Yesterday we visited friends of my folks, Rick and Michele, who raise goats on a gorgeous piece of property with a view of the front range.  The ranch is “off the grid” – they get some power from solar panels, but otherwise use wood and propane for cooking and heat.  The ranch is also home to 6 dogs, 4 cats and ??? ducks.  Their house is a hexagon, yurt/hogan type structure which was wonderfully cool and comfortable on a hot afternoon. 

Rick and Michele are avid outdoors people – hiking, backpacking, biking, skiing… Michele had just returned from a ski-mountaineering trip to Alaska and we got to see photos of that trip – spectacular!

New planters, new flowers – Michele, my mom   –   Bill giving treats to the goats

 Today, we visited the place where my folks get fresh eggs – a unique house – artisan/craftsperson uses everything, everywhere ….  the stairway came in to the house as a whole tree trunk.  Once in place, the steps were carved into the stairs.  There are rock walls,  trees, parts of trees, metal work welded from various scraps, the fence has all manner of stuff in it making it an all day event to just walk around and look…