December 2019

December 6^th weekend – we took Friday off and slept in before whipping up some coffee.  Soon we were packing up and loading Flo for the drive up to Glenwood Springs to celebrate the 21^st anniversary of us dating.  By the time we left the house we were hungry so stopped at Qdoba and Firehouse Subs for lunch and were then on our way. 

The drive to Glenwood Springs was uneventful as traffic was light and the dogs were thankfully quiet.  Susan remembered a couple of things we had forgotten to bring so we stopped at City Market for a minute before checking into our hotel. 

We stayed at Hotel Colorado which is a historic hotel with wide hallways and odd-shaped rooms.  At Susan’s request I had called to ask that we get a room overlooking the courtyard and we were.  This was great as there were neat Christmas lights and it was fun to people-watch in the evenings. 

Hotel Colorado is pet-friendly but only allows two pets in total.  As we brought all three dogs we had to employ a bit of subterfuge.  Basically I carried Bella up to the room covered in a blanket after we’d walked the other two dogs in.  No biggie as Bella never had to leave the room to do her bid’ness since she uses puppy pads. 

We were hungry again and brought our swim bags for the walk across the bridge to The Pullman for dinner.  We found it to be a hip restaurant with interesting offerings.  Susan got a burger and I ordered a chicken dish.  The food was wonderful and we enjoyed the atmosphere. 

After dinner we walked to the main hot springs pool and started hot-springing.  We found the pool to be largely the same except for some stairs that appeared since our last visit.  It was chilly outside but not unbearably so and we enjoyed a couple of hours walking back and forth across the large pool and boiling alive in the smaller “hot” pool. 

Once done at the pool we walked back to our room to hang out with the pups and crack open a bottle of wine. 

Saturday we slept in before feeding the dogs and taking Pebbles and Mel out to do their morning business.  We elected to eat a late breakfast in the hotel restaurant and found the food and coffee acceptable.  I was feeling out of sorts so we went back to the room to relax and let the caffeine kick in.  Once I determined a nap was out of the question we dressed and left. 

We drove to Glenwood Caverns Adventure Park to have some adventures.  We rode their new gondola up the mountainside.  It was a longish journey with a nice view.  At the end of the line was a faux town and several attractions.  We elected to do the cave tours. 

The timing was such that we first went on the King’s Row Cave Tour.  The tour lasted 40 minutes and was packed.  The guide really tried hard to be entertaining and his enthusiasm was generally effective.  The grand finale was a room chock-full of natural cave features that our guide had personally lit with different colored lights.  We were sufficiently wowed. 

Once back outside we walked to the entrance to the Historic Fairy Cave and sat on some benches.  Soon enough a different guide arrived and we entered the cave.  This guide had a nervous personality but did a great job telling us about this and that.  Our group was a bit oversized but we made due.  The Fairy Cave was discovered a long time ago and most of the original formations are gone.  It was still an interesting tour and proved to be much longer than the King’s Row tour. 

Upon exiting the cave the tour guide mentioned a spelunking box Susan might enjoy trying.  She eyed me and told me I wouldn’t fit.  We walked around and Susan was delighted to jump in the large contraption and climb about.  The sign said to expect a 15 minute journey but Susan pulled herself out in a hair over 10 minutes. 

We walked along the faux town and discovered their alpine slide “Alpine Coaster” was operating.  For some reason we thought it was closed for the season.  After picking up tickets from the gift shop we came back to take a ride.  The operators told us that the brakes were unnecessary so neither of us utilized them at all.  The ride was surprisingly enjoyable and faster than we expected.  We both agreed it was worth the price though the seat backs seemed to have been designed with children in mind instead of full-grown adults. 

After walking around the gift shop and looking at this and that we took the gondola back down to our car. 

We returned to the hotel to feed and take care of the dogs before driving to Rivers for dinner.  Unfortunately we were informed on arrival that the restaurant was closed for a private party.  We sat in the car looking for a substitute eatery and settled on Glenwood Canyon Brewpub. 

We drove back to town and found excellent parking on the street around the corner from the restaurant.  The brewpub had a standard tavern-style menu and Susan ordered steak and I their fish and chips.  The food was amazing and we absolutely stuffed ourselves. 

Iron Mountain Hot Springs was our next stop and we made our way there with no delay.  It was busy though we managed to find room in the various small pools when we needed to.  While Susan reveled in the hot pools I enjoyed the cooler ones and we alternated for a few hours.  It was a really nice time.  Iron Mountain isn’t cheap but has a pretty slick operation going on including nice showers complete with soap and conditioner. 

We returned to Hotel Colorado to find zero parking as there were three separate parties going on.  I drove around the building twice before lucking into finding someone leaving. 

Later in the evening we people-watched the courtyard.  It was interesting seeing the various couples doing their couple-things.  Lots of selfies and holding of hands.  It was cute enough that we decided to head down ourselves.  I brought Pebbles and Susan led Mel down and we sat next to one of the outdoor fireplaces and chatted about this and that.  It was cold but we didn’t mind. 

Sunday came and we were up and out of bed before 8:00.  After taking care of the dogs we again ate breakfast in the hotel restaurant.  Susan wanted to get a picture of all of us in front of the main Christmas tree so, after we packed a trolley with all of our things, Susan asked someone to capture the moment for us.  Susan had dressed the dogs up in various holiday clothes and they looked cute as could be. 

We stopped for gas on the way out of Glenwood Springs and hit the road a whisker before 10:00.  Said roads were a mix of wet and slick as the morning had begun with snow.  The closer we got to Denver the worse the traffic became and it was stop and go up to Eisenhower Tunnel.  Despite the delays we made decent time and made a stop at our favorite Walmart for food stuffs before finally arriving home. 

After completely unpacking (something we usually don’t do) we plopped on the couch with our tired pups.  During the afternoon we napped off and on before ordering pizza for dinner.  It was a wonderful anniversary weekend. 

December 14^th weekend – not a lot went on.  On Saturday we slept in before coffee-time and drove to a new liquor store to get free wine glasses and cheap wine.  The holiday traffic was pretty ridiculous in Park Meadows so we went to the Parker Walmart and then Target to buy other stuffs we needed.  Once we were home and unpacked we hung out with the pups for the remainder of the day.  Sunday we didn’t get up to anything which was alright. 

December 20^th weekend – I took Friday, Monday, and Tuesday off to burn up the remainder of my 2019 vacation.  While I did accomplish a few errands much of my time was spent hanging out and chillaxing with the pups.  Over Saturday and Sunday I’m confident Susan and I did this and that though I honestly can’t think of anything particularly noteworthy. 

Christmas day started with a mid-morning alarm followed by coffee.  Our food assignment was to prepare mashed potatoes and bring stuff for a relish platter.  I thought it would be fun to make the potatoes a little different this time so we made a parmesan, caramelized onion, roasted garlic mashed potatoes.  After I chopped stuff Susan handled the caramelizing and roasting before I mixed it all together.  I thought it tasted pretty good but Susan was unconvinced. 

I called Mom to wish her a happy birthday.  Sounded like her holiday was shaping up to be a good one which was nice to hear. 

Susan and I packed up our food stuffs and headed to Kari and Alvin’s around 1:30.  We arrived just before the turkey was lowered into the deep fryer.  We’ve seen some scary videos about deep frying turkey but Alvin did a great job and no flames were forthcoming. 

We hung out and chatted about this and that while the turkey cooked.  One thing that is super-nice about deep frying turkey is how fast the meat cooks.  The bird was essentially ready in about an hour.  Just before food-time the last guests made their appearance.  In the end Susan, myself, Kari, Alvin, John, Karen, Emily, and her husband Jeff sat down to eat a fantastic meal. 

I liked everything but Susan absolutely did not like the taste of the mashed potatoes.  I think next time we’ll prepare the potatoes in a more traditional manner.  Once our bellies were full and the tables clear we played a few hands of Cabo. 

Susan and I hadn’t played in many months and had a good time.  Emily and Jeff had to leave to pick up Emily’s kid and we all started a new game once they came back.  This game seesawed all over the place with several crazy hands and high points.  It ended abruptly when Susan successfully “shot the moon” and punished everyone into her winning the game. 

Susan and I finally got home after 10:00 to take care of our needy creatures.  It was a nice Christmas for sure. 

December 27^th weekend – Friday we went out after work.  First was a stop at the post office to pick up a heavy package.  In the box were the parts necessary to swap Scrappy’s motor.  Then it was off to dinner and a bit of shopping. 

Saturday we woke to find a fair bit of snow on the ground with more coming down.  With the weather outside frightful we elected to stay in all day and hung out with the pups. 

Sunday it didn’t snow anymore but it looked cold out so we snuggled up on the couch again.  Not exactly a productive weekend but it was nice nonetheless. 

New Year’s Eve was just Susan and myself at our home.  I made a bunch of spinach and artichoke dip and bought entirely too much pita bread for us to munch on.  As the final seconds of 2019 ticked down I popped a bottle of Costco bubbly we had left over from last year’s New Year’s celebration which was surprisingly still yummy.  Crazy to think that another year and decade has begun. 

November 2019

November 2^nd weekend – Saturday we were up early with an alarm clock.  We skipped coffee and took Bella to the vet for a drop-off appointment.  While Bella was on the assembly line Susan and I went to Village Inn for breakfast.  It was busy but we were seated almost immediately.  We both found food to eat off the menu and agreed that the coffee was “meh”.  Good enough but just so.  As we were finishing up Susan got a call from the vet that Bella was ready to be picked up so we swung by after paying our check. 

Once home we finally got outside to look at our new motorhome.  We were looking forward to testing out this and that and were disappointed to find that the batteries didn’t have enough juice to do much of anything.  We tried this and that before attaching a battery tender and calling off the fun. 

We were inexplicably tired in the afternoon and took a nap on the couch before Susan ordered Domino’s for dinner.  The remainder of the evening was spent surfing the internet while nature shows streamed on the TV. 

On Sunday we slept in late before making our yummy coffee.  Susan suggested trying the battery jump pack as the battery tender was slow in charging the batteries.  Amazingly our little jump pack managed to allow Susan to start the generator which allowed the RV to essentially function (at least the electrical bits).  We extended the sliders and reveled in the glory which is our future home away from home. 

Dan Hipwood dropped by around noon to pick up his car and the rallycross car dolly.  He was piloting his Honda truck which he planned to use to tow the car on the dolly.  Win-win.  After tying the car down Dan drove off only to stop halfway out of our driveway as the car tried to make its way off the dolly.  Whoops. 

It took a few minutes to force/cajole the truck, dolly, and car back into the driveway.  It was decided that Dan would drive the car home and pick up the truck and dolly later. 

Snow was melting off the RV and Susan noticed some drips from the front TV inside.  I clambered onto the roof and found that some of the sealant was missing from above the leaky area.  We’re looking at this as an opportunity to verify we won’t have a leaky roof for the foreseeable future.  Susan handed me a squeegee to clean off the snow and a towel to dry the area off.  Once done I went inside to order sealant.  Luckily the weather was forecasted to be clear for the next week. 

I elected to stay inside and veg on the couch while Susan took it upon herself to spend time cleaning inside the RV.  Eventually she joined me on the couch where we kept the pups company.  We had leftovers in the garage so ate leftovers for dinner.  While not exciting it was a nice weekend for sure. 

November 8^th weekend – the weekend started for me on Friday as I took the day off to start resealing the roof of the RV.  It took me a couple of trips up and down the ladder to get my materials in place and then I spent the next several hours scrapping away the old sealant.  Luckily for my sanity I’d scheduled a call with Mom to talk about this and that.  Our conversation was pleasant and helped the work go faster.  In the early afternoon I paused in my efforts to eat and drink a little H2O.  I smeared on a layer of new caulking over the area I’d attended to and called it a day.  Somehow I’d managed to pinch a nerve in the palm of my left hand which left it half numb and strangely twitchy.  Such is. 

Saturday began early with Susan’s alarm annoying us out of bed.  There was a rallycross for Susan to participate in and I wanted to apply heavy roofing tape over the caulking from the day before.  Susan finished gathering up her racing supplies and made her exodus while I hung out on the couch with the pups to wait for the morning dew to dry.  At some point I feel asleep and woke around 10:30 with Pebbles on my lap, the pugs had left me for sunny spots on the couch next to the window. 

I unstuck myself from the couch and made my way outside to find a beautiful day.  Again I gathered my supplies and clamored on top of the motorhome to apply work.  The taping didn’t take especially long and I was finished in short order.  I ended up spending more time cleaning up the mess I’d made the day before. 

Once finished with my planned productiveness I returned to the couch to hang out and wait for Susan to get home from her racing exploits. 

Susan eventually did come home to be greeted by the raucous barking of three tiny dogs.  She said the event went well and much fun was had by all.  I was happy she was happy.  Dinner was Domino’s Pizza which was all kinds of yummy. 

Sunday we were up again with alarms, this time both mine and Susan’s.  It twas to be a day at HPR though this time on the winter schedule which had us in less of a rush.  In the summer the track opens at 8:00 and in the winter it opens at 10:00.  Thus we coffee’d up and were on our way to time in arrive with a few more hours of sleep than a summer open lapping day. 

We pulled into HPR to find no cars driving yet and parked in our favorite spot.  It was when we checked in that we learned to the track actually opened at 11:00 and had time to do this and that before the fun got underway.  Our this and that entailed us swapping out two of the wheels on Scrappy and checking fluids. 

The driving portion of the day generally went well.  Susan noted the same noise I’d noted at the end of our last open lapping day so I finally pulled off the axle cover to find the wheel bearing had finally given up.  Fortunately we had three spare wheel bearings and we managed to swap in a new one without too much difficulty.  Once I went back out I found the traction lacking and actually went off the track at one of the fastest corners before coming in and swapping out the driver’s front tire.  This proved to be the solution to my traction woes as Scrappy felt much better once we were back on the track. 

We left at 3:30 as I didn’t want to attempt to back the trailer into the driveway in the dark.  We both drove three stints each and had a joyous time.  The other drivers were a mixed-bag.  Many were gracious but some were simply bad drivers seemingly unfamiliar with the general norms of open lapping.  Such is.  Susan and I both had a great time and Scrappy came home without any new scratches. 

Once home and after the day’s racing supplies were put away Susan cleaned the RV’s pantry before we slid-in the slide outs in preparation of the evening’s forecasted snowfall.  While the slide outs should be resistant to a little snow we didn’t think it wise to leave them out when there was no real reason to do so. 

Dinner was leftovers and we spent the evening chilling out with the pups on the couch.  It was a great way to end a great weekend. 

November 16 weekend – Saturday morning began with an alarm clock going off.  We had our coffee before launching ourselves into the suburban to drive to the track for the final open lapping day of 2019. 

Scrappy proved yet again to be a fun car at the track and ran without issue all day.  I got to drive Kris’ Audi for a few laps which was interesting.  Kris asked me to put in a few laps to verify whether the car would likely survive an entire track day before he bought himself a day-pass.  The Audi made it around a few times without overheating so it was a success of sorts.  I found the car vague and ponderous compared to our Miata.  Not exactly a surprise I suppose. 

Later a guy came by to borrow our floor jack.  I acquiesced and he drove his Integra over to make things easier.  He was having braking issues and didn’t know what was wrong.  Once the front was in the air the reason became clear as the front driver’s side wheel dangled strangely.  The axle had broken at the axle nut and the axle had almost fallen out the inside if hub.  The guy was lucky the wheel didn’t fall over on the track.  Yikes!  Without spare parts his day was over and I eventually moved our tow rig so he could back his trailer up to the front of his broken car. 

Kris did end up having overheating problems with his Audi but fixed them by removing the bumper which was blocking quite a bit of the radiator airflow.  This was a big deal as Kris has had bad luck at several open lapping days earlier in the year.  This was the first one where he managed to get some decent track time. 

We left a little later than we would have preferred and got home right after the sun was set.  Luckily there was still some ambient light so backing the trailer into the driveway wasn’t too difficult.  We unloaded and Susan took care of the pups.  Dinner was Domino’s which was its normal yumminess. 

Sunday began early for me and late for Susan.  I got up on my own recognizance around 8:00 and Susan slept in until I woke her a few hours later.  Susan had prepared for us to have our coffee in the RV and so we did so.  We also brought the pups to experience RV-living for the first time. 

Things were going alright until Mel decided to christen the experience by pooping in the hallway.  Better than peeing I suppose.  There were no other accidents and we enjoyed our coffee with the dogs alternating between frantically smelling the floor and sitting on our laps. 

I had several productivity-related plans for the day that were put off for the sake of relaxation.  We ended up finishing out the day and weekend on the couch with the pups catching up on our preferred media. 

On Wednesday Susan and I braved some quite horrid traffic on our way to Three Margaritas.  Alvin and Kari soon joined us for the meal and we chatted about this and that.  Kari recently got a new job for a company that sounds interesting.  Alvin got himself a new car project in the form of a Jeep Rubicon.  He purchased it at a car auction and will require some work which is right up Alvin’s alley.  The food was delightful and we stayed for several hours chatting away. 

Thanksgiving Week

Saturday had Susan and me finishing the cleaning and organizing of the house in the morning before picking Mom up at the airport in the afternoon.  As usual we were very early and hung out in the cell phone parking lot for 45 minutes or so before getting a text that Mom was ready for us.  The plan was to eat at Lucky Dog as we had done so in the past but the restaurant was crazy-busy so we settled on Five Guys and Qdoba to fill our bellies.  Before finally heading home we stopped at Walmart to pick up Mom-specific food stuffs. 

On Sunday we were up early to drink our coffee before driving up to Conifer to meet John and Karen at DWs at 285 for brunch.  This has been a tradition for a few years now and there was some worry the experience would be diminished this time as the ownership had changed since last year.  Our fears were unfounded as the menu and service was identical as far as we could tell, only the general décor seemed to have altered.  Much chatting and munching was accomplished before pictures were taken inside and outside the restaurant. 

On the way back Mom suggested we check on the Dawn house and we did so.  Our rental home was still standing and we were happy to see that the landscaping was maintained.  We noticed new construction equipment by the neighborhood and wondered if another large development was coming soon.  In this current market it would not surprise any of us. 

We bandied about the idea of stopping by Costco to buy our Thanksgiving turkey but simply went home instead.  It’s possible we just forgot and remembered as we were pulling into the driveway and decided to just stay home.  No one will ever know. 

On Monday we all got up early to start the day. Mom went to pick up Marshall, Susan went to work to work, and I went to work to workout.  After I was finished I braved the madness that was Costco during Thanksgiving week to look for a fresh turkey.  Unfortunately all they had was frozen turkey so I walked back to my car empty-handed instead of enduring the long checkout lines.  I made my way to Walmart to purchase all of the necessary Thanksgiving food-stuffs (including the turkey).  I found myself back at home in the early afternoon and unloaded the goodies from my car. 

Mom finished her day with Marshall and his two girls and came home around 3:00 and we hung out until Susan got off work at her normal time.  We ate our cooked meals and watched an entertaining Netflix prank show for the evening. 

We woke to a snow-filled landscape on Tuesday morning.  Roughly a foot of snow had fallen overnight which led to Susan working from home.  While Susan was productive Mom and I hung out until the snowfall lessened in the afternoon and I went outside to clear the driveway with the snow blower. 

I had moved the snow blower into the garage the day before in anticipation of the storm and was delighted that it started up on my second pull of the pull starter.  The snow blowing went fine until I managed to shear the third shear bolt which was one too many (I only had two spares).  Luckily I was almost done at that point with the driveway largely cleared of snow. 

After Susan finished working and logged off we cooked dinner and settled in for the night. 

Wednesday was another early day as I drove Susan to work before I went to work to workout again.  Once back home and after some hanging out Mom and I ventured out to buy spare shear pins from Lowes.  This didn’t take long and I then promptly finished clearing the drive. 

Around 2:00 and Susan texted that I could come pick her up from work.  Mom and I hopped in Flo and did so.  We had starved ourselves for much of the day in anticipation of Susan getting off early so we went to Longhorn Steakhouse for a late-lunch/early-dinner.  The food was yummy and the restaurant almost empty due to the odd timing of the meal. 

Our only other stop was to Cost Plus World Market to buy gifts for the white elephant gift exchange to be held after the Thanksgiving meal the following day.  We scoured the store before settling on several pieces of strange candy for one gift and several fun kitchen gadgets for the other. 

Thursday had us all up early again – Mom to head off to pick up Marshall and Susan and I to start preparing the Thanksgiving stuffs.  Our grand plan of thawing the turkey in the beer fridge failed so we had to begin roasting the turkey earlier than we had wanted.  No biggie as we had all day.  Then we were on to chopping and mixing up this and that. 

Time absolutely flew by and it was suddenly almost 2:00 when our guests were to arrive.  Susan hopped in the shower which I continued doing my thang.  John and Karen were the first to arrive followed soon by Emily and her hubby and son and then Kari and Alvin. 

That frozen turkey took longer to cook than anticipated but our cordial group kept our hunger-anger in check until 3:30 or so when I finally cut up the bird.  The meal was standard Thanksgiving fare: turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, sweat potatoes, green bean casserole, orange jello, cranberry sauce, and rolls.  We collectively filled our plates and collectively were stuffed shortly thereafter. 

Much conversation was had as various members of our group fought the urge to nap on our couches while Susan and I cleaned up.  Eventually Susan took everyone out to check out the new motorhome which gave me space to reset the kitchen furniture. 

After some time passed we moved on to the white elephant gift exchange.  After a brutal series of steals the game was over with everyone content with their gifts.  It was a nice time. 

After even more time passed we finally served dessert.  Sometimes I miss being able to eat like I did when I was a kid, which was every hour or so.  It was a three-pie pie-fest with chocolate mousse, traditional cherry, and Boston cherry cream pie, and they were all tasty. 

It was around 8:00 when folks began making their exodus.  Susan and I had a great time but were tired and promptly plopped onto the couch to finish the evening with the pups.  Mom had been home since before we all ate our meal (the Thanksgiving she attended was served at 1:00) and she kept us company while we chilled out. 

Friday was another early day as we woke to drink our coffee before driving up to Whimsy Paint and Sip in Westminster to paint with Emilee, Ryan, Stewart, and Lee. 

We arrived early to find that Em and company had just pulled up and parked moments before we had.  We sat down in the most premo-seats in the joint and donned our aprons.  The instructor was fun and did a great job guiding us through the painting.  Truly everyone produced some amazing art and we had a nice time. 

In an effort to avoid the shopping crowds we drove back to Parker to finally eat a late lunch at Saltgrass Steakhouse.  The restaurant was mostly empty which was great although this didn’t translate into quick service.  Saltgrass is Susan and my go-to celebratory food-place and generally we’ve found the service to be fast enough.  For whatever reason it was super-duper-slow on this day.  At least the food was yummy and the company pleasant.  We eventually said our goodbyes and went our separate ways.

On Saturday we took Mom to the airport.  It was early enough that we arrived at DIA before the sun was up which was a good thing as it was silly-busy.  After hugs we drove back home without Mom.  Susan had brought Pebbles along for the ride and she slept most of the way to the airport and back. 

Once back home we did our best to relax.  We both napped and generally didn’t accomplish much of anything for the remainder of the day.  It was nice. 

On Sunday we finally slept in late.  Again we didn’t do much but after a long week we needed the break.  It was a great way to end the holiday week. 

October 2019

October 5^th weekend – Saturday we were up with an alarm to take care of the pugs and have our coffee.  We had a trip to make up to Longmont to pick up used racing tires for Scrappy and jumped in Flo for the journey.  We arrived only a few minutes later than planned due to traffic and got our tires without incident. 

We were pretty hungry at this point so stopped for a quick lunch at Qdoba. 

Next we drove to an RV dealership to peruse their stock of class A diesel pushers.  After the Kansas Lemons race we agreed that our current racing accommodations were lacking and have somewhat settled on buying and using an RV to tow our trailer to races.  While we’ve both been inside similar large RVs it has been many years so we decided to check some out to refresh our memories.  We weren’t ready to buy and fortunately the salesperson didn’t hound us too much.  It was fun seeing what they had in inventory.  We stopped at another dealer though found their particular stock to be far above anything we could ever afford. 

Once finally back home from the longish drive we hung out with the pups for the remainder of the day. 

Sunday we didn’t do a whole lot.  We put a little coolant in Scrappy as we knew snow and cold weather were coming and then kept the pups company on the couch.  This was Susan’s last day before starting her new job so it felt fitting to relax. 

October 12^th weekend – Saturday had Susan waking up early to attend a rallycross event.  I got up as well and saw her off and headed to the couch to hang out with the pups.  I had some vague plans to do this and that but ended up falling asleep buried under three furry bodies and didn’t wake up until after noon.  I figured “what the heck” and just stayed where I was until Susan came home.  She had fun driving Flo at the rallycross which was great.  In a further pique of laziness we had Safeway deli food delivered for dinner. 

Sunday had us up with an alarm.  We didn’t really have anything planned until the night before when I got ahold of an individual selling an RV in Falcon.  I had tried texting the seller on Friday but had mixed up a digit in the phone number.  As it seemed like a good deal for us I tried calling the next day to find out that the number didn’t exist.  Susan confirmed the correct number and I tried again.  The guy was happy to show us the RV and coincidently had someone else scheduled to look at it at noon.  I asked if we could come down at 9:00 and thus the alarm was set. 

The drive was longish and I25 was chock-full of construction south of Castle Rock.  The RV was sitting on some flat land and the seller, Lars, was waiting inside.  We chatted as Lars showed us this and that on the motorhome.  Eventually we went to the gas station and then I got behind the wheel.  Susan and I were excited as it ticked all of our boxes and, after some deliberation, I made an offer.  It was a low offer but Lars accepted.  We could hardly believe that we were going to own a big ol’ RV! 

The drive home was slower as an accident had I25 closed.  We took a back route via Google Maps which was interesting as the scenery was beautiful.  There were poorly maintained dirt roads and a few hills that crested quickly adding some excitement to the journey. 

Once home we spent the rest of the day researching RV stuff and watching RV-specific videos on YouTube.  What a crazy weekend. 

October 19^th weekend – Saturday we slept in until 10:00ish before our longsuffering pups harassed us out of bed.  After coffee we zipped over to our credit union.  The RV we had agreed to purchase was too old for traditional RV-lending which made financing an issue.  We were instead getting a HELOC loan which was fine except that it would likely take a few weeks to complete.  Thus we went to our credit union to apply for signature loans in the meantime. 

The line was long in the lobby when we arrived but we didn’t mind as we had our never-bored devices and each other to talk to while we waited.  Eventually we met with a banker who sympathized with our situation and helped us get the applications started. 

We were hungry when we left the branch and stopped by Dickey’s BBQ for BBQ which was mighty tasty. 

Once home we finally spent some time working on the E30 we’d picked up from California several months ago.  The first thing we did was make space behind it to hoist out the spare motor from the trunk.  This was much easier than we had anticipated which made me feel silly for putting the task off for so long.  Next I replaced a radiator hose and swapped out a belt.  We ran out of coolant so headed out to buy some and so a bit of shopping. 

We stopped by Home Depot to buy metal to hold down the E30’s battery and then went to Walmart for coolant and various food stuffs. 

It was getting dark when we got home so we called off any further productivity for the day and hung out with the pups on the couch instead. 

Sunday had us sleeping in again which was nice.  After coffee we ventured out to the garage to fill and bleed the coolant system on the E30.  This was somewhat painful and we discovered the radiator fan was missing.  After some head-scratching we determined that the previous owner had used the A/C fan to cool the radiator and that it wasn’t currently working.  I bypassed the wiring to get the fan spinning and we were happy for a time. 

It was a couple of minutes later when Susan checked the oil only to discover clear signs of coolant where it was not supposed to be.  Dang.  The headgasket was definitely blown and blown badly.  Thus much of the work we had performed was for naught as it would have to be redone.  I suppose we gained a little experience which is an ok thing as we had never worked on a BMW before. 

A bit demoralized we cleaned up and plopped on the couch for the remainder of the afternoon and evening.  At least the pups were happy to have us around. 

It was on Tuesday night that we picked up the RV.  After much finagling and back and forth with the credit union we had finally managed to obtain the necessary cash to buy the dang thing. 

On the way down Susan contacted our current insurance company to set up a policy on the RV.  Connection issues had us pulling over on the side of the road as Susan’s first call was dropped.  It took some time but we soon were on our way again. 

The transaction part of the deal went without a hitch and Lars answered a few last minute questions.  He graciously pulled the motorhome out of the ridiculously tight opening to his property and left me to finish the journey home.  Said trip seemed to go alright and we made no stops along the way.  It was later that we figured out that the blinkers didn’t function with the headlights on.  Turn the lights off and the blinkers work.  Turn the lights on and they don’t.  No, we don’t know why (yet).  Susan thought I was driving recklessly and I thought I was being cautious as I physically used the turn signal stalk appropriately.  Whoops!  We were glad to have made it home safely. 

After making an unsuccessful attempt at backing the RV into its future home next to the garage in the dark we settled on parking it down in the lower 40.  On Wednesday morning we tried again and had no problems backing it up in the light.  We can hardly believe we now own a big motorhome.  Madness. 

October 26 weekend – Saturday began with an alarm and coffee.  Our planned outing for the day was to be at HPR for an open lapping day so we were up and out relatively early in the morning.  We arrived to the track with enough time for three driving sessions before the lunch break.  The temperatures weren’t supposed to be too high but it was warm enough that the lack of a breeze had Susan and me wishing that we’d brought our cool shirts. 

We had a blast driving Scrappy around and chatting with fellow participants.  There were more exotic cars than usual which was interesting.  It seemed there was a gathering of young fellows there with their parent’s super cars.  Evidently in the driver’s meeting they mentioned it was their first time out and then proceeded to not pay attention at all and just play on their phones.  No one was surprised when they were terrible on the track and generally unsafe.  I suppose we all learn eventually. 

We were hoping to hang out with Alvin but he volunteered to bail out Jeff (the village idiot) whose radiator blew up and who had no way to get home.  We did get to see Alvin for a few minutes before he left and he suggested we all get together for dinner later.  Susan and I left a little early so I could back the trailer into the driveway with the help of the sun’s light. 

After taking care of the pups we jumped in Flo and drove up to Conifer to meet Alvin, Kari, Karen, and John for dinner at Snowpack Taproom & Kitchen.  The menu was limited but we found what was offered to be quite yummy.  We enjoyed each other’s company and chatted about this and that.  When we finally got home later that night Susan and I agreed it had been a great day. 

Sunday had us sleeping in which was nice.  After coffee we slunk into Flo to drive over to look at a Pontiac Solstice.  It was rough but looked to be a decent donor car for Scrappy’s upcoming engine swap.  We arrived on-time at noon to the given address to find a closed non-car-related-business.  I texted the seller that we were there and waited.  It was feeling a bit hinky so we left after 15 minutes to catch lunch.  The guy got back to me almost an hour later but by then I was past caring so we didn’t attempt to see the car again.  Such is. 

Lunch was Swedish meatballs at Ikea which was nice.  We then proceeded to walk around the joint and look at this and that.  We didn’t need much and only bought a couple of wine bottle openers and foot stools (their foot stools are awesome).  I thought it would behoove us to go to Costco to pick up a couple of items but the parking lot was a madhouse and I decided it wasn’t worth the crowds. 

Once home we settled in with the pups for the rest of the day and had a nice time simply hanging out and doing our relaxation thang. 

It wouldn’t be a proper update if I didn’t mention the snow that hit the Denver area Sunday night through Wednesday.  It wasn’t a blizzard but snow piled up enough that the roads were poor and schools closed.  I was fortunate that I could work from home on Monday and Tuesday when Susan also elected to stay home.  Growing up it was common for our first snow storm to hit right before Halloween and I wonder if this is a return to the weather of those times.  If so then I expect the rest of the winter season to be snowier than the last several years.  We’ll see!

Oliver is still alive and well.  He had his manhood altered which we’re hopeful will calm him down a bit.  Susan sees Oliver most days and I do once a week or so as my allergies make it difficult.  He seems to still be growing which is probably a good thing for his role as a barn cat. 

Bella, Pebbles, and Mel are doing well.  We love them so much and they seem to be happy in our company, especially Susan’s.  Pebbles is back to wearing her ubiquitous sweaters though she’s shrunk out of many them as she’s lost weight.  Mel is still oblivious to her size and Bella is as cute as ever. 

Susan is liking her new job.  HR is mostly newly staffed and thus she gets to decide how to fulfill her duties.  In her previous jobs there seemed to always be issues with her not being allowed to make improvements to the various processes.  At this new job there are things that need to get done and how they get done are for Susan to decide.  This is a good thing. 

September 2019

September 1^st had us sleeping in a little before heading out to work on Scrappy.  I took my sweet time so we didn’t finish up the timing belt swap until around noon.  Once done we performed the longest coolant bleeding ever.  We wanted to test the car so I turned on Scrappy’s car insurance and Susan installed the old license plate and found the registration card (still valid). 

Susan followed in Tia as I drove on E470 for a few miles before turning back.  Scrappy misfired at low RPMs and threw two new codes but didn’t overheat – a classic one step forward, two steps back.  At a loss we hung out until Kari and Alvin came by for BBQ around 5:30. 

Alvin gave Scrappy a onceover and replaced the spark plugs.  I noticed a vacuum plug was cracked through and replaced it.  Alvin did a compression test which came back largely alright.  The food was done so we ate our hamburgers and chicken burgers which were yummy.  Before it got too dark I took Scrappy out for another test drive.  All went well.  No codes, no misfiring, and no overheating.  We hung out for another few hours before Alvin and Kari left Susan and me to chill with the pups. 

Monday we slept in and I had coffee and while Susan had frap.  Susan had a phone interview which seemed to go well and soon after we hopped in suburban to pick up free patio furniture in Evergreen. 

We were literally about to pull out of neighborhood when Susan saw the ad was deleted.  Dejected I started to turn back before Susan suggested we look at a different free set of patio furniture in Centennial (apparently it’s that time of year).  So instead of turning back into our neighborhood we went headed north. 

A few zigzags later and we arrived to see the patio set replete with “free” sign.  A quick assessment had us glad we made the trip and we loaded it all up in the trailer.  We were hungry at this point so stopped by a new-to-us Mexican restaurant for lunch.  Unfortunately we found to find it closed for the Labor Day holiday. 

We then drove toward Walmart to buy food stuffs and saw Dicky’s BBQ was open and stopped in for BBQ.  It was yummy and we were full when we left the joint.  Once home we unloaded the patio furniture and settled on the couch.  It didn’t take us long to find ourselves napping though Mel made it her mission to make staying asleep difficult. 

Dinner was more BBQ though from our own grill.  We spent the remainder of the long weekend on the couch with the pups. 

On Thursday Susan called to inform me that Flo wouldn’t start and she was stranded at our local Tire Rack distribution center.  Sounded like it could be a starter issue.  Luckily Susan had backed into a parking spot which happened to also be on a slight decline and she managed to bump/roll start Flo and get home. 

After work we drove to HPR for another bout of racecar-testing.  Despite another endurance event occurring later in the weekend the track was relatively quiet and there were few cars on the track at any time.  Scrappy drove great and showed none of the issues we’d had before.  No overheating or misfiring.  We’re tentatively confident it’s ready for next week’s Lemons race. 

Saturday began with coffee around 9:00 after which we headed to the garage.  Scrappy was pretty dirty from the last Lemons race so Susan took it upon herself to wash it.  After driving Scrappy around the house to where the hose resides I used our hedge trimmer to trim along the edge of the driveway and our three hedges.  We both finished up around the same time and put Scrappy back in the garage. 

I removed Flo’s starter to confirm it would be simple and to gather up the necessary tools to get one from a junk yard.  While we weren’t 100% positive the starter was the culprit in Flo’s woes it seemed likely.  We threw the necessary tools in our orange tool box along with a few extras just in case and loaded it along with the old starter and new tires and wheels into the suburban and went out. 

Our first stop was to Discount Tire to drop off the wheels and tires to have the new tires mounted.  Then we went to Mariachi’s for a yummy lunch before driving up to Aurora U Pull. 

Susan had compiled a list of the rows that had cars that should have the parts we were looking for – a starter for Flo and spare coil on plugs for Scrappy.  As usual we were both wearing sandals and had to walk deftly to avoid the puddles and various detritus.  We had to walk up and down several rows of cars before finding the correct Subaru with the correct starter but we found one and, after a few minutes, I had removed the starter.  Not too much later and we found a car with coil on plugs that were in good enough shape to take for Scrappy.  Success! 

While at the junk yard I was notified our tires were done being mounted so we swung back over to Discount to pick them up. 

Once back home I installed the junk yard starter in Flo and Susan tried starting the car.  Success again!  It seems that the starter was the issue and we were relieved at having been able to fix it on our own.  I paid $30 for the junk yard starter instead of buying a new one for between $150-200.  Installing it myself likely saved us another few hundred dollars.  All win. 

While I was tending to Flo Susan wiped off Scrappy’s water spots and applied wax.  I finished before Susan did and helped buff off the excess wax.  Wow did Scrappy look good! 

We decided we’d done enough productive things for the day so went inside to hang with the pups.  Dinner was yummy leftover pizza. 

Sunday we slept in late.  I was up a little before Susan to take care of the pups and played games on the couch until she ventured out of the bedroom a few minutes later for coffee.  Once again we headed to the garage after completing our caffeine ritual. 

We had a list of things to do to prepare for the race next weekend.  I vacuumed and cleaned the driver’s side floor in preparation to replace the old grip mat while Susan scrubbed the floor of the trailer.  I swapped out the wheels and Susan inspected the old ones closely for cracks (they were fine).  We organized the spare parts and I replaced one of the wire plugs on the coil on plugs as bare wires were showing.  We were pretty hungry at this point and went out to eat and run a couple of errands. 

Lunch was at NY style pizza at Colonna’s Pizza.  It was very authentic to our Colorado pallets but the server-person bringing Susan the wrong pizza marred the experience a bit.  Susan got to watch me eat my pizza slices and then I got to watch Susan eat her pizza slices. 

A fruitless trip to Home Depot (they didn’t have what we needed) was followed by a tiny shopping spree Walmart where we picked up a few odds and ends.  We swung by Lowes where we found the specific insulating foam we were looking for. 

When we got home we were tired even though we hadn’t done much.  This may have been carb-overload from lunch or perhaps we’d just had enough productivity for the weekend.  For whatever reason we decided to go inside and just hang with the pups on the couch for the rest of the day.  It was a great weekend for sure. 

High Plains Drifter

The race weekend began on Thursday when we drove to the track after I got home from work.  We’d packed some in the previous days and had to finish up before we left.  We weren’t exactly in a rush as our evening plans only entailed a little driving and unpacking into our reserved covered parking spot. 

We arrived at the track to find half of our pre-paid spot occupied by a large car hauler.  This was annoying but the area we were going to park the trailer in was free so we proceeded to unload and set up our stuffs.  Later someone came by to let us know the hauler would eventually be moved.  It wasn’t until the next morning this finally occurred and after they asked us if we were actually going to use the spot.  *sigh*  I hate people sometimes. 

After we had unpacked and mostly set up shop I took Scrappy out for a few laps to heat cycle the new tires.  I had set up a tablet to show the water temperature so we could keep an eye on it while we drove and it worked fine.  Scrappy was, as always, a lot of fun to drive and afterwards I swapped the wheels out for the slightly-used set that we were to run on Day 1 of the race. 

There weren’t a lot of other teams at the track on Thursday night so we wandered around and talked to them.  We eventually set up our air mattress and hit the hay. 

Friday we wanted to sleep in a little but the dogs weren’t in the mood so we were up pretty early to feed and tend to the little devils.  We had our coffee and puttered about until Alvin arrived with his camper.  After some discussion the camper was placed in a desirable spot and Ian showed up. 

For some reason I can’t explain I thought tech started at noon (it actually started at 1:00) so I drove Scrappy over to the tech area.  It didn’t take long for me to be informed of my error but by then a dozen other cars had lined up.  Whoops!  They didn’t mind us leaving our cars there until 1:00 and so we all did so. 

Phil (one of the main Lemon’s people) performed the BS inspection on Scrappy.  We bribed him as best we could, hoping to be placed in a lower class but it was for not as he wouldn’t budge.  We knew it was a long-shot so weren’t too terribly disappointed.  Once done with the BS inspection walked back to our paddock spot and served and ate lunch. 

At 1:00 we were back to the tech area where we passed without any issues as expected.  We had our piles of personal gear which was also cleared to race.  Alvin was the last to get his gear checked and then we took our signed tech sheet to officially check in at Lemons headquarters and pick up our transmitter. 

After finishing the last of the required things we had to do Alvin took Scrappy out for around 30 minutes.  He felt that the brakes were sticking so he and Ian bled them while I rewired the alternator to the kill switch wiring.  The evening was spent with dinner and copious amounts of hanging out. 

Saturday was the first race day and started early.  After we went through Susan’s new checklist I suited up and got belted into Scrappy.  I waited for what seemed like a long time with the other drivers at the track entrance before we were finally unleashed to drive slowly around.  These first laps are to make sure the equipment is functioning and after them we were shown the green flag and the race began!

The driving was fun and I got to pass a lot of other cars before my stint was over at noon.  Alvin was next but was immediately black flagged for not checking in with the pre-track safety person.  It was a miscommunication but hurt as we lost a few laps while he was berated by the Lemons staff.  After Alvin finished Ian took the wheel for his stint before Susan finished up for the day.  We were placed well in 5^th overall. 

As in now custom we cooked our Lemons Cheaty Chicken Chili for the evening’s paddock potluck.  This time we made twice as much as before which worked out well as it was all still eaten.  We walked around eating this and that and talking about this and that until the sun went down.  Then we continued eating and talking until later. 

It should be noted that we were incredibly unlucky in who paddocked next to us.  This was a team who had a history of bringing a car that barely ran and would inevitably blow up after only a handful of laps.  Their weekend would mostly entail working on their car.  This time their car ran but not well and they spend much of their downtime (the evenings) revving their engine loudly while trying to tune the ECU.  It was oh so annoying but part of the experience I suppose. 

Sunday began a bit earlier and, despite getting up with plenty of time to spare, I barely managed to get out onto the track in time to race.  It’s amazing how time flies I guess.  In any event I made it in time for the green flag and my stint went without issue. 

Alvin and Ian received black flagged penalties for going off and Ian also experienced issues with the kill switch getting caught up in its pull-cord and thereby not fully turning off.  This led us to believe that my rewiring job came apart before Alvin messed with the kill switch and discovered the problem. 

Susan had a clean stint which helped us to finish eighth overall and third in our class after 319 laps.  The penalties and kill switch issue were painful as we likely would have finished several places ahead overall.  Such is endurance racing!  We all had a great time and were relieved that Scrappy ran so well. 

After the awards ceremony we packed up.  While Alvin and Ian offered to help Susan and I preferred to do the majority ourselves so released them to go home with clear consciences.  Perhaps because we’d packed up after a Lemons race twice earlier this year we finished up much quicker than before and drove off by 5:40.  Such a great weekend!

Once again the pups were mostly good.  Bella was uncharacteristically needy which had us worried that something was wrong but we think she was just stressed out.  While deaf she no doubt felt the reverberations of the incredibly loud cars, especially those generated by our paddock neighbors.  The dogs spent much of the weekend in Alvin’s camper as he ran his A/C continuously.  They were very tired when we got home. 

September 21^st weekend – Saturday began with Susan and me sleeping in before coffee.  We didn’t really have anything firmly planned for the day so spent most of it on the couch.  I edited racing videos and Susan did her thing while we listened to a broadcast of the 2019 RallyCross National Championships. 

Several Colorado competitors were participating and we cheered them on.  The weather at the event was pretty horrid for racing on dirt with rain rolling in and making the ground incredibly muddy.  We genuinely felt sorry for those drivers who were unprepared for such conditions (it seemed most drivers weren’t).  A few Coloradans were doing well by the time the racing was over for the day.

Susan ordered Jimmy Johns for lunch while I ate my preferred leftovers.  Later we went to Qdoba for dinner and did a little shopping at Walmart. 

Sunday we slept in again.  I played games while we followed along with the rest of the RallyCross event.  It had rained hard during the night and conditions were worse than before so the drivers only got two more shots at the course.  It quickly became clear who had the best tires and had experience in the mud.  I do not miss events like these.  A few Coloradans finished well with one winning his class which was nice. 

Around 3:00 had Susan and myself leaving the house to catch dinner at Garbanzo’s on the way to the Park Meadows United Artists movie theatre.  Susan had seen that they were doing a limited showing of Shawshank Redemption and had reserved us seats.  It was the 25^th anniversary of the movie coming out in 1994.  We’d probably seen the movie twenty times at home but there is something special about the big screen and we enjoyed the show.  We were a bit surprised with the small crowd in the theatre and hope the powers that be see enough value to continue re-releasing old movies in such a fashion. 

We finished the weekend on the couch with the pups as we often do.  While we didn’t accomplish much it was a fine weekend. 

September 27^th weekend – Friday was an exciting day as Susan received and accepted a job offer.  This after more than 90 applications and dozens of interviews.  We went to Maggiano’s to celebrate and the food was delicious. 

Saturday we were up earlyish with an alarm and drank our coffee.  We had a busy day planned and were out the door quickly. 

First we went to pick up a used transmission for Scrappy.  The transmission is to facilitate the motor swap we’re planning for the offseason.  Not cheap but there were only two in all of Colorado so the price was understandable. 

Next we went to The Subie Doctor to sell Todd Briley the 2001 Subaru Impreza 2.5 RS.  This went without a hitch and the proceeds will go towards paying for Scrappy’s motor swap.  After chatting with Todd for a bit we went to pick up some cool shirt cooler stuffs from Brad Ames. 

Originally I had planned on us just grabbing a quick bite to eat but then I remembered how much we liked It’s Brothers Bar & Grill so we stopped in for sit-down lunch on the way home.  It was noon give or take so we decided to head back out to our favorite junk yard – Littleton U Pull. 

I wanted to take a peek at several vehicle’s motors and we needed a specific accelerator pedal from one of the cars (again, for the motor swap).  I didn’t bring nearly enough tools to pull a motor so settled on getting the throttle pedal.  Fortunately the pedals aren’t exactly sought after so we had no issue finding one.  I did manage to cut up my arm on broken glass a little bit but I just got my tetanus shot a month ago so wasn’t too worried. 

After acquiring the pedal we went home to hang with the pups for a few hours before we left again, this time to Alvin and Kari’s house to meet some ducks, hang out, and eat BBQ. 

Kari had recently taken responsibility for two grown boy-ducks and wanted to show them off.  We found them cute in their duck-way.  Ducks aren’t very intelligent but Kari has them closed into her garden area so there isn’t too much of a concern that they will injure themselves.  Worst comes to worst and they will serve duck at Thanksgiving. 

Alvin made steak and some chicken that I had brought along.  The food was yummy and we chatted about this and that.  We hung out for a while and didn’t get home until after 9:00 to see our needy pups.  It was a long day. 

On Sunday we were up by 8:00 without an alarm for some reason.  After coffee it didn’t take us long to decide to be purposely unproductive and make a b-line for the couch.  We hung out playing games, watching TV, and keeping the pups comfortable for the entirety of the day.  It was a glorious way to end the weekend and the month of September. 

Pet news

The three dogs (Bella, Pebbles, and Mel) are doing well.  Bella is very adorable but we can see that she’s slowing down a bit.  Pebbles has largely conquered walking across the wood floors but has started eating her own poo which we don’t appreciate.  Mel is still needy and can be very annoying at times.  We think her prior owner must not have refused this pug much in her life.  All three give us their full attention when I’m cutting cucumber or tearing apart rotisserie chicken. 

Oliver is still acts like a kitten but has grown quite a bit.  Susan has to be careful as he doesn’t seem to grasp exactly how sharp his claws are.  Oliver still knocks over his water bowls constantly but Susan makes sure he doesn’t go without.  While he’s still a challenge he has calmed down over the past few weeks.  Now Susan can get in a few pets before he goes into attack-mode.