By Dawne Belloise “Dirt is my church,” Amy Nolan confesses joyfully, fully recovered from a strict Catholic upbringing in Dubuque, Iowa, …

Getting sorted into 81224 By Dawne Belloise Patience is one virtue Alex Garza has learned and he marvels at the generally …

Royalty of Cluckingham Palace By Dawne Belloise It’s not Ayla Scott who greets you at the former saloon doors of the …

Of Shakespeare and Tribbles By Dawne Belloise Tribbles the cat stares unwaveringly at Kathleen Mary from his perch on the small …

Rebel muse By Dawne Belloise Rachel VanSlyke sits down on a tall stool and picks up her well-worn guitar. Sandy blonde …

“Everybody knows me by ‘Ski.’ No one knows me by Dan and no one forgets my name,” grins Dan Zeroski. “There’re …

By Dawne Belloise “Into the forest I go, to lose my mind and find my soul.” — John Muir In the …

Finding community By Dawne Belloise Ashley UpChurch is all about community, which has been an ongoing theme throughout her life. She …

Silver lining By Dawne Belloise As the hillsides have suddenly turned into a lush green in contrast to the seemingly never-ending …

Life Teacher By Dawne Belloise Although he taught physical education for decades, Murray Banks never wanted to be called “coach.” It …

The Fabric that Binds Us By Dawne Belloise Audrey Anderson greets people with her bright smile that starts from her eyes …

By Dawne Belloise Barb Peters essentially grew up a Southern California girl in Manhattan Beach, which she fondly compares to the …

By Dawne Belloise “It’s a dusty Four Corners kind of place,” Nel Burkett says of her hometown, Cortez, Colo. Her two …

Waking up in paradise By Dawne Belloise “I love living in a small town,” smiles Tom Miller, a Texas transplant with …

Sugaring By Dawne Belloise Very soon Krista Powers will walk among the newly waking trees, deep into the Vermont forest where …