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WOLFGANG SHOWING LAND IN COSTILLA COUNTY -
NOVEMBER 1-6
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| View from Jacquez Road -- Unit B-3 |
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| Shot looking at Mt. Blanca before it snowed |
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We took a ride last Wednesday down to the Southern part of the SDCR area
to see some new properties in Unit B-3 and Unit C-3. On the way, Wolfgang came to a draw and we stopped to take this
photo on Jacquez Road. One of our properties is located over behind the vibrant colored trees up another road - Malcom.
The entire area is what Wolfgang calls "Alpine" since the elevation is quite high and there are a lot of Aspens, as well as
fir trees of all types.
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On Sunday, October 9th-- a STORM was brewing. Denver and the Eastern
plains later got up to 20" of snow in some places the following day, but in Costilla County and the San Luis Valley only got
snow in the upper elevations. We snapped this photo of the clouds and the storm brewing up over the Blanca Massif.
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| Mt. Blanca from my deck AFTER it snowed |
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| Evening Falls - Salomon Rd above our house- SDCR |
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The day after the storm-- I went out on our deck in th early morning
and this was the Mt. Blanca view looking north from our home. Of course the old gnarled pinon tree in the foreground
is always an eye-catcher. What was amazing was that in mid-October --our 70 degree days melted off quite a bit
of the snow in the following week. We had temperatures at night as low as 27 degrees, but during the day- the glorious
fall weather prevailed and Wolfgang went out every day in shirt-sleeves.
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In the late afternoon - just before sunset -- I rode my new scooter up Saloman
and snapped this photo of the sun streaking across part of the valley and the clouds around the peak. It was nearly
dark, but this was a dramatic view anyway.
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| Culebra Peak - northeast of San Luis |
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| Our house, new wall, and Jane's red scooter |
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October 13th, 2005 -- I took a trip 20 miles south to San Luis
and the day couldn't have been prettier! As you drive south along Hwy 159, the SDCR area is still on your left most
of the way, but eventually the Culebra Peak begins to fascinate you. It is also a 14K foot peak in Colorado
and although private property now, it is climbable several times in the summer "with permission." A local journalist
climbed it and reported the sheer beauty and pristine surroundings of being up there this summer. The people of San
Luis are very proud of this wonderful mountain and enjoy it towering over their little town--the oldest town in Colorado -
by the way.
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I love taking photos of our home, especially with improvements. We've
finished the deck on the east side of the house - where you can see both Culebra and Blanca on a nice day. We've also
finished our concrete patio and the cinder brick wall is partially in place. Next Spring, comes the fireplace, barbecue,
and stucco around it to make it a bit more Spanish- Southwestern style. The red ATV is Jane's new pride and joy.
A grandmother should take some risks in life, and this modest little machine is 150 cc's, electronic start, automatic, and
also has reverse. It cruises up and down our road with ease but is pretty quiet overall-- so I'm not bothering the neighbors
too much.
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| Cavco Park home model - Espanola, NM |
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| Click for larger version |
STRICTLY NEWS:
Wolfgang is working on getting another Cavco home - this time a Park Model type cabin that
he is going to put on another lot in Unit X for his brother. We are also hoping to become Cavco dealers so that we can
sell these in the future with some of our lots. This isn't a done deal yet-- but in the works. The home we are
going to order is 34' long and 11' wide. It is finished in Cedar siding with a green metal roof so it will blend in
really well in our mountain environment. We have photos of it now and will update you on the progress. It looks
like delivered and set up these are going to be under $44,000 with deluxe features. This was was located in Espanola,
NM at the Mighty Modular Home Dealership. It has a livingroom/dining room area, kitchen nook, bedroom, full bath, closets
and storage. It had a bay window opening and the loft area for extra sleeping.
The recent snowfall means that the ski areas in Colorado will be opening sooner than usual.
Wolf Creek Ski area on Hwy 160 between Alamosa and Durango got 10 inches and plans to announce their opening day soon.
For more information about them - you can click on: http://www.wolfcreekski.com/
The ATV is not legal on the roads or licensed. We were told by a Sheriff in Costilla
County that they don't bother you if you aren't being a nuisance and driving too fast or loud. There are hundreds of
miles of dirt roads in the county to try, although a person would want to be logical.
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BUMPER CROP OF PINON NUTS!
The moisture of the past winter and spring promoted a bumper crop of pinon nuts in our area
this fall. The trees had many pine cones type growths on the ends of their branches. After the first frost - they
sort of burst open and then they can be gathered either by collecting the ones that have fallen to the ground (being careful
not to confuse them with rabbit droppings) or you can take a stick to beat the branches with - put a blanket under the tree,
or hold up a pan or a flat box like a pop case box-- and hit away. The nuts supposedly fall to your collection area.
Wolfgang and I spent quite a bit of time doing this on our lot and also in a Unit K-3 area
that had trees just bending over from the weight. Wolfgang was my "mobile testing lab" and ate more than he collected
on the spot!
Per instructions from locals and friends -- once at home we placed them in a jar of water
and watched. The good ones (full and ripe) are supposed to sink and the duds are supposed to float at the top.
Well.. our first batch all floated which was disheartening. However-- many were OK and we washed them and saved them.
Later -on our second foray- we had about the same results with the sinkers and floaters and later we talked to some people
in San Luis who said they never even float them. So we don't know for sure.
We have a jar of them and Wolfgang loves them -- plus it was a lot of fun.
In the week we were in Costilla County, we saw at least 50 groups of people in various places
along the roads in the area collecting nuts by the side of the roads -- so it is good for the economy. They have been
in short supply -- but not this year. A recent article in the news stated that "Heat and drought have killed millions
of pines." In the Four Corners area of Colorado, specifically the Durango - 40 to 80 per cent of the pinon
pine trees died in the height of Colorado's recent drought between 2002 and 2003. An additional problem,
especially in the New Mexico area (our close neighbor to the south) is the IPS beetle which actually kills the trees when
they are stressed and don't have enough sap left to eject the beetles. Healthy trees are able to do that and not be
as affected.
| Pinon tree loaded with cones |
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| Click for larger image |
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We are currently promoting our ULazyU 2 Subdivison. The
plat maps are done and the filings have all been accepted by Alamosa county. If you are looking for a big parcel
to homestead on, have a larger well permit, have room for your family to grow and expand -- this is the place. We are
slowly selling them and feel they are an excellent value for the money. To see more information -- click on our page:
http://www.colomtland.com/large_parcels.html
BLANCA'S SECOND ANNUAL HARVEST FESTIVAL-
The town of Blanca is hosting their second annual harvest festival on October
22nd in Blanca. They plan to have entertainment, food, vendors, a silent auction, contests, games, and a pie contest.
There will also be a potato sack race, potato toss, and a duck pond event for children. The Blanca website at www.fone.net/~blancaco has more information and is also very well done and has a lot of information about the town and the history of the area.
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