Mini-Awe-Polis 2
Awe, Nice!
We all are capable of experiencing moments of wonder. They are not reserved solely for creative or religious people. Moments of awe cross the political spectrum. They cross the livelihood spectrum. Awe is a positive force that can be felt by everyone. Nonetheless, I carry a fair amount of skepticism around with me. It’s a journalistic thing. Like. I tend to think moments of awe actually happen with ho-hum regularity. It’s since we’re humans – distracted, in our heads, with dulled-down senses, that we miss them. When we do witness awesome moments, it’s because that...
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Mini-Awe-Polis 1
Awe, Nice!
I developed AweNice with the notion that we all are capable of experiencing moments of wonder. They are not reserved solely for creative or religious people. Moments of awe cross the political spectrum. They cross the livelihood spectrum. Awe is a positive force that can be felt by everyone. This project specifically seeks out interviews with those who work outside and work with animals, people I feel aren’t heard from often and whose daily life is relatively quiet and disconnected. I should qualify that: disconnected in the mainstream, digital sense. I’m finding, though, that they...
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Andrew Clements
Awe, Nice!
This week, I interviewed Andrew Clements, of Cortez, Colorado. Drew works for the state, but the program also does work for the US Forest Service in Wyoming, New Mexico, and Utah. Here, he shares an encounter with a grizzly bear in the Yellowstone National Park, while he was part of a team collecting forest health data near the confluence of the Thorofare and Yellowstone Rivers. Drew told me that a fair amount of logistical work goes into planning for his field season. He tends to hit locations of lower elevation early, then chase the snow up to higher plots before being pushed down...
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Scotty Calhoun
Awe, Nice!
Scotty Calhoun is a fourth generation horticulturalist, raised in Rochester, New York, now living in Cortez, Colorado. He talked with me about the knowledge he's gained from his forefathers. His great grandfather came over from Holland with seeds in his pockets. That man, then his son (Scott's grandfather), and Scott's father and, of course, Scott himself, all worked the farm in upstate New York. It's a business that still exists today, run by Scotty's uncle and cousin. Scotty continued his horticultural journey with work at places like the Chicago Botanic Garden. This work is a constant...
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Ben Longwell
Awe, Nice!
I interviewed of Pendleton, Oregon. Ben grew up in Colorado, but has cowboyed all around the western US. For many years, he worked in New Zealand, where his wife, Natalie, was born and raised. Here, Ben shares a moment way up in the Big Horn mountains of northern Wyoming and southern Montana. The Big Horns are remote and wondrous, but also daunting, with their own weather and terrain. This particular moment unfolds along the Molly Crospey livestock trail, just east of Shell, Wyoming, at around 7,500 feet elevation. It’s pretty unpopulated thereabouts. In Big Horn County,...
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Aidan Gaughran
Awe, Nice!
Aidan Gaughran lives right here in Montezuma County, but for five years he worked in Panama. First, he was in the Peace Corps, then he returned to manage an eco-lodge. As a PCV, Aidan worked in the community environmental conservation sector on the Azuero Penisula and helped bring sustainable cook stoves to his community. He also helped develop a fruit orchard. While his moment of awe stemmed from a recreational outing, he told me that similar events have unfolded closer to where he worked, near Las Minas, and during work projects. Yes, we have rattlesnakes and wildfire in...
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Mike Ewing
Awe, Nice!
This week, I interviewed Mike Ewing. While Mike doesn’t work outside all the time, he’s committed thousands of hours to service work on the Appalachian Trail, that’s the legendary 2200-mile route that runs through 14 states, from Georgia and Maine. About 300 of those trail miles are in Maine. I’m from Maine and, as a kid, I spent lots of time camping and hiking. The 8-, 10-, 12-year old me thought those were vacations, but they were actually us doing service work on sections of the Appalachian Trail. For listeners who have mostly hiked in the western states, it’ll be...
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Nina Fuller
Awe, Nice!
Nina Fuller lives in my native state of Maine where she raises a small flock of sheep on her farm in Hollis. I grew up in Harpswell which is about 60 miles up the coast. In fact, she mentions Harpswell in this segment. Nina also is an accomplished photographer. Check out her brilliant work . Nina's is a true explorer and lifeling learner. Who gets into sheep farming in her 60's? Nina does. Oh, and, she also has a master's degree in counseling pschology. Farms and ranches vary in scale. My friend, Sarah, visited a ranch in South America last year which managed 20,000 sheep. Nina...
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Chuck Haraway
Awe, Nice!
For decades, Chuck Haraway worked as a Colorado lineman, mostly in the area west of Denver. The country there is mountainous and rugged. Ten thousand foot peaks abound. Much of the line work for him was in the backcountry, where lines were maintained by hiking to and then climbing up the 40-foot utility poles to service them. This segment actually has two stories I think you'll enjoy. It happens that our interviewee is an exceptional athlete. He’s competed in many triathlons, including the full Ironman in Hawaii. He’s directed triathlons in the Denver area. And the 77-year old has cycled...
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Doug Wilkerson
Awe, Nice!
I interviewed Doug Wilkerson. I met Doug at a ranch roping event and just thought he had a great way of connecting with his horse, and, of course, he’s a heckuva hand. Here he is to tell us a bit about himself, his livelihood, and a moment he’ll remember forever. Little unsuspecting moments of epiphany can end up being pivotal in our journeys, can’t they? It’s like they are waiting out there in the brush, ready for you if you’re ready for them. Doug and his wife Haley and their infant son came to , a mental health forum for those in the horse community. They were a delight, a pair of...
info_outlineThis week, I interviewed Andrew Clements, of Cortez, Colorado. Drew works for the state, but the program also does work for the US Forest Service in Wyoming, New Mexico, and Utah. Here, he shares an encounter with a grizzly bear in the Yellowstone National Park, while he was part of a team collecting forest health data near the confluence of the Thorofare and Yellowstone Rivers.
Drew told me that a fair amount of logistical work goes into planning for his field season. He tends to hit locations of lower elevation early, then chase the snow up to higher plots before being pushed down lower, again, by the snow, in the fall. Drew figures during any given year, he hikes four to seven hundred miles and is hoping to keep on keeping on until his knees give out.