Samain                                                          Closing Moon

Coming home a day early. Sears Outlet, which I love for its prices, does not get the same affection for its service. We ordered a washer and dryer a couple of weeks ago, both to be delivered today. This was online.

When nothing appeared about the washer in our e-mail, Kate called. Oh, the store had cancelled that order. Huh? Today, November 4th, the day promised on the website I had received no call from Sears about delivery times. Another call. Oh, the store hasn’t shipped that yet. OK. Cancel the dryer. We’ll take care of these when we can look someone in the eye.

Aside from a few phone calls, that was my last reason for staying. With it removed, I’m on the road for my second home. Today.

Samain                                            Closing Moon

Body on Central Daylight Time so I’m up with the stars still brilliant. The night sky here, with very little light pollution, is an amenity itself. The Milky Way shows off its galaxy collection and the constellations look like they were placed and lit with the aid of a teaching astronomer.

With the fence contracted this trip feels like a success. Yes, there have been other things accomplished, but without a fence completed before we move the remainder of the winter would have been difficult. Not pioneer, huddle around the peat stove difficult, but doggy difficult.

One anomaly will present itself to any visitor here. Though we are in the mountains, we are in a small neighborhood with folks closer on either side than at our Andover home. At 67 neighbors are good. So is highway 78, which runs in front of our home here. It’s a main thoroughfare (although between sparsely populated areas) and as a result receives full county snow removal.

Though we’re not off completely by ourselves, the neighbors are keep to themselves types, probably NRA friendly, but that’s the environment politically in Anoka County, too. Conifer and Evergreen as a whole though seem to lean more liberal, at least judging by the ever reliable bumper sticker survey.

Just went out on the balcony a moment ago and discovered my old buddy Orion rising off to the west. Which seemed wrong to me, at least to my sense of direction, so I went inside to recheck our orientation with my backcountry navigator app. It was my sense of where Orion ought to be that was off. He is in the west.

I can already feel my mind returning to its normal level of curiosity. With the house purchased and the fence contractor identified, the unknowns that remain are exciting. Finding the Maxwell waterfall trailhead, which is only a couple of miles from here. Visiting the national forest information center just off 285. Driving more of the roads around here.

Though we have neighbors and a main road, we are otherwise isolated with national forest, state and city and county parks all around us. It will be the natural world here that will take the place of the Twin Cities’ cultural scene.

There are yet a few more matters to do today: get the dryer installed, call firewood folk, call boiler guy, call Intermountain electric for locate service, pack for trip home.

I’ll be coming down the mountain Wednesday morning, headed for Minnesota.

Samain                                                      Closing Moon

Oh. And yes I voted absentee before I left.

In the end Brian’s numbers were too high. Mike’s going to do the fence. His plan is less effective in some ways, but with a spare $3,600 (over Brian’s bid) to make up for problems, Mike’s our guy. Since we plan to marry traditional fencing and the invisible fence, this should work fine.

We have gas, electricity, broadband, a phone number, water and will have a fence. Kate’s been advancing at home, gathering bids from painters and final numbers from the carpet guy. We still need trash collection, snow removal and firewood. And, of course, out stuff. George Carlin would be proud of us. We’ve got stuff. A full moving van’s worth. Ah, the monastic life.

The Colorado Toyota service seem like a real find. Spent a half an hour with them discussing mountain driving, tires, their service. Basically, they have Toyota trained techs, OEM parts, but are not affiliated with a dealer. They recommend Blizzak tires, a Bridgestone product, which I’ll buy once we get out there in December. “You go through brakes faster in the mountains,” Kevin said. With 2nd gear and careful planning we can save the brakes.

I’ve done our forwarding changes on line, so mail should be no problem. I’ve also tried to eat my through the area restaurants, to gauge quality. So far my favorite food came at Los 3Garcias. Authentic Mexican. Brooks is good, too, as is the Brookforest Inn.

Our process continues to serve us well, keeping us just ahead of looming deadlines and schedules. It’s been a joint effort all the way. That doesn’t mean I haven’t managed to crank up a few good anxiety episodes, I have, but they have not dominated.

Samain                                                                                             Closing Moon

So. On Samain I went over to the Otherworld (Conifer, Colorado with no internet service and a gimpy computer). Luckily I got back just this morning, still in Colorado and with only two full days having passed. Translation, I reset my computer to its factory defaults and got my phone number from Century Link so I could connect the DSL.

In resetting the computer I lost my posts written in Wordpad while in the Otherworld (that old one with no technology) so this is, in effect, my first post since Samain began.

A lot has happened. On Samain morn, I met with various real estate, banker and closer types to complete the purchase of Black Mountain Drive. That was easier than setting up the damn DSL and returning from the no-tech Otheworld.

I’ve been camped out in a lower level bedroom with my REI sleeping bag and a pillow. First night was difficult, but I got a good nap. The next day we switched back to standard time, one of the real chaos events in my world since I’m a standard time all the time is good enough for me guy, so some sleep lost adjusting there, but last night I slept great.

Being in the mountains is wonderful. I keep having do I really live here feelings. Shadow Mountain drive, the road up here from the Aspen Park area, winds past mountain meadows, huge outcroppings of a reddish rock, log cabins and millionaire’s retreats made of stone. These last perch on hillsides or on rocky promontories. By the time you get up Shadow Mountain to our place on Black Mountain Drive the housing has become less grand.

The mule deer come into our backyard, dining on weeds, lichen and small tufts of a tough grass. They are placid, allowing me to get within 30 or 40 feet before turning tail and scampering off, further up the mountain, using the power line corridor as a throughway.

The big mission while here, in addition to buying the house, is getting a fence built. We’re going to rely this time on a combination of invisible fence technology and a four foot perimeter fence to which I will attach the invisible (really visible, and bright yellow at that) fence. Making the place safe for our hounds and getting it done before we move is very important.

I met Saturday with Mike, “the fence guy.” He’s a local, a one man company, and has been building fence up here for 23 years. He’s also a pretty close match to John Goodman, especially Goodman’s character in the Big Lebowski. He’s one option, but he stops working once the ground freezes. That happens, he says, after a snowfall, a thaw and a subsequent freeze. There’s snow on the ground this morning.

Brian, of A Straight Up Fence, is on his way now. Richard, of Pioneer fence, said he’d take care of us if the local guys don’t work out. I’m inclined to go with Mike but we’ll see what Brian has to say.

On Saturday night I had supper with Jon and Jen at Uokura, sushi place in Golden. The three of us like sushi and sashimi so we often dine Japanese. Saw the grandkids yesterday. Gabe came down, snuggled up, explained about nose bleeds, then said, “I’m going back upstairs.” Ruthie stuck her head over the banister then pulled it back. She was shy, she said. Jon and I watched a bit of the Broncos at the Patriots, then I  headed over to the Best Buy to have them work on this computer.

Both ways I drove along Colfax Avenue for miles, driving from Golden through the western edge of Denver, then through downtown past the Capitol building and up Colorado Avenue past the Denver Zoo the museum of natural history. Colfax is equivalent to Minneapolis’ Lake Street. Both are very long and involve multiple ethnic transitions though Colfax is said here to be the longest street in the country.

Just got done with Brian. He’s a sharp guy. Unfortunately for Mike, if Brian’s numbers come in well, I’m going to go with him.

Time to head down to the village, deed in hand, to forward mail from here to Minnesota for six weeks, apparently the Post Office requires proof of ownership. Makes sense. Then I’m also going to visit Certified Toyota Service which looks like a small outside the metro service to get Toyota maintenance done. Gonna check with them about their recommendations on tires.

So, Lunch. Mail. Toyota. Back up the mountain. Nap.

Fall                                                                 Closing Moon

So this computer continues to baffle me. Somedays it recognizes me, somedays not. As if it has some form of cyber dementia. Then, as if in compensation, today it allowed me to see the whole browser screen and I can once again publish. Maybe it’s move-stupid, too.

A good rest last night, a quick shower and the Rav4 will go the two blocks to 285. Then, for the last time as a non-home owner in Colorado, I’ll drive 20 minutes west into the Front Range to Conifer (the wide spot in the road with some businesses) and have breakfast.

After breakfast comes wandering around between Aspen Park and Conifer, seeing the businesses there, getting familiar with the area. As it gets close to 11, I’ll find Guardian title and, with Kate’s power of attorney in hand, I’ll buy a house.