More Construction Photos!

December 7, 2014October 8, 2017 / Laura Lee Carter / Leave a comment

Just got back from our build site. The weather is great so far this winter with 60 degrees plus today! This is the part of our house that faces west, towards Mount Mestas.

Mike is facing our solar gain side, directly south with a perfect view of the Spanish Peaks! Here he’s either contemplating his future or perhaps just his navel…

And here’s the future view from our bedroom, a great view of the snowy Sangres southwest of us!

Yes, the meaning of life IS A SPECTACULAR VIEW!”

To learn more about how we ended up here, going solar in the Colorado outback, check out: A Memoir of Retirement: From Suburbia to Solar in Southern Colorado

Please follow me on Twitter!

What are the chances?

December 6, 2014December 6, 2014 / Laura Lee Carter / 3 Comments

Mike and I had to make a visit to the local medical center in La Veta yesterday, and who should we find there but our favorite nurse practitioner from Fort Collins! She had just moved here and that was her first day on the job…

I know! What are the chances?

I had no idea that she had plans to move down here to retire eventually. She even owns a house here! She couldn’t believe we now live here. She asked how we even ever heard of this place.

We were both so pleased to find an old friend in our new home town, especially one who we like so much and knows our medical history.

Construction begins!

December 3, 2014December 22, 2014 / Laura Lee Carter / 4 Comments

Now that our slab is done, we have a bit of genuine construction doing on up in them thar hills! OK, so it’s only a little framing so far, but after waiting five months for anything, we are quite excited! Just seeing men putting up walls was enough for me…

I can finally get a feel for how the house is laid out and only now I realize how large our garage will be. Mike says it’s only about one-third of the total square footage. I should have known he’d be putting in one hell of a man cave!

All in all, I can’t complain. I’m getting a solar home in the foothills, with views of 13,000 foot peaks from my kitchen sink! Sure beats looking at the neighbors…

Click on photos for full-size views, and follow us on TWITTER!

Our Small Town Thanksgiving!

November 28, 2014December 22, 2014 / Laura Lee Carter / 4 Comments

With all of the bad news, I would like to share something good…

This Thanksgiving we are new in town with no one to share our holiday with. I read in the local paper about a free Thanksgiving feast at our county community center.

At first, because I come from the big city, I assumed this would be only for the homeless, but when I read about it again, they were clearly inviting everyone.

Next I assumed it would be a mob scene, because such an event would surely be quite crowded if it were offered in Fort Collins, our previous home town.

Come to find out, none of my misgivings came to pass. The dinner wasn’t crowded at all. There was no line, the food was the best I’ve ever had, and everyone in that room full of strangers welcomed us warmly!

We even ran into a small group of our future neighbors from up at Navajo Ranch. So nice making new friends, and they invited us to their upcoming Christmas Party.

Small town living continues to surprise us, and always in a good way… such great inspiration to go home and put up our holiday decorations, after all it was 55 degrees outside!

We have a SLAB!!!

November 23, 2014November 23, 2014 / Laura Lee Carter / Leave a comment

Yes, we knew it had to happen eventually, and now, in spite of the polar surge and everything else, it happened this week!

Now we’re finally ready to start the building process!

It took five months, but it finally happened! It’s snowing today so it will be a few days before anything else happens, but this is great progress!

Just back from our first trip up to metroland since moving down south… What a culture shock that was!

Do you see yourself differently than others do?

November 12, 2014November 12, 2014 / Laura Lee Carter / 6 Comments

It’s a first! We walked into a restaurant yesterday with adult and senior prices, and the server immediately said, “That’s two senior meals?” In this case they defined ‘senior’ as 60+

Yes, I have been asked occasionally if I would like the senior discount, but in this case it was assumed!

Then I realized there are a few different ways to look at this. The negative viewpoint is accepting that we look 60, which Mike is. He has mostly gray hair, and a weathered face from working hard and outside quite a bit, so this was not really a stretch.

Another way to look at this is that they were trying to reward us for living so long. We have become the respected elders of our tribe.

This is not about ego and vanity for me, it just surprises me when others see me as their elder. I simply haven’t yet gotten used to being seen as a senior.

I recall a great scene from the film “It’s Complicated”, where Meryl Streep catches a glimpse of herself in the mirror and says, “Is that REALLY what I look like?” I laughed out loud! I saw myself so clearly in that same mirror.

Adventures of the NEW??? Old Farts

Beauty is the garden where hope grows

More Construction Photos!

Just got back from our build site. The weather is great so far this winter with 60 degrees plus today! This is the part of our house that faces west, towards Mount Mestas.

Mike is facing our solar gain side, directly south with a perfect view of the Spanish Peaks! Here he’s either contemplating his future or perhaps just his navel…

And here’s the future view from our bedroom, a great view of the snowy Sangres southwest of us!

Yes, the meaning of life IS A SPECTACULAR VIEW!”

To learn more about how we ended up here, going solar in the Colorado outback, check out: A Memoir of Retirement: From Suburbia to Solar in Southern Colorado

Please follow me on Twitter!

What are the chances?

Mike and I had to make a visit to the local medical center in La Veta yesterday, and who should we find there but our favorite nurse practitioner from Fort Collins! She had just moved here and that was her first day on the job…

I know! What are the chances?

I had no idea that she had plans to move down here to retire eventually. She even owns a house here! She couldn’t believe we now live here. She asked how we even ever heard of this place.

We were both so pleased to find an old friend in our new home town, especially one who we like so much and knows our medical history.

Construction begins!

Now that our slab is done, we have a bit of genuine construction doing on up in them thar hills! OK, so it’s only a little framing so far, but after waiting five months for anything, we are quite excited! Just seeing men putting up walls was enough for me…

I can finally get a feel for how the house is laid out and only now I realize how large our garage will be. Mike says it’s only about one-third of the total square footage. I should have known he’d be putting in one hell of a man cave!

All in all, I can’t complain. I’m getting a solar home in the foothills, with views of 13,000 foot peaks from my kitchen sink! Sure beats looking at the neighbors…

Click on photos for full-size views, and follow us on TWITTER!

Our Small Town Thanksgiving!

With all of the bad news, I would like to share something good…

This Thanksgiving we are new in town with no one to share our holiday with. I read in the local paper about a free Thanksgiving feast at our county community center.

At first, because I come from the big city, I assumed this would be only for the homeless, but when I read about it again, they were clearly inviting everyone.

Next I assumed it would be a mob scene, because such an event would surely be quite crowded if it were offered in Fort Collins, our previous home town.

Come to find out, none of my misgivings came to pass. The dinner wasn’t crowded at all. There was no line, the food was the best I’ve ever had, and everyone in that room full of strangers welcomed us warmly!

We even ran into a small group of our future neighbors from up at Navajo Ranch. So nice making new friends, and they invited us to their upcoming Christmas Party.

Small town living continues to surprise us, and always in a good way… such great inspiration to go home and put up our holiday decorations, after all it was 55 degrees outside!

We have a SLAB!!!

Yes, we knew it had to happen eventually, and now, in spite of the polar surge and everything else, it happened this week!

Now we’re finally ready to start the building process!

It took five months, but it finally happened! It’s snowing today so it will be a few days before anything else happens, but this is great progress!

Just back from our first trip up to metroland since moving down south… What a culture shock that was!

Do you see yourself differently than others do?

It’s a first! We walked into a restaurant yesterday with adult and senior prices, and the server immediately said, “That’s two senior meals?” In this case they defined ‘senior’ as 60+

Yes, I have been asked occasionally if I would like the senior discount, but in this case it was assumed!

Then I realized there are a few different ways to look at this. The negative viewpoint is accepting that we look 60, which Mike is. He has mostly gray hair, and a weathered face from working hard and outside quite a bit, so this was not really a stretch.

Another way to look at this is that they were trying to reward us for living so long. We have become the respected elders of our tribe.

This is not about ego and vanity for me, it just surprises me when others see me as their elder. I simply haven’t yet gotten used to being seen as a senior.

I recall a great scene from the film “It’s Complicated”, where Meryl Streep catches a glimpse of herself in the mirror and says, “Is that REALLY what I look like?” I laughed out loud! I saw myself so clearly in that same mirror.