Month: June 2017

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.