First weekend at the lot. Lots of photos.

Whew. I have a lot to cover since my last post. I try to strike a balance of text and photos in these posts but this post will be mostly photos; my next post will go into more detail about the actual work we did during our Memorial Day weekend outing.

First we had to get The Box to the lot. I had taken Wednesday off during the week before Memorial Day to move The Box as I didn’t want to compete with holiday traffic the first time out. I am pleased to report the F150 pulled the load OK, the electric brakes worked fine, and I even passed a few semi-trucks going up Vail Pass. A closure of I-70 forced me onto a long detour which cost me time and extra fuel, but I was glad to get The Box onto the lot, get the refrigerator started, and begin the set-up routine.

Leaving home en route to the lot

The Box arrives at the lot.

The  “Big Outing” began on Saturday morning. We finished loading the truck, hooked up the aluminum trailer, and off we went. (You may recall, from a previous post in March/April, the trailer was loaded with “stuff” we had purchased on sale to haul up to the lot.) This was the first time the dogs had spent any time riding on their bench in the back of the truck but they adapted fine and the trip went off without incident.

The truck with the ATV and all the stuff we wanted to take this trip.

Since this was our first excursion utilizing The Box, I thought we should get a photo of our first meal in it. We had hot dogs, bread, fruit, chips, and lemonade, with chocolate-chip cookies for desert.  Just like camping…

First meal in The Box: Hot dogs.

We had taken the ATV and the new dump cart along to help with chores. This combo worked well. The ATV was used frequently to haul rocks, drag logs, and unload and place the railroad ties along the edge of the driveway. I used the winch several times; it was a nice addition to the ATV and I suspect it will get used many more times during the course of cleaning up the lot.

ATV was used to move railroad ties into position.

While I will not go into detail of all the work we did, suffice to say we were very busy (and very tired) all the time we were there. (My next post will have more “before – and – after” photos of the driveway slope where we did a bunch of work.) I mixed up some hummingbird food and set out a feeder which soon attracted a few hummers. We did take time to enjoy the views from the windows of  The Box and enjoy a couple sunsets.

South Park view from slide-out window

Hummingbird feeder (red bottle hanging from dead snag) at rear of The Box.

Nice sunset!

Monday afternoon we packed up and headed home. It was a very tiring weekend, but we did get a lot done. Once home Pam launched into a few had-to-be-done chores (laundry/cat box cleaning/vacuuming) and I picked up a few groceries. Both of us were so tired it was hard to get to sleep that night, but Tuesday it was back to work for both of us.

Here are a few more photos of The Box and the lot. The Box served pretty well though we did run into a few minor problems; the stick-on soap dish fell off the wall, “somewhere” it’s leaking occasionally around the toilet (clean water), and we hadn’t planned a place to put recycle items. Still, we did OK and believe The Box will serve us well as a weekend get-away.

The dogs seemed to enjoy the change and managed to get comfortable on the couch.  Once outside, Bru can roam free and generally comes when called (except when she visits the neighbor), but Blondie and Jo have to be on either zip lines or leashes.  If Blondie smells a ground squirrel, she would follow it into the next county (la, la, la, are those humans calling me?).  Jo just loves to run, and usually comes when called, but isn’t consistent.

Dogs get comfy on couch.

More next time on the projects themselves. We transplanted, shoveled, pounded stakes, worked on erosion control, cut a few dead trees, picked and moved rocks, dragged logs, and generally worked like convicts.  The change to the lot  is noticeable and we’re pleased with the improvement but, boy, were we pooped.

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

Pam’s Two Cents Worth:

When we arrived at Sanderling on Memorial Day Saturday, it still felt like Winter in the high country.  The aspen were bare-looking and night-time temps were close to freezing.  By Memorial Day Monday, when we left to head home, Spring had arrived, with the bright green, lacy leaves aspen are known for.  Pretty great to enjoy two Springs in different locations this year.

Did Jer mention the hot water ran out before I finished my last shower of the weekend?  No?  Just like camping…

Jer also didn’t mention we have cactus on the property.  When I see them (and assuming I have the energy), I dig them up and transplant them.  Who wants to pick cactus needles out of dog’s paws anyway?