When I first took the step,

from remodeling and small construction projects to actually buying land and building 'spec' houses I needed a friendly banker, cuz I didn't have that kinda cash. At first I just ran into typical 'suits' who said 'no', but then I met with a former dairy farm owner, who'd sold his land outside Lafayette, CO, to build Indian Peaks Golf Course, while he developed the residential land around it. He started Heritage Bank, and I was one of his first customers, as he trusted me and lent me the money for my first few houses. During our relationship I got to know and like him as I met with him regularly while I built homes and he had his own (LARGE) house built on the 17th hole at Indian Peaks, and I was active in his first political (R) races. He gradually expanded his first bank into over a dozen more, before he sold them and successfully ran for the US Congress. Now, my buddy Bob Beauprez is the Repub candidate for gov in Colorado and I've got to decide whether to support him or Guv Hickenlooper in the next election. Hick has really disappointed me lately, with his gun control and death penalty dscisions, BUT, Bob was a disappointment when he was a Congressman cuz he just voted a straight Repub (GWBush) ticket. Gonna wait and hear them on the issues, but NOT gonna vote an automatic partisan ballot as most people do. We'll see....