Day: June 15, 2009

The Rat Hole of My Life

Summer 1978

In the early days of summer 1978 my life took a tragic turn, one that to this day I have been unable to correct.  Many attempts have been made to extract this horrible curse from my life only to see it dig deeper into my soul.  It is a way of life now and I have successfully dragged many friends and family members down the same “rat hole” with alarming success.  It all started on a Sunday morning back in 1978 while I was reading the Denver Post Classified Advertisements.  There it was and the desire to posses it consumed me, robbing me of all common sense or logic.

The advertisement had a phone number on it but no price for the item.  I called the number on the advertisement, “Tony speaking” crackled on the other end.  I explained my interest in the item and was pleased to learn that it had not yet been sold.  The price was set at three-hundred and fifty dollars, delivery included.  The seller, as it turned out had a big twin engine Cessna and was willing to fly from Denver to Aspen to deliver the product.  He had never flown into Aspen and welcomed the opportunity.

The Cessna 421 landed a few hours later with my package on board.  Antonio Salerno, who looked to be my age, and I made the exchange and we both went our separate ways.  I lingered long enough to watch him take off and then I was on a mission to get this thing setup and working.

The package lacked any sort of instructions but it seemed easy enough to figure out what went where.  In about an hour I was ready to turn it on.  “Click,” and then the “rat hole” opened up and sucked me in.  Within minutes my mother was standing over my shoulder asking me to do “this or that” which I did.  The little blinking box on the screen told me I had accomplished my goal.  A while later my father came to check it out but showed little to no interest, this contraption was not for him and never would be, so I thought.

Hours turned into days and yet I could not break the hold it had on me.  I ordered a catalog from the manufacturer to see what else could get added to make it even better.  By the end of the summer I had expanded the device’s capabilities, added external devices and burned through every spare dollar I had.

I was off to college that following fall with my toy in hand.  This device was so new that few colleges or students had one, so you can imagine how much wanted or unwanted attention it was getting.  Over time my life settled in with this device becoming more important every day until I could no longer survive without one.

The following year the college was in the process of eliminating computer mainframes and punch cards.  There was a new technology just around the corner and they planned to lead the students into that “new frontier.”  For me, the technology was getting better but it was hardly new.  By now you know what this story is all about.  My first computer, the one that I got from Antonio, was a Radio Shack TRS-80 Micro Computer System.  Over time I added two additional 16 kilobyte expansion chambers.  I had a cassette deck for storing my files and a modem to communicate with the school’s mainframes.

I went to work that summer in Greeley for a new store called ComputerLand selling and supporting a new line of products known as IBM PC-XT’s and a new operating system known as DOS.  These things eliminated the cassette decks for storage as they had 5 1/2 floppy disks.  They were also selling Osborne computers that had two floppy drives and a small screen all in a box that you could carry around like a suitcase.  It used a better operating system known as CP/M.  As soon as I could afford it, I used my discount and upgraded to the new technologies with an Osborne in tow.

Upgrades to the latest technologies have become a way of life for me.  My home has over a dozen computers in it, all communicating with one another and to the outside world.  In 1992 I heard rumblings of a way to communicate with other people as well as share programs and data.  Up to this point modems and BBS’s were the only way to extend your reach beyond your computer.  This new thing was known as The Internet and it was really cool!  There were no graphics but the amount of information out there was amazing.  I signed up for my own domain name as I was told you had to have one back then.  The process of getting a domain name was hard since it was so new to everyone but I prevailed. 

Twenty five years and running and there is no end in sight.  I keep getting new technology, sucking more people into the hole as deep as I can without remorse.  My children are now Internet and computer users and one even has a cell phone. 

I often think I would have had a family earlier in life had it not been for computers.  They take everything from you, your money – your time and even your desire to ever see the light of day ever again.  I recently gave my father a laptop computer.  I knew in time that we would get him too.  I am proud of him for resisting for nearly 25 years before succumbing to the pressure.

The Life & Times of the Sardy House

1892, 1968, 1986 & Today

The family all gathered around Henry, paying their last respects and talking of his many accomplishments.  The conversations went from his successes in business to the many funny stories of a lifetime filled with good humor and practical jokes.  The room seemed dark even though it was well lit, tears and laughter filled the gallery as the brief ceremony began.  30 minutes later Henry was off to his final resting place.  Life would soon return to normal, well as normal as you would expect in this small community.   This story would repeat itself over the many years, only the participants would change. 

The Mortuary was a beautiful home that served as a private residence as well as Aspen’s only mortuary at the time.  The proprietor was a local businessman, politician and family man by the name of Thomas “Tom” Sardy.  The house was originally built in 1892 by J.W. Atkinson, the local sheriff at the time.

Years later, in 1986, the house was converted to an exclusive hotel with a highly regarded restaurant.  An addition to the back of the property provided additional guest rooms and was referred to as the Carriage House.  It was during the years it operated as the Hotel that the staff did all that it could to distance itself from the home’s past as a mortuary.  For obvious reasons I am sure some of their guests would be uncomfortable knowing what had taken place in the house (hotel) in its past.  On one occasion while looking around in the lobby I made a passing comment about its past and was quickly told that the house was never a mortuary and was only a rumor.  I had heard that this was a common response and I wanted to hear it for myself.

With a small grimace on my face, I responded by asking why my grandfather was in a coffin on this very spot back in 1968.  My comment was met with an odd look on their face and if there had been a cricket nearby that would have been the only sound you could hear.  I smiled, thanked them for their time and left.  I must admit that I rather enjoyed doing that and it brings a smile to my face every time I think back to that day.  The house was later converted back into a single family residence as it remains today.

Throughout the years, the large pine tree in the front yard has been regarded as Aspen’s official Christmas tree and is lit each year to signal the start of the Christmas season.  This tradition has survived through all the changes of ownership and uses of the mansion.

Bert & “Granny”

Winter 1986

In all of my adventures I make a conscious effort not to name celebrities unless they are key to the story.  Aspen is filled with stories of celebrities and in my humble opinion, they are welcome guests but they have had a very small effect on what makes Aspen, “Aspen.”  This story is different and for that Bert Convy gets top billing along with “Granny!”

The “old” Little Nell bar was in its last year of operations.  The following summer it was scheduled to be torn down to make way for the “new” Little Nell Hotel.  The place was showing its age and few people would miss it when it was gone.  The best thing about this place was that it was at the base of Aspen Mountain, drinks were relatively cheap and it was not fancy enough to attract much attention for the winter guests.

That winter I was part of the crew that operated the new Silver Queen Gondola.  The Little Nell was our favorite place to go unwind after work.  The bar was always dark inside, even with the windows open, and the furnishings showed their age.  This was not the place to go if you were on your first date, but it was a great place to go meet up with your old friends or make new ones.

My evening plans included going out for dinner with my grandmother, known by all locals as “Granny.”  Before meeting up with her, I stopped into the Little Nell for a few drinks with my co-workers.  The place was packed and there were very few places to sit down, although there was one vacant bar stool next to me.  He sat down, ordered himself a scotch.  At first he did not engage anyone in conversation, he just sat there.

After a couple of minutes I leaned over and said, “I know you but I will keep it a secret.”  He smiled, extended his hand to introduce himself with his famous grin, “Bert Convy, and who do I have the pleasure?”  I introduced myself and said, “Bert! I thought you were Monty Hall!”  I was of course kidding as I knew exactly who he was.  We visited, just small talk, for about 30 minutes before I had to excuse myself as I was off to my dinner date.

Granny always loved eating at the Charlemagne Restaurant.  The Maître ‘D, Michael, was one of her favorite people as he knew to treat her like royalty.  The Charlemagne Restaurant was located in the Floradora Building on Main and Third Streets and it quickly became a local favorite for fine dining.  The restaurant even played host to the Lutheran Church on Sunday mornings for a time.

Not long after Granny and I sat down the table next to us was seated by a rather large family.  Much to my surprise it was Bert, his girlfriend, his mother and four or five children.  As soon as they were seated Bert walked over to say “Hello” and proceeded to introduce himself to Granny.  “Who might this lovely lady be?” he asked.  “Granny and who might you be, cookie?” she replied.   I quickly interrupted to let Granny know who he was and what he did for a living.  But in Granny’s typical flair, almost as if he were no longer standing there, “Well, I have never heard of him!  Who is he and what does he do?”  With that, Bert sheepishly excused himself and returned to his table.  I, on the other hand sat there, embarrassed and without a single word left to say.  As we left that evening I quietly apologized to Bert and headed out the door.  

Sadly, Bert died a few years later due to brain cancer, at the age of 57.