The work bench is complete! I was able to find some plans for a basic bench – after sorting through seemingly hundreds of plans for woodworking benches complete with router drawers and built in tool storage – and built it over the course of two days…probably for a total of 4 hours of work. Total project cost was just over $100.00 for a table big enough and sturdy enough for just about any project that I am looking to do – including ski tuning.

The bench was the linchpin in completing the garage organization, which occurred yesterday afternoon. Got the bikes off the floor, tools mounted, shoes cleaned up, and all other misc stuff put in a place. It feels really good to have that project done, and there is a slight lull prior to the next one kicking off.

Following the recent reverse chronological order of the posts, here’s another that should have dropped before the last two….last week, I spent my last night on the B-Shift. For those that don’t know, we work 48-hour shifts at the firehouse and there are three of those to cover all of the days. I was transferred to C-Shift to help fill some department needs. It’s bittersweet as change can bring opportunity, but after almost 6 years on B-Shift it’s not as easy as it could be. For the entire time that I was there, I was partnered with Scott as his driver (add another year that we were together on the ambulance a long time ago, and 7 out of 11 years in Castle Rock we have spent together)….so I suppose that all good things must come to an end sooner or later. The good news is that in my spot, our back-step firefighter was promoted to driver; and I will still be driving the ladder truck at Station 5, just with a different crew.

(The photo is Chris, Scott, and I….our normal third – Troy – is out with an injury)

Just realized that I forgot to post these photos before the Anderson Farms day…earlier in the week, Ahna and I took some time and headed out for a night on our own in Glenwood Springs. We stayed at 4 Mile Creek Bed and Breakfast during our honeymoon, then again a few years ago; so it was a no-brainer to pick that spot as a place to target when we were looking to sneak a night alone. For the first time, we stayed in the red barn suite (new since we were last there), and it comes highly recommended for any couple out there. The colors of the trees and mountains were breathtaking – and a little of a surprise that they were so good that late in the season.

Friday brought us a cool fall day, and the last opportunity for us to head up near Longmont to Anderson Farms as a family (Ahna heads back to school next week after fall break ends on Sunday). We had a wonderful time exploring the corn maze, feeding goats and cows, riding on a lawn mower train, taking the tractor wagon to the pumpkin patch, and finding some pumpkins to bring home.

It’s the only question of the day that actually matters. Since getting up early with Ezra and reading through the newest editions of Powder and Ski mags, all I can think of is ski season. A-Basin season pass has been ordered (thanks family!) and their snowmaking has kicked off. We are making a trip to the mountains early next week, so I hope to have the pass in hand upon return. The skis have somehow migrated into a spot on the way out of the house (ignore the mess that is the pantry…..it’s the skis’ level of importance that the photo highlights).