Counting down.......

Time is fleeting and we're down to just a few days  before we head east and back into the heat and humidity.   Of course, the weather here is picture perfect and it is hard to leave this beautiful fall.       But, the selling season is beginning in earnest in TV and we hope it is the buying season for someone as well.  

 Meanwhile, around here, the dust has been flying.    We opted to have the stone on the fireplace continued up to the top....the mantle was too high and there were some other modifications needed.    Lloyd, the talented mason, spent 5 days on that very high scaffolding.   He was an interesting sort, a Montrose native who is not what he appears.    He is well educated and very smart and very talented.....but his truck, covered in camouflage and his slow drawl, laid-back persona and wayward hair were an interesting picture.     I learned all about elk hunting with a bow as that was his goal once the fireplace was finished.    He also talked about the massive homes and stone work that he has done in Telluride and in the surrounding ranches.      We are very pleased with the final product but

 the amount of fine stone dust that permeated every surface was staggering.   We covered what we could and closed doors but it took 2 days of wet dusting and mopping repeatedly to get rid of it.

We're still waiting for painters (note sample colors on the wall) but that may happen while we're gone.  The current color is a grey with lavender tones in certain light.  

 Just a bit of color ..... my neighbors coleus in her entry which are quite massive and beautiful.

Altho it is not peak aspen color, we needed a mountain fix.... we headed up Last Dollar Road....the back way to Telluride.

There are many aspen stands along this road and when the sun shines thru the gold shimmering leaves, it is a goal of photographers to try and capture the color.   

 

 If you take the paved road to Telluride, you follow that canyon in the foreground.  Altho very pretty, we prefer the high road.

We'll talk soon, either on the road or from the tropics.

Change is in the air......

My two favorite guys.    

 We've totally moved in to the new digs.   It's spacious and comfortable but needs a few tweaks.   The front door needs painting, the fireplace is getting a facelift, the grey lavender wall color will be replaced with a warm beige ..... and the list goes on.  

Mike and Jenna drove over and helped tremendously.    This house was wired for a state of the art sound, TV, electronic system, circa 2008.    The equipment even has it's own little room.    The previous owner loved toys and we think he invested A LOT in this extremely complex system, requiring frequent house calls by the company.     The wife said she couldn't figure it out and had to rely on him to turn on the TV or change a channel....they left 5 TV's attached to walls.     Since it is all Microsoft equip, our first born and talented Microsoft employee spent many hours with his able assistant attempting to understand and make the system operable.    They succeeded and the learning curve is becoming less daunting.   I suspect that in today's world, all those X Boxes and cables would be replaced with one computer.  

 Friends of Mike and Jenna's were in the area so we all met up for some time in the hills.    Here, we are airing-down the tires before heading out.    This makes a big difference in the comfort level....from a jarring jangling ride to a bouncy rolling climb.    

Up above Red Mountain and down the other side  to have lunch in Silverton.  

The aspen are changing rapidly  and full color will be showing up before we leave.     We'll get out once more time to capture the wonder of it all.  

Plans, as of today, will be to leave on the !st and head to Florida.    We'll stop in SC for the annual RV maintenance and then hit the ground running to get the house ready FOR SALE.   We'll let the realtors handle it this time.
   
Meanwhile, we're putting on our boots and hats and heading to a barn dance tonight....yee haw !!

August happenings....and a bit of September.......

Since last we talked.............. The Connecticut Crew arrived and I can now look up to Andy.    What a good looking kid with a mop of curly hair.    Mason is all about baseball and wears his Newtown team hat proudly.    They spent a day rafting on the Colorado ( I shopped in Glenwood Springs).

For some reason (probably operator error) I could not get pictures to go here....see them at the bottom.

Mary Beth and Jon hiked the iconic Hanging Lake trail (we did it years ago and might consider the challenge again).

The National Park service offers a scenic trip down Gunnison Canyon ...... in the late 1800's, an attempt was made to build a railroad thru this canyon but it was short lived.

This was the symbol for that railroad.....Note the peak in the distance and the one on the sign...same view.    The rail bed is now submerged but the Ranger talk of history, geology and ecology was interesting.    Some people resist this adventure because of the 232 steps down to the river and back UP.   Of course, Andy and Mason were first down and up!    But the old folks weren't that far behind.  

We've had busy busy weeks since their leaving.      Last week, we took a break from the house stuff and headed over to Mt Princeton Hot Springs Lodge.     We spent 3 days exploring the Collegiate Peaks from on high with 2 other Jeeps.   It was a perfect get-a-way.

After we came back to earth, we closed on the new house.     This is the great room with views of the golf course and the San Juan Mountains.
 

 

This kitchen needs a party!

 

Hanging Lake

 The FSBO on this house was successful with a hopeful closing the end of the month.....altho nothing is for sure until the paperwork is done.  

This is the best time of year.....well, spring and summer aren't bad either.....  fall is in the air and the leaves are turning.   Plan a trip west ( or east )....we have plenty of room !

Summer Synopsis

It's been a busy summer.    Golf ( Couples and Ladies), Pickleball ( in the Cobble Creek groupings and with Montrose Rec Dept ( a beautiful new Rec Center will be ready in winter...yea !!  ),  Hiking with our Hiking Club friends in the stunning beauty of the mountains and Jeeping into the thin air of the mountain passes to revel in the carpets of amazing wildflowers and the unparalleled vistas.

That would be huge herds of sheep.....and if you get up close, they are smelly and dirty and really mess up the place.......

Telluride.....

That's the shelf road down to Telluride.....no room for passing....

Meanwhile, when we are having down time, we are enjoying the high-speed antics of the hummers at the feeder.  We have about 6 that are feeding all day and they do not always play nice.    They can be very aggressive and defend their habitats and feeders.    I think they are black chinned hummingbirds.   I can stand up close and personal and they seem to not even notice....but I do wear glasses to avoid a run in with that beak.  

  

 

And the BIG consuming summer activity has been the buying and selling of houses. ( altho the house seems to be a bit crooked, I think it was the photographer who was not quite awake )    We've been thinking of making some changes for awhile and have considered any number of options.    After all of the angst and pondering and hand wringing and a bit of wine,  we are in process......   We are selling this house and will sell the FL house (going back in Oct to get it listed) and we are going to combine all of our 'stuff' into one larger house just a few doors down the street here in Cobble Creek.     We are excited about staying in this wonderful part of the world but a bit stressed by all the changes and commotion that needs to happen.   We just feel like this is where we belong, surrounded by great neighbors and friends and nature at its best.   We will miss our Florida friends and neighbors and warm winters but  we probably won't spend too many snowy days here and look forward to exploring Arizona or Mexico or .......  

When last we talked...............

.......we had just returned for the summer.   It was a bit chilly and breezy and we were happy to be back.     Fast forward a few weeks.....its now hot and sunny and dry and the wildflowers are ready to burst forth. 

    These are claret flowers on a small mounded cactus. 

   

Our first hike of the season was a nearby canyon.    It's been a challenge to find hikes as it is too hot at lower altitudes but the deep snow this year is keeping us out of the high country.  

 In the past two weeks, we've been able to get up into the mountains.    The snow is melting and those amazing  snow plow drivers have cleared the narrow roads.    The iron ore has colored the stream beds but the water runs crystal clear.  

On top of California Pass, we found the perfect place for our lunch with Gisela and Randy.    In the far far off distance, you can see the valley and Grand Mesa.

The miners were the real intrepid adventurers and most of the roads and trails are following in the footsteps of mules and men trying to make their fortunes.   

A week later, we headed to the thin air once again with friend Matt and Matt Jr who was escaping the soggy Houston air.    The snow had melted considerably and the ATV's , rental jeeps and dirt bikes with the tourists were out.
 Note the snow flow near the center of the picture.   We headed for the old mining town of Gladstone, then up and back into Velocity Basin for a picnic.  And up close and personal with that snow flow.

 Lake Como is coming out of it's winter hibernation and soon, the turquoise waters will reflect the towering mountains.   It is always a breathtaking sight.  

After the 4th holiday, we hope to try the other passes which are recently cleared.    There is NOTHING like being in the mountains.  

Except, maybe having success with a new driver.......NO...... I only tried it out.   And it worked wonderfully.    It is very light and the ball soared  higher than usual and farther as well.  (actually, I've never hit a ball and watched it soar but it did stay  above the grass )   I plan to start a GoFundMe site and  know you'll want to contribute to my happiness.!!

On a sadder note .... last month, a 17 yr old with his 17 yr old very pregnant gf, decided to breeze thru a stop sign and an intersection and meet me in the middle.  (no injuries thankfully).     Of course, he had no insurance....and of course , we have very good insurance.    Anyhow, initial estimates said $3-4000 to fix it.    And then they looked underneath at the bent rails and ended up TOTALING it.   We are not happy.   We liked that car.    We didn't name him Brad  but we really liked it.      And of course, being a low mileage 2011 with all the bells and whistles and driven by a little old lady,  they didn't even consider anything but what the book says and so we are out a bucket of coins if we want to replace with new.    For now, the Jeep is fine and we don't need two cars.....but it's not comfortable for longer rides and we'll have to consider a more permanent solution. 

Life is good out here in the southwest...... come visit !