Shelter Summer/Fall 2020

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Rising to the Occasion Generation to Generation Awkward Grace Take a Cue from Nature Enduring Allure

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CONTENTS

shelter R I SIN G TO T HE OCC ASI ON

By Rosemerry Wahtola Trommer An architect and a builder reach the peak of their potential with So Inclined.

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E N D U R IN G AL LU R E

By Leslie Vreeland The pull of the box canyon may be more powerful than ever.

26 GENER ATI ON TO GENER ATI ON

By Tanya Ishikawa A pair of Ridgway custom homes is connected by generations of families and builder.

28 AWKWARD GR ACE

TAK E A CUE F RO M NAT U RE

By Mary Menz Landscaping with Colorado’s native plants.

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By Leslie Vreeland Gangly and elegant: meet the Great Blue Heron.

42 C AM P V: M O R E T H A N A PL ACE TO S TAY

By Samantha Tisdel Wright

RESTAUR ANT TOFU

By Ari LeVaux One of the best dishes to eat out can be prepared hot and fresh at home.

56

Historic mining cabins reimagined and transformed in the West End.

48

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EDITOR’S LETTER

he dictionary defines ‘shelter’ as protection, cover, and sanctuary.

As a verb, it means to defend, save, guard.

Never did I imagine it would become associated with another word, quarantine.

Or that thinking about ‘shelter’ would evoke not only ideas of family and friends but a new expression for them: ‘bubble.’

Although she doesn’t define it that way, Tanya Ishikawa writes about a kind of bubble — a rich mix of families, and friendships — underlying a pair of Log Hill and Pleasant Valley properties in “Generation to Generation.” Tanya found several similarities between the homes, including (as you might expect) gaping views of the San Juans, sprawling decks, and open spaces that make it easy for all ages to come together.

The similarities extend right down to a fragrant material known as Cumaru: “The scents of vanilla and cinnamon are distinctive reminders of American families enjoying time at home with delicious freshly-baked desserts and pastries,” Tanya writes. “It seems especially appropros, then, that a cinnamon-and-vanilla-scented hardwood called Cumaru is the dominant material connection between a pair of homes created by two generations of builders, architects and homeowners.”

A house in the Idarado Legacy subdivision dubbed So Inclined was designed to showcase the natural beauty of Telluride’s east end and, as Rosemerry Wahtola Trommer writes in “Rising to the Occasion,” “is a work of art itself.”

The home is the ultimate expression of a 30-year friendship between an architect and a builder and is one of the high points of Rosemerry’s writing for us at Shelter, because she happens to be married to the home’s builder. (She chronicled the construction of the home her family resides in today along the banks of the San Miguel River, a collaboration by the same team, in an earlier issue of the magazine.)

“At our kitchen table, I’ve heard firsthand the thoughtful, creative conversations” designer and builder have had,

T 10

Rosemerry writes, “conversations that manifest into incredible homes.”

Who else but this writer, a San Miguel County poet laureate, could tell the story of So Inclined so well, so insightfully, and from the inside?

Also in these pages, you’ll find a story about a tenacious predator, graceful flier and attentive parent, all in one “dinosaurian” bird, the great blue heron.

Samantha Tisdel Wright describes a building project that is another culmination of close friendships and family ties: Natalie Binder, who lives in Telluride but whose family has deep roots in the West End, has teamed up with her good friends Bruce and Jodie Wright, the owners of One Architects, to create a highend campground which pays “homage to the region’s rich, colorful mining roots while also tapping into the surrounding vast outdoor playground, to give the struggling West End economy a much-needed boost.”

Read the remarkable story of Binder’s persistence, historic preservation, modern design and the surprising way in which the build “proved to be an ideally-suited pandemic construction site,” in “Camp V,” (page 48).

Finally, we welcome Ridgway author Mary Menz, who writes about the numerous benefits of landscaping with native plants (“Take a Cue from Nature,” page 38). We offer a few words of advice to those who may be considering purchasing property in Telluride just about now (“Enduring Allure,” page 26). And we share a lipsmacking recipe for something I’ve enjoyed many times dining out, but never attempted to recreate. Food columnist Ari LeVaux assures us that “Restaurant Tofu” can easily be reproduced in your own kitchen; his instructions for crisp-fried “golden blocks of joy” is on page 56.

We hope you find a few other moments of joy in these pages, as well. However you define it, the word ‘shelter’ resonates more than ever these days. I’m especially glad to present the Summer 2020 edition of this magazine.

— Leslie Vreeland

shelter PUBLISHER Andrew Mirrington ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER Maureen Pelisson EDITOR Leslie Vreeland COPY EDITOR Leslie Vreeland CREATIVE DIRECTOR Rick Bickhart CONTRIBUTORS Tanya Ishikawa, Ari LeVaux, Mary Menz, Melissa Plantz, Rosemerry Wahtola Trommer, Leslie Vreeland, Samantha Tisdel Wright SENIOR ACCOUNT MANAGER Dusty Atherton ADVERTISING SALES Lea Battey, Heather Brown CIRCULATION Telluride Delivers ON THE COVER So Inclined, Idarado Legacy subdivision, Telluride (Photo by Melissa Plantz) Shelter is published twice a year by Telluride Local Media LLC, 307 E. Colorado Avenue, Telluride, Colorado 81435.

Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission is strictly prohibited.

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For editorial inquiries, please email editor@telluridenews.com.

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CONTRIBUTORS

shelter Tanya

Mary

TANYA ISHIKAWA has been sharing stories through print and online media as well as videos throughout her career, starting at a public relations firm in Tokyo, Japan. Her longest client relationships are with the Colorado Nursery & Greenhouse Association, Denver Urban Spectrum and Boulder Magazine. In addition to writing for Telluride Newspapers and its special publications, her work time is mostly consumed by the Uncompahgre Watershed Partnership and Ridgway Area Chamber of Commerce.

ARI LEVAUX writes Flash in the Pan, a weekly syndicated food column, from Montana, where he resides with “a wife, two children, various plants and animals, some of them in the freezer, and multiple cast iron pans.” His writing has appeared in The Atlantic, Modern Farmer and Civil Eats.

MARY MENZ is a career writer who lives in Ridgway and plays all over southwest Colorado. She’s a Colorado Native Plant Master and the author of “Common Wildflowers of the San Juan Mountains.” She’s happiest when hiking in the alpine while observing cushion plants, pika and rosy finches.

Rosemerry

Melissa

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MELISSA PLANTZ is a Telluride portrait, landscape and architectural photographer who lives in the box canyon along with her husband, Mark Plantz, and their two sons. “I think Telluride is the best place in the whole world to raise kids,” she says. See more of her work at melissaplantz.com.

ROSEMERRY WAHTOLA TROMMER lives on the banks of the San Miguel River in Rancho Del Rio, another home built by the Doud/Trommer team (which she also wrote about for Shelter). Her newest collection of poems, “Hush,” won the Halcyon Prize for poems on human ecology.

Real Life Photographs

Ari

SAMANTHA TISDEL WRIGHT lives in and writes from Silverton, Colo. — a world away from the wonders of the West End. She can’t wait to check into Camp V and while away a summer’s day on Fun Island.

Samantha

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Rising to the

Occasion

>>>

BY R O S E M E R RY WA H TO L A T R O M M E R PHOTOS BY MELISSA PLANTZ

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Previous pages: Surrounded by the box canyon cliff band and high peaks at Telluride’s east end, So Inclined is a series of rooms oriented toward the stunning head of the valley. (Rendering by Mark Frankmann) Below: Three decks and a patio provide views of Ingram Peak, Ingram Falls and Bridal Veil Falls

An architect and a builder reach the peak of their potential with So Inclined

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O

ver thirty years ago, architect Eric Doud bought a cup with a lithograph print on it that depicts the east end of the Telluride valley during the mining days.

The cup still sits on his desk. “I always thought the culmination of a career would be the opportunity to build down there,” he says, “because it is so spectacular, so jaw droppingly gorgeous. Incredible. To me, that is what Telluride is all about, the end of that valley — standing next to those waterfalls and feeling the power of that place.”

Decades later, the architect has indeed risen to the opportunity he dreamed of via the completion of one his designs:

three sides by sheer rock cliffs and has uninterrupted views of Bridal Veil Falls, Ingram Falls, Ajax Peak, and the deep green of the spruce forest. The project is remarkable for four reasons: It’s a crowning piece in the long careers of both Doud and builder Eric Trommer; it’s a meaningful response to the jaw-dropping environment; it is designed and built with a stunning central gallery to showcase art in an elegant, professional way; and the home is a work of art in itself.

A FOUNDATION OF FRIENDSHIP AND TRUST

a home dubbed So Inclined. Located in the Idarado Legacy subdivision, the mountain modern home is cradled on

Sometimes custom homes have an intangible but profound allure about them. Part of what fuels So Inclined’s appeal is that it’s built from a strong

From the dining room, residents can view two waterfalls in summer, plus at least three more unnamed falls in the spring. In winter, spin drift snowfall sifts down the hillsides — a dynamic and vibrant setting.

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foundation of friendship, mutual respect, trust, and experience.

Doud and Trommer met in Telluride in the late seventies. Trommer’s been involved in building and development here ever since (he’s famous for building and living in the home that is now the restaurant Alpino Vino, at the top of the Telluride Ski Area).

Doud was on the original Historic Preservation Commission (now the Historic Architectural Review Commission), and has designed some of Telluride’s most notable homes, including Alpino Vino, Tempter House, Fago Tower (a seven-floor apartment with a footprint of only 500 square feet snuggled into the Ice House) and the smallest home in Telluride.

In fact, it was on the porch of that smallest home where I first met both men

in 1993. Eric Trommer and I wed two years later. Eric Doud was our best man.

At our kitchen table, I’ve heard firsthand the thoughtful creative conversations they have, conversations that manifest into incredible homes.

“I have built and lived in three houses Eric Doud has designed for me,” the builder (and my husband) says, “all totally different from each other. I let him run with the design. I am amazed at what he can see.”

And Doud says, “There are few people who have as much ability as Eric has in terms of attention to detail. He found a half-inch discrepancy in the survey, and the surveyor couldn’t even find it. It’s a joy to work with someone who has that degree of attentiveness and ability.”

Trommer extends this foundation of

respect and trust to the rest of the project’s collaborators, too. “I totally enjoy the building process and the people who put all the pieces together for me,” he says.

“I make it a fun environment, and I feel I get a better quality project if everyone enjoys what they are doing.”

For So Inclined, the main team consisted of Trommer, interior designer Sefra Maples and lighting designer Katie Sapp.

“The three of us had great brainstorming sessions,” Maples says. She’s been doing design work in Telluride since 2005, including the Sheridan Opera House’s Show Bar and the Liberty Bar. “Eric gave us a lot of freedom to be creative, and what a beautiful piece it turned out to be — it’s its own work of art.”

Trommer also relies heavily on his >>>

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The art gallery runs the length of the house, with the widest part beginning at the home’s front entrance. Here, art shelves of quartzite and patina-ed steel are integral to the fumed white oak stairs.

The kitchen, where friends and family inevitably gather, is open to the dining room, creating a cohesive, inclusive feeling. To stand in these rooms is to feel both at home and on vacation in a National Park setting at the same time.

21

tradesmen’s knowledge to make decisions about materials. “Because they see it every day, they have a better eye,” he says. “For instance, the masons helped choose the quartzite, a material that they knew could create the tight linear pattern in the walls that I was hoping for.”

Walking through So Inclined, you can feel the expertise: Doud’s talent, Trommer’s precision, Maples’ flair, Sapp’s keen intuition and the tradesmen’s skill. And beyond that, you feel the dialogues that drove the decisions, the warmth.

RESPONDING TO THE ENVIRONMENT So Inclined is directly inspired by its dramatic National Park-like location.

“Architecturally speaking, you take on a responsibility to the nuances and power

of place,” Doud explains. “The more powerful the place, the more powerful the response.” Although subtle, this type of recognition “is bone-deep.”

“Because the site is such a strong place,” he adds, “there is an emotional response — you’re in awe of the power of Mother Nature. And there is a physiological response, too — the water going over the cliff produces ozone that becomes part of the energetics of the place. In winter, you have snow cascading off the cliffs. It’s dynamic, alive with geologic forces. The aliveness knocks you over with its presence.”

Obviously, the design is highly viewdriven. The bedrooms, the kitchen and the living room all orient to the head of the valley. From every room, you see cliff bands, forests and waterfalls.

Less obvious is the centerline axis of the house, aligned obliquely to the rooms’ layout. At the east end of the axis is Marshal Creek Gorge, representing the valley’s former economic engine, mining.

At the axis’ west end is Needle Rock, a striking rock tower that represents the region’s current economic force, the Telluride Ski Area.

Though the centerline axis is pronounced (it’s a long, linear house), curves were employed at the front and rear doors as a design mechanism to “redirect the axis, take that line of force energy and swing it around so you don’t have open-ended lines of sight. The curves bring you back to the primary views at the end of the valley, back to the importance of the place,” Doud explained. >>>

The main living space is both spacious and intimate.

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HEART OF THE HOME: A CENTRAL ART GALLERY One of the surprises of the house is how it moves from the vast beauty of the valley into increasingly intimate spaces.

“The house is laid out as you would walk the site,” Doud explained. “The lower levels are, more programmatically, the public sphere, and as you move through the house and up a series of rising levels, you enter the more private bedroom areas.”

The bedrooms all branch off a central hall that runs obliquely through the length of the house. But this central hall is more than a hall: It’s a gallery. “A hall goes from Point A to Point B, and everything in the middle is to be passed through,” the architect said. “But this gal-

lery has points of interest along the way, punctuated by views, and is a unifying element between all the stages of the house that makes it whole. It’s unusual.

I don’t know of other examples that develop space in quite that way.”

The gallery utilizes an art and architectural expression known as forced perspective: As the gallery rises, it narrows; even the smoky glass pendants that line the gallery’s center transition in size from larger to smaller. Doud drew on the Renaissance with this design technique.

“I thought, this is a great opportunity, because it is fun. And the subtle convergences also develop a stronger component to the gallery.”

To keep the gallery lines clean, Doud designed “pockets” to conceal an open office space, an open sitting area, and the

doors to all the bedrooms. Even when the bedroom doors are open, you can’t see them from the end of the hall.

The sleek lines are further achieved through the use of engineered lumber throughout the house. “The result is very flat walls,” Trommer says. “It’s something you don’t really see, but you feel, the crispness of the interior. It’s due in part to the choice of materials, but some of it is having a high-quality framer,” Tim Bidl, “put it all together.”

Maples adds, “The walls are perfect. It’s rare to see anything like that. It’s because of Eric (Trommer’s) fine-tooth combing.”

To enhance the gallery’s ability to showcase art, both for the sculpture shelves and for the walls, Trommer called in Sapp. “We chose a linear wall washer instead of a pinpoint style of lighting,”

Views are jaw-dropping and expansive, but the sitting space by the fire is cozy and comfortable and pulls people in. The curved quartzite of the entry (bottom photo) is echoed in the fireplace wall, where a contemporary linear gas fireplace helps bring warmth and a sense of contentment to the open living room.

“Because the site is such a strong place, there is an emotional response — you’re in awe of the power of Mother Nature.”

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Sapp says. “Not many manufacturers make it, but it achieves an even wash on the art surfaces of the wall, perfect for a piece of any size. It also creates a nice reflective surface, leaving you open to not have a piece on the wall.” She notes that the linear art lighting also helps compliment the lines of the walls.

“Even the bedrooms have great lighting,” Maples says. “There are great opportunities for big art pieces there, too.”

Ashley Hayward, owner of the Telluride Gallery of Fine Art, visited the home and says of the gallery, “This was a brilliant” configuration, “because it allows you to showcase your favorite works collectively. That space is just one of the many thoughtful considerations that sets this home apart from others.” >>>

The art gallery is made of a series of rising levels that run the length of the house.

Forced perspective is a defining feature of the home; in this photo, ‘pockets’ for sitting rooms and doors allow for an uninterrupted gallery view as you look toward the eastern terminus.

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The Telluride Gallery displays art in the home while it is available for purchase.

Its curators’ criteria for selecting pieces for display in private spaces? “First,” Hayward says, was “to select work that did not compete with the breathtaking views.

Second, like the house itself, all the work needed to make an initial impact, but also needed to continue to reveal thoughtful and subtle elements over time.”

MORE THAN A HOME: A WORK OF ART So Inclined is, first and foremost, a home.

“I like that it’s not oversized,” Trommer says. “It has human proportions inside, and a relatively simple layout. You don’t get lost in this house. It’s easy to understand.”

Maples notes it’s designed with mountain

So Inclined is a work of art in its own right. people in mind — people who typically spend more time outdoors than they do shut away in private rooms. “People are accustomed to massive mountain homes, when in reality we spend the majority of our time outside here,” she noted, “or with each other in a communal space.”

The communal space includes a spacious kitchen, dining room and living room. “I like how they are all one open space,” Maples says. “Everyone wants to be in the kitchen when someone is cooking, and here, it is big enough for everyone to be in there. But a person can also hang out by the fireplace and still feel connected” to everbody else. As

Doud notes, that fireplace area allows for intimate gatherings.

Though the design is highly aesthetic, numerous practical considerations make the home livable: An elevator just steps from the garage, for example, goes to the kitchen to make it easy to carry groceries.

Materials are simplified: the same dark stained white oak for the doors and floors and the same quartzite stone for the entry floor, entry walls and hearth make it easier for an owner’s furnishings to fit in.

Deep roof overhangs protect the view glass from overheating during the summer months, and provide shelter for the decks from winter’s snowfall.

The ceiling liner in the main room is not only aesthetically pleasing, it decreases the echo and makes it easier to converse.

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But as much as it’s a comfortable, function-driven structure, So Inclined is also a work of art in its own right. “Pattern is important,” Doud says. “A house, like music, uses pattern to unify the whole and play with variations.”

Doud continues, “One of the primary patterns in So Inclined is the 2½ to 12 (degree) slope of the roof that is used in the angles of the columns and the back slope of the fireplace. The elevation runs consistently through the vocabulary of the house.

Also part of the plan: the home is entirely laid out “on a 32-inch roofbeam module that is aligned so all the rooms respond. It’s a unifying element that develops synchronized modulation throughout the house and gives the house an internalized rhythm. The

exposed, solid sawn roofbeams show that structure. It’s not common to have it so structurally expressed. In typical construction, it’s covered up.”

The artistry of the curved stone wall in the entryway is highlighted though Sapp’s lighting design. “The stone wall is the main feature of the space, so we did a linear graze that brings out the texture and the shadows. Eric (Trommer) helped customize a metal valence so you don’t see the source of the light. It makes the space really special, welcoming.”

Lighting fixtures in other rooms range from elegant to playful — from the organic sculptural design of the dining room chandelier, in which many raw white porcelain pieces are suspended together, each distributing soft, diffuse light — to the handblown glass pendants

Maples found that line the gallery. At night, they fill the long space with swirling shadows, “kind of like moonlight coming through tree leaves,” Sapp says.

“Even the mechanical room is beautiful,” Maples says. “There’s a corner window in there. Who does that? What a great idea.”

Every person I interviewed for this story commented on the joy they felt working on the project, their respect for the land, the team, and the house itself — a house that looks simple and most decidedly is not.

“It’s a strong enough house to have resonance for a long time,” says the architect who has designed many of Telluride’s most cherished spaces. “In the coming years, it may become recognized as a real masterpiece. It has that depth to it.”

The pull of the box canyon may be more powerful than ever

Enduring 26 >>>

BY LESLIE VREELAND

I

n many ways, the summer of 2020 Jersey were having trouble selling will be defined by what it isn’t. their homes. Now they’re doing so, and moving to bigger spaces.”

It is not a moment for crowded outdoor festivals; or indoor dinThe shift has trickled down, and “permeated the luxury second-home ing the way we used to know market,” O’Neill added. “There are it; or, most likely, any sort of probably hundreds of examples of gathering at all that involves people trying to get to Telluride for dozens of attendees.

90-days plus, or even just a month.

In uncertain times, it’s worth The sublime landscape I have an old friend who lives in asking what the appeal of a specific isn’t going anywhere.

Brooklyn who owns a second home geographic locale is. What is the here. He tries to get out to Telluride point, when so many of us have spent Colorado’s reliably on a regular basis; it’s where his heart so much time in relative isolation, and sunny weather isn’t is and where he feels it’s safer for his may soon be doing so again? family. Like other markets, Telluride On the other hand, when the subabout to change. is seeing a signficant change in what ject is a place such as Telluride, the people are looking for,” he added. appeal is obvious, and enduring.

“People still want to be downtown, but you’re also seeing The sublime landscape isn’t going anywhere. Colorado’s buyers looking at Mountain Village and the mesas now. reliably sunny weather isn’t about to change. The world is These were flat markets until Covid-19 came about.” different right now for everyone, but barring a seismc eco“I’m as busy as I’ve ever been in my 40 years here as a nomic collapse, the Town of Telluride’s myriad cultural and resident, investor and broker,” Steve Catsman said. epicurean attractions — not to mention its world-class ski Catsman resides in the Gray Head neighborhood, which resort — are here to stay. he developed and which boasts 35-acre tracts surrounded When you think about it that way, what sort of person by national forest. would be crazy enough not to consider living in Telluride?

“This is heaven, where I live,” Catsman says. “I can hike It’s the way you might see it — for example — if you were 16 miles of trails and not run into anybody, and then drive a contrarian investor, looking to lock in a good deal in an nine miles into downtown. The first six of those miles, it’s uncertain time. just me and the elk.”

We have some bad news for deal-seekers, and it comes From his perch atop Gray Head, Catsman can take in from somebody you might expect to be cheerleading the more than just jagged Fourteeners; he can also watch planes lowballing: Danielle Hale, who for nearly a decade was the landing at Telluride Regional Airport (situated at 9,078-feet economist and policy researcher for the National Associaatop Deep Creek Mesa, it’s the highest commercial airport tion of Realtors. “I don’t expect the slowdown to be like the in North America). last recession where prices fell,” Hale told a reporter from Catsman has noticed that flights are increasing. “I’m seeing Realtor.com. “There are more than enough buyers out there a tremendous uptick in private craft,” he says. “People are to keep home sales from slowing in any major way.” telling their friends about this place.”

Money magazine concurs. Although the overall economy O’Neill has some advice for those thinking about buying may be struggling because of the pandemic — and indeed, right now. “There are a lot of people looking,” he said. “My may continue to struggle for some time — the housing marsuggestion would be not to purchase something you plan ket has proved surprisingly resilient, the magazine noted to get out of in a few years. Buy to create a lasting legacy. (historically low mortgage rates have surely helped).

Focus on what satisfies your needs, and is going to offer the “Homes are selling quickly and for sums that are often at or lifestyle that you’re looking for. There were certainly times over the asking prices,” Money pointed out. Telluride realtors during the Great Recession where people focused on ‘buyand interior designers are seeing something similar: people ing well,’ but those who focused on their needs ended up are inquiring about living here. “We’re definitely getting more happier and better off. People are recognizing the fragility interest,” said Barbara MacIntire, the principal owner and of life right now; life can be really short. Do what you want designer of LuxWest Interiors. “People are beginning to look to do right now.” at properties. The shutdowns this spring were sudden and Steve Catsman knows some people who are doing exactly drastic, and no one was allowed to move or do anything. that. “My ex-neighbors are returning,” he said. “They’ve People weren’t willing to buy based on a photo online. Now come all the way back.” The couple has lived all over the they’re coming to see for themselves: we’ve had people make world, from Australia to the southeastern U.S. “They’re special trips here” just to experience Telluride in person. returning to Telluride for the lifestyle,” Catsman said. “They In a changed world, the exodus from urban areas appears just bought a ranch.” not only inevitable — it’s on the rise. “It’s a national pheBy the time you read this, they will have closed on their nomena,” Telluride Realtor Brian O’Neill observed. “A year new property. ago, people in Westchester County, Connecticut and New

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B Y TA N YA I S H I K AWA

T

he scents of vanilla and cinnamon are distinctive reminders of American families enjoying time at home with delicious, freshly baked pastries and desserts.

It seems especially apropos, then, that a cinnamon-and-vanilla-scented hardwood called Cumaru is the dominant material connection between a pair of custom homes created by two generations of builders, architects, and homeowners.

Also called Brazilian Teak and sometimes Tonka Bean, planks of sustainably

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Susan and Scott Lacy’s home and outbuilding utilized a historic farmhouse design. The landscape has evolved over 20 years to provide an outdoor sanctuary. (Photo by Scott Lacy)

Custom homes connected by family ties

sourced Cumaru were used for both the deck of Susan and Scott Lacy’s home, in Pleasant Valley, and the deck and front entrance of their son Colin and daughterin-law Michele Lacy’s home, in Log Hill Village. Both abodes sit above Ridgway, with breathtaking views of the Cimarron and Sneffels mountain ranges.

Decks and panoramic splendor were top priorities for both sets of homeowners, along with designs that focused on allowing them to spend time outdoors and gathering with family and friends. The orientation of each home on its property was carefully planned along with architects Sundra Hines, in the case of the new

home, and her late mentor, Leigh Knoben, who designed the older home.

“One of the appeals, and one of the greatest surprises were the views from the lot, and being able to integrate the placement and the elevation of the home to take advantage of both of those. That was a fun process, going out there with Sundra, Colin and Michele and laying out the orientation and aspect of the house,” said Brad Chavez, their builder and the son-in-law of Kurt Quadri, who built Scott and Susan Lacy’s house.

The extent of the familial connections between the teams who designed and built the two homes was most apparent

last November when the roof was placed on the younger family’s home. The homeowners, architects, and builders gathered for a “Topping Off Party” — a tradition that the younger builder adopted from his father-in-law.

Multiple ties between the two projects are likely no surprise, given the relatively small number of people who reside in Ridgway — the connections are a testament to both this tight-knit community and its families.

Even with so many links between the homes, though, each house retains its own character, reflecting the differences between two generations.

DESIGNING A PLACE FOR FAMILY “Generally, our houses are very different. We both have great rooms for family to gather in, but otherwise their home’s design reflects Colin and Michele,” said Susan Lacy, who is superintendent of the Ridgway School District.

Susan grew up in upstate New York and wanted a farmhouse-look for her home. Her husband Scott was born in Nebraska but moved constantly when his father was transferred for work. He lived all across the country, and spent five years in California. He wanted a house >>> connected to the outdoors.

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Colin and Michele Lacy’s new home has a modern, mountain theme, with the lower level excavated into the hillside and years of landscaping ahead to develop their children’s outdoor activity areas and gardens.

(Photo by Colin Lacy)

Even with so many links between the homes, each house retains its own character, reflecting the differences between two generations.

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The couple met in middle and high school, earned their college degrees, and married in Rochester, New York. Scott had lived in the Tetons in Wyoming, and both wanted a life in the Rocky Mountains. Upon discovering Ridgway in the early 1990s, they purchased a property in Ouray County.

For a few years, Susan and Scott, who taught school internationally in Mexico and Romania, came to Ouray County with their two young boys, Colin and Dylan, to camp. They purchased their Pleasant Valley property in 1998, moved into a small cabin already on the five acres, and took a year off to work the land and ski.

After another stint of teaching — this time in Indonesia — they returned to Ridgway and hired architect Leigh Knoben and builder Kurt Quadri to construct their new home.

“I had a notebook with a lot of visual ideas that I had collected over the years,” Susan explained. “We talked about our desire to build a home that felt like an old Mexican farmhouse that had been there for years. We loved old farmhouses, wide plank flooring, exposed beams, etc. We wanted something that was cozy and was connected to the outside. It was as much about the land and the site as the house itself. We wanted to keep it simple.”

Knoben designed a 2,340-square-foot home with two stories, plus a basement reminiscent of Susan’s childhood basement in Rochester — not an easy task given the rocky, boulder-filled soils of Colorado. The walls were made of 11-inch ECO blocks and covered with sandstone orange stucco exterior. The 10-to-14-foot-high ceilings of the great room were constructed with rough, blonde timber beams of dead-standing fir, sourced from a local mill.

“Leigh was so easygoing and a great listener. Designing a home is such a personal and intense experience, and he would always tell me, ‘We will keep working ‘til we get it right,’” Susan recalled.

Quadri agreed: “I remember Leigh being just a great guy to work with.”

What was more, “I liked the design that Leigh came up with. It was one of the more enjoyable projects that I did. Great owners, great architect, and the fact that Leigh was receptive to some of my creative ideas,” he said.

ASSEMBLING AN ABODE IN PLEASANT VALLEY Quadri started his career as a builder of adobe homes in Albuquerque. He fell in love with adobe construction — a style that has been used for hundreds of years to build homes out of the dirt and timbers available in the southwest — and built adobe homes for years both in New Mexico and southwestern Colorado.

“I liked being able to be creative whenever possible, the satisfaction of seeing something when it’s finished after all the hard work, and seeing that people are happy and love living in their house,” said Quadri, who recently retired. “That’s basically why I liked building. You take it one step at a time, put it together, and end up with something you can really be proud of.”

He thought the stucco for the Lacy’s home would be a good, low-maintenance choice since the couple planned to travel

The Lacy parents’ home has rustic, sandstone-colored stucco walls, a new Cumaru deck and views of the Sneffels Range. (Photo by Scott Lacy)

extensively. It also offered better fire resistance than wood, which was important given its setting in a landscape of pinon, juniper and Ponderosa.

Quadri remembered imbuing the Lacy’s home with additional southwestern-inspired touches, beyond what they and the architect had originally considered. “We did a kiva fireplace, plasterwork on the interior instead of drywall in a lot of areas, and corbels on the posts,” he said.

The fireplace is in a cozy nook on one end of the great room. On the other end is a sitting and dining area, with a large window facing the Sneffels Range. In the middle, the kitchen has an island where people congregate for shared meals and drinks, adorned with artwork gifted from Scott to Susan. The kitchen and several rooms feature Mexican tiles that Quadri sourced and integrated into counters throughout the house including the bathroom, laundry room, and doorways.

Susan recalled, “We had complete trust in Kurt, which made the whole experience positive and fun. He is both builder and artist. He had lots of creative ideas, from recycled doors to tile, railings, etc. We had lots of things, like drawer handles, stained glass windows, an old

Indonesian door, and Mexican sinks, that we’d collected when we were living overseas, and he had great ideas about how to integrate them.”

In fact, the builder came up with several ways in which the couple could help work on the house, allowing them both to save money and personalize it even more. Scott sanded the doors and made all of the upstairs curtain rods. The couple stained all of the windowsills. Susan picked out the windows and lights.

“Any problem that came up through the building process Kurt always presented to us calmly, and we discussed options regarding how to fix it or what were the best choices to explore. The contracting business is highly stressful and building your home on a budget is highly stressful,” Susan said. “Kurt is so grounded and knowledgeable!”

Quadri was in such high demand when the Lacys wanted their home built that they scheduled him for a winter build, between the summers of 2001 and 2002.

The builder remembers mornings of frozen fingers trying to work, while the Lacy’s memories include getting up early to shovel snow off the building site (they didn’t get their topping-off party, due to the winter weather).

TRANSITIONING BETWEEN GENERATIONS The Lacys lived full-time in the home for seven years after it was finished, with Scott and Susan working in local schools and their sons finishing high school in Ridgway. The parents then quit their jobs to spend a year mostly enjoying epic ski days, volunteering in the community, and preparing for an international adventure.

After the sons were off to the University of Colorado in Boulder, the parents lived and worked in Zambia and Bangladesh.

“We always had a sense of home, family, and mountains. Travel made it fun to learn and be international. It was also good for the kids to experience different cultures,” Susan said. “Someone always stayed in our guesthouse to watch our dog, and we’d come home at Christmas and every summer.”

Large pieces of furniture, eclectic décor, and knickknacks returned with them to adorn their home. Scott crafted some of their collected pieces into new furnishings as well, from beaded curtains to wood shelves.

Scott was also most responsible for creating the outdoor living spaces that were of huge importance to the family. >>>

The younger Lacy’s new home has “prairie gray” stucco walls, a large Cumaru deck and views of the Sneffels Range. (Photo by Colin Lacy)

31

“It has taken us more than 20 years to work the land” and integrate the house with the outside.

“Actually, we worked the land before there was a house.”

Susan Lacy

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From ivy trellises to sandstone flagstone connecting the house with the garage, he’s spent innumerable days outside in pursuit of a family sanctuary facing the Cimarrons and San Juans.

Susan estimated, “It has taken us more than 20 years to work the land” and integrate the house with the outside.

“Actually, we worked the land before there was a house.”

In the first few years before and after the house was built, their sons helped pick up hundreds of lichen-covered rocks to landscape the property. Along the way, the family discovered together how they wanted the house oriented on the hillside, in order to capture the best views.

Though Scott tried landscaping with various plants, they almost always become a “salad bar for rabbit and deer.”

A native stand of scrub oak on the west side of the house that he has manicured over the years makes a tiny forest oasis today. Native meadow grasses planted since 2001 have finally filled in an area in front of the house where the dog (and now the grandkids) can play.

Last summer, Scott replaced the redwood and pine on the home’s deck on its east side with the Cumaru, which he selected for its hardness. Not only does it have a pressure rating greater than that of steel, it is rated Class A for fire resistance.

A lot of Scott’s carpentry and rockwork takes place in a studio, located in an outbuilding with a double-car garage. The Lacys had originally planned a garage attached to the house, but its design (and their budget) did not allow for it. When they were ready to build a detached garage, Knoben was no longer alive. Quadri was hired to be the builder, and for the architect, they pulled in Lynn Kircher, whose Pleasant Valley home Quadri had built in 1981.

The garage/studio was designed with

the same exterior style as the home.

“That was also fun. I’ve built a lot of Lynn’s designs. I enjoyed working with her,” Quadri said.

Quadri’s son-in-law Brad Chavez also worked on the project. Chavez, whose father was a builder in Santa Fe, graduated with a degree in forestry and moved to Steamboat Springs. After a short stint working for the state, he switched to carpentry, making cabinets, doors, windows, and other trim work. Married to Quadri’s daughter, Aimee, the couple decided to move to Ridgway almost a decade later.

Chavez worked on Quadri’s crews from 2011 to 2015, getting experience in other trades from the ground up, including framing, concrete, and adobe.

He took over as project manager on the Lacy’s garage after a water-skiing accident laid up his father-in-law.

“I always thought that Brad would end up being in business for himself. I really encouraged him to do that,” Quadri said.

“He’s done really well. I’m really proud of him. Brad is a perfectionist, of course.

He also doesn’t rush into things. He takes his time and does it right.”

Chavez expressed great appreciation for how his father-in-law shepherded him through the process of learning the business, especially the management side.

“Some of the major lessons were project management, scheduling to make sure you have the materials there, and staying one step ahead of the game as

Susan and Scott’s house has open beams of blonde timbers. The rooms feature international accents and treasures acquired during their years teaching abroad.

(Photo by Scott Lacy)

far as where each project is. Also, he taught me how to manage subcontractors, and how to form those relationships so they are a success for the whole project, not just for myself but for the owners, too. Lastly, where he really helped me is with business ownership, learning the books, and how to successfully run a construction company,” the younger builder explained.

Chavez said the Lacys were mostly in Bangladesh during the garage project, so he communicated with them mainly through email. “They responded quickly but also put a lot of trust in me as well. It was a little empowering for me. It boosted my confidence. As the designer, Lynn Kircher was as helpful as I needed, too.”

THE NEXT GENERATION Chavez started his company, B. Chavez Builders, in 2017, and was hired by Colin and Michele Lacy to build their home in 2019. Retired by then, Quadri also helped out a bit when his son-in-law had other obligations or was short-handed.

Chavez’ philosophy about building homes is to make sure “the clients are getting what they want, that their vision is becoming reality in a sense,” he said.

“I want to make sure they are happy with what they’re getting and it satisfies their needs.”

He doesn’t think he’s developed a particular style yet, although, just like his father-in-law, he’s definitely drawn to

southwestern materials and building features. The home for the younger pair of Lacys is the third that he has worked on with architect Sundra Hines. His first was a $2 million remodel of a home where he worked with both Hines and Quadri.

“It’s been a good relationship with Sundra that is still evolving,” Chavez reflected. “A lot of trust has developed over these projects. I think our working styles are similar.”

Hines says that both Chavez and his father-in-law possess a true sense of craftsmanship, impeccable attention to detail, and are very conscious of the end product. Neither builder makes changes without asking her, and they keep her involved in decisions, so the projects end up being good collaborations.

Hines got her start in Ridgway in 2005 when she was hired by Knoben, who was looking to work less and travel more and planned to train her to run his firm.

“He was a man that I totally admired. I only got to work for him for eight months before he passed away. He taught me more in that eight months than any other mentor I have ever had,” she recalled.

Knoben’s brothers gave the firm to Hines, and she completed his unfinished projects. Unable to keep the firm’s name, she renamed it Hines Designs.

“It was just so lovely of them. I was pretty young. I don’t know that I would have started my own firm had they not given me that push. That was a huge gift,” she said.

Knoben helped her to understand the importance of how a house is oriented on a site, not just for the views but also to integrate the effects of sun, wind, and trees. Though she learned about placebased design in architectural school, putting these concepts into practice was new to her.

“Typically at an architectural firm, the young person is just doing drafting, but Leigh would make me go and walk the site with him and we would talk about it,” she said.

He also taught her how to integrate homeowners’ personalities into their home designs. “He really became close with all of his clients. That’s something that I do, too,” she added.

When it comes to similarities between the two architects’ styles, Susan Lacy observed, “They both seek simplicity of >>>

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“When we first saw the land, we did not know about the views due to the dense trees.” Colin Lacy

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line and design; a partnership of form and function. Leigh would often talk about reducing mass in his design and creating fluidity.”

On the other hand, she said, “Sundra’s style, as reflected in Colin’s and Michele’s house, is more modern, and Leigh’s style was a bit more traditional.”

Hines agreed that the younger Lacy’s 3,600-square-foot home has a more modern aesthetic, though it incorporates some of the same design features.

Both houses have metal roofs. Both homes’ exteriors are of stucco; the older home, with its softer lines, looks more southwestern, and the new one is more contemporary, with harder edges. Its stucco is a light shade called prairie grey with a “mountain snow” texture that has subtle, snowdrift-like shapes in it.

At the same time, both Lacy homes were built for multigenerational use, and feature open spaces for entertaining. “That says something about their personalities.

They are very family oriented, very open and welcoming, and want people to come into their homes,” Hines explained.

BUILDING A FUTURE ON LOG HILL Colin and Michele not only used Cumaru for the deck of their home, but also for its front steps and entrance, which frames a mahogany door. The cinnamon-and-vanilla scented hardwood is reminiscent of traditional woodwork on homes in Indonesia, where Colin spent some of his high school years. The Brazilian wood has additional meaning for the couple, given that Michele was born and raised in Brazil (the kitchen also features countertops with granite from her native country).

The rest of the home’s style and materials are very different than where Michele was raised. She grew up in Fortaleza, the capital of a tropical state in northeastern Brazil. In a metropolis of more than two million people, located near the equator, her apartment faced the popular white sand beach.

Due to high levels of crime, living in apartments is safer than in houses, where extra security is a necessity. Also, due to corruption in the building industry, most people don’t want to risk building a home. “I had no idea I would ever build a home,” she admitted. “Most people

in Brazil who start building can’t finish.

Sometimes the funds you pay for construction just disappear.”

She came to the U.S. to attend college at Harvard University, which was where she met Colin. “The only thing I knew about Colorado was the movie, ‘Dumb and Dumber,’ until I met him,” she confessed.

She was able to secure a residency in pediatric dentistry at Children’s Hospital in Denver, and they moved there to live for two years. A pediatric dentist with an office in Montrose, who was trying to transition to Denver, asked her to join and take over his practice, so she and her new husband returned to his hometown of Ridgway.

Both have full-time jobs (Colin is the executive director for an educational nonprofit) and they also have two sons:

Liam, who is 5, and Noah, 3. Their family has been living in their parents’ guest cabin, rent-free for the past 18 months, to help afford their custom home.

The couple is looking forward to pulling personal momentos and art out of storage, to use in the furnishing and decoration of their new abode. Other than those flourishes, little else about it will resemble Michele’s childhood home or (for that matter) the international homes where Colin spent part of his youth. His family lived in a little house on the beach in Mexico, a concrete-block house built during the Soviet Union era in Romania, and a large apartment in a school complex in Indonesia.

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The Lacy grandsons stand at the dining room windows facing the splendid mountain panorama, with their dirt hill play area (left over from excavating the home’s walk-out basement) below Sneffels peak. Opposite page: Michele and Colin Lacy at their “Topping Off” party, and the dark wood ceiling beams (and an exposed steel one) in their kitchen. Below: The house’s doors, fireplace and other features blend traditional and modern materials and designs. (Photos by Colin Lacy)

maybe a bit of a Colorado theme into the design,” Colin said of the new place.

Most of the large, exposed beams on the ceiling are made of Engelmann spruce, stained dark brown; a beam on both the upper and lower levels is of steel, which lends an industrial feel. The floors are of dark maple, and so are the interior doors, fashioned into a barn-door pattern with a smooth finish that gives them a historic yet sophisticated look.

Mixing old materials with a newer style, the fireplace stone is cut into rectangular, closefitting pieces, and backsplashes in the upstairs kitchen and the downstairs wet bar are of thin, rectangular tiles. The light and fan fixtures are made of metal.

To take in views of surrounding mountains and mesas, the ceilings are from nine to 18-feet high, and windows dom-

inate the great room and strategic walls in the office, dining room, bedrooms, and master bath. Even in the stairwell, a window frames dramatic Courthouse Peak. The lower level may be a walkout basement, but even there, sunlight flows in (the scene to the east is spectacular).

Their home’s location, on a high mesa, provides views of the Uncompahgre Plateau and Storm King and Buckhorn mountains to the north.

“When we first saw the land, we did not know about the views due to the dense trees. We spent the winter cutting down trees with the kids, and standing up on ladders to see what could be seen,” Colin said.

“Before my parents’ house was built, we would walk around the property, and pretend where each room was and play

in the dirt. We took a lot of time to imagine, and it was fun to see it come to life,” he recalled. “To go through the whole process with my boys, where they would see the property go from all wild, with prickly pear cactus getting in our feet and into our home, was a special thing.”

Just like Colin’s parents, the younger Lacys believe entertaining and socializing at home is very important. In the new place, the dining room, on the home’s south side, flows into the living room in the middle and from there into the kitchen, which features a big island and is on the west wall. Downstairs is a pool table and activity rooms as well.

Michele explained, “It’s very important to us to have friends over. Even in our small apartments in Boston and Denver, we had to have a lot people over. Everyone in Brazil socializes at home all of the time. Even if you don’t have anything, you sit on the porch with friends and family and drink and talk.”

They are excited to host holidays at their new home and invite their parents over. Fourth of July gatherings will be spectacular on the 12-by-64-foot deck, with its covered dining area, outdoor speakers, and coming-soon outdoor couch and hot tub.

Michele and Colin want their sons to spend a lot of time outdoors, just as they did when they were growing up.

For now, a huge dirt pile, left over from excavating the house’s lower level, is a popular playground for their children.

Their dream for the 5.9-acre property is to create a yard where they can play football and baseball. They plan to replace many of the trees that were removed with new trees, as well as gardens of vegetables and flowers.

“Travel is really important for us as a family. Our goal and our hope is to travel, but to be anchored in our home and this place,” said Colin, adding that he and Michele plan to live there into old age.

They’ll be based in a community surrounded by friends and loved ones.

Colin’s brother, Dylan, has purchased property on Log Hill and plans to build a custom home there, too. For now, he and his wife and children are getting ready to move into their parents’ guest cabin in Pleasant Valley. He hasn’t selected an architect or a builder yet — but his family has a few recommendations.

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Christine Wilson designed this colorful landscape featuring native white yarrow, along with other plants.

(Photo by Lair Photography, courtesy of Wilson Landscape and Garden LLC)

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other Nature is the best landscaper. Walk through any mountain meadow, desert expanse, or aspen forest and a variety of attractive native plants abound — from herbaceous wildflowers to berry-producing shrubs to cactus or deciduous and evergreen trees — all in pleasing palettes that are mimicked by florists everywhere.

Now, residential and commercial landscapes are mimicking natural settings.

Landscape design trends are predicted annually by organizations like the National Association of Landscape Professionals.

Much like the American color company Pantone, which nominates an annual Color of the Year (this year it is Classic Blue), the NALP and similar groups forecast a trend for 2020, “Bringing Nature Home,” with an emphasis on low-maintenance groundskeeping. To Mother Nature, landscaping trends mean nothing, yet this is the year of bringing nature home, both nationwide and here in the San Juans.

Ridgway landscape designer Christine Wilson of Wilson Landscape and Garden LLC says the regional market reflects this national movement, with an emphasis on native plants and creating diverse landscapes that are not only low maintenance, but also water-wise.

“We’re seeing a deep interest in people wanting to incorporate native plants in their landscapes,” said Wilson, whose background and expertise lies in botany, and has a sincere love of the web of life. “Native plants provide visual interest for the humans who enjoy them, but also help to maintain or increase biodiversity of an area.”

She says her clients are more aware than ever of the role plants and insects play in their respective landscapes.

NATIVE PLANTS INCREASE BIODIVERSITY Plants native to Colorado and specific to the wide-ranging elevations of the San Juan Mountains region are particularly captivating and diverse. Each elevation of this area features its own unique zone and ecotones supporting specific flora and fauna adapted to them. The adobe hills of Montrose and foothills areas of Norwood feature temperate climates and

BY MARY MENZ

Landscaping with Colorado’s Native Plants

Take a Cue from Nature

long growing seasons. The high desert of Log Hill features heat-loving yucca and cactus, and the montane zone of the mountain towns Telluride and Ouray feature native plants that withstand extreme temperature variations.

Simply defined, biodiversity refers to the various insects, plants, and animals inherent to a specific geographic area.

All of the living things in that area rely on each other for life. According to Douglas Tallamy, a renowned entomologist, wildlife biologist and the author of “Bringing Nature Home,” more than 96 percent of terrestrial birds eat insects and feed them to their young. Those insects — including a multitude of pollinator types — rely on the foliage of specific plants for habitat and food. Other animals in the food chain stake their claims on native plants as well.

In the circle of life, the San Juan Mountains provide a wide range of specific habitat for lifeforms as miniscule as a gnat to the enormity of an elk or moose.

Incorporating native plants into a landscape provides the habitat necessary for the specific native pollinators and other animals that use native plants, said Wilson, referring to the birds and small mammals that eat the flowers, fruit and seeds of wildflowers and shrubs throughout the growing season, and find shelter in plant foliage and canopies.

Biodiversity aside, native plants also need less water once fully established.

“With the limited water resources we face in the West, it makes sense to use native plants,” said Wilson. “They are adapted to this area’s annual precipitation and require little water and minimal care once they are established.”

OTHER ‘NATIVE’ BENEFITS People may be spending more time at home, but that doesn’t mean they want to spend more time doing yardwork or taking care of their landscaped property.

One advantage of a native plant landscape is that it requires little work once established. That means no annual pruning and shaping of shrubbery, far less irrigation, and more time to enjoy the nature native plants bring to the yard.

Tom and Beah Craddock both work in Telluride, but reside on Log Hill. Low maintenance landscaping was a consideration when they established a native plant >>>

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The backyard landscape of Log Hill residents Keith and Lois Welsh features a mix of plants native to Colorado, along with potted annuals for instant color in shallow containers.

Opposite: A selection of Colorado flowers. (Photos by Mary Menz)

“With the limited water resources we face in the West, it makes sense to use native plants.” garden that surrounds a sunken patio.

“The purple Rocky Mountain penstemon contrasts well with the yellow flowers of a couple of different varieties of cinqfoil and the golden aster,” Beah Craddock said. “It’s essentially maintenance-free.

And the hummingbirds love it.”

She said their landscape is perfect for them because it requires so little effort on their part. “We want to relax when we’re at home. And this way, we have more of the plants that occur naturally on our property, but closer to the patio and in greater abundance.”

EASY FOR DO-IT-YOUSELFERS

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When Keith and Lois Welsh, also of Log Hill, envisioned the backyard landscape of their custom-built luxury home, they designed it themselves.

“We brought in a good soil for the rocklined garden walls and broadcast a lot of native wildflower seed mix,” said Keith, who also designed the massive rock seating around a fire pit encircled by antique wagons and 1900s mining paraphernalia.

The Dakota sandstone rocks were sourced from their property during construction.

“It was an easy and relatively quick way to get quite a few perennial plants established,” he said. “We really enjoy seeing them reseed and multiply each year.”

Keith admits that not all of the plants in their landscape are native to Colorado.

The Welshes also use a mix of annuals in planters, window boxes, and tucked here and there into their perennial beds.

Therein lies the conundrum.

“More people want native plants, especially for xeriscapes, yet the gardening trade has not been able to provide a lot of variety,” explained Sheree Wanner, owner of Camelot Gardens in Montrose.

People who want strictly native landscapes may find them hard to find, depending on the year and market trends. Wanner said many of her clients use a mix of natives, nativars, and

Scarlet Gilia

cultivars and a variety of both annual and perennial plants. “And we always keep a list of special requests for plants people are trying to find,” she added.

SOURCING NATIVE PLANTS

Tufted Evening Primrose

Columbine

Richardson Geranimum

Finding native plants that meet a region’s requirements to thrive can be challenging.

There are resources, however, in Colorado, in nearby states, and online.

“It’s not always easy to find exactly what you’re looking for,” Wanner said.

One possibility: plan to incorporate as many native plants as possible into the landscape, with a mixture of nativars and cultivars. Eventually, the nonnatives can be phased out if a homeowner prefers.

Nativars are a hybrid or clone of a native species, while cultivars — which are bred specifically to have bigger or more colorful flowers, longer bloom times, or other features desirable in an ornamental garden — may not offer the same nectar requirements for native pollinators.

Fortunately, many wildflowers native to Colorado can be started from seed.

Reputable sources for seeds include Western Native Seed in Coaldale www.westernnativeseed.com and Applewood Seed Company in Arvada www. applewoodseed.com/product/nativecolorado-mixture. The Colorado Native Plant Society recommends specifying seeds and seed mixes native specifically to Colorado, as there are many western states seed mixes on the market. Many western states seed mixes include species not native to Colorado and some may even include species that are considered weedy or noxious in Colorado, such as oxeye daisy.

High quality, potted starter plants are also available from several regional nurseries such as Camelot Gardens in Montrose, Wildland Scapes in Moab, Chelsea Garden in Clifton and, on the Front Range, High Plains Environmental Center, located in Loveland.

Common varieties that do well in the San Juans region include firecracker penstemon (Penstemon eatonii), Rocky Mountain penstemon (Penstemon strictus) scarlet gilia (Ipomopsis aggregata), tufted evening primrose (Oenothera caespitosa), western yarrow (Achillea millefolium) and the state flower, Rocky Mountain columbine (Aquilegia coerulea).

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BY LESLIE VREELAND

Gangly and elegant: Meet the great blue heron

Awkward grace

hey live near water yet rarely swim.

They are predators and preyed upon.

They nest communally, but are loners.

They look ungainly, yet are remarkably adroit, able to contort angular bodies and stick-shaped limbs into seemingly impossible poses atop their nests.

And here is another contradiction about great blue herons, North America’s largest, most widespread wading bird: they have a communal nesting site right out in the open, off U.S. 550, opposite Ridgway State Park.

Yet chances are, you won’t see them.

The group of about 20 nests is situated atop a stand of cottonwood trees, 100 feet or so above ground, on private property. The nests provide shelter for the herons and their young from predators, such as black bears and raccoons, but not from all who would do them harm from above. Bald eagles, for example, cruise the local skies — they make their own nests along the Uncompaghre River, closer to downtown Ridgway — and are the only bird known to attack both adult herons and their chicks. Hawks are enemies of young herons, as are owls, turkey

vultures and ravens. Black-billed magpies might like to steal their eggs.

All of them live around here.

That’s the benefit of a communal nesting site, which offers birds “all kinds of advantages” against predators, said Mary Taylor Young, author of the first book to focus exclusively on the avians of this state, “The Guide to Colorado Birds.”

“If a predator arrives, there are many eyes to note the danger,” Young said.

“And if there are many of you, there’s less of a chance that you’ll be the one who’s caught. It’s why birds flock together.”

All of which makes it even more intriguing that a predator resides smack dab in the middle of the herons’ colony (called a heronry). Bruce Ackerman, president of the Black Canyon chapter of the National Audubon Society, has observed a redtailed hawk raising its young in a nest nearby the herons.’

Even more surprising: a red-tail has done this for two years running. “I’ve definitely observed a hawk nesting in the heronry many times this year, and also last year,” Ackerman said. “I’m guessing it must be the same bird.”

Even with an enemy just a cottonwood or so away, so far at least, the herons keep on. Despite the mortal peril, the sprucing-up of nests, and mating, and rearing of young high above the valley floor continues.

The cycle begins around March and lasts about five months, long enough for a pair to court, mate, lay eggs, and for their nestlings to fledge. Great blues are ancient birds; the first herons turn up in the fossil record between 60 and 38-million years ago, and herons as we know them today are at least 7 million years old. They stand 3.2-4.5 feet tall, and their exceptionally wide wingspan of up to 6.6 feet makes them unmistakeable in flight.

“You’ll absolutely see herons” in the sky, Taylor Young said, but you won’t necessarily hear them. Herons “croak” upon landing, and send up a harsh, warning squawk when taking flight. Males and females will clatter their swordlike bills, and so do hungry, aggressive chicks on the nest. Herons have been referred to as “dinosaur birds” for their striking resemblance to prehistoric avians. “They’re very distinctive,” said Taylor Young, given their huge wingspan, their gangly, angular shapes and the “slow pattern” of their wing beats. “If you notice a large bird in flight, it’s very likely to be a great blue heron.”

PATIENT HUNTERS Herons are not birds of prey, but they are carnivorous, accomplished hunters who silently stalk their intended victim, >>>

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step by step, and suddenly strike with blade-like bills. (Taylor Young calls their method of seizing prey “stab and grab.”)

Though they typically situate their nests communally by water, “great blue herons are well-known hunters in non-aquatic habitats,” said Zach Hutchinson, community naturalist for Audubon of the Rockies. “You’ll find them in an open field, picking off mice and voles,” or rats and gophers.

We picture them residing near water, and while that is true, because the great blue heron is such an accomplished hunter — and eats almost anything it can catch — it is able to thrive almost everywhere in the U.S. Thus, even on the arid, landlocked Western Slope, as Bruck Ackerman puts it, “There’s a wading bird among us.”

Historically, they’ve not nested in cottonwood trees, “which are a product of human activity in the West,” Hutchinson said. “We made a video of great blues

in northwest Wyoming, where they nest in ponderosa pine trees. Years ago, you might have seen hundreds of nests in such places. Some of the things I’ve seen them eat would impress people,” he added. “I’ve seen them swallow whole turtles and muskrats.” With their long, angular bodies, stick-like legs and skinny bills, Great blues remind Hutchinson of something “out of Jurassic Park,” such as a pterodactyl. “They’re so dinosaurian in looks and behavior and sound.”

DRAMA OF NESTING SEASON Great blues are difficult to study (one challenge for researchers is how high they place their nests above-ground), and much about them remains enigmatic. It is known that herons on the Front Range migrate south each winter, for example, when rivers freeze. On the Western Slope, where some waters

flow year-round, it is believed that some birds are year-round residents, and others likely migrate south during winter for better fishing. Wherever they go, come spring, there’s likely a rush to reclaim the nests off Route 550 (large nests take a lot of effort to construct, and large birds including herons, eagles and hawks reuse them every year).

The male arrives first, and presents a selection of carefully chosen sticks to his partner, who does the construction. The process takes about two weeks. “For such large birds, with such unusual proportions, they’re able to land, and build, in the highest places,” Hutchinson said. “They look ungainly. They’re awkward grace. They’re not contractors, yet their nests are able to withstand 70-mph-hour winds.”

Once situated, a nesting pair will protect their home against all comers (red-tails included), in all kinds of weather, including fierce winds, pouring rain and even

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blizzards. “You have to guard your nest constantly, because someone else will come and steal your sticks,” Ackerman said. “After that, you have to guard your eggs.”

The female lays three to five pale blue ones; the couple takes turns incubating them. Once the eggs hatch, the parents take turns feeding, which boils down to round-the-clock hunting followed by regurgitation.

“The first month, the adults stay on the nest the whole time with the babies, who can’t keep themselves warm,” Ackerman said. “They’re little and naked and grow fast. The thing that grows fastest is the feet,” which consist of two claws in front, and one in back, the better to hang on, and hang in. “There’s nothing good that will happen” if a nestling falls or is pushed out by an aggressive sibling, Ackerman noted. Great blue herons will ignore a chick that falls to the ground.

“If you notice a large bird in flight, it’s very likely to be a great blue heron.”

Mary Taylor Young When their young are able to fly, a parent teaches them to hunt. Soon, the family disbands, and for the next eight months or so, the birds likely live by themsleves. “Nests are not like a house,” Taylor Young observed. “Birds only utilize them for rearing their young.”

The rest of the year, “herons shelter in vegetation, where they’re safe from predators.” Just like herons, the colonies have a lifespan. Some last 30 years or so, until the trees that host them die or fall over. Others are abandoned; great blues are extremely sensitive to

intrusion, and have been known to flee their nests because of the presence of humans. “You can easily disturb birds if they perceive a threat on the ground,” Taylor Young said. “We’re all stewards of wildlife in this state. I would encourage people to view nesting great blues from a distance, with binoculars or a spotting scope.”

Once nesting season is over, usually

by August on the Western Slope, the birds are off. “They range widely, and alone,” Hutchinson said. That describes the great blue I spied at dusk recently, flying low over the buildings of downtown Ridgway. It glided over a group waiting to enter Taco Del Gnar, probably on its way to its own meal in the empty fields just outside town (herons are known to hunt at night).

The bird was utterly silent; not a single human looked up.

In a couple of wingbeats, it was gone.

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“It’s hard to fully articulate what you are going to do, until you start doing it.”

Natalie Binder made out of rocks and boxes up on a hill, and the games of sticks and stones they would play, late into summer nights.

“It was a special place. And all children needed to go there was a long stick and a soaring imagination,” the story began.

V IS FOR VANCORUM

There is a children’s storybook called “Roxaboxen,” by Alice McLerran, about an old mining camp somewhere in the desert southwest, and the scrappy group of miner’s kids that banded together in accidental friendship there, in what appeared to be the 1940s, and the fort that they

The historic cabins at Camp V were built as company housing for the Vanadium Corporation at the dawn of the West End’s uranium boom in 1942.

For almost eight decades, this settlement was known as Vancorum.

(Photo courtesy of Camp V)

The old mining camp of Vancorum, perched on a flat bench of land just downstream from Naturita, is kind of like that.

Walk down the shady drive with its tidy rows of tiny cabins on either side, built in 1942 at the dawn of the West End’s uranium boom, and you can imagine the generations of miner’s kids that learned to ride their bikes there, the forts that they made up on the rocky hill where the old metal water tank still stands, the

swimming holes down on the San Miguel River that slides through the rimrocked canyon below.

Natalie Binder’s dad was one of those kids. He spent a brief chapter of his childhood at Vancorum in one of its nicest, >>> biggest cabins.

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“The incredible history of Camp V includes Ute Indians and the miners and has served as the home to many residents of the area for over 80 years.”

doubles as the check-in lobby and gift shop, intriguing art installations made of repurposed junk, and a primitive car-camping and van-camping area down by the river already open for business, complete with a newly hired, local Naturitan campground host.

Natalie Binder

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Because Vancorum was built to house engineers and other higher-ups in the Vanadium Mining Corporation, the locals in Naturita called it “Snob Hill.” It was really nothing fancy, though. The cabins were cramped, albeit nicely finished for their time, each set in the middle of a spacious, dusty yard.

Throughout the West End’s booms and busts, Vancorum stayed put on its stout foundations. In the 70s, a new owner transformed the settlement into a rental housing community. By the time Binder came along in 2017 and bought it from that longtime owner — a feisty, classy West End native named Pat Smith — the place had become a bit run down.

But Binder had a vision for the old Vancorum site.

V IS FOR VISION She pictured a “glampground” that paid homage to the region’s rich, colorful mining roots while also tapping into the surrounding vast outdoor playground, to give the struggling West End economy a much-needed boost.

Glampers could spend their days fly fishing or stand up paddle boarding along the San Miguel River, rock climbing in steep sandstone canyons, or riding a network of mountain bike trails developed by the West End Trail Alliance. At night, they could gather around communal campfires to share stories and ideas under dazzling starry skies, before turning in for the night in a cozy remodeled cabin, or a swank safari tent, or a vintage Airstream trailer, or a hammock swinging in the breeze down by the river.

She would call this place “Camp V.” Three years later, Binder’s vision is about to become a reality, with the cabins stripped back to their studs to await remodeling, a “magic school bus” that

The wild rimrock canyon country of the West End beckons to growing numbers of outdoor enthusiasts.

(Photo courtesy of Camp V)

“The incredible history of Camp V includes Ute Indians and the miners and has served as the home to many residents of the area for over 80 years,” Binder said.

“We take huge responsibility in retelling these rich stories and allowing them to unfold through design and art.”

V IS FOR VOCATION Binder is perhaps the only person on the planet with the unique set of qualifications to pull this off.

For one thing, both sides of Binder’s family are from this very area. Her grand-

mother on her mom’s side used to be the Montrose County Judge, and is now the interim superintendent for the Norwood School District.

Her grandmother on her dad’s side was the secretary to the president of Vanadium Corporation, a big deal for a

woman at that time. The family lived at Vancorum briefly in the 1960s while they were renovating their house in Naturita — the old Blake Street Inn right next to the Dollar Store.

“And next to that was Binder’s Texaco, which was where all the miners hung out and it was a bar,” Binder explained. “It was the social center of town.”

Her dad left Naturita in the 80s when the uranium mines closed down. Binder was born and raised in Green River, a Wyoming mining town. The economy of the West End had started to decline by then, but her family returned many times over the years to hunt and spend time on the land.

“I always thought I’d like to live in Telluride, but struggled with the feeling that it was not a real place,” Binder said.

Nevertheless, that’s where she ended up settling, building a flourishing career in luxury hospitality, buying a home and getting elected to the Mountain Village town council. Along the way, she earned a master’s degree in construction management.

Binder had been in Telluride for 19 years when Vancorum came on the market. She had been thinking about launching a “little glamping project,” she said, and this seemed like the perfect place to do it. She talked it over with her family. Everyone told her she was absolutely crazy.

But Binder couldn’t shake her dream.

At the same time, her close friends Bruce and Jodie Wright, who own One Architects in Telluride, were also looking for a project that offered a bigger canvas than what they could experiment with in Telluride’s heavily regulated box canyon.

They decided to partner up. “I think we always knew we were going to do something together, but we weren’t entirely sure what that would be,” Binder said. “It turned out to be Camp V.” V IS FOR VENTURE ACCELERATOR A year or so after buying the historic core of the Vancorum property, as Binder was going through the permitting process with Montrose County and looking for investors to help fund the development of the project, Telluride Foundation president Paul Major approached her and said, “We’d love for you to participate in the >>> Telluride Venture Accelerator.”

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Binder knew a little bit about TVA, but it had never occurred to her that Camp V would be a good fit for the program, since it was, at its core, a real estate investment — “not some new kind of earbuds or something like that.”

“You are absolutely a fit,” Major assured Binder, giving her a much-needed boost of confidence. Major explained that as part of its Stronger Neighbors Initiative, the Telluride Foundation was deeply committed to supporting innovative economic development in the West End, and had in fact just helped get Nucla and Naturita designated as a federal Opportunity Zone, giving huge tax breaks to potential real estate investors.

Binder was still busy with her full-time job at that time, but decided to get on board with TVA. First, she attended a few potluck founder dinners with other entrepreneurs who had gotten funded or mentored through the program. Over beers, they shared their stories.

“Everybody was like, ‘Oh my gosh,

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Above: The hardy little town of Naturita, situated on the San Miguel River between Norwood and Nucla, dates back to 1881 and has endured many booms and busts. Below: Rustic barn wood doors salvaged from sheds like this one will be repurposed as bathroom and bedroom doors inside the renovated cabins.

(Photos by Samantha Tisdel Wright)

we love what you are doing and we can’t wait to go there,’” Binder said. It was another huge confidence builder.

And Binder came to realize, “I do have a good idea. And it deserves to happen.

And I deserve to be funded just as much as they do.”

V IS FOR VOICE Binder’s mentors at TVA told her that the most important thing for her to tackle was her fear of public speaking.

They worked obsessively with her on her pitch for Camp V. “It was so helpful and so amazing to have their feedback and input,” Binder said. “Really getting up in front of all the other entrepreneurs and doing it over and over and over again. Everybody gave each other feedback. It all felt very safe.”

Finally, she presented her project at an angel-investor event in Telluride. Her well-honed pitch was a hit. She had a ton of people coming up to her after-

wards who said, “Let’s talk.” Among them was Shawn Bertini, an investor with a private real estate investment firm in Steamboat Springs called Four Points Funding that specializes in funding Opportunity Zone projects.

Bertini and some fellow investors came to Naturita a week or so later to look over the Camp V site with Binder. “They actually camped down on the property. They really wanted to feel it. And, they had some great ideas, some things that we hadn’t thought about,” Binder said.

Bertini caught Binder’s vision, and agreed that it was definitely the right idea, in the right place, at the right time, what with the whole “glamping” and “van life” thing catching on, the mountain biking

trail development underway in the West End, and with Moab both so close, and so overcrowded.

They signed a letter of intent, worked through all of the other details, “and then it grew…five times bigger,” Binder said, both in funding, and in size. “They were the ones that encouraged us to go bigger because if you are going to have these fixed costs like the water system and all that stuff, from a money perspective, it makes sense.”

That was in July of last year. By December, funding intact, she’d quit her day job to work on Camp V full time.

V IS FOR MOVEMENT The project moved forward at warp speed. By mid-June of this year, the last of the old Vancorum tenants had moved out, and all but one of the cabins had been stripped back to the studs, and treated to new plumbing, electricity, windows and doors.

Camp V was fast emerging from a warm and fuzzy dream state into crisp, HD reality. It was the perfect time to check in for an update with Binder and her partner in grime, Jodie Wright.

“We’re basically garbage-picking at this point,” laughed Wright. “We’re taking everyone else’s garbage and moving it to Camp V.” On this very day, for example, a batch of astroturf had made its way from the Telluride Transfer House to the old Vancorum ball field, and some insanely enormous pieces of metal “junk” salvaged from the decommissioned Tri-State coal-fired power plant in nearby Nucla had been repositioned down by the river as an art installation.

“We like the idea that Tri-State Power was once part of the West End’s boom and then part of the bust as well,” Wright said. “We’re going to take some of those parts and pieces to repurpose them, and put the history back in a different way.”

V IS FOR VIRUS In other words, things are coming along nicely.

As with any big construction project, though, there have been plenty of unexpected challenges along the way for Binder and Wright. For example, it was surprisingly hard to find a good plumber to work on the cabins at Camp V, because all of the subcontractors in the region tend to get sucked into much bigger, high-dollar projects around Telluride, 50-some miles to the east.

“We kept calling around and we couldn’t find somebody that was interested,” Wright said. Then along came Covid-19, and suddenly all of those big job sites in Telluride were shut down.

“Pallante Plumbing called us and said, ‘Hey, we’d love to keep our guys working,’ and they came. And now, the plumbing is done,” Wright said.

Camp V proved to be an ideally-suited >>> pandemic construction site.

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The historic cabin exteriors will remain as authentic as possible while the interiors have been stripped back to the studs to create a more spacious, modern feeling inside.

(Photo courtesy of Camp V)

Wright and Binder’s development research took them to this “glamping” setup in Virgin, Utah. Glamping, a portmanteau of “glamorous” and “camping,” is a way to experience untamed and completely unique parts of the world such as the remote West End, without having to sacrifice creature comforts. (Photo courtesy of Camp V)

“Since day one, social distancing was easy for us,” Wright said. “There’s, like, one man working in each cabin. The cabins are 100 or 200 feet apart. And if we’re not inside of a cabin doing something, we’re standing outside. So it’s naturally set up to be Covid-ready. It’s one of those things you never could have predicted.”

The coronavirus brought another unanticipated silver lining, when waves of Telluridians opted for “staycation” adventures in the West End this spring, instead of typical spring break trips to Costa Rica and other more exotic locales.

“For the first time in my 20 years in Telluride, so many of my friends were coming down here recreating and really appreciating this community for what it has to offer, instead of driving through it on the way to Moab,” Binder said. “That was really heartwarming for us to see.

And that’s exactly what we’re trying to cultivate, is those connections.”

Thanks to the coronavirus, Binder said, “We’ve already got new West End fans that are ready for us to open.”

54 V IS FOR RENOVATE Physically and spiritually, the cabin renovations are at the core of the Camp V project, so it was super-important for Binder and Wright to get them right. “The cabins are inspiring, just because of how much history they embody,” Wright explained.

Not much had been done with them since the 70s except occasional repairs, “So they absolutely needed TLC to take them from their past into today,” Wright said. “Part of what I do professionally is shepherd cool old buildings into their new life and into the future. That was what was called upon for us here.”

It took a lot of powwows about what the property was going to be, and how it was going to work, to zero in on their final vision. Finally, they decided to preserve each structure’s rustic exterior to the greatest extent possible, while tearing out the cramped, dated ‘guts’ in order to transform the interior and give each cabin a fresh, open, updated look.

Now that they’re into the bones of the buildings, “It’s just so much fun,” Wright said. “They’re so small, and they’re so accessible. They’re like little bite-sized bonbons, and there’s so many potentials and so many possibilities.”

The original wood flooring in each cabin will remain intact, complete with faintly traced footprints of ‘ghost’ walls that used to be there and divide the space. “We’re not trying to eliminate the history,” Wright said. “We’re rewriting it in a way that I think people will still be able to imagine how things used to be.”

In honor of that history, shed doors that were salvaged from old structures on the Vancorum property will get repurposed within the cabins as bathroom doors in the studio units, and as bedroom doors in the two bedroom units.

They also plan to add in cool modern amenities like custom concrete-andsteel sinks designed by the Durango company Counter Culture, gas fireplaces, and a custom line of antiquey, distressed furniture created just for Camp V by Salt Lake City furniture designer Michael Hennessy.

“It’s pretty special,” Wright said. “People come up here who have lived here

50 years ago and are like, ‘Wow, I cannot believe these cabins are still standing, and I can’t believe how you’re going to change them.”

V IS FOR EVOLUTION The new custom furniture line is a perfect example of how quickly Camp V has evolved from idea to reality.

Binder and Wright serendipitously learned of Hennessy’s work, which is showcased through his company, Blackhouse Textiles. They loved it. Hennessy loved what they were doing, too. So much so, that he jumped in his car and drove straight to Camp V to meet them.

“Now, we are talking about finalizing a crate (of furniture),” Binder said, just seven days later. “And we’re gonna have that done by next week. It was kismet, very much like what has happened with this entire project. We could drag it on forever,” she said, “but all of our personas

Above: Design elements at Camp V, sketched by Jodie Wright of One Architects.

Below: The historic water tanks on the hillside above Camp V loom like ancient beings, quietly watching over the evolution of the settlement down below. (Photos courtesy of Camp V)

out. There’s no paralysis, or weight of a decision. I feel like we fill each other’s gaps. We are all super-capable. We’re a pretty solid pie chart of skills.”

More importantly, Binder said, “We are having a blast. We are working our asses off. We are loving it here. We are loving this community.”

And so far, Naturita’s community appears to love them back.

“We want to create a place where people start having a different conversation about the West End,” Binder said. “I want other entrepreneurs to come here, and artists, and outdoor people, and say ‘Yeah this is it.’”

V IS FOR SAVE

lend to wanting to see evolution. Right now. And you see the evolution pretty quickly, obviously, when you make decisions and give people clear direction.”

V IS FOR CREATIVE As an architect in wealthy Telluride, Wright has become accustomed to working on projects where money is no object. At Camp V, however, her favorite word is “budget.”

It gives her a constraint to work within, which has fostered a surprising amount of creativity.

“If I had to give it an analogy, I would say redesigning one of our cabins is like trying to find the best $15 bottle of wine,” she said. “You can’t spend as much as you want to. You’ve got 10 or 15 bucks in your pocket, and you want it to just be the best. But in this case, you’re finding that $15 bottle that gets 98 points.”

Both Wright and Binder acknowledge that the process of working within a budget has been challenging. “But it has also been a lot of fun, and I think it’s pushed all of us to be really creative,” Binder said. “We’re having to really think about it and be really thoughtful.”

V IS FOR LOVE The office Binder and Wright share at Camp V is set up in the only remaining cabin that has yet to be gutted. Inside, there is a hand-painted message on the wall that reads, “Camp V is more than a place to stay,” and a hand-drawn map of what Camp V will one day look like — complete with art gardens and Hammock Town and Fun Island — and a white board filled with a million neatly written to-dos.

That’s also part of the fun.

“We’re all ‘get ‘er done’ people,” Wright said. “We’re scrappy and try to figure it

A few nights later, Binder lights a campfire at Camp V, and considers the tidy rows of old Vancorum cabins — neatly numbered, freshly gutted, and plumbed, and wired, almost ready to greet a new generation of guests to stay and play in the West End. Down on the river, some friends from Telluride have come in to camp for the night. They ride their bikes across the old ball field, and bang on the old crooked water tank up on the hill. The big sky flares and darkens, and the tawny rimrock country softens into a dream.

“I think that is why so many people have hung on here for so long,” Binder says. “They are like, ‘Where else would I live? This place is amazing. This is my home. It deserves to be saved.’”

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BY A R I L E VAU X

One of the best dishes to eat out (or take out) can be prepared hot and fresh at home

Restaurant Tofu

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y son’s first taste of tofu was at a restaurant. He didn’t know what tofu was, or that it was coming. Having never caught wind of tofu’s bad reputation among non-Asians, he took a bite of its sauce-drenched, crispy fried goodness with an open mind.

He chewed through its golden barrier and into its moist, pillowy interior. Grunting his approval, he kept eating. That, ideally, is how you meet and greet tofu.

Most tofu virgins know it’s out there: They’ve heard the stories of what this personality-free substance doesn’t taste like. Unless their first bite is at a restaurant, their fears are likely confirmed.

Statistically speaking, non-Asians do a poor job cooking tofu, my dad included.

He called tofu “bean curd,” like you did back in the 1970s.

Before serving me the bean curd, Dad explained that it was something I would be eating in place of meat, which I had recently sworn off for ethical reasons.

Dad was a good cook, and while bean curd was not his strong suit, he made a wellresearched attempt at it. I was seven years old, and I vividly remember its chalky, flaccid, absent presence.

Although my father’s intentions were pure, he could not have devised a more effective way to change my mind about vegetarianism.

If only he had known then what I know now about freezing tofu, I might still be a vegetarian. But at least in my lifetime I have been able to finish what he started. I’m not referring to the fact that I have become one of those weirdos who likes raw, unseasoned tofu, but that I now know how to cook it like the pros.

This time of year, with so many new veggies in season, stirfries are in play, and proper tofu can make any stir-fry seem

like royalty. But tofu’s default state is flaccid and flavorless, characteristics that will carry through to the finished product unless you take precautionary measures. Namely, put your brick of firm tofu in the freezer for a few days.

That’s mostly it, actually.

That, and some cornstarch and sauce, and you’re set.

There’s no law that you must add golden cubes of crispy, meaty, succulent tofu into every stir-fry. It is, however, something of a tradition for a reason. Adding tofu doesn’t mean skipping meat, depending on your inclinations. Tofu is great with every type of animal protein, from chicken to eggs to bacon to seafood.

There is a lot going on in a stir-fry, and it’s easy to overlook the tofu, which would be a mistake. Just ask generations of disappointed tofu tasters. Or ask my son, who isn’t afraid to call out half-assed bean curd. But you should see him light up for “restaurant tofu.”

Restaurant tofu has a resilient, fleshy quality, a tasty brown skin that holds onto sauce, and a springy, moist interior. Tofu is mostly water, and when you freeze it, the water expands, rupturing channels through the tofu as it tries to push its way out. The channels soon act as portals to allow in a certain sauce we call “restaurant sauce.” You can guess the kinds of restaurants we frequent.

When thawed, you gently squeeze out as much excess water as you can. I drink the tofu water, savoring its mellow, comforting flavor. What’s left resembles an empty sponge — a thawed brick of culinary potential capable of absorbing many things, and taking on all manner of flavors. Such as restaurant sauce, or your favorite marinade. Those cubes soak up the sauce like thirsty sailors.

I dust the saucy cubes with cornstarch and deep-fry them into golden blocks of joy that explode with flavor when you crunch through them, the way restaurant tofu should.

Marinated Restaurant Tofu For a fun side dish, save the onions from the marinade, roll them in extra cornstarch, and deep fry into a tasty accompaniment, snack or garnish.

Serves 2 1 12 oz. brick firm or extra-firm tofu, frozen for at least three days, thawed overnight, squeezed of excess water and cut into ½-inch cubes 1 tablespoon each soy sauce, oyster sauce, and rice vinegar 1 teaspoon each fish sauce, hoisin sauce, hot sauce, sesame oil and brown sugar ¼ teaspoon black pepper ¼ onion, sliced and teased apart 2 cloves garlic, minced 1 cubic inch ginger, peeled and sliced 2 cups vegetable oil 4 tablespoons cornstarch (more for 57 onion/ginger/garlic fritter rings) Combine all of the sauces, along with the onion, garlic, ginger and black pepper, and toss the cubes of thawed tofu in the sauce. The tofu will absorb every last drop.

Heat the oil to 350 degrees in a small, deep pan suitable for frying. While the oil is heating, toss the tofu cubes and cornstarch in a bowl until the tofu is coated. Save the onions for later.

Deep-fry the cubes for two to four minutes, depending on how dark and crispy you like them. They don’t need much time. Remove and allow to drain and cool in a colander, or on paper towels.

Toss the onion sections in the cornstarch, adding more if necessary, and then fry in the hot oil. They take a bit longer to cook because of all of the water. Don’t stir them. Let the strands fry into a 3D-like matrix.

If serving your tofu with a stir-fry, prepare it first and set it aside while you prepare the stir-fry. Don’t add the tofu until serving time, or serve it on the side, ready to mix in. Stir-fry and restaurant tofu need each other, and when you put them close enough together they’ll figure it out.

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