Category: General (Page 33 of 60)

Felicity flew to Denver from the East Coast on Thursday, July 6. A college friend drove her to Morrison (west of the city) from Denver International Airport, where I met them, and then she and I were off to The Lot for the evening.

The morning of the 7th found Felicity helping me chip brush. A clip (1:24) of this activity was recorded for posterity:

[cincopa AAJAFAeWbdGK]

The chipping took up some of the morning. Other chores, including getting a load of wood ready to bring home, took up additional time. Early that afternoon we headed home to De Beque.

Felicity spent Saturday just kicking back, reading, and doing laundry. Pam prepared a delicious dinner of [crock pot] roast beef and fresh corn on the cob, a good ending to the day.

Here is a family photo taken to document the visit:

Felicity with her parents Pam and Jerry

On Sunday, July 9th, I took Felicity to the Grand Junction Amtrak station where she boarded the California Zephyr headed for Denver. (I’ll be interested in getting her report of that trip!) In Denver she will make her way from the Amtrak station to DIA to board her flight back to Portland, Oregon, and home. After almost 4 weeks on the road Felicity is looking forward to getting back to her own place. It was timely to have Felicity in Colorado for a while to catch up with her news and events.

Felicity’s visit was not the only activity I enjoyed the last few days; I took an ATV trip into the Lead King Basin.

I’ve done this route a couple times before, always a favorite of mine as it combines rivers, waterfalls, mining history, flowers, and excellent scenery into a single trip. Below is a 5:40 clip — but it is a little different for me as it combines still photos with video footage.

[cincopa A4AADAuIgxY8]

This upcoming weekend I will be off to a motorcycle rally that is being held in Kremmling, Colorado. So far there are about 16 people who have made reservations; it should be a good group. My next post may be a bit later than average!

That’s it for now. Thanks for looking in!

Pam’s Two Cents Worth:

(Who are those old people leering out of the photo with Felicity?)

Felicity helped socialize the kittens during her stay, an activity that will greatly aid those little furballs as they move forward toward adoption. She begins the European portion of her year later this month; I generally track Felicity’s whereabouts when she’s abroad, so those details are of particular interest to me. Plenty of information was exchanged this visit!

Happy Trails.

On my drive home from work on Monday evening, July 3rd, I saw a plume of smoke rising up ahead. Forest fire, I thought, and I was correct.

Just south of the town of New Castle, off County Road 335, a fire was moving up toward the top of a ridge. I stopped the car and took a couple photos with my camera; this is the best of that bunch.

Hogback Ridge fire near New Castle, Co

I decided to take a bit of footage with my iPhone 6+ even though I was parked on the shoulder of I-70. Cars going past me are visible in this 2-minute clip:

[cincopa A0LAqAeVNZ1X]

As of this morning, July 4th, the fire has been contained with the aid of air drops of fire retardant and water dropped from helicopters. The fire burned about 120 acres of land.

Due to record (or near-record) heat and low humidity, the countryside is very dry. Most western counties have fire bans in effect; no open burning of any kind is permitted. The cause of this burn is not yet known but given the closeness to a county road it is highly likely human-caused.

In not so dramatic news, I was at The Lot last weekend and cleared part of Homestead Acre, creating a large pile of brush to be chipped and a pile of logs to bring home and cut into firewood. I walked the border of the property and located all the corner markers, weed-wacked the driveway, filled the water tank to the top, and did some other cleaning around The Box. An afternoon thunderstorm on Sunday cut my work day a bit short  — but getting any rain is worth the interruption.

I did take some time off on Saturday from projects in the woods to attend the Elk Horn Ranch homeowner’s picnic, the first time I had attended this annual event in the five years we’ve owned The Lot. I met the association’s current president and talked with other home and lot owners while chowing down on hamburgers, fresh fruit, and other picnic items. It was a very relaxing break from working on The Lot.

This upcoming week will again be busy, as daughter Felicity is flying in to Denver and stopping in Colorado for a couple days (on the way back to her Pacific Northwest home). Felicity decided to take a vacation trip to Washington, DC and other East Coast cities during the last weeks of June. Her Colorado stop is something of a layover between both coasts. She will arrive on the 6th and hit the road again on the 9th (a brief but welcome visit).

That’s it for now. Thanks for looking in!

Pam’s Two Cents Worth:

Rambler’s kittens are now 7 weeks old.  I’ve started taking them out of their mother’s pen during the day so they can drink water and munch on dry kitten kibble in a separate enclosure.  Rambler is a bit of a bitch, and reaching in to grab the kittens is a “careful” process. The kittens are not feral exactly, but they’re not people-friendly either.  Socialization will be interesting with that group. The sooner they are weaned and away from mom, the more successful socialization will be.

Happy Trails.

Last weekend we had more visitors to the lot: Jon and Mary Kay Morse were in the area (Breckenridge) and we arranged to have them visit us at The Lot.

Jon and Pam were classmates in high school and Jon played guitar at our wedding. Jon had visited us when we lived in Arizona but this was the first opportunity we had to meet Mary Kay.

Arriving mid-afternoon, with great weather, we took Jon and Mary Kay on a short hike around some of the acreage, then proceeded to sit for a spell and catch up with family news and various life events.

Jon, Pam, and Mary Kay at Pavilion Point

It was great talking to both of our guests and a few hours passed just talking, eating a high country high tea (fruit, tea, cheese) and catching up with “kid” news and updates on friends in common.

By late afternoon Jon and Mary Kay headed back to their Breckenridge accommodations and we headed for home. (This was not an overnighter and we had chores to do back home.) It had been a good day and an interesting visit.

Honda news to discuss: I did receive the new floor mats for the Honda and put them in place. The new front brake rotors were received and installed.  The La Bra for the front of the car arrived today but I have not had a chance to install it, which will first require a good washing of the car. Once that installation is done all the identified upgrades will be in place and only routine maintenance will be required for some time into the future. (I will say the brakes function very well with the new rotors.)

I’m heading to The Lot this weekend just to do some smaller clean-up chores and some other odd jobs. For example, every year I walk the boundary of The Lot and locate the corner markers. This year the markers will get a fresh coat of bright orange duct tape to make them easier to locate as the previous ribbons we used have faded and, in a few cases, fallen away.

I’ll top off the fresh water tanks, weed-wack the edges of the driveway where new growth  (mostly weeds) is beginning to grow. Some other clean-up is expected to get done and I do hope to get a new pile of brush ready for a chipping session, scheduled for the week of July 4th as I am taking a few vacation days that week.

Our friend Kathy Powers came by and picked up the first load of week I had cut last week, but it may be some time before I have another load ready to come home. That’s OK; the heat has made cutting wood a low priority activity. Later in the fall, with cooler weather, is always a better bet for wood cutting. In the meantime I can prep material for both chipping and firewood.

I would like to note the passing of Pam’s Aunt Doris. Aunt Doris was a gentle soul who kept in contact us all the years we have been married, coming up to 43 this August. She will be missed.

That’s it for now. Thanks for looking in!

Pam’s Two Cents Worth:

Temps are heading toward triple digits again.  We are experiencing the effects of smoke drifting over the Western Slope from the Utah fire.  Hazy afternoons but spectacular sunsets.

Happy Trails.

Last Saturday we picked up our 2007 Honda Accord. We had driven up to The Lot on Friday evening, then over to Colorado Springs (two hours each way) on Saturday morning. We finished the day by driving home Saturday night (four hours).

Driving in Colorado Springs city traffic reminds me of why I don’t live in town.

The Honda runs fine and looks good for a 2007, but there are a few items that need to be resolved. Floor mats are needed, as are new front brake rotors. There is some brake pedal pulsing during higher speed stops, a problem I had with the old Honda. Replacing the stock rotors with drilled and vented rotors cured that problem before, so the same fix will be applied to this Honda.

Pam wanted to order a “bra” to put on the front of the car, giving it some distinguishing character; trying to find a plain white Honda in a parking lot could take some effort! Additionally, with all the rock chips that hit the old Honda on our regular commuting route, the car bra solution should protect the front of the 2007 from ugly paint damage.

Here are a few photos:

2007 Honda – front

Interior

Dashboard

View from back of car

Engine compartment

All parts and pieces (floor mats, rotors, La Bra) are on order and will be installed within the next couple weeks. After that we hope to have many trouble-free miles of use.

For now the old Honda is parked up on The Lot to use as an occasional / local trips / 2nd car when needed.  At 415,000 miles, the 2001 has earned semi-retirement and light duty.

2001 Honda at The Lot

While the “new” car was the big news, it is not the only news. Despite the heat I managed to get the first load of firewood cut and stacked along our driveway.

First firewood cut – 2017

And, at work…I now have an assistant. Actually, it is my previous assistant who decided to return to the area for family reasons. He applied for his old job and was re-employed. This means I will have minimal training to do — just the items that have changed in the last 7 months — probably a good thing. I’m glad to have him back.

Record or near-record heat has made life here a bit miserable (100 degree + miserable). We run our evaporative cooler in the mornings to get the night air into the house before we leave, then again when we get home to cool down the place before bed time. Outside activities are somewhat restricted to early morning hours and not much during the day or evenings. This is much too hot for this time of the year!

We will be entertaining at The Lot again this weekend; Pam’s high school classmate, Jon Morse and his wife Mary Kay, will be in Breckenridge on a western state vacation sweep. They plan to make the hour drive from Breck to The Lot this coming Saturday. I have met Jon before; he visited us in Arizona several years back (Jon also played guitar at our wedding oh those many years ago). It will be interesting to catch up with all the news of the intervening years.

That’s it for now. Thanks for looking in!

Pam’s Two Cents Worth:

The 2007 Honda does have a bit of cigarette smoke residue smell in the interior, which will likely soon be replaced by doggie smell.  White is actually a better color for a car in Colorado than the red of the 2001; white reflects those high altitude sun rays.  The 2007 has fully tinted windows throughout too. Nice.

Retirement House Search: While scanning the internet for houses on the southern Oregon border, my search parameters turned up this house in far-northern California.  Coincidently, it’s located in the same California county where Jerry was born. Would we move to California? Maybe we need to swing through northern CA for a “look see” on our driving trip to the Northwest.  We usually drive the Salt Lake City through Idaho to eastern Oregon route, but could also travel Salt Lake City to Reno to northern California.  Possibilities.

10602 Quartz Valley Rd. Ft. Jones, CA

Happy Trails.

This past week was a bit on the rough side. I came down ill; the problem turned out to be a partially obstructed small intestine (naturally occurring). This caused severe cramping in both my stomach and abdomen — very uncomfortable conditions. I’ve had similar symptoms in past years; the treatment includes using a product called Linzess (designed to reduce constipation) to help “clean out” the plumbing.

I missed work for a couple of days while the Linzess did its work. A visit to the clinic on Thursday, complete with X-rays, blood draw, and urinalysis confirmed I did not have an infection, good news, but treatment assumes the muscles around the constriction will relax and open the passage completely. This normally takes a couple of  days. I did go back to work on Friday but left a few hours early as my stamina had been greatly reduced. It will be several days before my digestive system is back to normal.

So…an uncomfortable week followed by a light-duty weekend. Pam mowed the lawn and I did odd jobs and small chores around the house. Heading to The Lot was out of the question.

There are a few other bits of news, though. We bought a replacement Honda Accord, a 2007 model with just over 43K miles on it. We have not brought it home yet, though, as it is in Colorado Springs. More on this car after we get it home but here is an internet photo of one:

2007 Honda Accord (Ours is white.)

I had driven over to The Lot last weekend to pick up a load of firewood, drain The Box’s holding tanks, top off the fresh water tank, and get one of the propane tanks filled. Checking Craig’s List, I saw this Honda listed and decided it was worth while driving to Colorado Springs to look at it. After a test drive and review of the CarFax, I thought it would be a suitable replacement for our 2001 Accord, now clocking 415K miles, and put down a deposit. Plan had been to pick it up this weekend but that did not work out (see above-referenced illness) so we will try for auto retrieval next weekend, the 17th.

Here are a couple photos from last weekend’s Sanderling trip:

24 gallons of fresh water in the back of the truck

First load of firewood, 2017

Here on the high desert, there was some interesting activity in town, sort of funny in a way. One evening we saw what appeared to be a drilling rig setting up in an alley within sight distance from our kitchen window. Pam suggested they might be drilling a well; I replied I didn’t think they could do that in town. Both of us were partially correct, as it turns out.

Residents had been complaining about a natural gas smell but the energy company could not pinpoint a leak. Eventually an old, undocumented, and leaking/uncapped well was discovered in that alleyway. The energy company brought in a rig to cap the old well, a process that took several days.

A long time resident and friend who serves as a Town Trustee told us a story about the well. Seems when, back in the day, the town was connecting homes to city utilities, a crusty old codger did not like the idea. It is surmised he drilled his own well so he didn’t have to pay the town’s fees. Eventually he died, the house was sold and subsequent owners hooked up to the city system, and knowledge of the well was lost. When it started to leak the search  located it and the current capping was undertaken. Now finished, the town should be safer and the odor (not your “normal” natural gas odor which is due to chemicals being added to the supply system) has disappeared. All good things! The capped well is less than a full block from our house so we are glad it has been identified and the problem fixed.

That’s it for now. Thanks for looking in!

Pam’s Two Cents Worth:

Our “two weeks” of Spring now behind us, the high desert is heating up into the 90s.  Ugh.

Rambler’s kittens are almost a month old!  Rambler, being feral, isn’t too friendly but I can occasionally reach in and pick up the kittens, usually when cage cleaning.  The birthing box has been outgrown and the feisty little tykes are starting to “adventure” out. I believe Rambler has two boys and three girls.  Names are DeLorean, Aston Martin, Tesla, Lexus and Lotus.

Back outside, KitKat’s feral mom has at least three kittens (approx. 6-7 weeks old) roaming the neighborhood and coming to the feral cat feeding station.  If I can trap them, I’ll hold them indoors until they are large enough for spay/neuter, then release them.  (Of course, we know how that worked out last time with KitKat. She decided to be partially socialized — making her an indoor/outdoor feline.)

Rambler with her kittens

Happy Trails.

We spent our first weekend at The Lot and had visitors as well. This post is going to be long on photos and videos; I hope you read and view all of it.

I begin with a short video (3:31) of the snowfall I experienced last Tuesday morning as I was setting up The Box for the Memorial Day weekend:

[cincopa AgPA789YSjzD]

Pam and I drove up on Thursday to get ready to welcome our guests, Pam’s brother Craig and his wife Dianne:

Craig Paroubek (with Sophie)

Dianne Paroubek

Friday morning we had the first of a few “technical problems” as we developed a leak in The Box’s water system. A fitting on the auxiliary shower had broken. A trip into Fairplay’s True Value hardware store secured the necessary repair parts and the fix was in place before lunch. A second glitch was remedied when I discovered I had not completely closed a water drain valve; the omission was causing the water system to lose pressure. Completely closing the valve took care of that problem.

On the way back to The Lot after buying parts for The Box I stopped at the Indian Mountain office to pick up a burn pit pass. I learned that the burn pit would not be open this year; last year’s wood had not been burned off and the pit was full, closing  it indefinitely.  While I had not planned to use it much this year I had planned to take stumps and items too large for the chipper to the pit. On to plan B.

Craig and Dianne arrived on Friday. They are traveling in their (new) Minnie Winnie Class-C motor home. Pam and I had a tour of it and, really, it is very nice!

Friday afternoon into Saturday morning was spent eating and talking, catching up with all manner of family news, events, and walking various parts of The Lot. Pam and Dianne were both experiencing some knee problems but managed to get up to Pavilion Point (where Pam took the photo of Dianne) and to other favorite spots including The Nook, The Grassy Knoll, and Birdhouse Ridge.

Saturday afternoon Craig suggested I fire up the chipper and we get some work done. I was a little reluctant to press a guest into manual labor but Craig insisted he had been looking forward to helping us with our lot clean-up so I took him up on his offer. With the burn pit closed the chipper will be our only means of disposing of non-savageable wood this year – Plan B.

Things did not begin well; the chipper was hard to start. Once going it worked well for a while then the in-feed roller (which feeds wood to the chipper) refused to turn. After some head scratching I ‘hot wired’ the solenoid that controls the feed roller and returned to action. We managed to clear a good-sized area near the place I have begun to call Homestead Acre. (I would ultimately like to park an RV trailer on Homestead Acre as this spot offers some of the best views to be had on The Lot.)

Sunday we again took up chipping wood. The chipper ran very well and I suspect Saturday’s problem was due to old gas that had been in the bottom of the tank. Now running on fresh fuel the chipper perked along as nice as could be.

Craig loaded my truck with material while I chipped with Pam’s help. Having an extra person made the operation more efficient as I was chipping almost as fast as Craig was getting the truck filled. Pam and Dianne were making great food during this time and the meals they  prepared were both delicious and very much appreciated! (Craig also grilled the best burgers I have had in a very long time. Many talents, that guy.)

Here is a video (4:30) of us getting one of the loads of wood chipped:

[cincopa AoDAe-tVRHN5]

By late Sunday we had chipped several loads of material and decided to call it a day. The work was not over yet, though, as Pam had plans for the chips…they would be spread out on the Birdhouse Ridge footpath. (Spreading the chips was finished Monday morning before we left for home.)

Jerry and Craig dumping chips

Pam raking chips on Birdhouse Ridge footpath

Craig and Dianne headed for Estes park on Monday morning (Memorial Day!) and we headed home after spreading the last of the chips and shutting down The Box. The four of us completed more work than I was expecting and the cleaned areas look great. I really appreciated Craig’s offer and Dianne’s willingness to spend some of their vacation clearing brush for us!

Here are a few more photos taken around the lot:

Craig and Dianne Paroubek

Looking out over South Park

Craig gathers brush while Jerry runs the chipper for the first time

The weekend went very well with good company, good food, and a lot of chipping. The weather was a bit cool at times (with some snow flurries and near-freezing temperatures at night) but I would have to rank this weekend as one of the best we have ever spent on The Lot.

Finally, a Memorial Day tribute to those who have served our country:

Cost of Freedom

That’s it for now. Thanks for looking in!

Pam’s Two Cents Worth:

Hosting guests forced us to slow down and really enjoy the property. It was lovely. Our guests needed to drink plenty of fluids and rest a bit (which is how one handles elevation), making an enjoyable pace for everyone.  Quite a comfortable first weekend for Sanderling Season. The five dogs managed to co-exist without a hitch, maybe because each dog has no clue she is not a human.

Good to see Bro Craig again (it has been years) and always enjoy talking to sister-in-law Dianne. I appreciate neither one commented on how gray my hair has become, or how much I resemble our Aunt Angela (now departed) as I age.

Happy Trails.

This post covers events of May 21, 22,and 23: I pulled the chipper and The Box (two trips) up to The Lot on Sanderling Court. Snow was a factor, as you will see.

The first trip, with the chipper, was a day trip on Sunday, May 21st. Taking the chipper would get it to The Lot, first, so I could get The Box set up OK on the second trip.

I stopped in Frisco with the chipper on the Sunday trip. The town of Frisco has a small rest area which is a frequent stop on the way to The Lot. You can tell by the snow  that winter is not over yet.

Chipper at the Frisco rest area, May 21st

The Lot, however, was clear of snow on Sunday, and in the middle of an early spring that comes this time of year to 9,600 feet elevation.

The Lot’s driveway on May 21st

On Monday I towed The Box up to The Lot and set it up for the summer. When I went to bed it was Spring. Overnight it snowed:

Tuesday morning snow, May 23rd

I was not expecting the white stuff but it did make for some interesting photos.

Flag flying agains the late spring snow

Spring aspen leaves capped with fresh snow

The flag holder is new this year. Also new is a better way to add water to The Box’s water tank. In the past I had to use a funnel and pour water into the tank one gallon at a time. This year I bought a 12-volt RV water pump, made up a long power cord that plugs into the truck’s power socket, and added a couple food-grade hoses. The result was a water transfer system that made it much easier to get water into the tank. When dealing with around 46 gallons, still pumped by hand, anything that makes this chore easier is appreciated!

New water transfer system is an improvement over hand-pouring

It was a long and busy three days getting both chipper and RV to the high country, but worth the effort. The Box is set up and has a full tank of fresh water and the chipper is on The Lot where we can begin using it in the clean up effort. The fresh snow proved to be more of a visual delight than a hinderance (it was mostly gone by lunch on Tuesday) and I had a good time walking around The Lot taking pictures and enjoying the sight of the snow-capped  mountains around South Park.

That’s it for now. Thanks for looking in!

Pam’s Two Cents Worth:

Our youngest dog, Jo, ended up in the local paper. Our dog grooming place (in Glenwood Springs) was the subject of a write-up for Best Local Groomer, and Jo happened to be on the grooming table when photos were taken for the article. Here is Jo being groomed by Nancy (AKA Aunt Nan):

“Celebrity” Auburn Jo in local paper

Sanderling Season is about to happen.  Bro Craig called – he and his wife Dianne have arrived in Colorado Springs already.  We will rendezvous at Sanderling this Friday. Let the Summer begin!

Happy Trails.

Looking forward on the calendar to next week, I had scheduled a few days off so I could tow The Box (RV trailer) up to our Sanderling lot and get it set up for the season. However, the latest forecast features below-freezing temps and snow for Thursday and Friday, the days I had planned to make the trip.

Next week’s forecast in Como

In light of road conditions, I have to re-think my timing and schedule the drive to the high country the following Monday – Tuesday, if I can get my boss to agree to the switch in vacation days. I wouldn’t mind the colder temperatures – The Box has a furnace for the overnight stay –  but I am reluctant to try to get up the driveway if it’s covered in 3 – 10 inches of new snow. Actually, the ground at elevation is already warm enough so snow wouldn’t accumulate, but slush on the driveway is just as difficult to travel through.

We continue to prepare The Box for summer use. Pam bought a few new rugs to replace the old ones we had been using and, during the last grocery shopping trip, we began buying the consumables needed to restock the pantry. I took the one empty propane tank and had it filled, so now both tanks are full and ready to go. The tanks are 7 gallon (30 pound) tanks; cost to fill one tank (6.8 gallons) came in at $21.53 with tax. Last year we used about 14 gallons – two tanks worth – through the summer. That was a bit less than average as we did not get up to The Lot until June due to using the RV for housing during a visit from the kids.

Technology Update: This may sound a bit odd, but we have never owned a family cell phone. Really. I have carried a cell phone for years, but it’s a company-issued phone. This year, for Mother’s Day, I signed Pam up for a plan that included an iPhone 6s. Now comes the learning curve…

Pam’s new iPhone 6s

Given the time we’ll be on the road this summer, often in different vehicles, a cell phone seems like a good investment. I will have my “official” phone and Pam will carry the family phone. So far Pam has set up a couple contacts, taken a photo and e-mailed it to herself, sent and received text messages (to and from me) as well as changing a few settings (ring tone and background screen) to begin personalizing her account. It will take a bit to get everything set up the way she likes but the process has begun.

The account was set up through Verizon as they offer a government employee discount. This makes Verizon competitive with T-Mobile, Sprint, Consumer Cellular, and other carriers. The 400 minutes (plus a suite of other services) came in at about $48.00 per month with no charge for the phone. Contract is month-to-month, which has both some pros and cons; Pam will see how this plan works out for her. The main thing is having a phone. The other services will get occasional use but I doubt if she will use it to view movies, stream data, or do video chatting to any great degree.

Locally here in town, the free dumpster has arrived.  Woo-hoo! The arrival of the roll-off dumpster is an annual event that is supposed to encourage home and lot clean-up. This generally helps; the dumpster, a large commercial-size unit, always gets filled to capacity. Each year we find a few things to dispose of. This year it was an old office chair [that we replaced a couple months ago] – we purchased the original office chair in Hillsboro, OR (1986?) at a sidewalk sale for $5, think we got our use out of it.

That’s it for now. Thanks for looking in!

Pam’s Two Cents Worth:

I’ve resisted the expense/hassle of a cell phone for years.  I don’t find their operation particularly intuitive.  However, I also don’t fancy myself stuck on the side of a mountain road with three dogs and no way to contact assistance. Guess I’m losing the sense of adventure as I age.

It’s Mother’s Day.  Did your children remember?  Likely not.  Another one of those manufactured Hallmark holidays.

Crazy Cat Lady Update: I did manage to capture the petite black cat [I think is pregnant] from the back deck feeding station.  Led me a merry chase, that one.  Now to see if the animal actually is pregnant, or even is female.  I follow my instincts and observations (rapid weight gain, interaction with male toms), but I’ve been known to be inaccurate in identifying gender for feral cats.

Happy Trails.

Weather in this part of the country can be uncertain. Not long ago we had snow; last night into this morning we had a good soaking rain. A check of the Como weather (nearest town to The Lot) shows night-time temps in the high country to be above freezing on a consistent basis. This means it is time to prepare The Box (our RV trailer) for summer use.

While there are few repairs that need to be done, unlike last year when several maintenance items were needed, preparing The Box still takes some work. Bedding and clothing needs to be put in place, cleaning after the winter, including washing all surfaces, and checking all lights and mechanical systems. Each little bit takes time. I have one propane cylinder to get filled and have yet to flush the RV antifreeze out of the water lines; the preparations will continue for a while yet.

Still it is progress to see the bed made and clothing in the closets, as anticipation builds to get the summer season underway. Pam has a list of groceries to restock what food items we need; over the years we have cut back on the quantity of food stored, instead we bring more with us on weekend visits.

More flowers are beginning to bloom; we have peony, flax, and iris right now but the lilacs are not doing much. I think this may be due to a late freeze. There are some buds on the white lilac so we will have to see if we get some flowers or not.

Tree peony has more blossoms than usual

Honey Locus tree (center) greening out for 2017

I worked on another annual spring project, getting the evaporative cooler (swamp cooler) ready for the season. A new water valve had to be purchases and installed; the old valve would no longer shut off completely and was leaking around the valve stem. Water to the house was shut off during this repair but not for more than about 10 minutes. We have already had a few mid-80 degree days, well above average for this time of year, so it was time to get ready for more hot days.

It’s spring at the feral cat feeder, too. Pam is trying to trap a cat that may be preggers; while not eager to take on another feral mom cat and litter, it’s hard not to take some action to try to save newborn kittens in this neighborhood. However, this particular petite black cat –whom Pam has named Rambler — seems to be very aware of the attempts to trap her and so far has not been caught. The game goes on.

Sometimes small events just happen. The city has re-opened a dump site for organic materials, such as cut grass and tree limbs, so I no longer have to make trips to an old gravel pit to get rid of the grass clippings. Our old screen door (I had replaced it with a new one a couple weeks ago) is gone. Placed on our corner with a “Free” sign on it, a neighbor picked it up a few hours later. Saves me the cost of a trip to the dump and maybe the door will see some additional use. Or maybe it will show up in a yard sale; who knows?

I put a link to our 2017 Easter card on my E-cards page. The card is just a reminder that the “treasure at the end of the rainbow” is most often our friends. We hope everyone had a good Easter celebration.

That’s it for now. Thanks for looking in!

Pam’s Two Cents Worth:

Spring explodes around here, and with it comes yard work and cleaning projects. And kittens, yes, always kittens.

Happy Trails.

There has not been a lot going on this week so this is likely to be a quick post. Most of what we have been doing is just a normal routine. There are a few bits of news, though.

Health for both of us has been an issue; Pam’s bursitis in her left knee has been acting up making it painful to walk. Cold compresses and her TENS machine have helped, along with an anti-inflammatory drug, but getting around is still both slow and painful. Thankfully this episode seems to be on the decline but full recovery seems a way off yet.

I am getting over a nasty cold which has sapped my energy and leads to fits of coughing. As of today I am getting better but let’s just say the last couple weekends have seen little activity outside the minimum necessary to take care of the yard and grocery shopping. Hopefully, by next week, this will be past and I can get started on preparing The Box to take up to The Lot.

Commuting to work has become more difficult due to road construction around Glenwood Springs. A major project to replace the aging bridge over the Colorado River has been on-going for over a year now and will continue for another year. At the moment various access routes into town are being rebuilt or modified to accommodate the new bridge and intersections. The ongoing traffic delays are impacting our ability to get to work.

Typical construction affecting our commute

Access will get much worse starting in August of this year when the physical bridge gets removed and the new bridge installed  (a 90-day process at best) forcing all traffic to get into Glenwood Springs through a 2-lane option that was never designed to handle large trucks and a high volume of traffic. Pam and I are exploring alternate work schedules or other ways to mitigate the construction clog. This will be an on-going topic in future posts!

Other short takes:

Our property assessment came in much lower than we had hoped, pretty much ending our idea of refinancing the place. Biggest problem is comparable properties; there are not many in town that have sold in the last 18 months. Our comparables include a couple of repos that were sold at very low prices, knocking down the value of our place. The property tax valuation from the county shows us losing value in the house since last year’s statement. This part of the country is not recovering from the 2007 – 2008 recession and while this makes buying a house a better deal, refinancing or selling a place means we take a major hit (since we bought in 2006). Bad timing, for sure.

The weather turned cold with fresh snow at our work places this past week. Vail Pass and Eisenhower Tunnel both closed a few times due to the number and severity of accidents attributed to the late snow storms. I emphasize that snow in late April is not at all unusual for us but it has been lovely seasonal weather for quite a while — and people forget it is still winter in the high country.

Pam has located a couple more “interesting” properties through on-line searches:

Hazel Grove Road house in Clatskanie, OR

North 5th Avenue in Stayton, OR

The listing for the Hazel Grove house (listed @ $187,000) had few inside photos, not normally a good thing (it is a bank repo), but there may be a background story to it. The North 5th Ave place (listed @ $199,000) is fairly well upgraded inside and has a detached garage, both appealing aspects of the property. One is in the “boonies” on acreage, one in town on a corner lot.  No water feature or views in either location.

That’s it for now. Thanks for looking in!

Pam’s Two Cents Worth:

Gonna need to schedule that road trip to Oregon for a retirement house “look-see.” Maybe sometime this Fall, after bringing The Box down from Sanderling, we’ll pack up the dogs in our replacement Honda and do a Pacific Northwest loop. (Still need the replacement Honda…)

Regarding the low appraisal on our present digs (a loss of $43,000 in value over ten years), you were maybe thinking I was overly dramatic in saying De Beque is a dump?  Sad validation.

Happy Trails.