We have a member of our fly fishing group that uses an old time canvas wall tent (I think he's just about worn it out ... who knows how old the thing is!) - AND, he tows everything around in a little utility trailer. Really does it with some kind of military efficiency; a place for everything and everything in it's place when he's traveling. Plus he gets on me about my popup tent camper - he says that at least when his utility trailer is not being used for camping that it can be also used for other things, like hauling his yard work bric-a-brac and debris, maybe even hauling a wash machine or refrigerator for somebody - in other words he says his utility trailer "earns it's keep" by using it for many other things besides camping. Says my tent trailer's only purpose in life is camping ... and he has a big point! My friend uses these large plastic bins to carry a lot of the camping gear (keeps it water tight) in the trailer; and has also made some wooden storage/carrying boxes for things like the axe, tent stakes and poles. Also has made a table with folding legs that just fits the bottom of trailer. When he gets everything loaded aboard, then has a plastic tarp he secures over the load - also uses this same plastic tarp as a canopy over his table & cooking area. Bottom line, he has an efficient system for setting up a most comfortable camp. Awhile back I told my utility trailer friend that at least I could carry my canoe on top of the closed popup camper for traveling down the road rather than having to carry it on the roof of the tow vehicle and partically obstructing some of the driver's vision, like he had to do with his utility trailer. Darned if when I saw him the last time that he had not made a removeable carrying rack for toting his canoe around that just fit the trailer! Dale

We've been through Ouray and several of the passes you've mentioned. We were just back from a trip to the Great Sand Dunes last week. We may go up to Medano Pass next year if we think the kids can handle it. My oldest is 5 yo. DH and I tried to climb Mt. Elbert about 8 years ago. Big mistake on our part. We were in physical shape for it, but weren't acclimated (sp?) to the altitude. We were living at 300 feet above sea level and tried to climb Elbert within the first 48 hours of getting there. We only made it about 3/4 of the way up. I was cramping on the way up and my knees went out on the way down. I was told I probably should have have eaten some Rolaids and drank more water to have prevented the cramping. I'm not sure when you're going, but be prepared not to find a camp ground in the Elbert area. A lot of places we stayed at didn't take reservations. The area is swamped until the kids go back to school in august. DH and I did some primative camping, but it was nice to have a camp in a central area and do day trips from there. We camped down in the Buena Vista area, but moved around a lot. Have fun on your trip!

I have never found a "good" site with reviews on used appliances. I do not think anybody maintains such a site, anyway. Searches for that turn up only shopping redirection sites and sellers of used appliances where the reviews are only about what great guys the vendors are. You have to go back to "vintage" appliances to find anything like you are asking about. As lee76 says, you are better off just running searches on the fridge model number. You may find reviews of what people thought of it when it was being sold. Consumer Reports --- you will have to go to a library to find old print copies.CR's online archives only go back about 4 years or so. A search also will turn postings on various sites like fixya where people have had problems and are trying to fix the unit. That may at least tell you something about what goes wrong with the unit and how hard it is to locate the parts.

Whoa, if you get a degree in industrial arts you get to acquire carpentry textbooks along the way?!? Sweet! Kim, I've always enjoyed/appreciated your contributions; given the wisdom of trial and error that was behind them, I see why they stood out. My mom got us a couple of the Reader's Digest fixit books (have to run downstairs, one of them might be the very one you have); I like the way they are encyclopedic and detailed. I know Jane Powell but not the Small Houses books (do you mean The Not So Big stuff by Susanka, or the Small House anthologies from Fine Homebuilding?) Thanks for mentioning books; I think I might start a reference book thread for this forum. Hey Casey, THANKS for taking the bait. And you are NOT a bloody genius, you are an old house DEITY for crying out loud! Would you please start your own show on youtube? Or maybe just a house tour? Even Petch house has youtube videos. Or, do you already have a project blog and everyone knows about it but me? Actually for someone with a degree in historic preservation, I am impressed with how low-key your posts come across; they read more like an old friend who's "been there" and wants to pass along lessons learned along the way, it's really very nice and encouraging. But if you ever want to browbeat me feel free; I would take it as a compliment. To be honest if I post about something I'm thinking of doing to my house, and you don't opine, I figure one of two things is going on: 1) you're not on the forum; or 2) you're politely disapproving. Most of the time I assume it's 2 because you seem to be pretty consistent around here. But I just want to say, and I hope I speak for many, that I love love love your posts, especially when I'm searching on a problem I'm trying to solve and something from you pops up! (PS I finally got around to using that general finishes gel varnish you recommended and it was fantastic, thank you; I will post photos to the woodworking forum sometime before the next census.) Oh, and I love the way you "aged" the color tones in the new pine beadboard in your kitchen; reminds me of the pine in my grandmother's kitchen. When I was really little I used to look at the gleaming pores and think it was the closest wood could get to 24K gold.