The Pitkin Miner Fall Edition 2015

Published September 23, 2015 Updated October 17, 18, 22, 23, 24, 26, and 27, November 3 and 7, 2015

Editor, Suzy Metzler – please email with any additions or corrections – Bsktlover@aol.com with “Miner” in the subject line

*REVERSE 911 LINK for Cell Phone Users who have homes here: pg. 4*

*Info on ordering the 2014 Pitkin Cookbook (all money going to the Pitkin Volunteer Fire Department) is found on pg. 3*

UPCOMING EVENTS November 8, 2015 - Holiday Shopping Happening in Pitkin - 12:00 p.m. til 4:00 p.m., local crafters and direct-sales consultants will help with holiday shopping ideas and refreshments will be served. November 10, 2015 - Pitkin Town Meeting, 7:00 p.m., Pitkin Town Hall

Winter is moving in - we're in a winter storm warning beginning at midnight and they are predicting snow between then and 6 p.m. on Thursday. Photo taken November 1, 2015.

November 7, 2015 Two notices for November Pot Luck Dinners...

QCIA Thanksgiving Potluck at Ohio City Hall

November 14th, 2015 at 6:30pm

Come join the community in celebrating a Thanksgiving meal with friends and family. Meat will be provided. Please bring a favorite Thanksgiving dish to share. A good time will be had by all. Hope to see you all there.

November 3, 2015

Seven Trick-or-Treaters came to my house and here they all are: Left to right, Tayten McCrery, Jared Dillingham, Brooke Dillingham, Morgan Dillingham, Jaycee Dillingham, Tessa McCrery and Logan Hoskins! Later I saw four more, the whole family of Justin & Merideth McLain - they were the Big Bad Wolf and Little Red Riding Hood - and their daughter Katie was a veterinarian and Marisa was a raccoon! They were great and I wish I had had my camera with me when I saw them over at the gallery! So since I gave candy to them, too, I'm counting eleven trick-or-treaters!

Brad Wick Injured Sunday afternoon I had just turned on the national news at 4:30 or so when at that same moment, I heard what sounded like the fire alarm going off. I got my coat on and headed out. When I got to the fire station, two others were there and we learned that someone had fallen off their roof at 1111 State Street. I knew that Brad Wick had been cleaning his chimneys that afternoon and then all three of us realized that none of our first-responders or our EMT were in town. Everyone was gone camping or was out hunting! Brad had landed in his front yard and was laying on his back right where he landed. Several neighbors went to offer assistance and bring blankets, as the sun was going down and it was chilly and getting cold. Brad was taken to the Gunnison Valley Hospital by ambulance and was later released but will be resting most of the time for quite a while as he has fractures in 8 little bones that extend out from vertebrae in his lower back. Cyndi is taking good care of him and many community volunteers from both Pitkin and Ohio City have been helping the Wicks out with splitting and stacking firewood. That was what Brad and Cyndi had planned to do yesterday! This community really steps up when a neighbor or friend is having a difficult time....I also know that from my own past experience, but I am seeing it happen now and Cyndi and Brad are both so appreciative of everyone's help!

A pretty scene this morning, October 24, 2015, from State and 2nd.

October 27, 2015 A couple of pages down, I've included the obituary of former summer resident (1976 until 2014) Ralph Smith. I added his wife Barbara's address just now. CHRISTMAS STAMPS NOW AVAILABLE AT THE PITKIN POST OFFICE! The Pitkin Post Office received 7 types of Christmas stamps today - the ones we have in stock are shown below. This is an easy way to save some valuable time over the next couple of months and your order helps our Post Office out at the same time. We always appreciate your support for our little Post Office and hope you'll consider ordering your holiday stamps - and others - from Pitkin. There are two ways you can contact us regarding a stamp order. 1. Just need to give us a call at 970-641-9236 during the hours of 10 a.m. and noon, Monday through Friday, or 9:30 a.m. til 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, Mountain Time. The person working is very busy during their short shift, so please try to keep the call short, but we will need to know your name and

address and how many of which stamps you would like to order. Then we can mail out a stamp order form packet, which includes a postage-paid envelope in which to mail us a check. 2. If you are not able to call during those hours, you can email me (Suzy Metzler) at bsktlover@aol.com and let me know which stamps you want and how many, and your mailing address, and I will take care of sending you the stamp order form packet which includes your postage-paid envelope so you can mail us the check. When you receive your stamp order form packet: All you will need to do is put your check, made out the Postmaster, into the envelope and include the order form and put that envelope into the mail. You'll pay only for your postage stamps, just as if you were making a trip to your local Post Office (but without the waiting in line)! As soon as we have received your check, we'll send you your stamps, with the Postal Service paying the postage to get the stamps to you as well. If there are other designs that you would like to order, please let us know and we will order those designs for you. Thank you for supporting the Pitkin Post Office! Geometric Snowflake Forever Stamps (49 cents) (sheet of 20, $9.80)

A Charlie Brown Christmas Forever stamps (49 cents) (sheet of 20 for $9.80)

Gingerbread Houses Forever stamps (49 cents) (sheet of 20, $9.80)

Holy Family Forever stamps (49 cents) (sheet of 20, $9.80)

Winter Fun Forever Stamps (49 cents) (sheet of 20, $9.80)

Virgin and Child by Jan Gossaert Forever stamps (49 cents) (sheet of 20, $9.80)

Global Evergreen Forever stamps ($1.20 each) (sheet of 10 for $12.00) These are first class postage to all foreign countries on the globe and beautiful, too!

October 26, 2015 Fun Times at Fall Fest on Saturday, October 24 Eighteen children and several adults had a fun time at Pitkin's Fall Fest on Saturday, October 24 at the Newcomb Community Center here in Pitkin. There was a Pot Luck followed by other fun things including a Pumpkin Decorating contest, which was won by Topher Lamar, who is 4 years old.

Photos by Kandy Nasso, possibly others.

14 of the 18 children at Pitkin's Fall Fest on October 24 at Newcomb Center

Topher Lamar admires the gorgeous caramel apples - YUM! - and at right is Topher's entry into the Pumpkin Decorating Contest, where he won first place! Sad News Ralph C. Smith, who for many years spent summers here in Pitkin with his wife Barbara, passed away on October 17. Please join me in sending condolences to his family. Ralph and Barbara and their family began visiting Pitkin in 1976 and continued through 2014. They built their cabin together at 6th Street and Aspen here in Pitkin. Barbara Smith's address is 59 Mulled Wine Court, Conroe, TX 77384. A wonderful slideshow can be found at http://obits.dignitymemorial.com/dignity-memorial/obituary.aspx?n=Ralph-Smith&lc=7472&pid=176148065&mid=6638354# Ralph C. Smith Obituary Ralph C. Smith, Jr., age 74, passed away Saturday, October 17, 2015. Born in Fairbanks, Texas, he was a loving husband, father, and grandfather who was an amazing mentor to all. He served his country honorably with the Army during the Vietnam War. He was an avid farmer and rancher who worked for the U.S. Department of Agriculture. He enjoyed the mountains and aspens in Pitkin, Colorado, and never met a stranger. He is survived by his wife of 55

years, Barbara Smith; daughters, Stacie Keliehor and husband J. David and Shelby Phythian and husband Chris; grandchildren, Maxwell Coffman Keliehor, John Aubry Keliehor, Joshua Alexander Phythian, and Katherine Elizabeth Phythian; brother, J.B. Smith and wife Karen; sisters, Janice Kruse and Sheryl Badje and husband Gary; and numerous nieces and nephews.

Ralph Smith who built a cabin with his wife Barbara at 6th and Aspen and

spent time in Pitkin from 1976 until 2014.

A Trip Back in Time A dear friend called yesterday to encourage me to attend a meeting of a group that we both belong to, and she reflected back on her memories of Pitkin. She visited Pitkin this fall when the leaves were in full color and really enjoyed it. She mentioned that whenever she thinks of Pitkin, she thinks of transom windows...because when she was a Campfire Girl, her group's leader would bring the girls out to Pitkin for a retreat and they would stay at the Pitkin Hotel! She mentioned that she is now in her 80s so this would have been at least 70 years ago, around or after 1935. She had not ever seen transom windows before and the group's leader, the Jr. High Principal, Kate Walker, kept telling the girls not to keep on playing with the transom windows, rolling them out and back over and over. The former Ann Doyle, my friend Ann Laguens, also remembers that they got to play in the Quartz Creek while they were up here in Pitkin. Ann, who was born and raised in Gunnison, says that was a lot of fun! - Suzy Metzler

October 24, 2015 Both yesterday and today, temperatures warmed up and most of the snow melted from here in Pitkin...for the most part what is left is the snow that slid off the rooftops and was more dense than in other places in the yards. But it looks like up on the mountain, fresh snow fell overnight. The trees look like they are covered with powdered sugar, that if you had giant hands, you could gently shake off to form a cloud of powder! October 23, 2015 Holiday Shopping Happening in Pitkin, November 8 A Holiday Shopping Happening will be held at Newcomb Community Center in Pitkin on Sunday, November 8 from noon until 4:00 p.m. Direct sales consultants will have displays of the items they sell, and local crafters will be showing their wares, which should be a big help for those who want to get their holiday shopping under control for this year! So far we know that the following vendors will be participating: Lucinda Lull who sells Premier Designs Jewelry and Juice Plus; Cyndi Wick who sews and machine embroiders various items, all very fun; Suzy Metzler who sells Longaberger Baskets and Pottery and others. Updates will be posted here as we hear from others.

ATTENTION to Home Business People: Do you want a table? Please email Lucinda at MayorKC@aol.com to reserve one, two or more tables at no cost. If we get your info by Monday, October 26, we can get it into our advertisements in the Shopper and Gunnison Country Times for the next two weeks! October 22, 2015

Taken from my back deck this morning - not in black and white - our first snow of the season! October 22, 2015

Unlike most other "first snows" I've seen in the past 20 years in Pitkin, this one hasn't stopped all day! No sunlight fell on Pitkin today, as it remained overcast, damp and chilly all day with plenty of snowflakes. It left a beautiful landscape and slushy streets, slightly messy, but it was a welcome sight to everyone I talked to.

You can see only a little color in this photo, untouched, and it was taken in color but the snow against the dark of the trees and logs makes it seem like a slightly touched-up black and white photo. October 22, 2015

There is almost no color in this one...again, it's a color photo. October 22, 2015

Looking up Main Street from the Post Office this morning. October 22, 2015

And looking down Main Street from the Post Office. October 22, 2015

One of my favorite subjects for winter photos, 719 Main Street. October 22, 2015

October 18, 2015

A view of Pitkin from Cemetery Road above town, September 23, 2015, first day of Autumn. In the most recent issue of the Gunnison Country times, October 15, 2015, there is an article that explains that Century Link has received a large grant "to boost service in rural areas" by providing internet access to those in the state of Colorado who don't have any access, as well as upgrading the internet speed to those who are underserved. Pitkin is an underserved location, with regards to internet service. Last fall a part-time resident who comes to Pitkin every couple of months for a week or two, year-round, requested DSL service from Century Link and was told that they had no more bandwidth and they could not install DSL at their location. This fall I learned that a young family with two children who moved here to last spring to live here full-time, year-round, requested DSL service from Century Link as well and were told that there was not enough bandwidth. Several summer residents told me that they had previously had DSL service but when they called to ask Century Link to hook their service up again last spring, were told that they could not have DSL service at that time. The amount of money that Century Link is receiving in the grant is "over $26 million per year for six years."

Century Link will have discretion on how the money is used. The Gunnison County Board of County Commissioners met with Century Link last and it would be a good idea if commissioners were to hear from those who live here in Pitkin or who are affected by their inability to receive DSL service this year. The email addresses for the Gunnison County Commissioners are: Paula Swenson, Chairperson pswenson@gunnisoncounty.org Phil Chamberland pchamberland@gunnisoncounty.org Jonathan Houck jhouck@gunnisoncounty.org I am also trying to find out who we could contact to write directly to someone who is with Century Link who will be assisting in making final decisions on how the money will be used. October 17, 2015 Quartz Creek Valley Students receiving Honors at GHS for 2014-2015 Quartz Creek Valley families were represented when honors were given for academic service during the 2014-2015 school year on October 9. Those honored include: Kathryn Nicholl, Jason Vader, Alexandra Lovato, and Colby Archuleta. Congratulations to all of these stellar students! (Please let me know if there are others that I missed or perhaps don't know are related to Quartz Creek Valley residents! Thank you!) September 23, 2015 Sue Hertz Update Billy Hertz called a few days ago to say that his Mom is doing well. Her cancer is in remission and things are going well! Fall Colors Getting More Beautiful Every Day The fall foliage here in the Pitkin area is getting more vivid and beautiful every day! It's very pretty and should be peaking in the next week or so, according to predictions of Channel 9 News in Denver. Quieter in Town Many summer residents left the area the day after Labor Day but there are still some hardy souls who are enjoying the color show and cooler temperatures. At my house it was down to 29 one night in the past week, with heavy frost on the deck and on my pansies! The pansies did survive, though.

Cows in Town I have not seen the normal numbers of cattle in town so far this month. Every three years we get more cattle in town than we had the prior two years, and this is a year when cows should be more plentiful here in town. I see a little bit of evidence in my yard, that a couple of them have visited, but I haven't seen any cattle in my yard so far. One year the cattle showed up on September 1 and I looked out at a front yard full of 25-30 head of cattle, and then realized, "Oh, it's September! And here they are!" but this year, they came into town a bit later...I kind of miss the moos!

Cows on Cumberland Pass Road, September 5, 2015.

Postage Stamps By Mail - Available from the Pitkin Post Office Pitkin's Post Office will mail you a stamp order form with a postage-paid envelope and order form, then mail you your stamp order at no additional cost to you. These stamps-by-mail sales are helpful in keeping the Pitkin Post Office's revenue strong. If you would like to request the postage-paid envelope and order form, please call the Pitkin Post Office between 10:00 a.m. and noon, Mountain Time, Monday through Friday and give the Postmaster your name and address. Christmas stamps are not yet available but when they are, Pitkin will have them in stock and will be happy to send you your holiday stamps. Still Available: PVFD Cookbook Fundraiser, published Summer 2014 The PVFD’s Pitkin cookbook, entitled Pitkin to Parlin Revisited, a fundraiser for

the Pitkin Volunteer Fire Department is still available! These would make wonderful Christmas gifts, so keep that in mind. Suzy Metzler is handling the mailing of cookbooks to those who are not able to come to Pitkin to pick one up in person. All of the $14 per cookbook goes directly to the Pitkin Volunteer Fire Department. 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. If you want me to send you more than one cookbook, please email me at PitkinCookbook@aol.com so that I can check on the best way to mail or ship the cookbooks to you and I can also 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. REMEMBER – checks are not made out to Suzy, but to the Pitkin Volunteer Fire Department, or “PVFD” and then mail them to Suzy, please, at the address above. The cookbooks were donated to the PVFD and all $14 per cookbook goes to the Pitkin Volunteer Fire Department. IMPORTANT: REGISTER YOUR CELL PHONE FOR REVERSE 911 CALLS - UPDATED For those who are in the Pitkin area and who have disconnected 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 internet 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 2015

Wednesday, September 30 – PVFD Training, Chimney Fires/Portable Extinguishers, 6:30 p.m., Pitkin Fire Station.

Saturday, October 10 – QCIA Pot Luck Dinner, 6:30 p.m., Ohio City School House. Tuesday, October 13 – Pitkin Town Meeting, 7:00 p.m., Pitkin Town Hall. Sunday, November 1 – Daylight Savings Time ends. Fall Back! Tuesday, November 10 – Pitkin Town Meeting, 7:00 p.m., Pitkin Town Hall. Saturday, November 14 – QCIA Pot Luck Dinner, meat provided, 6:30 p.m., Ohio City Hall. Wednesday, November 18 - Thanksgiving Pot Luck Dinner, Newcomb Community Center, Pitkin, 6:00 p.m. Thursday, November 26 – Thanksgiving Tuesday, December 8 – Pitkin Town Meeting, 7:00 p.m., Pitkin Town Hall. Saturday, December 12 – QCIA Pot Luck Dinner, meat provided, 6:30 p.m., location to be announced. Thursday, December 24 – Christmas Eve Church service at the Pitkin Community Church, time to be advised.

Thursday, December 31 – New Year’s Eve