up the hiking trails or cruise down the ski trails, usually under a blue, blue sky. Later, there's dinner, followed by first-rate jazz or a talk from one of the century's great minds.

On a good day, we actually see the extraordinary natural beauty around us, and we are properly astonished. We listen to old-timers talk about when sleds were the kindest transportation and to live here was to accept community as family. People took care of each other; they were the main event. To us, they still are.

You are about to see life as we know it in the Roaring Fork Valley: in Aspen, Snowmass, Woody Creek, Basalt and Carbondale. Sure, you can find sixteen varieties of gourmet salad greens in the local stores, but in this valley you can also find solace, intellectual edge, spirit and a new life, if you know where to look. Hey! Over here! Come take a closer look at the place we love best.