Posts Tagged “Colorado”
Jan
04
2010
Laboratory Animals Find Furever Homes with Kindness RanchPosted by Rene in Dream, Local Flavor, tags: animals, Colorado, people, volunteerJim and I have soft spots in our hearts for rescued animals. At one time we thought that our next business endeavor would be starting up a home for old dogs. We said we would call it “Jerry’s Kids.”
Last fall while we were still in Fort Collins, we stopped at Petco and met up with Karen Straight, executive director of Kindness Ranch, a rescue home for former lab research animals. I learned about them through my friend Lilla, who volunteered at their ranch in Hartville, Wyoming last year. Kindness Ranch takes in animals who are released from research labs where they were subjected to product testing. Karen finds loving homes for those who are adoptable and ready for their first real homes. And for animals who are too challenging to adopt out because of issues resulting from their cruel imprisonment, Kindness Ranch is a sanctuary, and their last chance for happiness. Karen was at Petco with a few dogs who are ready for homes, including Jack, pictured above. Please help Kindness Ranch any way you can. This is a great organization with a heart of gold, and they need all of the assistance they can get for the animals.
Dec
31
2009
Glancing Back, Looking ForwardPosted by Rene in Dream, Making Money, Our Story, Quality of Life, Rants & Raves, Spending Money, Work, tags: Colorado, economy, expenses, Full-Timing Tips, income, lifestyle, money, real estate, RV lifestyle, travelOur rig has been parked on the streets of L.A. for the last few weeks, while we catch up on the chisme with family and friends. Life here is as hectic and noisy as it gets, and every day Jim and I are reminded of why we chose to leave urban living behind.
With that behind us, we’re getting the other big part of our life in order, namely, making a real income again. Our defnition of “real income” is different from most people’s. While we would love to be able to spend money on the finer things in life (like picking up a $20 bottle of wine instead of our old standard, Two Buck Chuck), we also aren’t willing to surrender our freedom in order to do so. My very short gig at Satan’s Castle was a good reminder about that.
For us now, tiny bits of money trickle in from various web-based outlets that utilize our technical, design and writing skills. In 2010, we’ll work on building up our income revenue streams in these areas. The money is iffy, the hours are long and uncertainty always looms over our heads, but we are much happier than we ever were in our previous lives. While we are still officially in the red and dipping into savings, I know that 2010 will be the year we are back in black, finally. It would be great if we could actually contribute to our retirement accounts once more. When that happens, I’ll know that we’ve truly been successful these last two and a half years. On that note, I’ll say “Adios!” to 2009, and give 2010 a great big welcome. May this year bring the prosperity, joy and peace that we all need more of in our lives. And many thanks to all of you for being a part of our world. Life would be pretty boring without you!
Dec
16
2009
Gear Lust: The North Face Resolve JacketPosted by Rene in Live, Rants & Raves, Simple Living, Spending Money, Work, tags: Colorado, expenses, frugal, Full-Timing Tips, gear, RV lifestyle, spending
Take for example, this North Face jacket I’m wearing during our stay at Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park in Colorado. The jacket has served me well for the last 8 years, but lately I’ve been thinking that it’s time for a replacement. This one was cutting edge at the time, but by today’s standard it’s bulky, heavy, and army green isn’t exactly the most flattering color. It’s also overkill for our winter travel adventures in the temperate southwest and should probably be left at our Colorado home base. Coincidentally, I was introduced to The North Face Resolve jacket today, through Webtogs, an online retailer specializing in quality outdoor gear. The North Face Resolve jacket features include:
As you might be able to see in the photo, I’m a walking billboard for North Face gear. My boots and jacket are North Face and so are the base layers I wear. Their products last forever and hold up beautifully, making them a frugal RVer’s dream. The North Face Resolve jacket looks compact enough to fit in our tiny RV wardrobe closet, yet sturdy enough to give me the protection I need from the spring rains in Texas. With Christmas around the corner, I think it’s time for an upgrade, don’t you?
Dec
15
2009
High Altitude Bread Machine DisastersPosted by Rene in Live, tags: altitude, baking, Colorado, food, mountains, recipes
When we lived in Eureka, I could whip up a sourdough starter in my sleep, and my French bread would taste better than almost anything I could buy at a bakery. I could follow recipes to the letter, and rarely would anything go wrong. But then we moved on up in the world . . . to 8400′, and my breadmaking talents went to hell.
But bread baking tips are all anyone can give. High altitude baking is nothing but a big science experiment. I had a few successes while we were at our new house, but most of the time, my bread ended up looking like an exploded volcano. Anyone have any high altitude bread baking tips you’d care to add?
Dec
12
2009
Home Winterization Crash CoursePosted by Jim in Live, Our Story, tags: Colorado, DIY, home, weather, winterize
But we did have time to winterize the place, which based on that report, we are very glad we did. In addition to a few minor exterior repairs, below are the steps we took to ensure our house survives the severe Colorado winter. Steps for Winterizing Mountain Home:
What is a nail mat you ask? We wondered the same thing when we discovered the picket fence looking things with nails sticking out of them in the garage when we bought the place. (See photo above.) Turns out the previous owner made these bear unwelcome mats to place in front of all the windows and doors, with the screws pointing up. Let’s hope they work! The previous owner also told us he never winterized the place, but he was often up there on winter weekends. We told this to a couple neighbors, and they both said, “He was lucky!” We’ll be gone a few months. And considering this was the first time we ever had to do anything like this, we’ll see if these steps did the trick. Talk to us next Spring.
Oct
30
2009
We left just in time.Posted by Jim in Full-Timing Tips, Live, RV Tech, Work, tags: Colorado, friends, snowbirds, travel, weather
Neal mentioned how the height at which the seed pods begin is an indication of that season’s snowfall depth. Based on a recent weather report from home, sent to us by Codie Rae’s people, I’m starting to believe him…
But we haven’t exactly headed to warmer climes, yet. Our second night here in Fernley, our hose froze. We had forgotten to leave a faucet dripping overnight. Keeping the water moving through the hose will help it from freezing solid and ensure you have running water in the morning. Insulating the hose with foam pipe-wrap available in the plumbing section of any home supply store also helps. As does having water in your fresh water tank as a backup. How quickly we forget these things after staying put for a few months. I remember first seeing an RVer fuss with a frozen hose at a riverside park in Ashville, NC two years ago and laughing. The other morning it was my turn. After struggling to thaw things out enough to get our water flowing, we have now practiced these precautionary measures I preach. Good thing René hadn’t yet begun her early morning shifts at the Amazon warehouse!
Oct
14
2009
Time to Head South for SurePosted by Jim in Dream, Quality of Life, tags: Colorado, snowbirds, video, weather, winter
But since René mentioned the weather here at Jerry’s Acres and our impending need to head south for the winter – not just once, but twice – I figured I would let everyone see for themselves how beautiful it is here, how much fun we’re having, and just how cold it really is getting… Don’t get me wrong, I like the idea of living in a Georgia O’Keefe painting as much as any good ol’ country boy. And it is nice and comfy in our new home. But did I mention it is only October!
Oct
08
2009
Snow Falls Today on Agreda HeadquartersPosted by Rene in Live, tags: Colorado, RV maintenance, snow, weather
I don’t know how much snow load our rig is rated for, but something tells me that this much snow is not a good thing. Does anyone have good tips for pushing snow off a RV roof without breaking your neck? The patio is closed. Hopefully in about two weeks, we’ll be on to warmer climates.
Sep
22
2009
Winter Comes Early in These PartsPosted by Rene in Live, Simple Living, tags: Colorado, Red Feather Lakes, snow, weather
I think that boat left without us. This is supposed the first day of Autumn. But I think Autumn got scared, and flew south too. Looks like winter is here. This is the scene outside today. A winter storm warning has been issued for the next few days. Lucky for us, we’ve got food, booze and Internet. And Wyatt Ray really loves playing all this white stuff. I’ll never forget the look on his face when we took him outside in the morning. Jim opened the door, and Wyatt’s ears went straight up. His eyes bugged out of his skull. He jumped and romped and spun around and just couldn’t understand what all of that white stuff was! The Farmers Almanac is predicting a cold, hard winter in these parts. I look outside at our snow-covered rig, and thank Dog that we are in the house right now. The outside temperature is in the low 30s, but it’s warm and toasty inside the house with our fire going. Time’s a wastin’, we better get moving soon.
Sep
18
2009
A Chill in the Air Means Time to Fly SouthPosted by Rene in Live, Simple Living, tags: California, Colorado, jobs, money, RVing, snowbirds, texas, winter, workamping
But the aspens are turning yellow, there is a definite chill in the air. Soon we’ll do the sensible snowbird thing, and head south for the winter. For there’s still so much to see, and far too many adventures in store. And besides, Wyatt Ray needs to get out there on the road and see the great big world that’s out there waiting for him. We’ve been busy making plans for our flight south. Looks like we’ll workamping in November and December, either in Kansas or Nevada. Then, we’ll head to see my familia in Southern California for Christmas (it wouldn’t be the same unless we had another sweltering Christmas day in the shadow of downtown L.A.). After that, we’ll more than likely turn east and head to New Braunfels, Texas again, to hook up with our NuRVers friends at Landa. But first, we’ll stop at the Slabs again for some free boondocking and interesting ambiance. But winter won’t be all fun and games. Our budget situation is such that we’ll need to get our butts in gear and start making some real money now. Getting to Texas is going to cost us, big time. So this means even more plowing away at our online endeavors, as well as workamping or (gasp!) temp jobs in bigger cities that can bring in some real money (well, as “real” as it gets when you live like hoboes) until we return to Colorado in late March. The fulltime RVing lifestyle beckons. |


















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