Dear neighbors, back in October of 2019 I interviewed neighbor Sabine Schaffner for this newsletter. I learned she wanted to share more about the neighborhood than about herself. But I discovered in my time with her that there was so much about her that I wanted to share with you. Once I was close to completing the piece I wanted her to read it. She did. But then she asked me not to publish it for it was too personal. I was disappointed but I very much respected her privacy. Today, with her family’s permission, I am grateful to be able to share this story with you. It’s mostly the same as it was then but with editing from Beret Strong and career fact-checking from Karen Simmons - thank you both!
Guardian of the Galaxy - Neighbor recounts first spacecraft images of our planets
By Jon Hatch, On The Corner
As she stood in her slippers, in her mid-century home, gazing out through large, west-facing windows to her backyard sanctuary, Sabine (pronounced Sabeena) Schaffner, 87, described to me memories from the 65 years she had lived in Boulder. For 22 of those years, she was tucked into a dead end dirt road below Chautauqua Park in Boulder, Colorado. Just a few minutes into listening to Sabine, I realized there was going be a lot to be shared so I suggested we sit down. She placed us at each end of the couch in the living room that was lightly accented with antique furniture, ancient rugs and vaulted ceilings with stout wood beams. There were tea and nibbles. She turned up her hearing aid and asked me to speak…