Author: admin (Page 36 of 66)

We drove to The Lot on Saturday, August 12, intending to get a lot done. Unfortunately, when we opened the RV, we found mice had managed to find a way in.

An inspection of the bottom side of The Box located a spot where the mice may have entered; a piece of corrugated plastic that seals the bottom had broken away from the screws that hold it in place leaving a gap large enough for mice to enter.

While Pam began to clean the inside of the trailer, I drove into Fairplay to buy some large “fender” washers to put under the heads of the screws. Upon returning to the The Box I was able to remove the screws, put the washers on them, and put the screws back in place. This closed the gap and, I hope, closed off the entry way.

Jumping ahead in the timeline…I put out traps and caught 5 mice over the course of Saturday night/Sunday morning. (Last trap sprung at about 3:30 AM.) Neither of us got a lot of sleep, and when we left on Sunday I left the traps in place. We will see what gets caught (if anything) when I go up for my next working weekend.

Typical field mouse

So, due to the mice delay we started working on the property later than anticipated. Much was accomplished, though, as we loaded the trailer with wood to bring home, spread chips on the Birdhouse Ridge walking path to finish it, cut more standing dead trees, and moved the chipper to a new location. (The chips were from chipping during Felicity’s visit.) While I was cutting trees Pam collected and stacked a large pile of brush near the chipper. Homestead Acre is looking pretty good!

The goals for next trip include cleaning up where I cut the trees — getting all the limbs and tops in a pile ready for chipping. There are some chips left to spread; these will go on an area that seems to be washing out a bit. Another area, just uphill from the Grassy Knoll, has a lot of dead trees down on the ground. Most of these cannot be salvaged as they are rotten and will need to get cut and piled for future chipping. A few weeks ago I had cut several small dead trees around Pavilion Point; these trees will need to be hauled (by hand) out to an area where I can get to them with my ATV and cart so they can then be moved to a chipping pile. Lots of leg work and hauling is on tap for my next working weekend. I just hope that mice do not have a role!

In family related items:

My mother may return home due to financing issues with the care center; it remains to be seen if an arrangement can be made to keep her at the center. I don’t believe she can live at home, unassisted, any longer even if she wishes to do so. My brother, Jon, is executor of the estate and is working on this problem. Finding in-home help is both difficult and expensive; my mother does not have a large estate to pay for expensive care. We do not want her to use her assets down to zero and have the state step in and dictate her future. It is a quandary.

Locally, our bridge replacement project (in the city where both of us work) has entered a critical phase: the old bridge that crossed the Colorado River and was the main artery into Glenwood Springs has been shut down pending removal and replacement with a new, larger, modern bridge. For me this means a long delay in getting to and from my office – an hour delay during off-peak times is now normal, with much longer delays at peak times. While I can get most of my work done from remote locations there are some things that require my presence in the main office. It is going to be an interesting 95 days until the new bridge is placed in service.

Road closed, bridge out: Glenwood Springs, Co.

Pam is affected by the bridge closure as well and has arranged to work more days from home, cutting down the need to get to her office at all. She will come in from time to time to get a new load of paperwork and drop off the completed work – this requires a physical transfer of paper forms and records – but fewer trips to the office can only be a good thing while the bridge is out.

So life goes on, both the good and the bad. We have the physical work at The Lot but also have the mental and emotional pull of family and friends who are having end-of-life issues. We are not unique in facing these, but finding our way forward can be a challenge.

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

Pam’s Two Cents Worth:

My friend-since-childhood, Mary, died this week due to cancer. The world will be way less fun now that Mary is not in it. I will miss her constantly going forward.  Calm seas and fair weather as you travel on, my friend.

There had better not be any more mice in the RV at Sanderling.  They are nasty little buggers.

Happy Trails.

I had planned to go to The Lot this past weekend after work on Friday; had the ATV on the trailer and the trailer hitched to the truck but the truck refused to run on all 8 cylinders. The “Check Engine” light was blinking indicating ignition problems.

A quick check under the hood did not reveal a simple solution so I returned home. I looked up the engine error code and found a spark plug failure was indicated.  Now, on this engine, a 5.4L Triton,  this could be a problem; trying to remove the plugs often results in them breaking off. A special tool is then needed to remove the broken plug(s.) I was not eager to take on a replacement job but after checking with various shops and getting a few price quotes I decided to tackle the job myself.

Aided by a neighbor’s loan of a couple tools I do not own, I was able to remove the first spark plug. It appeared to be a factory-original plug, rated to go 100,000 miles but the truck has over 168,000 miles on it. If that is the case then the spark plugs had lasted well beyond their design parameters.

Ford F-150 old spark plug

Pam encouraged me to change all 8 plugs so I bought a new set from the local NAPA auto parts store (almost $20.00 per plug) and went to work. Service shops have a rack that they use when they need to work over the engine; I had to kneel on the front bumper.

Replacing the 8 plugs took me over 6 hours. First you have to blow the area clean with an air hose, then you need to remove the coil on the plug. Then you have to remove the plug, a process that can take time depending on how stuck the plug is. I worked slowly and carefully so as not to break a plug! Then you install the new plug, replace the coil (each plug has its own coil) then re-connect the wires you had to remove to get the coil off the plug.

As I worked toward the back of the engine the task became more difficult as room to maneuver tools gets tighter and tighter. Eventually I did get all 8 plugs replaced, cleared the error codes using my code reader, then took the truck for a drive. The F-150 ran well and no error messages were returned. I consider the work a success!  Heck of a way to spend my birthday, though.

Otherwise it was mostly a routine week with only minor news to report. Our friend Kathy came and picked up a load of wood, we have had rain several days this week, I’ve begun a major network upgrade at work, Pam is particularly busy at her job as it is the start of the fall semester and the Registrar’s Office is really hopping.  All pretty typical stuff!

We hope to get up to The Lot this next weekend and spend time clearing brush and bad wood. Fall is not that far away; we usually shut down operations around the first week of October. That gives us about 7 weekends and we probably will not get up every weekend at that. We’ll have  to get a lot of work done when we do get to The Lot if we want to hit our cleaning goals for the year. These were not extensive, mostly Homestead Acre and the surrounding area, but I would like to get a couple more loads of wood for Kathy to use in heating her rescue building over the winter months.

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

Pam’s Two Cents Worth:

The kittens are scheduled for their spay/neuter operations next week.  They will recuperate with me a few days, then (hopefully) the shelter will have room for these three-month-old babies.  Their mom, Rambler, was successfully spayed and released last week.  I’ve seen her at my outdoor feeder a few times; Rambler is thrilled to be free.

The cancer fight for my friend Mary in Florida is not going well. She is in month 16 since the diagnosis, and the cancer is starting to spread.  Chemo is no longer effective.  My sadness is ongoing; I think I’ve been grieving for my friend-since-childhood the entire 16 months so far.

Happy Trails.

It has been a couple of weeks since I last posted, so here are a few of the things that have happened in the interim.

My mother is in a nursing care home at the moment; it remains to be seen if this is a temporary or permanent situation. Mom appears to be OK with this; the food is good, they make her exercise, and she can talk to the other residents for some social interaction. We are playing this on an almost day-by-day basis to see what happens next.

We let Rambler, the feral mom cat, go today. She had her spay operation this last week and it was time to return her to the outside world. I’m sure that, just like other cats in the same situation, Rambler will stay around the house where there is food, water, and shelter (the garage) available.

Rambler’s kittens had their first set of shots and will soon get a larger run in the cat room. They are socializing well and are very cute at this age. Kitten spay/neuter operations are scheduled for mid-August; after a few post-op days at home recuperating, they will be off to the shelter for adoption.

In my last post I mentioned another feral kitten, Devon, that we had captured due to injury and taken to the vet. Although hoping for the best, considering her injuries (leg lacerations), Devon began to fail and had to be euthanized. Can’t win them all, but I felt bad for this particular kitten. At least her last days were spent in clean and caring surroundings.

I did get to The Lot last weekend and managed to get in more clean-up work. I am starting to work in the higher areas of The Lot which has caused me to change tactics a bit. For example, there is less room for the trailer so I have started using the 2-wheel cart to haul logs. A set of side stakes makes this possible:

Hauling logs on the 2-wheel cart

The second load of wood has been cut and is waiting for our friend Kathy to swing by with her truck and take the wood home. This was a good-size load, about 2/3 of a cord by my measurements.

Second batch of firewood for 2017

Another three loads like this and Kathy will have all the wood she needs to get through the winter. Most likely we will bring home the bulk of the wood in September when the temps drop a little.

Walking around The Lot, I came on this stump. Patterns in wood always attract me so I took a photo of it.

Pine stump #1

We have had a spell of rainy weather; the moisture is greatly appreciated and the lawns have “greened up” again. Temperatures have dropped into the upper 80’s and lower 90’s, better than the 100+ days we had been experiencing. It is a welcome change. (Except for the humidity.)

This weekend is a stay-at-home as thunderstorms are forecast for The Lot and there are other chores and projects to work on around the house. I need one of these weekends from time to time; driving 400 miles every weekend to get to The Lot and back plus the normal work schedule requires a weekend of down time now and then.

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

Pam’s Penny’s Worth:

I hate the high desert in July/August.

Happy Trails.

Quite a few items to report this time: Motorcycle rally, kitten news, family news, and general updates. Last weekend (July 14 – 17) our motorcycle group held a rally in Kremmling, Co. Kremmling is near the west entrance to Rocky Mountain National Park and via Grand Lake.

Our group consisted of 16 riders and a couple who came up in their Toyota to visit. Weather was warm (of course!) but the riding was very good and the socializing was excellent. I had met 14 of the 16 riders at previous rallies; it is always good to see friends again and the new attendees were welcome as well.

Below are a few photos. I will put together a gallery page later that is more complete and will contain photos from some of the other participants.

Kremmling entrance sign

Socializing at campground

Burgers on the grill. Spatula is a pair of pliers and an electrical junction box cover.

A stop at the Forest Canyon overlook off Trail Ridge Road in Rocky Mountain National Park. (I am 3rd from right.) Photo: S. Hanson

I put on just under 1,000 miles this trip and it was a good way to spend the weekend; riding  and visiting with friends.  I enjoyed the outing very much.

Turning to family news, my mother had an episode that put her in the hospital. She is now in a care facility recuperating from a loss of blood compounded by taking an aspirin-based pain reliever on top of the blood thinner meds she is on; aspirin also acts as a blood thinner and taking the two together is not a good idea! It has yet to be determined if she will be able to return home after her care is completed. At 88 years old it is getting difficult for her to keep up her own house and independent lifestyle. We will learn more in the next few weeks as her treatment continues.

We have sort-of acquired another feral kitten; Devon was found beneath our back deck in pretty bad shape and is currently at the vet. Problem is leg damage; she had an exposed bone and several sores on her legs and may yet lose a foot although the vet is trying to save it. We don’t even have a photo of her at this point but the vet says she is doing well, particularly over the last 24 hours. Devon is now walking (although wobbly), eating, and eliminating and seems to be getting quite comfortable with humans thanks to a volunteer worker who is working to socialize her. We hope for the best.

In general news, both of us get new glasses later today. Expensive but it had been several years since the last pair(s) so it was time. Firewood cutting continues some evenings and we are about half-way though the current load of logs brought home from the last lot visit. Heat has been an issue; we work for an hour or so then clean up for the evening. This is not a critical task but I would like to have the trailer empty for the next trip to The Lot.

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

Pam’s Two Cents Worth:

Having Fields out of the house for a long weekend was my vacation too.

Happy Trails.

Felicity flew to Denver from the East Coast on Thursday, July 6. A college friend drove her to Morrison (west of the city) from Denver International Airport, where I met them, and then she and I were off to The Lot for the evening.

The morning of the 7th found Felicity helping me chip brush. A clip (1:24) of this activity was recorded for posterity:

[cincopa AAJAFAeWbdGK]

The chipping took up some of the morning. Other chores, including getting a load of wood ready to bring home, took up additional time. Early that afternoon we headed home to De Beque.

Felicity spent Saturday just kicking back, reading, and doing laundry. Pam prepared a delicious dinner of [crock pot] roast beef and fresh corn on the cob, a good ending to the day.

Here is a family photo taken to document the visit:

Felicity with her parents Pam and Jerry

On Sunday, July 9th, I took Felicity to the Grand Junction Amtrak station where she boarded the California Zephyr headed for Denver. (I’ll be interested in getting her report of that trip!) In Denver she will make her way from the Amtrak station to DIA to board her flight back to Portland, Oregon, and home. After almost 4 weeks on the road Felicity is looking forward to getting back to her own place. It was timely to have Felicity in Colorado for a while to catch up with her news and events.

Felicity’s visit was not the only activity I enjoyed the last few days; I took an ATV trip into the Lead King Basin.

I’ve done this route a couple times before, always a favorite of mine as it combines rivers, waterfalls, mining history, flowers, and excellent scenery into a single trip. Below is a 5:40 clip — but it is a little different for me as it combines still photos with video footage.

[cincopa A4AADAuIgxY8]

This upcoming weekend I will be off to a motorcycle rally that is being held in Kremmling, Colorado. So far there are about 16 people who have made reservations; it should be a good group. My next post may be a bit later than average!

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

Pam’s Two Cents Worth:

(Who are those old people leering out of the photo with Felicity?)

Felicity helped socialize the kittens during her stay, an activity that will greatly aid those little furballs as they move forward toward adoption. She begins the European portion of her year later this month; I generally track Felicity’s whereabouts when she’s abroad, so those details are of particular interest to me. Plenty of information was exchanged this visit!

Happy Trails.

On my drive home from work on Monday evening, July 3rd, I saw a plume of smoke rising up ahead. Forest fire, I thought, and I was correct.

Just south of the town of New Castle, off County Road 335, a fire was moving up toward the top of a ridge. I stopped the car and took a couple photos with my camera; this is the best of that bunch.

Hogback Ridge fire near New Castle, Co

I decided to take a bit of footage with my iPhone 6+ even though I was parked on the shoulder of I-70. Cars going past me are visible in this 2-minute clip:

[cincopa A0LAqAeVNZ1X]

As of this morning, July 4th, the fire has been contained with the aid of air drops of fire retardant and water dropped from helicopters. The fire burned about 120 acres of land.

Due to record (or near-record) heat and low humidity, the countryside is very dry. Most western counties have fire bans in effect; no open burning of any kind is permitted. The cause of this burn is not yet known but given the closeness to a county road it is highly likely human-caused.

In not so dramatic news, I was at The Lot last weekend and cleared part of Homestead Acre, creating a large pile of brush to be chipped and a pile of logs to bring home and cut into firewood. I walked the border of the property and located all the corner markers, weed-wacked the driveway, filled the water tank to the top, and did some other cleaning around The Box. An afternoon thunderstorm on Sunday cut my work day a bit short  — but getting any rain is worth the interruption.

I did take some time off on Saturday from projects in the woods to attend the Elk Horn Ranch homeowner’s picnic, the first time I had attended this annual event in the five years we’ve owned The Lot. I met the association’s current president and talked with other home and lot owners while chowing down on hamburgers, fresh fruit, and other picnic items. It was a very relaxing break from working on The Lot.

This upcoming week will again be busy, as daughter Felicity is flying in to Denver and stopping in Colorado for a couple days (on the way back to her Pacific Northwest home). Felicity decided to take a vacation trip to Washington, DC and other East Coast cities during the last weeks of June. Her Colorado stop is something of a layover between both coasts. She will arrive on the 6th and hit the road again on the 9th (a brief but welcome visit).

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

Pam’s Two Cents Worth:

Rambler’s kittens are now 7 weeks old.  I’ve started taking them out of their mother’s pen during the day so they can drink water and munch on dry kitten kibble in a separate enclosure.  Rambler is a bit of a bitch, and reaching in to grab the kittens is a “careful” process. The kittens are not feral exactly, but they’re not people-friendly either.  Socialization will be interesting with that group. The sooner they are weaned and away from mom, the more successful socialization will be.

Happy Trails.

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.