Describing a Unique Lifestyle, Desirous Achievement, Finding Galt’s Gulch

“A creative man is motivated by the desire to achieve, not by the desire to beat others.”
— Ayn Rand

Saturday, my goodness, how lovely you are; thank you for stopping by; Friday was here yesterday and Thursday the day before; I’ll never get over how fantastic my days are. Sit a spell; coffee is on the counter; PVHT will keep you busy as I pen a few thoughts.

We worked at our mountain house until noon; we left, I took my Queen we would take some us time, it had been a few weeks since we took time for us.  We needed a little recharge, so we headed to one of the most excellent places on the planet, Golden Colorado.    Golden is about 25 minutes from our home; it’s a lovely little town with great restaurants, shops, and a relaxed mountain vibe.

After some lunch and shopping, we headed back to our little town of Conifer and went to our Big R.  Big R is like Walmart, but for mountain folks.  We picked up birdseed, deer blocks, and a host of other mountain gear.  We then went to a store to pick up some gardening essentials.  My friend had stopped by and looked at our garden and recommended some chemicals.

We met with Bill and got everything we need, I am learning about PH and PPM, and my mind is expanding to accept these new terms and how to take care of one of God’s gifts. Then, we stopped by our liquor store to get some SALDO wine and headed to meet our friend Allie at Brooks Place Tavern.  After a few minutes, our friend Keith joined us; his lady Kathy had a headache, so the four of us just sat, ate, and I had a few.  I’m usually pretty responsible, but last night, my wife drove home.  You can set a clock about every 60 days, I get what my wife calls excited, and I drink a little. 

We met Keith, Kathy, and Allie about six months ago at the hot springs.  We’ve become good friends, and our lives are better with these people in them.  Allie asked last night if I could pen a few thoughts about our lifestyle, and I agreed I would share.

But first, let me go back to my first life, the married life when I was building a company, working five to five, and doing what needed to be done to position me on this purple bean bag.  When I was a young man, I would get up, pen a few thoughts, clean email, shower, then head to my first meeting.  I often had a 7:00 a.m. meeting and then would run appointments all day until returning home about 5:00.

It was a go and grew lifestyle; I was a decent husband, a great dad and continued those roles after my divorce. Phase two included more moving and grooving, building a team, growing a company, and connecting with strangers.  I found a few groups of people that appreciated my work and helped me build a successful company.

In January of 16, I had convived my partner that we could launch a second location 1187 miles from our home.  She agreed, and we began to build our western presence. If you operate on a dream it, do it philosophy, anything is possible. So we lived in our condo downtown Denver for two years, and I ripped and ran all over the place to meet like-minded people and continue to grow our company.

Over dinner one night at one of our clients, Cuba Cuba, she over dinner, she mentioned that she was tired of Condo living and needed a home.  At the time, we were spending one week in our magical castle in Indianapolis and one week in a condo.  My partner wanted a mountain house, and I was set on starting another teaching and training company where I would have people learn on top of a mountain.

After walking through no less than 30 homes, we found our mountain top chalet in Morrison, Colorado.  Morrison is the home of Red Rocks Amphitheater. But, for all intents and purposes, we live in Conifer, CO.  Conifer is next to Evergreen, Evergreen is the luxurious place to live, our little community is for the average folk, and let me tell you, the people here are simply amazing.

We first met the brothers and Tommy; the brothers are from Maine, and Tommy is from parts unknown. Next, we met Kris and Marzy at Brooks Place Tavern; Kris is a medical device salesman with ties to Indiana, and Marzy is from Poland and is successful in her own right.  We’ve traveled to Mexico with Kris and Marz; they live on Shadow Moutain. Dave, Nicole, Lee, Steve, Cornia, I could go on and on about our friends we have found on our mountain top, but let me share about our lifestyle.

You wake to a fantastic sunrise; it’s cool up here, about 15 degrees cooler than what one would experience in Denver. So even in August, you might need a light pullover.  The view is indescribable, and even when taking photos, you can’t do the view justice.  The inspiration provided is akin to nothing I can describe with words.

Most days, we work and take breaks sitting on our deck meditating, and then in the middle of the day, we take a 2-mile hike at 8232 feet.  The walk is taxing and pushes us, but it keeps us in relatively good shape. Then, around 4:30, we head down the hill and meet our friends, not every day, but most days, and we celebrate the day with a drink and some food.  Other days my wife and I sip wine and cook in our brand new kitchen.

At night, we sit on our deck and watch the city lights.  We don’t use furniture here. Instead, our living room is lined with sizeable six-foot bean bags; it’s a chill vibe, it provides peace and promise.  It’s Saturday, and so we plan to take our pup and meet Bay.  We will hike and then find our way to meet our friends and have a couple of sodas. Finally, we will return to our home, Bay in toe, we will sit on our deck, tend to our garden, cook, and I’m going to kick Bay’s ass in Gin.

Tomorrow, I suspect we will meet our friends for brunch, hike, and sip soda while watching live music.   I have tried to describe what it’s like to live in a mountain community.  I’m not sure I’ve succeeded, but I’ll tell you that this is paradise after living in various parts of the world.   People move at a slower pace; the people are caring, loving, and usually armed.

If someone has a need, we collectively chip in and help; it could be financially, but many times it’s just an ear to be lent, a shoulder to lay one’s head, a warm embrace to let others know we are all in this together.  We proudly fly the American flag here; we’re proud of our country, scars, warts, and all.  We believe freedom trumps all, and the CDC and the current administration is seeking to destroy liberty.  I have found Gults Gulch.

“A creative man is motivated by the desire to achieve, not by the desire to beat others.”
— Ayn Rand