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Wednesday, July 23, 2014

Small (apartment) Worlds

When we first moved to Colorado, we moved into a one bedroom apartment in Castle Rock. We were trying to find something more permanent (and larger), and we had signed a six month least in the interim. Since we only wanted a six month lease, and we (thought) we wanted to live in Castle Rock (obviously, we changed our mind), our options for apartments were limited. In fact, they were limited to only one apartment complex, and only one apartment in that complex.

When I went to check the apartment complex out, I met Rocky, the apartment manager. I wasn't able to see the actual apartment, because people were still in it, moving out that day, I was told, but I saw the "sample" apartment instead. Rocky assured me that the apartment I saw was exactly like the one I would be renting, that our apartment would have new locks, new carpets, new paint, and would be just wonderful. Rocky asked me if I was interested in renting a garage, but when I mused outloud (opps) that I could use the garage in lieu of the storage unit that I was planning to rent, he very seriously informed me that garages were for the exclusive use of cars, not stuff, and that no one in the complex was allowed to store anything but their vehicles in the garages, and that the management took this very seriously. Since obviously this was a rule, I didn't rent a garage, and paid a higher price down the street at a storage locker. I also learned all about all the other rules in the apartment complex, like the management's very serious stance on noise, and that all apartments were non-smoking, and that no one was allowed to smoke in the apartments or on the decks.

Saturday, July 12, 2014

Mesa Verde

So despite the Deer debacle, we took Hail No and the new camper on a road trip to Mesa Verde over the long holiday weekend. We took off Thursday afternoon, and I set myself up (to Eric's dismay) in the backseat, and worked for several hours while Eric drove. We headed for Mesa Verde, which is in the Southwest corner of Colorado, about 7 hours away. Well, I got a bunch of stuff done, and 7 hours didn't feel like 7 hours - to me.

Wednesday, July 9, 2014

Signs You Live in a Small Town

We live in town who's population has doubled in the last 10 years.

The population is now roughly 11,000.

Granted, we literally live over the city limit from Colorado Springs, population somewhere around 400,000, but technically, this is a small town.

Last week, we had a dinner mishap. We had thawed a turkey breast, and Eric had put it overnight in the smoker I bought him for his birthday. After an overnight and a good chunk of the day, he decided to finish it in the oven.

I got home from work and wondered what nearly dead roadkill had crawled its way into our house. Eric, to his credit, doesn't have quite as sensitive sniffer as I do, and had had his head about in the smoker, so all he was smelling were the hickory chips.

But it was bad.

Sunday, July 6, 2014

Hail No, Deer Yes

Opps.

Hail No's had a bit of a mishap.

Eric was on a storm that looked really good, so he took off for Kansas. The storm didn't behave the way he expected, and four hours away from home, Eric abandoned his date with Dorothy.

He'd just put away his gear, and was headed back when....


Oh HAIL NO.
Mule deer.

Out of nowhere, apparently on a suicide mission.

Friday, July 4, 2014

Lobsters and Lighthouses

Colorado is not the only awesome place on Earth.

I know, shocking, right?

We headed out of our mountain-state home for a brief sojurn into the flatter, outside world. Destination: Connecticut by way of New York for my cousin's* wedding, then on to Cape Cod.

Wednesday, July 2, 2014

Hail No

In case you don't know, Eric is a storm chaser.

A real, live storm chaser like those guys on television except not famous and not on television. He's met most of them though in his quests for the perfect storm (and they really aren't that cool, in case you thought that a televised meterologist living for weeks out of his car was cool. I'm guessing they are also smelly.)