Much has been written about the miner's life as he toiled underground, but that is only part of a very interesting story. My Home At Present relates the other half of the story -- a time when the miner's daily life in the San Juan Mountains of Southwestern Colorado was often in a boardinghouse where he was fed with enormous amounts of food to keep his energy up. Sometimes he lived there with his fellow miners for months at a time, unable to get to town because of deep snows. It was almost as dangerous above ground as below, as he faced temperatures well below zero, hurricane force winds, the possibility of running out of food, and the ever present deadly avalanches. Yet it also could be a good life in which food was very edible as well as plentiful, libraries and poolrooms provided recreation, and the miners spent hours telling stories and playing cards. Mark A. and Karen A. Vendl are both retired geologists who have had a life-long interest in Colorado mining history. They have been active members of the Mining History Association since its beginning and co-authored Colorado Goes to the Fair: World's Columbian Expedition, Chicago, 1893 with Duane Smith. Duane Smith is a retired Professor of History at Ft. Lewis College in Durango, Colorado, where he taught for many years. He is the well-respected author of numerous books on the San Juans, Colorado, and Western History, including eight books published through Western Reflections Publishing Company.