Through the smoke screen

Dear Editors,

It was a very pleasant surprise to walk into a smoke-free Denny’s on July 1. We like the all-day breakfast and will go more often now that we don’t have to walk through smoke. The food tastes better, and upon asking an employee if she liked the change, found she was thrilled. She talked about how great it will be not to be permeated with cigarette smoke when she goes home from work.

– Margaret Pacheco, via e-mail

Compassionate, caring, efficient

Dear Editors,

My husband and I drove over Wolf Creek Pass on a day in the mid-’90s, and we knew immediately that Southwest Colorado was going to be our home in our retirement years.  John and I bought land and moved in from New Jersey in ’96. I retired in ’99 and John in ’02.  John got involved with the Pagosa Fire Protection District contributing his expertise to the community in that way. We never regretted our decision to move to Colorado.

Sadly, John passed away, and his death brought me to Ellen Roberts’ law office, seeking help with medical records, estate and tax issues. People say derogatory things about lawyers – but that is NOT Ellen. She is compassionate, helpful, caring and efficient. A law practice is a small business, and Ellen realizes that we need jobs (even in retirement), and that our ranches are businesses as well as beautiful vistas.

I am a Republican and a woman, a relatively new resident (less than a generation), and a supporter of Ellen Roberts for the 59th District seat in the Colorado House of Representatives. She has studied issues that we face; she listens to residents’ opinions and views. Realistically, we won’t always agree on things, but I

trust her to hear me, to be fair, and to be prepared to explain to Front Range urban representatives what life is all about in the rural, beautiful Southwest. My full support is behind Ellen, and I hope that you will support her as well.

Ellen has a web site with information about her background and thoughts on issues. Go to www.ellen roberts.com.

– Sincerely, Diane Rieck, Chimney Rock

Thanks to the maestro

To the editors, Although thank you lists are verboten on the letters page, I just had to take a few minutes to express my thanks to Los Jefes for hiring Todd Newcomer as their main photo guru, and to thank the maestro himself for the great images that have graced the pages of the Telegraph for the last few years. Although we never really got the chance to chew the artistic fat, I was honored to share the boilerplate with a professional of Todd’s quality.  So thanks for capturing us, Mr. N, in all of our funky glory. Good luck, and take care among them English … .

– Shan Wells, via e-mail