A Time Traveling Victorian Village...with a Killer View of the Rocky Mountains

Erie Village as viewed from the neighborhood park

Regular readers of this blog know that I write novels set during the Victorian era. That said, what better inspiration could such a writer have than living in a neighborhood which seems to have appeared from that time period, full blown, like a Victorian version of Brigadoon?

Imagine, if you will, a modern housing development whose homeowners' association encourages rather than proscribes unique and even eccentric house colors, that mandates large, covered front porches, and requires that house designs date from 1880 to 1910.

My own house is shown here. A white picket fence surrounds the front yard and the porch includes a full sized gazebo for three-season outdoor dining.

The neighborhood was conceived about fourteen years ago on farmland once owned by the Erie town doctor. It lies twelve miles east of Boulder and about twenty miles north of Denver.

Winter

The interior of the homes here can be as modern or traditional as the owner wishes. Naturally, given my love of all things Victorian, I favor as many historical design touches as possible, as long as they do not actually interfere with modern comfort and convenience.

My Writer's Nook

My home office, for example, offers all modern necessities, yet still conveys a homey warmth supplied by a fireplace and abundant window light.

The room is small--small enough to almost merit a designation as an "Inglenook" or chimney corner. An inglenook, historically, was an alcove containing a fireplace and a seating area. It was originally used for cooking, but in later times became a cozy spot to shake off the winter's chill and enjoy conversation and a warm beverage or two.

My writing companion
and silent critic relaxes nearby

Frank Lloyd Wright often incorporated such design features into his Prairie Style homes.

Though traditional inglenooks feature a centered fireplace with built-in seating lining both walls, my office feels cozy enough to at least be called a Writer's Nook.

My office also contains a lovely stained glass window, one of five in the home. Does all of this Neo-Victoriana inspire me and infuse my writing with its own unique flavor? Too early to tell. Though I have owned this house for two years, I have only just begun to live here full time.

I have previously written books in all sorts of surroundings and I sometimes think too much comfort is actually a detriment. It becomes so easy to let one's mind start wandering...and not in a creative way. Yet, there is much to be said for surrounding oneself with whatever sparks the imagination.

Living in Erie Village is a full-throttle immersion in the grace and beauty of a bygone moment in America's past and I feel so fortunate to call it home. 

Spring

Owning a Mountain Bookstore--Part Three

After that heady and hectic first summer, the realities of owning a retail business in a resort town soon became apparent. Autumn delivered golden aspen leaves, but empty streets. Winter was not much better for business. Though the county was filled with ski tourism, skiers don’t read much. Occasionally a non-skiing spouse might wander into the store, bored and looking for reading material to pass the time until après-ski revelry commenced, but overall sales just barely paid the rent.

And then came the deadliest mountain retail period of all: Mud Season. Late Spring delivers sloppy streets and still-chilly, but longer days. The lonely counter time was not entirely a waste. I was able to continue work on the novel that would eventually become “An Uncommon Enemy.”

Finally, Memorial Day came round again. Halleluiah! All the frustrations and confusions of the previous nine months melted along with those last snow drifts. Summer at 9,000 feet...there’s nothing quite like it.

Owning a Mountain Bookstore--Part Two

On my birthday in May of 1997, I officially opened Wolf Moon Books. I offered friends and customers a slice of cake, which had been decorated to look like my logo. I included in the shop decor pieces of furniture from my house. Most were golden oak reproductions of turn of the century styles that complimented age of the building housing the shop, which dated to the early years of the 20^th Century.

The shop felt like an extension of my own home--imagine a home library filled with over 5,000 volumes. Of course the bulk of the inventory had to be slanted to fit the tastes of my customers, not my personal selections, but I loved stocking up on books written by friends of mine, whether they were big sellers or not.

During that first year in business, I was my only employee. The summers were the busiest times, with tourists filling Main Street and Frisco hosting one festival after another to amuse them. Ride the Rockies, Music on Main Street, the Frisco Barbeque Challenge, Fourth of July parades...life was a nonstop party.

Witnessing the enthusiasm of the visitors gave me a whole new appreciation of the beautiful area that was my home. That was an unexpected gift. Through their excited eyes I re-experienced my own wonder at life in the Colorado high country.

During that first summer, I slowly began to learn the ins and outs of retail shop ownership, with many lessons learned the hard way. But life is a highway, right?

TO BE CONTINUED

Owning a Mountain Bookstore--Part One

Every booklover I know has dreamed of owning a bookstore at one time or another. I was no exception and had the privilege of realizing that dream in 1997 when I purchased “Frisco Books” from its owner, Peter Brindemore.

I had met Peter the year before when he hosted my first-ever booksigning for the novel, Never Come Down, a romantic mystery set in a remote mountain area not unlike the Summit County, Colorado, environs where we lived.

Frisco is a tiny gem of a town situated between the northern end of the Ten Mile Range and the western shore of Lake Dillon. At 9,100 feet in altitude, snow covers the ground seven months of the year. Four ski resorts lie within a fifteen minute drive of Frisco and ski tourism supplies most of Frisco’s commerce. My family had been spending our summers there since 1988 and by 1993, we moved to the high country fulltime.

Prior to that, I had been working as an attorney for the Small Business Administration. Each day I dealt with would-be entrepreneurs who were actively realizing their dreams of self-employment. Their enthusiasm was inspiring--and contagious. It left me with a longing to own my own business. When Peter mentioned he was putting “Frisco Books” up for sale, I jumped at the opportunity. The store was situated on Main Street, just three blocks from my house. I could walk to work--another dream fulfilled.

The sale was completed in April of 1997. I closed the store for two weeks to redecorate a bit, making numerous small changes to personalize it. I renamed the shop “Wolf Moon Books.” In folklore, the full moon of January is the “wolf moon.” I love the iconography associated with wolves since my beloved Siberian Husky, Knik, resembled a wolf, so I designed a logo from a photo taken of Knik and ordered the sign maker to create a carved wooden replica of this logo to hang over the shop door.

TO BE CONTINUED...