I've Seen Fire and I've Seen Rain

The summer of 2012 will certainly go down as one of the most exciting that our family has ever experienced. Oh, but it started out so normally. Well, at least it was normal for Jane and me. You see, we seem to have the ability to bite off more than we can chew often. This summer was no different. Back in January we had purchased a second cabin. I've written about that before so won't bore you with it again. The thing is, it needed lots of TLC and when we arrived home from our interim assignment in Houston the first week of May we started on the remodel. Lot's of work but also very gratifying.

We wanted to have it done by the second week of June so that our kids could stay there while visiting from California. That way we could have all of our kids and grandkids here on the "compound." Oh, and did I mention that my mother....?

Let me back up. The end of May or the first of June, I can't remember which, we flew to California with the express purpose of picking up three little ones and bringing them home with us for 12 days without their mom and dad. But BEFORE going to get them we had a child's playhouse (we call it the bunkhouse cause of so many grandsons) built at the end of our driveway. We wanted it here to surprise them when they arrived.

Going to get them was in the middle of the rental remodel. So now we have three little ones ages 17 months to 5 years to look after and more work to do.

Remodel finished, their mom and dad arrived as did Jamie and Andy from up in Denver with their two boys. PLUS we flew my mom in from Topeka so she could be with all her great grandkids here.

Great fun. Good food. Evenings around the fire pit roasting marshmallows and telling ghost stories and all too soon it was over.  All the kids went back to Denver and holed up at Jamie's house. Just mom, Jane and me left at the cabin.

It's Saturday morning and I'm doing my Earl Pike act at a church conference in Colorado Springs. It's about noon. Someone says there's a forest fire burning up highway 24. I look out the door of the church and see the smoke. After I finish the comedy gig I get back in my little truck and begin to drive toward home all the while wondering if Highway 24 will be closed. I call Jane and she's alright so my main concern was getting home.

Upon arrival I am made aware that Green Mountain Falls is under voluntary evacuation. No big deal, though smoke is certainly visible from our front yard.

View from our front yard on that Saturday afternoon

The next morning. Sunday. I awaken, turn on the TV and hear "Green Mountain Falls is under MANDATORY evacuation." We wake up mom and start throwing stuff in the car. What do you take? We grab some pictures and a few papers like car titles and real estate documents and head down the pass. We are almost the only car. It's a lonely feeling. We are driving by herds of fire fighters and their equipment. Jamie, in Denver, is notified that we are on our way. Once again the entire family is together. Jane, me, mom, two daughters, two sons-in-law and five grandchildren. Gratefully, Jamie and Andy have a large home. Everyone had a place to sleep.

For the next WEEK Jane and I camp there. Mom flew home on Tuesday and Staci's family went on Wednesday. I watch TV constantly monitoring the progress of the fire and realizing that if it jumps Highway 24 the chances are pretty good that it will get to our little home.  Thank God, it didn't. But I watched in horror as it crested the hill in Colorado Springs and destroyed over 350 homes. I realized that only the direction of the wind kept it away from ours.

Arrow on right is location of our cabin home

Manitou during the evacuation

The following Sunday we were permitted to go home. Now I wondered if looters might have broken in.

When we pulled into the drive, everything was in place. Doors locked, windows closed and not even the smell of smoke in the house. Not even any ash in the yard. It never felt better to be home.

And then the rains came. July and early August are known as the monsoon season in Colorado. It had been so dry that we had prayed for rain. Now it came and the little creek in our back yard that usually runs so clear and lazily became a hungry monster the color of chocolate milk. It cascaded through the yard and up the banks carrying with it anything that got in it's way. Beneath the water you could hear the boulders crashing together like marbles.

Above is how our stream normally looks.

And below is after a hard rain.

Again, we were spared. Though the water was high, I've seen it higher. The problem now was due to the fact that the fire had stripped the landscape just one mile from us, of all vegetation.  Flash floods meant mudslides.

Highway 24 was once again closed as mud and debris washed down the mountainsides and onto the pavement.  Three homes just 3/4 of a mile to our east were almost buried by the sludge that ran through their yard and pounded the front of their houses. It was a mess. As I write these words, that mud slide was at least three weeks ago and those poor folks are still trying to get their lives and houses put back in order.

Now there's the aroma of fall in the air. Snow fell on Pike's Peak a week ago and just last week when we stepped out into our yard we could tell that someone had their fireplace going on a chilly evening.

I pause this afternoon to thank God for our little mountain home, for our family and for the joy we experienced being together here and making memories.  And I pray for those who lost homes as they are in the process of dealing with bureaucracy and trying to put their lives back together. And I remember that they didn't lose their homes, just their houses. Fire doesn't destroy a home, nor does flash flood or mud slide. Home is that place where family gathers and stories are exchanged and memories are made, whether that be in an old homestead or a hotel room while experiencing evacuation. HOWEVER, it is awesome to get back to that dwelling, wherever it might be, that you refer to as home.

Today it's cool in the mountains. Jane's flowers are blooming beautifully and the little creek is it's normal self again. Humming birds are visiting the feeder and my heart is filled with memories of a summer I'll never forget.

Fountain Creek Cottage

FOUNTAIN CREEK COTTAGE

RENTAL

Nestled near the heart of the quaint little village of Green Mountain Falls, Colorado sits this simple mountain cabin.  Let me give you a bit of history. In 1958 my uncle Sam Stearman (yes, I really do have an Uncle Sam) purchased a strip of property bordering Fountain Creek. He divided the piece of land into lots and sold them. At the time, almost every lot was purchased by one of Sam’s pastor friends. Almost immediately they all began planning and building their own little mountain getaway.  Over the years the cabins changed hands several times.  Sam even sold his. Then in 1985  he discovered that one of the cottages was for sale. He and son Scott became partners in purchasing that dwelling. They set about to remodel it and then found that another was for sale. Sam purchased it. Then another.

In 2004 Sam sold one of those to my wife and me and we made it our permanent home in 2009.

In August of 2011 we discovered that a second cabin in the row was for sale and we were able to purchase it thinking that we would use it for a summer vacation rental. My brother Terry and his wife Barb partnered with Jane and me. With the purchase of this second cabin Stearmans now own four of the seven in the row.

As soon as we purchased what we call the “Fountain Creek Cottage” we went to work to make it a comfortable place where people could enjoy some privacy along the banks of a wonderful little creek.  And believe me, it was a job for this cute little place had been neglected for a number of years.

We started by having a new roof installed and the exterior painted. Then we pulled up all the carpet and had new flooring installed throughout. Popcorn ceiling was scraped off the kitchen ceiling and new knock down texture was installed there as well as on the bathroom ceiling and the ceiling and walls of the smaller bedroom.

New appliances, sinks, vanity, toilet, faucets and light fixtures were brought in. New curtains were hung and new sidewalks and a patio were added as well as a washer and dryer in a spacious laundry room. For the media minded, cable T.V. is available on a flat screen as well as wifi.

The cabin features two bedrooms, each containing a queen sized bed with new mattresses and new bedding. Since both are on the back of the dwelling, opening the windows at night brings in cool mountain breezes and the gentle sound of water splashing over rocks in the creek. You’ll be pulling for the blanket before morning, even in summer.

The cabin rents for $800 per week (Saturday check in at 3:00 p.m. and Saturday check out at 11:00 a.m.). Through the summer months we try NOT to rent it for weekends only, however if dates have been left vacant we will rent it on a daily basis for $125 per night.

$200 deposit is required along with a signed contract (which I will email to you upon agreement of date). Deposit is refundable up to 30 days before scheduled arrival. All other information is included in the contract for your review.

You can contact me at:

Tim Stearman

tdstearman@gmail.com

Home: 719.375.5385

Cell: 303.870.3775

Green Mountain Falls is approximately 10 miles up highway 24 from Colorado Springs. Though the recent Waldo Fire caused our evacuation, we were left unscathed, without even the smell of smoke. For that we are extremely grateful.

Many of Colorado’s most desirable attractions are nearby. The Pike’s Peak highway is just over a mile from our cabin. The Cave of the Winds, Cheyenne Mountain Zoo, the North Pole (a favorite with our grandkids and FREE if you’re over 60), Garden of the Gods and of course shopping in Manitou and a visit to the Air Force Academy. Don’t miss Seven Falls or a drive up North Cheyenne Canyon to Helen Hunt Falls. Hiking trails abound and then, of course, there’s the option of just sitting on the patio and enjoying the sun while listening to the creek.

            

TEXAS HAIRCUT

I read the following poem at Living Word Church of the Nazarene in Houston, Texas where I've been serving as Interim Pastor since the first of February. It was the result of two different experiences in Texas barber shops. The first barber cut my hair pretty well but then literally zipped off both eye brows with his clippers. Gone.

The second barber I got in the second shop would have been given a failing grade on his FIRST DAY in Barber School if he had performed he cut he gave me.

Hence:

TEXAS HAIRCUT

I DROVE IN TO HOUSTON, HAIR BEAUTIFULLY COIFFED

TILL A WILD EYED TEXAN CUT IT ALL OFF

IT WAS NOT MY FIRST CUT IN THE LONE STAR STATE

I ONLY LOST EYEBROWS IN THAT FIRST TWIST OF FATE

BUT THE SECOND WAS DIFFERENT, I SHOULD HAVE KNOWN BETTER

WHEN THE BARBER WAS HANGING HIS CERTIFICATE LETTER

WITH GREAT PRIDE HE ATTACHED IT TO THE WALL UP BEHIND HIM

THEN OFFERED HIS CHAIR WITH A SMILE THAT DEFIED HIM.

ARMS COVERED WITH TATTS AND A BENCH FULL OF CLIPPERS

SCISSORS AND RAZORS AND ALL KINDS OF NIPPERS

"JUST A TRIM" I SAID WITH PLENTY OF PRIDE

THEN HE SLIPPED UP BEHIND ME AROUND BY MY SIDE



HE FLIPPED ON THE SWITCH AND HAIR IT DID FLY

AS HE RAN THE CLIPPERS FROM EYE TO EYE

BUT NOT ON THE FRONT, THE EYEBROWS REMAINED

IT WAS FRONT TO BACK AND AROUND TO THE SAME

HAIR FLYING, HEART DROPPING, I KNEW IT WAS GONE

MY BEAUTIFUL HAIR, LOST LIKE THE DAWN.

NO LONGER TO STYLE IT OR SPRAY IT OR FROST IT

IT LAY IN MY LAP AND I KNEW I HAD LOST IT.

"BAD HAIRCUT" YOU SAY? WHY, WHAT DO YOU MEAN?

IT'S THE SORRIEST HAIRCUT THAT I'VE EVER SEEN

GOUGES AND RIDGES AND SHELVES IN THE BACK

AND I'VE GOT TO PREACH! THE PEOPLE WILL YACK!

WHAT SHOULD I SAY TO GET THEIR ATTENTION?

I'LL SPEAK ON SAMSON AND THEN I WILL MENTION

THAT I DID IT ON PURPOSE, THIS HAIRCUT ATTACK

BUT I'LL PROUDLY PROCLAIM, "MY EYEBROWS GREW BACK."

Fountain Creek Cottage

It's been quite a while since I've taken the time to write a note on these pages. No good excuse, just lazy I guess. But in all honesty, I've been busy. Oh, sure there have been the usual preaching assignments here and there and then there was that trip to Seattle to help Staci and Josh and family move to Monterrey, California. And Christmas was in there along with Jury duty on a capital case but forget all that.

I'm writing today to tell you about what my brother and I have done (along with our wives). And I have to admit that this is a bit of a commercial but please don't stop reading. I'm not going to try to get you hooked up to some pyramid scheme.

Terry and Barb and Jane and I purchased a cabin on Fountain Creek in Green Mountain Falls to use as a summer rental.  It won't be ready until about mid-June but it's going to be a sweet little place to spend a week. The delay in preparation is due to the fact that Terry lives in Topeka and that Jane and I are in Houston for three months serving as Interim Pastor at a terrific church there. And in all honesty, the cabin needs some work.

I had a new roof put on during the third week of January. The painter is coming as soon as weather is warm enough to paint the exterior. New carpet, remodeled bath and kitchen will be part of the jobs Terry and I are taking on during the last of May, first of June.

The cabin has two bedrooms with new mattresses and hotel style bedding. It has a beautiful fireplace, television, DVD and OF COURSE, I wouldn't call it the Fountain Creek Cottage if it wasn't on the creek. A beautiful crystal clear creek runs 10 steps from the back door. Imagine going to bed at night with the window cracked open listening to the gentle, yet hypnotic sounds of water splashing playfully over mountain granite rocks. I promise, you'll never sleep any better. And the creek is shallow enough and slow moving enough that your kids or grand kids will totally enjoy splashing and wading on a hot summer day.

The rent will be $800 per week. A week will begin after 3:00 p.m. on a Saturday and end by noon the next Saturday.

Winter weeks or weekends are also available as long as you stay at least three nights. The cost per night in that case is $125. The cabin is about an hour from Monarch (if you want to ski) and only an hour and a half from Breckenridge.

It's also located just about two miles from the toll road up Pike's Peak and only 9 miles from Manitou Springs and Colorado Springs with all the wonderful things those two areas provide.

The little village of Green Mountain Falls offers a delightful pond for fishing in the summer or ice skating in the winter. You'll also want to have breakfast at The Pantry and if you do, make sure to have their cinnamon raisin toast along with your omelet and country potatoes.

Well, that's all the "sales job" I know how to do. If you're interested in reserving a week you can call me at 303.870.3775 or send me an email at tdstearman@gmail.com.

Come experience a Rocky Mountain High.