Honestly, it is mind-boggling to think that we’ve been in Colorado 5.5 weeks already. At this rate, Steve will be done with his master’s degree before we know it! Yet, I should not hurry things too much as there is a feast of activities and experiences to enjoy in Colorado over these two years.
Last week at the persistent insistence of our Montana family and friends, Steve and I took a break following our initial unpacking frenzy and went to the mountains. There is something about the mountains with the beautiful scenery, cooler mountain air, and scent of pines and sage, that is rejuvenating. (Something the Montana folks already know.) Launching a search on Trip Advisor, I came across Frisco Lodge in Frisco, CO. It was reasonably priced and served as just the ticket for some R&R. We slept in until 8, ate the Lodge’s complimentary breakfast which included homemade Belgian waffles along with hot coffee, juice, and blueberry topped yogurt, and took time to relax and read in their courtyard, which was lined with colorful flower beds, soothing water fountains, and a gas-log fireplace on the patio. Tuesday night provided a great respite from the AC at home as in Frisco the temps dropped to 38 degrees overnight. With the windows open, we felt like we were camping! On Wednesday we opted for a very pleasant 19 mile round-trip bike ride on the paved path between Frisco and Breckenridge. My goodness that stretch has changed. I recall camping with my parents and siblings back in 1973 at Tiger Run Campground along there. Thursday morning we made our way south of Blue River to a bumpy gravel road that took us to the trail head of the McCullough Gulch Trail. The moderate 2.6 mile round trip hike was perfect, since it wasn’t too long nor too strenuous for us. Our destination at the top took us to a lovely glacial lake with blue skies and very few clouds.
Late Thursday afternoon, we arrived back at home, negotiating through some commuter traffic. We walked into the house only to find a very strong sewer gas odor (think methane folks). This was something that we detected within a couple of days after moving into the house. While we notified our property management company, they had not attempted to remedy the situation along with some other maintenance issues. Friday morning Steve contacted them again with no results, so he took matters into his own hands by contacting a plumber. We felt that it needed immediate attention as we are not familiar with the potential harmful affects of methane gas levels. Steve discovered from the plumber that the plumber needed the permission of the management company in order for him to make the service call. Longer story short…the management company paid for the service call and paid for the part on the sewage ejection system that needed replacing. We are sewer gas odor free!
Also on Friday, the Denver Post came and an article caught our eye on resale shops. As part of our commitment to reuse, reduce, and recycle, we decided to pay a visit to numerous shops including pawn shops, furniture resale shops, and Habitat for Humanity ReStore shops. Over the last 4 days, we spent $65 on a small end table, a glass top coffee table, and a 5 drawer legal size filing cabinet. The filing cabinet will house nicely the family genealogy files. Unfortunately, we had no luck in locating bookcases, which we desperately need. Today we went to Target for “easy-to-assemble” $20 and $30 bookcases.
The goal for the rest of the week is to have open our 27 boxes of books. With every box we open, we revisit whether to keep items or to donate them. We now have 4 donation boxes and we’re praying that the donations will grow. One of the three churches we have visited over the past 6 weeks is having a rummage sale soon. They will be the logical beneficiary of our donations. Yeah!
Enough said for now. It is wonderful to receive emails and calls from folks. We hope that you are enjoying the last couple of days of August.
Love,
Diane (& Steve)