Month: November 2015

Well, the Honda is finally dying of transmission wear. This last week a check engine light came on while Pam was driving to the doggie-daycare to pick up one of the dogs, Auburn Jo. The error code indicates the transmission is suffering from mechanical wear, probably a worn pump. When cold the transmission is reluctant to shift from 1st gear to 2nd gear and the engine revs up during the shift. The Honda is an Accord model, 2001 and recently rolled over 381,600 miles.

So, while the Honda is still drivable with care (I cleared the check engine light with my code reader), Pam no longer trusts it for daily commuting or long drives. This has kicked off a search for a used vehicle to serve as our daily driver. The Honda would be a back-up emergency ride. Right now we have switched over to using the truck for daily commutes but at 15 – 16 mpg it is expensive to run. Luckily gas prices are low this time of year.

We have decided a small wagon may be the way to go (dog transport, hauling stuff to Sanderling and back, etc.). The main contenders are a 2005 or newer Honda CR-V or a 2006 or newer Toyota RAV4. Both manufacturers made substantial updates in those model years and the vehicles are more reliable than the older generations. (We checked with our local mechanic for this opinion.)

2005 Honda CR-V (Web photo)

2006 Toyota RAV4 (Web photo)

We bought the Honda Accord back in 2004 and it has been so nice not to have a car payment for many years. It is with some reluctance that we are shopping; I had hoped to get another year of service out of the Accord and build up our house down payment fund. The fund will have to take a hit, or at least not grow, as we don’t want to carry a car loan very long. We do hope we get as long a service life out of a new vehicle as we have out of the Honda.

Neither of these small wagons are available (used) locally, or not at this moment anyway, as small used wagons that can handle driving in snow are quite popular out here. We will probably have to go to either Denver or Salt Lake City to look at a few cars. (The distance – a four hour drive one direction – is about the same either way.) Denver has an advantage in that Pam’s credit union, located in Boulder on the Front Range, is already tied into a financing network that includes the Denver metro used car dealerships so financing would be easier. However, it appears the Salt Lake City area has an edge in pricing.

Since we do have transportation (the Ford F-150) we can take a few weeks to find and buy a vehicle. Merry Christmas to us. More on this as we start to get serious about a particular vehicle in the upcoming days and weeks.

Our sympathies to those in the Midwest who were hammered with last week’s snow storm. The storm came out of Colorado but we didn’t get much out of it here on the western side of the state; Denver got hit and southern parts of the state picked up quite a bit. The high country picked up enough snow to enable several ski areas to open earlier than planned although travel was somewhat dicey until the road crews were able to get out in force. I-70 west of Denver was closed several times over the last few days due to bad conditions. Our snow melted in less than 24 hours and, although night time temps have dropped into the teens, daytime  temps have been in the upper 30s and low 40s, enough to make driving pretty routine.

Routine –  it has been a pretty routine week. Leaf season is about over although our Cottonwood tree stubbornly clings to some remaining leaves. I was out-and-about yesterday working on the lawn and I see  I will need to do some work again this morning, but this may be the last of it until next spring.

To all who read this, have a Happy Thanksgiving!

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

Pam’s Two Cents Worth:

On my list of things I hate to do, car shopping falls somewhere above dental work and somewhere below going into labor. Used car salesmen – ugh. And the thing about malfunctioning cars – they always act up when I’m driving and have the potential to get stuck in traffic.  What.is.that?

I purchased a guitar book of Christmas songs.  Sadly, my 15-chord repertoire lacks somewhat when playing songs written in minors. (Really – five fingers needed for Bm7 or F#m7? Not going to happen.) However, I can play rock and roll-based songs pretty well (Little Saint Nick, Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree, Santa Baby). I struggle along.

Happy Trails.

Most of the fall chores have been completed but our cottonwood tree still has about 1/3 of its leaves yet to fall. Another weekend or two and the leaf season should be over.

Our focus has shifted to looking at a retirement house. Last weekend we made two different trips; one to the Divide, Colorado area which is more eastern slope, also known as the Front Range, and a second [overnight] trip to the Durango, Colorado area, which is in the southwest [four corners] part of the state.  We viewed a variety of houses but none said “buy me” to us.

The first house in Divide was in an older subdivision and had views of Pike’s Peak. However, the layout was funky and the place had a lot of steps. Electrical was also an issue; extension cords painted to match the wall color ran up to the overhead fans [not code], for example. Despite some updates in the kitchen and main bath, we were not impressed.

Other places in the Divide area were drive-by stops and we did not get into the houses. One looks to have potential, but what would we do with a horse paddock area? On the up side, we did meet a realtor who seems to be personable and we may work with him in future.

Same trip included a stop at The Lot to check on the shed and take a general look around. It was a very nice day in the high country and an enjoyable quick visit.

Pam at The Lot

South Park from The Lot

Our second trip was an overnighter to Durango. Pam had been keeping tabs on several properties around Vallicito Lake to visit. This had been an on-again, off-again trip due to the weather forecast including snow over Red Mountain Pass. At the last minute it was a “go” and we braved the weather.

Pam had contacted a Vallecito Lake area realtor and we hooked up with her at her office. The realtor, Marilyn, drove us around the area in her 4-door Jeep.  (Dogs stayed at home, the neighbor watched them overnight.)

The houses ranged from very small to quite large, with price ranges to match. Our ‘wish list’ includes 2 – 3 bedrooms, 2 baths, and a lot with a view or water of some type. A garage is highly desirable.

Only one of the 5 properties we visited had everything we wanted, but the house was a manufactured home and Pam would prefer a stick-built home. The price was over our target but at least we know houses that meet our general criteria exist at Vallecito Lake.

Here are “view” photos taken from some of the properties we visited:

Middle Mountain Road

Tucker Lane (Pond with fish in it.)

Grimes Creek

Vista Estates

By the time we finished four hours had passed, and the snow had started falling, so we drove through the dark and flurries back to our hotel in Durango.

The next morning we looked at weather cams for Red Mountain Pass and decided to head for home after breakfast instead of spending more time around Durango. This proved to be a good plan as the trip back was very slow due to road conditions (and getting stuck behind a large semi-truck). The leg between Silverton and Ouray – 24 miles – took an hour in and of itself. Here are some views of  the trip home over Red Mountain.

Hwy 550 in winter – few guard rails

Twilight Peak near Durango

Road conditions on Hwy 550

House-hunting is a humbling experience. Colorado real estate is expensive particularly when we’re trying to plan on living within a retirement income. Many of the places we looked at would need renovation or upgrades, not to mention a garage. (Garages are something of a luxury in homes designed primarily as 2nd houses for summer vacations.) The search will continue (it’s only just begun, really), but we may have to amass a larger down payment to make a retirement mortgage affordable.  We enjoy getting out and looking at places, though, and have plans to make more real estate hunting trips during the winter.

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

Pam’s Two Cents Worth:

Who knew there was so much shag carpet and so many avocado appliances still left out there?  I mentioned this to one of my younger co-workers at the community college, and she said, “What are avocado appliances?”  Call me older than dirt to remember not only avocado, but also harvest gold and almond appliance colors. Having been there for the original issue, I’m certain I do not want these colors in my future kitchen.

Happy Trails.

Avocado appliances (Web photo.)

Down time: Well, only in comparison to our normal schedule. Our weekends are still busy, but the jobs are not individually very big.

Take the skunk fence, as Pam calls it. This was an additional section of fence that I installed to help close off the back yard. The job took a few hours, including applying the wood preservative.

Jer applying wood preservative to the fence

The task was complicated a bit by the addition of a gate-with-hinges at the left-hand end of the section so we can access the areas behind the garage. The job took most of a morning.

Then there was getting the RV’s water system winterized. (This requires an RV specific antifreeze, not auto antifreeze.) That was the last RV-related chore; the RV is pretty well set for the winter. The solar panel is set up and keeping the batteries charged so I should not have to pull the batteries for winter storage.

I cut up the rest of the fire pit wood, put the snow blade on the John Deere lawn tractor, did a lot of leaf raking and mulching, cleaned out and organized the steel storage shed for the winter, and put new seals in the bathroom shower faucets. Each job in itself was not large, but in total it kept me busy every weekend.

I’ve also been keeping our snow-bird neighbor’s yard raked in return for letting us park the RV behind a fenced enclosure. This is a big job that takes some time every weekend. Pam took this photo of me working in that yard; you can see The Box in the background.

lots of leaves

Pam helps with most of these jobs plus has her own additional chores around the house. Her weekends are as busy as mine. She is researching Colorado retirement houses for us to look at; tomorrow we will be heading out to look at a few properties.

The high desert had a snow/slush morning the other day and there was some accumulating snow on the grass at our work location (Glenwood Springs). The snow has since melted but night time temps have dropped below 20 degrees and the furnace has been running regularly the last few nights. Winter is fast approaching and we are attempting to get all outside tasks done before the snow arrives in earnest. Other than more raking/mulching – a task that will continue for a few more weeks – I think we’re done. There are other small jobs to do that are not weather dependent (such as cleaning the garage and collecting my scrap metal to take to the recycle center), but these tasks can be done evenings and weekends at my leisure.

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

Pam’s Two Cents Worth:

A parcel arrived with items for my upcoming birthday.  My childhood/high school/adult friend Mary so thoughtfully sent along something to help me get through the long winter nights ahead.

Pam’s birthday book front cover

Back cover

Cat hair is certainly not in short supply around here.  Reminds me of “Trump Your Cat.”

Happy Trails.