Plan B

Plan A: Sell the house
Plan B: Airstream restoration



Plan A has been bittersweet experience. Bitter because it was exciting to have all of Denver's hard work pay off and that didn't happen so now we're disappointed. Sweet because we had no idea where we wanted to move and now Plan B gets to happen.

We might try listing the house again in the spring. Once the banks have a few comparison sales and the assessors aren't three months behind and we have a beautiful airstream to call home. At this point though, we'll just be thankful that we don't have to move all that crap out of the basement this weekend and try to be thankful for this good solid reminder that life isn't in our control or our time frame.

Denver found a 1978 31ft Sovereign Land Yacht on craigslist and hauled it home the day after the sale fell through. The shell is in relatively good condition, (no leaks, missing panels or large dings) and the interior needs to be completely gutted. It's estimated to take some 250 man-hours simply buffing and polishing the exterior so Denver will have plenty to keep him busy. If anyone wants to do some karate kid camp stuff you know where to find us. Maybe a little more on the wax on...wax off and less on the karate.

Dear Oregon

We will forever love your vistas and your wide open spaces. We will forever love the people who consider you home.

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We will forever wonder why your snow must always turn to rain and why it usually feels like we're skiing on a pile of glumpy, gooey, mashed potatoes.

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Much love, Denver & Chelsea

These three

 
I can't tell you how good it's been having Travis, Karen & Melody back in the country and here to celebrate the holidays! It has been far too long!

Garfield Peak

Old Man Winter

Hoping he's here to stay! We've had some of our best ski days the last two weeks, spinning laps on better snow then we experienced in the Sierras all last year. So thankful for skis and snow and face-shots. Did I just say face-shots?

Solar powered

Rain doesn't happen very often here in the desert. It's almost as if we can't remember what to do with all the moisture in the sky.

How does one behave?
Is it safe to go outside?
What should we wear?

And so we waited a while, debating our approach to this new weather situation and considering our options. Fortunately, while we debated, the sun came out for a bit in true desert fashion. Moving quickly, before our motivation disappeared behind a cloud, we trooped outside with longboards in hand and cruised the neighborhood streets.

Craftsman in the house

Surf & Turf

Three days off

Two perfect days at the beach, sunny sky and decent swell
One perfect day in the backcountry, sunny sky and fresh fluffy snow

Zero complaints

The final days. we think.

An offer on the house has been accepted. A closing day is scheduled to happen in less then 2.5 weeks. We're trying to remain calm, but we're really pretty stoked. This whole sale might fall through, and that's a fact. 

Nonetheless, if it all works out as planned, our days of peace and quiet and organization are numbered. I've been trying to live it up in this beautiful kitchen. Making grand and exotic dishes like popcorn....the one dish that really could be made over a campfire or in some random microwave. I'm convinced, however, that no microwave popcorn could taste quite the same as this batch, popped the old-fashioned way, drizzled with bittersweet chocolate and loaded with coarse salty-goodness.
 

It's beautiful outside

The fall colors this year are absolutely stunning. There is a tree around every corner that catches our attention and calls for a declaration of the "most perfect specimen of fall." Our neighborhood streets are lined with piles of crunchy dead leaves and an overhead canopy of glowing reds and golds. The scenes are a bit more rugged outside of the city but just as eye-catching.











Our mountain bikes were stolen a few months ago and we decided to wait until sometime after Christmas to buy replacements. We've largely been ok with that decision during the sweltering heat of summer when the only thing that mattered was finding a large body of water. However, it's an entirely different story now that fall officially happened. The cool air and empty trails are just begging to be enjoyed on a mountain bike. Trail running or hiking is just not the same. We've found ourselves huffing and puffing up some hill numerous times only to have a mountain biker come whizzing by, seemingly grinning from ear-to-ear.  Seriously, has anyone else noticed how happy people are while riding bikes?  Funny how we never noticed that before.