Arriving in Cuchara, Kathleen started working full time as a registered nurse and Bill part time as a Patient Care Tech at the Dialysis Clinic in Walsenburg, and part time at the ski resort. Meanwhile they were planning and preparing for their bed & breakfast venture as Kathleen began reading, researching and attending classes about the business operations. Bill gained experience in the construction industry by building three of his own homes, and helping others do the same.

After the foundation was poured, the logs arrived, and just days later Cuchara was bombarded with 5 feet of snow in a 24-hr. period. The couple continued to work their real jobs but still found time to toil at the construction site, and slowly their dream took shape.

As summer came in July of 2000 the results of their effort was an elegant two story log cabin with four guest rooms, two large common areas, and a wrap around porch resting along Little Creek. As careful stewards of their beautiful but fragile environment, the couple practices recycling by using earth friendly products, and supports their guests to do the same. It's a charming spot for your visiting relatives and out-of-town friends if you just don't have room for them. And it's conveniently located in the heart of the beautiful Cuchara Valley about one mile south of Main street, just east of Highway 12, behind the Silver Spoon Restaurant. Bill and Kathleen invite you to come take a tour before your next group of guests arrive.

Last year a competition was conducted to select a Colorado artist to create a rendition of the tree in its natural habitat to be reproduced on various commemorative products, all manufactured by Colorado companies, with proceeds to benefit the project. A state wide competition was held and a number of artists submitted their best works, then four finalists were chosen to travel to the tree site and create the actual portrait. After final review, La Veta artist Kathy Hill was selected as the official Millennium Holiday Tree Artist, and lately, has traveled throughout Colorado to promote the event. Although her work is being done pro bono, the rewards include the national media exposure such an event offers, as well as the distribution of her Millennium Tree art in the form of thousands of signed and numbered prints, posters, greeting cards, t-shirts and Christmas ornaments to be sold. If you wish to learn more about the Millennium Holiday Tree project visit their web site at www.holidaytree2000.org.

Kathy has a unique talent for capturing not only an image, but a feeling. "As we travel through the beautiful countryside that surrounds us, we often experience fleeting moments that we remember more as feelings than how the scene actually looked at the moment. Such things we remember out of context and larger than life. In my work, I try to capture these moments by using actual places, but changing or adding details to better reinforce the memory of the special moment as it is remembered. I strive to enhance the feelings by exaggerating certain colors. Light and shadow play an important part in my work," says Kathy. And thanks to her beautiful artwork we can all hold a memory of the Millennium Tree.

Millennium Holiday Tree gift items are available locally in LaVeta at SSHP Antiques, Ft. Francisco Museum Gift Shop, and The Gallery; at the Trinidad / Las Animas County Economic Development, and The First National Bank in Trinidad (to benefit community non-profits); at the Walsenburg Mining Museum and The First National Bank of Walsenburg (to benefit community non-profits).