Awe, Nice!

This week, I interviewed Summer Peterson. Summer lives in Colorado now, but up to recently she's been in central Utah as a farmer, a horse vet, and a competitive rider.  By competitive, I mean, really accomplished. She was for years a semi-professional three-day eventer. Three-day eventing is dressage, cross country, and showjumping. The sport was originally conceived as a test for cavalry horses...

  We all are capable of experiencing moments of wonder. They are not reserved solely for creative or religious people. Moments of awe cross the political spectrum. They cross the livelihood spectrum. Awe is a positive force that can be felt by everyone.  Nonetheless, I carry a fair amount of skepticism around with me. It's a journalistic thing. Like. I tend to think moments of awe actually happen...

  I developed AweNice with the notion that we all are capable of experiencing moments of wonder. They are not reserved solely for creative or religious people. Moments of awe cross the political spectrum. They cross the livelihood spectrum. Awe is a positive force that can be felt by everyone. This project specifically seeks out interviews with those who work outside and work with animals, people...

This week, I interviewed Andrew Clements, of Cortez, Colorado. Drew works for the state, but the program also does work for the US Forest Service in Wyoming, New Mexico, and Utah. Here, he shares an encounter with a grizzly bear in the Yellowstone National Park, while he was part of a team collecting forest health data near the confluence of the Thorofare and Yellowstone Rivers.  Drew told me that...

Scotty Calhoun is a fourth generation horticulturalist, raised in Rochester, New York, now living in Cortez, Colorado. He talked with me about the knowledge he's gained from his forefathers. His great grandfather came over from Holland with seeds in his pockets. That man, then his son (Scott's grandfather), and Scott's father and, of course, Scott himself, all worked the farm in upstate New York....

  I interviewed Ben Longwell of Pendleton, Oregon. Ben grew up in Colorado, but has cowboyed all around the western US. For many years, he worked in New Zealand, where his wife, Natalie, was born and raised.  Here, Ben shares a moment way up in the Big Horn mountains of northern Wyoming and southern Montana. The Big Horns are remote and wondrous, but also daunting, with their own weather and terra...

Aidan Gaughran lives right here in Montezuma County, but for five years he worked in Panama. First, he was in the Peace Corps, then he returned to manage an eco-lodge. As a PCV, Aidan worked in the community environmental conservation sector on the Azuero Penisula and helped bring sustainable cook stoves to his community. He also helped develop a fruit orchard.  While his moment of awe stemmed fro...

This week, I interviewed Mike Ewing. While Mike doesn't work outside all the time, he's committed thousands of hours to service work on the Appalachian Trail, that's the legendary 2200-mile route that runs through 14 states, from Georgia and Maine. About 300 of those trail miles are in Maine.  I'm from Maine and, as a kid, I spent lots of time camping and hiking. The 8-, 10-, 12-year old me though...

Nina Fuller lives in my native state of Maine where she raises a small flock of sheep on her farm in Hollis. I grew up in Harpswell which is about 60 miles up the coast. In fact, she mentions Harpswell in this segment. Nina also is an accomplished photographer. Check out her brilliant work  here . Nina's is a true explorer and lifeling learner. Who gets into sheep farming in her 60's? Nina does. O...

For decades, Chuck Haraway worked as a Colorado lineman, mostly in the area west of Denver. The country there is mountainous and rugged. Ten thousand foot peaks abound. Much of the line work for him was in the backcountry, where lines were maintained by hiking to and then climbing up the 40-foot utility poles to service them. This segment actually has two stories I think you'll enjoy. It happens t...

I interviewed Doug Wilkerson. I met Doug at a ranch roping event and just thought he had a great way of connecting with his horse, and, of course, he's a heckuva hand. Here he is to tell us a bit about himself, his livelihood, and a moment he'll remember forever. Little unsuspecting moments of epiphany can end up being pivotal in our journeys, can't they? It's like they are waiting out there in th...

I interviewed Daniel Dauphin , a Louisiana horseman and expert in bits and horse mouth anatomy. Here he is to tell us a bit about himself, his livelihood, and a moment he'll remember forever. Maybe you can tell from Daniel's voice, that he's kind of a big Teddy Bear built guy. We are both writers and we joke often about word count. If I write a hundred words, I'll try to get it down to half that....

I interviewed Dan Flitner. Dan is a Wyoming native who now ranches in Oregon. Here he is to tell us a bit about himself, his livelihood, and a moment he'll remember forever. There's nothing like a big storm to reminds us of our smallness. Dan knows folks who've been hit by lightning. Some lived. Some did not. His dad's buddy had his quarters and dimes melted right in his pocket. That happened to a...

I interviewed Caitlyn Taussig , a longtime rancher in northern Colorado and a talented singer-songwriter with a beautiful voice. Here she is to tell us a bit about herself, her livelihood, and a moment she'll remember forever. Caitlyn and I worked together on a short documentary, A Brutal, Beautiful Life , about ranching women, their dogs, horses, and cows. I'm so grateful to Caitlyn and her mom,...