Denver Lofts

I made a real goof this week.  I have never had Veteran’s day off.  I have never worked a job that would give this day off  to it’s employees.   So, it just never registered with me as being a real holiday.

So now that I work for myself, it really registers less than ever.   However, now that I have a kid in pre-school, they take Veteran’s day off.

A few weeks ago, my kid’s school said that they would be closed on Veteran’s day, and to make sure and mark it on our calendars.  I just assumed it would be the Monday after the weekend of the 10th of November - like any other normal holiday so people can take a long weekend.   So, I kept my kid out of school on Monday.

His friends and teachers were wondering where he was!  Ooops!   My wife took the day off to watch our son, and to help me so I could get some work done.   She even told her work that she was taking Veteran’s day off.

The funniest thing is - she didn’t catch it either, and she is a Veteran!   She was in the military back in the 90’s.   So, I don’t feel so stupid, but I just hate making mistakes like that.

Veteran’s day is supposed to be a day of rememberance.  The only “rememberance” I have is that I have to remember to pay for childcare for today, since today - Tuesday the 11th is the actual day his school is closed…..not the 10th.

Duh.

I think it is a bit funny that I am supposed to have an annual stockholders meeting.   Since our ‘company’ is really only me and my wife, it seems a bit silly.

But, we took the opportunity to do it and went out to dinner on “the company” - something we never do.  The company paid for it, and we talked about our business.   We went to Old Chicago pizza in Superior, which is just outside of Denver.

We talked about how the business has done over the past year, and it seems to be in a growth phase.  Good news since the economy is in the dumps.   For the rental market,  I don’t think it is all that bad.  Since most people can’t sell their home right now, they opt to rent it.  So, for all of my rental listing sites, business is good.

We also talked about the best way to direct my time and energy, and to what sites and projects.  We decided that my newest site is the best one in terms of potential (a site that deals with senior housing).   My rental sites are in good shape, so I will be focusing less on them this year.

My wife says that she wants to transition to part time at her ‘real job’ to be able to spend more time working for our ‘company.’  We think we are at the point to where she can do this.

As far as equipment needs, we both agreed that the ‘company’ needs a new computer and a new laptop.

That was really the extent of our meeting.  I had a Calzone with artichoke hearts, sundried tomatoes and mushrooms, and a few beers.   Joelle had a spinach Calozone and a beer.

It was a succesful meeting all around.  Thank you to our wonderful company!

I have a neighbor across the street from me (I live just outside of Denver), and, as a cartoon I have on my refrigerator depicts 2 desert islands right next to each other with a stranded man on one, and a donkey on the other - and the caption says “No matter where you move to, there’s always one Jackass for a neighbor” - he is that neighbor.

I came home yesterday and witnessed him in the middle of the day raking all of his leaves into the street.   He was trying to do is during the day when nobody is home, but he doesn’t know that I work from home, so I was able to witness his shenanigans.

There’s a pile of leaves in the street large enough that you have to drive around it.    He quickly finished and then scurried inside.

At first I was taken aback, and tried to imagine that this was standard procedure in other parts of the country, and he was just bringing his technique with him.

Not until that evening when a number of other neighbors were out in the street commenting on his “jackassed-ness” that I knew that this was just not Kosher.

It was an amazing thing to see.  Unfortunately, this person has young kids, and no doubt they will learn his tricks of laziness.

We are heading over to Rock Creek Farm today - it’s just about 20 minutes outside of Denver (and actually right next to our house in the open space we so dearly love).   They have a huge pumpkin patch - zillions of pumpkins, and also a corn maze that is quite impressive.

This is a great area full of trails, a lake, and lots of wildlife and critters.   I love running in this area.

Rock Creek Farm has a website here

The pumpkins look specatcular.  Running by them, I am amazed at how quickly they grew and how large they have become.   I wonder how much water it takes to bring a pumkin to maturity - not to mention thousands of pumpkins.

I guess now we have to figure out what to dress our little guy in for halloween!

I get asked this question periodically, and I’ll have to admit, it’s a hard one to answer because I have never lived in a loft, and I have only actually been inside maybe a dozen of them.   I don’t know each one as intimately as a resident does.

However, based on what I know, and based on location, I would have to say that the Dakota Lofts are way up there on my list.   I don’t really like living in the heart of downtown anywhere, much less Denver (as much as I like Denver).  Downtown is too “hurried” and noisy for me - I like my peace and quiet.  But - I do like downtown on my terms, as long as I can leave when I am done with it.   The Dakota Lofts are perched right outside of downtown Denver, across the street from the flagship REI, and the Platte river.  There’s a great pedestrian bridge that takes you across I-25, and it’s just a short bikeride or a moderate walk to get to downtown.   And, from the Dakota Lofts, you get a view of downtown that is unparalleled.

These are beautiful and very modern lofts, in a funky little neighborhood with lots of coffee shops and great eateries nearby…..and downtown Denver is just a chip-shot away - but not in your lap!

I was at a a friend’s recently and he was talking about this amazing damage being done to his front yard.  He said that his yard all of a sudden started having these trenches appear, about an inch or two deep and about the same length across.   Kind of like veins appearing.   He said it was driving him nuts trying to figure out what was causing it.  These trenches seemingly appeared overnight.

He then discovered that it was likely due to Voles - little field mice who love to damage crops and yards, and the little buggers are really hard to catch and kill.  He has been using the standard mouse traps with peanut butter with some success.   He lives in Superior, just outside of Denver (of course, if you live in a loft in Denver, you probably won’t have this problem - but I thought it was an interesting subject).

About a week later, I saw the telltale trench appearing in my front yard.  I live about 5 miles from my friend, so definitely not the same mouse

I am a bit of a pacifist, and I don’t like to kill things unneccesarially.   I don’t like spreading poison around my house either, so I was in a bit of a quandry as to what I should do.  My neighbor, who is a crafty fellow, came over one day and I asked him if he had ever had the problem.  He said he didn’t but suggested putting Blood Meal around where the Vole activity was taking place.   I had never heard of such a thing - Blood Meal is basically dried blood of some poor animal and it looks a bit like coffee.   He said it is good for scaring away rodents - they apparently don’t like the smell.  So he brought his bag of blood meal over and poured a little bit around the area.

I would have to say it has been a success - there has been no further activity by the nocturnal bugger ripping up my yard.

Blood meal for voles - check it out!

I have heard it many times lately - that the horrible real estate market, the massive forecloseures, and the economy have all made being a successful realtor right now almost impossible.   I am sure it is a lot tighter for most realtors, and they have to probably work many times harder than they usually do for the same return they were getting a few years ago.

How dire is it?   I have personally dealt with 2 different realtors over the past couple of years.  The most recent one has been in the business for about 20 years, so she is most certainly a “veteran.”  I asked her how business is, and she said it is certainly not as good as it was not too long ago, but  since she is established, and has proven herself, she is doing just fine.   Fortunately, she has saved a lot of money over the years, and I am sure she has learned that being a realtor is cyclical, and that it isn’t always going to be a gold rush.

On the other hand, I have had some dealings with another realtor a few years ago that I have learned is now out of a job being a realtor, and has opted to do childcare until things get better.  She is very young and hasn’t been in the business for more than a few years.

I think the realtors who have been around for a while, and who have developed the contacts, and the relationships will do fine.   It is the younger ones that I believe you will see moonlighting as restaurant workers or who are in the unemployment line.

Of course, this is only an observation based on limited evidence, but I do think it can hold water.   I do wish all of the realtors out there the best of luck during these challenging times.

My sister owns a slopeside condo up at Copper Mtn.   I am fortunate enough to be able to use this condo frequently, and due to the amazing powers of wireless, I actually manage to get some work done while I am up there.

This week was very mellow in Copper - which was perfect for me - I needed some peace and quiet.  I slept in a bit, worked a few hours, and then did a nice run up the path towards Vail Pass.  This is an amazingly beautiful trail, even though it is straddled on each side by I-70.  You don’t really even notice the traffice once you are down there.

The flowers were in full-bloom, and there was a nice drizzle in the air.   I stopped at the bridge that crosses the creek about halfway up and just listened to the running water cascading over the granite rocks.   Beautiful.

I feel very refreshed after such a nice week!

Tomorrow it is supposed to be 102 degrees in Denver.   This is quite amazing, and it is also going make a record for the longest 90-plus streak ever - the old record was something like 100 years ago.

Today it feels just darn hot and I swear people are getting grouchy and crazy around town.   I was at the post office today and everyone in line seemed like they just wanted to bicker.

I am thus taking the day off from being in public, and working in my basement where it is nice and cool.   I may even take a nap.

Lofts are great - if you are single.   They offer a hip lifestyle with a hip sounding name.  Telling your friends that you live in a “Loft in LoDo” couldn’t sound more cool.     Lofts also offer immediate access to the downtown attractions and nightlife.

The problem with lofts are that in many cases, the buyers market is made up of couples and familes with children, and having a wide-open floor plan and floor-to-ceiling windows doesn’t leave much for family privacy from outside, and from within.   It’s also very challenging for a family to live in a loft since usually there are lots of stairs, and hauling small children out of the loft building and to the nearest park can seem like a trek up and down the Hillary Step.

In response to this, builders have been shifting to loft-condominium style units in recent years to try to accommodate these folks who don’t like to live in an urban fishbowl.    The word “loft” is left in there in many cases for marekting reasons - that word alone can help jack the price up significantly, and many builders are starting “loft” properties in the suburbs to try to appeal to this family, or “non-single” market.   There are a handful of these popping up near where I live (in the suburbs) and from what I can see, they aren’t selling like hotcakes - which can also be a sign of the times with the terrible housing market.  Only time will tell if these projects can attract young families away from the spoils of having a suburban home with a yard, a fence, and privacy.