A BEAUTIFUL LIFE

 

This past weekend we attended the "Hippy Bluegrass Church" at eTown in Boulder.  Classic Planet Boulder with the message being "guilt free gospel" with one bluegrass song's refrain being "You go to your church, I'll go to mine."  Lots of good music, and here is one of my favorites tunes of the day, with a gospel and bluegrass version:

Each day I'll do a golden deed
By helping those who are in need
My life on earth is but a span
And so I'll do the best I can

Life's evening sun is sinking low
A few more days and I must go
To meet the deeds that I have done
Where there will be no setting sun

The only life that will endure
Is one that's kind and good and pure
And so for God I'll take my stand
Each day I'll lend a helping hand

Life's evening sun is sinking low
A few more days and I must go
To meet the deeds that I have done
Where there will be no setting sun

While going down life's weary road
I'll try to lift some traveler's load
I'll try to turn the night to day
Make flowers bloom along the way

Life's evening sun is sinking low
A few more days and I must go
To meet the deeds that I have done

Where there will be no setting sun

LAWRENCE EUGENE "DOC JOE" MAURER - 1914-2018

I previously wrote about Doc Maurer here, on the occasion of his 100th birthday.  Please read that post to see how we came to know Doc Joe, and learned that we were both born in Goshen and lived in New Paris.  Doc recently passed away, and here is his obituary:

Dr. Lawrence Eugene Maurer ‘Joe’, left this earth on January 24th, 2018. He was 103 years old. He leaves behind an incredible legacy and will live on in the hearts of the people he touched. He was born in Goshen, Indiana to Christian and Mary Elizabeth (Martin) Maurer. He attended Goshen College and went on to graduate from the University of Indiana Medical School in 1939. After his medical internship in Denver and Kansas City, he brought his wife Helen to Boulder to begin a new chapter in their lives. With approximately 12,000 people in Boulder and being one of the newest and youngest doctors in town at the time, he would be on call 24 hours a day and make house calls with his doctor's bag in tow. Along with treating minor bumps and bruises, to the setting of broken bones, he performed many surgeries early on that used a method called ‘open drop ether’ to put a patient to sleep. He joined up with nine other physicians in 1949 and founded the Boulder Medical Center. Since that time, it is estimated that he has delivered more than 2,500 babies and delivered two of his own children. Chances are if you were born between 1940-1960, he was the first to welcome you into this world. After diagnosing a patient and good friend with spinal meningitis, he learned of a new drug Penicillin attending a medical seminar. That proved advantageous to the patient, as he was the first physician to administer the drug in Boulder County and the patient survived. He loved helping others! He was active in his community being the team doctor for Boulder High School for 25 years, volunteered countless hours and gave free medical care for those less fortunate. He was a member of the Rotary Club for 60 years, served on the board of the Boulder Day Nursery, and belonged to the Boulder Torch Club. In his free time, he enjoyed walking the beaches of Mexico with his wife, fishing the lakes of Los Lagos in Nederland, and cheering on the C.U. Buffaloes and the Denver Broncos.

He is survived by his four children, Larry and wife Linda of Nederland, Mary Lynne Cameron and husband Mike of Boulder, Chris Maurer of Boulder, and Anne Dietz and husband Bob of Boulder. He is also survived by six grandchildren, Katie Cameron, Michael Cameron and wife Beverley, Bridget Heitz and husband Karl, Kristen Dietz, Kimberly Sauber and husband Luke and three great grandchildren Kenzie and Hutton Cameron and Emmit Sauber. He is preceded in death by sister Carol Maurer, his wife Helen (Faris) Maurer, and his first grandchild Molly Marie Maurer. A service will be held Saturday, February 17th at 1:30pm at Sacred Heart of Jesus Church, 1318 Mapleton Avenue, Boulder, Co. 80304. A celebration of life will follow at the Boulder Country Club, 7350 Club House Road, Boulder, CO 80301. In lieu of flowers, Joe's family kindly requests contributions be made in his name to one of the following organizations: The Boulder Day Nursery Association, 1518 Spruce Street, Boulder, CO 80302, Children's Hospital Colorado Foundation, 13123 East 16th Avenue, Aurora, CO 80045, Boulder High School Athletic Department, 1604 Arapahoe Avenue, Boulder, CO 80302

And - I did find a pic of Doc when he turned 100.

SLIP SLIDIN' AWAY

FLATIRON FREDDY

Sure, old Freddy has been dead and stuffed for 20 years, but I would wager that the marmot is just as good as the more famous groundhog at predicting the arrival of spring. You can read more about Freddy here.  And like Punxsutawney Phil, Freddy did not 'see' his shadow, so Boulder will have an early spring!  Just got 15 inches of snow and it's mighty cold, but Freddy sez spring is on its way!!

COLORADO EVANGELICAL MESSAGE TO REPUBLICAN CANDIDATES

 Unless you have been living in a cave, you likely know that the Republican candidates for POTUS gathered in Boulder on Wednesday for their third debate.  CU touted it as a great opportunity for the students, but not surprisingly, CNBC limited the number of tickets to students at about 100, and allowed an audience of only 1000 in a venue that seats 11,000 plus.  Like everyone else in the nation, the CU students had to decide whether or not to watch the debate on TV.  On the morning of the debate, there was an interesting full-page ad in the Boulder Daily Camera - blurb below from here:

BOULDER, Colo. — In an open letter published Wednesday as a full-page ad in the Boulder Daily Camera, 63 Colorado pastors and other evangelical leaders call on GOP presidential candidates to craft respectful, solutions-based messages on immigration.

In a key state for 2016, the letter counters harsh rhetoric toward immigrants from some presidential candidates and other political leaders.

“The immigrant community and our community are one and the same,” the letter states. “Together, for several years we have diligently worked to create space to dialogue and learn from one another about how the broken immigration system has affected our communities, keeping us divided. And, we have come to this shared conclusion: Immigrants are vital in our communities, and we must treat them with respect and dignity. Our laws must reflect that conclusion.”

“So many of us feel that we need to do something to stand up to the negativity around the immigration debate,” said Michelle Warren, an Evangelical Immigration Table leader in Colorado.

 “We are desperate for a conversation that welcomes immigrants with compassion.”

FULL LETTER - slightly better viewed in link as PDFsole Mennonite signator was Vern Remple.

RICHIE FURAY AND LOS LOBOS AT eTOWN

I know, I know, it's been quite a while [although no one mentioned it :-)].  Been quite busy with a new place in the mountains, shifting places in Boulder, etc.  But the eTown YouTube Channel just put up the videos of the Richie Furay and Friends session.  When we saw the initial announcement, we though "Well Furay will be good, and it will be interesting to see who the 'Friends' turn out to be."  Well we were not disappointed - it was a very enjoyable evening with Furay and his daughter,  the Friends Los Lobos and of course the eTown crew .  Below is just one video from the evening; the most iconic of the tunes, but visit the eTown Channel to see many great songs and interviews.

SWOON ART HOUSE

When driving along North Broadway in Boulder, we would often note this structure and wonder "What in the world is it?  A home, a museum, a business....."  So I finally got around to Google and see that it is an Art Home.  Link for Swoon Art House here.

 

Here is a piece of puff from the website - classic Planet Boulder:

An art house/studio for artist, Rebecca DiDomenico.

A transformative art space where expansive art pieces/installations are imagined and created.

A sustainable rammed earth building exclusively run with geothermal and solar energy designed by Rebecca DiDomenico collaborating with architect and builder Mike Moore from tres birds workshop (tresbirds.com).This building is intended to be an icon in a new generation of urban sustainable residences, using local materials with a focus on renewable resources. Ingredients include rammed earth, concrete, steel, glass and wood from recycled train car sides. The internal open architecture is in keeping with a design philosophy allowing space to encourage creative manifestations of living, such as needed for residence, studio and entertaining for the benefit of the arts and non-profit organizations.

Landscaping was designed in collaboration with Karla Dakin of K.Dakin Design and executed by Brian Carlson of Green Landscape Company (begreen.biz) . Fence and gate designed by Rebecca and fabricated by Mark Castator (metalboy.com) and Rob Hinde of Iron Artisan Ltd. Fountain feature by Brian Pulst of Spa Water Specialists Inc.

The residence is part of The Swoon/BMoCA International Artists Residency, a collaborative that provides international artists with the residence/studio space, resources, time, and freedom to realize expansive works of their imagination. The residency fosters the growth of emerging and established artists by encouraging them to take risks, experiment, and explore their creativity. Selection of artists by invitation only.

The new residence/studio will foster Rebecca’s vision of elevating the community’s cultural involvement, which have been a focus and passion for her personally and through her family’s foundation, the Compton Foundation. These areas include supporting non-profits committed to the environment, reproductive rights, peace and security, with an emphasis on the powerful way that the arts can further the mission and impact of these fields of interest.

Rebecca’s fervent wish is that the presence of Swoon in the North Boulder Art District (Nobo) will encourage other artists to create out-of-the-box ground breaking sustainable residence/studios, as a way to improve the cultural fabric of and thus create expansive experiences for our city.

BOSTON, COLORADO

During the past several weeks, we have received over 5 feet of snow - you'd think we were in Boston!  But, I suppose that since we are in Colorado, we should expect this sort of thing.  It will be good for the water supply, and it has not been too hard on the back - it's been mainly powder, but it's still heavy when there are a couple of feet!  Supposed to be much warmer the next few days, so we will next be dealing with ice as the melting snow freezes during the night time.

CU ATHLETICS ARMS RACE

Yesterday, the University of Colorado Regents met in Boulder, and one of the sessions was on Intercollegiate Athletics.  The CU-Boulder AD gave a typical shock-and-awe, look how great I am doing presentation, which was followed by the significantly more modest presentation by the CU-Colorado Springs AD. 

Perhaps the most insightful, and troubling, observation was made by Chancellor Pam Shockley from the CU-Colorado Springs campus.  In her comments to the Regents, she said that she fears an "arms race" in Division II athletics that is similar in nature but on a smaller scale than the "arms race" in Division I athletics.  AD Rick George's presentation could be labeled Exhibit A for the demonstration of the misguided and generally uselessness of "pursuing championships" by throwing money at athletic facilities and the elusive "student-athlete."  [Just to clarify, there really are some athletes who  are also accomplished students, but they tend to be the exception rather than the norm among the participants in Division I football and basketball]. 

After presenting the data demonstrating how well the student athletes are doing academically, and how well they are attended to regarding their studies, he launched into his breathless presentation of the $143,000,000 expansion and renovation of athletic facilities, shown in this sketch:

 

Not surprisingly, the bulk of the project is for the benefit of football, while the other sports will enjoy some of the trickle-down from the new indoor practice facility, shown on the left, and the new training and sports medicine facilities. More details can be found here.  Interestingly, I got to tour the 'old' football facilities a couple of years ago and considered them palatial when compared to some of the other facilities on campus - see below.

So - what's the point?  It's the same old canard that CU cannot compete effectively in the PAC 12 because the limited and outdated facilities cause highly talented athletes to go elsewhere.  Tell that to cross country coach Mark Wetmore.  Wetmore's office is in a backwater space in the dingy and dark Balch Fieldhouse.  It's not the facilities that attract some of the top runners in the country to CU, it's the outstanding coaching and the tradition of excellence that brings them in.  Wetmore's teams have won multiple national and PAC-12 championships, and hundreds of other team and individual honors.  Admittedly, cross country is not a facilities-intensive sport, but the point is that facilities don't build champions - effective recruitment, training and coaching build champions.

Balch Fieldhouse - Home of National Champion Runners & Coaches - Built in 1937

But - who is it that really cares about championships?  Regents, Presidents, Athletic Directors and all of the attendant athletics staff, and Chancellors and fund-raisers who woo athletics-crazed donors.  Who doesn't care?  Most professors and many students. 

Why?  At the beginning of all of my classes, I make it clear that it is possible, although not probable, that every student in the class can earn an A.  Exceptional performance is rewarded accordingly.  (I generally don't point out to them that they could all possibly earn F's :-).  In academics, it is not student versus student, with an equal number of winners and losers - it is individual students mastering the subject matter.  Intercollegiate athletics are nearly diametric to this fundamental mission of the university.  Regents, Presidents, etc., seem not to understand that athletic competition is a zero sum game - for every PAC 12 team that wins, another PAC 12 team loses.  For every 15-2 team, there is likely to be a 2-15 team.  And there is only one champion among the 12, and there will be only one football champion among the 120 Division I FBS teams, and 1 basketball champion among the 351 Division I basketball teams.

Another thing that is totally out of wack in Division I football and basketball is that it is now considered career advancement by moving from the ranks of professional sports to university sports. Of course the driving factor now is the money.  I have previously written about Rick [aka Dick IMHO] George's sweet deal [Money for Nothin'] to move from the Texas Rangers to CU, and most recently, CU hired an San Fancisco 49ers coach as an assistant football coach for $500,000 per year - highest in the history of CU.

I think that it would be great if the CU Regents, administrators and other powers-that-be torched football and [sadly as a Hoosier] basketball.  Can you imagine how great the remaining teams would be if the resources were re-directed their way??!!  The University of Alabama-Birmingham is the latest addition to the long list of schools that have eliminated Division I football.  Universities need to get out of the business of being minor-league development tools for professional teams.  Of course I know that there is not a snowballs chance that this will come to pass, but one can dream......

BORN TO RUN - CABALLO BLANCO - THE MOVIE

Some of you will remember my original post about the book Born to Run and Micah True, the Caballo Blanco.  It is the fourth-most viewed post on this blog!  

 

I recently read that the book is likely going to be made into a movie, with Matt McConaughey playing the role of Micah.  Here is the blurb from deadline.com

Matthew McConaughey has become attached to star in a Matthew Michael Carnahan-scripted adaptation of Christopher McDougall’s best-selling book, Born To Run: A Hidden Tribe, Super Athletes, And The Greatest Race The World Has Never Seen.

The book told the story of how an award-winning journalist and often-injured runner headed for Mexico’s isolated, deadly Copper Canyons to find out how the blissful Tarahumara Indians honed the ability to run hundreds of miles without rest or injury. He tags along to discover their secrets and takes readers from Harvard science labs to sun-baked valleys and freezing peaks across North America, where ever-growing numbers of ultra-runners are pushing their bodies to the limit. This led to a climactic race in the Copper Canyons that pitted America’s best ultra-runners against the tribe.
The book spent 178 weeks on the NYT Bestseller list and is still selling 10,000 copies a month. It ignited the ‘barefoot running movement,” one of the most influential exercise innovations of the past decade and the catalyst for a new $2 billion industry in “barefoot-style” shoes. The book’s a bestseller in 12 countries and sold 2 million copies in the U.S. and half that around the world.

And this is a short portion from an article in Trail Runner Magazine:

Last week, Deadline that actor Matthew McConaughey would be starring in an upcoming movie based on Christopher McDougall’s 2009 bestseller, Born to Run. The book documents a 2006 race in Mexico’s Copper Canyon between top U.S. ultrarunners and the local Tarahumara people, famous for running days on end in homemade sandals.

Born to Run has been credited with fueling the barefoot-running craze and inspiring more Americans to take up trail running. Micah True, also known as Caballo Blanco, an ultrarunner who organized the Copper Canyon race and featured heavily in the book, became something of a cult hero following its publication. (True passed away in 2012.) With McConaughey’s star power and a big-screen audience, it’s entirely possible that the movie will have a similar—if not amplified—effect.

In reading about this, I learned that there already is a movie about Micah, and the trailer is below.  Any of you who are familiar with Boulder will recognize the west end of Pearl Street, where I believe it's Micah sitting outside a coffee shop reading from the book.

 

Run Free Movie Trailer from Noren Films on Vimeo.

"Run Free - the True Story of Caballo Blanco" produced and directed by Sterling Noren.

“Perhaps the first trail running bum, True was an unusual suspect to inspire the recent barefoot-running movement. But when True invited Christopher McDougall to Mexico’s Copper Canyon Ultra Marathon, he became a central figure in McDougall’s book, “Born To Run,” illuminating the minimal running techniques of the Tarahumara people. True passed away on a run in New Mexico’s Gila Desert in 2012, and now the Copper Canyon race has been renamed in True’s memory as Ultramarathon Caballo Blanco.”

eTOWN HANDMADE SONGS 2

As I have previously written, eTown is an incredible resource for this community and for all of their followers on the web and on national radio.  Last Sunday, Nick Forster hosted a free event at the eTown Hall to highlight this year's five finalists in the Handmade Songs series - watch Nick's intro below - these are high school kids!!!  They preformed live with the eTown house band, and we got to view the premiers of the mini-documentary music videos for each of the finalists.  The students' exceptional talent was matched by all of the time, effort and professional guidance that the eTown staff provided to these young musicians - kudos to all!!

Here are three of the videos

You can watch all of the videos here, as well as some highlights of the 2013 Handmade Songs.

"eTown’s Handmade Songs Series is designed to utilize music’s power to connect on behalf of the challenges creative teenagers in Boulder County face.

In it’s second year, the 2014 Handmade Songs Series reached out to schools in Boulder County, initiated an audition process, and invited over 30 high school songwriters to perform their original songs in front of an audience. A panel of judges, including local music industry leaders, selected the five winners and those winners were paired with professional record producers to realize the full potential of each song.

The 2014 winners were given an inside look at the recording process and complete access to some of the best and brightest in Colorado’s music scene. They had unlimited time in the studio, access to any outside musicians that enhanced their songs, and untold hours of time with their producers in the process of recording, editing and mixing. The results are spectacular, and the process was transformative for all of the students."

eTOWN - OVER THE RHINE & MAX GOMEZ

One of Boulder's gems is eTown.  You can read all about eTown at their "new and improved website" http://www.etown.org/

"eTown is a place where music brings us all together and we work (and play) together to make things better.  eTown is also an independent radio program that seamlessly blends great live music from top musicians with conversation about the health and welfare of our communities. eTown has been on the air from coast to coast for more than two decades. The shows are recorded in front of a live audience, usually in eTown’s own solar powered theater, eTown Hall, in downtown Boulder, Colorado."

 

 eTown Hall on Spruce Street, about 12 blocks from our place

The eTown Venue - An Intimate 200 Seat Hall - Former Church!

Downstairs at the eTown Hall - A Nice Gathering Place

eTown Founders & Hosts - Nick and Helen Forster

" As eTown’s host, Nick nimbly walks the line between musician and radio journalist/host, playing guitar, mandolin or lap steel with world-class musical guests then switching gears to engage those artists in conversation live on stage.  As eTown’s co-host, Helen lends her golden-toned voice to both the spoken word and the musical portions of the show."

Last Monday evening, we spent a very pleasant two hours at eTown Hall with the Forsters and guests Over the Rhine and Max Gomez.  

 Linford Detweiler & Karin Bergquist

You can read a lot on line about Over the Rhine, their 20+ albums, tours, etc., but one interesting tidbit is the Ohio-Menno background of Linford.  One of the songs they sang made reference to Holmes County, which is where Rhonda was born.  The opening verse:

My father’s body lies beneath the snow
High on a hill in Holmes County, Ohio
From there you can look out across the fields
A farmer guides his horses home as day to darkness bends
And finally yields

Only after the concert did we learn that our daughter is an Over the Rhine fan - here is one of her favorite songs:

A Session With Over The Rhine

The second guest performer was Max Gomez from Taos, and we very much enjoyed his music and his wry sense of humor. 

The 2-hour event will be edited down to a one hour program for radio that should be broadcast around mid-December - I highly recommend that you try to catch it on your local NPR station - the finale, with Over the Rhine, Max Gomez, the eChievement award winner, 15 year old Corinne Hindes, on flute, Nick and Helen, and the eTown House Band is particularly memorable.

BACK TO BACK NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS

Although the National Championship for the CU Men's Cross Country team will likely line the pockets of our already well heeled Athletic Director, the real honors go to the runners and to Coach Wetmore.  CU won with an amazing total of only 65 points, soundly defeating number 2 Stanford at 98 points - any total under 100 is generally considered excellent.  All five CU runners finished in the top 40, making them All Americans, with three of the five in the top 10!  I watched both the women's and the men's races [the CU women took 7th place] as well as the awards ceremony.  Kudos to all!!!!

 

From The Denver Post:

 

TERRE HAUTE, Ind. — Carrying their status as defending champion and heavy favorite not as a burden but with pride, the University of Colorado won the program's fifth NCAA men's cross country championship Saturday in dominant fashion.

On a windy day with strong gusts under leaden clouds and a damp course that left runners speckled with mud, Oregon's Edward Cheserek and Eric Jenkins went 1-2, but the Buffs put three in the top 10, led by junior Ammar Moussa in fifth. Sophomore Ben Saarel was seventh and senior Blake Theroux was ninth.

"It's no pressure to us, it's just business," Theroux said. "We're all veterans here. This is what we do every day. We train, we just have to do exactly what we've been doing and we're going to win. I trust these guys with my life. I'd take a bullet for them. I knew they were going to come out here and do it."

They may have approached their task in a businesslike manner, but when Moussa emerged from the finish area, a wave of emotion crossed his face and caught in his throat.

"Just blessed," he said, tears pooling in his eyes. "Really blessed."

Colorado finished with 65 points for the lowest (best) score of its men's titles. Runner-up Stanford finished with 98.

"We start training in June," said Theroux. "We train harder than anyone in this country. We're up in the Rocky Mountains, zero degrees, (running) 18 miles and we say, 'Screw this, we're going to go out there and win in Terre Haute.' That's just what it's all about. We've been talking about winning every single day since June 1. We talk about this day, we're going to come out here and kill it. That's what we did."

Moussa got a good luck text Friday night from Adam Goucher, who won the NCAA individual title in 1998 to lay the foundation for the elite program Wetmore has built. Moussa was touched to hear from him.

"I told him (Saturday) is just another chapter in the legacy he started," Moussa said. "We're not special, we're not different than anybody else, but we push each other every day. I do it for them, and I know we all feel the same way. We just care about each other."

This was Wetmore's first team to repeat, but his emotions were "half relief" and pride for his team.
"It's so hard to be the favorites, it's so hard to have the attention, it's so hard for nine or 10 21-year-old men to keep their egos in check and they really did it," Wetmore said. "That's the biggest feeling I have, pride, not for me but for them."

A month ago Wetmore said if CU won, it would be his best team. In recent days he's been more reluctant to say that.

"This is probably our best team ever," he said. "This is certainly the best third, fourth and fifth (runners) we've ever had. They're real good and they belong in the pantheon."

Saarel was the top Buff at NCAAs last season as a freshman, finishing eighth, but he battled nagging health issues this season. He ran strong Saturday.

"He's a very serious student, he's in a very hard arduous engineering program, he lives on four or five hours sleep," Wetmore said. "The other night he got seven and he said, 'I feel so much better.' I was encouraged for him this weekend, that he got his exams out of the way and was going to feel well."

Cross country teams tend to be extremely close because of the mutual suffering the sport entails, but that is especially true of this team fueled by the legacy Wetmore has built.

"It really is a team sport when you have the best team in the sport," Saarel said. "You do the best you can. Our coach stresses running your race, so I focused on trying to run my race. It's an amazing feeling to win, and it's privilege to run with these guys.

FOUR-PEAT

All of those four fingers raised by members of the CU Men's Cross Country Team signify their fourth straight PAC-12 Championship!  The success of Coach Mark Wetmore's teams over the years rivals that of the legendary John Wooden.  And for such outstanding accomplishments, the Boulder Daily Camera devoted a very short blurb with no pictures, no names, not much of anything - you will be reading a lot more here than in the local paper.  And an equally egregious irritation is the ridiculous amount of ink given to the CU Football team that is win less in the PAC-12, and with a grand total of 2 overall wins this season and no hope for another.

Here are some clips from the PAC-12 coverage of the Championship:

OAKLAND, Calif. – With all five of their scoring runners crossing the finish line in the top eight, the top-ranked COLORADO men captured their fourth-consecutive Pac-12 Men’s Cross Country title in Oakland on Friday morning at the Metropolitan Golf Links.

The defending NCAA and Pac-12 Champion Buffs scored 30 points to win the league crown. Colorado has been ranked the No. 1 team in the country all season, receiving all first-place votes each week. It is the first time since STANFORD won six in a row from 2000-05 a team has claimed four-straight league titles.

“I’ve been at this long time and we’ve been lucky enough to have a lot of good things happen to us,” said Colorado head coach Mark Wetmore said. “It feels great, but I always put it in big perspective and know that we have more work to do in the next couple of weeks … They had a great run and I'm really happy with them.”

The top-two individual men’s finishers were Ducks, with Eric Jenkins crossing in second place with a time of 23:34, behind Cheserek’s winning time of 23:23. The Cardinal’s Joe Rosa was third with a time of 23:37, and the next five runners were Buffs: Blake Theroux (4th, 23:42), Connor Winter (5th, 23:44), Ammar Moussa (6th, 23:49), Pierce Murphy (7th, 23:53) and Ben Saarel (8th, 23:54). Stanford’s Maxim Korolev (23:56) and Cal’s Chris Walden (23:57) rounded out the top 10, placing ninth and 10th, respectively.

MEN’S RESULTS

1. Colorado 30
2. Oregon 57
3. Stanford 60
4. Washington 87
5. UCLA 168
6. Arizona State 182
7. California 189
8. Arizona 206
9. Washington State 224

INDIVIDUAL MEN’S RESULTS
 
1. Edward Cheserek, ORE 23:23
2. Eric Jenkins, ORE 23:34
3. Joe Rosa, STAN 23:37
4. Blake Theroux, COLO 23:42
5. Connor Winter, COLO 23:44
6. Ammar Moussa, COLO 23:49
7. Pierce Murphy, COLO 23:53
8. Ben Saarel, COLO 23:54
9. Maxim Korolev, STAN 23:56
10. Chris Walden, CAL 23:57

BILL VIELEHR 1945-2014

Among the lesser known facts about West Boulder is that Bill had his workshop and foundry behind the old Arapahoe Motors place on West Pearl Street.  We happened upon the place while walking the dog, and visited several times to see what new was going on.  We had the good fortune to chat with Bill just a few weeks before his untimely death.  A very nice article about Bill can be found here in Westword, so I will not repeat what has already been written.  Below are a few pictures of Bill's work which can be found around town and around the country.

Park Pieces

Chicago

 

A typical wall hanging - some are quite large, 4 feet square

 

 Bill made the awards that were given out at the Boulder International Film Festival

 A typical day at his workshop

Godspeed Bill

DR JOE MAURER TURNS 100

I believe that we met Mack, Joe's dog, before we met Joe.  Joe lives just a couple of blocks from us, and we often take our dog Bella on walks past his house.  Mack would often be out and about, and ferocious Bella would try to intimidate, but Mack would not be impressed.  We had noted that Joe had some nice flagstone stacked in his alley, so one day when he was in his yard, we stopped to ask about perhaps negotiating for some of the stone.  He happily said "Take it!"  I was wearing a Rocky Mountain Mennonite Camp shirt, and Joe said that he knew a bit about the Mennonites.  When we asked how so, he said that he went to Goshen College and had lived in New Paris!  Amazed, we chatted for a while, and over the course of several conversations, we learned of Joe's adventures.  Below the picture of Joe as a young pediatrician is a Guest Opinion piece for the Boulder Daily Camera that summarizes some of the stories that we heard.  There was a great picture of centenarian Joe in the Camera when he turned 100, but alas, it is not to be found on the web.  We haven't seen Joe out and about much lately, but wish him the best!

Still kicking at 100, Doc Maurer reflects on a rewarding journey

By Charlie Danaher

On July 29, my friend Doctor Lawrence E. "Joe" Maurer celebrated his 100th birthday. Over the years that I've known Joe, I've been the lucky audience of many of his stories. Seems like this important anniversary justifies a recount of just a few of them.

In 1935, when Joe left Goshen, Indiana on the back of his buddy Bob's motorcycle, he didn't figure that 79 years later he'd be reminiscing about it. But with $100 bucks in his pocket, a knapsack on his back, and lots of determination, Joe headed for medical school at the University of Indiana in Bloomington. Soon he had a job at the student union washing dishes, and earning board. With neither grants nor student loans, but a lot of hard work, he'd go on to graduate.

In 1939, residency at Indiana University Medical Center Hospital in Indianapolis paid a whopping $10 a month; 1940 and 41 took him to Children's Hospital in Denver and University of Kansas Medical Center, where he saw sick and hurting children non-stop. Following residency Joe landed a great paying job in Denver working in a pediatrician's office. But he didn't like it. The problem, he told his new wife Helen, was that he had worked for a whole week and hadn't seen a single (in Joe's words) "snotty nosed kid." But he sure wanted to.

You see, after spending three years of residency patching up kids, Joe had found his passion. Joe says that when he went home to tell Helen that he wanted to quit — he became a doctor to help people and couldn't see himself doing the last week's kind of work for the rest of his career — she was supportive of his decision.

A whole lot of us can be very thankful that the young doctor pursued his urge to help those in need. For in July 1942, Joe and Helen moved to Boulder, with Joe going to work for Dr. Howard Heuston

The year 1943 found Joe attending Friday afternoon seminars at Fitzsimmons Army Medical Center in Aurora, and it was there he learned of a new drug, penicillin. That proved tremendously fortunate for the late Virginia Jenkins, whom Joe had diagnosed with meningitis. Joe quickly made calls to the Red Cross and had the antibiotic delivered from the Army to Boulder via courtesy patrol. According to Joe, this was the first use of penicillin in Boulder, and by Doc's estimate, it saved Virginia's life.

Later Joe began his own practice on the top floor of the First National Bank building at Pearl and Broadway. In those days doctors made house calls with him; sometimes making more than a dozen in a day. Helen served as his secretary, and while out he'd call home to learn where his next stop was. Back in those days, people bartered for services and Joe often got paid in the form of a chicken, eggs or vegetables. Out of one call the Maurer family scored a Terrier puppy.

In 1949, Joe and some partners started the Boulder Medical Center, where he worked until retiring in 2001, at the young age of 86. During his whole career, he never turned in a bill for collection. But he did tear up some. Joe tells about his partners and him huddling up to discuss outstanding bills. They would inevitably come across a bill and exclaim, "hell, they don't have any money," and toss it.

Joe figures he delivered more than 2,500 babies in his career. So if you were born in Boulder in the 40s, 50s or 60s, there's a fair chance Joe watched you take your first breath.

Talking to Joe, it's abundantly clear how much he liked helping others as best he could. In addition to his day job, for 25 years he volunteered as sports physician for Boulder High School.

Joe and Helen raised four children. And even though Doc worked a lot, eating meals as a family was important in the Maurer home, with the family usually having breakfasts and dinners together. Though Doc tells about missing more than a few dinners because he got lassoed walking past the ER on his way out of the hospital.

I think Joe's generosity toward others is rooted in his very modest childhood. While growing up, his family never had running water, a refrigerator, or even a radio, and Joe remembers when they finally got electricity. As an adult, Joe felt fortunate that he had the ability to help others. And remembering his past, he's never taken for granted the comforts he's earned.

I think we can learn something from ole Doc Maurer. If we find our passion and work hard at it, and it benefits others, we'll likely find contentment. And if we're as lucky as Joe, we'll grow old with many fond memories, and few regrets.

Here is another Boulder Camera article from 2013

THE BIG-ASS TRUCK

It was rather like a heavy-weight world champion versus an amateur light-weight - a Dodge Ram pickup versus our 2007 Subaru Impreza.

 

Rhonda was stopped at a right-turn-yield type of intersection waiting for the Ram to proceed.  For unknown reasons, the fellow put it into reverse and roared backward while Rhonda honked in vain.  He said that he did not see anything in his rear view camera and there was no signal that there was anything behind him - whatever happened to actually looking??!!  Duh.....  Result - barely a scape in the rear bumper of the Ram and a totaled Impreza.  And a serious hit to the pocketbook for a new car.  Fortunately Rhonda was not injured physically but did suffer some emotional trauma, and naturally has some concerns when we pull up behind a Big-Ass Truck.

 

New Impreza, although we would have been driving the old one for some time to come.

BOULDER BRONUTS

 

From today's Boulder Daily Camera:

Bronuts enters Boulder doughnut market with 'balls'

 

By Alicia Wallace, Camera Business Writer

 

Two Boulder brothers saw a hole in a local industry and have sought to fill it with some dough and double entendres.

Brett and Mitch Magdovitz launched Bronuts, a Boulder startup that makes a variety of doughnut holes — savory and sweet treats the brothers affectionately refer to as "doughnut balls."

The balls produced at Bronuts — a melding of "brothers" and "doughnuts" — include Bleu Balls, with bleu cheese, blueberry filling and blueberry glaze; Monkey Balls, with banana filling and chocolate glaze; and "South Park"-inspired Chocolate Salty Balls, with salted dulce de leche filling and chocolate glaze.

 

The balls will be sold by the dozen, half-dozen and, "of course," pairs, the Bronuts brothers say, adding they're readying the wholesale business for commercial and online sales and potentially a food trailer
.
While the confections' cheekiness may seem appropriate for a Pete Schweddy "Saturday Night Live" skit, it's not all daffy. The brothers business that can seriously contend in a local doughnut industry that has quickly expanded.

"We have a pretty unique product," Mitch said, noting the Bronuts are a hybrid of yeast-raised and cake doughnuts. "Not only is it a baked ball, it's got a very distinctive texture and eating experience."

The brothers' journey to the land of pastries took longer than expected. Brett and Mitch grew up in Tennessee, where they became devotees of Gibson's Donuts, a Memphis staple. Mitch, a self-proclaimed "doughnut connoisseur" and Boulder resident since 1999, said he was sorely disappointed when his new hometown's doughnut options dissolved. After the closures of shops such as Daylight Donuts, Dunkin' Donuts and Tastefully Toasted, Boulder was absent a retail doughnut business from 2007 to 2012. "After I was here, I thought, 'I got to start a doughnut shop,'" he said. "But the timing wasn't right." When the timing became right near the end of 2012, Boulder no longer was doughnut-less. That year, the locally operated Dizzy's Donuts opened a retail shop at 1606 Conestoga Ave. in east Boulder. Earlier this year, Dunkin' Donuts returned to Boulder and opened a location at 3235 28th St. "We're not shooting for gourmet," Brett said. "And we absolutely have no interest in trying to compete with Dunkin' (Donuts)." Eric Guthrie, owner of Dizzy's, said his business is "still rolling along" and also is expanding its wholesale reach.

"We haven't noticed much effect from Dunkin' Donuts, to tell you the truth," he said. "As far as the new wave of doughnuts, I'm kind of surprised for Boulder, but we're still doing our handmade, gourmet, everything-from-scratch (doughnuts)."

The Bronuts bros believe there is room in the market — even one that typically garners accolades for its healthy living — for a business offering some guilty pleasures, including balls in the gluten-free and vegan varieties.

"People love eating sweets," Mitch said. "People (in Boulder) exercise a lot, and they like high-quality food."

Wanting to take a unique approach, the brothers eschewed frying the doughnuts and instead opted to bake their doughy creations.

"The feedback was, 'These doughnuts are good, but the doughnut holes are awesome,'" Brett said.

So the brothers decided to pursue a line of doughnut balls and serve them up under the Bronuts name, and be a little ballsy about the marketing in the process.

After about 18 months of preparing and fine-tuning, Bronuts officially launched earlier this month at BDNT, a startup-focused meetup event.

An Indiegogo crowdfunding campaign is aimed at helping raise money for a mobile bakery. The brothers now are baking out of the Rodeway Inn & Suites Boulder Broker's commercial kitchen trailer.

In the coming weeks, Bronuts will start a bigger push into selling directly to businesses and securing others — such as coffee shops, hotels or car repair shops — to serve as resellers. Bronuts plans to supplement the commercial sales with offering delivery and online sales.

"Our intent is not to offend anyone with the playfulness," Mitch said. "At the same time, we just want people to smile and have fun."

 

HUNDESCHEIßE

Mierda de perro -  الكلب القرف - merde de chien - 狗屎 - well, you get the idea....  As you might expect, Boulder has an ordinance stipulating that pet 'guardians' should pick up the poo.  Many do, but there is an attendant phenomenon that I simply do not understand, shown below:

 

What the .....??  What are these people thinking?  It is a bit better than letting the doo-doo on the trail, but who on earth do they think will come along and pick it up?  Indeed, virtually all of the parks around here have trash receptacles.  Out getting exercise but too lazy to carry a bag to a trash can....sheesh!!!

THE LITTLE FREE LIBRARY ON SPRUCE STREET

Some of you may be familiar with the Little Free Library, a national project as described on the LFL website:

It’s a “take a book, return a book” gathering place where neighbors share their favorite literature and stories. In its most basic form, a Little Free Library is a box full of books where anyone may stop by and pick up a book (or two) and bring back another book to share. You can, too!

 

There are several LFL book boxes around Boulder, so I was inspired to build one for our neighborhood.  I found a cheap cabinet and some miscellaneous shingles at Resource-Boulder, a place for reclaimed materials.  The base is made from a planter that we found after the September flood.  The moose heads are actually pasta/salad servers, and the little books and door handle came from a resale shop.  The outer wood was recovered from a sauna.  So, it cost a whole lot less than some of the box kits that you can purchase here.  e.g. $999.95!! Here is our neighborhood box.