Short Takes

There is not a major news story this week so this post will be a collection of short topics, including the new stove, The Lot, a few animals, and a few miscellaneous photos.

Our new stove arrived and I installed it this past Wednesday. It sure is nice to have a working stove again! Pam has tried the oven and reports it appears to be more evenly heated than the old one, and the top-side burners light quickly and have very even heat distribution. Pam hated to have to replace any more appliances here, since we don’t plan on staying that many more years.  It is what it is – you don’t mess with gas.

Our new GE stove

The last of the firewood has been picked up; it’s good to have it gone from the edge of the driveway but I do miss the woodsy smell that was present every time I walked past the pile.

There are a couple of miscellaneous photos from trips to The Lot. We took Tabitha’s advice and spent some time enjoying our visits from time to time.

Jerry enjoying a campfire

Pam viewing fall colors from Pavilion Point

Pam and Jerry look out over South Park

We will miss our mountain visits (eight weekends in a row late August through October), but the night time temps are getting below freezing on a consistent basis in the high country and, with the leaves fallen, the scenic views are not what they are in the spring and summer. Besides, there are plenty of projects to work on around the house.

On my last trip to the lot the free-range Llamas were pretty close to the road and I could not pass up this photo of a young one:

Young Llama in South Park

We have squirrels (and chipmunks) on The Lot and the dogs enjoy trying to find them. Although we see them often I’ve not gotten a good photo of one. Here is a bit of info about pine squirrels:

Pine squirrel info

One aspect of Colorado that I like is the history of the state, particularly the narrow-gauge railroads that were built during the gold mining days. South Park had the Denver, South Park & Pacific line that came out of Denver, crossed Kenosha Pass to enter South Park, and served Breckenridge by way of Boreas Pass. At the top of Kenosha Pass a bit of the line has been reconstructed. Here is one informational sign from that stretch:

A bit of rail history in South Park

For the time being our lives will settle into the cold weather routine, mostly work and chores around the house related to fall activities such as raking and mulching leaves, prepping the house for winter, and other low-level activities. Just as well; with sunsets coming earlier and earlier it is hard to get much done after we get home during the work week, usually around 6:00 PM.  We do have a couple of real estate property viewings scheduled for later in the month; more on those as they occur.

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

Pam’s Two Cents Worth:

Fairplay property visits scheduled for Sunday, Nov. 8.  Hope to set up Lake Vallecito property visits for Nov. 10-11 (taking some annual leave).  All dependent on weather – light snow already in the forecast for higher elevations.

Happy Trails.