It’s been a beautiful fall despite the dry weather. The Aspen have pretty much all turned and 
lost their leaves. We have seen snow a couple of times so far and it won’t be long before the ground will be covered with snow until spring and hopefully the fire danger reduced. It’s a very peaceful time up here on the Ranch, my favorite time of the year. Everything slows down and gives one the time to reflect on what’s important and what’s not in our lives. We can look around and see the blessings we have and can be thankful for close friends, a wonderful place to live or spend time, and the ability to see and enjoy the beauty around us. October for me is always my prep month for winter. Put up the snow fence and driveway markers, cut and split wood for the winter, put the snow blade on the truck, tractor or ATV, make sure the vehicles have been serviced and ready for the winter long haul and emergency supplies in them, finish up any last minute outside projects, put away the lawn chairs, mow the lot, maybe get in a few more hikes. I’m sure you get the picture. It’s a busy month.
As for the Board, we continue to be very busy. There are always special projects and requests that need attention. For instance, the board recently approved the construction and installation of an additional tiny library at the Campfire Mailboxes by Dick and Trish Chambers, who volunteered to construct it. Our new Ranch Manager will be releasing our fall water release from the reservoir. The Ranch house has been undergoing some needed repairs and updating and that work is progressing very well. Next year’s budget is being scrutinized and readied for presenting to the membership. As a reminder, as of November 1 campers need to be removed from vacant lots. Our new Ranch Manager Josh can help you with storage contracts for the RV lot.
Beside the Board, we have three very important committees that serve the community’s needs that many of you may not be aware of. They are the Water Committee, the Architectural Review Committee and the Rules Enforcement Committee. Each committee can have from 3-5 members. These must be non-Board members. At the present time we only have two members serving on each committee. The committee chair or a representative from each committee attends the board meeting each month and presents a brief report on their activities as well as feedback from the Board. The Board would like to put out an urgent request for more volunteers on these essential committees. Serving on one of these committees is an excellent way to give back to your community and to stay in touch with what is going on with the Board and our community in general. All Board members and the committee members are volunteers and give freely of their time to help make the Ranch a great place to live. I highly recommend that members give some serious thought to getting involved.
Mark Wefler
Secretary of the Board
