I shall call it "Kelleys' Pam-o-Rama"

The snow is melting quickly from Mt. Evans.  A quarter moon is hung in a cloudless dusky sky.  Today the haze from the huge wildfires in Arizona has diminished.  I doubt that the fires have diminished, just a change in the prevailing wind.

There are no drapes on my bedroom windows, and I sleep with an open window.  I can see lights below at night, something I have never seen from previous homes.  This morning when the light came in and awakened me, and realized  that there was no sound, only quiet.  No birds.  This seems strange, because bird life is plentiful here.  Our previous Evergreen home was "infested" with magpies, raucous early birds who liked to hold voice lessons for their young at around 5 am.  In Cary, lots of loud and obnoxious birds chatter and chirp and peep away at first light.  I will listen for several more mornings to see if this quiet is typical here.  Just now the hummingbirds have found the feeder I put out yesterday.  Their metallic whirring is coming in loud and clear at the moment, as they stock up on sweets for the night.

The drive out to Colorado from North Carolina was actually quite fun! I did it in three days, by myself (with Thatch and Nella, the Borders).  Either the adrenaline or excitement helped the time pass and kept road weariness at a minimum.  The first few days here I was exhausted, more evidence that I had been on an adrenaline buzz during the trip.  I took a slight detour to see Aaron in Indianapolis the first day out.  Spent a day with him, serenaded by tornado sirens and news of Joplin's devastation.  The second night I stayed with my sister-in-law Karen Kelley and her family in Columbia MO, getting to know her three boys better.  Then the long, last push from Columbia to Evergreen, about 750 miles, most of it KANSAS.  If you have driven through Kansas you can relate.  And sympathize.

I figured out several state budgets on the trip.  North Carolina makes money by imposing heavy gasoline taxes.  West Virginia makes money by charging $6.00 just to get to Charleston on the highway.  Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois make money with speed traps.  Missouri saves money by not removing dead animals from the roadways.  Kansas makes money by brainwashing you with billboards touting roadside attractions, such as six-legged cows, all along the freeway. But not gas stations, towns, or hotels. Those you have to leave the highway to find. However, some of the Kansas exits have closed up and the establishments that were once there have disappeared.  Colorado saves money by not fixing roads, especially huge, hidden potholes on bridges and overpasses in the eastern part of the state.  I feared that I would split a tire!

Some of you may know that to get to our house, you leave Interstate 70, and head south about 8 miles into the older part of Evergreen.  After passing Evergreen Lake on your right, you come to a traffic signal and a rounded right-hand yield by the dam.  Thatch, who lived the first three years of his life here, began to whine right about the time we got to the  turn at the dam.  He had been remarkably quiet during the three-day drive, so I couldn't help but wonder what he recognized.  Was it the smell of the lake or dam?  The scent of the downtown?  The curve and bank of the turn that felt familiar from his youth?  Or was I emitting some aroma or pheromone of happiness?  We  will never know, but the uncanny things that these dogs do, really make me wonder what goes on in their little craniums.

Road to the White House

After nearly two years on the campaign trail, we have arrived.  About nine months was spent looking for a "pre-owned" home but finding an ideal building site instead.  Another 3 or 4 months went into design and engineering.  Then several more months of jockeying with the County and putting the construction team in place.  Roughly nine months from groundbreaking to C.O. and here we are--
moved in at 5096 White House Trail.  What, you thought I was talking about 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue?  Who would choose that over what we have?

My plan all along has been to spend summers here, primarily by myself with Thatch and Nella, my two border terriers, for company.  I am needed at NC State University only during the school year, and NC is no place to over-summer unless you like staying indoors.  Hopefully my family will visit me, but Steve is inundated at work year-round, Dana will likely still be in South America this summer, and Aaron is looking for summer work and internships in Indianapolis.  Our "old" friend Pamela Ramadei, who traded her Evergreen house for a beautiful "green" home in Southern Colorado, will be serving as a part-time caretaker at this house, using it as her Denver-area office space and jumping-off point when traveling via Denver International Airport.  So she and her entourage will provide sporadic companionship, and my Evergreen friends will be close by.  Meanwhile, the house has been designed to accommodate multiple groups of visitors simultaneously.  Which means.......

.....the welcome mat is out. USE IT! The keyless entry ensures that you can have access without obtaining a key from North Carolina. When your travel plans call for stops in Colorado, please think of us and just ask--we would love to have you stay and use the house.  That is what it is for.  For those not familiar with the area, the house is about 45 minutes from downtown Denver, and hour from Denver International Airport, and about an hour in the opposite direction from the nearest ski areas.  An hour will also get you to Boulder (to the north) and 1-1/2 hours to the south will get you to "The Springs" (Colorado Springs.)  Elevation at the house is just under 8000 ft.  Our view includes the 14,264 ft. peak of Mt. Evans (taller than Pike's Peak). And don't forget 1000 acres of hikeable, snow-shoeable, dog-walkable, elk- and wildflower-viewable "open space" park across the driveway.  Sunsets al fresco with red wine anyone?  So really, compare that with politics, crime, smog, traffic, and headaches at the "real" White House and tell me, how would you rather spend your days?

Thank you Martin and Lora Kelley, Steve's parents, whose lifetime achievements and generosity largely made this dream possible.  We miss you. Thank you Steve for graciously staying out of the way while supporting the dream.  Thank you Bob Tuck and wife Shirley for coming out of retirement and golf to pull off this job.  Thanks to all the professionals, tradesmen, craftsmen and musclemen who provided the sweat and supplies.  To Debbie the designer and Drew the engineer and Shawn the framing legend, Marvin and Craig, tiler and painter, Bob K the carpenter, Larry the plumber, Paul for cabinets, Cory with lighting, Shawn with countertops, Billy the electrician, Steve and his crew on dirt-detail, Alescia with interiors, Bill and Brian for lumber. Josette, the world's best Realtor, also deserves a shout out, and kudos to any supporting cast and other crew whom I haven't met.  My family and friends have been amazing, supportive, enthusiastic, and always ready to help with decisions and choices...especially Patty Stone and my sister Karen! Thank you everyone!  Now let's soon enjoy

Party on the Patio #3 !!!