Give us some mud!

Mud is the new black. 
Slogging through mud for fun and fitness is popular nationally and internationally with the Tough Mudder and Warrior Dash. And in the Grand Valley, getting dirty comes in the form of The Gauntlet, which is set for Saturday, May 11, Try to Survive the Filthy Five and Mudd Volleyball. “Mud’s the thing right now,” said Emily Wright, race coordinator for Grand Junction Parks and Recreation’s Filthy Five. “Who doesn’t love ...

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Blacksmith mojo pic

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Gagne keeps blacksmithing alive

Lee Gagne can’t bring himself to retire from blacksmithing just yet. Because he wants to keep the art of blacksmithing alive. When Gagne, 71, was four years old, he began blacksmithing in Massachusetts. He said that his whole family was involved with it. “We would work on farms and actually make useful items and repair those items that you couldn’t just go to Wal-Mart and buy,” Gagne said. “It was mostly farm equipment, tractors, wagons and horseshoeing of ...

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Spring Day on the Farm

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Spring day 11

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Spring Day Pic 1

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A candid mother’s life and worries about a child with autism

Most moms don’t worry too much about getting their 14-year-old son ready for school, because at that age, most are self-sufficient. It’s different for Angela Avila. At 6:10 a.m., Angela flips on the lights of her son Nathan’s bedroom. There is a pungent smell of urine because he frequently wets the bed. “Nathan, it’s time to wake up,” Angela says. Nathan doesn’t say anything. Angela walks on to the bathroom, past a sign that reads, “Peace ...

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033113lsNostalgicSounds

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Sounding nostalgic: typewriters and fondly missed noises

Nostalgic sounds make it easy for the mind to travel to times past. Vivid memories can resurface with the clacking of a vintage typewriter or the brrrring of an antique phone. “Sounds, smell, touch, sensations are connected with the emotions of the experience,” said Edith Johnston, a counselor with “How To” Life Consultants LLC in Delta. “The sounds that we miss are connected with feelings and experiences that are positive and pleasant. Brings back memories ...

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Nostalgic Sounds

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Hike to Delicate Arch really is worth the hype

Even though I had to repeatedly remove sand and other debris from my eyes, Delicate Arch was worth it. My wind-whipped skin was parched and red by the end of the hike. But I would do it again. And again. Sacrifices sometimes have to be made to witness iconic beauty. The windy weather on the March day of our hike to Delicate Arch in Arches National Park north of Moab, Utah, prompted features writer Rachel Sauer to compare herself, features writer Melinda Mawdsley and me to the ...

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Eighth grader composes award winner

Nina Cruz knows how to write more than what is required by her eighth-grade teachers at East Middle School. In fact, her recent award-winning composition was not part of her school curriculum at all. And instead of using words, she used musical notes. “Walking Blues,” an instrumental melody and Cruz’s first composition, won the Grand Junction Symphony Orchestra’s fourth annual Crystal Baton competition. Her melody was chosen by a panel of judges that included the ...

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Art students compete at stock show

Fifteen Grand Valley students from the Watercolor Dogs Art Studio in Fruita showed their work at the National Western Stock Show’s Youth Art Show in Denver. The theme of the art show was western lifestyle, and all the artwork had to be two-dimensional and 16 inches by 20 inches or smaller. There were pencil drawings, oil pastels, acrylic paintings and watercolor paintings. “I just provided reference photos of landscapes, cows and horses to help them visualize,” said Pam ...

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Couple shows nine horses in PreDenver Circuit

Marvin and Sue Kapushion recently showed nine quarter horses at the Rocky Mountain Quarter Horse Association’s PreDenver Circuit. The circuit is a precursor to the National Western Stock Show in Denver, which was Jan. 12–27. At the circuit, two horses placed in the top five in the professional class of the western pleasure competition and two placed in top three in the novice amateur class of western pleasure. “The horses are judged on movement and manners during this ...

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Gone to the dogs

The Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show is so important to the members of the Grand Valley Kennel Club that they cancel their February meeting to view it. “All of us dog people in the valley get together and do a big potluck and talk dogs,” said club member Noelle Blair, who owns five Pembroke Welsh corgis. “It is just a really good time. We all have our favorites we root for.” The 137th annual Westminster Dog Show can be viewed the evenings of Monday, Feb. 11, on ...

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11-year-old wins showmanship award

Ducks, chickens, poise, communication and knowledge helped an 11-year-old Grand Junction girl win various awards during the past couple of years. But last Sunday, Brooke Hahn had some close competition for the coveted Grand Champion Showmanship award in poultry at the National Western Stock Show in Denver. Five individuals were neck-in-neck in points, and Brooke, who won the award in 2012 in the Junior Division, found herself to be the youngest person in the Intermediate Division and ...

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