The B.V. Pig Farm

My buddy Joel and I headed out for a little fishing this evening at a small pond outside of B.V. This pond is owned by one of the ranchers that attend church where Joel brings the weekly message and tends the flock. The plan was to take Joel’s daughter and soon to be son in law out for a bit of fishing and give him a little of the Colorado experience. Joel figured we would take the kids out so they could have some fun and catch some fish in a pond that he had some experience with. A pond that I knew nothing about.
A couple of thoughts came to mind:

1. I’m not a big fan of fly fishing in a pond…Something about putting a tiny size 16 fly in a pool of water the size of a city block. “Needle in a hay stack” comes to mind. The fish have a zillion options and how are they going to find my tiny fly?
2. Lets get the Buckeye soon to be son in law into some fish and head to the Arkansas River where we belong. The rain has finally stopped so the river should be on fire. The flows are perfect and while we were going to be on the river during the heat of the day we should be able to throw a few dry flies to some rising browns. Thats the most fun a man can have with his clothes on.

We arrive at this pond and I have 17 inch rainbow on my Parachute Adams in less than 2 minutes!!! Every fish I caught in that pond was big and very strong!!! Dropping that Adams on that pond and watching another 20 inch rainbow swing in and hammer that fly was outstanding and doesn’t happen every day. These bows took off running and jumped like crazy. It was a great couple of hours tending to the PIG FARM.
Joel in the meantime took the occasion to bond with the soon to be son in law. Joel took the time to help the guy get his rod and reel rigged up with a bubble and fly and got him into some big fish. He treated a guy that he had met less than 48 hours ago like a friend. At one point both of them were standing on a small inlet in mud up to their shins having a ball catching fish. The problem lies in the fact that this is the same guy that is going to marry Joel’s ONLY daughter. If it were me I would have taken the opportunity to tie a boulder to the guys’ leg and drop him in the pond so he’d leave my little girl alone. Don’t get me wrong the Buckeye was a very nice guy but if you have an opportunity to get rid of the guy that’s planning on stealing your little girl you gotta take it.

Joel is better than that…Im not.

Internet on the Plane

It’s been announced that in 2008 both American Airlines and Lufthansa are launching broadband service (via WiFi) on their planes. Gee this is going to be great!! I get to sit next to some fat sweaty dude from Boston and listen to him POUND his keyboard for a couple of hours. Then, when he’s done looking at porn he can get his headset out and talk to all of his load mouthed buddies about the Red Sox via Skype (Voice Over IP). Since the calls are cheap every bubba will try to use it. As if arriving at the airport 12 hours before your flight, hunting for a parking space, standing in the cattle call line called Security, and having to strip to your skivvies to get through security isn’t bad enough we now have to deal this.
I know there is an argument that this will make us more productive. But let’s all admit that there are times when you just want to get on the plane and catch a nap or read a book. Some of us take advantage of flight time to….relax. Now we get to listen to some dude named Tony babble to his buddy Dominic about the Yankees/ Sox game last night….. That’s going to be worth the price of admission. Since there is a God in heaven I am hoping that God and the FAA will not allow voice traffic over the WiFi so I don’t have to listen to people babble about the Sox.

When your favorite store lets you down…..Home Depot

Yes I know I live 125 miles from the closest Home Depot but that doesn’t give them the right to treat us country bumpkins like crap!!
First things first… Neither H nor I could understand what the strange odor was in the upstairs bathroom. No it’s not what you think… We had given the room a thorough cleaning numerous times but the odor wouldn’t leave. It also has the same décor that was installed when the house was built sometime in the ‘60’s. Like it or not it was time for a remodel. After Dan the Contractor Man got done with the demo we found mold behind the shower tile…. Hence the Odor.
So we began the shopping spree and the war with Home Depot. First, Tater and I go pickup a whirlpool tub from the Home Depot on Wadsworth. These things are NOT cheap but H and I thought it would be nice to have a whirlpool in the only bathtub we have in the house. The guests and the girls would love it. The floor guy at Home Depot seemed helpful enough and spoke like he knew what he was doing. So I bought the thing and hauled back to BV. Several days later when the plumber and the contractor were ready to install it they found that the box had been opened. The tub has several cracks in the front and the drain had plumbers putter around it. The tub had already been installed and then returned to the store. NICE…. The Home Depot associate dork failed to share that with me when I bought it.
I decided to exchange the jacked up tub with a new one at the Home Depot in Avon. Figured it was a little closer to BV and I could get in and out quicker….BIG MISTAKE. I called the store before leaving BV to warm them that I was on my way and to ensure that they had a NEW tub in stock. I also asked if they would pull it down and have it waiting for me when I got there. The lady on the phone said she couldn’t do that unless I PAID for the new tub. I tried to explain that I was exchanging a tub, not purchasing one. She didn’t get it so I waited 45 minutes for them to get their crap together and get one pulled down from the rafters. When we FINALLY got to the front of the store the manager started treating me like this was my fault. I had to take him and a couple of other dorks out to the van and show him the cracked tub. He started insinuating that I broke the tub which I quickly corrected. I had to show EVIDENCE of the cracks, the plumbers putty and the box that had been re-taped. I politely reminded these guys that I had just driven an hour and a half to return a piece of junk that their company had sold me. I was more polite than that however. I then asked the manager if he would be willing to toss me a store credit so I could pick up a heater for the tub. He started giving me this crappy attitude. He informed me that he would NOT give me a credit and that he was doing me “a favor” for doing the exchange. I reminded him again I had talked to one of HIS employees about this issue and she never mentioned that I couldn’t exchange the tub at his store. I also reminded him that I live 125 miles from the closest Home Depot and he was the closest. Again, more attitude from this idiot. Finally he pointed to the tub that was on the cart and stated…”well…there’s your tub…” Didn’t even offer to help me load the tub in my van, just stood there acting like a jerk. As I got to the parking lot the knot head finally walked out of the store. I thought we were going to continue our heated conversation. As I turned to the guy he said he would help me load the tub….I informed him that he had done enough for me and I didn’t want his help. He just stood there and finally grabbed the corner of the box as I pushed it in the van. Didn’t once offer an apology for his crappy attitude or an explanation for why he refused to help me out with a small store credit…..
Three days prior to this little incident H, the girls, and I are in the Home Depot in the Colorado Springs off Academy Blvd. Our plan was to drop a wad of cash on some tile, a sink, a cabinet and a mirror for the same bathroom. We found the tile isle but needed a little help with how much we needed to buy to cover the floor and the tub area. We waited for almost an hour without getting any help!!! There was one lady that was working the whole section and she was slammed with people. Particularly a 200year old guy that wasn’t buying anything but instead was obtaining free advice on his tiling project….. The old guy had her corned and she couldn’t escape. I finally asked the Home Depot Lady if there was anyone else that could help us and she politely informed me that she was the only person working that section that day. IT WA S A SATURDAY!!! Home Depots busiest day and those idiots have ONE PERSON working a huge section all by herself??? Are you kidding me?
We left. Went down the street to Tile World and spent 2X on tile than we would have at Home Depot. But, we got very good service from a knowledgeable tile guru. Then we headed over to Lowes. Those guys have their crap together. We got the help we needed there and bought the sink, cabinet, lighting and everything else we needed. We dropped a pile of cash at Lowes that we were planning on leaving at the Home Depot. This very knowledgeable and nice guy at Lowes stayed with us during the whole process and took outstanding care of us. Lowes is my new favorite store….

I have always hated the color ORANGE.

The Bachlor

H and the girls are back in Kansas. First to a family reunion which I refuse to attend. Then off to KC to see my brothers family and Grandma C. Lastly back to Harper County to visit Baca Baca, Grandma and Grandma J.
Its not like Im home a ton anyway but being at the house today by myself is weird!! Ive worked most of the day but man is it quite tonight!!! I miss all my girls and hope they all get back safe and sound.
Sounds like my Bro's crew in KC did a great job entertaining my crew in the backyard pool. I cant wait to see the pictures of all of them in the pool together having great kid fun. Im glad they went over to see my mother. Im sure Mom enjoyed seeing the twins. They are entertaining and can make anyone laugh. Sounds like Mom is doing better but still has her bad days.

As for the family reunion...I think my father in law is booting me from the Will cause I made him go without me. I dont blame him. Being subjected to that crew without a wing man is miserable. Lucky for him the Arkansas crew showed up so he could hang with Lynn. Better them than me!! The girls enjoyed hanging out with Baca Baca and Uncle Lynn. I agree its very important to spend time with family. Thats why I am glad H and the twins went to the reunion to represent the our family. Me...I went fishing.
I do my very best to stay out of Kansas during the summer months. To darn hot and way to many skeeters. Its not a pleasant place to be in the summer.
My crew gets back sometime Sunday. Cant wait to see all my girls.

Honey Hole

This weekend was the annual…kinda annual boys fishing trip. Tater, Sande, Sammy, Max and myself headed to my secret honey hole for a little R&R and fishing. Tater and Sande brought their sons so the seven of us were roughing it for the weekend.
Of course Tater and Doug were late as usual. While Sammy, Sande and his son found the place without any problem, Doug and Tater couldn't read my map or the detailed directions…. During their detour they got to race a black bear down a dirt road. They told us that bear was hauling down the road at 30mph. Don't try to out run a bear!! While they were late it left more beverages for the rest of us. Sande did an outstanding job finding us a camp site right next to the creek. The place had great shade and plenty of room for all of us to hang out. Strong work Sande!!
Saturday was interesting. We didn’t head out until around 10am due to a very very late night. I hiked everyone back in the valley about 3 miles. I thought they would enjoy the solitude but I think I made the mistake of sending these guys back too far. First of all it was a long hump back there and with the late start it got really hot out. Then, everyone was dumb enough not to bring enough water. Finally, hiking that far after a "big night" was tough. My plan was to drop them at one of the honey holes and have them work their way back to the trail head. Didn’t work that way.
The fishing was TERRIFIC!!!
The hike back kinda SUCKED!!!

After a break for a very late lunch we decided to start the hike back. I made the mistake of following Tater up the river instead of insisting we head up to the trail. BIG MISTAKE...note to self - Dont follow Tater. Not a big deal but we were walking directly into a deep canyon. After jumping over and around huge boulders and doing a little swimming in the small pools we finally found a spot that wasn’t vertical so we could climb out. One payoff was at we saw a very cool water fall. I was hoping that the pool below the fall would be full of Brookies but the pool was covered with brush so I couldnt get a fly in there. So we hiked a half a mile through this canyon and didnt even cast to a fish.
After we hauled our tails out of that canyon and back to the trail head most of us headed back to camp to chill out and get re-hydrated. Sammy and Max stayed on the river and caught a ton of fish. That’s what they told us anyway. I think they sat under a tree and sang camp songs… Just kidding gents.
Sunday….Oh, Sunday. Normally Sammy and I would have been back on the water before 8am fishing. That simply can’t happen with Tater, Max and Sande in tow. We pulled out butts out of bed late again. Sammy headed home early to take care of honey doos and the rest of us hung out at the camp site and chilled out the rest of the day. Im embarrassed to say that I didn’t even wet a line all day Sunday. The cool thing about the day was that the rest of us spent the day just hanging out and having a few adult beverages. I didnt mind skipping the fishing cause I was able to hang with the boys.
Hanging with these guys is always interesting…. We can’t resist giving each other more crap than any one man deserves. But that’s the game with these knobs. Ripping on each other gives us entertainment and no one in the group is exempt. Its our own way of showing the love via abuse. Tough love huh?
As I think about these knobs it’s interesting how we all started hanging with each other:

• Tater, Doug and I have worked together in the past.


• Sammy used to be a customer of mine 12 years ago back in Kansas.


• Sande used to be Tater’s customer.

While we do have the technology industry in common that is not why we hang out together. We never talk tech. We have other mutual interests. Family, Business, Hunting, Fishing and Colorado.
These are some of the best friends I’ve have ever had. While its not "manly" to talk about this type of crap I know that each of these guys have my back and will be there if and when I need them. They each have very different approaches and views of life.

• Max is our only Democrat and grew up in Hawaii as a surfer dude. He's a health nut.


• Sande is the only one that has served and currently serves our country in the Army. (Thanks Sande) He grew up in a small town in the great state of Texas.


• Sammy is our only cancer survivor and a hell of a fishermen.


• Tater is our Party Chairman. He gets us all together and plays Switzerland. He's also a hell of an elk hunter and has brought that to Sande and I.

These are great guys and I consider myself a very lucky man to call each of them my friend.

Arkansas River Swim Club

For the first time in 15 rafting trips I went swimming.....
I cant believe it. Oh, the shame.

We had about 30 people up here from Denver for a trip down the Numbers sections then a BBQ at our place. Some are employees at Attain Technologies and other are good customers. Thanks Enterasys for the sponsorship. Bob, your the man.
I met the bus at American Adventures in Johnson's Village for a quick lunch then we got on their bus and headed to the top of the Numbers. I jinxed us at the very beginning. I kept telling everyone in my boat that "NO ONE SWIMS TODAY..."
Horse Biscuits!!

The first victim was Wags. He just rolled in and we were able to pluck him back in the boat quickly. No big deal. He was one of the studs that got up front. It was his first rafting trip and he did great. I give him a ton of extra points because he didnt wack me with the paddle.
Then late in the run Ms. Shark and I went out of the raft together. I dont remember my extraction except for the fact that I went about 10 feet high and was able to look down on the whole raft before splash down. Once I landed I saw Ms. Shark for a bit. Team Swimming. She was able to get back in the boat. Me...still swimming. It was all good until a huge boulder came my way. I missed the boulder but the wave next to it and under it took me down for more time than I was comfortable with. Then I went for a bit of a ride before hitting the rapids again. Now "hitting" the rapids is relative until you do it without a boat. Needless to say I went under again. Going whitewater rafting without a raft does bring the fun factor down a bunch. In all I took about a three minute swim and got nicked up pretty good. I couldnt believe that three other boats passed by and didnt even try to swing to the edge and pluck me. Might have been because I was too close to the bank. Finally I decided that this was a "self rescue" and I needed to get my tail out of that river.
Still cant believe I got tossed!!!
Out of the five boats we sent down the river that day we were the only boat that swam....I jinxed us.
After I received my Arkansas River Swim Club badge we headed to my place and had some killer BBQ and cold adult beverages. Thats good Colorado fun.
Special props to KB and MS for being the leaders of their boat!! This was MS's first run down the river and for her to step up and take the lead says something about her.....Strong work. Mr. Shark only ate a gallon of homemade ice cream and still hide the beer bottle in my bed. I gotta keep a better eye on him next year.
I think everyone had a great time and it was fun to host our employees and customers. I think a lot of people that work at Attain now understand why we live here....
H busted her tail to get everything perfect and ensure that our guests had a great time. She's the best!!

Getting Started

I have been spending some free time reading the blogs of some friends, family and other Colorado business guru's. These people have a lot to say. I dont usually but I finally decided that its time to reach out a bit from my own little world and share some of my thoughts about life, family, business and living in a small Colorado town.
Many of you know where BV is. If not, do a little research and figure it out.
We moved here a little over a year ago and love it. The question I get most is "why do you live waaay out there?" The folks that ask that question have never been here.
Yes its a long drive to my office at Attain Technologies in Englewood. Two hours one way.
Yes its 30 miles to the closest Wally World.
Yes their are only 4 restaurants in town.
Yes the rafting is outrageous.
No we don't miss Highlands Ranch.
No the weather here is not bad.
Yes the weather between BV and Denver gets bad.
No I don't miss the commute everyday. I'd rather do 2 LONG commutes a week that 2 daily.
Yes the views are epic.
Yes the fishing is killer.
Yes the people are terrific.
And Yes we moved here to give the girls the opportunity to be raised in a small Colorado town.

Small towns are not perfect. BV has its issues. But the scope and size of those issues are not as great as the ones faced in the 'burbs. In my hunble opinion.
Everyone has different opinions about where they live and why.... We live in BV in order to give our children a small town childhood that can be experienced in the Colorado Rockies. What more can a kid ask for?
One great example. The Fourth of July in BV is the typical small town festival!! Norman Rockwell would be proud.
Starting early in the morning the City Park is full of people enjoying a Pancake Breakfast put on by one of the local organizations.
After breakfast you can waddle over to Main St. for a great parade!! The businesses and organizations in town do a great job with floats, cars, trucks, bicycles, horses and even a marching lawn chair group. Our children scored a TON of candy and had a great time waving at the folks in the parade. Everyone in town shows up to support this great event. We have attended this parade for two years straight and Im proud to live here and proud of the people that organize this great event.
Once the parade is over their are still a few fun options.

• People go to the other park in town and visit all the great art vendors that come to town to show and sell their wares.
• They head back to the city park and eat hot dogs and fresh and I mean FRESH homemade pies and watch the fun events that go on at the park. Sack races, balloon making and a couple of singing groups. Its great to see young and old getting out and enjoying one of our great national holidays.
• Head to the river for some fantastic rafting through the Number or Browns Canyon Sections.
• Get up on one of our 14ers to stay cool.

The best part of the day is when H and I can sit on our porch after the sun goes down and watch the fireworks together!! Spectacular.

More on BV on another post.