Colorado Books

colcha needs no dust jacket.

The 42 poems within and the poet himself are already covered with the authentic dust of dying grass, cedar fence post, dry ditches, alfalfa fields, low riding Monte Carlos, tired Ford 3/4 ton pick ups, and the rutted roads outside the small southern Colorado town of Antonito. It's a fine adobe dust that clings to sweaty skin like an old shirt.

From birth Aaron Abeyta learned rural work. He knows the spring of a tractor seat, the heft of hay bails, the irrigating pull of the Conejos River, the instincts of cows, and the instinctive, unison movement of sheep. But his real work became the creation of daringly intimate poems that move at a careful and measured walking pace.

Cumulatively, these remarkable poems urge us to learn about the land (here or anywhere) by meeting the source of its community and culture--by meeting families. "I have family here," Abeyta writes. It's family he knows so well he sweeps their graves. These Antonito stories, so delightfully particular to an old community rich in culture, convey their universality in the tribute, celebration, and resurrection of family and of friends--both famous and infamous.

Here, the poet works in the solitude required of him, but he is never alone. The truth of family and community and culture spreads over him like the land, like the wind, like the sky. Thanks to the embrace and voice and face of family, the land has an embrace (my heart somehow held within its adobe walls), the wind has a voice (god whispers/my own name to me from the alfalfa fields), and the sky has a face (a blood shot eye/a face that has had too much wine).

In colcha you'll find purposeful language lyrically illuminated with affectionate Spanish salutations (abuelito, tia, carnal) and the tones of San Luis Valley phrasing that lack satisfactory English translation (para buscar otro mar, tan poquito el amor luego perderlo).

To be sure, it's death that tightens the stitches of this collection, and it is death that ultimately ties Abeyta's family and community and culture to the land. But in his patient hand death rarely descends to tragedy. His stories are more often sly than dark, modulated rather than graphic, sweet rather than maudlin.

And death doesn't keep him from giving away an inside joke. In poems like "zoot suit jesus," "thirteen ways of looking at a tortilla," "santa fe girl," "instructions on how to write a pinche suicide note," "mixed metaphor," and even the astringent "december 20th," he goes for the laugh and gets it.

If death is a horse that "ran so fast...only its tail got wet," then Aaron Abeyta is a poet who grabs that palomina by the mane and allows us to slip on her bare back. There we feel the deep, hot breathing of emotion, "the second most true thing on earth."

"Nothing is myth," he promises, and--perhaps knowing death too well--he gently steers us toward the first most true thing on earth, family.

Is Abeyta is a writer who knows the land? He's better, because his land--the high, broad llano between Colorado's shadowy San Jauns and sharp Sangre de Cristos--already knows him, like a brother and by name.

This just may be one of the best books of poetry I have ever read. A strong statement to be sure but you just have to read these poems to see what I mean. Abeyta, professor of English at Colorado State University and multiple prize winning poet, has blended the English and Spanish languages into a lyrical style, tone and imagery that is almost musical in its effect. Using his Hispanic culture and heritage he introduces the reader to what he considers to be the two most true things on earth: Family and human emotion. "A poem without family or emotion is, to me, nothing more than letters upon letters, the sound of hoofbeats without ever having seen the horse." Thus, by combining these two timeless subjects, Abeyta, letter upon letter and word upon word, shares with the reader what he considers to be "..all that is real to me, love, death, emotion and family. I shall put them into stories a hundred times over, one poem at a time."This he does in an unforgettable collection that explores the essence of humanity, the land of his people, and the individuals of his family that resonate with clarity, compassion and yes, love, death, emotion, and family. In these forty-two poems we meet herders, farmers, grandparents, tortilla makers, and a host of other so-called common people who have been exploited but not defeated. It has been said that Abeyta's poems about the exploitation of the common people belong in the same league with those of Walt Whitman, Federico Garcia Lorca, and Pablo Neruda. High praise indeed and richly deserved. If you are looking for poetry that speaks to the soul, not in a "mushy" or "touchy-feely" way but with understanding and wisdom about things that matter, this is for you. This is the kind of writing that gives poetry a good name.

This book is so easy to read and so interesting that I just couldn't put it down. I love it! I enjoy the old west and this book was surely a down home western tale.. all of you should read it and love it!

A good, easy to read story. Set in Texas and Colorado this story leads you through thick and thin with Will Sterritt, sharing all his excitement, danger, love and life in general as he starts on a new adventure as foreman of the Circle D ranch. I have enjoyed this book so much that I read it 3 times! It's just a good down home story.

1882 Colorado

THE COLORADO BRIDE is a quick, easy and delightful tale of two determined people that came together to make an enduring family. You'll enjoy this moving romance!

Cole McGuire needed a good reason to return to White Stone, Colorado.
In 1882 Cole received a letter from Lily dated 1879 telling him that he was to become a father. Suprising news from his former mistress. But he knew that she would not lie to him.
For some reason the whole town seemed to be hiding the true story of what happened to Lily and his son.
He is told that Lily and her baby died in childbirth.
He approaches Mrs. Curtis Taylor, the lady that wrote the letter for Lily, hoping to find out the truth about his child.
Rebecca is being courted by the sheriff who causes some trouble and tries to keep Cole from seeing her.
Rebecca's heart stopped when Cole rode back into town and she wished more and more for a love she'd never had.
But would Cole ever forgive her for hiding the truth -- that the son she claimed as her own was the child he'd been searching for?
This book is highly recommended -- you will really enjoy it.

COLORADO COURTSHIP is a wonderfully tender story of the hardship of one woman crossing country in a wagon train to a new life in a new location. This is another gem by Carolyn Davidson!

Carolyn Davidson outdoes herself with Colorado Courtship. Finn Carson knew he wanted Jessica Beaumont from the first time he saw her but she was unfortunately the wife of an ill-tempered, abusive man. She was also a soon-to-be mother. When Jessica's husband is killed for the deed to a valuable piece of property, Finn is first in line to court her. She eventually accepts his proposal and the conflict (and loving) begins.
Although there's an underlying theme in this book that could potentially ruin their relationship, the devotion that Finn shows toward Jessica is very, very special and just melted my heart.
We meet a younger Gage Morgan in this book. He thinks Jessica is the woman for him but he'll find later in Carolyn Davidson's The Marriage Agreement that he only thought Jessica was the love of his life.

This handsome collection of 115+ color photographs captures the romance and drama of cowboy life as it's lived on the ranchland of Colorado, where the Rockies provide a grand backdrop under deep blue skies. There are images here of men and women at work outdoors in all seasons. Many are the kind of richly visual images that adorn calendars and that used to find their way into Marlboro ads. There are silhouettes against spectacular sunsets, men around campfires or fording streams on horseback, close-ups of saddles, boots, and tack, horses running in snow.

Others are unexpected surprises, like a rancher with a horse-drawn hay rake, or the end of a wide rainbow falling between two dilapidated ranch buildings. There's a brief introduction by cowboy actor Harry Carey, Jr., and cowboy poet and humorist Baxter Black also makes an appearance, with a photo and a poem, "Cowboy Heaven." The book is well designed, with two-page spreads balancing pages with clusters of smaller photographs. A few pages include anecdotes as told by cowboys. Great coffee table book.

This book is so special to us..We are spending the winter in Ariz. and Denny, who appears several times in the book is our wrangler...we brought our horses with and he has cared for them as if they were his own..Our memories will live on forever in the beautiful pictures of our special friend and our time with him this winter...

I purchased this book only recently and find that it is full of wonderful recipes, including lots of information in the back called Colorado Farmers Market Guide which lists all the Colorado Farmers Markets with phone numbers, websites, months that the Markets are open and where they are located. It also lists all the Farms themselves along with addresses, phone numbers websites and email information. Recipes are the heart of any cookbook so I will list several of them to give an idea of what you will find in this 224 page cookbook! You won't find much for pictures but the recipes make up for it, and very easy to follow instructions. So Here goes, it starts off with Salsas, Sauces & Condiments: which include recipes such as Honey Cranberry Relish, Fresh Honey Lemonade, Homemade Applesauce, Tomatillo Salsa, Perfect Pesto, Roasted Green Chile Salsa, Pizza Sauce, Summer Italian Tomato Sauce, even Pumpkin Dog Treats. The Next section gives recipes for Appetizers which include Goat Cheese-Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms, Cheese-Stuffed Chiles, Sirloin Steak Bruschetta, Sweet and Sour Veggies, Dilly Beans and Carrots, Cherry Tomatoes with Pesto, Eggplant Almond Pate, Tomato Salsa with Garlic Toasts, and more...then on to Salads and Dressings which include Rocky Ford Cantaloupe, Red Onion, Cucumber and Arugula Salad; Fava Beans Roasted Beets and Pecorino on Arugula, Quinoa Salad, Spinach Salad with Strawberries and Feta Cheese, Pear Gorgonzola and Walnut Salad, Spinach Salad with Tangerines and Pine Nuts, Raspberry Vinaigrette, Grandmas Potato Salad, Authentic German Potato Salad, Rustic Blue Cheese Salad Dressing, Chicken and Almond Waldorf Salad with Dijon Dressing, marinated cucumbers and more.... then on to Soups where you will find Cream of Zucchini Soup with Fresh Basil, Summer Corn Chowder, Tortilla Soup, Fall Vegetable and Beef Soup, French Onion Soup, Quinoa Soup, Black Bean Soup with Cilantro Cream, Sweet Potato Soup with Sour Cream and Jalapeno, Curried Butternut Squash Soup, White Corn Soup with Poblano Chile Puree and more.... then Breakfast and Brunch: Apple Coffee Cake, Honey Granola, Sauteed Apple Slices, Garden Tot Scramble, Pear Walnut Coffee Cake, Zucchini Frittata, Raspberry French Toast, Hearty Breakfast Casserole...then Side Dishes: Roasted Beets, Sugar Snap Peas with Mint, Sweet Potato Pie, Roasted Bell Peppers, BBQ Potatoes, Green Beans Braised with Tomato and Rosemary, Curried Quinoa, Carrot Pilaf, Zucchini Fritters, and more...then Vegetarian Entrees including: Blue Corn Enchiladas with Goat Cheese, Cabbage Rolls, Goat Cheese-Stuffed Eggplant with Curried Lentils, Harvest Moon Pizzas, Pasta and Market Vegetables with Orange Vinaigrette, Fresh Collard Greens with Pasta, and more...then Meat,Poultry Game and Fish: Colorado Potato Lasagna, Chile Relleno Bake, Beef and Couscous-Stuffed Roasted Peppers, Blue Cheese Stuffed Burgers, Southwestern Chipotle Sirloin Steak, Meatloaf in a Potato Blanket, Sausage Eggplant Parmesan, Chile Crusted Red Trout on Cornbread and Chard with Market Succotash and more... then there's the Breads, Scones Muffins and Bars: Very Lemon Bread, Pumpkin Muffins with Streusel Topping, Zucchini Bread, Zucchini Bars and more... then Pies: Cherry Pie, Rhubarb Pie, Mary Tigges Cinderella Pumpkin Pie, Special Peach Pie, Cheddar Pear Pie, Apple Apple Pie, Apricot Cake, Sugarless Apple Pie, Peach Raspberry Pie with Pecan Crust, Creamy Pear Pie Crunch.... then Desserts: Colorado Cherry Crumbles, Ruth's Chocolate Zucchini Cake, Upside Down Raspberry Cake, Boulder Chevre Cheesecake, Peach Sorbet, Bingham Hill Cheesecake, Sesame Honey Baked Fruit, Cherry Clafouti, Raspberry Sandwich Cookies, Wild Berry Crisp, Pumpkin Cookies, Orange Honey Cake, Pumpkin Cake and more....This is a fabulous book for helping you use Fresh Farmers Market Fruits and Vegetables. You will be thrilled to have this book if you love fresh produce! I recommend it highly!

I love this cookbook. We made a fresh peach and goat cheese bruschetta and a squash soup for a late summer dinner from the Colorado Farmers Market Cookbook. Our friends just raved about it. The book also has a lot of really nice color photos of Colorado farms, farmers markets and produce. Recommened as a gift for anyone who loves Colorado or cookbooks.

Wow! This book is a showstopper! Over 200 expertly composed images help to capture the essence of Colorado. Mr. Steelman is a master of being in the right place at the right time. For the money, you couldn't find a better gift for the holidays, or for any special occasion.

This is perhaps the most stunning book of photographs I have ever seen in a coffee table type book. There are over 200 color photographs of a state whose splendor inspired Katharine Lee Bates to write "America The Beautiful" from atop Pikes Peak.

I lived on the western slope of Colorado for a time and can testify that these unforgettable photographs di it justice and are faithful to the awesome sights of the flora and fauna that abound in this magic place. From Abrams Mountain to Yankee Boy Basin and every place in between Steelman has painstakingly captured the mysteries, the moments, and the sheer magic of Colorado through its natural inhabitants and landscape.

This is the type of book you buy two copies of, one for a friend and one for yourself.

It was easy to order and it was what I was looking for.

Great reference book, particularly for a beginning rock hound in Colorado. Excellent directions to sites. We've used it extensively.

This book is a good read with good case studies on items that have plagued the Colorado Leg.

"Politics is serious stuff, and the stakes are high. Why else do clients pay $50,000 to $200,000 in fees to lobbyists who represent their interests" asks a book written about a part time legislatur, and this was back during the 1980s. "The Colorado General Assembly" is in insightful book into the Colorado legislative process.

Colorado prides itself as being a "citizen's legislature" and voters in Colorado approved a Constitutional amendment limiting the Colorado legislature to a 120 day limit for sessions. Unlike the more professional full-time legislatures in some more populous states, the lower pay and limited days of sessions leads to a high turnover rate amongst Colorado legislatures. One major difficulty this creates a lack of professional legislators with strong institutional knowledge. Thus, lobbyists are seen as being more powerful in Colorado than in many other states. In Colorado, lobbyists outnumber legislators by a 5 to 1 ratio. The lobbyists command much of the knowledge upon which legislators rely and, with a full-time professional commitment towards crafting favorable legislation, they have become very influential in Colorado. Many lobbyists are former legislators who have decided to use their legislative experiences to earn more money. The author notes circumstances where legislators have asked if lobbyists have come to agreement on legislation amongst themselves, rather than it being legislators guiding the process.

In 1986 in Colorado, political action committees accounted for 62% of all contributions to State Senate campaigns and 59% of all contributions to State House campaigns, compared to 29% of contributions to candidates for Governor and 25% of all contributions to other statewide campaigns. This helps cement the bonds between Colorado legislators and lobbyists.

The role of lobbyists takes on greater influence when it is recognized that Colorado's budget process gives the legislature a stronger role compared to many other states. The author states Colorado has a strong legislative-centered budget and that, although the Governor submits an annual budget to the legislature, the Colorado legislature has long protected its powers over determining much of the budget. Still, the results are similar to most others states' budgets: namely budgets that are incremental adjustments to previous budgets. Colorado, though, is known for its relatively smaller budgets and for pushing a relatively greater portion of the tax budget onto local governments.

The public can have a more direct role in creating laws in Colorado. The public is permitted to initiate legislation in addition to allowing citizens to place statutory proposals onto the general elections ballot. The author notes many political analysts, though, find this a poor way to create law as the result is often "sloppy and unrefined," yet, as the author notes, "it does makes for fun and interesting politics."

Constituents rarely contact Colorado legislators, according to the author, and, with few staff, most representatives have slow to respond to their mail. Some observers note some Colorado legislators let the mail pile up on the desk and then just throw it all away. Colorado legislators look to other legislators and lobbyists for information on legislative issues. As such, the author notes that good testimony at a legislative hearing has been observed to make a difference as it can sometimes be the best way to inform some legislators on key matters. Still, this does not guarantee that legislators will be expert at their jobs, for as State Sen. Ralph Cole once noted "it's really hard to legislate against the stupidity of the legislators."

The author notes that legislative leaders and committee chairs work more cohesively in the Colorado House than in the Senate, which may be the opposite of what would be expected for the larger sized House. Yet, the House leaders and committee chairs had a greater tradition of meeting and coordinating activities more often than in the Senate, and this creates this difference.

In sum, Colorado has an interesting legislature. Yet, the lack of professionalism and reliance upon lobbying interests should allow most to conclude that it is a system upon which improvements could be made.

Great book, details several mining and ghost town areas in Colorado. Very well written and descriptive.

A great book on the ghost towns of this beautiful state! One of the best I've seen on the subject!