i feel like i owe you some 411 (can we bring that back) on what i’m doing in aspen so much these days. i realize i just came in hot one day on instagram, and was like ‘cash me outside aspen, how bout dat’ and you were probably like ‘who dis?’. believe me, sometimes i feel the same — who is dis?
so in the interest of us still being friends, let’s dive into that story a bit.
tad, my manfriend, moved to the house in aspen with his mom and sisters when he was 9. he grew up there, went to boulder for college, and then left to live his best life around the world — his mom and sisters also left, and the house has stayed in the woods, visited now and again, but mostly in the company of the creek, steady in the backyard, and the mice, scurrying from the pantry to their mousehomes.
and it’s not aspen proper, it’s snowmass. old snowmass, to be exact, which is about 15 miles northwest of aspen. locals refer to it as ‘down valley’, (dunno why not ‘up valley’?) and you’ve probably seen i’m in basalt a lot, and carbondale, and glenwood springs. these are towns right off highway 82 as you head north out of aspen. they are pretty amazing communities, that i’m learning about, and learning to love. the people, the food, the trails and mountains, the coffee shops, the stories and the history. there’s magic happening all over the valley and it’s really special to have the opportunity to call another place ‘home’ – i’ve never lived anywhere but north carolina. i was hesitant to claim colorado as such, because adulting generally is just full of weirdness and uncertainly, but the place has permeated my subcutaneous apathetic self, and now i’m engaged with it.
we’re spending a week or two a month there, seeing how it lives, seeing what it needs. what we need while we’re there. it’s an entirely different way of designing or decorating than i’ve ever done. more thoughtful. there’s a huge mess of history there that i can’t just sweep out the door. so I’m trying to understand. the house, the town, the people, tad, his family, and me. what do i want to do there? is this a place for me?
i’ve been hesitant to show you guys pictures, or give real updates on the ‘project’ because it just feels so different. it’s not all pretty patterns and coffee table books and ironic chintz and shit – it’s a family home that’s ran a marathon, and is very tired, so we’re breathing a new life slowly into it. slow like the patient deep breaths you take when you’re trying to get a grip — whereas many of the decisions i’ve made in the past have been in a huff during full scale sprints (to nowhere).
with that said, i’m realizing that once again i didn’t give you, my blog friend, enough credit. i think you’re ok with me sharing some not-so-pretty stuff. with some real life, mouse pooped, cob-webbed, honest, amazing stories of what’s really going on in colorado. in my life.
if you still have a pulse after reading all that, let’s get to the fun stuff, shall we? i just got back from a really good trip – jeff, one of my bffs in raleigh, joined me for a few days and we had a time, just the two of us. i got to see aspen through his eyes, and that was special. tad got in several days later and we celebrated the 4th in town (so fun), worked on the house a little, experienced an unbelievably scary and marvelous forest fire, and ate sushi. see, i’ll show you…
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goop opened a pop-up in aspen a few weeks ago – I was excited to stop by and check it out. I have to say, I’m pretty fascinated by the lifestyle brand she’s created –I mean, she’s killing it. the clothes were great, and i loved these foundrae rings so hard. I think I might have to go back for these pants, and I also enjoy these. and this, good lord!, it’s attractive. a lot of goodness. goopness. whatever. |
I did get these pants – and felt myself pretty thoroughly in them. |
Shepard Fairey painted a new mural downtown so Jeff and I went to chronicle our lewks in front of it, of course. btw, fave jeans a la momente (made that up) |
this is a tiny pup nugget named mave that our friends just brought home. she’s a poodle and an austrailian shepherd! |
and yes, I bought this. and it’s coming home to Raleigh in august. and I am now changed forever. at least we’ve chronicled my life before, here on the blog, so we can look back and compare one day. |
if you even have the capacity to care about anything anymore after your excitement over the tiger couch, I also found this cool rug at the restore. |
And this one – I think we might make into a headboard |
he felt equal parts at being showcased at the Jerome hotel. really a dog about town. |
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hiking the hay park trail as the sun was setting |
tad and I watched in total disbelief as the winds kicked up on July 4th and sent the fire down valley in communities where our friends lived, and worked. |
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