Out in the great wide open

David Nelson has a diverse résumé. He's been a school teacher in Vermont and Minnesota. He's restored and built houses and fixes cars in his spare time. But for the last 18 years, he and his wife Caroline have settled on building custom furniture and cabinetry in Florissant, Colo.

Florissant is a few miles west of Pikes Peak and about 50 miles from what most of us recognize as civilization. The shop and the Nelsons' home sit on 20 beautiful acres, framed by two ponds, rolling hills, thousands of pine trees, elk herds, deer and other wildlife.