Author: Steve

What would a trip to Carbondale be without a picture of Sopris?

Woke up to a great bird morning. House finches, black capped chickadees,
downy woodpeckers, and white-breasted nuthatches. On the tree outside our
bedroom window and the feeder below. We took some pictures. Remember the mountain chickadee? This is the black-capped chickadee.

Still in Basalt. Got a question for motorhome drivers. What is the best way to lubricate the
tow mechanism? Especially the telescoping part. When we park near the
beach, all the parts dry out and rust really fast. I’ve oiled it, but then
it gets all grimy with road gunk and the telescoping sticks and it gets on
any clothes that touch it. I’ve cleaned it all off and protected it with
silicon spray. That doesn’t attract so much dirt, but it doesn’t last very
long. Just a couple days. I’m back to wiping it down and oiling it again.
Any suggestions? Here is something cool. We haven’t sent out any mailings inviting people to
look at our website since January, but people are still looking at it. I
get a weekly update from the statcounter and page loads have been as high as
fifty per day this last week. There is another interesting statistic as
well. Country of origin. Of course, most of our hits came from the United
States, but 7% came from Ireland, and 2% came from Canada. Pretty funny,
huh? I might need some help getting the motorhome to Ireland.

Did the job in Glenwood Springs. It couldn’t have gone better. Did the
fieldwork, had the exit conference, then did the board presentation on
Friday. All our jobs should go like this. Next week. We’ll continue to stay here. The first half of the week, we
have a job in Carbondale. The second half of the week, we have a job in
Carbondale. We have two jobs in Carbondale this trip. This summer we come
back to do a bigger job in Carbondale that will take two weeks. We’ve
talked to another organization here that just wants their tax return done
this year. What a surprise to get so many jobs in one of the smallest
towns. Guess we stumbled into an area that really needs what we do. Last week was a battered women’s shelter. This week, an affordable housing
agency, and a theatre group. Variety in our work. They’re all nonprofits,
so they’re the same in that regard, but very different kinds of nonprofit
organizations.

Know how, in small towns, you see signs with unlikely combinations? It
might be the hairdresser and hardware store, or the attorney’s office
advertising legal services and fine silver jewelry. We’ve seen these. We
saw the sign in Ridgway, a little sign by the side of the road, advertising
Mexican food and lodging. It pointed down a dirt road. We drove past. Another time, in the hot springs, we asked around for recommendations on
Mexican food. Guess what. Mexican food and lodging. The Adobe Inn. Down
the dirt road. Wow! Was that good Mexican food!
Well, we can’t just stay at Ridgway. We had to move on to Glenwood Springs.
Actually, Basalt. The next job is in Glenwood Springs, but we’re going to
stay down the road in Basalt. We get better hookups for the motorhome in
Basalt this early in the season. Ridgway to Basalt, by the direct route,
over McClure pass, down into Carbondale, and turn right for ten miles to
Basalt. It’s an easy pass, a winding road. No problem. Of course we could go the long way if we wanted, straight north all the way
up to Grand Junction, then east on I-70 to Glenwood Springs, and up the road
to Basalt. We ran the options through the CoPilot on the computer. The
long way adds fifty miles onto the trip. Estimated travel time? A half
hour less. Much straighter faster roads. We went the long way. A nice drive to Basalt. Basalt is a good place to
be. It is a twenty-mile commute to Glenwood Springs. Ten miles to
Carbondale. It is at the confluence of the Roaring Fork and the Frying Pan.