Ode to Zephyros, Bravo to the Farmers

Experiencing Joy Therapy with Molly and Rachel
Feeling a Zest for Zephyros
The Telluride Farmer’s Market

My, what a busy, sun-drenched summer it was! And with the first couple of weeks of fall being extra sunny, warm and dry, we are only slowly inching toward winter here in Colorado. This weather, which has been a boon to farmers, has resulted in bountiful harvests of fruit, vegetables and flowers that keep on coming. The big snows will be here soon enough, but right now we are enjoying an extended almost summer-like season. 

Zephyros Flower Stand

Between the blistering heat and a good amount of travels, life has been pretty intense for me in these past months. Thankfully there was one constant that was a stabilizing force, one new activity that brought me much joy:  working at the Zephyros flower stand at the Telluride Farmer’s Market on Fridays.

Zee Bouquet

Most every Friday this summer was punctuated with bright pops of color, redolent starts to the day and cheerful interactions with clients and fellow market goers. Yes, I became a flower seller. Like anything new, I was a little jittery at first. Wrapping flowers properly is an art. Doing quick additions in my head of a large bouquet composed of some twenty different stems had me dialing up skills I hadn’t used since grade school math class. And lugging heavy buckets of water gave my upper body a workout unlike anything I’m able to achieve on the ski slopes.

Greenery Make the Bouquets

But soon enough I was able to navigate my way within this bustling attraction that has ranked as one of the market’s top draws for almost fifteen years. Under the tutelage of Molly and Rachel, I learned the art of flower arranging, and after a few weeks I began to compose bouquets that embodied the Zephyros look. Their signature style evokes a poetic expression of beauty, one that the French would call champêtre. (That word loosely translates to country or pastoral.) How gratifying it was to see these little bouquets–which Zephyros refers to as ‘lil Miss–selected for purchase just minutes after I carefully assembled my interpretation of a country bouquet.

Zee Farmers

By then, I had hit my stride and I was even becoming more familiar with the vast variety of flowers and grasses showcased on the stand. Flowers such as godetia, stock and Armenian basket flower were becoming almost as familiar as peonies, marigolds and sunflowers. Sometimes I’d even learn the common names; euphorbia, for example, is known as snow on the mountain. So fresh and lovely. 

Zee Handwritten Signs

Yes, I delighted in admiring the beauty in everything I sold. Nothing went unnoticed to me. Teaching skiing on creamy snow-packed slopes of Telluride on a bluebird day fills the mind, body and spirit. To me, handling such beautiful flowers and sharing them with others stirs the senses in the most glorious ways as well.

I call it joy therapy, a theme I have focused on for a good while now. After much sadness, loss and upset, I am once again witnessing friends and family affront death and dying. I’m also still dealing with an insanely litigious person that has brought more than twenty legal actions against the family since my father passed in 2016. The best response to all that is to shine more light and what better way to do it than with flowers. 

Major Joy Therapy

My mom imparted her love of flowers to me at an early age. We always had little country bouquets in every room at our lake house. Growing cutting flowers in the garden, however, proved to be a more challenging task. I’d have to pick carefully in our flower beds to find just the right amount of blooms and greenery to fill our vases. I do the same thing now in my little garden in Colorado.

A Country Bouquet from My Garden
Zephyros at Home

So you can imagine my wonder every Friday when I helped to unload the big Zephyros truck heaping with buckets of flowers, single stems and bouquets that had been carefully prepared the day before. The bounty, the glory and the freshness of it all has made me dizzy with pleasure. Displaying their array of flowers–and also some produce–was like laying out a feast. 

I tell Molly and Rachel that their goods rival those from some of the most abundant markets of France. During a recent trip to Provence, in fact, lavender was the only flower sold at one of the big open-air markets. 

Colorado Lavender

The flower shops in Paris are magnifique yet I don’t know of a boutique that grows everything they sell. Such is the case with Zephyros Farm & Garden, a farm about two-and-a-half hours from Telluride in Paonia. These farmers grow indoors and out, from seed to dried bouquets, working the earth organically and with a passion that shows in all of their goods.

I will visit their farm and gardens some day. You can, too. Let’s keep the joy therapy coming. Thank you to all the farmers who work tirelessly to spread such goodness to us. During this harvest season where we find such abundance on farmers’ stands and markets, we have an added appreciation for what they do. For those of us that have tried our hand at growing, we know that little emerges from the earth easily. (Except, of course, weeds!)

You can visit the Zephyros flower stand at the Telluride Farmer’s Market, which typically goes from early June through early October. Today’s market will be the last one of the year. I’ve completed my work there but hope to return next year. 

Zephyros Tomatoes
Salsa Time
Harvest Time

If you’re not able to check them out in person, visit their website for a hit of joy. And then pick up a bouquet of flowers for yourself somewhere to brighten your surroundings. Remember to change the water daily!

The darkest days of fall and winter will soon be upon us, so have your fill now of Mother Nature’s bounty. Your local farmers will thank you.

Buttercream Sunflowers
Market Humor
Yes, I Am a Flower Slut

In September,  I enjoyed a visit to The Broadmoor in Colorado Springs, one of the world’s most resplendent resorts. I posted many pictures of their gardens on my Instagram and Facebook pages. In July, I had also posted on my social media photos of magnificent flower arrangements from a wedding I attended in Saint Tropez early in the summer. Do take a peek.

Groovy Times Guaranteed at Mountain Lodge Telluride

Steve and Me at this Year’s Mardi Gras

Imagine a handsome mountain lodge in a superlative setting with an extraordinary local vibe. Think of a place that puts on great parties for locals and visitors alike. That’s what you’ll find at Mountain Lodge Telluride, one of the top places of lodging in Telluride, Colorado.

Joint Point
Jammin’

As I wrote in my story, The View at Mountain Lodge: Telluride’s Best-Kept Secret, for Telluride Magazine, their restaurant is a favorite place for great food and drink and also a happening place for parties. The View hosts all kinds of events, including weddings. And they also put on some great bashes that embody the vibe of a good ‘ole Telluride party. Joint Point, a favorite local rock band with solid jamming chops, has been putting on shows twice a year here for a number of years. Their Snow Dance the Friday after Thanksgiving and their Electric Luau, a Friday night in the first part of June, have become traditions in Telluride’s roster of good times. 

Costuming is Part of the Fun
Fun Times with Friends

Music festival season is almost here. And there’s no better way to warm up for it than attending a fun evening of music and dance within a fabulous great room, a space surely designed with extraordinary gatherings in mind. Dig out your Aloha shirts, board shorts and flowered sarongs and put your bright on this Friday, June 9th to welcome the summer season. 

With chilly temps still bringing in some fresh fallen snow (up high!), it has not felt very summery around this part of the Rockies so far. But we have had some spectacular rainbows and you’re sure to bask in your own kaleidoscopic array of light by attending Friday night’s Electric Luau at the Lodge. Reasonably-priced and super tasty food and drink will be served, so go hungry. 

Full disclosure:  my guy, Steve Togni, the general manager of Mountain Lodge Telluride for almost twenty years and my significant other for about fifteen of them, usually steps in and plays a song or two with the band. How cool is that? No wonder this elegant establishment can so easily take on a hippie vibe. Anyone in the know, knows that that’s part of the beauty of Telluride. It’s our way of keeping it real.

Lighting Up the Night Old School

Know that even if you miss Friday’s party at the Lodge, there are plenty of other opportunities to enjoy this wonderful venue. Check out my story, The View at Mountain Lodge:  Telluride’s Best-Kept Secret, to find out more about the restaurant and bar. Note that changes are afoot and there will be a whole new food and beverage team this summer. In keeping with the trajectory of The View since it’s conception in 2008, offerings here are sure to be better than ever.

The Mountain Lodge Spirit
23 Aug 2018, 10:04am
Art & Culture Discovery Map Travel:
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Crafting Vacation Memories with Maps

Map of Florence by John Petach

The Brush Used for the Map of Florence

John’s Napa Valley Map

Napa Brush

How many of you still use maps? I mean the old fashioned kind that you can actually hold in your hands and spread out on a kitchen table. You know, the maps that you can rarely fold up exactly how you found them. It is hard sometimes to line up the creases but when you do it’s oh-so gratifying. And when you don’t, you hopefully let it go, shrug and feel content with the big overall perspective that the map you just looked at provided.

Artist John Petach

You definitely don’t achieve that perspective or level of satisfactory map studying from an electronic map on one of your devices. No matter how much you zoom in and out, it just isn’t the same. And plus, that zooming business only works properly a fraction of the time. No, it’s nice to have something to hold in your hands, particularly since there’s so much beauty to be found in maps. 

Through my work with Discovery Map, I even found someone that possesses a sort of map fetish. Artist John Petach loves travel and maps so much that he was inspired to create a collection of works that uses maps as canvas. I think they’re marvelous and I hope you’ll check them out here. You’ll see that he thinks Discovery Maps are great, so he created a number of pieces using their maps as the background.

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Visiting the Holiday Greens Show in Troy, New York with Mom

Mom Enjoying the Holiday Greens Show

A Patriotic Christmas

Home for the Holidays

The Grand Entranceway

I’m back in Colorado cherishing a very special holiday moment I shared with my mom in my hometown of Troy, New York just before I left. It was extraordinary for many reasons. It was the first time since 2001 that I was with my mother in December, which allowed us to do something Christmas-y together. (I moved to Colorado in January 2002 and became a ski instructor shortly thereafter. Once ski season starts, I hardly travel anywhere except perhaps to another ski destination.) I also relived childhood memories that I know have played a formative part in my life.

Mom and I picked up on a tradition that began some sixty-one years ago at the Holiday Greens Show, a glorious open house of sorts at the Hart-Cluett House, home to the Rensselaer County Historical Society. I believe mom started going to the Greens show from the beginning and she first brought me there some fifty years ago. Decorated from balustrade to mantelpiece with an abundance of fresh greens, Christmas trees, fresh and dried flowers and a treasure trove of memorabilia by the Van Rensselaer Garden Club, this mansion shimmers with all the beauty of the holidays every year for four days during the beginning of December. It’s like stepping onto a Hollywood set of a nineteenth-century film filled with elegance and grandeur, merrymaking and holiday charm.
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The Western: An Epic in Art and Film

The Western: An Epic in Art and Film

Denver Art Museum Entrance

Love this Remington

A Great Synopsis of Westerns

Symbolism in Art

I love Westerns. I love the Denver Art Museum. I love the exhibition The Western: An Epic in Art and Film. Sorry for gushing but I think it’s wonderful!

I saw it in Denver a few weeks ago and I had a smile on my face as I walked through every room of this beautiful show–once again DAM has done a magnificent job with this installation, which creates a setting that makes you feel as though you just stepped into the wild, wild West.

Tune into KOTO.org at 6:30pm MST tonight to listen to my Travel Fun interview with Thomas Brent Smith, co-curator of the exhibition The Western: An Epic in Art and Film. Even if you’re not able to attend the show in Denver, which runs through September 10, you’ll learn much about Westerns and why we love films and artwork that depict the great American West. Thank you, Thomas, for such an eloquent and articulate conversation about the show and why Westerns conjure up such an array of emotions for so many.

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Post Election Healing

Museum Going with a Dear Friend

Museum Going with a Dear Friend

Let’s take a collective ten deep breaths. Ommmm. Remember to exhale long and completely. Now try doing that every hour. Yes, that’s ten deep breaths every hour, every day.

Whether consciously or subconsciously, most of us spend every hour of our day trying to manage our stress. We all have so much going on! And yes, one can even feel stressed in a beautiful mountain town surrounded by some of the most awe-inspiring scenery in the world.

Just now, as I began to write this story, the internet at home here was all goofy. RRRRRrrrrrrr. Fortunately, I didn’t let that frustrated feeling set in and I just brushed it off (sort of) and decided to write free form without needing a speedy internet. Lots of letting go here.

I feel the need to address the stress subject with you because so many people have been distraught over the election results. Whether your candidate won or not, everyone has experienced a certain amount of stress over this. (Just think of the Trump supporter attempting to defend his president-elect on social media or at the water cooler. Or, even without saying anything, hearing all the opposition against his or her choice.) It’s hard to move on from it all, especially since the daily news flashes keep bringing bad news to the dems. Ugh.

Try Breathing into this Painting Entitled Friendship by Agnes Martin at the Guggenheim

Try Breathing into this Painting Entitled Friendship by Agnes Martin at the Guggenheim

Just think of the people directly implicated by this. I mean right now. My older brother, Frank Clemente, the driving force behind Americans for Tax Fairness, was to meet with Senators Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren just after the election. Well, you can bet that meeting was cancelled. And now I’d imagine Frank’s work has quadrupled. So discouraging. more »

18 Sep 2015, 3:03pm
Art & Culture Colorado Music & Dance Telluride Telluride Festivals:
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Telluride Blues & Brews in the Park and on the Radio

A Spectacular Setting for the Telluride Blues & Brews Festival

A Spectacular Setting for the Telluride Blues & Brews Festival

Greg Allman: One of this Year's Headliners

Greg Allman: One of this Year’s Headliners

ZZ Top: Another Headliner

ZZ Top: Another Headliner

This Year's Poster

This Year’s Poster

There are still some single day (for Saturday and Sunday) and juke joint passes left for the twenty-second annual Telluride Blues & Brews Festival that kicked off just hours ago! This is a fun-filled musical extravaganza well lubricated with good brews, wine and cocktails. OK, some coffee, too.

This world renowned festival takes place in an unparalleled setting in Telluride Town Park and the weather right now is fantabulous! Really gorgeous and it’s supposed to stay that way all the way through Sunday. If you’re anywhere near T-ride, c’mon down. If not, I highly recommend you earmark this crazy good event for next year; it will be happening the third weekend of September as always.

Either way, log onto KOTO.org right now to listen to the show. Yes, we’re fortunate to have Telluride’s homegrown radio station broadcasting Telluride Blues & Brews all weekend long. They’re conducting some great interviews as well, so tune in every day and I’m sure you’ll stay tuned well into the evening. Check out the lineup to find out about who’s playing. This year’s is one of the best, according to many.

I’m listening to the festival right now and am digging the driving beat. Hope you can get in on it, too.

For more on the Telluride Blues & Brews Festival, read Steve Gumble Brings Us Telluride Blues & Brews and More.

This Year's KOTO Team

This Year’s KOTO Team

4 May 2015, 4:00pm
Art & Culture Restaurants:
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The Woman in Gold Movie and Exhibition

Woman in Gold: the Painting in the Movie

Woman in Gold: the Painting in the Movie

I often say I wish I could remember everything I’ve ever read as well as everything I’ve ever written. I give myself a pass on the former but in terms of the latter, I’d think I’d remember most of it. Oh, if only that were the case! In my four guidebooks, one travel memoir, almost four hundred blog posts and an assortment of freelance pieces, I’ve researched and reported intensively on subjects I’m passionate about. And yet, sometimes I catch myself in a sort of black hole-space of my mind.

Take the feature film “Woman in Gold” as an example. I’d been hearing talk about it for months and I vaguely knew about the story of Gustav Klimt’s masterpiece, Adele Bloch-Bauer, the Mona Lisa of Austria, and how it was returned to its rightful owner and found its home in America. It wasn’t until last week, however, upon seeing this fabulous movie starring Helen Mirren, one of my favorite actors, that I realized I had had the pleasure of gazing upon this magnificent work in New York City. I refer to it as “a glittering painting by Gustav Klimt” in my story Gallery Going with the Ladies of Larchmont, one of the first posts to my blog back in 2008.

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    This blog is a personal blog written and edited by Maribeth Clemente. This blog sometimes accepts forms of cash advertising, sponsorship, paid insertions or other forms of compensation. The compensation received may influence the advertising content, topics or posts made in this blog. That content, advertising space or post may not always be identified as paid or sponsored content. The owner of this blog is sometimes compensated to provide opinion on products, services, Web sites and various other topics. Even though the owner of this blog receives compensation for certain posts or advertisements, she always gives her honest opinions, findings, beliefs or experiences on those topics or products. The views and opinions expressed on this blog are purely the blogger's own. Any product claim, statistic, quote or other representation about a product or service should be verified with the manufacturer, provider or party in question. This blog does not contain any content which might present a conflict of interest.
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