This place can be quiet a 8am. It's like a blank canvas this time of day.

This is what it looks like later in the day.

I love what these guy have achieved here. They put their money where their mouth is. It is not cheap to build a commercial building with the level of environmental ethics that these guys have demonstrated, especially in Boulder. Here is what they say about this on their website.

“We are proud to be Boulder’s newest and most energy efficient climbing and fitness facility. A combination of ample daylighting thanks to Jim Logan Architects design, solar panels and solar thermal heaters fromLighthouse Solar providing over 80% of our energy, and high-quality, efficient building materials and practices from Harrington Homes and Costen LLC have helped to create one of the most efficient and environmentally friendly commercial buildings in the country.”

Reading their story in our local newspaper was a catalyst to setting up solar power on our roof. Much of our power will soon come directly from the sun, hopefully by the end of the year.

-Tom Noyes

There is a guy camping in the parking lot on Tuesday night so he can catch first chair of the season!

WHAT HAPPENED TO SUMMER, my most favorite season in the world. Don’t get me wrong, I do realize winter has its virtues. After all, I did teach skiing for eight winters of my life – four in Sugarloaf, Maine and four in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, but that was like 100 years ago. These days, summer makes me happier. Winter make me fatter… but still pretty happy, although summer should be nine months long. I love summer.

Even though the ski season is starting up tomorrow, officially, fall is barely two weeks old. The fall colors are at their prime. This morning I finally saw our first frost. The mountain biking is beautiful right now. The crunch of the aspen leaves under my tires feels so… satisfying. The smell of fall is around every corner. Do you know the smell I’m talking about? I’m not going to tune up my skis until next month.

Let me tell you some good news about planting our seed paper in the fall. Many of the perennial seeds will start to establish a root system before they grow dormant for the winter months. In early spring the roots will continue to flourish and should grow into an early summer perennial wildflower garden. Even though you won’t see the same flowers grow that you would if you planted our seed paper in the summer, the flowers should be no less impressive. Planted in the summer, the first flowers you would most likely see will be annuals.

Keep this in mind. Holding our plantable paper products in your hands anytime of year provides a ton of inspiration. Planting it is only half the party.

That’s my story and I’m sticking to it.

- Tom Noyes