Month: April 2008

2008 Nevada Republican Convention

I went to the Nevada Republican caucus last January and was a delegate to the Washoe County Republican convention on  March 15. Now I am going to be a delegate to the Nevada Republican convention. It will be held in Reno on Saturday, April 26. I just received the registration information in the mail. Early registration is $50 per person. The registration package also included information about the 2008 Governor’s Boots and Rhinestones Ball which costs $150 for delegates and $250 for others.

For me the more interesting part of the package is the application form to be a delegate or an alternate delegate to the 2008 Republican National convention. It will be September 1-4 in St Paul Minnesota. At the Nevada state convention 34 delegates and 34 alternates will be elected.

According to the application form

"Delegates and alternates to the national convention must bear all costs involved: travel, lodging, etc. Costs could be as much as $3,000 – $4,000. Individuals serving on convention committees (platform, credentials, etc.) will incur extra costs associated with necessary early arrival. All delegates and alternates are expected to attend all convention sessions.

Applications to be considered by the nominations committee should include acknowledgment of above, and should also include a political resume summarizing history of GOP involvement (which need not be limited to activities in Nevada), and 1-2 political references."

I would be thrilled to be a delegate to the national convention. Getting nominated and then elected may be a long shot but my motto has always been "You’ll never know if you don’t try so GO FOR IT!". Here is what I am including in my application. Let me know if you have any suggestions for improvements or if you would be willing to be a political reference. I have a couple of ideas of people to ask but I would love to have someone who reads this blog be a reference.

"I would make an excellent delegate or alternate to the 2008 Republican National Convention. I  recently retired after 32 years as an executive working in the computer industry in the San Francisco Bay Area. My husband and I moved to Reno in July of 2007. I am a lifelong Republican. I am a conservative because I believe strongly that individuals are what make this country strong. That people working together will do a better job of almost anything than government will.

I have published a blog since September of 2004. I covered the Nevada caucuses and the Washoe County state convention. I am able to give a fresh perspective on what it is like to be a newly active Republican. If I am elected I will blog from the National convention. I will also use Facebook, Twitter and other tools to allow my readers to better understand what it is like to be a part of the Republican party and an active political citizen in our democracy."

Update 4/15/2008: I submitted the application

Sierra Canyon Snow Shoe Hike to Eagle Lakes

Yesterday seven of us (Walt and six ladies) from the Sierra Canyon hiking and snowshoeing group did a snowshoe hike to Eagle Lakes. Round trip distance for the hike was just under five miles. The trail head was just off Interstate 80  west of Truckee, California at exit 164, Eagle Lakes Road. The elevation was around 5400 so much of the snow was melting and there was a lot of running water. A few times we were walking on dirt and fording creeks. Although we have had a lot of very windy days lately we were lucky to get a really nice day. The trail had some ups and downs. It was a good work out and a lot of fun. Here are a few pictures. If you would like to see the rest you can see them on Flickr here.

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As you can see we had to cross water several times.

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This is one of the Eagle Lakes. You can see that he ice is starting to break up.

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Here is our lunch stop overlooking the lake

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Rent versus Own

When Duke and I decided to retire and move out of the San Francisco Bay Area we made the decision to rent a house in Reno as a first step. While we were renting we could sell our house and then do some looking around to decide where we might like to settle. We ended renting a house in Del Webb’s Sierra Canyon development in west Reno. Given where we are in our life renting makes a lot of sense both financially and for flexibility. It is interesting to look at the analysis that we have done of the pros and cons of renting versus owning. (All of these numbers are estimates.)

Renting

The Alpine model house next to us is for rent for $1449 per month.

Owning

The total cost of owning an Alpine model would be $1816 per month.

  • Homeowners dues are $175 month
  • Last time I looked the Alpine model was selling for $358,000. If you invested $358,000 at a 4% interest rate you can make $1,193 per month, so the cost of tying up your money is $1,193 per month.
  • Taxes are about 1% which is $298 per month
  • insurance at about $100 per month
  • maintenance at $50 per month

Other considerations

  • As renters we have no guarantee that the owner won’t go into foreclosure or decide that he wants us to move out of his house.
  • Renting means we can’t do the things we would like to do to make the house more to our liking. That includes things like hardwood floors, different colored walls, and landscaping more to our liking.
  • Renting means we don’t bear the earthquake risk. If the house was destroyed in an earthquake we could just walk away.
  • Renting allows us to try out living in this kind of a community without making a long term commitment.
  • Renting means we will lose out on any future  increase or decrease of the price of the houses in this area.
  • If we decide to move on we don’t need to go through the hassle of selling the house.

Sierra Canyon Snow Shoeing trip to Donner Pass Lakes

Last week’s Sierra Canyon snowshoe hike was a killer. So this past Monday we did a much easier snowshoe hike. Twelve of us went to the Donner Pass Lakes (Azalea, Flora and Angle lakes).
The whole trip was a little over 4 miles starting from Donner Summit Sno-Pak.

The sun was shining and the snow was crunchy and sparkling. It was a great trip.

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If you would like to see the rest of the pictures form the hike you can see them on Flickr here.