Month: February 2017

It has been a quiet two weeks here in western Colorado so this is likely to be a short post!~

Temperatures, after quite a spell of being above average, have returned to seasonal normals. (Bummer.) It has been below freezing the last couple nights, a trend that will continue for the next week, and into the low 40 degree range for high temps, average for late February. A light snow had fallen over the last 48 hours but is already melted off, leaving roads and sidewalks clear. (Mr. Bibbs, the garage cat, had returned to the outdoors for a week but then thought better of it with the change in weather, and is once again indoors for a spell.)

We depend on our local TV stations for accurate weather forecasts. (Silly us.) Given the market, many of the weather reporters are young people who seem to have problems pronouncing common words. February becomes “Febawary” and temperatures become “tempachurs.”   Not to mention vehicle becomes “vee-hickle” and bicycle comes out as  “bi-cycle.” One expects more from professional communicators.

Both of us work in Glenwood Springs, and a couple of weeks ago the city opened a new walking/hiking trail loop, all paved. Since I like to get out and walk over my lunch break a new trail was appealing to me. The lower end of the trail crosses the Roaring Fork River. I stopped to snap this photo which features Mt. Sopris in the background:

Roaring Fork River with Mt. Sopris in the background. Taken in Glenwood Springs, CO.

The entire loop is quite long for a lunchtime walk but I have done an out-and-back a few times, weather permitting. It’s a healthy distance.

On the “Big Boy Toy” scene, I continue my search for a brush chipper. I bid on a unit last Friday (on-line auction) but stopped at $2,500.00. The unit sold at $2,750.00 but the sale also included a 17% “buyer’s premium” and the chipper was located in California. The extra fees and cost of getting the unit home would have gone well above my budget; the search continues. (See my web page “Chipper Wanted” for more details.)

Wood season is near!

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

Pam’s Two Cents Worth:

Shout out to our beloved Hank on his birthday.  The world is a better place because you’re in it, our friend.

Here’s a house that’s captured my imagination — how about this for a money pit/fixer upper:  4590 Hagerman Avenue, Cascade, CO. Houses in this little hamlet were primarily built in the 1920-1940 time period as vacation homes (for folks in Colorado Springs who wanted a close-by mountain experience). Now, a completely restored house in Cascade would probably sell in the half million dollar range (and up). Hagerman Avenue is most likely a candidate for a flipper to renovate and sell. Still, an interesting project.

See-eester, the farm house in Cedaredge already has an offer on it.  We never drove up there to view it. I just couldn’t get excited about that house.

Generally, 2017 so far has been stressful for us, mostly due to job vacancy issues at both our workplaces.  (And of course, the evening news delivers alarming activities on the federal level.)  We’re looking forward to “Sanderling season” this year. Wood and slash removal accomplished during these last four years finally makes it easier to get around The Lot; the dog pen in place helps too.  We look forward to potentially seeing Craig and Dianne in the high country around Memorial Day.  And of course, house hunting in the Woodland Park-to-Fairplay corridor is on the agenda this year.

Happy Trails.

Biggest news (besides politics) is the weather; we are now experiencing a spell of above normal high and low temperatures.

Normal high is around 43 degrees but last night our overnight LOW was 47. It is cloudy and raining now, but temperatures for the upcoming week are forecast to be 10 – 15 degrees warmer than usual for early February. The high desert has set a couple of new record highs for the date; some parts of the state are recording highs into the upper 80 degree range. Here in western Colorado temperatures climbed into the low 60s, nearly 20 degrees above average. Wow – I may ride my motorcycle to work next week.

Jerry and his Kawasaki motorcycle

The snow at our elevation is gone and even the long-persisting ice on the north side of the house is fading fast. We have switched back to light jackets in the morning and I recently washed the cars while wearing a short-sleeve shirt.

I don’t believe winter is over but the respite is welcome, both from a reduction in heating costs and just the ability to get out without having to bundle up so much. The dogs spend a bit more time outdoors and the outdoor cats enjoy the warmer air;  both venture out more often and for longer periods of time. The break seems to be doing all of us some good.

Other news…
Brother-in-law Craig and his wife Dianne bought a Minni-Winnie camper; sounds like they plan to do some traveling now that both are retired and the house is completed. Good times ahead! Here is a photo of the rig that Craig put on his FaceBook account:

Craig and Dianne’s new camper

There is nothing new in the house hunt; Pam continues to look at on-line listings but not much has come up that sounds interesting. She did see one listing that advised prospective buyers there was currently a medical marijuana grow in the house and to be aware of that when scheduling a visit! That’s new.

I’m losing an ongoing battle with the shower faucet. Over the years I have replaced the seals a couple of times (including again this morning) but the repairs never last long and the dripping begins again. I’ve come to the conclusion the faucet needs to be replaced, a job I am not eager to take on given the cramped quarters and the plastic plumbing lines used in the construction of this place. I have a bad feeling about this…

Update on looking for a new “minion” at work: I have interviewed a total of five people for my IT Assistant position. Next Tuesday an oral board interview is convened to determine if one of three finalists could be hired. I’ve not participated in the oral board process for quite some time; should be interesting to see how the candidates respond.

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

Pam’s Two Cents Worth:

Last night, on our ride to the after-hours clinic to get me some meds for a recurring medical issue, I started thinking about distances to clinic/hospital facilities from retirement house locations I monitor. Just a gentle reminder we need to be fairly close to “medical” as we age. Our current trip to medical facilities is 30 minutes. We should probably stay within that range (or less).

Happy Trails.

WANTED:

I’ve been looking for a brush chipper to help with the lot clean-up. I would like to ask for your help in locating a suitable unit. Here is what I am looking for:

Chipper with a 6″ (six inch) capacity. Models are available with either gas engines (most common) or diesel engines which I would prefer. Some come with ball-style hitches, some with pintle hitches. I would prefer a ball hitch but would buy the pintle hitch adapter if necessary. Some common brands and models are:

Vermeer 620 or 625

ProMark 310

Mid-South 612

Bandit 65 series, including AW and XP

Altec Wisper Chipper

And there are other less-known brands out there. Here is a photo of a typical unit; this one is a Bandit 65 AW with a ball hitch:

Bandit 65 AW 6″ capacity chipper

I try to monitor auction and surplus sites but have been out-bid on the rigs I’ve seen. (Budget is around $2,500.00.) So…if any of you see a listing in your local paper, Craig’s List, or just happen to come across one (referred by friend or neighbor) please let me know. I would certainly appreciate it!

With no outings for several weeks, I decided to take a road trip yesterday (Saturday). I wanted to go to The Lot and check on the shed and snow levels plus look at a home (a foreclosure) Pam had seen listed on-line. (Pam stayed home with the animals, plus accomplished the grocery shopping.)

The four-hour trip did not begin well; snow was in the air and the chain law (chains or all-wheel drive required) was in effect over Vail Pass. The west side of the pass was not bad; the east side had more falling snow.

East side of Vail Pass on 2-4-17

I really didn’t know what weather to expect once I arrived in the South Park area, but the weather cleared up and the afternoon turned out well. More on that below.

The lot itself was in typical shape for this time of year. Snow had melted off the south-facing side of Birdhouse Ridge and I was able to walk up to the shed without difficulty, other than the effort of walking in heavy clothes at an elevation of 9,500 feet! There appeared to be about a foot of snow in the non-sunny areas, and deer trails wandered through the property.

The Lot on 2-4-2017

There wasn’t much time to spend here as I had made arrangements with a realtor to view a couple of For Sale properties. The main interest was the foreclosed home on 35 acres. On-line photos showed a large house in need of some repair but priced where we might consider it. As we have seen in the past, however, an on-site visit will turn up issues not addressed in the listing.

Such was the case with the home at 188 Boyero Lane. The house has an attractive living room that features a stacked-stone fireplace, vaulted ceiling, and mountain views:

Boyero Lane living room

However, I found in general the place had been poorly maintained and extensive repairs were needed. Most windows needed replacement, the solar electric system was  missing pieces (no commercial electric at this location) and the kitchen would have been a total gut job. Priced near the top of our price range at $269K, it would take another $75K to repair and upgrade the place; this definitely puts Boyero Lane out of consideration for us.

Here is a picture of the Boyero Lane kitchen:

Boyero kitchen

The list of needed repairs would be too long to include here, but one other factor was at play: the driveway. More of a track, here is a shot of the inadequate driveway as it takes off from Boyero Road. I am inside the realtor’s 4-wheel drive truck:

Driveway up to Boyero home

All in all this was a disappointing visit; the place just needs too much work for us to even consider making an offer. We are all for finding a bargain, but this wasn’t it.

The realtor did show me two more homes in the same general area. They were our style but each had quite a few steps to negotiate. Both had garage / basement levels but with [sometimes steep] stairs to access the upper-level living areas. Once in the main living areas, the homes were light and bright, such as this living room and kitchen in a house on Oxbow Lane:

Oxbow Lane living room

Oxbow Lane kitchen

If the homes had been ranch style, without the flights of steps from the lower to the upper levels, they would be contenders. As it is, these houses show well but aren’t really what we’re looking for. The search continues.

I was also going to try to get inside the Silverheels house; we walked around the five acres last fall. (Silverheels is the Fairplay property that borders a lake.) The drive had not been plowed and the realtor and I didn’t feel like challenging the elements to get to the house  — even with his 4-wheel drive. One would think, if a property is for sale over the winter, the Seller might consider keeping access open for showings. But apparently not. If the property is still on the market later this spring we may take another try at scheduling a visit.

Silverheels driveway entrance

It was a full day, with visits to a total of 4 properties plus The Lot. I arrived home about 13 hours after I’d left. I did enjoy getting out and about and it’s always a pleasure to be on The Lot at Sanderling.

Today will be quieter; washing the car and watching the Super Bowl game later this afternoon are pretty much my agenda.

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

Pam’s Two Cents Worth:

As it turned out, I’m kinda glad I didn’t load up the dogs and accompany Fields on this particular day into the high country.

Happy Trails.