Happy whatever holiday it is!

Happy mid-October fall national holiday! I don't remember the last time I heard it called Columbus day. But I would think every guy would come to its defense. It's the ultimate guy holiday.

Here was a guy who took off without knowing where he was going, didn't stop and ask directions, and when he wound up in the wrong place made it sound like that's what he meant to do all along. So I say, hats off to good old Chris Columbus, the patron saint of guys who are lost but won't admit it.

Odd duck?

I know, I'm an odd duck in some ways (I'm sure my wife would say "some?"), but let her get her own blog and say it. I'm sticking with some, and if I were any more normal I'd have no fun at all. We all have our idiosyncrisies and peculiarities.

Most of the time we're unaware of them - like how we pronounce (or mis-pronounce) words - that's what thirty years of living in Texas, Oklahoma and Tennessee will do to you. Somewhere along the way I picked up "ya'll" and I just can't get rid of it. The word "measure" comes out funny - at least my wife and kids laugh at me whenever I use the word (it sounds just fine to me). My wife did finally get me to switch to calling those southern nuts pĭ–kawnś instead of peḗ –kans.
I like big coffee mugs – at elders meetings on Sunday mornings, I am mercilessly ridiculed for the size of my cup (it really only holds three cups), but I don’t see any reason to keep getting up and down for refills (and I only refill it once). You would think I emptied the entire coffee pot with it.

I’ve always like canvas deck shoes – the cheap ones they sell at Wal-Mart. My daughter especially would make fun of how out of style they were (as though I care anything about style). Ironically, a couple of years ago she looked down and said “cool shoes, Dad.” I asked her if she was being sarcastic (I don’t know where she picked up that quality), and she said, “no, really – they’re in style now.”

See, if you keep doing something long enough, it’s bound to be cool sooner or later. Now, if I can just hold on long enough for the next wave of paisley ties…

Fall has Arrived

It's a beautiful time of year here in Glenwood Springs. We had our first frost last night, though on the other side of town, a little bit higher in elevation, they've already had snow. The valley is awash in color. The reds, yellows, oranges and greens of the oak brush on the mountain sides, and the incredible golds of the aspen turning. We've seen the last of the summer-like highs and are settled in for a few weeks of 50's and 60's - cool in the morning, warming up in afternoon. Perfect weather for hiking and fishing and outdoor activities. It's a great place to live (or visit, if you happen to be lucky enough to have a friend in the area).

The snow will be here soon enough, and our thoughts will turn to snow tires and snow shovels, but for right now, we are enjoying Fall for all it's worth.

Oops! This is what happens when you let your blog go inactive for too long. They put you into limbo. I guess I'd better get back in the swing of things and start writing again. Check back tomorrow...

Are They / They Are Among Us

All Coloradoans are proud and relieved – I know I am. We are leading the nation in a much needed area of concern: Space aliens. Yesterday, Jeff Peckman made a proposal before the Denver city council to establish an Extra-Terrestrial Affairs Commission, and at a bargain price of only 75,000 taxpayer dollars. I can tell you’re already jealous. I’m surprised that some city in California hasn’t beat us to it (and for all I know they may have already), but it is still a proud day for Colorado. We will have a detailed plan for what to do, not if, but when we encounter space aliens. Our emergency workers will be trained in how to respond to run-ins with extra-terrestrials. And to think, I would have been ignorant had I happened to meet a space alien before this training was available. It makes me thankful there are people who have the time and interest to look after me in my ignorance. The only obstacle now to getting it on the ballot in November is 4,000 signatures. Sign me up! It will be a perfect complement to the other major issue in the November election.

Roofing 101

I didn’t realize there was such a controversy over hammer versus air gun for putting shingles on your roof. In fact, the only one I’ve heard who thinks that old school is superior is Greg, but then again, Greg has never seen me swing a hammer. I figured it up – each bundle of shingles has 22 shingles and I have 150 bundles of shingles (plus 9 boxes of ridge cap shingles) to lay. Putting 5 nails in each shingle would mean, if I was able to drive each nail with one swing – which I can’t – I would swing the hammer more than 17,000 times (and that’s not even taking into account the misses, which would be many, where I put a divot into the face of the shingle or bend a nail sideways). So far with an air gun, in one day, I’ve put up about 500 sq. ft. of shingles and haven’t noticed a badly driven nail yet. I do carry a hammer for the occasional double tap (two nails at once), and drive the second one in, but other than that, I’ve only seen a remarkable consistency from the air nailer that I couldn’t begin to accomplish by hammer.

The real story was Saturday morning, when Brent and his two sons, Nick and Jessie showed up to help me get the shingles on the roof. Brent, who is a member at our church, is a general contractor here in the valley, and one of the most sought-after in Aspen (which is saying a lot!). He heard that I was going to roof my own house and knew I was in over my head. He offered to come over and help, and despite my polite refusal, he insisted it was no problem. So he, Nick and Jessie (both also in the construction business) showed up on their day off. Brent brought his skid loader (a fork lift on steroids) and lifted the pallets of shingles up above the porch where we carried them up to the different areas of the roof. After about an hour, I knew I was in trouble – I definitely wasn’t up to the task physically. The bundles weigh 80 lbs. and hoisting them on your shoulder and carrying them up a steep pitched roof to the top and stacking them is more than my sedentary lifestyle had prepared me for (who was I kidding thinking I could do it myself carrying each bundle up a ladder to the top of the roof?) These guys were like machines – they weren’t even breathing hard! I told Brent I swore I would never be out-worked by a 20 year old, and he said, “Don’t feel bad – these aren’t just any 20 year olds – these are my sons. They have been doing this since 4th grade.”

When we had finished getting the shingles on the roof, Brent started nailing the shingles – we have a skylight above the entryway and he also knew it was going to be more complicated than I realized. So he not only nailed about 20 rows of shingles, but cut, bent and put the flashing around the skylight. Watching him work was like watching an artist. He did everything so skillfully and precisely – he never had to stop and think how to do something – it was all second nature. I watched in awe… and more than a little humbled – not because I didn’t know as much as Brent, but because before that moment, I didn’t even know that I didn’t know – the worst kind of ignorance. That I thought I could do this by myself was the height of arrogance – and what a mess I would have made if I had. But Brent and his sons not only got me well on the way, and instructed me on the details I would need to handle, but literally saved my life (even helping carry the shingles, I was probably on the verge of a physical meltdown). I am indebted to three guys who were angels from God.

A (Not So) Quiet Week...

Interesting week so far. Garrison Keillor often starts out, “It’s been a quiet week around Lake Wobegon….” Well, though nothing earth shattering, it’s been busy, and is about to get busier.

A man named Stephan, who has colon cancer was traveling from California to Tennessee by Amtrak last week (to go be with family), and made it as far as Glenwood Springs before his pain became so bad they had to have the ambulance meet him at the train station and take him to the local hospital to have surgery (gall bladder). His uncle called me from Tennessee and asked if I would visit him, and of course, I said yes. Stephan is a fascinating man, and I thoroughly enjoyed getting to know him. On Tuesday I ended up getting him out of the hospital and back down to the train station, just as the train was pulling into the station for a brief whistle stop. I had to talk them into not pulling out while he went to get his ticket, but we got him on and down the road. (Epilogue: I just spoke to him and he made it successfully to Tennessee and is with his family now.)

We had the Cascade College Chorus come to Glenwood on Wednesday as they make their end-of-the-year tour. They sang Wednesday night, we fed them and housed them, and then they headed down the road on Thursday morning. They arrived in 75 degrees, short sleeve weather, and the next morning woke up to new snow. (Epilogue: They were headed east and had to put chains on to get over Vail Pass, but after that said the driving was fine down to Longmont, CO, their next stop.)

This morning, I had 5,000 sq. ft. of shingles (150 bundles on 4 pallets) delivered to the house, and so starting this afternoon, I’m going to start carrying them up on the roof and nailing them down in my spare time. The job already looks bigger and longer than I had imagined when I decided I was going to roof the house by myself.

We have a youth group from Denver (the Southeast church in Aurora) coming to Glenwood tonight for a retreat, and they will be sleeping in the building and using it as a base of operations. It’s been fun to have the different groups come and meet different people. I’m finding that we have quite a “ministry” (of sorts) in providing a stopping off place for the youth and college groups who come to the Colorado mountains for retreats and recreation.

P.S. I just realized, this is post #200 - not much of a milestone for you daily bloggers, but a little bit of one for me (especially since I blogged out for 6 months). Hopefully the next 100 will come easier.