...Just hanging around the Denver area. Ken needs a few more weeks to wrap up his project at the new Distribution Center. And we are both waiting for the birth of our first grandchild! Then we will be in full retirement mode! WooHoo!
In all of the years we have lived in the Denver area, this is the first time we have stayed at this campground. It is a first class facility with lots of space between sites. And is is quiet, too!
In all of the years we have lived in the Denver area, this is the first time we have stayed at this campground. It is a first class facility with lots of space between sites. And is is quiet, too!
Home Sweet Home!
I've always wondered what it would be like to live in a gated community!
Goldrush Loop Site 95
I've always wondered what it would be like to live in a gated community!
Goldrush Loop Site 95
the critter caper
One of my fears was realized this morning. A granola bar left out over night was moved from its original position to the corner of the desk. It had nibble marks through the paper and little bits of the silver wrapper and granola crumbs were the suspicious indicators.
[Deb 10/03/2015] A MOUSE in the motor home?!? Are you kidding? ...More than one? Could one mouse move a six inch granola bar by himself? So the dilemma presented itself. Then the dreaded words by Ken, “Go to ACE Hardware and get a mouse trap.” So I went to the hardware store. The selection of traps and various other products for eradicating rodents was extensive. I finally selected a simple trap. You know the kind; the one that snaps in the middle of the night. Fearing more than one mouse I bought four traps. The guy at the checkout asked me if I wanted a bag. I said “Of course, I don’t want the mouse to see what I am bringing into the motor home.
[Deb 10/03/2015] A MOUSE in the motor home?!? Are you kidding? ...More than one? Could one mouse move a six inch granola bar by himself? So the dilemma presented itself. Then the dreaded words by Ken, “Go to ACE Hardware and get a mouse trap.” So I went to the hardware store. The selection of traps and various other products for eradicating rodents was extensive. I finally selected a simple trap. You know the kind; the one that snaps in the middle of the night. Fearing more than one mouse I bought four traps. The guy at the checkout asked me if I wanted a bag. I said “Of course, I don’t want the mouse to see what I am bringing into the motor home.
Choosing bait was easy, granola bar remnants and peanut butter to make it stick to the trap. The directions for setting the trap on the package were hard to read. Fairly simple though. Just watch your fingers! I put the trap under the sink. We suspected that the varmint shimmied up the electric wire outside the coach and made his way through the cavity and under the sink. This would enable him to access a variety of snacks left out on counters.
After I placed the trap I decided to GOOGLE mouse bait. Evidently the most successful bait is a Tootsie Roll. The guy on YouTube demonstrated by chewing up a bit of the candy, spitting it out, and then molding it to the trap. It is supposed to harden and the mouse has to get onto the trap to try to nibble it. Then WACK, you have a dead mouse. So, me, being a rookie at mouse trapping went to the grocery store. It’s Halloween candy time and the Tootsie Rolls were on sale. Not wanting to chew the candy and spit it out, I decided to microwave it. Ten seconds did the trick. I found that out after I carmalized the first one in a plastic dish.
So, I tried putting the candy on the trap. It started to harden so I thought setting the trap would be fine.
Trap set, I put it under the kitchen sink. Immediately the trap tripped and the Tootsie Roll launched under the cabinet. OH GREAT! A wad of candy laying right where a mouse would find it. Luckily Ken found the glob. We eliminated that form of bait.
So, I tried putting the candy on the trap. It started to harden so I thought setting the trap would be fine.
Trap set, I put it under the kitchen sink. Immediately the trap tripped and the Tootsie Roll launched under the cabinet. OH GREAT! A wad of candy laying right where a mouse would find it. Luckily Ken found the glob. We eliminated that form of bait.
So I put my hope in the peanut butter granola trap. Then I realized that mouse could have scampered all over the counters. I disinfected!
We went to bed that night feeling more secure that the mouse trap was set and ready.
Reluctantly I checked under the sink in the morning. Sure enough, a mouse was caught in the trap. Thankfully he was dead. I yelled to Ken that we had success. His response, “Save the trap and throw the mouse in the back yard.” REALLY, save the trap? YUCK!
Trying to minimize exposure to the dead rodent, I donned rubber gloves and got a plastic bag. With much shuddering and words like, Oh Yuck, EWWW, and Gross, I reached in with the plastic bag and retrieved the prize. I walked it to the back yard where the pet cemetery was and dropped the little critter onto the ground. Disposal accomplished. Trap was re-set because the mouse didn’t even have a chance to nibble on the delicious bait.
OH NO, I wonder if it is now going to be my job to catch any future rodents?
Anyone need a bag of Tootsie Rolls?
We went to bed that night feeling more secure that the mouse trap was set and ready.
Reluctantly I checked under the sink in the morning. Sure enough, a mouse was caught in the trap. Thankfully he was dead. I yelled to Ken that we had success. His response, “Save the trap and throw the mouse in the back yard.” REALLY, save the trap? YUCK!
Trying to minimize exposure to the dead rodent, I donned rubber gloves and got a plastic bag. With much shuddering and words like, Oh Yuck, EWWW, and Gross, I reached in with the plastic bag and retrieved the prize. I walked it to the back yard where the pet cemetery was and dropped the little critter onto the ground. Disposal accomplished. Trap was re-set because the mouse didn’t even have a chance to nibble on the delicious bait.
OH NO, I wonder if it is now going to be my job to catch any future rodents?
Anyone need a bag of Tootsie Rolls?
1OO people.
1OO stories.
1OO days.
Deb and Ken 10/23/2015] It has been one-hundred days for Deb and me. We moved into the motorhome right after the two (2) BIG SALE garage sales in early July. By then we had donated or sold most everything, so the stick-and-brick was virtually empty. We really didn’t have a choice but to move into the motorhome. “Might as well get used to it now,” we thought. And that got us started on-the-road.
As we reflect back on our methodical and paced transition from weekend-time to full-time RV'ers, we recall many of the people that we met and shared with along the way. During the two (2) BIG SALE garage sales we had hundreds of people come through "Surrey’s" front door. With most of them it was our great pleasure to share our plans and pass out our ministry card as a reminder to follow our site and pray for us.
As we reflect back on our methodical and paced transition from weekend-time to full-time RV'ers, we recall many of the people that we met and shared with along the way. During the two (2) BIG SALE garage sales we had hundreds of people come through "Surrey’s" front door. With most of them it was our great pleasure to share our plans and pass out our ministry card as a reminder to follow our site and pray for us.
Most of the shoppers were blessed by our fanatical “Everything Must Go” marketing strategy. Things were generously priced with a $5.00 Theme: Ken sold so many things for $5.00, or for "...$5.00 for that pile of things over there,” or, "$5.00 for that arm-load...." -- you get the idea. When $5.00 was too much, we gave quite a few things away to the “shoppers.” This pricing strategy was entertaining and humorous; it certainly stimulated great conversation with the community of people who had curiously stopped to see why the street in front of the Surrey house had so much congestion these days.
Deb had carefully sorted through mounds of craft stuff; only keeping certain card-making supplies for the RV. At the sale, Deb gave all of her scrap-booking paper scraps to Mary, a lady who immediately felt the need to pray for her. Mary came back the next day (even though we were not "open") bringing her grand daughter for more craft treasures. And the next weekend she came again to buy our antique snowshoe display at full price for her daughter's mountain home. She certainly blessed us.
At a point when we were down to the last pile of possessions to be donated, Deb advertised a FREE extension cord on the online Facebook garage sale. It was eagerly picked up by Colleen, a gal who worked for Jeffco Public Schools. As she was walking down the driveway, Deb said, "Thanks for letting me bless you with our stuff." She didn't respond and kept moving toward her car. That was a reminder that there will be people on the road who will not want to recognize blessings.
On-the-road, Deb had a great chat with Rosalie, a snow-birder from Oregon. They shared the campground Laundromat one morning last week. Rosalie had been RV'ing for 17 years and Cherry Creek State Park in Colorado was their favorite campground. Deb had a great opportunity to share about our mission. Rosalie has a friend who does similar work.
We had somehow amassed a collection of sands from various beaches and deserts around the world. Each sample was labeled and stored in its own sealed, mason jar. Laura is a school teacher and was excited to take such a collection to her classroom for her students to enjoy.
Ken met an RV'er sales rep at HomeDepot while investigating astro-turf carpet for our RV patio. “There are three options,” John said, “The first two are the most affordable, but they tend to fray and only one of them has a rubber backing.” I asked about the third option. Pointing to the end of the large rack, he said, “Oh, it’s that one over there -- it’s the one that the RV'ers buy!” And so Ken and John’s conversation took off from there. John was a part-time RVer and RV’d with his wife in their fifth wheel during the summer months. They are in love 45 years now, he said. Their home base is Parker, Colorado.
Deb had carefully sorted through mounds of craft stuff; only keeping certain card-making supplies for the RV. At the sale, Deb gave all of her scrap-booking paper scraps to Mary, a lady who immediately felt the need to pray for her. Mary came back the next day (even though we were not "open") bringing her grand daughter for more craft treasures. And the next weekend she came again to buy our antique snowshoe display at full price for her daughter's mountain home. She certainly blessed us.
At a point when we were down to the last pile of possessions to be donated, Deb advertised a FREE extension cord on the online Facebook garage sale. It was eagerly picked up by Colleen, a gal who worked for Jeffco Public Schools. As she was walking down the driveway, Deb said, "Thanks for letting me bless you with our stuff." She didn't respond and kept moving toward her car. That was a reminder that there will be people on the road who will not want to recognize blessings.
On-the-road, Deb had a great chat with Rosalie, a snow-birder from Oregon. They shared the campground Laundromat one morning last week. Rosalie had been RV'ing for 17 years and Cherry Creek State Park in Colorado was their favorite campground. Deb had a great opportunity to share about our mission. Rosalie has a friend who does similar work.
We had somehow amassed a collection of sands from various beaches and deserts around the world. Each sample was labeled and stored in its own sealed, mason jar. Laura is a school teacher and was excited to take such a collection to her classroom for her students to enjoy.
Ken met an RV'er sales rep at HomeDepot while investigating astro-turf carpet for our RV patio. “There are three options,” John said, “The first two are the most affordable, but they tend to fray and only one of them has a rubber backing.” I asked about the third option. Pointing to the end of the large rack, he said, “Oh, it’s that one over there -- it’s the one that the RV'ers buy!” And so Ken and John’s conversation took off from there. John was a part-time RVer and RV’d with his wife in their fifth wheel during the summer months. They are in love 45 years now, he said. Their home base is Parker, Colorado.
Dan and Amy were out on a bike ride when they saw BIG SALE sign. They went through the entire house and made a list. They came back that afternoon with a pickup truck to get it all, including a cabinet and a picnic table for their new home. They were to be married this Fall.
Then there is the husband and wife who graciously accepted our gift of a [seldom used] stationary exercise bike. They had been married 53 years and were looking for a way to stay in shape during the summer months so that they could continue their snow-skiing together in the winter. They shared they had met at a skiing event while in college so many years ago and they were still passionate about making time to ski together. They prayed for Deb and me before they left.
Cheryl was so excited to take our CRT television sets to a rehab center for veterans. "All they ever ask for is a bed, a dresser, and a TV," she said. Our televisions will bless some of the heros of our country.
Then there is the husband and wife who graciously accepted our gift of a [seldom used] stationary exercise bike. They had been married 53 years and were looking for a way to stay in shape during the summer months so that they could continue their snow-skiing together in the winter. They shared they had met at a skiing event while in college so many years ago and they were still passionate about making time to ski together. They prayed for Deb and me before they left.
Cheryl was so excited to take our CRT television sets to a rehab center for veterans. "All they ever ask for is a bed, a dresser, and a TV," she said. Our televisions will bless some of the heros of our country.
Anna bought our Jeep Wrangler. She gave it to her fiancé, Brent, as a surprise. Miguel bought our old white utility trailer; he is starting a landscape irrigation company. Richard bought our broken Chevy pick-up truck so he could fix it up and use it to re-start his plumbing business after an injury had side-lined him for nine months. His whole family (wife and three kids) were so excited to get our old truck that they all came to meet me and thank me for selling it to them.
Shannon and her brother, Darrin, bought our black cargo trailer for their mother. She runs a small health food store near Glenwood Springs and “…spends way too much time on the road driving back-and-forth to Denver to pick up inventory....” They worried, with winter coming, about their mom being on I70 in the snow. The cargo trailer that sat unused for too many months on the side of our house was just the right size for her to load and unload, and tow behind her Chevy Equinox.
And of course, there is the young family who purchased our home on Surrey Drive – they are a home school family escaping Denver with two young children, just as we were when we bought the house way back in 1990.
Deb and I feel great about having blessed so many people with our things ... because we got to meet and got to know these people. We enjoyed talking to them. If only for a brief moment, we connected with them. We learned something about them. We heard part of their story. It occurs to us that everybody has a story. Our stories are what make us unique.
Max Lucado has said, “You are the only you that God made ... God made you and broke the mold.” Wow! We want to know more about what went into these broken molds. As we travel this great country, we are going to meet people and hear their stories. We promise to share some of them with you in this blog. Everywhere that we will be going there will be people. Everywhere that we will be going there will be stories....
Shannon and her brother, Darrin, bought our black cargo trailer for their mother. She runs a small health food store near Glenwood Springs and “…spends way too much time on the road driving back-and-forth to Denver to pick up inventory....” They worried, with winter coming, about their mom being on I70 in the snow. The cargo trailer that sat unused for too many months on the side of our house was just the right size for her to load and unload, and tow behind her Chevy Equinox.
And of course, there is the young family who purchased our home on Surrey Drive – they are a home school family escaping Denver with two young children, just as we were when we bought the house way back in 1990.
Deb and I feel great about having blessed so many people with our things ... because we got to meet and got to know these people. We enjoyed talking to them. If only for a brief moment, we connected with them. We learned something about them. We heard part of their story. It occurs to us that everybody has a story. Our stories are what make us unique.
Max Lucado has said, “You are the only you that God made ... God made you and broke the mold.” Wow! We want to know more about what went into these broken molds. As we travel this great country, we are going to meet people and hear their stories. We promise to share some of them with you in this blog. Everywhere that we will be going there will be people. Everywhere that we will be going there will be stories....
another front yard
I'm sitting on the front patio as I type this into our blog. I'm looking at the Front Range where US285 ascends westward through Turkey Creek Canyon. "I made the trip up-and-down that mountain more than 20,000 times...," I think to myself.
But yesterday, I sat on the front patio and watched aspens quaking near Cherry Creek Reservoir. Yesterday we were across town in a different campground.
[Ken 10/24/2015] We are limited to staying no more than two weeks in any two month period at any of the Denver Metro Area campgrounds. This means that every-other-weekend we are pulling in the slides and heading to a new location. In our first 100 days we have “camped” at five different places (and a couple of them more than once). The least glamorous was the parking lot at Les Schwab Tire Center where the next morning we got new "steers" (front tires) for Faith … WooHoo!
But yesterday, I sat on the front patio and watched aspens quaking near Cherry Creek Reservoir. Yesterday we were across town in a different campground.
[Ken 10/24/2015] We are limited to staying no more than two weeks in any two month period at any of the Denver Metro Area campgrounds. This means that every-other-weekend we are pulling in the slides and heading to a new location. In our first 100 days we have “camped” at five different places (and a couple of them more than once). The least glamorous was the parking lot at Les Schwab Tire Center where the next morning we got new "steers" (front tires) for Faith … WooHoo!
In every case, we have taken advantage of the opportunity to explore the new area a little bit. It was hard to leave Cherry Creek State Park because of the proximity to kayaking and a load of great bike trails. When we arrived at Bear Creek Lake Park (our second time there in our first 100 days) we found ourselves with a fresh set of biking trails and a whole new opportunity to kayak. Changing our front yard every so often has really turned out to be exciting! There's no chance to be bored, that's for sure!
