I arrived in Boulder in November 2018 with a $50 Town Pump card in my wallet. Google had given me the impression that the gas station was the closest thing Boulder had to a coffee shop, a state of affairs I lamented to my former boss; she bought me the card as a going away gift. Happily I soon discovered The Sweet Spot (and eventually spent the gift card on gas and string cheese).
I remember well my first visit to Kayla Holman’s coffee and bake shop. She was waiting on customers ahead of me, and their banter made it clear that they knew each other well. I felt conspicuous standing there, as Boulder’s likely newest resident yet still a stranger in town. Moments later I left feeling welcomed and, holding what would become my usual Americano, walked across the street to become editor of The Boulder Monitor.
That day was almost 18 months and hundreds of cups of coffee ago. I have left only a few more of the latter before I start driving homeward to Maine. Circumstances made the decision to leave easy, but that doesn’t mean it’s easy to leave, for if there is one thing that will stick with me about Jefferson County it’s that I felt welcomed from day one.
Yet there’s something else I won’t forget, perhaps the source of this area’s welcoming nature: the consistent generosity of its residents. Perhaps nowhere has this been more apparent than in how people readily give of their time and often their money: the first responders who volunteer for the fire and ambulance departments; the concerned citizens who spend hours, month after month, working to secure a better economic future for their communities; those who spay and neuter our pets and aim to establish a much needed animal shelter; the list goes on.
The Monitor has benefited much from this spirit of generosity. I’m thinking of our wonderful contributing writers and photographers; the people who take the time to pen a column or a letter to the editor; our subscribers and advertisers; and, most recently, the dozens of people who so far have donated over $4,000 to support our reporting in the time of COVID-19.
Myself, I’ve experienced Jefferson County’s generosity too many times to recount, though I will note that it was shown to me many times at The Sweet Spot, where people ahead of me in line would pay for my order. I returned the kindness as often as I could.
But for Kayla I’ve not listed any names; under the pressure of deadline and limits of the page I haven’t the time or space to list the many vital people whom I won’t forget. But there are four others I must mention.
Keith Hammonds, for choosing me to join him on the outset of his solutions-oriented community journalism dream. The opportunity to work with him is what brought me to Boulder. It’s been an honor and a pleasure.
Jackie Dyer, for supporting Keith in this endeavor. She’s been somewhat behind the scenes but no less vital for it. She crunches the numbers so we in the newsroom can write the words.
Candace Hecker, for adding warmth and camaraderie to the role of office manager. Countless times she has helped preserve my sanity by taking a message or, crucially, walking Penny.
And Diana McFarland, for lifting her east coast roots so I can replant mine. In less than two weeks on the job her contribution has already been prodigious. You’re in for some great journalism, Jefferson County.
Thank you all. Onward.
