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This weekend turned out to be the opportune time to get the ole property ready for winter. Yeah, its only October but up in those parts you never know when its actually going to be impossible to make it up the mountain. I didn't get quite as far on things as I expected or would have liked but I guess there really is no hurry. Half of the fun is in the process. I got a great deal on microlams a couple months ago. They have been conveniently stored in my father's garage but keeping them there throughout the winter wasn't really an option so this trip we took them all up. We set up the beams for the floor and stacked and covered the remaining beams for the winter. Much easier work than digging and filling holes...a lot more gratifying too as the actual structure is beginning to emerge....kind of.
The Rockies have had quite a run the past couple months. Game 3 against the Phillies was on Saturday night and there was one potential option for watching the game.
The Mother Lode in Ohio City is a little place off of country road 76 consisting of a general store, liquor store, restaurant and bar....oh and an RV park. The place was great. Greg, the manager, was a nice man and kept the place open and the wood stove burning for us till the end of the tense game. The Rockies were victorious sweeping the Phillies out of Colorado and out of contention for the World Series. If you are ever in the area, stop by the place and check it out.
I have had a problem with passing up work my whole life. Oh I need someone to tile my bathroom, frame my house, design this for me, herd my cattle....the list goes on. And my response is always sure sounds good.....even though general rules of time management would prove that....dude, this is totally impossible are you an idiot? Yes, I am an idiot. But I thrive on being too busy, taking on new experiences, and I can't say that I am not a fan of a little extra money.
I've done it though. I came to the realization that I needed some sort of game plan to avoid making it in the obituaries prematurely. Working 36+ hours, getting a Master's in Architecture and a MBA, keeping my lady happy and keeping up on a hobby or two is completely impossible. So, I have given up working on Thursdays dropping down to 30 hours a week. This is a big step for me. And it may not seem like much of a break but it is. After experiencing my first Thursday off yesterday....I am glad I have done it.
It probably doesn't look much different in the photo but.....it is. The forms have now been stripped and the piers are back filled. Back filling by hand is not easy....just ask Roger. We got it done though. I will still need to do a little more grade work but we didn't have it in us the next day.
We also did a lot of site clean up, cutting up a lot of down trees. Unfortunately most of the trees were fairly rotted so they won't even be good for burning. Things look a lot cleaner now though. I will make one more trip up there this season and then I'm afraid I won't be back up until May. Slowly making progress.
Is it really that weird to wander the streets of an unknown town looking at house designs and approaches? Yeah, I guess it is. We were in Aspen this weekend and I spent about 3 hours doing this. I wouldn't recommend doing this in your local suburban neighborhood but in a town where the residual income flows out the ears, it proves to be quite interesting. It was a mix of houses of old character, some victorian, some ski chalet, some mid-60's to 70's California ranch style. Then of course there are the scrapes where completely new approaches were made...some with mining influence, some modern, some just adorned with expensive materials with a "just because we can" attitude. Okay enough about this....just trying to validate my excursion.
I decided to turn down this one street but at my arrival I noticed three Volvo SUV's, the Aspen Police of course. The American in me (or redneck...you pick) says hmmm, what's going on here. I bridled my desire to walk straight over and decided a more stealth approach would be better. So, I decided to walk around the block and approach the crime scene from the back. Just as I make my last turn I am greeted by a black bear 20 feet away walking straight towards me! Think, think what do you do. Okay, I am looking big and I am slowly turning around...okay I am walking slowly, one....two...three steps, oh no... "poo" this will not work....and at this point I forget a bears ability to run up to 40 mph and I break into an all out sprint. Luckily, the bear wasn't up for a race. It's funny how I completely abandon everything I know when put in this type of situation. What's even funnier was me looking around after I began walking again to see if there was any chance anyone saw me abandon everything I knew. All clear....I think I'll head back into town.
My second bear encounter was the next night. This time I was inside and a mom and two cubs decided it was a good idea to try and destroy the dumpsters right outside our window. Success on their part, total loss of sleep on mine.
The main reason for the trip to Aspen was to see Ben Harper and the Innocent Criminals play at the Aspen Snowmass Jazz Festival (sponsored by Calamos and many others). I mention the sponsors because I have never been to a concert where the sponsors were announced multiple times and scored a light show of their own lining the sides of the stage. But I guess I remembered the name....so score for them. Too bad I have no money to invest. 
The show was amazing as usual but even more amazing this time. There are a limited amount of things in life that make me as happy as spending time with family and friends. Listening to talented musicians completely shred their instruments is another one. Combine the two and it becomes an off the charts, unforgettable experience. Totally rad.
I haven't been back to school shopping since about middle school. It's a funny thing. All of a sudden kids are walking around with shiny shoes on. I know a kid in elementary school who just a few weeks ago had some new looking shoes on and I commented on them. But of course this week he had newer shoes on...to go back to school of course. I think I need some back to school shoes or something. Maybe ones with the lights all over them.
My three week break from school did not cut it. I have never been so unexcited about a current semester and it scares me a bit. I am still at that stage though....you know, the stage where you don't really have a grasp on how bad or possibly how good it is going to be. Regardless I am in it with one year left...kind of. I still have the MBA to finish but I am thinking I might take it a little easier and regardless I think it will be easier.
I am a fan of "good" music. What that means, I do not know. But I like my life infused with a soundtrack. When I think about it I am surprised that I have never taken the opportunity to voice my musical opinion since beginning this log. Maybe it is because nothing has seemed to strike me as so amazing or just so utterly horrible to justify stating an opinion. Calm down Kelly Clarkson I haven't listened to your sophomore album yet!
Last night I went to see Marc Broussard at the Fox theater with my pops, my sister and her friend. I had hear some of his music and thought it was pretty good but his studio albums in no way prepared me for the amazing performance last night. His band was amazing. Their instrumental abilities were near perfection. That skill coupled with a thick charisma you could almost taste made for quite the show. They were all connected. Broussard's vocal range was phenomenal and only hinted at on the records I had heard before. Great Show.
The Mother Lode in Ohio City is a little place off of country road 76 consisting of a general store, liquor store, restaurant and bar....oh and an RV park. The place was great. Greg, the manager, was a nice man and kept the place open and the wood stove burning for us till the end of the tense game. The Rockies were victorious sweeping the Phillies out of Colorado and out of contention for the World Series. If you are ever in the area, stop by the place and check it out.
