Our dog-walking journeys often take us to Town Park along the river. Having grown up within 15 yards of the Roaring Fork, I’m well aware that the river changes daily. This year that may be even more true than in “normal” years.
Watching the river, with its highs and lows, is a reminder that things are not always what they seem. Even when everything appears peaceful on the surface, dangerous undercurrents can be swirling below, ready to take down the unsuspecting river traveler.
Those undercurrents are always present, I think, in our day-to-day lives. There are the secrets we keep from one another, the “fronts” we put on, there are the deceptions we practice to further our goals, and the vengeance we seek in quiet—and sometimes not so quiet—ways.
Every now and then something crosses my desk and reminds me those undercurrents are in play, even when I don’t see them. Nine times out of 10 they make me sigh and say, “Can’t we just do things the right way?”
***
Congratulations and get-well-soon wishes to our Rangely reporter, Roxie Fromang, following the birth of her second child last week. Welcome, little Jaxson! And Roxie, you’re in our thoughts and prayers for a speedy recovery and return to “normal,” whatever that means!
***
I had a classic northwest Colorado experience on my way to Denver for a Colorado Press Association board meeting. I decided to take the extreme northern route in order to avoid I-70. About 10 miles outside of Walden I ran into road construction and got stopped.
The flagger ambled over and I rolled down my window. I was the first car in line, and I thought I might need to settle in for a long chat. My flagger turned out to be a former Jackson County sheriff who knows several folks from Meeker as well as most of my in-laws. Cue “It’s a small world…”
***
There’s nothing like sports for triggering tiger parents. Via Facebook last week we were asked (in a way) why we haven’t covered youth baseball this summer. Contrary to popular belief, we’re not omniscient or omnipresent, and thankfully we’re not omnipotent. We (in the collective “we” of the newspaper) have no favorite sports. My personal favorite sport is horse racing, so unless that starts showing up on our pages, we’re not playing favorites.
Our challenge lies in getting information about sports activities outside of high school varsity sports. With sports, as with events and news, we’re dependent on shared information. Community journalism requires—surprise!—community involvement!
***
The county fair is getting underway. Good luck to all the participants. In case you lost your Fair Book, we’re running the fair schedule this week as a courtesy. We’re looking forward to publishing fair results and photos in our Aug. 8 edition as a special section, as long as we get the results in time. If you’d like to be a sponsor for that section, please let us know ASAP by calling 970-878-4017 or emailing [email protected]
By Niki Turner | [email protected]