I must say I believe this is one of the most spectacular fall color seasons I have seen since my wife and I moved out to the ranch full time 6 years ago from Wisconsin. This last weekend as we headed to Denver on Saturday the traffic coming out from Denver and then heading back to town on Sunday afternoon was a testament to that with bumper to bumper traffic almost the entire way. I’m sure the vast majority of them had come out to the mountains to enjoy the stunning color show of the changing aspen. We really feel fortunate to be able to live out here in this beautiful place we call “The Ranch” and we never get tired of the views we have all around us. 

Being able to enjoy the outdoors year round is one of the biggest reasons we moved out here and we do take advantage of that as often as we can. We have often been asked by friends and family why we moved to Colorado. Our answer was simple, “for the joy of adventure”. The one thing we had not anticipated however was the wonderful Ranch family we have come to know and love. That has really made the big difference for us as we transitioned in to a new life of retirement and adventure far away from our family and friends in the Midwest. Without that acceptance we might not have stayed out here as long as we have. Although we live in the middle of Colorado out in the middle of no where, as we often describe to others where we live, we are not lonely or isolated. We have been the recipients of much love and care during times of personal tragedy and we have also been happy to rise to the occasion when others have been in need of help. That is what is so wonderful about the folks we have met on the ranch, the willingness to help each other when you need help. This is definitely a community of caring people who care for each other and the place we live. 

We are seeing many new homes being built on the ranch, a sign that the economy is doing well, and along with that will be the opportunity to share this wonderful place with many new friends. I urge you to continue to reach out to the new members of our ranch community and make them feel welcome and in the process I’m sure you will find many more lifelong friends with whom you can enjoy new adventures. Most of us, or at least many of us, are transplants from other parts of the country but we are all happy to feel like we are home now. 

As one of the newly elected board members, I’m honored to have this opportunity to try and give back something to the place and people we so dearly love. I will try and do my best to represent you in a way that best serves our community. I welcome your comments and input as to what is important and or concerns you have on the Ranch and will work with the other board members to insure that your voice is heard and will make every effort to address those issues. 

Mark Wefler

Secretary