Waking up to Highland’s Peak, bathed in the deepest soothing pastel pinks and reds, I rose out of bed and packed up my road bike. I was heading down to Basalt to get the air conditioning fixed in my Hÿûndaī. My plan was to stay down there all day; coffee at Confluence; road bike ride up the Frying Pan River with a good friend; stop by our sweet little house on the corner that we are renting out; and then work at The Basalt Regional Library. With enormous windows facing the woods, this library is one of my favorite places to work. It had been a while since I had hung out in Basalt, the town we moved away from in order to keep the boys in the Aspen School District.

Right from the get go my journey had to shift traction. Basalt’s only coffee shop had closed, and so I sat on a park bench in the sun on Midland Ave, took my laptop out, and began writing while observing the slow bustle of morning Basalt life.

Getting hungry, I went to Heather’s Savory Pies and Tapas Bar, a place where I could write and eat a quick, healthy lunch. It was the warm red painted building and the Cherry Blossom tree bending over the sign that lured me in. Sitting at a round table, sun rays splashed onto me from around my big, orange umbrella, and ordered an herbal iced tea and a Kale salad with dried cherries, cucumbers, red cabbage, carrots and a balsamic vinegar dressing (I’ll eat or drink anything with balsamic vinegar or maple syrup in it).

After lunch I continued my lazy but curious wander along Midland Ave as I waited for my friend to join me for our bike ride. Falling upon Skip’s Farm to Market new store on the street corner, kitty corner to Xin Yu Massage (I heard they give an excellent foot rub), I grabbed a “Fatty” (an all-natural beef jerky stick), and a Peanut Butter Jen’s Bar and took off, but not before speaking with the petite woman checking me out with wonderfully alive brown curly hair, a huge smile and electric blue eyes who told me how she loves that one can still find a parking space in town. Leaning in she slightly whispered that we should get the bumper sticker that says, “Keep Basalt Shitty.”

Finally, we headed up the Frying Pan, scouting for mountain goats and angler obsessed  fly-fisherman/and women, wading and casting peacefully in sun-sparkled gold medal waters. One might think that was slightly ambitious for our first road bike ride of the season, but we barely noticed time passing as we soaked in the warm spring sun, passing spring green farmland with new babies milking off their mamas.

Skip’s Farm to Market Menu Show on Facebook

[su_note]Grab’N Go Food Are you going fishing? Or just for a stroll down by the river? Pick up a variety of nutritious, delicious and local snacks to go with your wraps or salad. We suggest: Lizzy’s Dill Pickles, Ela Family Farms Dried Apples, Pears & Peaches Citizen Raw Onion Wholes in Jalapeño, Fresh Organic Oranges, La Roca Tortillaria, Fresh Corn Chips with Lizzy’s Tomatillo Salsa Meat Lover Wrap #1: Flour tortilla, BBQ chicken, bacon, tomato, and spinach. Meat Lover Wrap #2: Flour tortilla, Sriracha mayo, chicken, bacon, tomato, and spinach. Very Veggie Wrap: Flour tortilla, grilled eggplant, Swiss Cheese, spinach, radish, onion, and champagne vinaigrette. Breakfast burrito: Flour tortilla, pork breakfast sausage, bacon, eggs, potato, onion, Swiss cheese, salt and pepper. Garden Salad: Spinach, radish, tomato, carrot, cucumber and red onion. Kale Salad! Gah! More to Come Soon! Your Choice Salad Dressing Options: Champagne Vinaigrette, Raspberry Vinaigrette, Molasses Vinaigrette.[/su_note]

After falling into one of my favorite shoe stores, Midland Shoe, and buying a pair of boots on sale with money I would now have to raise, piano notes spilled out of The Art of Hair, a funky art gallery/John Wyman hair salon. Of course, I had to walk in and sit down on a white bench while the man kept playing. When he finished, he looked up and said hello. His name was Marcus Chatman, an incredibly talented musician who just moved to the valley with his family. When he began to play again he chose Hallelujah, and his gorgeous, melodic voice broke out into song, while I broke out in quiet tears. Marcus had randomly chosen to play the song I was asked to rewrite by Rabbi Itzhak for our oldest son’s Barmitzvah program.

[su_quote cite=”417Mag.com” url=”https://www.417mag.com/blog/marcus-chatmans-musical-journey/”%5DMarcus Chatman has been touring since childhood. Born into a musical family, he was singing harmonies as soon as he was old enough to speak. Chatman was the youngest of four children, dad was a baptist music minister.[/su_quote]

Driving home I soaked it all in. The morning, the bike ride, the time with Marcus, and I smiled large. My life was exactly where it was supposed to be. On that drive home, all was good, and humane and magical – and I hoped that the feeling would stay with me until the next time I decided to take  time to slow down and let the serendipitous life travel happen. If one moves too fast, one may miss it all.

Hallelujah For Brevitt

I’ve heard there were some secret prayers

To teach me of the world out there

But I don’t really understanding all the meaning.

I studied hard with every bend Doing all I could to comprehend

The baffled son composing Hallelujah

Hallelujah, Hallelujah Hallelujah, Hallelujah

My faith was strong but I needed proof

It’s so confusing as a youth

Finding meaning isn’t always easy to do

As I studied I soon would find the words

to be molded and defined

And from my lips I drew the Hallelujah

Hallelujah, Hallelujah Hallelujah, Hallelujah

Now I radiate with love

and move through life with God above

A new perception filtering all through me

It didn’t come quickly in the night

I needed help to see the light

and now I’m ready to sing my Hallelujahs

Hallelujah, Hallelujah Hallelujah,

Hallelujah Hallelujah, Hallelujah

Hallelujah, Hallelujah [/su_box]

https://www.aspenreallife.com/2015/10/30/seeing-aspen-through-a-teenagers-eyes/