroling, as we light the Pitkin Christmas Tree. ALTERNATE DATE December 6

Tuesday, December 9 – Pitkin Town Meeting, Pitkin Town Hall, 7:00 p.m.

Saturday, December 13 – QCIA Meeting & Pot Luck Dinner, 6:30 p.m., Newcomb Community Center in Pitkin.

Wednesday, December 24 – Christmas Eve Service at Pitkin Community Church, 6:00 p.m.

Wednesday, December 31 – Pitkin’s New Year’s Eve Party, Newcomb Community Center, watch here for what time people will be meeting up!