in telluride, the snow falling down, standing there alone in that sleepy little town.

living the dream.
that's what people shout out when you greet them on the slopes. how are you doing today? living the dream!

i left work early today. marley dog had gotten sick in the house. one of my roommates stopped by the shop and let me know. he's been home alone a lot lately. if by alone i mean two other dogs, and a medley of people coming and going. but i left work to go check on him and clean up. i ended up sweeping the whole house, scrubbing our bathroom, and doing the dishes. that might not sound like the telluride dream, but it's a pretty sweet deal for me. a little normalcy in my surreal week. cleaning relaxes me. and i have been going since i stepped out of my car.

i arrived in telluride a week ago today. the drive from charlotte was a marked improvement from my maine travel experiences. i slept in my car on saturday night, but came prepared to do so. and sunday evening i found myself in jieun's kitchen in colorado springs drinking hot tea and watching her bake her yummy chocolate chip cookies. i slept in her guest room and ate pancakes in the morning while watching the snow fall out the window. i headed out a little later than expected to give the roads some time to clear. it was slick but manageable. i pulled into telluride at seven and navigated the turns to my new home. followed the beacon of blue christmas lights strung up on the porch. parked my car and stepped onto the icy blacktop. Dennis stood waiting with a big hug. a reunion of sorts. it was like greeting an old high school friend i hadn't seen in ages. only we had never met in person. our friendship has been months worth of emails, phone calls and text messages. weird but good. i dropped my bag in the condo and got marley dog a bowl of water. then we were off to the movies. a tiny and cute little theater in town. greg came along also. dennis' friend from NAL i followed the boys up the hill to the chondola. what would become my daily commute to work. lift one on the mountain. and crossed the plaza to the gondola lift. up the mountain and down the other side in to town. three miles in thirteen minutes. telluride lit up like christmas. you can see the whole village from up there. after sitting in my car for thirty odd hours i found myself seated, once again, for the curious case of benjamin button. i liked it. slow but sentimental.

off to bed. ready for a tour of town in the morning.

headed to mountain village on the way into town. stopped into work to say hello and actually meet my boss. i was hired over the phone. no real interview process. just an email with my resume and photo portfolio and then a loooooong drive west. walked around town. bank. grocery store. introductions to numerous people that passed by. everyone knows everyone here. it's like college all over again. only instead of going to class i stand on a mountain top in the sunshine and photograph families on vacation and listen to languages from all over the world. pretty freakin' sweet. spent the afternoon baking cookies and hanging out with new friends. and ended the day with a delicious dinner at excelsior. dennis treated me to their bar special. twelve dollar menu with a glass of wine. fresh bread and pop overs. mmmmmmm.

wednesday was my first day of work. headed to the shop at eight in the morning. a trio of sleepy bodies (me, dennis, and greg) climbing the hill to the chondola. thrown right in on my first day. no store training. boots on. skis on. free season lift pass in hand. off to shoot the kiddies. pizza and french fries. that's how they teach the kids to ski. straight ahead -> fries...snow plow -> pizza. too adorable. little kids all bundled up slipping and sliding around in the snow. too adorable. the fact that this is my job: too unbelievable.

work consists of skiing to specified points on the mountain and setting up my gear. nikon camera. long lens. flash. post the sign and then solicit...blue bird skies and snowy mountains make for a pretty dreamy backdrop. half of the shots don't even look real. families posted in front of a green screen. the perfect sky and towering terrain merely a computer trick. i found myself staring off into the distance the other day. i can see utah from joint point. mountains in the distance, moab just beyond. i walk around in constant awe. mountains. aspen. sky. stars. layers and layers of stars. staring up at them from a snow covered hot tub. this is the life.

nights are fun and fairly low key although i have been going out for almost all of them. dinner at a friend's house. delicious butternut squash soup. shooting pool. sushi. karaoke. and our very own inauguration day celebration complete with chips and salsa and guacamole. the boys even like board games. movie and music and cooking. it's my turn in the kitchen tonight. pasta with artichokes and tomatoes. rosemary foccacia, of course.

it's a wonderful little town. and trudging the streets on my day off makes me feel alive. skied in the morning. made it down my first double black diamond. i have until march to get good enough to climb baldy. there's a hike to called audrey and i want the photo op. it's a half hour hike and then a double down. gotta work up to that. but for now i continue to network with people and enjoy the fresh mountain air, and my roommates. they have been so helpful and welcoming. six people and three dogs in one condo...real world:telluride.