Thanksgiving and The Wall

Well we just got back from our week long holiday trip to Las Vegas where we had our Thanksgiving and Aimee and I got to see The Wall. A holiday in Vegas is kinda weird but from the people we talked to a lot of people do it.
The real highlight was getting to see Roger Waters preform The Wall. The last time I go to see a Floyd event was 1987 and for Aimee it was 1992, so we were very nostalgic and we even got to have a dinner alone for a change. The show was amazing, brilliantly done, and very moving. Roger Waters took the show to new levels by making the show relevant to today's society by talking about greed, the sex trade, politics, and the influence of technology on today's society.
Roger Waters had talked about how today's wall was the wall that technology presents, so it was only fitting that I had to ask the lady next too me to stop texting so I could enjoy the show.
The show also had tributes to fallen war heroes, activists and others that have been caught in the violence of war and poverty. Like I said very moving. Below is some video from another show, Aimee and I didn't take any this time, we just wanted to enjoy the show.
This video was one of the more moving parts for me, the bricks turn into the pictures of people that have been victims of violence, then they just all disappear to make the wall black, heavy shit.

Walking on Moss

It has been quite the week. I went to Denver and sat on the glass at a hockey game next to the penalty box. Even taunted a player in the box and got him to respond. Also got to eat at the oldest restaurant in Denver, all pretty cool.
Now Aimee and I are taking the kids to Salt Lake City so we can celebrate Joy's birthday and go to see Mike Gordon in a 300 PERSON THEATER. We're pretty excited to get away, especially with Ella's condition of the last couple of weeks. Until I bring that video out check out the Av's game video

Life as You Know It

What are we doing?
It's a valid question I think. The recent illness of one of our children brought that question to the forefront of my mind. I had already been questioning my families direction in the last few months. Struggling with constant work for me and Aimee in the search for more money and things. Aimee and I sure didn't start like this. We started poor and stayed that way for a long time. Money is nice but what you have to sell to get it is wrong.

You sell;
Time
Sometimes pride and dignity
Sanity(always stressed)
Creative passion(where are you supposed to get the time to do both)

Whats important?
You have to ask the question. I've been thinking about this and trying to reach some sort of enlightenment but like a rainbow it seems just out of reach. So I'm going to keep struggling to find the answer like so many before me, hoping that somehow the balance is right around the corner.

Fall Again

Well it finally arrived. Yes that's right the Fall has fallen here in the mountains. While it had snowed on the peaks it hadn't really settled in here in the high alpine valleys. But this weekend brought cold, rain , and light snow here in Ouray. I have always liked the fall here but this year it feels different to me. The fleeing of summer and the deterioration of the summer foliage makes me feel a little dower. The state of affairs here in the mountains has turned the way of the rest of the country, down. While the major cities out west like Phoenix, Las Vegas, Los Angeles felt the recession and the scourge of unemployment early, it took a while to settle in here. Now we are losing our variety store, our school is in financial jeopardy and the prospect of having any sort of cash flow business is on hold.
I would love the opportunity to start a new creative business here in this community to bring in jobs, but what can survive here? The local population is squeezed by the high cost of living and relatively low wages, so the chance of marketing a product to the local community is limited at best. You can make products here to sell elsewhere but the overhead of a production space, even if small, is cost prohibitive and too risky.
So here you sit, kicking around on a piece of ground in your hometown, waiting for something or someone to show you they way.
So the fall is here and as a last statement of summer I put together a small movie called my Summer of Music.

At least I have my memories of the cool summer breezes, with music floating through the air to get me through the long winter ahead.

Phish 3 Day Rock Event

Aimee and I just got back from our 3 day Phish event and let me tell you these guys are worth the price of admission. You have to go to all three days to get the full effect of the event. By the beginning of the third day the band came out just like they ended the set the night before. It was like they didn't even sleep they just played stright through the night.
We met some great people and got to hang out like rock stars thanks to Grace, thanks man. I have some videos from the first two nights loaded onto YouTube, we have video of the third night but if you want to see the beauty that is the third night buy a ticket the next time these incredible artists come to your town.

Telluride Blues and Brews Weekend

We had another incredible weekend in Telluride Town Park having good food, good beers, and great music. What a summer of music my family and I have had in Telluride this year, Jazz Fest, Phish and ending it with a performance from BB King was a perfect send off. Sometimes I wish summer could last forever, see my youtube videos below;

Fall and Phish Tickets

Well-Well guess what Aimee and I got, THREE DAYS OF PHISH IN BROOMFIELD.
When we first moved to Colorado as a young couple in the fall of 1997 with our first child we lived and worked in this area so it's going to be cool to go back all of these years later with our whole group.
Question: What do you think the staff at the hotel are going to say when we all walk in and say "We're here for Phish".
Aimee and I are really excited to see Phish again after the amazing Phish shows in Telluride. Take a look below and you will see why.

Family Beach Vacation

We've been back about a week from an amazing, relaxing, incredible beach vacation. I have to say that being at the beach with my family was almost a surreal experience. As I sat there watching my children at play, sitting with my wife I realized that there is more to life than work, and money, and mortgage payments and commutes. You only get one chance to experience things as they are meant to be experienced and you better make the best of it. As I sat there on the beach I thought that when I go to heaven I want this day to be the one that I relive for eternity. Sitting on the beach with my family watching the waves crash in.

Rush Concert in Las Vegas

Another smoking concert for Chris Vann, and I got to take Evan to this one. Seeing a show in Las Vegas is an experience that everyone should have. You can walk into the venue with your drink, first time I have ever seen that, and you have to go thru medal detectors, kinda weird. The show was amazing with a full drum solo, lasers, fireworks, and giant flames, what else could you ask for. I will say that the crowd at a Rush show is a little less exciting then the crowd at the Phish show. Just imagine a bunch of middle aged guys like me who were dorks back in the day and are even bigger dorks today. There was a guy with to giant glow stick drum sticks that knew every drum part.
The best part of the show was being there with my boy, and he got a ton of comments telling him how cool it was that he was into Rush. A guy even came up to our table in a restaurant in Barstow, California and asked him if he went to the show and how awesome he was for going. He really liked it and I must say I was glad there was a little bit of a calmer crowd for Evan's first show. I didn't even smell any weed the entire show and no one around me was smoking, I was between my 10 year old son and a dad and his 15 year old son. Check out my video below and keep ROCKING!

The Telluride Phish Shows

Wow! I would have never thought that the shows that Phish did in the town park in Telluride could be so good. The production and music was some of the best I have ever seen and I have been to some big concerts.The people at the show were really dedicated fans, they knew all the words, when to clap, when to sing and when to shut up. Honestly I kinda felt out that I didn't know when to do all of the actions that the true fans knew to do. Some of the fans really seemed to appreciate where they were and what was happening, but I think you have to be from these parts and see what daily life is like here to appreciate what was going on. PHISH in the park, it's a once in a lifetime deal. Now I couldn't have a blog post where I didn't at least put a couple of things that struck me as wrong;
Trash-
There was so much garbage on the ground and not nearly enough trash cans. The lack of cans made people just throw their trash on the ground. It was really sad.

LA Attitude-
Some people just can't be nice.

Telluride Attitude-
The people in guest service from the Batista's to the bartenders in Telluride were really nasty thru the whole deal. The acted like they didn't want anyone there and were super rude, even to local folks.

All in all it was an amazing deal, and I am so glad that Aimee and I got to experience it.

The Telluride Jazz Celebration 2010

Wow what a weekend it was in Telluride. There was a spirit in that town that hasn't been around in awhile. The Jazz Celebration brought in some amazing acts, amazing food, and amazing times. Sure there was the usual downpour of rain but nobody even bothered to move from their spots. They put up umbrellas an kept going. The highlight for me was being backstage while Stanley Clarke, Hiromi, and Ronald Bruner played, what talented artists. They really just blew everyone away, I recorded some video from backstage check it out

I was very proud to be involved with the event, everyone on the staff and on the board for the festival really put our all into the event and it really paid off. Hopefully this is the rebirth of this wonderful event and we can continue to build on our success this year for the future.

"Theres a Monsoon Coming!"

And the rain keeps falling here in sunny Colorado. Mudslides, rock slides, tree slides you name it and we have it right now. I must have spent an extra four hours in traffic waiting for snow plows to clear mud and rocks as big as sofas from the roads. The forecast calls for more rain and only one thing is guaranteed, it is going to be a green early fall.

Star Drive In Experience

The Drive In, who can forget seeing movies under the stars. Experiencing the breeze with the moon rising and your favorite motion picture on the big screen. My children got to try it out first hand last night at one of the last drive in motion pictures venues left in Colorado and for that matter the US, The Star Drive In Theater in Montrose. (see youtube video)


This icon has been open and operated by the same family since 1965. Wow what a place, your transported to a different time the minute you drive into the gates. I've seen;

Star Wars

Blazing Saddles

The Fly

Robo Cop

and now Toy Story 3 plus many more at these incredible movie theaters. But these American phenomenons are becoming a thing of the past, and I don't get why. These places are so cool and it's such a deal. You can get in for $20 per car and take your own snacks. Plus you get to watch a movie outdoors! Americans still love their cars but the drive in is just not popular anymore.

Taking my children to see Toy Story 3 was great. They really thought it was amazing to be able to sit in the back of our van on a summer night, eat popcorn, have soda and watch a movie. I personally hope that these wonderful theaters are around so they can take their kids.

The Trash Man

Let me give you a glimpse of every Wednesday morning at 7 A.M. in the Vann household. A peaceful slumber, birds gently chirping outside the window, a gentle breeze blowing thru the window, and the trash truck with it's crushing motor humming it's sweet song.
So I jump up faster then that guy in "Twas the night before Christmas" , Aimee startled by my hurried action jumps up too, "Whats the matter?".
"It's the trash" I say adrenaline coursing thru my body.
So I run down half dressed in my underwear and a robe, half asleep, and hustle to get the trash cans out, remember I can't put it out the night before because of bears. I just open the garage when the truck pulls in front of my home and a surly, dirty trash man gives me a look as I stumble and get the first can to him. I'm so sleepy I can hardly get out a "hows it going" before I have to hustle back to the garage for the second can.
Meanwhile the dogs have been scavenging in the cans that were put out the night before and knocked over by bears, these majestic animals are now hovering around the rear of the truck waiting for some debris to be spilled. Before I know it the garbage man has moved on down the line, leaving me standing in a mystified stupor. He goes on to the next poor guy who has to be rushed out of the bed to get the garbage man the goods before he passes his house.
So thank you trash man. Thank you for bending us to your schedule, thank you for being
inflexible on your schedule even if my neighborhood is now a bear magnet because everyone puts out their trash the night before so they don't have to due the same A.M. shuffle I have too. Thank you trash man for everything you do.

The World Cup

What an event! Almost a month of amazing athletic ability on display in South Africa. It all ended today but what a story. From the US team(they looked pretty bad) to the Spanish finally winning and everything in between, this competition really showcased what the human body can do. From headers made with such precision that it boggled the mind, too goalies jumping higher then I thought possible, this event showed what man is capable of. And you have to hand it to the South African security, not once did we hear of some radical group with a plot to blow up everything for some made up cause. As for the US team, well the same phrase we've been saying about them still applies "maybe next time".

Ouray School

We got the bad news on Sunday that the principal of the elementary school has accepted a job somewhere in New Mexico and will be leaving her current position. This means we will be on our 5th principal in 9 years! None of them have lasted over two years and it really bring up a fundamental questions. WHATS WRONG WITH US. Why will no one stay in this job.
Is it our community, are we a little to strong for some peoples flavors out here in the mountains.
Is it our school, is the politics of being in a small community school too intense.
Is it just US!
Or is it the fact that these career educators are not prepared for any of the above factors when they accept the job. It is hard from someone to come from the front range(Denver area) and deal with the remote feeling of these mountains. Seven months of snow, strong personalities, strong willed children, all of these factors seem to take people by surprise.
It could be any of these things or it could be the fact the the education field is just filled with people that are transient and not dedicated to their location.
But whatever the cause the Ouray school is in need of a administrator that is willing to make a commitment to our school and our community so we can bridge the funding gap that all of our schools here in the U.S. are facing. Our children deserve it.

4th of July

Well it's over and we survived another 4th of July here in Ouray. With all of the hooping and hollering this year was actually pretty quiet. Attendance seemed down and town was under control, I didn't even have any run ins with any rude people. The kids had a great time and for the 1st time we didn't go see the fireworks in town(it was pouring rain) but popped them here at the house. I took some video of the terribly long parade that I will load to youtube. So that's it until next year, another one put to be.

Julia's Costa Rica Trip

Our oldest daughter has signed up for a trip to Costa Rica next summer and as part of the deal we told her she would have to work to earn the money. So she has been working all around our small town at local business' trying to earn the cash to go. She even came to work with dad in Telluride doing some sanding and staining of some deck furniture(see photo). I guess the lesson Aimee and I are trying to teach our daughter is that anything can be attained with a combination of hard work and personal responsibility.

I have seen other families give there children everything they ask for with out hesitation. From their child's very earliest memory the parents have all always done all for them. Carried their burdens, accepted their failures, and made excuses for their lack of direction. We decided that children growing up in this new world that we have created should be self reliant and able to do for themselves. Our children will be experiencing a new time in our history and Aimee and I think they will need every tool we can give them to succeed.

Ella's House

Watching one of my younger daughters run around the other afternoon something occurred to me. When Ella talks about "my house daddy" she means something bigger then the structure itself. She is talking about her home, her family, her young life. She doesn't see the drafty old windows, or the broken fence, or the sun faded deck. She seems a home that is filled with love and more often then not a little chaos. She sees things from a smaller point of view then her mother or myself, and yet her view seems bigger to me. She hasn't had the mind narrowing experiences of a lifetime like we have. In her mind it's simple, their my family I love them and they love and take care of me. I only wish that it could stay that way for her when she talks about "my house daddy."

The 4th of July Crush

Here they come. Yes here they come. The pilgrims that descend on our small town every summer around the 4th of July. I must admit I am always in awe that someone would drive over 1500 miles one way to come to a small town like Ouray to celebrate a national holiday. Now I'm not complaining, I know that the business' and the town coffers depend on the tourists to bring the much needed funds into our small community. But I would like my family to be able to enjoy the holiday as well and it's hard sometimes. When someone from Arkansas gets to main street at 6 am to get a spot for the parade, or to the park at 12 pm to view the fireworks at 9 pm, it's hard for local folk to compete. You might say "well get up a little earlier, or get there before them." buts it's hard to get motivated to do that when normally there is never a line to wait in or a stop light to wait for because you live in a town of 900 people.
Last year a lady was bending over to pet a dog and her rear was literally in the face of my 2 yr. old who was strapped in a stroller. "Excuse me" I said, "your bending over right in her face". "Parents these days are so touchy" she said, what I said next wasn't so nice. But the nerve of someone to act like we were somehow in her way when we're here shoveling the snow, chopping the wood, supporting the school, and paying the taxes so they can have a town to invade every 4th. Don't get me wrong let em come just give me a tiny bit of breathing room and we can get along just fine.

The Summer Rains Begin

Well now that the Telluride Bluegrass festival is over, (check out my video on youtube of Monks Chanting)

we can get ready for our usual rainy season here in the southern San Juan Mountains. Aimee and I are super excited, we just got our tickets to see Roger Waters perform The Wall Live in Las Vegas. For me I compare it to someone from the 60's seeing the Beatles perform Sgt. Peppers live. For many people of my age The Wall started a journey that is still going today. So with these tickets our summer concert season looks like this;
Telluride Jazz Celebration (can't wait for those warm Jazz breezes)
Phish in Telluride (should be freakin ridiculious!)
Rush (in Vegas with my son, his journey begins)
The Wall Live (Thanksgiving weekend)
It's going to be a good 2nd half of the year.
Chris