Christmas!

Welcome to our Christmas post. First, I have a favor to ask. Consider it a Christmas Wish. I know many people view this blog, some on a regular basis. For those of you who have never responded to a post, please respond to this one! (Click on the little blue dot at the bottom of the post.) I would like to know who is looking at my web page, galleries, and blog posts. I see the numbers go up every month and would really like to hear from you! Tell me what you like, dislike, and what parts of the AppleAttic site you have visited. Consider your response a gift to me. Thanks!

Rather than offering a  month-by-month litany of 2013 here is a summary by topic beginning with family and ending with a few ATV trips.

Family:

We drove to rendezvous with Felicity when she journeyed to Boise, Idaho to participate in a regional Sweet Adeline competition. (Felicity sings – who knew?)  The Sweet Adeline groups are women-only choruses from various regions in the U.S. – they have international choruses also.  The Sweet Adelines participate in competitions and, in the case of Felicity’s group Northwest Harmony, sing at community and civic events.

It was good to be able to visit with Felicity in person (she phones regularly), meet some of her co-singers, listen to her concert, and catch up on family news and events. Here is a photo of Felicity in her Northwest Harmony make-up:

Felicity in makeup sits with Pam.

On to Toby.  Toby has been working in South Bend, Indiana (home of Notre Dame football) for a carpet cleaning service. He recently rented a small house and is happy with his decision to relocate back to the Midwest. In October, Toby arranged to drive to Colorado and take me out to the Air Force vs Notre Dame football game. We had a good time touring the Air Force Academy chapel and visitor’s center, tailgating, and of course the game (which Notre Dame won).  A trip to the Sanderling property was included in the visit so Toby could see, in person, what I write about in my blog posts when I talk about “the lot.”

Toby inside the Air Force chapel

Fostering:

What would a year be without kitten fostering?  Pam fostered two more litters of kittens — fosters #23 and #24. Both were, unfortunately,”dumped” local house cats that wandered up to Pam’s outside feeders. Both mom cats were fairly domesticated and right at home in our house. Batch #24 is still with us as I write this, but they will  be surrendered to the rescue agency that sponsors them by the new year. We hope they are adopted quickly.

Litter #24, Ebony and her kittens

Mountain Property:

As for Pam and myself, the year’s other activities mainly centered around our mountain lot. Purchased in September of 2012, this year saw us putting in a driveway, planting trees, and beginning the job of cleaning up fallen and standing-dead trees. With 7 acres to clean up, this is a job that will take “a few years.” During the wood clearing process, we load our trailer with brush/slash and take it to a local burn pit. The salvageable wood we bring home and cut into firewood, then we donate it to an animal rescue group (fuel for a wood burning stove  to keep the kitties warm during the winter).

As part of our long-term plan to develop the lot, we bought a used RV trailer — and a 2005 Ford F150 to pull it. The F150 is used to haul brush and firewood, as well as providing  transport for my ATV. We now have the option of staying over nights in the RV when we spend  work weekends at Sanderling.

Here are a few photos taken in the high country during the year:

Driveway being built at 179 Sanderling Court

“The Box”  RV arrives at the lot.

Pam cleaning dead wood out of the aspen grove

Our tree-lined driveway in fall colors

ATV Rides:

Although working on the lot consumed many of our weekends, I was able to get out on a few ATV rides. The best of these were the Swan River and associated drainages  near Breckenridge, Colorado, and Engineer and Cinnamon Passes near Ouray, Colorado.  A new telephoto lens for my old Canon 10d camera allowed me to get some good photos of mountain goats and moose, the first time I have been able to do so. Here are some photos from these trips:

Mountain goats near Breckenridge, CO.

Bull Moose along Cuba Gulch

Middle Fork, Swan River near Breckenridge, CO

Visiting children, fostering cats, working on the lot, ATV rides, and  trying to do a weekly blog post (with photos and video clips) kept us busy this year. I enjoyed my annual motorcycle escape, this year  to the California coast, returning to Colorado via Yosemite National Park. (This was before the fires started out there.) I did some work on Dad’s old Ford 8N tractor, much yet to do.  Pam did some painting in the house, bought a few new items, and rearranged furniture to give the house a  more “updated” look.  Looking back on it, it was an active year!

To everyone who visits this blog, may you have a Merry Christmas and a great 2014.  That’s it for now. Thanks for looking in!

Jerry and Pam

Pam’s Two Cents Worth:

People:

Jerry traveled to Denver to meet his college friend Jon Bjornson, my childhood friend Mary (we have known each other since kindergarten) surprised me with a birthday visit, the Paroubek clan has two new additions (baby boys Finn and Grady). Long-time friends Tom and Patti Hamilton became our first visitors to “The Lot” over the 4th of July.

Happy Trails.