Month: March 2015

Trips and traveling seem to be the theme for the past week. Spring is here in the high desert, a good time to get out and about to enjoy almost perfect temperatures.

Last Sunday, after I wrote my post, I took the motorcycle for a spin and to see what the snow levels were like in the higher elevations. I rode up to the top of Grand Mesa, elevation 10,000 + feet, to remind myself that winter still controls the high country.

Grand Mesa on March 22nd

Yesterday we (Pam, Jo the dog and I) took a lengthy day trip to the Cripple Creek – Victor area, after stopping to check on The Lot near Como. (The two other dogs – Blondie and Bru – stayed home where the neighbor let them in and out all day).  We wanted to look at some properties that were listed for sale in those small mountain gold mining communities near Colorado Springs, in the general area of Pikes Peak.

It was a beautiful day in the mountains. We were surprised to see how little snow was left in the South Park area and on The Lot; we were able to drive up the entire length of our driveway to the top of the circle and found it was shirt sleeve temperature in the sun.

Pam and JoJo on the lot

Jerry on his bench

We didn’t have much time to stay, with many miles to go in our planned day’s activities, but it was hard leaving Sanderling.  It often feels that way – so much organization and  time driving to get to the mountains, too little time to enjoy being there.

One of the reasons we are looking at “for sale” properties is to come to a decision; do we proceed with our plans to further develop and build on The Lot, or would we be better off looking for a house that is ready (or nearly so) to live in? Budget is always the determining factor; we are looking in the $150K range and lower.

We found a few “interesting” places.  Pam tends toward historic “grandma” houses with distinctive architectural features.  I need lots of inside/outside storage and preferably a few trees.

Cripple Creek home (1895) had brick exterior, needed  some work. What a paint job!  Hot pink/orange accents.

For Sale by Owner in Cripple Creek  (year?) – no price posted, rated over-the-top on the distinctive architectural scale.

Small Goldfield house (1898): large fenced lot + garage + workshop + view of the Sangre de Cristo Mtns + mud roads.

Victor house (1900) had small yard, garage, some mountain views — but needed new roof, new windows, new stairwell.

The reality is there is not much in our preferred price range that is ready to live in, or is not so remote as to be impractical as a retirement home. The Lot is also remote, but for about the same price we could build something new, energy efficient, and with a design that fits our wishes/needs. We have decided to hold off putting in the well at Sanderling for a few months, and will continue to check on properties that come on the market, before we proceed with high country development.

Still, it was a great day (albeit long – 13 hours) to be traveling in the high country. Perfect blue skies, comfortable temperature, and country we had not been to in a long time. Throw in some history and a few “finds” — a splendid day to live and travel in beautiful Colorado.

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

Pam’s Two Cents Worth:

I like houses similar to what Nicole on the “Rehab Addict” TV show restores, houses that cry “Make me pretty again!” Sadly, I’m not as young or mechanically-oriented as Nicole, so [probably] fixer-uppers are not the best fit for our skill set any more.

On a different note, I haven’t been to the little mountain town of Victor in over three decades. I was pleasantly surprised at the positive changes tourism, continued gold mining and gambling in that area have made.  Some of the 1898 to 1910-era buildings on Main Street that were previously abandoned/falling apart are now being restored.  “Retail” Victor has a kind of Bohemian-vibe going for it.  “Residential” Victor features steep dirt streets and lots of tiny homes wedged close to each other that are past redemption/need to be demolished.  And one thing that can’t be changed – Victor is located on the back side of beyond.

Happy Trails.

This past Tuesday I had my first check-up since I was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes back in December. This was a significant check-up as I needed to find out what my A1C level was doing. A blood draw was required and the results came back on Friday.

“For someone with diabetes, experts disagree somewhat on what the A1C target should be. The American Diabetes Association (ADA) recommends an A1C target of less than or equal to 7%. The American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists recommends a level of 6.5% or below.”

My test came back at 6.4%. 🙂

This is very good news as it indicates my diabetes is under control. My doctor recommended I cut my medication in half. My goal is to get off medication completely so this is a good step in the right direction.

Another positive was a drop in my triglyceride level from a spike of 1814 to 210. While 210 is still high this again shows movement in the right direction. “Normal” is 150 for most people. 1814 is usually a “you are going to drop dead” level so my doctor is very pleased with this test result.

With warmer weather I have returned to riding my bicycle during my lunch hour. (I had been walking through the winter months but on a shorter route.) My bike route covers about 2.5 miles or so and takes me about half an hour to complete. I can feel the strain in my legs but riding a bike burns more calories than walking so I plan to stick with the bike when I can.

My bike is a Raleigh C40 (Web photo)

I guess giving up the ice cream and cookies has paid off in good test results, but I still miss my Pepsi.

Honda updates:

The air bag inflater and a defective component in the SRS (airbag) system were replaced by the Honda dealer, at no charge, this past Wednesday. The warning light has stayed off and now the airbags will deploy if needed. That’s a Good Thing.

I replaced the passenger side front axle on Saturday and that went OK. Replacement axle was about $85.00 from NAPA and the local shop had one in stock. The job took about 1.5 hours; most of the time was spent getting the suspension pieces apart. More than a little hammering was needed. Reassembly went quickly and a test drive revealed no more vibration in the steering wheel and no more “clunking” noises on left-hand turns. That is another Good Thing.

Old axle coming out of the Honda

Around the yard, I spent some the digging dandelions and started the lawn mower for the first time this season. Some of our grass is “clumpy” and pretty coarse but it grows fast. I even took the time to take the snow blade off the John Deere and put on the mower deck. I guess spring is here.

Blade off, mower deck going on

Before putting on the deck I cleaned it, greased the blade spindles, and sharpened the blades. This all takes a little time so the swap is not just substituting one attachment for the other…life could not be that easy!

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

Pam’s Two Cents Worth:

Passport application completed and mailed this week.  In the passport picture I looked like my Aunt Angela – made me do a double take.

Continuing conversations with Fields on mountain property development.  Do we really want to go through the hassle of building something on such a remote site?

Happy Trails.

Most of us have some things we would like to do; ever since the movie of the same name these items have become known as a Bucket List. I had a chance to accomplish one of my goals this past Sunday.

My father had operated Caterpillar tractors in logging operations in northern California during the late ’30s and early ’40s. I grew up listening to his stories of “cat skinning” (as it was then known) of his time working in the woods.

Bear with me…this does go somewhere.

Last Sunday I had taken my motorcycle out for a ride. Going down a side road I spotted some crawler tractors that date to the ’30s. I went up to the house, introduced myself, and ended up speaking to a guy who had been collecting crawler tractors for several decades.

He gave me a tour of his collection, which includes gear going back to 1918. The collection included Caterpillar, Cletrac, and Oliver brands and numbered more than 3 dozen models. Toward the end of the tour I mentioned I had never actually run a dozer. He offered to let me run one of his D2 Caterpillars.

The D2 was Caterpillar’s first diesel tractor. Originally, Caterpillar produced crawler tractors for agricultural use. These were powered by gasoline engines. Later on, when the interstate system began to be built, Caterpillar changed over to diesel-powered construction equipment, the image most of us have of Caterpillar products today. The D2 series (1938 – 1957) bridged the two worlds by means of various accessories that could make the crawler suitable for bulldozing, running agricultural equipment, moving material, and running other equipment by means of hydraulic power.

I accepted his offer. We walked over to the Cat, went through the involved starting process, and I jumped into the driver’s seat. I raised the blade, put the Cat in gear, and off I went. (We were in a large open area in an old orchard, safe for novice drivers.)

A note on starting an old Cat. Electric starters were not up to the task of starting a diesel engine in those days so Caterpillar tractors had small gasoline-powered starting engines known as pony engines. You start this engine (rope wrapped around the flywheel then pull the rope to spin the pony) then, once the pony is running,  pull a couple of levers to have it spin over the main engine. The main engine turns until it has built up oil and fuel pressure. Turn on fuel to the main engine and hope it starts. Once the main engine does start you disengage the pony engine and shut it down. Starting the Cat thus takes 5 – 10 minutes and is a job in itself. (Later Cats had an electric start pony engine, and by the ’50s the pony was replaced with a heavy-duty electric starter.)

Steering is done by means of two hand operated levers. Pull back the right lever and the Cat turns right. Pull back the left and the Cat turns left. The trick is to learn how much the Cat responds to different amounts of lever travel.

Driving the dozer was a hoot. It didn’t take long for me to be able to turn, back up, raise and lower the blade, and get used to running the machine. I had not taken my camera with me so have no photos of this, but I was invited back to take pictures at a later date. I promised to give the guy copies of the photos I plan to take.

Here is a photo, from the web, of a D2 cat:

D2 Caterpillar tractor

So I had a chance to complete a Bucket List item, running a Caterpillar dozer. It was a good day.

Around the house, we took off the winter mulch from the flower beds, dug out some blooming dandelions, and sat by a fire in the fire pit. It feels like spring is here but, as it is only mid-March, I am anticipating some cold/bad weather before spring fully arrives. There is still snow on the slopes we pass on our daily commute.

Pam let KitCat out of her garage pen, so KitCat is now an outside cat here. The barn home Pam had originally planned is located outside of Glenwood in the higher elevations, where the weather is still too cold for relocation.  Rather than keep the poor kitten penned for another month, Pam decided to go with Plan B – forget the barn home and just let her out.  KitCat is staying around the house and garage and seems to like coming up to the deck and sitting under the fire pit. So far she is doing OK but seems frustrated the other cats (mainly the indoor/outdoor boys) will not play with her.

The Honda goes in for work on the airbag system, covered under warranty, this next Tuesday. The dealer will replace the airbag and some sensor hardware. Next weekend I plan to replace the passenger-front axle as it is making some noise indicating the flexible u-joint is worn out. At 357,000 miles this is not entirely unexpected but is still a pain.  The driver’s side axle appears to be OK, at least for now. Always something!

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

Pam’s Two Cents Worth:

I’ll be renewing my passport this week.  Prices have gone up.

Both of my brothers retire in the next six weeks; both are then relocating.  Congratulations to them! Wish we were doing the same, but it will be some years yet.  Plans for the future are in the works [that will take time to come to fruition] for us.  In the meantime, it’s the weekday 8:00 – 5:00 grind and commute.

Happy Trails.

Yesterday Pam and I traveled to the annual Home Improvement Show at Two Rivers Convention Center in Grand Junction. We were open to building and decorating ideas we might incorporate into our house plan for The Lot. It was interesting and informative. And, both of us were eligible for the “Senior” admission discount!

One of the items we identified as potentially useful was this “rimless” sink, which appears to have no seams at all between the bowl and counter top.

Rimless sink caught our eye

Pam pointed out how easy it would be to clean around this with no rim to catch dirt and debris. The sink is available in many different styles and finishes. We’ve seen under-mount and vessel sinks, nothing quite like this fabricated fiberglass model.

We spoke to window manufacturers, tankless hot water heater vendors, solar vendors and strolled around the hall, looking at the latest local products. Most were aimed at renovation and not new construction, but we came home with several new ideas to consider. (All it takes is money!) One of them deals with home heating; we are now considering the advantages of zone rather than whole-house heating systems.

Zone heating systems are catching on

We spoke to a couple of solar system vendors and found there are many new products hitting the market, along with new technology. By the time we get ready to move on a power system we should have quite a few choices.

One company we saw specialized in refinishing tubs and showers. We got a kick out of their flagship refinished tub:

Bronco tub

Detail work was very good.

Bronco claw-foot tub foot was well done

The guys in the booth said they receive quite a few requests to sell this item, or one like it, to people from all over the state. (Other team colors on request, Packer fans!)

Great to get out-and-about on a pleasant afternoon, and we came away with ideas and some pricing information as well. At some point we will sit down and incorporate what we saw into a house plan. (Again, all it takes is money…)

On to other topics.

The weather has moderated and temps for next week are going to be approaching 60 degrees or higher, even a couple of above-freezing nights later in the week. The warmth feels good.  Sorry, folks who are dealing with colder-than-normal temps.  We’ve had our years like that out here too.

Our oldest cat, London, was sitting in the sun the other day so I decided to snap his photo.  “Lon” is eleven now, our oldest cat, and is moving a bit more slowly these days.

London the cat sitting in the sun

Artsy photo moment: I was walking (exercise prescribed by new diabetes regimen) and the sun was coming up behind cat tails that grow in the ditches and along the creek.

Cat tail plants along my walking route

In a few weeks I will move the RV trailer back onto our driveway and start getting it ready for the summer season.

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

Pam’s Two Cents Worth:

I draw the line at color coordinating any bathroom around an obscenely orange Bronco tub. A person has to have some decorating standards.

Happy Trails.

Our youngest dog, Jo, had a birthday this past week; she is now 4 years old. Here she is with her birthday present, Mr. Snake.

Jo on her 4th birthday

That snake is kind of disturbing to me in some ways, but Jo seems to really like it. I have added a new photo gallery named Dogs to my Galleries page. It features photos of Blondie, Bru, and Jo from puppyhood to now.

Weather has been really strange. The snow we were expecting last week never materialized, although higher elevations received plenty. More snow is in the forecast but we won’t get much, perhaps an inch all told, but right now it is pretty nice for the 1st of March.

In fact, I started a fire in the fire pit this morning and enjoyed a cup of tea in front of it.

Tea by fire pit…nice way to start the day

Fire is just about the right size for a chilly morning

In other miscellaneous notes, we finished moving stuff from the old wicker sideboard into the new sideboard/dresser I mentioned in my last post. (Took a few minutes to throw out some dated items – who knew that junk was even in there…)  The wicker unit is now awaiting disposal; every spring the town brings in a large dumpster for clean-up days and the old sideboard will be put in it.

I wired up my old Bose 301 speakers in the garage, and they sound good. The mounts I fabricated are pretty dismal but they work OK.

Garage speaker mounts are suspended from ceiling

Getting the wires run from the amplifier to the speakers was the worst part of the job as I had to crawl along the rafters way out to the walls to get the wires in the right place. It was great having music going while I did my weekly auto check (oil levels, washer fluid, coolant, tire pressure) on both the Honda and the F-150, well worth the effort.

The well permit came from the state, so once the snow clears we can get started on getting a well drilled. This should happen late April or early May if the weather cooperates.  Every property development direction is dependent on the depth and production of the well.

I bought new batteries for the RV. Cabellas had them on sale at 25% off, saving $50.00 per battery. (The RV takes two.) These are high-end batteries of the AGM type. Sealed, no maintenance needed, vibration resistant and designed for continuous duty rather than just starting power. I hope they do a good job as I was getting tired of getting up in the middle of cold nights to start the generator needed to keep the old batteries charged and thus keep the furnace running. I’ll see how these new batteries work when we take the RV back to the lot later this spring.

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

Pam’s Two Cents Worth:

By age, the dogs aren’t pups any more.  But, Jo has the Spaniel mentality of a young pup.  She probably always will.

Happy Trails.