Having enjoyed building our dream log home with our sons, Ben & Kevin, back in 2001-2002, we thought we would stay there forever. 
We loved living in the Roaring Fork Valley, we love Church at Carbondale and all our many friends there.
Then a couple of years ago we started thinking it would be nice to build again, in the same neighborhood. Our sons are now professional, experienced home builders in the Vail Valley, so this time we would have them do all the work.
Fully expecting this to happen sometime in 2008-2009, God (I do believe it was Him) began whispering some new thoughts. We started looking ahead 5-10 years. Our family was growing, all in the Vail Valley. Eagerly anticipating several more in the coming years, we reconsidered where to build.
In 12 years time, with 7 grandchildren, ranging in age from 6 to 18, we realize (thank God!) that living just minutes from our family would allow us to be more heavily involved in their lives and the lives of their young friends. We believe God called us to that as a ‘ministry’.
You see, once I hit 60, I decided it was time to do something to counter, perhaps even reverse, an insidious trend in western society. In the past 50 years the status of us ‘elders’ has been seriously devalued. Not so long ago (and still in some societies today), the older a person gets the more they are revered, honored and listened to. The wise sage has always been seen as just that – wise; but no longer. Today in America and across the western world, the old are seen as decrepit (defined as “wasted and weakened by or as if by the infirmities of old age”), even if they are physically and mentally fit. My commitment is to live a productive, purposeful and passionate life for as long as God permits. Jenny is all for this too!
Being those ‘sages’ to our 7 grandchildren and their contemporaries is very important to us both. It’s our next season of Leadership.
Back to the move: we had to weigh the pros and cons. We looked to see if there was anywhere we could build and enjoy living with anything close to the joy of life in the Roaring Fork Valley. Frankly we expected a fruitless search – we were wrong! God showed us the perfect lot in Eagle Ranch.
However, before we could take the next step, we needed permission. Permission from our sons, of course, but more importantly from our daughters-in-law. Being that close could be a problem – it would have been for us when we were their age! Jennifer and Erin graciously said ‘yes’ … and the rest is history.
Our sons, Ben & Kevin (aka Holy Cross Custom Home Builders) broke ground on our new home last August. We closed on the sale of our house on March 12th – a major miracle. We were in Belize during April and May. Then we stayed in a friend’s condo in Eagle-Vail for a couple of months, and moved in to our new home on August 25th – one year after breaking ground.
Our new home is again ‘the house that God and Juice Plus+ built’! God is so GOOD!
If you want, you can track the project through our photo albums below. Here is our completed home in Eagle Ranch: the new Daly Homestead.
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