Beth Groundwater's Blog, page 2
September 25, 2014
Report on the Breckenridge Festival of Film
What a jam-packed weekend the Breckenridge Festival of Film put on last weekend! My husband and I had a blast, going our separate ways and meeting for parties. We wanted to see different films, and he was a Film Liaison volunteer, so he had to introduce his filmmakers' films. I, on the other hand, was interested in meeting as many Short Drama filmmakers as possible, to let them know I was responsible for selecting their films (as Short Drama lead on the Program Committee) and to tell them how much I enjoyed their films.
The festival kicked off Thursday evening with three parties and a film: The Filmmaker Welcome Party at The Warming Hut, the VIP Party at the Riverwalk Center, the Opening Night Film, It's Not You, It's Me , and a late Opening Night Party at the River Mountain Lodge. The first photo below is me with Robb Woulfe, CEO of Cultural Arts of the town of Breckenridge, and his wife at the VIP Party. The second is of me with hubby and friends at the Opening Night Party.
Friday, I went to see the High School films in the afternoon and was pleasantly surprised by the creativity shown by these young filmmakers. After the late afternoon Industry Party at Montana's Cantina, I watched the Adventure Reel of high-energy, outdoor action sports and exploration films, headlined by Roraima -- Climbers of the Lost World , then went to the late night Official After Party at Cecilia's Martini Bar and Nightclub.
Saturday afternoon, I sat through all three Filmmaker Forum panels of 8-9 filmmakers each, then chatted with those I wanted to meet after each panel. Then I watched a full-length slapstick comedy film set in Turkey, Dugan Dernek . After a quick sandwich at The Crown Cafe, I watched the second half of the Adventure Reel selections at the Riverwalk Center, headlined by Higher , an extreme backcountry snowboarding movie. Then I attended the Blue Stag Saloon Party to "come down" from the adrenaline high produced by the Adventure Reel. The photo below shows my husband and me with Town Council member Erin Gigliello at the party.
I spent Sunday running from one overlapping film to another, starting with Flying the Feathered Edge , a documentary of aviation legend Bob Hoover's life. I left before the final minutes of this excellent film to catch a showing of BFFs , a full-length comedy about two women friends going to a couples retreat. Then I ran over to a showing of Life Itself , a documentary about film critic Roger Ebert. I missed the first half hour of the film, but the rest was wonderful!
Hubby and I had a quick dinner at Rita's, then we watched the Awards Ceremony followed by Una Vida , the Closing Night film. It is a drama about Alzheimer's disease that is set in New Orleans. Finally, we went to the Wrap Party at the Blue River Bistro. The photo below shows us with other partiers, including the Emma movie filmmaker, an enthusiastic young man who starred in his film and won our Best Actor award.
I can't wait for the 2015 Breck Film Fest!
The festival kicked off Thursday evening with three parties and a film: The Filmmaker Welcome Party at The Warming Hut, the VIP Party at the Riverwalk Center, the Opening Night Film, It's Not You, It's Me , and a late Opening Night Party at the River Mountain Lodge. The first photo below is me with Robb Woulfe, CEO of Cultural Arts of the town of Breckenridge, and his wife at the VIP Party. The second is of me with hubby and friends at the Opening Night Party.
Friday, I went to see the High School films in the afternoon and was pleasantly surprised by the creativity shown by these young filmmakers. After the late afternoon Industry Party at Montana's Cantina, I watched the Adventure Reel of high-energy, outdoor action sports and exploration films, headlined by Roraima -- Climbers of the Lost World , then went to the late night Official After Party at Cecilia's Martini Bar and Nightclub.
Saturday afternoon, I sat through all three Filmmaker Forum panels of 8-9 filmmakers each, then chatted with those I wanted to meet after each panel. Then I watched a full-length slapstick comedy film set in Turkey, Dugan Dernek . After a quick sandwich at The Crown Cafe, I watched the second half of the Adventure Reel selections at the Riverwalk Center, headlined by Higher , an extreme backcountry snowboarding movie. Then I attended the Blue Stag Saloon Party to "come down" from the adrenaline high produced by the Adventure Reel. The photo below shows my husband and me with Town Council member Erin Gigliello at the party.
I spent Sunday running from one overlapping film to another, starting with Flying the Feathered Edge , a documentary of aviation legend Bob Hoover's life. I left before the final minutes of this excellent film to catch a showing of BFFs , a full-length comedy about two women friends going to a couples retreat. Then I ran over to a showing of Life Itself , a documentary about film critic Roger Ebert. I missed the first half hour of the film, but the rest was wonderful!
Hubby and I had a quick dinner at Rita's, then we watched the Awards Ceremony followed by Una Vida , the Closing Night film. It is a drama about Alzheimer's disease that is set in New Orleans. Finally, we went to the Wrap Party at the Blue River Bistro. The photo below shows us with other partiers, including the Emma movie filmmaker, an enthusiastic young man who starred in his film and won our Best Actor award.
I can't wait for the 2015 Breck Film Fest!
September 22, 2014
More Hiking and Biking in Summit County
In September, I was able to fit in two of my favorite local hikes near Breckenridge, CO--McCullough Gulch and Mohawk Lakes. Below is a photo of me (in the middle) with two hiking friends, showing lower Mohawk Lake in the background.
Last Wednesday, I had my last bike ride of the season with the No Name Group--last ride for them, but not for me. I hope to be riding through the end of the month. We biked from Frisco to Keystone and back, with lovely views of gold, peach, and rose-colored aspens under a blue, blue sky with temps in the sixties. A perfect day for riding! The photos below were taken by Dick Candlemo.
Last Wednesday, I had my last bike ride of the season with the No Name Group--last ride for them, but not for me. I hope to be riding through the end of the month. We biked from Frisco to Keystone and back, with lovely views of gold, peach, and rose-colored aspens under a blue, blue sky with temps in the sixties. A perfect day for riding! The photos below were taken by Dick Candlemo.
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September 17, 2014
Volunteering in Breckenridge, CO
Last Thursday, my husband and I volunteered to be Hole-in-One judges for Fatty's Golf Tournament at the Breckenridge Golf Course. Fatty's is a local Italian restaurant that hosts an annual fun golf tournament that benefits a local charity. This year, the beneficiary was the National Repertory Orchestra. Since the NRO Director of Marketing and Development knows us as steadfast supporters and volunteers, she asked if we would be willing to be judges. We were happy to oblige, and since many of the teams were dressing in costume, we decided to wear our Viking horn hats that we had decorated for Breckenridge's annual winter Ullr Festival (Ullr is the Norse god of snow). You can see us at our posts below.
Then last Saturday was Summit County's Make A Difference Day. We celebrate it early, because in October, we're likely to have snow that would get in the way of accomplishing outdoor projects. My husband and I volunteered to do some trail building work with the Friends of the Breckenridge Trails. We worked on adding a new section to the ZL Trail to connect it to the Galena Ditch Trail. The photo below shows me taking a break from wielding such tools as a McLeod, a Pulaski, and a shovel to create the new trail.
Then last Saturday was Summit County's Make A Difference Day. We celebrate it early, because in October, we're likely to have snow that would get in the way of accomplishing outdoor projects. My husband and I volunteered to do some trail building work with the Friends of the Breckenridge Trails. We worked on adding a new section to the ZL Trail to connect it to the Galena Ditch Trail. The photo below shows me taking a break from wielding such tools as a McLeod, a Pulaski, and a shovel to create the new trail.
September 3, 2014
Not all hikes are for viewing wildflowers ...
... as shown in this photo of a Summit County Senior Center "Walkie Talkies" hike to the Mountain Pride mine site near Breckenridge, CO, which includes seven buildings other than the mine itself (behind the group), a couple of graves, and a tin can midden.
August 29, 2014
Stage 5 of the USA Pro Challenge
Last Friday, my hometown of Breckenridge, Colorado, hosted the finish of Stage 5 of the USA Pro Challenge bicycle race that included internationally-known racers that have competed in the Tour de France and other well-known multi-day/week races. By hosting a start or finish, a town or city turns it into an all-day event, with vendor booths and side competitions or demonstrations. So, along with watching the racers come through town, we shopped the vendor booths and entered their contests and observed the pond crossing contest and a stunt bike performance. We also listened to the free Big Head Todd and the Monsters concert at the Riverwalk Center that evening for awhile before walking home. Below are a few photos from the fun day.
The first three photos from the pond crossing contest are from Sharon Trombore. Hubby and I are in the last photo. Competitors tried to bike across a six inch wide wooden plank bridge to get to the other side of the Dredge Pond without falling in the very cold water. As can be seen in the middle photo, one young man even tried it on a unicycle. The winners primarily were local midde-school aged kids.
The next two photos show racers screaming around corners in town, prior to tackling the steep climb up (over 10% grade) Moonstone Road before zooming down Boreas Pass Road back into town and the finish line.
Stage winner Laurent Didier from Luxembourg crossing the finish line.
The first three photos from the pond crossing contest are from Sharon Trombore. Hubby and I are in the last photo. Competitors tried to bike across a six inch wide wooden plank bridge to get to the other side of the Dredge Pond without falling in the very cold water. As can be seen in the middle photo, one young man even tried it on a unicycle. The winners primarily were local midde-school aged kids.
The next two photos show racers screaming around corners in town, prior to tackling the steep climb up (over 10% grade) Moonstone Road before zooming down Boreas Pass Road back into town and the finish line.
Stage winner Laurent Didier from Luxembourg crossing the finish line.
August 25, 2014
Canoeing on Lake Dillon
About a week and a half ago, my husband and I took a canoe out of the Frisco Marina and paddled around Lake Dillon, Colorado. It was a beautiful still morning, and we even managed to spot an osprey.
August 20, 2014
Shrine Pass - A Wildflower Wonder
I'm a little behind on posting photos of my outdoor experiences, because I've been too busy having those experiences to sit in front of the computer and compose a post! Anyway, I took a day off from fun today to do chores and errands (and it rained this morning anyway). So, here are some photos of an August 8th "Women With Altitude" hike to Shrine Pass, above the rest area at the top of Vail Pass in Colorado. Even though it was a little late in the season, the wildflowers were still spectacular, as were the views. A beautiful day!
The photo above features some bright pink stalks of Elephant Head flowers, and the one below is of our group (I'm in a purple shirt).
The photo below is of blue Lupines and white Bistort, also called miner's socks, because of their stinky smell. Below are more lupines and red Indian Paintbrush.
Did you see the deer in the next-to-last photo? The last photo is of blue Gentians.
The photo above features some bright pink stalks of Elephant Head flowers, and the one below is of our group (I'm in a purple shirt).
The photo below is of blue Lupines and white Bistort, also called miner's socks, because of their stinky smell. Below are more lupines and red Indian Paintbrush.
Did you see the deer in the next-to-last photo? The last photo is of blue Gentians.
August 10, 2014
The Neighborhood Bear
A couple of days ago, a huge black bear visited our neighborhood in the early afternoon. One of the rental homes had their trash can stowed in a shed behind the garage that had a flimsy plywood door with no lock, and the bear figured out how to get in. Neighbors watched as the bear systematically dragged one plastic bag at a time out of the trash can onto the lawn, ripped it open and ate anything remotely edible inside. After a big meal, the bear went for a swim in a nearby pond and lumbered off.
Meanwhile the yard maintenance crew working in the area changed their schedule to work on the other side neighborhood to stay well out of the bear's way. Once it was gone, the crew cleaned up the mess. The rental company was notified, as were the current renters. They moved the trash can into the garage, and the shed will be rebuilt stronger and with a bearproof lock. The bear, in the meantime, was spotted the next day swimming in the pond again, probably after reconnoitering the area, looking for more easy food pickings. We all hope our neighbors are keeping their trash secure, because while it was a beautiful and magnificent animal, we prefer the bear stick to wild food and move out of neighborhood.
Here are some photos my husband took of the bear--with a telephoto lens, of course. In the first photo, that's a large hot tub behind the bear, which gives you an idea of its size.
Meanwhile the yard maintenance crew working in the area changed their schedule to work on the other side neighborhood to stay well out of the bear's way. Once it was gone, the crew cleaned up the mess. The rental company was notified, as were the current renters. They moved the trash can into the garage, and the shed will be rebuilt stronger and with a bearproof lock. The bear, in the meantime, was spotted the next day swimming in the pond again, probably after reconnoitering the area, looking for more easy food pickings. We all hope our neighbors are keeping their trash secure, because while it was a beautiful and magnificent animal, we prefer the bear stick to wild food and move out of neighborhood.
Here are some photos my husband took of the bear--with a telephoto lens, of course. In the first photo, that's a large hot tub behind the bear, which gives you an idea of its size.
August 5, 2014
My Moment of Victory Memorialized in National Ski Club Newsletter
In February, I participated in Summit County Colorado's Senior Winter Games. Photographer Stanley Stansfield sent some photos of the event to the National Ski Club Newsletter, and they published a two-page spread in their May newsletter. The article includes a photo of me with arms outstretched celebrating my Gold (first place in my age class, and second place overall) finish in the Short Snowshoe Race of the games. I'm tagged as "an exuberant Beth Groundwater." :-) You can see the photo on Page 15 of the PDF file, which is page 28 of the newsletter HERE.
July 29, 2014
Black Powder Pass
Last Friday, I hiked Black Powder Pass with my "Women With Altitude" group. Member Linda Carr shared some of the beautiful photos she took that morning, and I'll share a couple with you below. The trail is a 3 1/2 mile up-and-back, with about 700' elevation gain. It starts at the old railroad section house at the top of Boreas Pass near Breckenridge, Colorado, and follows a stream drainage ditch to the saddle between Boreas Mt. and Mt. Baldy that overlooks South Park County. In the photos below, I'm in front of the group, wearing a light green cowboyish hat. The photos don't do justice to the multitude of wildflowers along the way, but they show some of the views we enjoyed.
