Olga Little, Jackpacker

By Eilene Lyon By the time the 1958 episode of TV's “This is Your Life” aired, Olga Little was already a Colorado legend. She ran her pack string of burros for nearly 30 years (1909-1947) and had been labeled the only female packer “in Colorado,” “…in the West,” and even, with a touch of hyperbole,... Continue Reading →

Artful Durango 3

By Eilene Lyon Durango has long had a spring and fall gallery walk downtown on a Friday evening. Recently, the Durango Creative District has begun a First Friday studio/gallery tour. On August 1, my sculptor friend, Suzie, invited The Putterer and me to join her at the Smiley Building on E. 2nd Ave. to celebrate... Continue Reading →

From the Vault: Durango Story

By Eilene Lyon I spoke with my dad the other day. He was widowed not long ago. Even more recently he turned 89. He says his memory isn't great, so he's been asking me questions. One is a query I answer regularly (and reluctantly), so I thought I'd share it here for posterity. "How did... Continue Reading →

The Bass Collection

Found Photo Project #9 By Eilene Lyon Similar to the Welsh-Adler File, I recently picked up a collection of photos from the local antique mart that had belonged to a single person. I did leave behind a few unidentifiable snapshots, but bought the remainder. Unlike the David R. Young photo that mysteriously turned up locally,... Continue Reading →

The Palace Hotel—561 Main

By Eilene Lyon A Brick Edifice Durango was founded in 1881. Many original buildings, particularly those built of wood, no longer exist. This is the third in a series of the oldest buildings standing on Main Avenue, originally called First Street. What is now the 500 block abuts the railroad depot. Being the principal method... Continue Reading →

Absurdities #12

By Eilene Lyon As I was driving into town in the morning, I saw a cluster of at least 10 deputy sheriff and Durango police SUVs escorting an all-black bus heading the opposite direction. The bus wasn't like a large tour bus, but the size of the shuttles at the local ski area. All the... Continue Reading →

From the Vault: Woolly

By Eilene Lyon Breaking up is sometimes made more difficult by the fact that, just because you want to lose the partner, you don't necessarily want to lose their parents, too. I met Doug in the Mountaineering Club at The Ohio State University. By the time I graduated, we'd gotten engaged. It was a spur-of-the-moment... Continue Reading →

The Palace Restaurant–RIP

By Eilene Lyon This is the second in my series about historic buildings on Main Ave. in Durango, Colorado. I earlier covered the unique Durango Depot. Few buildings remain in the 500 block of Main Ave. from Durango’s earliest days, and this area was known for many years as the seedier side of town (south... Continue Reading →

Artful Durango – Part 1

By Eilene Lyon I've enjoyed blogs about public art from around the world, so I am going to do a series highlighting some public art in Durango, Colorado. This installment features a few of the many murals around town. These are recent works (to my knowledge). I did not find information on the artist in... Continue Reading →

Create a website or blog at WordPress.com

Up ↑

Something to Ponder About

Human Created Content - Creative Writing - Ai free blog

Retirement Reflections

What I Wish I Knew Before I Retired

retirementtransition

Life is a series of transitions, and so is the retirement journey.

ARTISTIC PENSION

Creative, non-monetary forms of payment

olderfatterhappierdotcom

Random musings on style and substance

Thoughts & Commentary

Psychotherapy Mental Health & Research in Psychology

Durango Weather Guy

Where the locals go, because the locals know!

Marie's Meanderings

Internet home for Marie Zhuikov: Blogger, Author, Poet, Photographer

Robby Robin's Journey

Reflections of an inquiring retiree ...

bluebird of bitterness

The opinions expressed are those of the author. You go get your own opinions.

Snakes in the Grass

A Blog of Retirement and Related Thoughts

I Seek Dead People

I write about genealogy on this site. Come see what's going on!

Moore Genealogy

Fun With Genealogy

My Slice of Mexico

Discover and re-discover Mexico’s cuisine, culture and history through the recipes, backyard stories and other interesting findings of an expatriate in Canada

Waking up on the Wrong Side of 50

Navigating the second half of my life

Oregon's Willamette Valley

The people, places, and things that make the Willamette Valley shine

Closer to the Edge

Journeys Through the Second Half of Life

A Dalectable Life

Doing the best I can to keep it on the bright side

Amusives

Quips, Quotes; How To and How Knot To

Eilene Lyon

Author, Speaker, Family Historian