Halloween is a holiday like no other.   People don’t spend a billion dollars every year on costumes and decorations if their not serious about pretend.

We met at a local pub this past Friday to celebrate “what, I don’t know”.

Ryan and Katie enjoy a few apps while pretending they are someone else.

This guy even talked funny and told lame jokes…”what is a pirates favorite letter?”

Darci cast a spell and Dan struggles with his cocktail

Katie was never this sweet and Michael put on his boyhood clothes and looked normal to me.

Some people came as housekeepers.

Magda came as an Ecuadorian Indian. What an imagination.

Wilma (Randi) is about to meet Dr Death (Ramon) while sweet Katie enjoys the moment.

Nothing wrong with a few professionals “dressing down” after work.

Happy Halloween!

Dr. Brooks Newbill, owner of unit 109 at the Antlers, committed to a major renovation this past spring and the results are in….. Stunning!

The 680 square foot condominium was completely “gutted” in order to launch the project.  All existing walls and popcorn ceiling texture were removed.  The original kitchen, bathroom, fireplace and all flooring were taken to a final resting place.  The majority of furniture was donated and all older appliances were properly recycled.

These few photos are only a glimpse of the final result.

With no walls left, new walls needed to be raised.

This is eventually the kitchen with a new window.

After a little more than four months, the condominium is back in the rental pool and ready to be enjoyed.

The sliding glass door from the living/dinning area, overlook the pool and Gore Creek.

A new fireplace and entertainment center with additional storage space.

The kitchen includes granite counter tops with stainless steel appliances and heated tile floors.

A king bed in the master

A wardrobe with plenty of space.

A double vanity, walk-in shower and heated tile floors complement the master suite.

It also needs to be mentioned that the furniture and all the amenities to complement are of the highest standard.  The electronics and appliances are the most current available and Dr. Newbill elected to install LED lighting throughout the unit.

Congratulations Brooks Newbill, your home away from home is truly outstanding.

It’s fast and furious around here, the remodels are moving ahead as planned, and on schedule.  We have evolved from furniture storage and demolition to welcoming various crews to to get started on abatement, painting, plumbing, electrical, fireplace installation and tile work.  Here are a few picks that show some of the progress.

Unit 502 is “under the tent” for abatement

Three days later, all the “popcorn” is gone

After abatement, walls and ceilings are textured before being painted in unit 211.

211 bedroom

Unit 410 abatement is complete and the texture guys move there next.

Unit 406 had the older style fireplace

Unit 406 now has a newer style fireplace installed

Unit 406 had an old bathroom.

Unit 406 will soon have a new bathroom as the plumbers have moved in.

The electricians have begun in unit 309

New fans and lights have been installed in the bathroom of unit 414.

And Bobby “the tile guy” has started on the shower tile.

The new fireplace has been installed in 109

And the new walls are going up

Stand it up and screw it in place

As mentioned, we are right on schedule.  More updates coming.

(An aside….It’s not all a construction zone in the Valley.  Spring has sprung and the Sun is shining, while the Aspens are budding, the Evergreens are pollinating, the Flowers popping, Fish are jumping and the Bears are yawning.  All the while the Joggers are jogging, the Bikers are biking and the Golfers are golfing.  This is a glorious time of year.)          Greg

Oh, and the moose are lumbering. This was taken just outside Darci’s front door on Tuesday. She was late for work.

Mark Ulmschneider, owner of Unit 517 at the Antlers, must have been reading my mind.

After converting the majority of lighting in the common areas of the Antlers to the newer, more efficient and long lasting LED lighting, it’s now time to consider the same for our individual condominiums.  I thought it best to start replacing the halogen type bulbs first because availability is quickly becoming non-existent.

I did a walk through of all the units and counted only the halogen-par type bulbs in each.  Some of the units have only 3 recessed in the kitchen and others have over 40 throughout the condominium.  Total for all the building is over 950.

That’s a lot of light bulbs and remember, it does not include the standard incandescent bulbs in the lamps and chandeliers (let’s throw another 1,000 in when those are counted).

Having a discussion with Mark this past winter about the replacement and conversion of all lighting over time, he said “Why don’t you just go ahead and do my whole place.  It’s all got to be done eventually anyway, doesn’t it?”

So that I did.  Twenty-six LED’s were swapped out at a cost of $565.

I must say that the quality of the light is nearly identical to the original and one would be hard pressed to notice any difference.

I talked with Mark the other day and explained that although LED lights use less energy, the savings on his monthly utility bill would not be that significant.  But I do have every intention to track his Holy Cross bills in the future and find out just how much he actually does save over time.

Important as any energy savings are, just as important is the impression the Antlers leaves on future guests.  More emphasis is put on green initiatives in our industry these days and staying abreast with these changes is no longer a choice, but a necessity.

Also, this conversion is guaranteed against failure for at least 5 years and replacing burned out light bulbs dozens of times every year is now a task in the past (at least in unit 517).

Cathedral kitchen and bar lights are all on dimmer switches

Seventy-five watt equivalents use only 15 watts after the exchange

The chandelier lights are flame type and also on a dimmer

Thanks Mark for moving forward on this.

Now we need to come up with a plan to replace the other 939 lights and a 1,000 more after that.  (Actually, we are putting some thought into this and we’ll be asking for your feed back soon.)

Greg

As I mentioned just a couple of days ago, Springtime in the Rockies is the start of some new construction projects around the Antlers.

I was sure to take some pictures on Monday of the condominiums in line for improvements.  The idea being we could show a little “before and after” as things progress.  Well, things have started to progress as shown below.  There must be a little destruction before anything can be rebuilt.  Unit 109 has taken on a new, temporary look.

Ready for a Check-in on Monday

Gone on Wednesday

Cook dinner on Monday night

Sure hope the dishwasher was emptied by Wednesday

Lets get cozy by the fireplace on Monday

We’re going to need a lawn chair on Wednesday

We need to blame this mess on Pete

…and Dave along with his trusty side-kick Roberto

I asked Pete what the next stop was on his “train for demolition”.  He winked and with a wry smile said “I look forward to visiting 309”.

I walked upstairs and low and behold, the housekeepers have made their preparations.

They pack up the linens and dishware before the indoor tornado hits

More up-dates coming………….

Greg

There are many of us that do not have the time to volunteer or we just choose not to (and there is nothing wrong with that).  Day to day life can be a grind without having to take on more.  Enough said.

I was talking to a a friend of mine the other day and he is an individual that does give up some of his time.  He volunteers for an organization he believes makes a difference.  Before I let him tell you why he does what he does, let me give you a little background about him.

His name is Garo Chalain and he is an owner of a condominium at the Antlers.  He is from Clinton, Iowa so you know he has that mid-west innocence and country style about him (not really, but I told him that’s what I would say if anyone asked).

He worked hard for the degrees and certifications that follow his name when written professionally.  His success as an oral surgeon was abruptly halted in 2008 after a motor cycle accident while he was doing what he loved, “just messin’ around in the Vail Valley”.

Unable to practice dentistry in the office he established, he went back to school and received his certification to practice law in Colorado.

I asked him after all his hard work, what he does now for entertainment and pleasure.  “Still messin’ around in the Valley but now I have Val to cook for and all the friends that want to join us.”  (Garo has never been married and Val is the bride to be.  They will be tying the knot in September right here at the Antlers.)

The other question I asked was about his work with Wellspring as a volunteer and what satisfaction it brought.  This was his response and I encourage you to watch the video on the web-site.  Garo is the one being interviewed.)

Give me some short summary of why you volunteer every week at Wellspring Community (satisfaction).

Approximately a year and half ago the 12 year old son of one of our endodontist partners approached me and said “I’m not making a difference in this world.”  Initially, I took pause, and thought “you know,  I’m  40 years your senior and I’m not making a difference either.”   Young Will Holtzmann and I then actively sought out a way to make a difference. We landed at the doorstep of Wellspring Community. Wellspring is a community of developmentally disabled adults who are empowered to maximize their special skills and personalities as productive members of society.

Wellspring Community offers some very innovative programs to adults with developmental and intellectual disabilities – like Down Syndrome, Autism, Cerebral Palsy, and even folks with traumatic brain injury.  They operate Best Buddies Bakery where they train these adults in every aspect of baking and packaging, selling their products nationally – and they have plans to start other business enterprises to give these individuals the opportunity to enjoy meaningful, productive work.  In addition to this, they offer on-going education in all kind s of life skills and enrichment activities, such as Self-defense, Art, Dance, Sign Language, Science, Culture and much more.  This summer participants are learning to grow all kinds of vegetables and herbs in a community garden.  A professional vocal coach directs the Wellspring Wonders Choir, giving these adults the thrill of enjoying music and performing before audiences.  On weekends, Club 21 gives adults with special needs a place to socialize with friends in a safe, supervised and structured setting; and it gives their parents a time of respite.

We are currently working on a residential program so that our participants will have a place to live when their parents can longer care for them.

Until I got involved, I had no idea how desperately these services were needed.  The state of Colorado ranks among the lowest in the nation (47^th – 48^th) in funding services for individuals with developmental disabilities and the waiting list for services is thousands of people deep.   Wellspring is giving hope to these folks and their families – and we need more partners to advance our mission………

Please go to the website http://wellspringcommunityonline.org/.

One of the things that makes him a nice guy is the fact that he inspires you and doesn’t even know he’s doing it.  And for all the years I’ve known him, never once have I heard him complain about “the accident”.

Greg