Jimmy & Patsy's Adventure
June 2005
Dear Friends and Family.
We hope you have enjoyed our adventure as much as we have. Contrary to the common perception, building a house is a "piece of cake". We enjoyed every minute of our adventure due in large part to the many folks who helped us along the way. Hats off to the American Craftsman Team for a "Job well done".
Sheep or Goat?
I should let you do your own research but, feeling particularly generous, it is a Mountain Goat. Pretty handsome for a goat, don't you think? This one was on the top of Mount Evans (14,000' feet) along with a dozen or so of his friends and family, including several newborns. We saw several on a recent trip to the "high country".
Speaking of Mount Evans, these two photos were take from opposite directions. The upper photo was taken from our house and the lower photo was taken from the top of Mount Evans (small peak in the distance). In the lower photo you can see Lion's Head (left center) and Elk Creek Valley (light green strip in the center). You can't quite make out our house today because of the haze (probably Pine pollen) but I bet you can on a clear day with the sun at your back.
Even at 14,000 feet flowers manage to bloom. The blue and white flowers are about an 1/4 inch in diameter. The white ones are a little larger at about 1/2 inch diameter. Needless to say, their growing season is very short.
Our new mantle is finally in place. It provides a good spot for my Mother's "Birth Clock" and Ada's "Money Plant" which Patsy moved from Tappahannock, to Rose Hill, to Bailey, and finally to our new home in Pine. The "Redskin" spittoon was found near southern Indiana where Owen and Hayden (Mom and Dad too) live.
After packing and unpacking a couple times, "all the children" are back in their cubbies. Don't know what these are? Well, stop by sometime and I'll explain them to you.
This mantle, a gift from ken & Curly, is destined for our fireplace in the family room. Sure, it may need a little work but, just you wait to see what a beauty it will be when it stripped and finished. We think it is about 200 years old and is primarily pine.
Have I mentioned I have a new chain saw. Well, with Ken's watchful eye and experienced advice, we have begun to removed a few trees to improve our view. We have removed 6 trees so far and have at least that many left to do. The fun part is cutting them down. The real work begins when you have to split the logs for firewood. Oh, my aching back. :-(On this day, Tuesday, June 28, 2005, we had our first bear sighting. It was about 5:30 am when Patsy and I were waken by a cracking sound. A very large black bear was on our deck helping himself to the Hummingbird feeder just outside our bedroom window. He was full grown and black as night except for a brown nose . He scurried away as soon as he realized I was watching from the window and before I could get my camera ready. Alas, no photos this time but I am sure there will be plenty of other opportunities. In addition to the bear, we also saw a Coyote , Elk and Deer in the yard this week. What is next is anyone's guess. I just hope it does not have big teeth and is not hungry for a "Little Sapp".
Patsy has been wanting a new cart (or was it a car) for a long time. This "little green wagon" is to haul firewood (and, other things too). It is a little easier for her to pull uphill than the wheelbarrow she bought at a yard sale for a dollar. Since it is "Deere Color" I guess we have have the tractor to go with it. Now, you're talkin'! :-)
Some days.......you just want to lay back and watch the clouds roll by. Agh....the good life.
