I will not say goodbye

By Clara Aucoin
Gilpin County News Senior Writer

Goodbye Gilpin County! There, I said it. So, why is there still a hole around my heart?  After all, the first step in any big change is to be able to say the words out loud. For me, though, that doesn’t seem like it will get the job done.

  What this means is that I have finally, after 20 years off and on, decided I need to move to warmer weather, more oxygen, and somewhere where life is just a little easier. To do that, I will have to live someplace other than Gilpin County and away from all the many friends I have left here. The way to get through it, I think, is to say I will be a snowbird, back again when the weather gets better. Back again if things don’t work out down below the Mason Dixon line. Back again if I find I can’t adapt to an environment where folks wear camoflauge for their family portraits. So, to get through the tears I will be crying when I drive over the Central City Parkway on my way south, I’ll hold a spot in my heart for Gilpin County.

  I don’t have to worry about my mind. What there is left of it is packed full of Gilpin County memories, adventures, friends, and history. I raised my boys in these mountains and they went to school in Nederland. I chased Andrew all over the state with his sports and I wouldn’t change a minute of it. We camped through trips from hell where the snow chased us into the truck. Once, gunshots rang out at midnight and we had taken down out tent, loaded the car and left by 12:15. But we also visited bears, elk, moose and the glorious mountains. All the important memories of my life are somehow connected to these mountains, and I will never forget.

  My many newspaper friends, and Barbara, Kay and Cece – you have been with me through ups and downs. We have shared lots of laughs, most of which no one else would understand, which I think, makes them rather than us the normal ones. I have stood on the side of the road and in frozen driveways covering fires and accidents. Fire Department and police officers have constantly encouraged me and befriended me. I will never forget you. Going on to another newspaper job, I am sure I will be comparing the new agencies and law enforcement against our Gilpin County standard and I can’t imagine they will measure up. How many times will I say, “In Gilpin County…” before I get slapped in the mouth? Jon Bayne, Bruce Hartman, Roger Durham, George Hoke, Zane Laubhan, and Ryan and Cece, Brian and Gary, thanks so much. You taught me more than you will ever know.

  The county staff has made my job easy, as has Black Hawk and lately, Central City. Thanks Roger, Corey, Susie, Sharon, Vicky, Chlorinda, Lynnette, Rick, David, Al and all the rest. I know I am forgetting someone, and to you I apologize.

  I will miss the kids in the schools. Each year starts with all the new freshmen names to learn, I know I’ll never get them all straight. But the time these kids graduate, I cry at their departure and curse the ever revolving clock that brings the change. But that gets us to where we are.

  Gilpin County has its own comfort zone, one I have learned to treasure. Yes, things have changed in the time I have been here, but they have changed slowly and not so much that most our lives have been affected. It is still rural. I still see Mt. Thorodin from my window and the aspens wave from my yard. It remains a safe place to grow and raise kids. Services have improved, and as our former county commissioners always reminded us, we have a tremendous recreation center that they paid for in cash! Seriously, that is a good thing, as is the fact we are lucky enough to live in a place where our vote and what we think matters.  

  When I think how I will explain this portion of my life to new acquaintances, I catch myself wondering how things will change. I don’t remember locking my doors, house or car, in Gilpin County. I don’t have to identify myself when I call folks and I usually don’t have to give directions to my house. Most times I don’t even have to give out my phone number - it seems almost everyone knows it. Everyone knows Roscoe, and everyone knows he blows the horn to the car when he is impatient. He has the county wired for free doggie biscuits. Will the bank at the new place give him biscuits? I don’t think so. And, I bet they don’t have anything as friendly and helpful as Stan and his staff at Taggerts. It feels like I am leaving a family rather than just a house.

  I can’t imagine how I will explain some things. Most folks will not be familiar with “Gilpin County time,” “Gilpin County style,” or “Gilpin County mentality.” Words will  fail me when I try to describe my friends Forrest Whitman or George Blevins. But both of those guys will be my friends the rest of my life and I am eternally grateful for them and their endearing quirky qualities.  

  For me, now, it is on to new adventures with nothing guaranteed. Those who know me know that for the last year my Mother, who lives in Louisiana, has had health problems. I have had health problems that have gotten worse the last two winters and I simply can’t handle the cold any longer. The elevation is also a problem. Right now, it seems the most logical answer to all the above is for me to move closer to my mother. I have been lucky enough to be offered a job at a small weekly paper in Mississippi. I’m moving lock, stock and barrel to a new town I have never lived in and into a lifestyle I consciously abandoned 30 years ago. The outcome is completely up in the air.

  But, I have roots here. My boys and some family are in Denver, none completely happy about my move. I tell them I am a telephone call and a plane ride away – which is true. I have plans to pop back into Denver and to pop back into Gilpin County. I will be following what happens in my favorite spot (other than Jackson Hole) in the world, and what is in the news. (Check out the Gilpin County News’ new web site). I will write an occasional column and stay in touch. So, if you don’t see me for awhile, imagine I have been sick, or on vacation, or busy. Just don’t think of me as gone, because I could never say goodbye to Gilpin County and the many friends I will leave temporarily behind.