Saturday, 01 August 2009 00:31

Gwen and Ken Smith built their home on East Sopris Creek Road in 1982. They had moved here in 1976 and lived up on Gateway Mesa for a number of years. Gwen's family had been coming to Aspen to ski since the 60's and later Ken's dad owned Aspen Stereo on the corner of Cooper and Spring. After meeting in high school in Illinois, and living in Vermont and Denver, I guess it just felt like home here because two little blonde daughters and a big black Newfoundland were soon to follow.

Since then, Gwen was the head of the local girl scouts, coached the Basalt High School Dance Team, and taught dance in Basalt. How time flies! She currently substitute teaches a few days a week and gives a popular summer water aerobics class at the Basalt pool. Ken's been in building since the beginning. Over the years, he has built and remodeled quite a few homes here in the Snowmass and Capital Creek Valleys and many more from Carbondale to Aspen. His company, WoodStone, has their office next to their house with a view across the hayfields to Mount Sopris that is about as good as it gets and it's just the perfect commute too.

It's fun to remember the old days, like running on Light Hill where you can't go now because of houses and fences, or shooting the bull with Walt Wieben out in the hay field, or watching Bubby Light feeding his cattle on a cold winter morning from a horse drawn sleigh. In the winter we used to put our kids on a sled behind the pickup and pull them up East Sopris Creek Road. There just wasn't any traffic. Recently, our youngest daughter quizzed us "did you ever think once of putting a helmet on us?" Well, no never thought of it! Parents are always in trouble.

Sure some things change, but some things are always the same. That's what is so beautiful about Old Snowmass and the community. It feels like home in a way that's just sort of timeless.      

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