Pat Bickel Jones: On The Road Again: Pack Rats and Trash: What We Did on our Summer Vacation

Mike's little 924 Porsche that he worked on
for three years and is finally is able to drive!
(Now he has a second one he's working on.)

We truly did have an event filled and busy summer. In brief, we had company every weekend in June, and also for a week in July. In addition, our German "student" came back to visit us for 10 days in July. It was good to see everyone.

In August, Ron, Shelley and Wes visited. We had a good time, rode ATV's etc and Wes helped Grandpa work on both the house and shop chimneys. They all helped out doing some things that were a little heavy for us.

But the big news for the summer came during the week they were here: A little back history. We have owned this property for almost 20 years, and 8 years ago we learned the property lines were surveyed, but never filed. . . therefore not legal.

For some reason, the LEGAL property line ran through our courtyard, and the chimney and my office in the house. We tried, repeatedly, to get our neighbor, who lives in Texas, to sign papers doing an adjustment, saying the line was where both she, and the lady we purchased this from, EACH showed us where they thought the line was. No dice. For eight years. We finally saw a lawyer this June and started legal proceedings, but had not contacted the owner yet.

Then, in this momentous week in August, we got a phone call: Her sister called. They decided to sell and the brother suggested they check with us before putting it on the market. Did we want to buy it? DID WE WANT TO BUY IT!?!?!?! And the price they quoted was even reasonable! The five of us celebrated that night with pizza and margaritas in town. (Wes drove us home!)

So as quickly as possible, we purchased this thorn-in-our-side-for-eight-years! We now have 3.5 acres of riverfront property. The parking area that we've used beside the house for years is now ours -- as is the old junk cabin and 35 foot mobil (pack-rat) home. Apparently the lady had a stroke and needed the money. . .

In September, son Mike offered to operate a rented Bobcat and tear the buildings down. So for the week that Mike and Judith were here visiting, we worked. First they chain-sawed all the branches off the old 65-foot Douglas fir that blew down 3 years ago. Judith proposed stacking the logs from the branches, so she and I did that, while son Mike worked on demolishing this old pack-rat ridden dump, while Mike J. picked up. Into two huge dumpsters went about 1/2 of the debris. The rest we hope to burn in late winter when there is a lot of snow on the ground.

Our daughter-in-law Judith cutting up branches.

The big Doug fir on centipede legs.

Mike with the huge tree stump.

Mike J. located a woodworking couple who agreed to come for the (free) 50-foot 3-4 foot diameter log. But, so far no takers for the disgusting, horrible mobile home. Someone suggested taking it for a rabbit hutch. . . And a guy came and hauled off 2 HUGE loads of steel.

The shed was solid enough to leave standing, but the junk and pack-rat nests inside must be removed -- safely. We have hanta virus in Colorado, a deadly respiratory disease. So we have purchased Tyvek haz-mat suits, virus face masks and rubber gloves, and will wear rubber boots. This is a job of neither of us is looking forward to.

Mike B. surveying his handiwork thus far.

The interior of the shed that is still standing.

You are looking at bushels and bushels
of pack-rat nest debris.

The mess to date.

Mike B. working on a larger parking lot.
His idea! Thought it was great.

Mike J. standing in a larger area to
turn around in now.

On a final note, yes we are planning on returning to Mexico, perhaps Guatamala, this winter; probably leaving around the first of November.

So there you have it -- the photos my family requested of this project.