I’m not even sure where to start this morning.  Over the past week and a half since my last post, I’ve begun composing a number of entries in my head.  Unfortunately, between being really busy taking care of establishing my current living situation and working on our new home, along with the lack on Internet connection, I just haven’t put any of those ideas up.  I’ll try to get caught up here:

Moving day was Friday, June 23rd.  I had been staying at the local KOA and driving about five miles each way to the property to work.  It was working out pretty well, since the site had full hook-ups and the guest building had a small store and laundry room, but the weekly cost was going to become pretty prohibitive fairly quickly, and that was never the plan anyhow.  Besides, there was a big event in Cripple Creek that weekend and all of the spaces were reserved, so I really needed to move along.  Mornings up here are usually cool, clear, and calm, but that Friday was white!  Not snowy white….  more like cloudy white.  Closer to sea level, we’d probably call it foggy, but at this elevation, we were actually in a very thick cloud.  Visibility was about 15 – 20 yards and negotiating the mountain switchbacks and streets of our little town with my truck and fifth-wheel was quite a challenge.  Thankfully, there was little traffic, my GPS helped me see how the road ahead looked, and I just took it really slow.  I may have irritated a few other drivers, but with the lack of visibility, I couldn’t see them or their fingers if they were trying to signal their displeasure.

I managed to get the trailer parked, leveled, and hooked up.  Let me tell you, it’s a strange feeling realizing this was going to be our home for awhile instead of just a fun place to sleep on those occasional, weekend camping trips we’ve enjoyed so much.  That anxiety was heightened a bit since our little homestead wasn’t quite set up for full-time occupancy just yet.  I had 20 amp electrical service in the barn, and a nice, level place to park, but that was it.

The solitude up here is absolutely amazing.  We can see the lights of the gold mine off in the distance, but the only other lights we see are the moon and stars, and the noises are limited to the chirping of the birds and the occasional howl of the coyotes.  I’ve noticed such a marked difference in my stress level between my infrequent trips down to Colorado Springs for hardware and my return to the mountains when that stress just seems to melt away.  I just have such a tough time with all the people, the traffic, and the never ending movement and noise of all kinds.  I may get to some of that later.

As remote as we are, there have actually been a number of visitors.  Family (and friends) are always welcome, of course.  Casey, Robert, and Bristol came up for the day and helped with a couple of small projects (well, Bristol basically just focused on being a cute 2 year old.  It may be awhile before I can get much meaningful help out of her).  Sandi arrived Friday evening.  Her trip was three-fold; to bring Preston back from his Washington visit, to bring her car down, and to spend a week with me.  It’s wonderful having her here.  Being apart for a few weeks was tough and I missed her an awful lot.  Plus, it’s nice to finally be able to collaborate on this project together, at the same time, and in the same place.  As an added surprise, Aly was in the passenger seat as they pulled up the driveway!  We had hoped that she’d be able to come down with me a few weeks ago, but work commitments just didn’t allow it.  Fortunately, things changed enough that she was able to help Sandi with the drive and spend a day here with me!  This visit was far too short, but what a wonderful treat!  A big thanks to all who helped make it possible.

A few other guests brought some very welcome creature comforts.  The well guys couldn’t get the old pump out to simply replace it because the wire had slipped down and got caught between the pump and the casing.  To make a long story short, they left that first day and returned a couple of days later with two boom trucks and two crews to pull the entire works out of the ground.  Everything went well and we now have a fully functioning well, so we’ve added water to our small list of available utilities.

I was trying to use my phone as a mobile hot spot, but service can be spotty.  I had a local Internet company come up to see if we could get a signal with their service, but the antenna, which is less than a half mile away, is pointed towards town and away from us, so that wan’t a viable option.  After a number of calls, I was finally able to get a Century Link tech up here who ran a phone line into the trailer for me.  We now have a hardwired phone, reliable, unlimited Internet, and last night, I even figured out how to connect the DVD player to the router so I can access Netflix.

The Digger Guy showed up last week to look at our septic tank dilemma.  I think he’s going to be able to help and with a little luck, his other jobs will wrap up and he can get started this week.  In the meantime, thanks to a lot of time, patience, and numerous aggravating phone calls, Sandi was able to arrange delivery of a porta-potty (with weekly service).  It means I won’t have to haul the trailer down the hill every few days to empty the tanks.  It might seem like a small thing, but it’s a huge addition to our little homestead.

Robert helped me get the satellite dish pointed correctly, so I have lots of channel options.  I got the antenna on top pointed so that I can get the news and weather from one of the local stations, and I wired a 30 amp outlet so I can plug the trailer in.  The only thing I need now is an electrician who will a) answer his phone, b) return my calls, and c) help us get the house connected.  The guy we started dealing with seems to have disappeared.  We have some leads on more local electricians, so hopefully, Sandi can track down some help.

I apologize for the long post, but this pretty much brings things up to date.  I still need to talk about my meeting with the former tenant here, but that’s probably a whole separate post.