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Janet Day: Check out the Fraser Library website

Janet Day/Talk of the Valley
Fraser Valley, CO Colorado

New Library Look: Have you checked out the Fraser Library website lately? It still looks the same has it has for a long time, but that’s about to change. Go to http://www.gcld.org and click the link on the right to get a sneak peak of the new website.

It’s much more interactive, intuitive and just easier to use. You can sign in using your name and library card number or just scroll through the site anonymously. It offers an easy search function to see if the book you want is available. The staff posts book and movie reviews and recommendations. Local news items and information about upcoming events and programs also are just a click away.

Those functions are just the beginning, according to a note on the site. In the near future, look for staff blogs, interactive reader polls and places to post your own ideas and comments.



Not-so-Scientific Survey: I’ve spent a lot of time lately out at Winter Park Resort and in the stores and restaurants in town. No matter where I am, I like to talk to people, especially about where they’re from, what they’re doing, how long they’re staying and how they like our area. My thoroughly unscientific survey this past week has found fewer destination visitors than I thought and a lot more regular, repeat visitors.

Easily 80 percent of the people I’ve talked to in the past week have second homes, friends with second homes or time-shares in the valley. They stay for a weekend or more, hike and bike, take the kids to the resort activities, make day trips to Grand Lake or Rocky Mountain National Park and go out to eat several times while they’re here.



The phrase second homeowner doesn’t necessarily mean most of the people coming up here this summer are from the Denver metro area. Many are, but I talked to plenty of vacation homeowners from Colorado Springs, Pueblo, Fort Collins and parts of Wyoming as well as Texas, Oklahoma and Nebraska.

As much as some non-resident homeowners and weekend warriors annoy me with their inability to secure trash containers, failure to read road signs and refusal to properly dispose of old furniture, they’re keeping our local economy humming this summer.

Paint with Pem: One part-time resident who understands and captures the valley in his paintings is Pem Dunn. His oil paintings portray the stark beauty of the Continental Divide in winter, river bottoms in autumn and vibrant mountain scenery in the summer. He’ll be sharing his talents in a workshop at the Rendezvous event tent on Aug. 12 from 9 a.m. until 2 p.m. The free workshop is open to 10 people with intermediate to advanced painting skills. To register, contact Gary Coblenz at Elk Horn Gallery where Dunn’s paintings are on display: 970-726-9292.

On Saturday, the gallery opens “A Lifetime of Art” with work by Carl Cassler. The “Four Seasons of Art” show featuring nine artists with work depicting each season opens on Aug. 14.

Beetlecrete: News of this perfectly named effort to use beetle kill comes from the Middle Park Conservation District. In a reprint of information from Wood Business magazine, the district newsletter reports that a University of Northern British Columbia researcher has combined beetle-kill wood chips, cement and water to create Beetlecrete. The mixture is poured into molds and once hardened creates a wood and cement hybrid material that is water resistant, strong and can take nails or screws without pre-drilling. Beyond all the possible potential uses like flooring, countertops and lawn furniture, I just like the name.

Keep in Touch: What’s got your attention around the area? Let me know. I’ll try to find the answer or spread the news. Send it all to JDayQuilts@msn.com. Follow me and local tidbits at http://www.twitter.com/DayJan or friend me on Facebook.


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