Keep the fire burning

I lit our wood stove upstairs for the first time this season.  It's not really cold yet - maybe in the upper 30's outside - but maybe the warmth of the stove will give Nicole and Jacqueline a little more motivation to get up and going today.  It won't be long before the first snow falls, and the aspens are already blazing on the mountainsides - patches of brilliant yellow and orange that pop out among the evergreens.  I think Daphne and I will take Gwyn for a drive up to Kenosha pass this afternoon where the entire side of the mountain is on fire with aspen trees.  It's a sight you'll never forget.

 I was awake again early this morning, lost in my own thoughts.  The work on the country store has been stalled for two weeks now as we work on gathering the necessary paperwork to apply for the remodel permit.  I can tell that our little church team is beginning to drop their arms, and we're losing the excitement that we all felt when we first leased the building.  How do we keep everyone engaged when there's nothing we can work on together?  If we could at least be painting it would help, but the inspector won't allow ANY work on the building until we have the permit.  Dan is building our log furniture, but he's also feeling discouraged because he's working alone the majority of the time.  I would love to help him more, but I'm preoccupied with finding a contractor, an engineer and an asbestos inspector who will work with us on a pro bono basis; not an easy task in a depressed economy when everyone needs all the work they can get.  I'm finding that it's a balancing act to keep the team engaged in Bailey, stay engaged myself with my own family, and stay in touch with our church team here in Conifer.  Yesterday Daphne and I went to look at a log home that's for sale in Bailey - right down the street from where we used to live on Tincup Terrace.  It's a beautiful home on 10 acres of land with a magnificent view of Mt Rosalie, and the price is amazingly reasonable.   If it were just she and I we would move in heartbeat.  But we have three girls who have ties to Conifer, and I can't see us moving at least until after Nicole graduates. 

While I'm writing this, Duke has his head on the armrest - looking up at me with his big, sad, Labrador eyes.  I know it's his breakfast time, but I pretend like I don't know what he wants.  After about a minute he will stick his head over my keyboard to keep me from typing.  If that doesn't work he climbs half-way up on my recliner - which is as far as he can fit - and then he stares at me from six inches away.   The more I ignore him, the closer he'll get to my face till I finally give in.  He won't leave me alone until I get him what he wants...  

Bailey Big Brother

I love the town and the people of Bailey.  Tucked away in a valley, surrounded by beautiful wooded mountains, with the Platte River running right through town - it's an absolutely gorgeous setting.  I also love that this is a real community where everyone knows each other by their first name, and where people really help each other out.  We are here to stay, and God is going to build a brand new community of people - many of whom are still far from Him today. We want to bless Bailey by re-opening an historic country store, and create a space where people can not only buy groceries without having to drive 15 miles away, but where they feel loved and cared for at the same time.

 If I'm really honest, however, some days I feel like I'm living in a small town episode of the Twilight Zone - eyes peering out of every shuttered window, glaring at the "newcomer".  Call me paranoid, but I know for a fact that someone, or several people, watch everything that we do in or around the store - looking for some reason to report us to the authorities.   As of yesterday afternoon, we are now shut-out of the building for which we have a legal lease.  But to explain the bizarre nature of how we ended up here, I need to go through the chronology of events. 

1. Last Wednesday:  We were paid a visit by the county building inspector.  He blessed us with a red tag Notice of Violation because we did not have a permit to remodel the store.  He cited - as his rationale that we are remodeling - the fact that "shelves were moved around" and "there are things that were here that aren't here now".  I guess permits are required if a tenant wants to throw away garbage and scrap old fridges and freezers.  As he left, John said that he'd already received three phone calls about us that day (complaints) that prompted him to come by.  He also casually mentioned that his sister-in-law owns the coffee shop across the road.  Hmmm... we're also trying to open a coffee shop. 

2.  Two hours later:  A deputy sheriff pulled up, saying that he'd received a call that "people are in the building".  We talked for a few minutes, and turns out he's a big fan of the Journey Church - so ended that conversation.  He agreed that we had every right to be in the building

3.  Two days later, county building inspector comes by again - this time because I was showing my men's group around the store after breakfast.  "Got a complaint that you have a work crew in here".  Work crew?? What - do you just hang out down the street and wait for a complaint?  He's the only inspector in all of Park County, but he always seems 5 minutes away.

4.  Last Wednesday: I'm trying to fix the fuel pump on my truck and i get a call from the State Health Inspector - stating that they'd had a complaint about the sign in the store window: "Free Asbestos - inquire within".  "It's a joke" I said.  Apparently, the State of Colorado has no sense of humor.  He looked through the window and determined that we "likely" have a major asbestos spill - and wrote up an inspection report.

5.  Next day:  My favorite county building inspector shows up yet once more, saying he'd received a complaint that there are people in our building.  "The State Health Inspector says no one can be in this building".  Another call to the health inspector:  yes, your building is a veritable toxic waste zone, and you have to vacate.  Wow, all this based on hearsay and rumors, and zero proof that we even have any asbestos at all.  I call him back and leave a message:  I want a list of all the businesses in this community that you've shut down based on heresay and rumors."

6.  Yesterday:  State health guy returns my call and backs off of his "vacate the building" statement.  "I'm just concerned about the safety of everyone involved.  You've got a serious asbestos risk there."  All the current research states that it takes 15-20 years of occupational exposure to friable asbestos to contract mesothelioma.  But according to Park County and the State of Colorado, one whiff and you're as good as dead. 

So, Gwyn and I moved our office supplies back into the country store.  We'll both be working in Has-mat suits and respirators until further notice.

My latest sign in the window of the store:  "We are grateful to our county building inspector and our state health inspector for helping us to be both safe and legal in our remodeling.  To all other concerned Bailey residents: we've already contacted the CIA, FBI and NSA to keep them informed of our progress... just in case you're wondering."

Finding Bigfoot... in Bailey

On Saturday night I made my debut on national television.  Well, sort of.  There have been so many reported sightings of Bigfoot in this part of the front range of the Rockies in recent months that the Animal Planet show "Finding Bigfoot" came to Bailey to film an episode of the show here.  They always start by organizing a town hall meeting to hear stories from eye-witnesses, or those who have either heard vocalizations or seen footprints. I found out about the meeting from a friend who (along with another woman) both saw a Sasquatch at the end of May this year.  They were close enough to see the color of the hair, and they estimated that it was at least 7 feet tall.  Anyway, I digress.  When we found out that Animal Planet was going to film this for national TV, we quickly printed some t- shirts with the name of our (as yet unopened) coffee shop: The Sasquatch Outpost.  I also rushed to finish the life-size cutout of a Sasquatch that we plan to put on the outside of our building to advertise the coffee shop so I could bring it to the filming.  We arrived at the location of the meeting an hour and a half early, and the parking lot was already almost full.  I went and talked with one of the producers of the show, and told him that I'd brought a Sasquatch cutout if they were interested in putting it up somewhere for fun.  The Squatch is holding a sign that says, "I do not believe the evidence supports the existence of humans. signed, Sasquatch".  He consulted with the executive producer, and they gave me the O.K., thinking they could use if for some B shots.  Well, it was a big hit, and I was able to get a couple of members of the cast - Bobo and Cliff - to pose next to the Squatch cutout.  In the end, the producer loved it and he had the cast walk past it going in to the hall for the opening of the episode.  Hopefully it will be shown when the episode airs sometime in March! 
     There were 15 or 20 people who came forward as witnesses, and the filming took over 2 hours (which they'll probably edit down to 10 minutes).  It was a lot of fun, and maybe we'll get some free advertising for the coffee shop when "Finding Bigfoot" puts Bailey on the map.

Me and Bobo with my Sasquatch cutout

Another cast member Cliff with the big guy.  Cliff is a genuinely nice guy, and he offered to advertise our coffee shop on his website!

Some of the crowd waiting for the show to start.  Our friend Gwyn came with me - she's on the front row with her friend, both wearing our green Sasquatch Outpost T-shirts.  We got some great advertising, and maybe all three of us will be on national TV!

The cast at the end of the filming. 

The Sawtooth

From the first time I climbed Mount Bierstadt and looked down on the Sawtooth ridge leading over to Mount Evans, I knew I had to climb it.  Maybe it's because there's an inherent risk involved (a woman was killed earlier this summer climbing the same route), or it's the challenge to be overcome, or just so I can say that I did it.  My friend Brian had already done the double-peak Bierstadt to Evans route, so I convinced him to come with me.  It was only once we reached the top of Bierstadt that he casually informed me that it was 20 years ago, and that he wasn't quite sure of the route.  But for Brian that's all part of the adventure and the challenge.  If you know everything about where you're going, then what's left to figure out?  The whole route took us eight hours, and it was an absolute trip for me.  One quick story:  we were taking a break about halfway along the Sawtooth when a small fixed-wing plane flew up the valley in front of us about 2000 feet up, and disappeared over the ridge behind us.  I figured it was some tourists who wanted to see the mountains.  About five minutes later I nearly pooped my pants when the same plane came roaring back over the ridge above us - only this time it was only 50 feet above the rocks.  The pilot dove straight for the floor of the valley, and Brian and I watched in sheer horror thinking he was on a suicide mission and was going to plow straight into the lake at the bottom.  At the very last second - and I mean LAST second - he pulled up and dropped something into the lake, then regained altitude and flew back down the valley.  Only then did we realize what he was doing; he was stocking the high altitude lake with fish!  Wow!  What a trip!  I would have given anything to have been in the passenger seat for that thrill ride!  I probably WOULD have pooped my pants, but it would have been totally worth it.  Hmmm - I think I'll give the Colorado division of wildlife and fisheries a call...

Anyway, here is the photographic and video tour of our (at times) hair-raising climb.

Our goal at sunrise - the Sawtooth ridge between Mt Bierstadt & Mt Evans

Sunrise behind us as we climbed up Bierstadt

Me, at the summit of Bierstadt - complete with sunscreen smeared on my face

Brian at the summit, enjoying his frozen burrito (??)

A Ptarmigan - nearly perfect camouflage

This is the route we followed, more or less.  This was taken from the summit of Bierstadt

A Window to the world halfway across the Sawtooth

I was freaking out at this point, and Brian kept saying - "focus on the right side!"

The route we climbed, starting at the summit of Mt Bierstadt

The last, scary section of the climb to reach the plateau on top.

Mountain goats on the way down from Mt Evans

How to build a church

The article below was published in the local newspaper The Flume on Friday morning this past week.  News travels fast in a small community like Bailey, and our plans to re-open the country store is big news.  Below is an excerpt from the front page article:

 

Posted: Friday, August 31, 2012 2:27 pm

Debra Orecchio, Correspondent | 

The Journey Community Church has leased the Bailey Country Store building at 149 Main St. in Bailey and plans to open a general store and small coffee shop as soon as some renovations are completed. Jim Myers, senior pastor for the Bailey campus of the Conifer-based church, said there will also be a small food bank that will operate out of the building and some offices upstairs, but there are no plans to hold any church services in the building. The Bailey campus consists of just a small group of about 20 to 25 people in Bailey, said Myers, and they will be working as the launch team getting the store ready. The Bailey campus is an extension of the church that meets in Conifer, he said. The congregation in Conifer is made up of around 800 members.  Myers could not give a date of when the store and coffee shop will be open.  “We’re still figuring out what needs to be done,” he said.
All the work will be done by volunteers. There will need to be some painting done as well as some work on the floor and rebuilding the sign; those are just some of the main things that will need to be done before the store can open. There are other smaller projects that can be done over time, he said, but they don’t have to be done in order to open.
He declined to give the details of the lease agreement.
Lynn Griffin, who owns the building with her husband, Dennis Griffin ... purchased the building in August 2010; it was vacant when they purchased it, she said. She did not know how long it had been vacant prior to that.  According to the Nov. 26, 2010, Flume, Denver-based American National Bank began foreclosure proceedings on the building in late 2008. At that time, the building was 130 years old, and it was owned by Eric and Barbara Keto, who bought the building in 2005. It housed the Bailey Country Store, which was operated by Eric Keto...  They were hoping that someone would come in and put a grocery store back in the building, said Lynne Griffin earlier this week. Their goal was to bring businesses back to Bailey, to give people places to have jobs and grow the community.
“I just think they’re a really hard-working group of people,” Griffin said. “We’re happy to have them as a tenant.”
Employees in the store will be volunteers, said Myers. Profits from the store will be used for expanding the church ministry as well as helping the community.
Myers said his heart is in Bailey because it was where he and his wife, Daphne Myers, first moved when they came to Colorado three years ago.
“The store and the coffee shop [are] a way of getting to be part of this town,” he said.
He wants the store to be somewhere that people will be able to grab the things they need and not have to go down the hill to metro Denver. He also wants it to be a place where the youth in Bailey will have a place to hang out.
“We love Bailey and can’t wait to get this up and running,” Myers said. “The sooner the better.”
He’s excited about all the buzz in the community about the store starting up again.