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

jus' an update and stuff that makes me laugh

OK...yesterday I expected a brother to show up and bid me farewell...he didn't. Also, the insurance adjuster/estimator guy came out to finally assess the damage. It was also the first time my landlord dared show her face. I was pissed. She obviously really doesn't care about the quality of life of me and fellow tenants. You folks in the customer service industry please take note. A problem customer doesn't just 'go away.' They get angrier if you ignore them and a small problem turns into larger problems.

So anyway...I had an uncomfortable meeting with my landlord. I won't go into it here but the matter was settled. I'm out, the building is, this morning, getting a patch job and my dog Bonnie (what I was really writing about) is quite disappointed in me. Not in the upcoming move, not in my 'handling' of my landlord, but in my choice of dog food.
Now my dog lets me know what's what. Even though I try and get her good food, she has her preferences. I always try and be tuned to her preference but sometimes you just screw up you know?

Now Bonnie doesn't know or trust a lot of folks. It's not really a bad on her part, it's just that it's hard for a Border Collie to grow up in these cramped conditions and circumstances. Border Collies don't make good pets for the most part. Their work ethic is very strong and will turn ANY game into a job. I like these dogs because they work all day every day for the most part, as do I (kinda.) I can relate quite well to them. That's why she's my third BC.

Bonnie's not a 'chow hound.' She doesn't stick her head in a bowl and not stop eating until it's gone. She nibbles through the day. I like that about her. 3 handfuls of  'Kibble & Snouts' will last her all day. It's really quite wonderful.

So anyway...sheesh...(I digress) one of my two neighbors (who I'll call Dianna) always gives Bonnie treats when she sees her. Sometimes these treats are canine gastronomical delights. Sometimes they (apparently) are not. When Bonnie gets something she thinks is yummy, she will sit, lay down without the slightest coaching. She learned to sit and lay her first day in the shop. She will do either at the slightest provocation IF she knows there is some food (something tasty preferrably) in your hand . You would think her quite well trained....but I assure you...

When Dianna gives her a treat she likes, she will do anything you ask. IF you tried the same thing with a crusty, dry, milk bone dog biscuit (you know what I mean) YOU'LL be the one begging her to take it. She hates them. She hates ANYTHING that looks or smells like them.
She will eventually take it gingerly from your hand but she won't eat it. She will simply take it and bury it...immediately...right now...and come back for something better. Right now, there is half a bisquit she buried under a railroad tie out front over six months ago. She can't walk past it with pulling me over and re-burying it. Cracks me up.

SO...I bought her some food. The place I always bought her food went out of biddness and I had to try and find the equivalent diatarally (SP?). I got a brand named "Diamond" which is supposedly a quality dog food.
She hates it...

Have you ever watched a dog bury a 40 lb bag of food?
See below...

 Going...

 Going...

 Gone...

Done. Don't feed me anymore of this crap...

Arizona rodmaker Mike Johnson, recently made a comment on his blog. I asked him if he was going to be able to stop by one last time befor I left this hell hole.
His reply was "Congress is a dangerous place to visit."
While I believe he may have been referring to one of the many dangers of visiting me, I don't think he had this in mind...

Downtown Congress, AZ destroyed by fierce winds..

Looks like the perfect time to be gettin' out of AZ...

New Digs

Hi folks...
Yep new digs.
I am moving as was obvious a month ago.
Contact info will change a little.
The email addy will stay the same;
Troutgetter@aol.com
Physical mailing address will be;
M. Shay
96633 Pinon Village Rd
Inyokern, CA 93527

The actual location is a little place named Kennedy Meadows in CA in the southern Sierra.
For me it will be 1/4 mile from heaven...The south fork of the Kern. A half hour to the Kern Plateau and little Golden's, Two hours by jeep trail to Monache Meadows. This was pretty much always my home water. I am only in AZ because I was spawning and when the river dropped I was stranded on a gravel bar.

If you ever want to check weather conditions before making the trek to fish (or see me) you can go here and see what's what.

(No, I won't be in Inyokern. Inyokern is little better or worse than where I now reside. The US Guberment has decided that mail can and will be delivered to Kennedy Meadows by the Inyokern PO. Funny they can't even do that in Congress AZ but I ain't complaining.)

Now as slow as the damn donkey that delivered mail to Congress was, I suspect that the same poor beast will also deliver mail to this address. I ain't complaining. Not at all!
Once I'm in there, I will apparently have a phone and so I will also have Internet even if it's somewhat sporadic. So my email addy will not change.
I will also have a phone number.
It will be;
559-850-7429 (SHAY) heh heh...

Anyway...the new place is going to be a 'bit' on the rustic end of the spectrum. No water, no electricity except what Mr. Honda provides and rodmaking is going to change for me.

When I first started making rods, I taught myself to make a rod two ways. With electricity and without.
I am going to be doing a LOT of things without firing up a generator. Your rod will be more 'handmade' than ever.
While I will have eliminated a lot of recurring monthly charges (rent, electric bill) I will still be a slave to intangibles (water begging, fuel for generator, denatured alcohol, sandpaper, etc) and the extra time needed to complete a task that would have taken moments or minutes with plug in power. Supplies that were just around the corner (so to speak) here in AZ will involve a day trek down the mountain and back. That's going to be pricey in this part of CA.
So I don't expect the actually cost of making a rod for you to be any less, but it could actually take longer. I'll find out for sure once I can actually get all my tools up there and set up. For now, I'll more than gladly honor any order at the price of $1395.00 if you're willing to have a bit of patience. The price may go up or down later but if you order it at that price, I will deliver it.

Anyway...the new shop right now is nothing more than a shack my dad built 40 years ago. This is not the same shack I'm going to try and live in. It's going to need a decent sized addition to make it work, not to mention windows. I'll need to find a new home for all the clutter and stuff in there right now...assuming my neighbors haven't stolen everything and cleaned it out for me.
This won't be the first task once I'm outa AZ. The first will be getting yet ONE MORE roof on the cabin. This will be the fifth roof in 20 something years. I'm sure this one won't last any longer. The last roof I put on blew off in a year or two and I haven't put one on in well over ten years. I expect to pretty much find the place a train wreck with the governor sending in another train in a matter of moments.

Anyways...the object of this page is to let you know I'm NOT out of business. I'm just rearranging things and it will take a while to get it sorted out. If all goes as planned, I will have my tools out of storage in the spring, shop set up and making rods by summer.

Luv,
Mike

Well it had to happen...

...sooner or later...

I've been keepin' the wolves from the door for years...

Yesterday it came to an end.

Now I've meant to post a lot of stuff this last month. I've taken tons of pictures, done a lot of work and it all came to naught yesterday.
I got my five day notice. I'm moving out.
This isn't going to be easy on many levels.
I owe people work, not just a little bit either.

So here's the plan...

I'm moving to "my Alamo." My last stand. The place I always held in reserve for when things got more than unmanageable.
The Alamo is located in Kennedy Meadows.
There is no phone, no electricity, no running water. It's my shack located pretty deep in the southern Sierra on the Kern Plateau. Yep...golden trout water. and plenty of it.

Now this is just about the absolute worst time of year to move deep into the sierra. I mean really...middle of sierra winter and talking about moving things such as a 500 pound lathe, ya know, to a shed you can't get close to with a truck and trailer.

So the plan is simply to store the shop here in AZ, move it in the spring (if I survive) and try and stay warm and alive until then. It's not going to be easy, it's not going to be fun, but I'll finally be out of AZ and I'll finally be back in trees, water, and fish.

There is going to be a holy shitload of work to do and just getting there seems insurmountable at the moment, but it will happen.

So I temporarily bid you adieu (SP? LOL)...I probably won't be able to post a damn thing until I can afford and arrange phone service (not an easy feat in this place) but pictures will be forthcoming at some time in the future.

Until then I wish all of you a Merry Christmas/Happy Holidays/whatever, and love and peace through the new year.
I'll update when I can and possible.

To my faithful customers...
Thank you...each and everyone of you.
To my new friends and brothers in AZ...an open invitation and a wish for peace, happiness and prosperity...
To the brothers I've been lucky to help here in AZ...I am always at your beckoned call.

Love to you all until I can do what I's gots to do!

Mike