Writing Samples

On the morning of his 12^th birthday, Colson Rinella set out at dawn on his bicycle toward a gulch near his home in the mountains, his bow mounted on an attached rack he’d built. He was given orders to be back to his home school co-op science class by 11:00am that morning.  “Unless he had a deer down,” said his mother, Aby. “Then I would write him an excuse.”

Colson Rinella was born into a culture of hunting – traditions and practices passionately bestowed from one generation of his family to the next, encompassing much of their everyday lives. Last year, Colson’s eleventh, will long be remembered as the one he shouldered the mantle of that hunting legacy. He harvested a 6×6 elk, 5×5 muley, pronghorn, wild turkey, and a black bear. It was a year that proved harder than he could imagine, but more rewarding than he could have hoped. And it all began when his father, Jesse, gifted him his own bull elk tag. READ MORE.

Passion gets messy. Especially if it’s been smoldering, collecting energy through the years, eventually igniting a soul. That is the ardor behind the flame of encaustic artist, Jodie Stejer, who, five years ago, began fervently pursuing the medium, realizing she says, “that it’s been the greatest discovery of my true self so far.” For an artist who loves simplicity, organization, and a super clean studio, the torch – with a mind of its own – has compelled her to be more messy, edgy, and abstract, and learn to go with the flow and passion of the flame. “I’ve always loved fire – a bonfire, a fireplace in the home,” says Stejer. “It’s probably the number one reason I was really drawn to encaustic painting, that and its organic nature of beeswax and resin.” READ MORE

‘Family-friendly’ has defined Soldier Mountain Ski Area since its humble beginnings in 1947, when friends Bob Frostenson and Hurry Durall, founded the Fairfield, Idaho, ski area while visiting Sun Valley to watch the Olympic Team Tryouts. Since then, it’s had a handful of different owners, experienced drought and plenty, and survived a destructive wildfire in 2020, but the lifts are still humming along at this iconic, historic ski area. Clearly, this little gem in Idaho is here to stay. READ MORE

Carl E.J. Eliason’s 1927 “motor toboggan” patent, stands out as the forerunner of the modern snow mobile, a wooden toboggan fitted with two skis, steered by ropes, and pushed along by a steel-cleated track powered by an outboard motor. While not the first snow vehicle to be designed, his was the first to be both mass-produced and reliable for the rider, forever changing how we do winter recreationally and functionally, especially in the mountains. Fast forward to today’s new era of sleds creating wilderness experiences like never before. These are not your  grandfather’s snow machines – they’re lighter weight, and have more power and the latest technology for an engineered ride of effortless control, comfort, and convenience. READ MORE

Early in the morning on Thanksgiving Day, 1975, three Michigan ski bum friends left Heber City, Utah, where they’d stayed the night, having traveled from Steamboat Springs the day before. They were bound for Lake Tahoe. Then someone mentioned they forgot to get coffee. And breakfast. Fortunately, for this story, the next exit was Park City, where a parking lot attendant would alter the course of their lives. READ MORE

Miley Roofing has a 30-year reputation for providing a wide array of roofing services with competence, reliability, and professionalism, for as many years of community-minded involvement, and for being just a great place to work. The company’s success has always relied heavily on the strength of its employees. The old adage is true here, a company is only as good as its people. These people are good, dedicated, and skilled. Some have been with Miley Roofing for over twenty years, largely in part because of the leadership of founder and former owner, Scott Miley. It’s a reputation that continues to draw new workers – completely through word of mouth – even in a climate of labor shortages. When Scott began contemplating an exit strategy several years ago, he patiently waited for someone to come along with the heart to carry on this legacy and reputation. He found it in Troy Quesnel, the current owner as of last April. READ MORE

The history of Stanley and the Sawtooth Valley is rich in pioneering stories that first began in the early 1800’s, but as late as 1972, a story of trailblazing proportions began to write itself when a modern-day pioneer, Marie Osborn, set about changing the availability – or lack thereof – of emergency medical care in this rugged remote region. Last October saw the Salmon River Clinic and Stanley Ambulance turn 50 years old thanks to the extraordinary efforts of this one woman. READ MORE

You can make yourself right at home at Omega Media Solutions’ Experience Center in Bend. Here, in a beautifully designed home exhibit, you can immerse your senses experiencing today’s smart lighting control and powered window shade revolution. It might just blow your mind. Omega specializes in comfortable living utilizing lighting control and window shades, and business has exploded utilizing products by Lutron, a brand of connected lighting, shades, and hand-crafted controls that elevate everyday life. READ MORE

The “spirit” of Central Oregon emanates out of raw scenic beauty, year-round recreational opportunity, history, climate, prosperity, inspiration, and people who love all things Deschutes. A Bend-based property management company – Home Fridays – has reigned in this all-encompassing ethos and coined “Deschutes Spirit” to define their capacity to care about the management and safe keeping of your second home. It’s an extension of gratitude for client, staff, and community. READ MORE

Fall is a spectacular season to visit Stanley and surrounds. Leaves begin rustling towards their eventual fiery foliage lighting up the mountainsides and riverbanks, beckoning all to the same recreational fun as summer. The sensual delights of crisp sharp air, chimney and campfire smoke, and dusty pine bring on the nostalgia of the changing season you can see and feel, especially when the temperatures dip, making for frosty mornings. September in Stanley also means it’s time for the 45^th Annual Fireman’s Ball firing it up at Mountain Village Resort’s Velvet Falls Dance Hall, Saturday, September 17 at 8pm. All the proceeds from this fabulous fundraising event go to the Sawtooth Valley Rural Fire Department and the Stanley Ambulance volunteers. Both entities are run by volunteers, providing fire protection and emergency response services to the local Stanley community, as well as the influx of seasonal visitors. It is one of the area’s most important agencies for keeping people safe and protected.  READ MORE

The Sawtooth Mountains are still ringing with the music of summer, the stars are still dancing across the Central Idaho Dark Sky Reserve, and if you haven’t yet climbed over the summit for some cool nights in Stanley/Sawtooth country, wait no longer. Finish summer well with an escape north. There’s still time to hike, bike, camp, and kayak – just for starters.  There’s still time for homemade cinnamon rolls, street dances, hot springs soaking, teasin’ flies, beach lounging, and adventuring. Even ten minutes out of Stanley proper can find you in completely different worlds from ghost towns to mining dredge sites to rustic lakeside resorts. READ MORE

Summer in the Sawtooths is heady stuff. So little time, so much to imbibe. In every nook and cranny, the welcome mat is out, and Stanley opens the door to fun on the river, the peaks and trails, at the lakes and beach, in the streets, eateries and dance hall, and under the stars. READ MORE

Mountain living in downtown Hailey just got a little more sophisticated. Under Carbonate’s gaze and a stone’s throw from the Big Wood River, the 410 River Street development rises, one of the newest townhome projects under construction centrally located not only in Hailey, but in the Wood River Valley, between the top of Baldy and the silky streams of Silver Creek, between symphonies and rodeos. With modern architectural lines and minimalist design, 410 RVR is an imaginative and intentional solution for adding urban housing to the market, within walking distance of fine dining, retail, office space, cultural events, and endless hiking and biking trails. READ MORE

Stanley is a secret no longer. Word of mountain magic like this tends to get out, and that’s what it’s all about – getting out and enjoying summer in Stanley/Sawtooth country. Up here you’ll find the classic west infused with high altitude attitude, where history whispers on the wind, and the streets are still dirt, but the welcome is hearty and first class. You can’t hurry through here. Plan to stay and play for a while. There’s much to take in at the feet of the majestic Sawtooth peaks. Bring your mountain bike, fly rod, hiking boots, camping gear, paddle board, kayak or raft. Don’t forget an appetite – for the legendary meals and live music. Stanley has something for everyone from festivals to fundraisers, from magic to memories. READ MORE

One thing that never changes is the changing of our seasons and the relentless assault from the elements on the most vulnerable part of our homes, the roof. Locally owned Miley Roofing has been combating sun and storm for thirty years with a wide array of roofing services to meet the need, consistently providing competence, reliability, and professionalism in the process. READ MORE

Functional, innovative, contemporary design continues to be the primary emphasis at Williams Partners Architects in Sun Valley. They’ve been at the forefront of defining the “Sun Valley Style” since winning a design award for their first project completed in 1994. But their design style is certainly not limited to a mountain aesthetic. Says Founder and architect, Jeff Williams, “Our style, if there is one, is hard to define precisely because our homes are a response to different clients and the property they choose, whether in or out of the Wood River Valley. We try to let the style of our work develop as a response to the specific site and translate what we understand to be the clients’ needs and the conditions, such as context and budget, rather than with any preconceived notion of style.” READ MORE

Renovate Park City (RPC) majors in the minor details. They specialize in home remodels, major renovations, and large additions in the greater Park City, Utah area, and now offer new builds under their new sister company, Passive by Design – residential construction focusing on environmentally conscious and energy efficient designs. READ MORE

Two hundred years ago, Thomas Hornor built the first powered elevator he called “the Ascending Room,” a crude elevator used to lift tourists to a platform for a panoramic view of London, never realizing how literal his title would be, given today’s luxury residential elevators.  A+ Elevators & Lifts (A+) knows a thing or two about the marvel elevator mechanism, having risen to the head of the class as one of the fastest growing and well-managed elevator sales and service companies in the Western United States, distinguishing themselves from large manufacturers by creating customized, luxury, people-moving, literal rooms. READ MORE

Along the way to becoming a Builder and General Contractor, Chris Christianson realized that communication was the key element for success in the industry. He also discovered about himself a keen eye for detail and design, and an innate ability to meld materials, texture, and elements with imagination, creativity, and most importantly, a client’s vision. With over a century of experience on his team, the rest constructs into place. READ MORE

They say a man’s homeland is wherever he prospers. True that for the talented husband and wife team of Custom Home Designer, Joey Shaw, and Landscape Designer, Becky Shaw, the “home” and “land” of Homeland Design, two of Bend’s most talented professionals who built their business from scratch thirteen years ago. With 50 years combined experience, the duo offers a unique approach to custom home design in Central Oregon, a complete design team whose homes are designed for the landscape and whose landscapes are designed for the home. READ MORE

If you’ve been hibernating, now is the time to get out and trek on up to the Sawtooth Valley to breathe in the magnificence of the spring thaw. The Vitamin D is always plentiful in Stanley, and the best yet – it’s too early for mosquitoes. Though March hangs on to the snow piles and the nights are still frigid, the equinox signals the grand elegance of mountain high regeneration. Winter begins to dispel under the warmth of longer days meaning longer play. Nature stirs with migrating birds and frolicking ungulates. READ MORE

In the North American residential marketplace, metal roofs are very much in style. The popular material allows for flexible, functional design and affords great curb appeal with more bold color choices. Add in sustained value, durability under nature’s worst, and energy-efficient performance and it’s a great fashion statement for a long-term investment. READ MORE

As solid and unyielding as the granite they build on are the core tenets deep within the foundation of Schlauch-Bottcher Construction (SBC) – dedication, skill, excellence, commitment, and honesty – all of which drive the process of each building project through individuals dedicated to these principles. From the office to a jobsite at 9,400’ in southwest Montana’s rugged landscape, SBC demonstrates an established culture of trust and shared values, a solid team grounded with an outstanding reputation building custom luxury dream homes in Big Sky Country. READ MORE

The Wood River Valley boasts of historic boomtown days – mining, sheepherding, tourism, agriculture – each sharing a commonality of innovating, ambitious individuals. These days, entrepreneurship booms big and millennials crowd the headlines. Case in point, Hempitecture.  READ MORE

No one hibernates in the height of winter in Stanley. In fact, the colder it gets the cooler they get ‘cause the cold never bothers them anyway!  First up in fun for February is the Stanley Skating Club’s 5^th Annual Draw Pond Hockey Tournament at the Stanley Ice Rink, February 4-6.  Teams based on experience levels will be drawn on Friday, February 4, during the four stops of the event’s pub crawl starting at 6:30 pm.  READ MORE

If holiday withdrawals have set in or big city life south of Galena has you would up tight, then head for the winter-white quiet of the Sawtooth Valley for a refresh of the spirit. Winter is up and running at the Mountain Village Resort. At the entrance to Stanley, the resort has long been a welcoming outpost for high altitude comfort and charm, and owners Russell and Mandy Clark are passionate about service in this place they call home. Mountain Village Resort is the perfect haven and basecamp for all the adventures of the winter type with a 61-room lodge, suite-style log cabins, a mercantile, gas and service station, RV park, restaurant, events and music. And of course, the hot springs. READ MORE

Hydronic Specialist, Pete Savage, of Sale Lake City-based All Hours Plumbing, should have been a rocket scientist. When others in the industry told him to run the other way and not look back on a non-functioning, complicated, ineffective, over-engineered heating/cooling system in a 12,000 sq. ft. house that quite possibly only an aerospace engineer could figure out, he jumped in with both feet to tackle the problem head-on.  But we’re getting ahead of the story. READ MORE

As much as we enjoy our glorious winters, we also long for the light and new life of spring, and nothing signals that better than the symbol for rebirth and hope, the sunny daffodil.  With resiliency and zeal, it emerges year after year, having weathered winter storms, bringing cheerful yellow goodness to our lives. On Mother’s Day weekend, May 7-8, 2022, weather trends permitting, 30,000 dazzling daffodils will usher in a celebration of Community, Life, and Renewal with the 1st annual Wood River Valley Daffodil Festival at the Sawtooth Botanical Garden.  READ MORE

Experience an authentic trailing of the sheep down Ketchum’s Main Street as part of their historical annual migration to winter pastures. Sponsored by the City of Ketchum and honoring the area’s sheep ranching heritage, 1,500 sheep will parade south on Main Street through the middle of town with sheep ranching family members and herders. It is magical, Idaho history that is no reenactment. “I never get tired of sheep trailing,” says Dominique Etcheverry, Festival Board Member and Parade Coordinator, and herself raised on a sheep ranch. “I am always in awe at the enthusiasm of the people lining the streets, and then the sheep come through and it is quiet. You just hear the sound of their hooves and it is beautiful.”  READ MORE

For premium concierge service handling estate and fine furniture installation, delivery, and storage, look no further than the new Flathead Valley company so named. Installation Delivery Storage, IDS, is an excellent resource for logistics and seamless execution of any size project, whether you’re building a new home, transporting precious cargo cross-country, need turn-key setup and organization, or storage during a remodel. IDS provides a safe, secure, and on-demand storage facility to hold and protect the integrity of your valued items. The company has extensive experience working with interior designers and realtors in private residences and showrooms, providing state-of-the-art installations and using only the highest quality materials. READ MORE

Revel Real Estate brings an almost holistic approach to one of the most impactful and memorable purchases people will ever make. The Whitefish-based independent brokerage focuses on recreational properties for corresponding lifestyles, and revel in providing clients with a high-level concierge experience that is completely Montana memorable.  Founding Broker, Kelly Laabs, wanted to create a real estate firm that would focus on three principals – a team approach, exceptional customer service, and a true community give-back to support the places where we live, work, and play. READ MORE

There’s a renaissance afoot with the red-hot trend of plaster, which has quietly crept back in to the design world, replacing paint, wallpaper and even brick surfaces. Although used for millennia, in our current climate of conscious eco-friendly trends, the use of plaster and clay is exploding. Green practices aside, it’s breathtakingly beautiful on walls, breathable, better at insulating, fireproofing and soundproofing, and is mold and mildew resistant. You’ll be reluctant to hang your artwork. READ MORE

“Pleasure in the job puts perfection in the work,” said the great philosopher, Aristotle. For Cody Hawes, the owner of Simply Fabricated, it’s a maxim that rings true every day. His passion and never-met-a-challenge-he-didn’t-like attitude have grown his imagination, creativity, confidence and subsequently, his company to be a leading choice for custom metal fabrication and aesthetic architecture in the Central Oregon area. For Hawes, creating a masterpiece out of a pile of raw steel is an incredibly satisfying feeling. Located in Bend, SimFab provides central Oregon’s contractors and home owners with quality steel fabrication and metal workmanship ranging from structural steel to stunning metal architecture. READ MORE

Landscape Architecture subtly beautifies and artfully engineers the valuable common spaces of society, integrating natural space and ecosystems with humans and their infrastructure. Bend-based Szabo Landscape Architecture believes creating outdoor spaces for people to enjoy, socialize, and recreate in is essential to building a healthy community. With technical ability, creativity and broad experience, they bring timeless contextual design into every project while highlighting the unique social, environmental, and aesthetic qualities of the site, be it a large-scale commercial or retail development, natural or culturally significant landscape, or an intimate residential outdoor room. READ MORE

Timely and urgent are conversations about humans and their activity in wilderness.  Who would have predicted the unprecedented impact a pandemic would have on wilderness by way of human recreation and interaction? And what of communities like ours who sit at the very edge of that soul-nourishing expanse, and depend upon that interaction to thrive? Sun Valley Museum of Art’s (SVMoA) BIG IDEA project and exhibition, Untrammeled: At Wilderness’ Edge, spurred in part by the 2015 designation of the Cecil D. Andrus-White Clouds Wilderness, considers the tension created by our desire to protect and maintain untamable places and our need to be invigorated by what they offer. READ MORE

In July, the Central Oregon Builders Association, COBA, released their Tour of Homes ‘21 Award Winners, with Kellcon Homes sweeping eight of nine categories in the $2.59K – $2.7K top value range. Rob Kelleher, owner of Kellcon, was overwhelmingly humbled and surprised, as it was the company’s first complete residential build, and the first ground up for Kelleher as lead designer. READ MORE

Compass Real Estate, a brick and mortar, plus online brokerage that connects and facilitates sales and purchases on its technology suite platform, has found its way to the Valley, via their Seattle brokerage. Founded in 2012, in New York, Compass built the first modern real estate platform, pairing the industry’s top talent with best-in-class technology – they have a dedicated app for agents – to make the search and sell experience intelligent and seamless. The company, which specializes in high-end luxury homes in premier markets, went public in April of this year. With almost 21,000 agents nationwide, Compass is now the number one independent real estate brokerage firm in the nation. READ MORE

The Wood River Valley has as big of an appetite for outdoor play and robust adventure as it does for the rich flavor of cultural arts.  Both can involve the spectacular, the breath-taking and jaw-dropping, leaving you ravenous for second helpings.  With Ballet Sun Valley’s festival offering this month, prepare to be thoroughly satiated, and debating the next morning over coffee which was the bigger thrill – contemporary ballet or your bike ride off the top of Baldy. It promises to be pretty heady stuff. READ MORE

The 1962 TV cartoon sitcom, “The Jetsons,” seems like eons ago, but it awakened our imaginations to automation and computerization in a world yet to come. We’ve now arrived. Technological advancements and innovation keep propelling smart technology, and one of the largest and fastest growing markets is home automation, or Smart Home Technology – it began with the invention of the Thermostat – which allows you to control almost every aspect of your home through the Internet of Things (IoT). Entertainment, security, utilities, and communication rank high for consumers. READ MORE

The Valley’s revered Mountain Humane has pressed on past the pandemic, and as of June 1, re-opened their animal campus to visitors. Since 1972, this institution has survived and thrived, continuing to make an enormous impact on the Wood River Valley connecting people and pets through their educational programs, neuter and spay clinics, animal training, and special events. One such event happens next month as the organization presents Brandon McMillan, Celebrity Dog Trainer, Emmy Award Winner, and seven-season host of CBS’ Lucky Dog Show, at the Argyros Performing Arts Center on Sunday, August 29, at 6:00pm.  With this exciting, family-friendly event, Mountain Humane hopes to enliven and educate the community in tandem with their vision and innovative, industry-leading services for animal welfare. READ MORE

At the end of Lewis Street in Ketchum’s industrial area, the NomadicVan.Life shop rocks with the entrepreneurial spirit of a generation moving and shaking their own world and community, with a desire to not only survive here, but thrive. Enter Gardner Cord and Ron Arnold, aka Mr. G and Rondo, savvy millennial business partners “gettin’ ‘er done,” as they like to say; carving out a niche in a mountain resort town, where to make it, requires firing on all cylinders. READ MORE

If you’ve decided to wed in the magnificent Idaho mountains, Sun Valley Resort offers venue options that will sweep you off your feet, from high altitude happily-ever-after to creek-side dancing-the-night-away. This full-service resort offers it all, allowing for simplified planning for the wedding event of your dreams. A highly trained team of professionals will help you plan the perfect celebration indoors or out, in any season, offering spectacular facilities and amenities, diverse recreation and activities, and exceptional culinary and service. READ MORE

The sun has long set on the sleepy sage and beige of ‘90’s interior design. Hard to believe that was three decades ago. When a Texas client was ready to breathe new life into that tired, dated look of their Sun Peak vacation home, Blackdog Builders went to work to transform the interior into the trendy modern of a new decade and a new century. The renovation objective was to bring about a new timeless design in a major way, the motivation being that the home would eventually become the family’s full-time residence. READ MORE

The Owners of Design Collective West are a force on the design playing field, a cohesion of innovative architecture, highly creative interior design, and exceptional business acumen. And as everyone knows in the world of sports – say football, for example – a team’s cohesion strengthens, builds and unifies, enabling a higher rate of success. Meet the husband-and-wife team of Michele and James Wheeler. It’s a power-house partnership of Michele as architect, creative lead and interior designer, and James (former college football player) as manager of the firm’s non-design-oriented facets, including finance, operations, and logistics. READ MORE

With 2020 in the rear-view mirror, never has a home base been more important to our happiness and wellbeing, our emotional stability in the face of adversity, our sense of security in a time of uncertainty. Here in our valley, a permanent home can be elusive to some in the face of an affordable housing crisis, but whether temporary, borrowed, rented or owned, all would agree our home base here in the mountains is our “base camp” – a term which Dictionary.com defines as “a main encampment providing supplies, shelter, and communications for persons engaged in wide-ranging activities, as exploring, reconnaissance, hunting, or mountain climbing.” Indeed. Defining exactly how we do life here, a work-play balance where you can make choices to step away for an hour or three, to ski, hike, bike, or fish. READ MORE

For the owner of Sister, the ties to family and friends run deep, binding together kindred hearts, minds, and creative expression. Her philosophy is that whether you’re related, or you’re one in a relational cooperative of creatives, sisterhood is a special connection all women share. It doesn’t take one long upon entering the shop and meeting Annette Frehling to discover how that thought permeates her entire world. READ MORE

The old cliché of the visiting ski bum who landed here, then figured out how to make a living, is long gone.  Today, there’s a generational shift in those leaving their mark. Young professionals come here with college completed, a lifestyle approach, and a career mindset, all centered around an outdoor playground. They’re participating in leadership throughout their communities, adding new insight and perspective, and supporting non-profits, making a difference in the lives and businesses of the Wood River Valley.  READ MORE

From Silver Creek to Galena, iconic images define the Wood River Valley, and many hang as art on our walls, prompting conversation of events, locations, or culture. This November, conversation should be abuzz when a novel take on iconic images and scenes – local and universal – debuts in town with a 2021 photo calendar titled Valley Girls, featuring local women business owners. The 12-month collection of eclectic wall art is a visual delight of photography and design talents produced by Goldwhip, a creative joint venture between local business owners Esther Williams, an event planner, and Halsey Pierce, a photographer, highlighting the first of their creative endeavors together. READ MORE