Pam and I spent a long weekend at The Lot — September 15, 16, and 17. There was one problem (the chipper, more on that later), but it was a great autumnal weekend.
Fall colors are nearing their peak. The trip to and from The Lot is a drive through some stunning color areas (Vail, Breckenridge, Fairplay among them). A percentage of trees are still green, a few have lost their leaves already, and the colors between ran the gamut from gold (most predominant) to patches of red and orange mixed in. The contrast between the colors, set off by blue skies with a few white clouds, was striking.
Fall colors at The Lot – 2018
The aspen at The Lot were not quite at full peak color but the Aspen Grove was awash with a fall-yellow light that made walking in the cleaned-up areas a real delight. Sunday evening, just before sunset, we hiked up to Pavilion Point and watched the sunset side-lighting the trees. With a light breeze blowing and an almost ideal temperature in the upper-60’s, the weather and view was as good as it gets.
2018 fall colors from Pavilion Point
Then, just after we were back at The Box and with dusk settling in, a young buck walked through the nook, grabbing a few mouthfuls of grass as he went. I was within 20 feet of him, Pam a bit further away. He had two and possibly three points on each antler and seemed quite unconcerned about us watching him. In the evening light and with the fall colors the effect was almost magical. (Wouldn’t you know I had stopped to put the camera back on the table and did not have it on me!)
Work was actually accomplished; Pam and I spread the two piles of chips that had been generated over previous work sessions. We started with the large pile of chips along the path near the chipper and ended with the pile of chips up on Homestead Acre. I lost track of the number of 2-wheel cart loads this took, but it was around 20. The process: I loaded our 2-wheel cart (pulled by the ATV) with chips using a snow shovel, then drove to the part of the footpath where Pam was waiting to spread the chips. Dumped the cart, leaving a large pile of chips, then moved it ahead a few feet to empty the rest of the cart. I returned for the next load while Pam raked the chips, spreading them evenly, and covering the width of the path. This process guaranteed that both of us would get a lot of exercise, but it’s good to know the job is done for the year and the paths look tidy and fresh with their new coating.
Jerry loading chips
Pam unloading and spreading chips
Next job up was to chip the last two piles of brush along the west side of the path. Didn’t happen. The chipper would not start; the engine kept flooding. I took off the top of the carburetor and found a problem with the floats but did not have the tools on hand to fix it. No chipping this day. I was bummed out.
That pretty well ends chipping for the year; I will tow the chipper home and work on it so it’s ready to go next year. I need to check the “blades” or “knives” and get them sharpened over the off-season as well. I did not do this before using the chipper this year, and I really don’t know what condition they’re in. A new set costs about $125.00 but I hope the current knives can be sharpened and re-used. There is a professional sharpening service near my work place and I’ll see if they can sharpen these blades.
So – – on to Plan B. (There is always a Plan B.) Plan B was brush clearing on the east side of the current work path, a non-cleared area. We produced several more piles of brush and added more to the ‘burn pit’ wood pile. By the time we were done the brush piles were fairly large, we had more firewood logs piled up, and that side of the path – up to our property line – was looking much better. I still have some chainsaw work to do to finish gathering the salvageable wood, but a few hours of work will about finish that task. It will be my staring point for next year’s work.
With the chipper out of commission and the chips spread, we left The Lot for the return trip a bit earlier on Monday than planned, but enjoyed the trip home, taking in the fall colors and basking in the beautiful weather.
By the way, the dogs could have cared less about being in the high country. JoJo likes to get out and run (she’s part Greyhound) but the other two (Beagle mixes) are pretty ho-hum about going to The Lot.
Bru (Left) JoJo (Center) and Blondie (Right) nap in The Box
All-in-all, it was a very good weekend!
My next trip to Sanderling, scheduled for this weekend, will include maintenance items. There must have been a hail storm at The Lot this summer, as all three of the RV roof vent covers have holes in them. I have replacements that I need to install which will take a couple of hours. Then I’ll check underneath The Box to make sure there are no places for rodents to enter; this may entail adding washers to some of the screws that hold the cover sheets in place. (Since we plan to leave The Box at The Lot this winter, rodent-proofing is a high priority.)
Pam wants me to start bringing home some of the linens and clothing items that will not over-winter in The Box, so I will take a few empty containers to fill and bring home. While I plan a few more trips before finally closing down for the winter, the end of the work season is not far away; normally we are done by early October but it depends on night time temperatures. Right now overnights are in the low 40 degree range, OK at the moment, but getting closer to freezing.
There is some family news to report; daughter Felicity is in England and attended a Jane Austin Festival in Bath. She sent us a a photo of her posing in the ensemble Pam had prepared and I mailed (Pam sewed the clothing and found the bonnet and shoes in the costume box). Here are a couple photos of the event from Felicity:
Felicity (right) in Regency costume
Men in 1800s costume at the festival
That’s it for now. Thanks for looking in!
Pam’s Two Cents Worth:
I’m always somewhat sad to leave Sanderling after my final work weekend in the fall. It is absolutely lovely up there — particularly spectacular in the Aspen Grove. We started our clearing process six years ago in the Aspen Grove. It’s a delight to walk through that area now, moving quite easily, without stepping over downed trees and piles of brush. We met a goal by paying off the loan on the Sanderling property in late August. It is now Fields land, debt free.
Tomorrow is the Autumnal Equinox. Perhaps I am the first to wish you felicitations of the fall season?
Happy Trails.