Fall is arriving in the high country. The last two weekends have seen the start of fall colors at The Lot and one morning there was frost on the truck. Our work season is rapidly coming to a close.

The weekend of September 3 – 4 Pam and I were doing our clean-up work when Pam spotted this critter making its slow way along the ground under some pine trees. We don’t know what kind of caterpillar this is but it was quite active. (Note: Research shows this caterpillar to be in the cecropia moth family.)

Pine floor caterpillar

Here and there fall colors are beginning to appear. While we are still a couple weeks away from “peak colors” the change is unmistakable.

“Color” starting to show

While we were working we received a visit from another of The Lot’s creatures; this chipmunk paid us a visit.

A “Chippie” stops to figure us out

By the end of the weekend we had pretty good-sized piles of wood for the burn pit and firewood to bring home.

Load of firewood

The following weekend (September 10 – 11) I went up alone to complete the work we had begun. Several loads of junk wood went to the burn pit and a good-size load of firewood was loaded into the trailer and brought home. Next week I have a company event which will keep us home for the weekend and after that there will be only 1 more trip to The Lot before I bring The Box home for the winter.

I did work in an ATV trip on Sunday before I came home. The Wheeler Lake trail turned out to be a real challenge for me; round trip was about 12 miles but the trail had several challenging rock formations to get over or through. Notwithstanding these obstacles and the rugged conditions there were waterfalls and mining history in the area and I enjoyed the trip. It took longer than I had anticipated, though, and I was later getting home than I had planned.

Here are a few photos from the trail which begins at Montgomery Reservoir:

Montgomery Reservoir

Magnolia Mill

Falls near Magnolia Mill

The trail was a result of mining in the area; this shaft near Wheeler Lake is unusual in that it has not been sealed as the state has mandated sealing old mine shafts for safety reasons.

Old mine shaft near Wheeler Lake

There were other signs of past activity; this old cement mixer was used to help build a dam located up the trail from Magnolia Mill.

Old cement mixer used to help build a dam near Magnolia Mill

At the end of the trail is Wheeler Lake at an elevation of 12,200 feet. The Continental Divide is in the background and a nice waterfall drops into the lake from the left (west) side of the bowl.

Jerry at Wheeler Lake

Waterfall from Continental Divide feeds into Wheeler Lake

A very nice trip but it was challenging and tiring as well. A good internet page that has more trail details can be found at Trail Damage and You-Tube videos can be found by searching for  Wheeler Lake, Colorado.

I have some video that I’ve not yet had a chance to work on; the wind was blowing pretty hard so the audio will, probably, not be useful. We shall see!

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

Pam’s $.02

Pam says she does not have a lot to say this time but she is looking forward to viewing the fall colors on The Lot the next time we go there.

There are just a few notes to pass along this time; some are house hunt-related, some are Lot-related, some are just general.

Last Wednesday (late afternoon) we drove by several houses that Pam had seen on-line. All were in the Cedaredge area on the other side of Grand Mesa, a pleasant high country ride of about 1.5 hours distance each way for us. Some properties had excellent views but were off-the-side-of-a-side-road, not exactly what we were looking for, but since we were in the area….

One of the sites was an old small house on .6 acre. The plusses are water flowing through the lot and trees and some mesa views. Drawback is the house, old and small, but priced below $100K…it raised our interest.

Stream on Grandma House lot

Small Grandma House

Shed could be used for equipment storage

We think much could be done with the lot; just cleaning it up and mowing would do wonders for the appearance. Cactus in the front yard would have to go, though. If it was on larger acreage this might be a strong possibility; we could tear down the old house and build, or add onto the existing house…there are possibilities.

Another house had a circular drive, garage, shop, decks and views, but is listed as a 2 bed, 2 bath at $300K…over our budget limit but the place is octagon with beamed ceilings which gives it some character.

Front of Octagon House

Side of Octagon House

As we drove by the other Cedaredge locations, we decided we would not consider them for one reason or another, sometimes multiple reasons! One place had great views and a garage but it was off the end of a county road and shared a driveway with a neighbor. Another house also shared a drive with a neighbor, this neighbor obviously trying to start his own personal dump. Keeping in mind we are looking for a retirement home, one criteria is access to the nearest town on a year-round basis. Some places on the side of Grand Mesa look like access (particularly winter access) could be a dicey proposition. Anyway, the search continues.

Our hope is that as winter approaches the prices on real estate in general will drop to the point where a reasonable offer from us might be considered. Along those lines, the price on the rural Montrose home we had made an offer on and which was rejected earlier this month, Chu Chu Lane, had a price reduction from $309,900 to $299,900.00 so the price is heading in the right direction.

The rest of the news is pretty general. I cut the last load of firewood we had brought home and Pam and I piled it up along our driveway. Kathy Powers will come by with her pick-up and take the wood to her place. This load was unusual in that it was mostly pine with a few pieces of aspen, the reverse of our normal loads of firewood.

Jerry cutting load of firewood

Much of the load was small enough to cut with the chop saw; the rest was cut with my old Craftsman chain saw.

I had to re-do some parts of the home-made trailer. Originally I had put the stake bed sides together with screws, but these seemed to work loose and / or break when traveling over the very rough and washboard gravel road between our Lot and the burn pit. I replaced the screws with 1/4 inch bolts and will see how that works out with future loads.

This weekend I stayed home and did chores. Firewood cutting, trailer work, lawn mowing, changing oil in the Honda, and I volunteered to mow a neighbor’s lawn after his rider blew an engine. Jim (the neighbor) is using a walker to get around now and can’t operate a push mower so his yard was looking a bit shaggy. Jim’s son-in-law has a line on a replacement engine and Jim’s rider should be repaired by the next time his lawn needs to be cut. Jim and his wife Jolene are good neighbors and I don’t mind doing the extra work for them.  Someday I’ll be old and using a walker and might need someone to help me.

Pam is really busy at work; the start of the fall semester ia always a busy time but this year seems to be busier than normal. I’ve finished my major projects at work for the year so now can concentrate on lower-priority tasks that need to be done but are more routine.

We have seen some aspen colors changing in the high country and some of the taller peaks have had a dusting of snow; fall appears to be arriving a bit early this year and winter won’t be far behind. We hope to get another couple loads of firewood home and a few more loads of slash taken to the burn pit before having to bring The Box home for the winter. The next few weeks at Sanderling will be quite busy.

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

Pam’s Two Cents Worth:

What we are learning about Colorado Western Slope real estate (not in resort areas) is educational.  If the property in question is in the $100,000 range, it is either 1) an older home (pre-WW II)  “fixer” with limited acreage, or 2) a mobile home with perhaps one acre +.  The $200,000 range gives the buyer the hope of some upgrades and some acreage; the home is generally still 30+ years old but mechanical and/or aesthetic improvements should have been made.  In the $300,000 range, there are mixed messages.  At $300,000+, homes should have a master bedroom with en suite bathroom, at least three bedrooms and two bathrooms, kitchen and bathroom updates, a garage, and the yard should be immaculate (no junk anywhere).  However, realtors are convincing sellers that 1-3 acres of property attached to the home puts that listing in the $300,000 range, regardless of the amenities one is expecting inside or the tidiness of the home and yard.  Not so much for buyers.  And that’s where our problem arises.

See?  We have been learning something along the way during the last nine months after all.

Happy Trails.

It’s hard to believe it has been a couple weeks since my last post. It seems like I need to catch up —again!

There is not much going on with the retirement house hunt.  Since our last offer was rejected we have not really looked at any more properties, but Pam is putting together a new list of “possibles” – we will drive past and take a look. If any are promising we’ll contact our realtor and schedule an in-depth tour.

Our weekends have been very busy; the last two have been spent at The Lot continuing with our clean-up of Birdhouse Ridge. That task is very nearly completed; I have some firewood stacked up and ready to bring home, everything else is done. It is so nice to be able to walk around the Ridge without fear of tripping over fallen trees and all the standing stuff is nice and green. It takes a lot of work and that helps us enjoy the finished product even more.

Not content to sit around…we opened up a path to a new area to be cleaned out over the next few years. Access to this spot is adjacent to the area we call The Nook, uphill and to the right as you look out the RV trailer. We can see this area from where The Box sits so picking it as the next clean-up area is in keeping within our “line of sight” priorities. Slash was staged at this location one weekend; I then drove up solo last weekend and hauled out 4 loads of non-salvagable wood to the burn pit, then loaded up a trailer full of wood to be cut into firewood. It was a busy weekend!

I bought a new generator so I was able to run the Honey Wagon equipment and empty The Box’s holding tanks. Other chores including replenishing the RV fresh water supply (hand-pumping 28 gallons of water) and sharpening my chain saw chain. There are always housekeeping chores to get done and having the new generator let me do some delayed chores. We should now be good through the rest of the summer. Pam had relocated a few pine saplings (needed to be moved when clearing the path to the new clean-up area) so I watered the tree transplants as well. Last but not least, hummingbird nectar for the feeder.

Below are some photos (and one video) taken over the last couple weeks. The video was shot from the top of The Box…Pam’s idea…to show what Sanderling looks like in a 360 degree sweep. The clip has some lens flare – not the best quality – but I hope you take a moment to let it play.
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New Ryobi 5,500 watt generator

“Before” photo of area near The Nook

Slash destined for wood pit – first weekend

Trailer load#1 (of 4) for the day – second weekend

“After” photo of brush (almost) gone to burn pit

A sunset over South Park

So…it has been a busy couple of weeks, a state of affairs that will continue for the rest of the summer. Don’t be surprised if I don’t have a new post for another couple of weeks.

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

Pam’s Two Cents Worth:

Next month we celebrate four years since we purchased Sanderling.  It’s always amazing to me how much dead wood and slash is taken out of each area we identify – loads and loads and loads hauled off the forest floor and to the burn pit. (Even more if Fields has to cut down standing dead trees.)  The task seems almost endless, so it is a real pleasure to clear an area like Birdhouse Ridge and enjoy walking freely over that path, without impediment. No small accomplishment.

Happy Trails.

I have a few catch-up items since my last post, so let’s get to it.

Foster cats:

Pam has foster litter #26, 4 kittens and a mom cat, ensconced in our cat room. The kittens are fairly nondescript but full of energy. One had an incident where he hurt his back and was down for a few days; Pam hand-fed him (kitten’s name is Pieter/Pete) for a few days to make sure he was getting enough to eat. Pete is probably the most attractive of the batch although he is also the smallest.

Mom cat Juliana

Foster #26. (Pete is at right.)

Pam calls this batch the “House of Orange.” They require a lot of work but will be put up for adoption (including the mother cat) when they get big enough and have had their spay/neuter operations.

House hunt:

We made an offer on the Chu Chu Lane home but the offer was rejected. Apparently the owner did not take us at our word that our offer was the best we could do; the owner and her agent expected us to come back with a better offer. We already had planned to cash in one of my retirement accounts – not large! – to come up with the down payment and simply cannot raise our offer price.  A budget is a budget.

The owner indicated she may re-think our offer over the weekend and may put forward another counter so the deal may still survive, but we are not optimistic. Technically, we have rejected her counter-offer so the deal is dead but we will review another counter-offer if one is put forward. The search will continue if this deal does not work out.

Chu Chu Road home is styled as a farm building

The Lot:

More of the same story; I went up and hauled non-salvageable wood to the burn pit. We are working on clearing the area we call Bird House Ridge (after Pam put up several birdhouses in the area). Clearing this section is our goal for this year – two more months and the season will be over – and it is looking pretty good right now that Bird House Ridge will be checked off the list.

Our neighbor put in a well, cost was over $12,000.00 and the driller had to go down 400 feet. I would like to have a well on our property but we can’t both buy a retirement house and drill a well, so I continue to use the community hand pump and haul water in when needed.

My generator died; the shop says a winding went out and it would cost more than it’s worth to fix so I am back on the search for a cheap generator. I need one to operate the honey wagon kit I bought last year and to power electrical equipment (primarily my cut-off saw and chain saw sharpener) used at The Lot. More on this as the search goes on.

ATV Ride:

I took last Sunday off from working on the lot and rode my ATV in the Mosquito Pass area. South of Alma and north of Fairplay, this area is high in mining and railroad history as well as some mountain scenery. I have a long video on my ATV Video page (look for Mosquito Pass) but here are a few photos taken along the way.

North London Mill

Top of Mosquito Pass

Mosquito Pass road

White Columbine along the trail

Although I got rained and hailed on during the trip, it was an interesting 28.2 mile excursion and I enjoyed my visit to this area.  Last time on Mosquito Pass was decades ago – before the kids were born.

Note on the video: I’m trying out “wide-screen” (16:9 ratio) on this clip so it will be rather wider than normal. You may have to adjust the size to fit your screen; you can do this by “grabbing” a corner and re-sizing the window. I would like feedback to help me decide to continue the wide-screen version or go back to my standard size so please leave some feedback.

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

Pam’s Five Cents Worth:

The game that is real estate boggles the mind.  I even composed a cover letter to accompany this latest offer on Chu Chu Lane, giving an overview of our financial circumstances, and we still were not taken at our word that this was the best offer we could submit.  Did I need to go into the details of how we will carry two mortgages in the interim until the De Beque place may (someday) sell at a significant loss, with zero equity gained over ten years? Did no one else go through the recent recession?  To say we are bummed is putting it mildly.  Almost puts a person off the retirement house search entirely.

What we have learned – there is no “dream house” in Western Colorado we can afford, not even at auctions or estate sales. After having looked at types of properties on the market in price ranges from $100,000 to $200,000 to $300,000, our price point for a livable house is probably in the $265-$280,000 range instead of the lower-than-$250,000 range we had originally thought.  And for us to pay that amount means likely delayed retirement and/or me working full-time rather than part-time for more years.  Sacrifices to consider carefully.

But, putting it in perspective, my closest childhood friend in Florida is recovering from cancer surgery. House hunting is not life or death.

Happy trails.

This past Wednesday Pam and I and took time off work to meet with our realtor in Montrose and visit five houses. We had a better-than-average outcome; three of the houses would be quite acceptable but one stood out more than the others.

We began near Montrose, looking at a home on Highway 90. It was a “vintage” home that had a more recent addition but would require a lot of work. Worst part: sagging floor in the enclosed porch indicating foundation problems and a kitchen that would need a remodel before we moved in. (Pam called the kitchen “museum quality.”)

Hwy 90 house kitchen

We decided it would be too much work. Possibly in our younger days we would have taken it on, but not as a retirement project.

Moving on, the next house would be the best of the day although we didn’t know it yet. The house is located on Chu Chu Lane. Larger, more modern, the house is unusual in style and lacks a true garage, but it was appealing all the same.

Chu Chu Lane home is styled as a farm building

Kitchen is neat and clean (compact)

Some storage and covered parking is provided

Biggest drawback is the price as it is listed at $309,900.00. We are watching to see if the price drops in a couple weeks. If so, we may make an offer.

Then it was off to Jig Road for our next viewing. While the house was also neat and clean, as well as newer, the lack of any bedrooms on the main floor ruled it out for us. We just do not care to have to walk up or down to get to the main bedroom.

Jig Road home

I don’t have any photos of the next place, not because it was not nice ( it was) but it was in a subdivision with neighbors all around. Probably not a good spot for dogs and cats. Not really “our thing” any more after living in De Beque, as Pam puts it.

The final house of the day would be our 2nd most liked of the day. In our price range, it’s an older home with an addition, character and charm. And, how could you argue with the good vibes of an address on Church Avenue?

Church Avenue home

Living room addition. Other side features a working fireplace.

Kitchen featured an in-wall oven that Pam is looking for.

With two bedrooms and 1 3/4 baths on the main floor plus two small bedrooms upstairs, this place could be a contender. Drawbacks are no garage (but does have a separate craft building) and the neighborhood is decidedly low-brow. Privacy fence would be a must. Still, there is a charm about some older houses and this one, with formal entrance and arched room dividers, had it. The lot backs up to a very quiet river (can’t really hear it) and the bank is quite steep, rendering this aspect of the lot pretty well unusable.  It would give Pam her “water feature.”

All the houses had attractive and not-so-attractive elements. The Chu Chu Lane house would fit our lifestyle and give us the room (3 acres and separation from neighbors) that we are looking for and enough storage to get by for now. A garage would come later, along with a decorative pond. It’s also the lowest priced house in a very upscale subdivision, so neighbors would presumably not be junk collectors.  We’ll have to keep an eye on the price and, if the listing price falls, we may move ahead with an offer within our means.

ATV note: The long (13:55) version of my Hall Valley ATV trip is now on-line. If interested, go to my ATV Videos page and click on Hall Valley 2016.

Motorcycle note: I have created a gallery of photos taken during last week’s motorcycle rally. You can see it at Colorado 2016.

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

Pam’s Two Cents Worth:

Finding any property that both Fields and I can agree on is an accomplishment.  Chu Chu Lane met that criteria.  In addition to the higher price and financial implications of making an offer on Chu Chu, can we live with the name of that Lane – Chu Chu? It’s different.

At the specific request of my dog sitter, I’ve taken on another foster kitten litter (#26) and, true to form, one of the four kittens appears to have a life threatening health issue.  Now I remember why I stopped fostering.

Happy Trails.

Each year I try to participate in a motorcycle rally sponsored by a club member. This year the rally took place in Canon City, Colorado, pretty close to home.

Knowing this topic is not of great interest to many people I will keep the narrative short and fill in with photos.

We had around 16 people to begin with, but mechanical failures took out a few riders the first day. The core group was 8 – 12 depending on destination; some people wanted to visit different venues, typical of rallies such as this.

The primary destinations were Bishop’s Castle, a structure built by one guy over the last 50 years or so, and a ride to the top of Pike’s Peak.

We begin with Bishop’s Castle:

Bishop’s Castle

Windows in Castle

Every castle needs a dragon, right?

We had fun walking around, up, and through this place.

With this visit, rides through the countryside, and lunch on the road, Saturday was a pretty full day. Sunday was the Pike’s Peak ride.

Club members at the top of Pike’s Peak. I am at upper right.

Our guys and bikes, top of Pike’s Peak. My red jacket (left) is on my Concours.

I had ridden up on Friday and home on Monday. It was a pretty good weekend!

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

The highlight of the past weekend, for me, was an ATV ride taken on a return trip to Hall Valley, an old mining area in the Breckenridge, Colorado, area. Here is how the weekend went.

I had driven up to The Lot on Friday evening, and spend Saturday taking brush to the burn pit and getting a trailer full of firewood to bring home. Yes, that took most of the day and I was really dragging by nightfall. However, Sunday’s plan was more enjoyable; an ATV ride before I headed home.

I had been to Hall Valley (in the same neighborhood are Webster Pass, Red Cone Peak trail, and Radical Hill) last summer on an evening ride that also saw some rainfall. This time I wanted to see the area in good daylight.

The trip is not a long one, just under 12 miles for the round trip, but the scenery and history are both very high in quality. Here are a few photos I took along the way.

Blue Columbine, the state flower, were blooming in profusion

Streams were running full and noisy

Old miner’s cabin now used for camping

Upper end of Hall Valley includes lakes, snow, mountains, and mine tailings

I am working on a long video (almost 14 minutes) but do not have time to finish it before leaving for a motorcycle rally tomorrow. Here is a short excerpt (1:41) from the long video:

When I return I will have a report on the motorcycle rally and the long version of my Hall Valley trip.

In other news, I began using my CPAP machine Monday night; one has to get used to it but Tuesday was better. I have not seen a marked improvement in energy levels yet but it may take a  few more days to start seeing results.

I can feel the air pressure in my nose and throat and Pam says my snoring has been quite reduced in frequency and noise level so the machine must be doing some good. The unit I bought is actually an APAP machine, a bit higher level, with automatic adjustment of the air pressure level it provides. Another feature is “ramp start” which means the pressure starts low and builds once the user has fallen asleep. It still feels awkward but I will get used to it.

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

Pam’s Two Cents Worth:

The heat intensity builds on the high desert.  This is one of the worst times of year for me – I do not tolerate excessive heat well. Neither do the pets.

We are scheduled to meet the Montrose realtor next Wednesday to see a few properties.  Two are “grandma” houses, the others are currently above our price point, but interesting.  Not sure there’s a keeper in the bunch.

Happy Trails.

During my “pause” quite a bit has happened. Here is some news and photos taken over the last couple of weeks.

Cats:
Since lawn mowing season is in full swing I keep the lawn mower in the garage. One morning I went out to find Gwyneth, one of our outside cats, had decided to make the catch bag her bed.

Gwyneth sleeping on the lawn mower’s catch bag

Not like the dogs, who have higher standards. Here are Bru, Jo, and Blondie taking a rest on Pam’s bed in the RV trailer we call The Box:

Our three dogs resting in The Box RV trailer

Caring for our pets takes up a lot of time, mostly Pam’s, but they are an integral part of our daily life.

I had received a jury summons and had to show up at the Justice Center as a potential jurist. Quite a number of people were called; I was first to be dismissed, probably because I put my place of employment (Sheriff’s Office) on my form. (This was Pam’s idea.) So, while it killed a morning, it did fulfill my civic obligation to report for jury duty, at least for the next 12 months.

My jury summons

House hunting:

We have been active, doing drive-by visits and checking out areas we are not familiar with. One place -with character – was an old Victorian home. Near a busy road, however, and we found we could not carry on a conversation outside without raising our voices due to road noise; there would be no way to mitigate it. Burros pastured behind the house seemed to exude biting horse flies, not good. Too bad, as the setting would otherwise be very pleasant.

Grandma house – front

Grandma house – side

The search continues.

A recent storm sparked a forest fire fairly close to our commuting route. This was just west of Rifle, Co.

Fire between Rulison and Rife, Co

Rains in the area and a quick response by fire-fighting crews kept the damage to a minimum.

The Lot:

I have been to The Lot three times and Pam has been there twice. Our normal routine of getting piles of slash ready to take to the burn pit and piling up salvageable wood to be cut into firewood has resumed. So far we have worked on Birdhouse Ridge and the upper reaches of The Nook; both are areas we can see from The Box.

Clearing brush and piling logs for firewood is our summer routine at The Lot

Not all is work, however, and we take time to enjoy being in the high country.

Wildflowers drip with recent rain

I’ll have to look up this flower as I do not yet know the name. Flowers, in general, seem to be doing very well this year and the growth on the pine trees is outstanding.

A recent sunset gave us brilliant colors to close out the day.

Late June sunset from The Lot

Even though we have been in Colorado for more than a decade we still take time to appreciate the beauty that surrounds us.

The last bit of news concerns my health; I have a CPAP machine on order to treat my diagnosed sleep apnea. Getting this far has been a trial since I did not want to take the $3,000.00+ in-hospital overnight sleep study. My doctor finally wrote me a prescription for a pump and head gear ( I am going to try a nose pillow) and I put in an order from CPAP.com. The gear should be here within a few days. Biggest problem will be dialing in the pressure I need to set on the machine but I can borrow the clinic’s oximeter and use the overnight results (I can download the readings) to fine-tune the CPAP settings as I go forward. Oh, the joys of getting old.

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

Pam’s Two Cents Worth:

We are busy. The weeks fly by.  With so much to do outside, it seems a total waste of time to be at work 8 hours a day.

Happy Trails.

This week has seen its share of activity but is really only a pause before we begin our summer activities.

I took a day off (last Tuesday) and pulled the RV trailer, “The Box,” up to our Sanderling Court lot. Using the community hand pump, I filled the fresh water tank and made sure the water heater and refrigerator were working OK from the propane tanks. There was a problem with the water system; I could not get any pressure and had to replace the water pump. I had a spare, intended for use with the water cistern system I have been building, that was a direct replacement for the failed pump. After the swap the water system worked fine.

Mountain view from The Lot’s driveway

We did not go to Sanderling this weekend but will begin our weekend trips starting next week. Temperatures in De Beque are forecast to be in the near-100 degree range so it will be good to be in the high country where the temps will be in the 70s.

Wildflowers in the high country are really doing well this spring. The wild iris, in particular, are blooming everywhere and in numbers I have not seen in past years. People I spoke to about this indicated this is due to not having our normal late frost; even our cherry tree has ripening cherries on it. Whatever the reason, the flowers are doing great and are a very attractive addition to the landscape.

Clump of wild iris along roadway

I added a second monitor to the home Macintosh system; I use a twin-monitor system at work which I find very functional. We don’t have a lot of desk space at home so it remains to be seen if this will work OK for us.

Twin monitors on home Macintosh computer system

House hunt: Not much to discuss. We drove by a few houses yesterday in the Cedaredge area but nothing really grabbed us. Pam continues to monitor listings in hopes of finding “the one” but with summer activities kicking in, the house hunt is a lower priority.

Pam is doing well with her ukulele. The instrument has a nice tone and Pam is going through some of the songbooks she ordered with it and is getting better at switching chords and finding her fingering. Progress!

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

Pam’s Two Cents Worth:

Our realtor is interviewing a potential seller this week to list a farmhouse-with-small-acreage property.  It’s located in one of our target areas – Spring Creek Mesa in Montrose.  We’ll see if it’s even in our price range.

(Still having fun with the uke.)

Happy Trails.

Felicity and Toby’s visit ended earlier in the week: Toby flew home to South Bend, Indiana, on Memorial Day (Monday) and Felicity took off to Quito, Ecuador (on her way to the Galapagos Islands) on Tuesday. Both let us know they had arrived at their destinations OK. We enjoyed their visit but it is restful to have our routine back. A five day visit dragged at times – a long three day weekend visit would have been more activity-filled for our “guests.”

You can follow Felicity’s travels at her Blog Page. (http://www.blog.felicityfields.com) Her posts can be quite entertaining!

The rest of the week was a mixed bag of work and projects. Pam and I had both taken Tuesday off and we had arranged, with our realtor, to view two houses in Montrose. The first was a return trip to the Tulip Circle house; we wanted to review the condition of the house again. On-line auction bids for the house had never gone over $250K and we thought we might place a bid for just over that amount in the current bid cycle. Wouldn’t you know…this time the bids went into the low $250 range and the bank still did not accept any of the bids. We have concluded that given the work needed in the house (some minor repairs) and the restrictions of the HOA guidelines for the Tulip Circle subdivision, this may not be the property for us. I’ll keep an eye on it for curiosity, but move on.

The second stop of the day — Pam had seen a repo place in the listings and we had driven past it during the kids’ visit. We call it the “Underwood home” as it is located on Underwoods Lane. The property is listed well over our budget but the house sits on 10 acres with views of the San Juan Mountains and is built out of blonde brick, both attractive to us.  The listing mentioned the house needed an “up-do.”

It needs considerably more than an “up-do.” One room had ceiling damage that indicates a new roof is needed. Ceramic floor tiles were broken (so new floors too), and the place has been sort of converted from propane to natural gas, including the baseboard hot water heating system. The conversion was poorly done.  Basically the house would need a new roof and a complete inside gut job and rebuild. This put the idea of a purchase way out of our financial capabilities.

The home has potential; the large kitchen is well-lit and looks out on the mountains and there’s a dandy laundry room located off the back patio entry. The property has irrigation water, large trees, a fenced yard, and an equipment lean-to that would provide some shelter for my toys. A rural setting (but still only about 10 – 15 minutes from Montrose) means we would have the separation from neighbors we seek but still have access to all the services we’d need in retirement.

Here are just a few photos from this place:

Underwood home back yard with trees

Underwood home kitchen

View from kitchen window

Given that summer activities, including trips to The Lot, will take more of our free time over the summer, we will be backing off on the house hunt. (I’ll be towing the RV up to our Sanderling lot this week, in fact.)  Pam continues to monitor target area real estate listings but, unless a heck of a deal presents itself, we will probably not be doing a lot of house hunting in the next few months.

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

Pam’s Five Cents Worth:

Our realtor likely is becoming frustrated with us – what kind of house do these two really want? – since we ask to view all sorts of “gems” (repos, auction properties, estate sales) with various architectural styles.  Fields and I have concluded what we are gravitating toward is the most reasonably priced house in an up-scale subdivision with minimal covenants. Fields wants a mountain view.  I want a pleasant water view (pond/stream/river/lake, not just the local irrigation ditch).  We want a bit of space (1+ acre) but not a mini-farm (10+ acres).

Sadly, our price point does not appear to be competitive in the local Colorado market for the property we seek. Particularly not in the warm weather months, when sellers are less inclined to make a deal. Most properties we like would need to see a price reduction in the $35,000+ range for us to be able to make an offer. This is not out of the question; Tulip Circle started out at $335,000 in February, it is now at $275,000.  A lovely home we viewed in Fairplay last year just sold for $275,000, and it was listed at $310,000 when we did the walk through.

I have offered the opinion to Fields that perhaps the property we seek is not in Colorado. He did not seem at all enthused when I pointed out some listings with water views in Walla Walla, Washington. (!)

Initial conversations with our credit union regarding pre-qualification were successful, but not without controversy. We both resist the conditions mortgage loans put on consumers. The paperwork, even in the initial stages, is outrageous.  And I continue to question why we have struggled to maintain a super-high credit rating all our married life, when the “payoff” to us appears to be minimal.

On a positive note, I ordered a tenor ukulele. It should arrive this week.

Kala MK-T Makala Tenor Ukulele (Amazon.com photo)

Happy Trails.