Yesterday (Saturday) was opening day of this area's trout season.
Did I go fish?
No.
What did I do?
I cut down the last dead tree on the property. Still like a fire in the mornings as it's still mid-30's when I get up. Chilly enough to warrant a warm fire and a cup of coffee or two.
Bonnie and I did take a short drive to the bridge and campgrounds to see how much the population had grown overnight.
The score was three vehicles at the bridge and three vehicles in the campground. I didn't check higher up the mountain due to needing to conserve a bit of fuel in the truck.
The game warden was working hot and heavy yesterday. He was wandering into folks camps whether he saw them fishing or not. I'm certainly glad I'm not a poacher!
Pictures?
Nope.
More on the story of getting a fishing license here later...
Sunday, April 29, 2012
Thursday, April 26, 2012
OK...go to work...
Well I've been here about a month and a half more or less.
March was still pretty much a cold month. A couple few snows and a rainy day or two, otherwise it was bluebird days but certainly crisp outside.
Now when I got here I had a down tree over all three "driveways." Dead and down beetle killed trees.
The phone company pushed one tree out of the road and cleared one long drive they could lay line under. That was just fooking huge of them to do that. I got a full day of backhoe use for free which would equal (I'd guess) about 8 hours at $150.00 per hour. You do the math. I'm quite sure they will get their money back in the long run. So...we're able to actually drive right up to the house when they're done.
The second tree is blocking a small drive that's a little further from the house but a less severe slope to navigate. That tree gets cut to fire wood first, then the pushed tree, then the last tree blocking the route back out to the road. It's kinda a loop thing ya know?
In the midst of all this damn wood cutting, my neighbor Tom comes and tells me that a front is coming in and snow tonight.
What? I looked up and there isn't a cloud to be seen! He was adamant.
We drove the 35 or 50 or so miles to town (Inyokern) to a place named Herb's Hardware.
I haven't been to a real hardware store in quite sometime. The guy has everything! I mean everything! I could get lost in there for a couple of days! Isles crammed too close together, girls working the cash register who drop the money taking and actually know how to fit different gas line fittings together to make what you need, hay, horse, chicken, duck feed at your finger tips, recycled benches and desks from other peoples failed ventures, rolls of this, sheets of that, lumber, nuts and bolts, tools, etc. I just loved this place.
I ask if the guy has rolled plastic sheeting. Old Herb himself walks me back to a small area, points and turns me loose, disappears.
I come up with a 20' X 30' heavy plastic tarp (ala Harbor Freight) that will perfectly cover the living room roof. One piece, no seams. The bedroom will remain uncovered and unprotected as will the rest of the house. I can't even open the door to the bedroom because years of rain, snow, and ice have warped the floor too badly for the door to open. Fine by me. The rest of the house is simply a wood framed roof over a "mobile home." The mobile home part is still tight even if the wood roof over it isn't so I am not going to worry about it. It'll stay dry enough.
Roof on!
Then it actually did snow. Got about 6" stayed dry, have continued to stay dry!
So...onto other things! During all this wood cutting and trying to stay warm and dry, Tomtheneighbor keeps checking out all the junk laying around here. I know he wants it.
One afternoon, he walks over and tells me that his neighbor has a 45 or 50 foot single wide that he wants off his property. No charge, just get it gone.
I ask Tom what he thinks it might cost to move it here? 500-700 bucks is the reply. Tom has a dozer, backhoe, etc. I know where this is going. I tell him I'll think about it.
Now my old man had a nifty little 12 or 14 foot little travel trailer. My buds used to spend the night in it when they visited.
My original thought was to move my shop into a very small little storage shack on the premises. Once I got up there and saw just how small that shack was, I knew I was in for trouble. It was SMALL! A 50' mobile home gutted and refitted would be much easier to make happen...except for the 500-700 cost of putting it on the property...make my thinking cap go to work I tells myself...
I decided I would offer the travel trailer to Tom as partial payment. He was agreeable! Fook YES!
I asked him if he was interested in any of the crap my old man left lying around the place...this was going to happen!
My old man (who happened to be a much better man than I) was a welder by trade and was into steel decking and sheet metal for his source of income. I don't think my old man ever through away a single piece of metal. Anyway, there was quite a bit of metal decking laying around. Sheets of very heavy gauge roughly 30"X 30' pieces. All this (and much more) was buried under a collapsed shed that had been destroyed by snow and ice 20 years earlier. I never had any real reason to clean it up until now.
Tom indicated he might be interested in the trailer and decking as part of the cost of moving the singlewide over here. I indicated that I would be interested IF there was NO out of pocket expense to me. He mentions he can't see everything that's under the collapsed roof. I mention that neither could I. I told him that if he was willing to gamble a little backhoe time and clear the roof off, I would be willing to gamble on what might be under the pile of lumber.
So a deal is struck!
Next morning, Tom pushes his hoe up one of the drives and clears all the sagebrush out of it. He swings the machine around and in about two or three swipes of the bucket, the roof is pushed to one side and all the junk is more or less exposed.I tell Tom I'm going to need a day or two to clear all the stuff out of the down and dead shed. Where the shed is, is right where I want to put the new "shop." After the roof is cleared off he's hmming and humming...I ask him if he thinks it's still worthwhile on his end. He tells me the trailer will more than cover the moving and the steel will buy me about half of a new roof.
DEAL!
We hook up the old travel trailer to his truck, yank it out of the dirt and move it to his place. Then we hook up a trailer of his loaded with half of my new roof and toe it over to my place. Unload it, and then load up all of the old man's decking and haul it back to his place. That was a full damn day brothers! I don't know how my old man did that for 35 or so years everydamnday. Backbreaking!
So...since I had gotten here, I had started to clean the place up. Huge piles of pine needles and cones, scraps of roofing the wind had blown off the roof, pieces of, well, just junk, loaded onto the trailer to be hauled off to the dump, A 1950's vintage travel trailer and tons of scrap metal that Tom will put to some use removed. And in return, I get a 50 foot shop, a pad cut for it, driveways cleared, AND the shop actually moved over here! I'm ecstactic!
Moving day!
Clearing the spot and the pad cut.
Drive over to the new "shop" and get it hooked up and ready to yank over here.
So we get started on it. Pull it out from between a couple or 4 trees and try and swing it around. Wham-o! 3 popped and quite flat tires...shit.
Amazingly...within about 20 minutes spare tires and rims are found and mounted back on the shop. and off we go again!
The shop leaves the guys gate and enters the paved road. She's your problem now! That from the guy whois looking after the "previous" owner's property.
We get her moved to my road and ready to push onto the pad.
Beauty eh? Stopped to pump two tires back up before going up the hill.
Now going up the hill was smooth as butter until...we try and squeeze between a tree and the shed that was going to be the shop.
It didn't do too well. Someone who was supposed to be watching one side of the trailer wasn't and a tree just ripped a window and siding right off the damn thing. Trashed.
I ended up cutting the tree down and was quite unhappy about it.
Got past it, over it and time to push the shop down into it's spot...
March was still pretty much a cold month. A couple few snows and a rainy day or two, otherwise it was bluebird days but certainly crisp outside.
Now when I got here I had a down tree over all three "driveways." Dead and down beetle killed trees.
The phone company pushed one tree out of the road and cleared one long drive they could lay line under. That was just fooking huge of them to do that. I got a full day of backhoe use for free which would equal (I'd guess) about 8 hours at $150.00 per hour. You do the math. I'm quite sure they will get their money back in the long run. So...we're able to actually drive right up to the house when they're done.
The second tree is blocking a small drive that's a little further from the house but a less severe slope to navigate. That tree gets cut to fire wood first, then the pushed tree, then the last tree blocking the route back out to the road. It's kinda a loop thing ya know?
In the midst of all this damn wood cutting, my neighbor Tom comes and tells me that a front is coming in and snow tonight.
What? I looked up and there isn't a cloud to be seen! He was adamant.
We drove the 35 or 50 or so miles to town (Inyokern) to a place named Herb's Hardware.
I haven't been to a real hardware store in quite sometime. The guy has everything! I mean everything! I could get lost in there for a couple of days! Isles crammed too close together, girls working the cash register who drop the money taking and actually know how to fit different gas line fittings together to make what you need, hay, horse, chicken, duck feed at your finger tips, recycled benches and desks from other peoples failed ventures, rolls of this, sheets of that, lumber, nuts and bolts, tools, etc. I just loved this place.
I ask if the guy has rolled plastic sheeting. Old Herb himself walks me back to a small area, points and turns me loose, disappears.
I come up with a 20' X 30' heavy plastic tarp (ala Harbor Freight) that will perfectly cover the living room roof. One piece, no seams. The bedroom will remain uncovered and unprotected as will the rest of the house. I can't even open the door to the bedroom because years of rain, snow, and ice have warped the floor too badly for the door to open. Fine by me. The rest of the house is simply a wood framed roof over a "mobile home." The mobile home part is still tight even if the wood roof over it isn't so I am not going to worry about it. It'll stay dry enough.
Roof on!
Then it actually did snow. Got about 6" stayed dry, have continued to stay dry!
So...onto other things! During all this wood cutting and trying to stay warm and dry, Tomtheneighbor keeps checking out all the junk laying around here. I know he wants it.
One afternoon, he walks over and tells me that his neighbor has a 45 or 50 foot single wide that he wants off his property. No charge, just get it gone.
I ask Tom what he thinks it might cost to move it here? 500-700 bucks is the reply. Tom has a dozer, backhoe, etc. I know where this is going. I tell him I'll think about it.
Now my old man had a nifty little 12 or 14 foot little travel trailer. My buds used to spend the night in it when they visited.
My original thought was to move my shop into a very small little storage shack on the premises. Once I got up there and saw just how small that shack was, I knew I was in for trouble. It was SMALL! A 50' mobile home gutted and refitted would be much easier to make happen...except for the 500-700 cost of putting it on the property...make my thinking cap go to work I tells myself...
I decided I would offer the travel trailer to Tom as partial payment. He was agreeable! Fook YES!
I asked him if he was interested in any of the crap my old man left lying around the place...this was going to happen!
My old man (who happened to be a much better man than I) was a welder by trade and was into steel decking and sheet metal for his source of income. I don't think my old man ever through away a single piece of metal. Anyway, there was quite a bit of metal decking laying around. Sheets of very heavy gauge roughly 30"X 30' pieces. All this (and much more) was buried under a collapsed shed that had been destroyed by snow and ice 20 years earlier. I never had any real reason to clean it up until now.
Tom indicated he might be interested in the trailer and decking as part of the cost of moving the singlewide over here. I indicated that I would be interested IF there was NO out of pocket expense to me. He mentions he can't see everything that's under the collapsed roof. I mention that neither could I. I told him that if he was willing to gamble a little backhoe time and clear the roof off, I would be willing to gamble on what might be under the pile of lumber.
So a deal is struck!
Next morning, Tom pushes his hoe up one of the drives and clears all the sagebrush out of it. He swings the machine around and in about two or three swipes of the bucket, the roof is pushed to one side and all the junk is more or less exposed.I tell Tom I'm going to need a day or two to clear all the stuff out of the down and dead shed. Where the shed is, is right where I want to put the new "shop." After the roof is cleared off he's hmming and humming...I ask him if he thinks it's still worthwhile on his end. He tells me the trailer will more than cover the moving and the steel will buy me about half of a new roof.
DEAL!
We hook up the old travel trailer to his truck, yank it out of the dirt and move it to his place. Then we hook up a trailer of his loaded with half of my new roof and toe it over to my place. Unload it, and then load up all of the old man's decking and haul it back to his place. That was a full damn day brothers! I don't know how my old man did that for 35 or so years everydamnday. Backbreaking!
So...since I had gotten here, I had started to clean the place up. Huge piles of pine needles and cones, scraps of roofing the wind had blown off the roof, pieces of, well, just junk, loaded onto the trailer to be hauled off to the dump, A 1950's vintage travel trailer and tons of scrap metal that Tom will put to some use removed. And in return, I get a 50 foot shop, a pad cut for it, driveways cleared, AND the shop actually moved over here! I'm ecstactic!
Moving day!
Drive over to the new "shop" and get it hooked up and ready to yank over here.
So we get started on it. Pull it out from between a couple or 4 trees and try and swing it around. Wham-o! 3 popped and quite flat tires...shit.
Amazingly...within about 20 minutes spare tires and rims are found and mounted back on the shop. and off we go again!
The shop leaves the guys gate and enters the paved road. She's your problem now! That from the guy whois looking after the "previous" owner's property.
We get her moved to my road and ready to push onto the pad.
Now going up the hill was smooth as butter until...we try and squeeze between a tree and the shed that was going to be the shop.
It didn't do too well. Someone who was supposed to be watching one side of the trailer wasn't and a tree just ripped a window and siding right off the damn thing. Trashed.
I ended up cutting the tree down and was quite unhappy about it.
Got past it, over it and time to push the shop down into it's spot...
The back hoe is out of the picture now on the right. Tom's got to push the ass end down and around this tree and swing it into the pad he cut. That's about 6" of clearance at that tree. Things are ripped all to hell now and I'll just deal with whatever damage is done from here on out.
No, it's not easy moving a new shop onto it's pad AND dealing with Bonniethedog's obsession with the frisbee, but it's in it's final resting place waiting to be demo'ed and leveled.
The mean machine crew...Tom (L) Mike(R) and Jason (C). The spared shack/shed right and the cut down tree left.
Next....demo-ing and leveling...
Oh by leveling I don't mean reducing the shop to rubble ya know?
OK...Trying to catch up on two months or so of stuff makes for damn lengthy posts. I'll try and do better and make posts shorter and more frequent...
Love,
Mike
Saturday, April 21, 2012
Well, it's been two months since I've posted anything.
My bad.
Not mine entirely but I'll take at least partial blame.
The move has been made. I'm now in the southern Sierra and just freaking loving it.
The last box was packed and on the truck/trailer at 4:00 AM Saturday morning March 10. Fueled up in Congress at a price that was 50 cents a gallon more than I paid two days before. Arrived in Kennedy Meadows 9 hours later (+/- accounting for doggy pee pee breaks and fuel) Saturday afternoon.
The place was just as big a dump as it was last time I saw it. No fairies had come to tidy up before I got there. I was disappointed.
Anyway...we got there. Once there it was chilly. In the 40's I'd guess as best as I can remember.
First chore...unload live animals and get them protected and warm. No easy feat off the bat. For a lizard or snake accustomed to 80Fdegrees, warming up the shack was going to take a while. No roofing, no propane, no wood gathered. Still they had to get out of the truck or trailer or they would turn into frozen sticks shortly.
So I gather wood sticks laying around. Plenty of them to be picked up. Start a fire, move the creatures in (a bunch of them) move the very basic essentials in, deal with new nosey neighbors who need to know what's happening here, get ready for dinner (purchased at the largest Albertson's I've ever seen) fuel up the 15 something year old generator with fresh fuel, pull the cord and the foker fires right up. A light bulb burns and the microwave is ready to heat up some mac&cheese. Foking perfect!
Next day is Sunday. Day of rest? Shit NO!
The first night here was colder than any appendage hanging off a witch! I mean cold brother! I was looking up TROUGH my roof at the stars all night. Throwing sticks on the fire, not logs, sticks. Just trying to keep it burning. Sunday was spent throwing rocks at sticks, breaking them up, building a gi-normous pile of sticks to throw on the fire every fifteen minutes all night long. No help at all after all that work.
Time to fire up the chainsaw and try and put her to work! Sunday morning temp 14F. Clear as a bell. Just cold!
Mixed some fuel for the chainsaw and got her fired up. Two trees down over my "driveways." Plenty of fuel to keep the wolves away tonight.
Did we stay warm? Fook no! Colder yet this night but wood to burn and I spent a sleepless night keeping the fire stoked and blazing. I watched the same stars pass overhead through the cracks in the roof, waited for "dawn" and the sun.
Next day was Monday and by god my birthday!
Happy Fooking Birthday! You made it to 59!
Busy throwing wood on a fire that helped little if any when a knock at the door. WTF?
It's the telephone guys here to put in my phone! Contact with the outside world is minutes or hours away! LOL!
So....we meet and greet. He tells me that the line is coming right through "here" and we'll have you hooked up by noon(ish).
It was 1 PM when they were through. I blame Bonniethedog as she insisted on the guys throwing the frisbee for her instead of working. They obliged.
Now while I took pics of the process of installing the phone line, none would upload to the bucket and you'll have to take my word that laying that line four feet deep in a pile of rocks was a feat. Done and back filled new free driveway smoothed out and I fire up the generator and try and get online.
Nada,zip.
Computer did not survive the trip.
So I yak at Ahmed in India and he tries to sort out my problems. No luck.
He tells me a new disk is on the way and I'll have it in two to five working days. It shows up 3 days ago after three phone calls and three reassurances that it's "processing."
So...it's still my gotam birthday...phone is in, wood is cut, it's afternoon and I want to do something fun.
I take Bonnie for a stroll!
A quarter mile down the road is the river. I want to at least see some water and maybe a fish or two rising. Off we go. Bonnie two hundred yards ahead of me, having some fun for her own damn self.
First thing we see is this...
[IMG]http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y252/Troutgetter/IMGP0846.jpg[/IMG]
Getting there...
Next is...
[IMG]http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y252/Troutgetter/IMGP0841-1.jpg[/IMG]
Shit, get ready for winter! It's colder than all hell and almost Spring! Anyway, don't drive much further or you'll get stuck and you won't get you vehicle back until spring! Maybe.
A bit further and then a post stuck in the dirt letting you know that the Pacific Crest Trail crosses the road here. This trail has gotten quite popular in recent years apparently.
A little further on and we come to the bridge.
There is a cattle guard before the bridge and Bonnie has never dealt with on before. It's the jan-u-wine article made of railroad ties and she doesn't know how to cross it. It was really quite funny watching her try to figure out how. I had to show her the way around it. She now hates them.
After crossing the guard and approaching the river we saw this...
[IMG]http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y252/Troutgetter/IMGP0844-2.jpg[/IMG]
Downstream view...upstream view is prettier but I couldn't get it to load on the bucket.
Spent a bit of time there ,watching and hoping for fish to stick their noses out but nothing showed, but there was a river dammit! I was not in AZ anymore!
We walked back to an uneventful rest of the day and night and a couple days later this!
[IMG]http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y252/Troutgetter/IMGP0853-3.jpg[/IMG]
Lasted about a day.
Fooking awesome!
More later brothers!
Generator's running out of fuel...
My bad.
Not mine entirely but I'll take at least partial blame.
The move has been made. I'm now in the southern Sierra and just freaking loving it.
The last box was packed and on the truck/trailer at 4:00 AM Saturday morning March 10. Fueled up in Congress at a price that was 50 cents a gallon more than I paid two days before. Arrived in Kennedy Meadows 9 hours later (+/- accounting for doggy pee pee breaks and fuel) Saturday afternoon.
The place was just as big a dump as it was last time I saw it. No fairies had come to tidy up before I got there. I was disappointed.
Anyway...we got there. Once there it was chilly. In the 40's I'd guess as best as I can remember.
First chore...unload live animals and get them protected and warm. No easy feat off the bat. For a lizard or snake accustomed to 80Fdegrees, warming up the shack was going to take a while. No roofing, no propane, no wood gathered. Still they had to get out of the truck or trailer or they would turn into frozen sticks shortly.
So I gather wood sticks laying around. Plenty of them to be picked up. Start a fire, move the creatures in (a bunch of them) move the very basic essentials in, deal with new nosey neighbors who need to know what's happening here, get ready for dinner (purchased at the largest Albertson's I've ever seen) fuel up the 15 something year old generator with fresh fuel, pull the cord and the foker fires right up. A light bulb burns and the microwave is ready to heat up some mac&cheese. Foking perfect!
Next day is Sunday. Day of rest? Shit NO!
The first night here was colder than any appendage hanging off a witch! I mean cold brother! I was looking up TROUGH my roof at the stars all night. Throwing sticks on the fire, not logs, sticks. Just trying to keep it burning. Sunday was spent throwing rocks at sticks, breaking them up, building a gi-normous pile of sticks to throw on the fire every fifteen minutes all night long. No help at all after all that work.
Time to fire up the chainsaw and try and put her to work! Sunday morning temp 14F. Clear as a bell. Just cold!
Mixed some fuel for the chainsaw and got her fired up. Two trees down over my "driveways." Plenty of fuel to keep the wolves away tonight.
Did we stay warm? Fook no! Colder yet this night but wood to burn and I spent a sleepless night keeping the fire stoked and blazing. I watched the same stars pass overhead through the cracks in the roof, waited for "dawn" and the sun.
Next day was Monday and by god my birthday!
Happy Fooking Birthday! You made it to 59!
Busy throwing wood on a fire that helped little if any when a knock at the door. WTF?
It's the telephone guys here to put in my phone! Contact with the outside world is minutes or hours away! LOL!
So....we meet and greet. He tells me that the line is coming right through "here" and we'll have you hooked up by noon(ish).
It was 1 PM when they were through. I blame Bonniethedog as she insisted on the guys throwing the frisbee for her instead of working. They obliged.
Now while I took pics of the process of installing the phone line, none would upload to the bucket and you'll have to take my word that laying that line four feet deep in a pile of rocks was a feat. Done and back filled new free driveway smoothed out and I fire up the generator and try and get online.
Nada,zip.
Computer did not survive the trip.
So I yak at Ahmed in India and he tries to sort out my problems. No luck.
He tells me a new disk is on the way and I'll have it in two to five working days. It shows up 3 days ago after three phone calls and three reassurances that it's "processing."
So...it's still my gotam birthday...phone is in, wood is cut, it's afternoon and I want to do something fun.
I take Bonnie for a stroll!
A quarter mile down the road is the river. I want to at least see some water and maybe a fish or two rising. Off we go. Bonnie two hundred yards ahead of me, having some fun for her own damn self.
First thing we see is this...
[IMG]http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y252/Troutgetter/IMGP0846.jpg[/IMG]
Getting there...
Next is...
[IMG]http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y252/Troutgetter/IMGP0841-1.jpg[/IMG]
Shit, get ready for winter! It's colder than all hell and almost Spring! Anyway, don't drive much further or you'll get stuck and you won't get you vehicle back until spring! Maybe.
A bit further and then a post stuck in the dirt letting you know that the Pacific Crest Trail crosses the road here. This trail has gotten quite popular in recent years apparently.
A little further on and we come to the bridge.
There is a cattle guard before the bridge and Bonnie has never dealt with on before. It's the jan-u-wine article made of railroad ties and she doesn't know how to cross it. It was really quite funny watching her try to figure out how. I had to show her the way around it. She now hates them.
After crossing the guard and approaching the river we saw this...
[IMG]http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y252/Troutgetter/IMGP0844-2.jpg[/IMG]
Downstream view...upstream view is prettier but I couldn't get it to load on the bucket.
Spent a bit of time there ,watching and hoping for fish to stick their noses out but nothing showed, but there was a river dammit! I was not in AZ anymore!
We walked back to an uneventful rest of the day and night and a couple days later this!
[IMG]http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y252/Troutgetter/IMGP0853-3.jpg[/IMG]
Lasted about a day.
Fooking awesome!
More later brothers!
Generator's running out of fuel...
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
Stuff and more stuff...
Well...
When last we left off...I was hoping that the brother would come pick up the mini-lathes and tools before I left.
That happened yesterday and it was good to see him one last time before I leave. One day he may show up at my door a State away and catch a boat load of little Golden's, but for now I have to expect I might never see him in my lifetime. Crap goes that way sometimes eh? If I ever see him again, it will only be a bonus for me. I loves the brother.
Today, a bench and numerous power tools are being loaded onto the truck.
Drill press, Tormek, disk sander, sewing machine, attachments for all these tools, etc. I hope to make at least two runs to the shed to drop stuff off but I don't know how that is going to play out.
After those loads are dropped off, I'll hook up the trailer again and pack the stuff around the propane tank, fill the back of the truck and get ready to make the first load up the mountain tomorrow morning. Stuff going tomorrow will be stuff that has to be there before we are. Toilet paper, etc ya know? It will also be the first time I've seen the place in almost ten years.
I really don't know what I will be in for until then. At best...it's quite an adventure.
I called my propane dealer gyrl, Janine, yesterday and asked about if they got my app and was everything OK. It wasn't.
No where on their credit app did they ask for my social. She told me I didn't exist. I gave her my social and in about five seconds she told me all deliveries to me would be COD.
I'm quite sure she thought this would be derogatory as I detected a slight smirk over the phone.
In fact it is exactly what I wanted.
There will be no routine propane delivery to the cabin unless I call and pay for what they deliver. That's just fooking perfect! NO monthly bill, propane when I want and need it. Perfect! I mean...just fooking PERFECT!
So I'm off to the dump (storage unit) and then I'll be gone for a couple days. Seven hours up, seven hours back and a little time to smell wood smoke in between...again...fooking perfect...
When last we left off...I was hoping that the brother would come pick up the mini-lathes and tools before I left.
That happened yesterday and it was good to see him one last time before I leave. One day he may show up at my door a State away and catch a boat load of little Golden's, but for now I have to expect I might never see him in my lifetime. Crap goes that way sometimes eh? If I ever see him again, it will only be a bonus for me. I loves the brother.
Today, a bench and numerous power tools are being loaded onto the truck.
Drill press, Tormek, disk sander, sewing machine, attachments for all these tools, etc. I hope to make at least two runs to the shed to drop stuff off but I don't know how that is going to play out.
After those loads are dropped off, I'll hook up the trailer again and pack the stuff around the propane tank, fill the back of the truck and get ready to make the first load up the mountain tomorrow morning. Stuff going tomorrow will be stuff that has to be there before we are. Toilet paper, etc ya know? It will also be the first time I've seen the place in almost ten years.
I really don't know what I will be in for until then. At best...it's quite an adventure.
I called my propane dealer gyrl, Janine, yesterday and asked about if they got my app and was everything OK. It wasn't.
No where on their credit app did they ask for my social. She told me I didn't exist. I gave her my social and in about five seconds she told me all deliveries to me would be COD.
I'm quite sure she thought this would be derogatory as I detected a slight smirk over the phone.
In fact it is exactly what I wanted.
There will be no routine propane delivery to the cabin unless I call and pay for what they deliver. That's just fooking perfect! NO monthly bill, propane when I want and need it. Perfect! I mean...just fooking PERFECT!
So I'm off to the dump (storage unit) and then I'll be gone for a couple days. Seven hours up, seven hours back and a little time to smell wood smoke in between...again...fooking perfect...
Thursday, February 16, 2012
water, gas, phone.
Well, I'm elated and depressed. Does that make me manic/depressive? I'm not sure. Quite possibly.
Yesterday I got some long distance stuff accomplished.
First off...I reached a brother who kindly bought my mini-lathes and tools and put some cash in my pocket. He didn't show up for two appointments to pick it up. No big, but now I'm worrying he won't get here before I have to be out. I called him, let him know that either he comes and gets them soon or they get stuck in storage with me seven hours drive and $350 bucks in fuel from there to get him what he rightfully owns. Makes me worry a bit. I tried to express this to him. I don't know if it got through. If he's a smart as I know he is...he'll show up soon.
Second...I gave the go ahead to Ducor Telephone to install the phone line. Had a wonderful (as always) conversation with Melany (the customer service girl) and am getting hooked up. I like Melany. She sounds like she is on a constant caffiene high and can't wait to do something...anything. I also called Bill (the lone employee who works for Ducor and is in KM) and asked if he had word on when it could happen. Bill told me that there is currently 4" of snow on the ground and don't hold my breath. I asked if he thought it could be installed by the first of March. He sounded relieved and said he would get on it when he could. I told him that I probably wouldn't be there when he hooked it up and if he would please install it the best I could describe. Gave me a positive answer. I always get positive answers from folks employed by Ducor. Really a quite wonderful company to do biddness with so far.
Third...the last post had me elated that a water company might deliver water AND beer to my door step.
That fell through...pisser. No, really. They did recommend Sparkletts.
I called Sparkletts Water and let them make friends.
They will deliver 60 gallons of water to my porch for 75 bucks a month. Now that is still some pricey water ($1.25 a gallon) but there is going to be 30 gallons of water sitting on my porch on March 2 with a dispenser. I will be a big customer as far as they are concerned. 12-5 gallon bottles a month delivered every two weeks. A base price changeable due to requirements on my end without changing per bottle price.
I gave the customer service rep every chance to back out including calling or emailing me if the local guy doesn't want to drive up that ungodly grade to deliver water. She sounded quite positive as well.
A day later, no call or email so I'm thinking I'm good to go without having to drive to the river to fill water bottles I don't have.
I tried to explain that my zip code was based on a small town 25 mountain miles away plus and additional 25 desert miles, gave them the name of the "community" and asked them to be certain, make sure. She went through all the data base for that zip code and assured me that the water will be there. We'll see. Also since the weather report yesterday indicated the the high temp was 19 degrees (with a 47 mph wind and 83% humidity making the temp feel like -3F), hopefully I won't have 30 gallons of water frozen solid waiting for me...we'll see about that as well.
Fourth...I sent in my "credit" app for propane. Not happy about doing that, not that my credit is horrible. I just hate making aggreements like the one I had to sign. Not much was working in my favor in that aggreement but they are the only game in town and I need the fuel.
I am considering making a trip up quite soon. I need to see what shape the cabin is actually in, drop off my 'new' propane tank and get ready for the propane guy to drive up and fill the tank ( $270.00 ) and run a system check, fill the tank (at a slightly discounted rate) so when I get there I can light a couple of pilots and lamps and make soup for dinner, coffee for the morning and not eat in the dark. Then beat it back to Congress and continue moving on with getting the fuck out.
Still...the most important thing for me right now is to get my gotam truck fixed. I gotta come up with a chunk of change for that to happen...I'm stymied and yet have no choice. I need my truck to make this move and I need 500 bucks more than I have and even after getting the truck fixed I will still need dollars to buy fuel. I might well be camping in the middle of the sonoran desert for a while until I can manage this but all the critters here are not going to be able to deal with this. I NEED to make the move happen and it has to happen now.
So...this is the latest update...still wordy as all hell, but I'm not Hemingway and I can't spend a month trying to come up with a four word sentence that conveys all this crap ya know?
Maybe I can...let's see.."I'm broke, I'm fucked." That sums it up pretty much in four words. Yes, two of the words are contractions so I 'spose that might be considered six words...I don't know. I shoud spend another week and see if I can get that down to a true four word sentence.
Oh wait I can!
Me broke, me fucked.
Yesterday I got some long distance stuff accomplished.
First off...I reached a brother who kindly bought my mini-lathes and tools and put some cash in my pocket. He didn't show up for two appointments to pick it up. No big, but now I'm worrying he won't get here before I have to be out. I called him, let him know that either he comes and gets them soon or they get stuck in storage with me seven hours drive and $350 bucks in fuel from there to get him what he rightfully owns. Makes me worry a bit. I tried to express this to him. I don't know if it got through. If he's a smart as I know he is...he'll show up soon.
Second...I gave the go ahead to Ducor Telephone to install the phone line. Had a wonderful (as always) conversation with Melany (the customer service girl) and am getting hooked up. I like Melany. She sounds like she is on a constant caffiene high and can't wait to do something...anything. I also called Bill (the lone employee who works for Ducor and is in KM) and asked if he had word on when it could happen. Bill told me that there is currently 4" of snow on the ground and don't hold my breath. I asked if he thought it could be installed by the first of March. He sounded relieved and said he would get on it when he could. I told him that I probably wouldn't be there when he hooked it up and if he would please install it the best I could describe. Gave me a positive answer. I always get positive answers from folks employed by Ducor. Really a quite wonderful company to do biddness with so far.
Third...the last post had me elated that a water company might deliver water AND beer to my door step.
That fell through...pisser. No, really. They did recommend Sparkletts.
I called Sparkletts Water and let them make friends.
They will deliver 60 gallons of water to my porch for 75 bucks a month. Now that is still some pricey water ($1.25 a gallon) but there is going to be 30 gallons of water sitting on my porch on March 2 with a dispenser. I will be a big customer as far as they are concerned. 12-5 gallon bottles a month delivered every two weeks. A base price changeable due to requirements on my end without changing per bottle price.
I gave the customer service rep every chance to back out including calling or emailing me if the local guy doesn't want to drive up that ungodly grade to deliver water. She sounded quite positive as well.
A day later, no call or email so I'm thinking I'm good to go without having to drive to the river to fill water bottles I don't have.
I tried to explain that my zip code was based on a small town 25 mountain miles away plus and additional 25 desert miles, gave them the name of the "community" and asked them to be certain, make sure. She went through all the data base for that zip code and assured me that the water will be there. We'll see. Also since the weather report yesterday indicated the the high temp was 19 degrees (with a 47 mph wind and 83% humidity making the temp feel like -3F), hopefully I won't have 30 gallons of water frozen solid waiting for me...we'll see about that as well.
Fourth...I sent in my "credit" app for propane. Not happy about doing that, not that my credit is horrible. I just hate making aggreements like the one I had to sign. Not much was working in my favor in that aggreement but they are the only game in town and I need the fuel.
I am considering making a trip up quite soon. I need to see what shape the cabin is actually in, drop off my 'new' propane tank and get ready for the propane guy to drive up and fill the tank ( $270.00 ) and run a system check, fill the tank (at a slightly discounted rate) so when I get there I can light a couple of pilots and lamps and make soup for dinner, coffee for the morning and not eat in the dark. Then beat it back to Congress and continue moving on with getting the fuck out.
Still...the most important thing for me right now is to get my gotam truck fixed. I gotta come up with a chunk of change for that to happen...I'm stymied and yet have no choice. I need my truck to make this move and I need 500 bucks more than I have and even after getting the truck fixed I will still need dollars to buy fuel. I might well be camping in the middle of the sonoran desert for a while until I can manage this but all the critters here are not going to be able to deal with this. I NEED to make the move happen and it has to happen now.
So...this is the latest update...still wordy as all hell, but I'm not Hemingway and I can't spend a month trying to come up with a four word sentence that conveys all this crap ya know?
Maybe I can...let's see.."I'm broke, I'm fucked." That sums it up pretty much in four words. Yes, two of the words are contractions so I 'spose that might be considered six words...I don't know. I shoud spend another week and see if I can get that down to a true four word sentence.
Oh wait I can!
Me broke, me fucked.
Tuesday, February 14, 2012
Water and stuff made from it...
OK..still moving forward with stuff.
Yesterday, I went to the PO and got a "change of address/forward my mail please" forms.
This morning I filled it out.
When I opened the thing, coupons galor poured out.
Among those was a coupon to have water delivered to your door. I don't and won't have a well for sometime so I gave it a call. I mean, hell, it might beat driving to the river and filling up water bottles ya know?
So I called the number and got a number for the local guy who delivers.
It turns out the number and "company" is the same as the Indian Wells Brewing Company.
Now when I was a kid, Indian Wells was mostly just a truck stop on hwy 14/395 that was NEVER open. EVER!
Some time back (15-20 or so years ago) someone opened a brewery there. I mean afterall, how many places in the desert have a constant source of water? Damn few.
So I am waiting for a call back to see if they are willing to drive up the hill and bring me clean water.
In the meantime...the wheels spin...if they will deliver water, maybe they would deliver other refreshments?
I mean...bring me 15 gallons of bottled water and two cases of your best bock per week...ya know?
These and hopefully other questions will soon be answered...I hope.
You can read some sort of review here...I want some. Amnesia IPA, Mojave Red...Lobotomy Bock (10.8%)!
Other reviews were not so kind. Go fish. Imagine a place in the middle of the high desert that dares to make and sell varieties of beers, AND a place to sit down and have a steak and someone would complain about that.
This is what is wrong with Amerika.
Most floks (mispelling intened) just don't get how hard it is to actually get by in the middle of the desert...I'm telling you. We are a spoiled people.
I would simply love to provide some support for a brewery in the desert. It would be much like what I'm living here in AZ. Providing a craft in a place with no water or fish could be considered an abomination, a boil on humanities ass, getting what one deserves, etc... Like making trout bamboo flyrods in the middle of the desert, these guys have the guts to open a micro-brew. I gotta admire them for that. I'll try and support them if I can. How stupid can you be? Making flyrods in the middle of the desert? Making crafted beer in the middle of the desert?
If they bring it...I will drink it...otherwise, I'll just get some when I can.
I like the idea of my beer and water bill being one and the same.
Yesterday, I went to the PO and got a "change of address/forward my mail please" forms.
This morning I filled it out.
When I opened the thing, coupons galor poured out.
Among those was a coupon to have water delivered to your door. I don't and won't have a well for sometime so I gave it a call. I mean, hell, it might beat driving to the river and filling up water bottles ya know?
So I called the number and got a number for the local guy who delivers.
It turns out the number and "company" is the same as the Indian Wells Brewing Company.
Now when I was a kid, Indian Wells was mostly just a truck stop on hwy 14/395 that was NEVER open. EVER!
Some time back (15-20 or so years ago) someone opened a brewery there. I mean afterall, how many places in the desert have a constant source of water? Damn few.
So I am waiting for a call back to see if they are willing to drive up the hill and bring me clean water.
In the meantime...the wheels spin...if they will deliver water, maybe they would deliver other refreshments?
I mean...bring me 15 gallons of bottled water and two cases of your best bock per week...ya know?
These and hopefully other questions will soon be answered...I hope.
You can read some sort of review here...I want some. Amnesia IPA, Mojave Red...Lobotomy Bock (10.8%)!
Other reviews were not so kind. Go fish. Imagine a place in the middle of the high desert that dares to make and sell varieties of beers, AND a place to sit down and have a steak and someone would complain about that.
This is what is wrong with Amerika.
Most floks (mispelling intened) just don't get how hard it is to actually get by in the middle of the desert...I'm telling you. We are a spoiled people.
I would simply love to provide some support for a brewery in the desert. It would be much like what I'm living here in AZ. Providing a craft in a place with no water or fish could be considered an abomination, a boil on humanities ass, getting what one deserves, etc... Like making trout bamboo flyrods in the middle of the desert, these guys have the guts to open a micro-brew. I gotta admire them for that. I'll try and support them if I can. How stupid can you be? Making flyrods in the middle of the desert? Making crafted beer in the middle of the desert?
If they bring it...I will drink it...otherwise, I'll just get some when I can.
I like the idea of my beer and water bill being one and the same.
Thursday, February 9, 2012
It's goin'
OK!
Things are goin'.
I mean...I guess they are.
Two days ago I offered up stuff for sale to a couple of brothers. Stuff I really had no intention of ever selling but as my deadline to move grows closer, must sell. I need to get my friggin' truck repaired. And, it has to happen lickidy-split.
I have sold my spare planing forms, almost all my personal use flyrods and reels. Those just kept me eating for a while. What I have left were considered things I would never sell. I seem to be selling a lot of things I thought I would never sell lately. Crap.
So, I'm left with my puny handful of rods and reels and most of my tools. I'll make some new rods when I get to the cabin...I hope.
Selling tools for me is a milestone. Something I worked my ass off for, for a reason, only to turn around and sell...well, it makes me ill. I bought these tools to make a living. Selling these tools isn't a good thing in my mind.
The bright side is I'm moving to a place with no "on-demand" electricity. Parting with power tools isn't quite as painful as it could be. This would be QUITE painful otherwise.
I have 4 lathes. One wood lathe (reel seats and bowls), three metal lathes (ferrules, grips, lapping ferrules, etc) , one of which doesn't run. I can spare a lathe or two in the big scheme of things. I want the lathe I drove 2000 miles for, looked for five years for, paid a grand for, bought a brand new trailer to haul it with and spent a couple nights in a motel room for, not counting fuel to get there and haul it back. That was a pricey little lathe. Right now that 4 grand would make every single thing I need to make happen...happen...I don't have it. I don't care, I want that machine.
So I offer up a pristine,dialed in, 7X10 mini-lathe and a twelve or fifteen something year old dead twin. The current mini has damn few hours on it. Zip. New. The dead mini isn't much good other than spare parts, but those parts are worth more than a new lathe...ask me how I know?
Since the lathe I thought I would be keeping can't use any of the tooling, I threw them into the package as well. Two lathes, a bunch of tooling, 200 bucks. Now I need 500 more to get my truck fixed.
What else can I part with and live another day?
Staring me dead in the face is my roughing beveler. Shit...
It's worth some money, has some history, and it's powered by (gasp) electricity. This machine and bench are easily worth 500 bucks. That and the mini would get my truck fixed. I offer it up as well.
Another brother tells me he'll try and see what he can do.
A brother backs out. No hard feelings whatsoever. The other decides against the investment.
OK.
I consider the next step and the time I have left to make this happen. I also look at what I can part with in time to make this happen. I'm pretty screwed.
I now consider selling the mother lathe for a grand. Hauling it to you extra.
It will fix my truck by itself. This is more than painful...I mean I'm just a pitiful mess at this point.
I rationalize. I only need one functional metal lathe. Sell either one, but do not sell them both.
A brother writes back and tells me he won a golf game and can buy the mini after all! Fooking right on!
The day is looking better after all.
Now, yesterday I called the Amerigas guy and asked him how much lead time he had to have to fix up an old propane tank between the time I said "do it" and when I could pick it up in Glendale AZ.
He didn't call back until this morning.
When he did, he told me my tank was on the way to the mighty metropolis of Congress, AZ.
WTF?
I just wanted to know how much notice he needed, ya know?
The guy tells me, the tank is on the way to the Congress yard...I fumble and recover. I'm thinking that I need $187.50 today. So I throw crap back at him. "How much do you need today"? "Will you take a check"? "What size tank are you actually selling me"? "Can you set it on my trailer rather than just sticking it in your yard"?
The answers to all my questions are positive. That's why he's the manager. He tells me he can't think of whether it's a 120 or 150 ga tank. No big I says to meself. He tells me a check is fine. Perfect. He says he'll text the driver and have him call me.
The driver calls me 15 minutes later and tells me he's sitting about a mile away and would be happy to set the tank on my trailer.
Perfect.
He gets here...we start yakking, turns out he is from my old home town.
I ask him if he ever fished the canyon I fished almost everyday. He did. Often.
And now a major hurdle is once again jumped...
That is a 120 ga tank that can be filled to hold 90 actual gallons of highly flammable propane that will fire a stove, some wall mounted lamps, and hopefully a 'fridge.
Once I get settled up there and a little free time, I'll repaint it to look like a yellow submarine.
Life is suddenly good once again...now if I can just get the rest of the cash I need to get the gotam truck runnin'.
You know...a good brother was once going to give me a lesson on brevity. He didn't do it and so you are stuck with this instead.
Blame it all on him.
Things are goin'.
I mean...I guess they are.
Two days ago I offered up stuff for sale to a couple of brothers. Stuff I really had no intention of ever selling but as my deadline to move grows closer, must sell. I need to get my friggin' truck repaired. And, it has to happen lickidy-split.
I have sold my spare planing forms, almost all my personal use flyrods and reels. Those just kept me eating for a while. What I have left were considered things I would never sell. I seem to be selling a lot of things I thought I would never sell lately. Crap.
So, I'm left with my puny handful of rods and reels and most of my tools. I'll make some new rods when I get to the cabin...I hope.
Selling tools for me is a milestone. Something I worked my ass off for, for a reason, only to turn around and sell...well, it makes me ill. I bought these tools to make a living. Selling these tools isn't a good thing in my mind.
The bright side is I'm moving to a place with no "on-demand" electricity. Parting with power tools isn't quite as painful as it could be. This would be QUITE painful otherwise.
I have 4 lathes. One wood lathe (reel seats and bowls), three metal lathes (ferrules, grips, lapping ferrules, etc) , one of which doesn't run. I can spare a lathe or two in the big scheme of things. I want the lathe I drove 2000 miles for, looked for five years for, paid a grand for, bought a brand new trailer to haul it with and spent a couple nights in a motel room for, not counting fuel to get there and haul it back. That was a pricey little lathe. Right now that 4 grand would make every single thing I need to make happen...happen...I don't have it. I don't care, I want that machine.
So I offer up a pristine,dialed in, 7X10 mini-lathe and a twelve or fifteen something year old dead twin. The current mini has damn few hours on it. Zip. New. The dead mini isn't much good other than spare parts, but those parts are worth more than a new lathe...ask me how I know?
Since the lathe I thought I would be keeping can't use any of the tooling, I threw them into the package as well. Two lathes, a bunch of tooling, 200 bucks. Now I need 500 more to get my truck fixed.
What else can I part with and live another day?
Staring me dead in the face is my roughing beveler. Shit...
It's worth some money, has some history, and it's powered by (gasp) electricity. This machine and bench are easily worth 500 bucks. That and the mini would get my truck fixed. I offer it up as well.
Another brother tells me he'll try and see what he can do.
A brother backs out. No hard feelings whatsoever. The other decides against the investment.
OK.
I consider the next step and the time I have left to make this happen. I also look at what I can part with in time to make this happen. I'm pretty screwed.
I now consider selling the mother lathe for a grand. Hauling it to you extra.
It will fix my truck by itself. This is more than painful...I mean I'm just a pitiful mess at this point.
I rationalize. I only need one functional metal lathe. Sell either one, but do not sell them both.
A brother writes back and tells me he won a golf game and can buy the mini after all! Fooking right on!
The day is looking better after all.
Now, yesterday I called the Amerigas guy and asked him how much lead time he had to have to fix up an old propane tank between the time I said "do it" and when I could pick it up in Glendale AZ.
He didn't call back until this morning.
When he did, he told me my tank was on the way to the mighty metropolis of Congress, AZ.
WTF?
I just wanted to know how much notice he needed, ya know?
The guy tells me, the tank is on the way to the Congress yard...I fumble and recover. I'm thinking that I need $187.50 today. So I throw crap back at him. "How much do you need today"? "Will you take a check"? "What size tank are you actually selling me"? "Can you set it on my trailer rather than just sticking it in your yard"?
The answers to all my questions are positive. That's why he's the manager. He tells me he can't think of whether it's a 120 or 150 ga tank. No big I says to meself. He tells me a check is fine. Perfect. He says he'll text the driver and have him call me.
The driver calls me 15 minutes later and tells me he's sitting about a mile away and would be happy to set the tank on my trailer.
Perfect.
He gets here...we start yakking, turns out he is from my old home town.
I ask him if he ever fished the canyon I fished almost everyday. He did. Often.
And now a major hurdle is once again jumped...
That is a 120 ga tank that can be filled to hold 90 actual gallons of highly flammable propane that will fire a stove, some wall mounted lamps, and hopefully a 'fridge.
Once I get settled up there and a little free time, I'll repaint it to look like a yellow submarine.
Life is suddenly good once again...now if I can just get the rest of the cash I need to get the gotam truck runnin'.
You know...a good brother was once going to give me a lesson on brevity. He didn't do it and so you are stuck with this instead.
Blame it all on him.
Monday, January 30, 2012
onward...
Since my last post, things have moved forward a bit. Only measurable in geologic time, but measurable.
Last Saturday, my ceiling was 'finished.'
Last week also brought good things...
Fully half of the friends I've made while living in the great State of AZ.
Mr. Twoshoes (Mike Johnson) left and Perry right. I will miss them both dearly.
Goodbye brothers. I loves ya both.
Mike is a brother. Period.
I have taught more than a few good folks to make bamboo in my life and it has always been my pleasure. Mike is one of the very few who took it and ran. Mike makes some of the finest rods one could hope to own...again, period. I wish I had one.
Perry is a kid. LOL. He's like 28 or something but a good heart, easy smile, and makes a damn fine bamboo rod. I was once 28...no really.
I feel like I can leave this State knowing that it's in good hands. If only one of them was the guberner instead of some nazi.
Perry leaves the shop with my set of quad forms. Mike leaves the shop with my very first set of forms.
The wall where they leaned is empty except for the one set I use(d) almost everyday.
I will miss both sets of forms for different reasons...see below...
The quad forms I bought from Kyle Druery when I lived in CA. Kyle was a most excellent rodmaker and made some of the finest quads (hollow and solid) one could purchase...again, period. I haven't heard from Kyle in about ten years. He was going to start back teaching. He lived in Bakersfield. I have no idea where he is now. Kyle made these forms from scratch in his garage. By hand and file, sweat of his brow, strength of his back. In case you don't know...quad forms consist of THREE bars. All three have to be flat and square. The middle bar has no taper to it. The outer bars have a 45 degree bevel cut in them on two sides, tip and flip for butt. The two outer bars MUST be square and equal to each other and the middle bar. Sounds easy...it ain't...and he did it by hand. With a freaking file...just beauty forms. I miss them already. Not that I make or made quads, just that a friend and contemporary made them, used them, and I got to have them.
The set that Mike took were my first set. They aren't perfect. They were made by Lon Blauvelt in Maine. He's made definite improvements to them over the years. I was able to buy these when I first started about 15 years ago. I likely never would have finished (not that I'm anywhere close to being finished) this bamboo journey if it had not been for Lon and a reasonable price for a set of forms which are essential.
Those two sets of forms meant two things to me... both purely sentimental.
First, they were my first set so...you know...close to (or over) a hundred rods on those forms. That's some time and energy, I can't get either of those back. Now the forms are gone as well.
Second...those were the only forms I could make the Lil Debbie on.
Debbie is a real person who lives in Florida. There's a story there that can't be put on paper...sorry.
...And they had to be modified to even make that happen. The first 20 or 25 inches of the tip were modified to make a tip that could go down small enough (.022") to make the ought through 2 wt taper required. It's a modification I hope I make to my Bellinger's, which I love for their smoothness and consistency of taper.
Fwiw...I had to make adjustments with a hammer on the Blauvelt's. It's all about where you place the pins in the forms. The forms would hang up in between stations because the pins were set between each set of adjustment bolts (instead of between the push/pull bolts at each adjustment station) and you have to smack them with a hammer to set set them.
Mike really didn't need the forms and I know that. He just bought a set of nice Bellinger's which I guess he hasn't received yet. He only bought them to put a couple of bucks in my pocket, but he did it out of the kindness of his big damn heart. So did Perry I think.
So...thank you both for some needed cash...I hope you both think of me when you decide to use them and I hope this hell hole of a State treats you fine for the rest of your days. Never forget to pay it forward.
I will miss you both...I look forward to visits whenever either of you can make it up to paradise. Until then...have fun fishin' in the gutter.
Little Goldens (and I) await you.
Last Saturday, my ceiling was 'finished.'
Beauty eh?
I don't care. I'm leaving and don't have to live with it.Last week also brought good things...
Mr. Twoshoes (Mike Johnson) left and Perry right. I will miss them both dearly.
Goodbye brothers. I loves ya both.
Mike is a brother. Period.
I have taught more than a few good folks to make bamboo in my life and it has always been my pleasure. Mike is one of the very few who took it and ran. Mike makes some of the finest rods one could hope to own...again, period. I wish I had one.
Perry is a kid. LOL. He's like 28 or something but a good heart, easy smile, and makes a damn fine bamboo rod. I was once 28...no really.
I feel like I can leave this State knowing that it's in good hands. If only one of them was the guberner instead of some nazi.
Perry leaves the shop with my set of quad forms. Mike leaves the shop with my very first set of forms.
The wall where they leaned is empty except for the one set I use(d) almost everyday.
I will miss both sets of forms for different reasons...see below...
The quad forms I bought from Kyle Druery when I lived in CA. Kyle was a most excellent rodmaker and made some of the finest quads (hollow and solid) one could purchase...again, period. I haven't heard from Kyle in about ten years. He was going to start back teaching. He lived in Bakersfield. I have no idea where he is now. Kyle made these forms from scratch in his garage. By hand and file, sweat of his brow, strength of his back. In case you don't know...quad forms consist of THREE bars. All three have to be flat and square. The middle bar has no taper to it. The outer bars have a 45 degree bevel cut in them on two sides, tip and flip for butt. The two outer bars MUST be square and equal to each other and the middle bar. Sounds easy...it ain't...and he did it by hand. With a freaking file...just beauty forms. I miss them already. Not that I make or made quads, just that a friend and contemporary made them, used them, and I got to have them.
The set that Mike took were my first set. They aren't perfect. They were made by Lon Blauvelt in Maine. He's made definite improvements to them over the years. I was able to buy these when I first started about 15 years ago. I likely never would have finished (not that I'm anywhere close to being finished) this bamboo journey if it had not been for Lon and a reasonable price for a set of forms which are essential.
Those two sets of forms meant two things to me... both purely sentimental.
First, they were my first set so...you know...close to (or over) a hundred rods on those forms. That's some time and energy, I can't get either of those back. Now the forms are gone as well.
Second...those were the only forms I could make the Lil Debbie on.
Debbie is a real person who lives in Florida. There's a story there that can't be put on paper...sorry.
...And they had to be modified to even make that happen. The first 20 or 25 inches of the tip were modified to make a tip that could go down small enough (.022") to make the ought through 2 wt taper required. It's a modification I hope I make to my Bellinger's, which I love for their smoothness and consistency of taper.
Fwiw...I had to make adjustments with a hammer on the Blauvelt's. It's all about where you place the pins in the forms. The forms would hang up in between stations because the pins were set between each set of adjustment bolts (instead of between the push/pull bolts at each adjustment station) and you have to smack them with a hammer to set set them.
Mike really didn't need the forms and I know that. He just bought a set of nice Bellinger's which I guess he hasn't received yet. He only bought them to put a couple of bucks in my pocket, but he did it out of the kindness of his big damn heart. So did Perry I think.
So...thank you both for some needed cash...I hope you both think of me when you decide to use them and I hope this hell hole of a State treats you fine for the rest of your days. Never forget to pay it forward.
I will miss you both...I look forward to visits whenever either of you can make it up to paradise. Until then...have fun fishin' in the gutter.
Little Goldens (and I) await you.
Friday, January 20, 2012
crap...
OK...
1/12th of the year is almost behind us...time marches on and all that.
As of this morning...I have a roof again. The work isn't finished, I don't have a ceiling, but I'm hoping I'm water tight. This is good.
I have spent the last month packing stuff, storing stuff, surviving. There's still a boatload left to do. It'll happen.
A couple few of the things I have been working on are;
fuel pump for the truck (No luck on that yet,) an estimate to put a well in at the cabin, propane delivery to the cabin, and a very "small" solar array.
Where to start?
Let's start with the truck since it's the most pressing...
I have a nice (at this point, old) 2000 F-150. It's a "Lariat", nice trim package if I do say so. Bought it used in 2002. I have yet to own one single brand new vehicle in my life. I give up on that little dream. Oh sure I have paid for a couple in previous lives, but they were never mine, always seemed to be "ex's" so they don't count.
Ford made two fuel pumps for that year. I can buy either of them on fleabay for either 50 bucks or 250 bucks but you have to know which one. You won't know until you actually pull it from the fuel tank. To do that, one either removes the bed to access the tank, or drops the tank to access the pump, pull the pump, buy it, reinstall whatever choice you made in the first place. I'm a rod maker damn it, not a mechanic! Did I sound like Scotty in Startrek?
OK so nothing has happened on that end. My neighborhood mechanic wants $700.00, the Ford dealer wants at least $700.00 WTF? 700 freaking dollars for a stupid POS fuel pump. OK...it's gotta happen, but it ain't happening right now obviously.
On to the next problem. Water at the cabin.
I am fully prepared to drink water from the river. I've done it before, I'll do it again. A little Giardia doesn't scare me. But since a companion may also make this trek with me I thought it would be a good idea to at least get a new estimate to sink a well. I mean, it would be nice to have a flushing toilet ya know? Not one of my priorities but the last estimate I got was about 15 years ago. The estimate I got was pretty reasonable as far as I was concerned. $10.00 p/ft +$301.00 county permit/fee. My Uncle's well was about 250 feet deep so I figure I'm going to have to go at least that deep. So there's $2800.00. I then asked how much a pump would run. $2000.00. so five grand...shit.
Really not that bad I suppose as it was about the same 15 years ago. And they seem like good folks. Put a lot of wells in up there for people over the 30+ years. I trust 'em.
Edit thing...I looked up the #'s again...30 bucks a foot not ten so 7500 to drill +2000 for a pump...shit...
Onto the next problem...
Propane...
My old man bought himself a 170 gallon propane tank when he was alive. I guess he obviously didn't buy it after he passed the bend in the river.
When I was last at the cabin, I turned on the tank to see if I could fire anything up. I turned the valve all the way on and it leaked like a sieve. A new valve is in order.
Now there is one company that will deliver propane to Kennedy Meadows, Suburban Propane out of Lake Isabella (Nice damn lake for you bass guys btw). What follows shouldn't be taken as any kind of knock on Suburban. It's just what I am dealing with. I call "Janine" (who refuses to call me Mike but refers to me as "Mr. Shay" I hate that.) and tells me that "Robert" delivers to KM every Thursday. She will have Robert go to the cabin and check the tank and let me know. In the meantime she sends me a credit check and delivery contract. It says that repairs are 85 bucks an hour plus parts...fair enough. I'm thinking 30 minutes to pull an old worn out valve, 40 bucks for a new valve, 30 minutes to install, and 125 dollars later, I'm in biddness.
Wrong...
Friday I call Janine and ask about things...she'll look into it.
I get a quite impersonal e-mail telling me that "the tank isn't worth fixing." WTF does that mean? I mean...don't I get to decide? The simple answer is "No." Yes it's my tank, no I don't get to decide. I can rent a new tank for $65.00 per year for the rest of my life though. Fuck that. I tried asking her what the actual charge would be. I NEVER got a straight answer from her. She was trying to sell me a rental agreement and that was that.
Now just across the road from me in Congress is an "Amerigas" dealer. I mean the place where a propane truck pulls up every day and fills it's tank to make deliveries to guys like you and me. I walk Bonnie past there every day and I see about fifty old tanks sitting in their yard. I call Amerigas and ask about a replacement tank. I get a price of $486.00 AZ dollars. 500 bucks and I can get a brand new tank! The guy, "CJ" is treating me just awesome and I know it. Good vibes from the guy. He also tells me that he'll look into finding me another new tank someplace closer to the cabin. I'm thinking "good stuff right there!"
He calls me back in an hour with an Amerigas dealer in Lake Isabella. I call, and that dealer tells me the very same tank that CJ was going to sell me would be 900 fucking dollars picked up from him! Huh?
So I call Suburban and tell them I would like a price from them...next day I get a call back and am quoted over a grand. Over $1000.00! $1000.00 for a 120 gallon tank!
I tell Suburban Janine that I can get a brand new, never used, certified tank for $486.00 in AZ. She really had no response to that. I stewed over this again for awhile and thought about all those tanks sitting in the yard across the street.
I called CJ back the next day and told him his compadres in Lk Isabella wanted 900 bucks for the same tank he was offering for $486. Expressed my gratitude for all his help and what I considered a reasonable price. You know...folks you deal with don't seem to get enough praise these days for good work. I told him he had my biddness as soon as I could make it happen...then I asked him...
"Hey, what about all those old tanks in the yard across the street from me?"
His reply, "Oh all those tanks need re-valving"
"How much to do that?"
"Well, we don't really offer those for sale but I can sell you one for a buck and a quarter a gallon. I have a 150 GA and a 250 GA tank I could re-valve, test and repaint for you for $187.50..."
Freaking stick a fork in me...I'm done! "I'll take it! Er...it''ll be awhile before I can pick it up but don't sell it!"
CJ tells me not to worry about it.
OK!
Now I own four fridges...three are actual refrigerator/freezers, two are in storage. One is a "Kegerator" a small little thing that was supposed to be exactly what the name implies. I found it on a guys patio who I fumigated about 10 or 12 years ago. I looked into having it hooked up to dispense beer from a keg but somewhere along the line in the last 50 years, they changed the way beer flows from these things and a keg one buys today doesn't hook up the same, doesn't use the same C02 cylinders, etc. But the thing still stays cold inside so I keep it next to the bench for 'refreshments.' My companera needs to have a freezer as well. She raises rats and mice as feeder things for her snakes and lizards. I try and stay out of that. Makes me queezy over all the death these poor little bastards suffer. This from a former pest control guy who killed the furry little fuckers for a living. I'm just so done with "gruesome." But she wants one. Fair enough.
My old man had a "Servel." A propane powered fridge/freezer. Don't even think of asking how a lit and flaming fire makes things freeze OK? It just does...that's good enough for me. Think of the book "The Mosquito Coast."
I tried making this thing fire up 20 years ago. My Uncle (who I now susspect is long dead) was a refridgeration guy in LA. I had him look at it, he couldn't get it to fire up. I gave up. The cabin is loaded with rodents...mostly Kangaroo rats. They get into everything. I couldn't bring a box of food or anything thing up there as the rats would have been into it before I could blink my eye. Since the Servel didn't work, I just used it as rat proof storage. Works great for that.
Now in the meantime...there was a guy named Larry Mills who advertised that he did solar installations. I figured "How much could a small solar setup cost for a fridge/freezer, TV/dvd player, computer cost."
I called 411 got the number only to find it was disconnected. Larry was a friend of my Dad's and was the guy who called me when my dad finally went down the last slippery slope before he died.
I looked all over the internet for his number and couldn't find anything. I decided to call "Bill" since he worked for the phone company up there and probably knew everyone that lived there. So I called Bill and he told me that Larry also passed away...shit...
So I sucked it up and asked if he knew anyone who was installing solar and how I might get in touch.
He gave me a name and small warning that they "are good, but pricey." I also asked him if he knew anyone servicing Servel's? He replied "No, But I have a nice one for sale for a hundred bucks. I snapped that up to with the prevision he didn't expect to get paid real quick. He didn't seem concerned and gave me an assurance the thing was mine.
I called the solar guys 3 days ago, laid out what I was looking for and was told "a guy" would call me back. Waited the rest of the day and into the morning of the next. Called back griped about no one calling me back, was assured that some guy would call me...again...and at 4:00pm he did. Quoted me 12 grand to run a fridge on solar! 12 panels, 16 batteries, used converter, the actual "adjustable" array, etc...I flipped out! All used equipment and it was still $12,000 to run a fridge!
This morning I got a call back from a gyrl and she asked me for my email, a minute later I got an estimate in writing. They reduced the number of panels and batteries and gave me a price of ten grand...I'm feeling SO much better!
SO...CJ gets $187.50 for a refurbished tank, Bill gets a hundred bucks for a used propane fired fridge, SWMBO gets a freezer, Suburban gets 85 bucks an hour to run a mandatory system check on a fuel system I know doesn't leak and gets 3 bucks a gallon for the first fill up on a 150 gallon tank...
What do I get?
Outa here...fish in the Spring, and a haul to get a shop into some kind of usable space. Oh and since I'm NOT gonna pay 10 grand to keep something cold, I'll have to run a teeny generator to run a TV for an hour or two a day. Big deal. I can buy a HELL of a lot of fuel for $10,000!
Now I realize that this is by far and away the longest post I have ever written here. I appologize.
I will try and make updates more frequently than once a month...but really...who cares?
OH!
I never even touched on Cargo containers! LOL
Wait until I tell you about that! Jus' trying to cut down on storage bills and consolodate! LOL
Luv,
Me
1/12th of the year is almost behind us...time marches on and all that.
As of this morning...I have a roof again. The work isn't finished, I don't have a ceiling, but I'm hoping I'm water tight. This is good.
I have spent the last month packing stuff, storing stuff, surviving. There's still a boatload left to do. It'll happen.
A couple few of the things I have been working on are;
fuel pump for the truck (No luck on that yet,) an estimate to put a well in at the cabin, propane delivery to the cabin, and a very "small" solar array.
Where to start?
Let's start with the truck since it's the most pressing...
I have a nice (at this point, old) 2000 F-150. It's a "Lariat", nice trim package if I do say so. Bought it used in 2002. I have yet to own one single brand new vehicle in my life. I give up on that little dream. Oh sure I have paid for a couple in previous lives, but they were never mine, always seemed to be "ex's" so they don't count.
Ford made two fuel pumps for that year. I can buy either of them on fleabay for either 50 bucks or 250 bucks but you have to know which one. You won't know until you actually pull it from the fuel tank. To do that, one either removes the bed to access the tank, or drops the tank to access the pump, pull the pump, buy it, reinstall whatever choice you made in the first place. I'm a rod maker damn it, not a mechanic! Did I sound like Scotty in Startrek?
OK so nothing has happened on that end. My neighborhood mechanic wants $700.00, the Ford dealer wants at least $700.00 WTF? 700 freaking dollars for a stupid POS fuel pump. OK...it's gotta happen, but it ain't happening right now obviously.
On to the next problem. Water at the cabin.
I am fully prepared to drink water from the river. I've done it before, I'll do it again. A little Giardia doesn't scare me. But since a companion may also make this trek with me I thought it would be a good idea to at least get a new estimate to sink a well. I mean, it would be nice to have a flushing toilet ya know? Not one of my priorities but the last estimate I got was about 15 years ago. The estimate I got was pretty reasonable as far as I was concerned. $10.00 p/ft +$301.00 county permit/fee. My Uncle's well was about 250 feet deep so I figure I'm going to have to go at least that deep. So there's $2800.00. I then asked how much a pump would run. $2000.00. so five grand...shit.
Really not that bad I suppose as it was about the same 15 years ago. And they seem like good folks. Put a lot of wells in up there for people over the 30+ years. I trust 'em.
Edit thing...I looked up the #'s again...30 bucks a foot not ten so 7500 to drill +2000 for a pump...shit...
Onto the next problem...
Propane...
My old man bought himself a 170 gallon propane tank when he was alive. I guess he obviously didn't buy it after he passed the bend in the river.
When I was last at the cabin, I turned on the tank to see if I could fire anything up. I turned the valve all the way on and it leaked like a sieve. A new valve is in order.
Now there is one company that will deliver propane to Kennedy Meadows, Suburban Propane out of Lake Isabella (Nice damn lake for you bass guys btw). What follows shouldn't be taken as any kind of knock on Suburban. It's just what I am dealing with. I call "Janine" (who refuses to call me Mike but refers to me as "Mr. Shay" I hate that.) and tells me that "Robert" delivers to KM every Thursday. She will have Robert go to the cabin and check the tank and let me know. In the meantime she sends me a credit check and delivery contract. It says that repairs are 85 bucks an hour plus parts...fair enough. I'm thinking 30 minutes to pull an old worn out valve, 40 bucks for a new valve, 30 minutes to install, and 125 dollars later, I'm in biddness.
Wrong...
Friday I call Janine and ask about things...she'll look into it.
I get a quite impersonal e-mail telling me that "the tank isn't worth fixing." WTF does that mean? I mean...don't I get to decide? The simple answer is "No." Yes it's my tank, no I don't get to decide. I can rent a new tank for $65.00 per year for the rest of my life though. Fuck that. I tried asking her what the actual charge would be. I NEVER got a straight answer from her. She was trying to sell me a rental agreement and that was that.
Now just across the road from me in Congress is an "Amerigas" dealer. I mean the place where a propane truck pulls up every day and fills it's tank to make deliveries to guys like you and me. I walk Bonnie past there every day and I see about fifty old tanks sitting in their yard. I call Amerigas and ask about a replacement tank. I get a price of $486.00 AZ dollars. 500 bucks and I can get a brand new tank! The guy, "CJ" is treating me just awesome and I know it. Good vibes from the guy. He also tells me that he'll look into finding me another new tank someplace closer to the cabin. I'm thinking "good stuff right there!"
He calls me back in an hour with an Amerigas dealer in Lake Isabella. I call, and that dealer tells me the very same tank that CJ was going to sell me would be 900 fucking dollars picked up from him! Huh?
So I call Suburban and tell them I would like a price from them...next day I get a call back and am quoted over a grand. Over $1000.00! $1000.00 for a 120 gallon tank!
I tell Suburban Janine that I can get a brand new, never used, certified tank for $486.00 in AZ. She really had no response to that. I stewed over this again for awhile and thought about all those tanks sitting in the yard across the street.
I called CJ back the next day and told him his compadres in Lk Isabella wanted 900 bucks for the same tank he was offering for $486. Expressed my gratitude for all his help and what I considered a reasonable price. You know...folks you deal with don't seem to get enough praise these days for good work. I told him he had my biddness as soon as I could make it happen...then I asked him...
"Hey, what about all those old tanks in the yard across the street from me?"
His reply, "Oh all those tanks need re-valving"
"How much to do that?"
"Well, we don't really offer those for sale but I can sell you one for a buck and a quarter a gallon. I have a 150 GA and a 250 GA tank I could re-valve, test and repaint for you for $187.50..."
Freaking stick a fork in me...I'm done! "I'll take it! Er...it''ll be awhile before I can pick it up but don't sell it!"
CJ tells me not to worry about it.
OK!
Now I own four fridges...three are actual refrigerator/freezers, two are in storage. One is a "Kegerator" a small little thing that was supposed to be exactly what the name implies. I found it on a guys patio who I fumigated about 10 or 12 years ago. I looked into having it hooked up to dispense beer from a keg but somewhere along the line in the last 50 years, they changed the way beer flows from these things and a keg one buys today doesn't hook up the same, doesn't use the same C02 cylinders, etc. But the thing still stays cold inside so I keep it next to the bench for 'refreshments.' My companera needs to have a freezer as well. She raises rats and mice as feeder things for her snakes and lizards. I try and stay out of that. Makes me queezy over all the death these poor little bastards suffer. This from a former pest control guy who killed the furry little fuckers for a living. I'm just so done with "gruesome." But she wants one. Fair enough.
My old man had a "Servel." A propane powered fridge/freezer. Don't even think of asking how a lit and flaming fire makes things freeze OK? It just does...that's good enough for me. Think of the book "The Mosquito Coast."
I tried making this thing fire up 20 years ago. My Uncle (who I now susspect is long dead) was a refridgeration guy in LA. I had him look at it, he couldn't get it to fire up. I gave up. The cabin is loaded with rodents...mostly Kangaroo rats. They get into everything. I couldn't bring a box of food or anything thing up there as the rats would have been into it before I could blink my eye. Since the Servel didn't work, I just used it as rat proof storage. Works great for that.
Now in the meantime...there was a guy named Larry Mills who advertised that he did solar installations. I figured "How much could a small solar setup cost for a fridge/freezer, TV/dvd player, computer cost."
I called 411 got the number only to find it was disconnected. Larry was a friend of my Dad's and was the guy who called me when my dad finally went down the last slippery slope before he died.
I looked all over the internet for his number and couldn't find anything. I decided to call "Bill" since he worked for the phone company up there and probably knew everyone that lived there. So I called Bill and he told me that Larry also passed away...shit...
So I sucked it up and asked if he knew anyone who was installing solar and how I might get in touch.
He gave me a name and small warning that they "are good, but pricey." I also asked him if he knew anyone servicing Servel's? He replied "No, But I have a nice one for sale for a hundred bucks. I snapped that up to with the prevision he didn't expect to get paid real quick. He didn't seem concerned and gave me an assurance the thing was mine.
I called the solar guys 3 days ago, laid out what I was looking for and was told "a guy" would call me back. Waited the rest of the day and into the morning of the next. Called back griped about no one calling me back, was assured that some guy would call me...again...and at 4:00pm he did. Quoted me 12 grand to run a fridge on solar! 12 panels, 16 batteries, used converter, the actual "adjustable" array, etc...I flipped out! All used equipment and it was still $12,000 to run a fridge!
This morning I got a call back from a gyrl and she asked me for my email, a minute later I got an estimate in writing. They reduced the number of panels and batteries and gave me a price of ten grand...I'm feeling SO much better!
SO...CJ gets $187.50 for a refurbished tank, Bill gets a hundred bucks for a used propane fired fridge, SWMBO gets a freezer, Suburban gets 85 bucks an hour to run a mandatory system check on a fuel system I know doesn't leak and gets 3 bucks a gallon for the first fill up on a 150 gallon tank...
What do I get?
Outa here...fish in the Spring, and a haul to get a shop into some kind of usable space. Oh and since I'm NOT gonna pay 10 grand to keep something cold, I'll have to run a teeny generator to run a TV for an hour or two a day. Big deal. I can buy a HELL of a lot of fuel for $10,000!
Now I realize that this is by far and away the longest post I have ever written here. I appologize.
I will try and make updates more frequently than once a month...but really...who cares?
OH!
I never even touched on Cargo containers! LOL
Wait until I tell you about that! Jus' trying to cut down on storage bills and consolodate! LOL
Luv,
Me
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