LIFE WITH JACK

Iglesias presents a brief memoir that highlights the beauty of Colorado and the appeal of a special dog.

Western Colorado’s Grand Mesa, rising thousands of feet above the Gunnison and Colorado River valleys, is the world’s largest flat-topped mesa.The area around the small town of Whitewater attracted the author with its affordable land and colorful residents; in the late 1990s, she purchased 58 acres of undeveloped land and set up house in a used mobile home with her Jack Russell terrier, Mardell. Before Mardell could be spayed, she conceived a litter with a stray whom the author calls “Don Juan of the desert.” Four Jack Russell–border collie pups were born, and one named Jack had adventures as a cow dog before he returned to live with the author and Mardell: “Jack was one of the most upbeat souls I have ever met. He was an adult now and his intelligence showed in his understanding of the English language and intuitive nature.” At the same time, the author had adventures of her own, moving a 110-year-old house onto her undeveloped acreage, building a foundation, and adding a road, a water line, and septic and electrical systems. After completing a total rehab of the house in 2005, she ran the Desert Star, a successful bed-and-breakfast, welcoming guests who came via car, horse, or camper: “Jack was the official Desert Star ambassador, always making every new arrival smile and feel welcome.” Iglesias vividly evokes the variety of wildlife on the mesa, including migrating sandhill cranes, short-horned lizards, badgers, and prairie dogs. She also doesn’t shy away from the dangers of everyday life in the area, as illustrated by the harrowing description of the death of Jack’s former owner, and of a coyote attack that took the life of one of the dogs. “The loss of our animal friends is never easy as they become so intertwined as family members,” notes Iglesias, whose own wide-ranging story deserves a lengthier treatment.

A slim remembrance that’s likely to move animal lovers and fans of the great outdoors.