I am intrinsically from the Colorado Mountains, from an abandoned mining town with people who clung to an image of cowboy rugged life and rural autonomy. I connected with the West and its ability to forgo traditions, even though it had a particular way of life. The independence of this place juxtaposed the white gloves and strict propriety of my Dutch heritage. I think it was because I grew to mimic the values of these old and new ideals, that I became constantly fascinated and paradoxically, although I remember being capable of marveling at everything, I don’t remember being astonished.
