The electrical and plumbing are in and they’re about to start the drywall.  An e-mail from the wonderful builder yesterday indicates they are still shooting for a May 24th closing.  We are delighted at the speed of the progress, considering the quality of work the builder and his subcontractors are doing.

The siding and roof are in process… it’s starting to look more finished!

The front (east).

The north side

The back and the deck

We were able to get out to Estes on Presidents’ Weekend and were very happy with the progress.  It still looks like Dan Smith and his crew may be able to finish by the end of May.

There was no snow to speak of on the ground when we were there but the day after we arrived home in Wichita it started snowing and we got a record 14 inches.  Then a few days later, another storm passed through and we got another 6-8 inches, for which we are very grateful… we desperately need the moisture.  The (sort of) amusing thing is that we gave each other snowshoes for Christmas – unplanned! –  and took them to Estes hoping to put them to use.  We left them in our friends’ house for another time, not knowing we were about to get a record snowfall at home.  🙂

Front door and log posts for stairs to lower level

The view from the master bedroom of our friends’ home a few doors down.

View of the interior from the front entrance.

We drove up into Rocky Mountain National Park and bought a pass that we hope to use a few times this year. 🙂

This is one of our favorite hikes. It’s at the base of the Lawn Lake trail, where the effects of the dam break in 1982 are easily seen and appreciated. We took this hike three years ago with dear friends from Ann Arbor days, then again with our girls and their husband and fiance two summers ago. There’s a small bridge a partway this hike that is a great spot for fishing and picnics and just hanging out.

Ready for siding.

We walked up the path (in the center of the photo) and then on up to the golf course to see what it looked like from up there. A couple minutes after this was taken we crested a hill and came upon dozens of grazing elk. They’re in the video. 🙂