For Mark Bissell, it’s the place he has always called home.For Angela Bissell, its like being on vacation every day.For visitors, it’s a relaxing, rustic family getaway.Mark Bissellís parents bought the property in Black Forest in 1951; the old log cabin is still at the heart of the now-expanded house. Except for going to college in Boulder, where he earned a bachelor of fine arts degree, and spending about 10 years teaching in the San Luis Valley, “I’ve spent my whole life here,” Bissell said of the family ranch.His dad, Leonard, an artist, had his own advertising agency. His mother, Emily, was instrumental in forming School District 20, where Bissell was the director for facilities and planning before retiring a few years ago; he also taught art in D 20 schools for a decade. Throughout his teaching career in D 20 and elsewhere, he coached basketball, baseball, football and hockey.Over the decades, he has seen many changes in the Forest.In the old days, Bissell said, “It was a real community.” Life centered on school, church and the community center, and it was so far out in the sticks that other people stayed away, he said. “You’d basically wave to anyone on the road because they knew who you were and you knew who they were.”Development, of course, has come to the forest; many of the kids Bissell knew grew up on ranches that have since been cut up into developments. But he understands why people want to come to the Forest. And he understands that things change.”Do I like it? Not really, but you accept it.”He has a barrier of sorts against that wave of change. Much of his land is protected under a conservation easement through the Palmer Land Trust, which limits any future development. So, when he passes the land on to his heirs, “It keeps them from chopping it up,î Bissell said. Not that his two sons have expressed a desire to do so, but it removes the temptation, he said. And anyone can be tempted “by a lot of money,î he added.How much land does the family have? “I like to tell people, I have a quarter section, and let them figure it out,î Bissell said.He met Texas-born Angela several years ago at a conference of business professionals; they’re practically still in the newlywed phase, having married just two years ago.Was it love at first sight?”For me it was, but it took her a while to come around,” Bissell said.But Angela Bissell said she quickly found him intriguing. “After our first kind of date, he was such a gentleman. That was something I had always wanted in my life was a real, true gentleman. He ended up being my knight in shining armor,î she said.Angela relishes the tranquility of life in the Forest. “I had a friend who said I love coming to your place because it’s like being on vacation. And it totally is.”And, for some people who visit, it really is like being on vacation. The Bissells operate the Hummingbird Cottage, a two-bedroom guesthouse next to their home, as a short-term rental. They’ve only been doing so for a year, but the cottage has been occupied 80 to 90 percent of the time, Mark said ñ- and they have earned stellar reviews on Airbnb.com.”What a beautiful space, and everything I could have needed was there,” according to one review. “I loved sitting on the deck with my coffee and seeing deer and hummingbirds right in front of me.”For Angela, it’s a bit like having a life-sized dollhouse with the chance to redecorate depending on the season. They’ve made the cottage cozy, but added some modern conveniences while also reflecting the family history, she said.”And I’m very particular,” she said, “I won’t let anyone else clean it. I’m just so picky, and it has to be absolutely perfect.”Guests who wander the grounds will come across a pond, abundant wildlife and some unusual trees. The property is home to many trees believed to be culturally modified prayer trees; the oddly angled branches are the result not of nature, but of labor by Ute Indians. The area near the pond was likely a winter encampment for Ute Indians, the Bissells have been told.Guests also might stumble across an artist at work. Mark is a potter, and his studio is near the Hummingbird Cottage.For Mark, making pottery is a form of relaxation. “I like the tactile feeling, working with my hands.” He sells his pottery only one time a year, at the annual Art in the Park in Loveland in August. He used to hold sales out of the house, ìBut itís too much of a hassle,î Mark said.His dad was a skilled sculptor and painter. “He could do anything,” Mark said. But Mark said he has always focused on pottery. “My dad had modeling clay. I’d always take his modeling clay and work with it.”His grandfather was an artist of a different sort; he was in the performing arts and was “big in vaudeville,î Mark said. That artistic spirit ó ìit’s in my DNA.î
