Plans for the next month

It looks like I'm going to take the day after Labor Day off. We're going to head over to the western slope--to Crawford, to be exact. One of Alan's co-workers is having a get-together in Crawford on September 2, and we thought we'd take advantage of the opportunity to check out the area. Alan can take his retirement funds out of Tektronix this month (now that he's turning the big 55), and we're trying to think about a good place to invest the money. I definitely want to take it out of the stock market. Right now, every cent of our retirement funds is in stocks, and that scares the hell out of me. I recently read an article about Delta County and how they think it's going to be the "next Aspen," so we thought investing in some land might be a good idea. Alan is going to find out about the tax ramifications, and in the meantime we're going to see if we can even afford to buy some land with the amount of money we'll have, which isn't going to be all that much.

So we're going to spend four days in the area. My parents lived in a nearby town, Paonia, for a few months, so I've spent some time in the area. It really does have a lot going for it. The Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park is nearby (http://www.nps.gov/blca). That's absolutely stunning scenery. Grand Mesa is also very close (http://www.grandmesabyway.org). Then there's the Great Sand Dunes National Monument (http://www.cyberwest.com/cw05/v5adwst2.html). It would be a fantastic place to own some land. Even if it didn't appreciate in value enough to make it a major investment, it would be a nice place to retire to. Delta County is a big fruit-growing region; it's famous for its cherries and peaches. It's also where most of the winemaking in Colorado is taking place (that still has a way to go, I'm afraid).

So Friday night, September 1, we'll head out and stop in Glenwood Springs for the night. I remember Glenwood from my childhood, when dad took us there one summer while he was on strike. He found a temporary job there, so the family went along. Glenwood is best known for its hot springs and pool (http://www.hotspringspool.com). I remember how much I loved the hot springs.

We'll leave Glenwood the next morning and head to Crawford. We'll drive over the beautiful McClure pass (http://www.allaspen.com/attractions/mcclure_pass.php). We'll spend that day with Alan's coworkers, and on Sunday and Monday we'll explore the area. Alan's never been there before. We're going to try to meet up with a real estate agent a friend told us about to see what kind of land is available in the area. Then we'll head home on Tuesday. My birthday is Wednesday, so this will be a nice birthday trip for me, and it's the only vacation Alan and I will take together this year. We had thought about going on our bikes, but after we discussed that this morning, we thought better of it. We might end up doing some driving in the dark, and I never, ever ride after dark. My night vision is just too bad to take a chance. So we'll take the car. That's OK.

I'm heading to Portland next weekend to spend two weeks with Christopher. I'm driving out (again in the car, although I was very tempted to ride out). While I'm there I'll have several meetings with some of my clients. I just got assigned a new duty--account manager for one of our Microsoft accounts. This is a whole new area for me, and I'm a bit nervous about it. I'm going to meet with the team I'll be working with. It'll be my first trip to the Redmond campus. One of the other account managers I work with a lot is going to be in Portland at the same time I am (that's why I timed my trip the way I did), and I'll get to meet him for the first time. The weird thing about working remotely is that you never get to meet your coworkers in person. We have another employee in Portland and one in Seattle. I'll get to meet both of them for the first time, too.

I'm looking forward to spending time with Christopher. He's going to drive back with me and spend about 10 days here, although most of it will be in Pueblo, visiting his dad and his grandparents.

I also hope to see some friends while I'm in the area. Since I have to go to Seattle on a Friday, I'm going to try to spend the weekend in northern Washington. I have a good friend in Mount Vernon, and he's invited me to spend some time up there. It's a good drive--almost to Vancouver, BC. But I haven't been up that way for a long time, so I think I'll try to take advantage of it of being in the area and having the time.

I'm also hoping to meet my friend Al for the first and probably only time, since he's moving to Maui next year. We'll see. He lives quite a distance from Portland, and I can't take time off during the week to meet him halfway. So the poor guy will have to drive all the way to Portland if we're to meet. I'm not sure that meeting me is worth all that trouble, but I do hope I get to see him.

I'll also get to see our good friend David on the way out and back. His house in Logan, Utah, is the perfect stopping place on the two-day drive, and he's graciously offered to let me/us stay there coming and going, even if he isn't home. But I hope he will be, since I haven't seen him since last spring. He's in England now, but I think he'll be home in time.

So those are the plans for the next month or so. If I can, I'll try to update this blog with some photos from my trip to Oregon. So stay tuned...