March 1, 2008 06:28 - Do as I say... not as I do!
Actually started yesterday as grumpy as a bear that sat on campfire...
Started the day climbing up and down the narrow, one lane mile or so road, that leads to the dog trainer where Heidi takes Agility lessons. Windy little thing... with the mountain on one side and the outside dually bumpin' on a couple hundred feet of nothin' on the other... Heidi prefers that I take her... wonder why? :-)
Since I, for some twisted reason, kind of like navigatin' that sort of a road, and Heidi and Buck had a good lesson, things were brightnin' up a mite.
...and the rest of the day was looking promising... Heidi needed to run down to a Bead Show in Denver... I usually tag along... and 'wait' out at the Bass Pro Shop... There's enough Adult Toys there to usually put a smile on my face...
Only problem is.... between here and the Bead Show... and then over to Bass Pro and back to the Bead Show to pick 'herself' up... are miles and miles infested with thousands of the dreaded 'wide butt idiot'... and every one of these had a steering wheel in his/her hand...
What is it that makes 4,000 lbs. of steel and rubber cause a person to get stupid? Geez! By the time I got to 'Dad's Toy Box' ... I was spittin' nails.... and that's hard on your lips!
Luckily... after strollin' around for a short while, droolin' all over the boats, fishing rods, rifles, canoes, huge aqarium, and shelf after shelf of gizmo's guaranteed to get a 'Guys' attention... I was much better...
I don't usually buy much... I just like droolin'! ... This time I did pick up a shirt... which turned out to he 1/2 of what it was marked at... Getting better right?
Nope... still got that highway back to the merchandise mart to endure... yuck... I'd think I'd rather sit in a room for day, overcrowded with teachers squealing chalk on the board... than run twenty miles of highway surrounded by 'wide butt idiots'!
I feel sorry for folks that have to live in 'THAT' ...365... remember the: " This is your brain on drugs" ads on TV a few years ago? ... That's mine in heavy traffic.... I much prefer a dirt road with the only traffic jam being a moose in the middle who won't move.
So... when I get back to pick up Heidi... I'm back in a serious grump.... and she's talkin' to Keriann on the phone: " I don't know... NO, he didn't go in the Bead Show... I sent him to Bass Pro Shop with a $30 gift card!... He SHOULD be in a GOOD mood!" .... and I'm thinkin' .... "Ya know... she's right! I'm turnin' into one of those old men who sits on the porch chuckin' rocks at the neighbor kids!" :-)
We got most of the rest of the chores done and we're headed home... but we're hearin' that scrapin' noise that usually means we're hungry. You know... when your buckle starts rubbin' on your back bone?
Right about then we spotted a new BBQ place on the north side of Denver.... 'Famous Daves BBQ'... on Washington at 144th I believe... thought we'd give it a try... though I don't remember ever seeing one before... Looks pretty plain on the outside... just a stucco building... but, inside... KOOL!
It looks just like a Great Northern Lodge... all log, and stone... Dear heads, and creels, and oars, and old lookin' signs... and Indian doo dads... a really comfortable, rustic kind of spirit to it... so I'm thinkin'... I hope the food is as good as the personality...
They didn't disappoint... I thought it was Fine... In all my wanderin'... I've never ate Catfish!... so I figured... "Well Buster... time to try a little something new!" ... excellent too!
End of the story bein' that I got turned around one more time... and ended the day with a fine meal in a fun place and the bill was less than Heidi paid for herself at a girls night out the other night... So... If you're wandering, and see a 'Famous Daves BBQ' in your travels... and you've got a hankerin' for some BBQ... or Catfish! I'd say give 'em a run... the one we ate at will bring us back the next time we see one...
Now... all I had to do was get home... without loosin' the good mood... the good meal put me back in...
and we made it!
Well... it's time to put on that new $9 shirt and go sell some more hardware...
See you in camp... Someday!
Brian
March 2, 2008 06:56 - Gettin' close to one more time...
Boy-O-Boy will I be glad when this part is ... f-i-n-a-l-l-y saddled and done!
Heidi is sure she wants a fresh realtor for 'this years' effort... I can't argue with it... I just don't have much ambition for trying to find a new one... I guess I just don't see much difference in 'em... I, unfortunately for them, class them for the most part, with lawyers and used car salesmen... not the most flattering description... They've got a ways to go to earn any trust from me...
Anyhow, We'll be getting that 'decision' made hopefully this week... maybe next... then it's buryin' St. Joe... squintin' my eyes real hard, crossin' my fingers, crossin' my heart, bowin' my head... & askin' the Boss if he might could overlook some of my deviations from the trail over the past years! :-) ... at least enough of 'em to let this place go to a new family!
and then probably holding my breath till I start to fall over!
We're planning to go get a lot of our pictures/art back out of the gals basement we have 'em stored in... to help shine the place up some... also probably gonna see if we can find one more 'throw away' bed set to fill out one of the other bedrooms... they say a house with some furniture in it sells easier than an empty one... and all our furniture went away last summer when we thought we'd sold...
We've picked up one decent set for the bedroom we'er using... and a couple pieces for the living/dining rooms... the other bedrooms are basically sitting empty...
Next week... weather permitting... I'll get the outside trim painting done... the flowers I started in the basement are starting to sprout... we'll see how they do... I'm still hopin' that Murphy's law causes the place to 'go' before I ever get a chance to put 'em in the ground... We shall see...
If it takes that much time I'll be doing 'repairs' on some of the pasture ground where last years renters wanted to be 'close to the land'... they drove their gol' dang truck... EVERYWHERE... I guess they thought that's "Being Close to the Land!" ...
I'm feeling fairly confident... but I've been there before... usually, right before her boyfriend showed up and sent me packin'! :-)
I keep tellin' the Boss I've learnt my lesson... not sure he's buyin'... I believe he may be wantin' to make sure I don't go forgettin' so quickly this time :-)
I've got my eyes on the same place my heart has always been... the Sunny Slopes...
Hmmm... that means I'm lookin' North... Alaska is up that-a-way ain't it?
Take Good Care
Brian
March 3, 2008 05:24 - In Like a Lion out Like a Lamb... Right?
That's the deal... ain't it? So... If Momma Nature keeps up her end of the bargain... another couple weeks and we should be lookin' hard at the beginning of green grass and sunny slopes!
'cause it was cold and snowy yesterday... well... cold.... they say it was pretty snowy south of here... but cold and some snow here is good enough for a Lion for me.... 'cause I want that Out Like a Lamb deal!
'bout 15 degrees here this morning... and I have to go in early... open the store at 7:30... so I won't be forkin' a motorcycle this morning!
We've set an appointment with a fresh realtor this Thursday... this fella keeps percherons... so he has some understanding of a horse place... something... I think... last years Gal Lacked.... Just talkin' on the phone he thinks we'd be better to wait until 1 April to put it on the market... When things are greening up well...
I suppose that makes sense... and it gives me most of a month of 'spring' to get the outside in shape... we'll know more after the 'sitdown' on Thursday...
Whichever way it goes... it's time... I've been draggin' this deal around so long I can't remember when we weren't... I think once we finally get the thing done... we'll have to find a camp somewhere... not so far off... and just sit for a couple weeks and take stock.... You kind of loose sight of things when you struggle along in uncertainty for nigh on to two years! Sheesh!
That's kind of a nice vision... a quiet camp... nothing hangin' over your head... nowhere you HAVE to be... nothing that HAS to get done... actually have the time to just watch the world around you, without being pressed to go DO something... not owin' an Indian Nickle to nobody... just breathing in the scent of High Mountain Timber... listening to the wind in the trees and the stream tricklin' by.... sounds kind of fine!...
That's a fine vision to close this post on too!
Take Good Care
Brian
March 5, 2008 06:46 - So.... I'll blow and I'll blow and I'll pffffffffttt!
Yep... March tried to come a roarin'...
Well... OK.... not much of a lion.... more of a kitten in a bad mood.... but it has been cold and windy! 18 this morning!
OK... it's just cold.... NOT.... REAL cold.... REAL cold bein' 5 below or some such...
Found a new way to weed... there was a bunch of tumble weed around the lawn area on the mountain side of the house... been plannin' on cartin' it away... what a pain... literally... you end up full of these little stickers my 'less than prime' eyes have trouble seein' any more...
So... what's a fella, not wantin' to be a pin cushion gonna do?... Hmmmm... wind blowin' 30 miles an hour... I got it! Go out and knock 'em loose with a garden rake and watch 'em head east! :-) ... no cartin' involved! Sweet! :-)
Of course... the neighbors over to the east will probably come a whinin' about tumblin' tumbleweeds :-O .... I'm a baaaad baaad boy!
Not much more landscape maintenance I can do till things start growin' again here shortly... I'm antsy and want to get on with it.... This waitin' is always the toughest part for me... I'm antsy and want to get on with it.... I can't even do the outside paintin' I want to do... until the temp gets up over 40 and stays there for a while... otherwise it's a pretty poor paint job... so I wait.
Did get some inside stuff done as well... picked up a ladder from the kid's place when we went to Denver last week... put it there when we THOUGHT we'd been turned loose... Need a big tall ladder to get to some of the light bulbs out in the 'Great room' area... was startin' to get a little dim in there at night.... figured the realtor might be more impressed... if half the lights weren't burnt out...
We meet with that realtor, who we 'May' list with, in the morning.... bein' a lot more picky this time around.... and I'll be a lot pickier about offers I accept this time too... bit of an education last summer :-)
Did a lot of 'organizing' yesterday to feed my obsessive gene... gotta have those t shirts rolled to exactly the same size... or the world will come crashing down you know... and countin' hangers to see how many new ones I need ... to get them all the same kind... hmmmm.... I think this waitin' game is finally taking a serious toll... I may be losing what little was left of that grey lump holdin' my ears apart :-)
I tried to balance it all by throwin out some more stuff... helped a mite... a few miles of tires singin' on asphalt would be a whole lot better!... soon... I just keep tellin' myself... soon!
Haven't recieved my new solar controller monitor from Xantrex yet... juuuust gettin' to the point where I'm wonderin' what they're doin'... the system itself seems to be operating correctly without it... but all I can do is monitor the voltage through the monitor for the inverter...
A whole lot of little things to occupy my waitin'... I used to have the patience of a oyster... now-a-days it's more like a hyper active kid off his meds on a sugar high from too much halloween candy!... just antsy, distracted and ready to roll... aaaaaaarrrrrrrgh!
No wind this morning to go do any more weeding :-) ... Guess I'll go... wait some more....
Take Good Care
Brian
March 6, 2008 07:32 - RV Boondocking is supposed to make you smile... must be a bug goin' around!
Was surfing around this morning... while we wait on the realtor to come give us his spiel... Hmmm.... everybody seems just about as cranky as I've been lately...
I know what my problem is.... OK... Problems ARE! .... but what about all the folks that are ALREADY yondering? What's to be grumpy about? Do you have to paint the trim on the house as soon as the wind quits and it's warm enough? Do you have to mow the grass? yadda yadda yadda!
I've also been seein' folks talkin' up the price of fuel... still. It's life in the west... I'm not allowin' a bunch of politicians and crooked, 'Tea Pot Dome', style, oil dirtbags to decide how my ride is going to be! So fuel is up... I'll take longer to get where I'm goin' and spread that cost out over a lot more time... I'll eat out a time or two less a month... I'll buy fewer magazines... I'll stay where I'm goin' a lot longer... see where I'm at a lot deeper... whatever it takes...
Yeah if you only look at the diesel price tag itself, it makes for a pretty good shock... but put it into perspective... in the end... you're, only, not-getting-off-as-cheap-as-you-might-have... but it's still pretty cheap.
Let's say your mortgage USED to be $1800, plus $250 utilities... NOW you pay $20 a night... but you stay for a month... so the discount puts you at say... $425 for the month (unless you boondock in a dispersed camping area... in which case... $0 !!) plus say... $40 for propane... (about what we spend... if it's cold)
So... in the end it puts you somewhere around $1550+ to the the good side of the ledger... another $400 if you're boondocking! and I'll bet... if you're doin' it right you're driving fewer miles than when you were getting up and running to a regular job every day... so fuel savings there too...
Bottom line... you start out with a big savings in day to day expenses... unless you're driving around all day every day... which I'd have to say is a goof on your part... so you've got plenty of room to absorb the fuel cost... and plenty of ways to counter balance it to boot!
... like, leave the keys hangin' on the hook... open the door in your Boondocking camp... and take a five mile hike.... when you get back, with a smile on your face, and a whole load of really fine pictures to share with us, in your camera... you'll be ready to take a long nap until it's time to BBQ them pork chops, before you sit under the awning in the evening to listen to the coyotes howl... before you go back inside for a little early evening whoopie!
... and all... without EVER startin' the truck! ***ummmm.... that means 0 dollars for fuel today :-) ***
I for one... simply can't wait! No matter what the price of fuel does.
Don't let the grumps... me included, put a cloud in your 'Sunny Day'... you've got the time or are workin' toward gettin' it... to go out and LIVE! ... DO IT! There just ain't no reason not to!
Take Good Care
Brian
March 7, 2008 10:13 - RV Boondocking... A Drifters Restless Spirit?
I wandered across a forum post, a few days ago, from a man who was broken hearted. He and his lady had been planning, for a long time, to get in their rig and go yondering... and now that 'That time' had come... she ups and says no. His heartache got me to wondering...
What is it that makes some of us hunger for the road? RV Boondocking, Motorcycle Touring, Hitchhiking... even sailing a boat around the world... Whatever your personal flavor is. Why?
A Drifter is what I've always been. A Drifter is what, I expect, I will always be.
You can drop me into a warm bed, in a good cabin, on a fine ranch, surrounded by miles of the far country I love... yet in a short while, I'll be itchy and restless.
It's an irresistable, rumbling, sometimes almost panicky ache, festering deep down in my soul.
Something is there, but it's always just out of reach... drifting just out of sight in the misty haze that fills my brainpan... I strain, stretching out my fingers... to find it... to touch it... but... whatever 'It' is... It remains in the fog, just beyond my reach.
My eyes... as always... are looking to the horizon, wondering... what's just beyond that ridge? Visions of the roads and high up meadows I've traveled float up and fade away... to be replaced by the memories of other trails... and always the question marks floating across the maps in my mind; what of the places I've not yet wandered?
There is however, a treatment for my incurable affliction... Miles... A regular dose of miles.
If I climb out of that warm bed, pull on my boots, walk out of that good cabin, step into the saddle, climb into my truck, or sit astride a thundering motorcycle... and ride off that fine ranch... In a few miles, that thin line my lips have compressed into, relaxes into an easy smile.
Rolling down a two lane, or riding a high mountain trail is not a giggling, dancing, laughing, fiesta for me. I truly can't call it a joy. It's more like the realease you feel when the log that landed on your foot is lifted away.
It's not that Yondering feels so good... It's that, NOT YONDERING... feels so Bad!
I've been a yondering vagabond for as long as I can remember. The more property I've accumulated, the more uncomfortable I've become...The "Quiet Desperation" Thoreau taught me about grows into a scream I can't shut out.
I can't even start to load all that junk in a single pickup, so I end up anchored to a place, worryin' about the stuff I can't move... and seldom use.
The less I own... the easier I breathe. My thoughts can wander away from the worryin' over my 'possibles' and back to the mountains... and the road... I can take an easier lungfull... but that restless ache remains...
But, head off down another trail... and that ache always subsides... all is right again in my world...
You may have noticed, as I have, that the greatest part of yondering vagabonds seem to be male... Even among other critters I think. Bears, Wolves, coyotes... it's mostly the males that seem possessed by the restless urge driving them to follow their noses down paths not yet traveled.
I don't know that this 'possession' brings any great joy to the female critters. I'd like to be able to say I have a solution for 'em... but... my thinking is, exorcising this demon is pretty much, a futile exercise... All I can say is; I calculate there are but a few options.
You can find a way to find some pleasure in yondering along with him; You can wish him well, give him a hug, and watch him roll off to wander alone; or, you can herd him into enough of the entanglements of this world, to corral him at 'home'. Problem there is, most likely, that's an option that will end up breaking his heart and crushing his very spirit.
I've no idea of what a man with a busted spirit is good for.
Eagles sail, free on the wind, Wolves howl at the moon... and the restless, Vagabonds go Yondering... each has his place in this world... you're a lucky son, if you've found yours.
Enough Cowboy Sermonizing for this day.
Take Good Care
Brian
March 9, 2008 06:34 - Gettin' ready for the 'Dance' one more time
We had our meet with the possible 'new' realtor Friday morning... This guy is a horseman, so from that angle he has a little better idea of what's what with a place like ours... Last years was just a realtor... don't know how much injury that did to us... but with luck this time it'll be a go!
He thinks we should wait... as I think I said before, until at least the 1st of April... to let things start greening up, so the place will show better... can't argue with that...
So... it looks like we have the realtor lined up and a rough schedule... now just more of that good Ol' waitin'... Yuck...
There are a few chores to get done before then... so there is work to do I guess... sorry for that kind of language... sometimes you just can't avoid profanity like that! :-)
If this spring is my 'time' ... and we successfully wander our way through this real estate maze... I'll hopefully be able to clean up my 'language' a mite and quit sayin' those four letter words like... WORK! ... oops.
Was 38 when I rode out yesterday morning... that seems to be just about my limit now-a-days... maybe a couple cooler, but not much... If we're still 'North' next winter, I'm gonna have to invest in some of that eeeelectric underwear they build for bikers... :-)
Heidi is off at another agility competition this weekend... left me here to sell nuts and bolts at the ranch store... What's goin' on here? I'm the gypsy... she just mostly goes along to get along.... so how is it that SHE is the one doin' most of the windshield time here lately and ... I ... am sittin' inside a building pushin' hardware? That ain't fair!
What did I do? Get myself tied up in some sort of Drifters purgatory? :-)
Wandered by Barnes and Noble the other day... lookin' for the new model 'Mile Post'... not out yet I guess... I'll be watching for a fresh copy... the one I have is nigh on two years old... I'll be wantin' to feed the dream some more... though it's hard to turn the pages with my fingers crossed!
Normally, I only put in three 10's at the Farm 'N Ranch... I've got a tough week this week... one of the kids is takin' some vacation... so I have to do five days! All in a row! ... it's a rough life... pray for me... I think I can make it :-)
Though if I'm gonna be on time today... I better go get to goin'...
Take Good Care
Brian
March 12, 2008 05:31 - Still Taking Dancing lessons...
The Boss Lady has decided that she wants to interview one more realtor... before we make our decision... Hmmm... We? What's this 'WE' stuff? ... I thought I was just doin' what I was told to do! :-) Anyway... we've got time, so I'd reckon it won't hurt to 'Do it by the numbers'... so, "Yes Dear!" :-)
A little note... I got a message this morning that the site will be down tomorrow morning for a couple hours... 6-8 EST... for some heavy maintenance... assuming the tech wizards don't say OOPS! and make sparks and smoke and such... it should only be a short 'Outage'... sounds like they're installing a bunch of new hardware... though the words they used were all a lot more technical sounding :-)
Kind of a slow time... one of those 'keep putting one foot in front of the other' points in this journey... when it can get a mite tough to keep on pushin'... when a fella is seeing little progress... but spring is coming and things can start moving real fast...
At least the weather has been such that I've been riding Slick to the store for 'work' quite a bit... not so cold I'm changin' colors as I roll anyway. :-)
Diesel has hit $3.79 around here the last couple days... makes a fella cranky if he let it. People ask me; "How you gonna travel like you were planning with fuel so high?"
My answer: "Well, I've been planning out my budget with fuel figured at $4.75, so I still have quite a bit of room!"
Whatever it goes to... I'll find a way to deal with it.... maybe have to add a little trailer behind the fiver... to put a 'veggie oil' distillery in... then I could refuel at McDonalds or Burger King! :-)
If it goes far enough; instead of moving every 10 or 14 days... I'll add more 'workamping' jobs along the way... stay in an area for a month, maybe three... slowing down the miles a touch more... adingd a mite of income... explore the area in detail... and... THEN... move on a ways...
No problem... as long as you're FREE!
Might work out for the best that way anyway... Heidi is getting pretty serious about adding 'Herding' to her and Buck's set of skills... ALong with their 'Agility Competitions'. We might need to stay around some 'place' for a bit... if they run across a good Trainer!
And that ain't a problem for me... as long as it's an area with some good twisties to lean the scooter through... or some good mountains to wander in while they're goin' to school. :-)
There's always a way... You've only got to uncover it.
Take Good Care
Brian
March 13, 2008 06:33 - A Cautionary Tale of RVing 'Experts'...
Having time on my hands lately, while we wait as fast as we can, I've been thinkin'...
As I've been thinkin', I've been surfin'... you can find just about any information you want on this electronic gizmo... some of it good... some of it... NOT!
There is no shortage of self-styled 'experts'... heck you're readin' the gas from one of 'em right now! All it takes is a computer... internet access, enough time to put the words together, and wa la! another genuine, un-adulterated, double-rectified, straight-up, western hero, Expert! :-)
So... where am I goin' with all this?...
Lots of folks are lookin' to learn about a lot of things... in this case RVin' and Boondocking... I've been 'Over the mountain' and 'I seen the bear'... and picked up quite some little bit of 'wisdom' along the way (read that; l've learned from plenty of mistakes')...
The biggest piece I think I've picked up is that none of us have all the answers... and most of us don't have very many! :-)
Truth is... most of what we learn is what DOESN'T work... So... here's todays piece of FREE ADVICE... Trust your own self. That's right... Trust YOURSELF.
You got this far didn't you?
Plenty of fellas are going to tell you: "You HAVE to do it this way"... "You CAN'T do it that way" ... Yadda Yadda Yadda... Listen to 'em... Listen to the 'Other' guy... collect it all and THEN... LISTEN TO YOURSELF, because all they know is what didn't work very well for them... In your situation... it may just be the shiny way to go.
Trust your own instincts... that little voice whispering in your head... "Yo... Joe... don't do this man... it's really gonna hurt!" :-) ...
More often than not... if you listen to your own head... after you've collected a goodly amount of 'information'... your decision will be the right one. My point here is this: There ain't hardly ever, ONE, way to do anything... the job is to find the ... Best way for you.
No matter how Expert... all us Experts are... the biggest Expert in YOUR world is YOU.
You'll find folks tellin' you that you can't go down the road with anything less than a 40' diesel pusher... even I've knocked on the class B van rigs... but... there's plenty of people draggin' a little, austere, 12' trailer... livin' FULL-TIME and happy as a pig with fresh slop...
They'll tell you you HAVE to have this piece of equipment, or that one. That without it, you'll crash and burn... Don't you believe it! THEY HAVE TO HAVE IT! They ain't got no idea what YOU need.
You know what you need... You Decide...
The 'experience' you can find on this machine, CAN save you a lot of time and expense... you CAN find what is quality and what ain't... you can find Ideas that maybe you hadn't thought of on your own... that might just fit into your style... with a bit of tweaking...
But only You can know if it's the RIGHT thing for your outfit.
So... whether you go with a big rig or a little one... whether you sit a long camp... or move every day... whether you carry a generator, solar power... or both... whether you go with a motor home or a fiver... whether you go Full-time or Part-time... whether you go south in the winter or north!
It's you who gets to decide what's right for you... and... in the end... it's only you who gets to make the right choice... For your world.
Free Advice from another Genuine, Self-Styled Expert! :-)
And worth every nickle you paid for it :-)
Take Good Care
Brian
March 14, 2008 07:54 - I'm Adopting a Policy of Selective Hearing When it Comes to GOV"T and CORPORATIONS
Reader Al sent me/us a warning in the comments yesterday... and I appreciate it, I really do...
It's just that I get to feeling a lot like chicken little! I can't take a breath without some gov't or corporate outfit warning me about what's in that air I'm suckin' in that's gonna kill me... BUT! for the mere token price of $49.95 they have the gizmo that will protect me! So, call in your credit card number today!
They ALWAYS seem to have the product to protect me from 'todays' threat... Hmmmm.
If they didn't offer to sell me something... in the same breath they're warning me about whats goona get me.... They might could get me to listen a bit more.
You know what? If formeldahyde... or however you spell it... is gonna get me... at least Heidi will be able to save the embalming fee!
I've gotten pretty deaf to all the warning labels and saviours that are going to save me from formeldayde, BHT, DDT, ozone, radon, MCI Buses, hangnails, mother-in-laws, hydrogenated fat, refined sugar, drugs in the water, cars that don't crash right.... yadda yadda yadda....
In the end... no matter what I eat or drink... or don't eat or drink... or breathe... I'm gonna end up right in the same place.... some coyotes belly.... so I'm not gonna ruin what life I have while I'm still walkin' around, worryin' about what gremlin might be hidin' in my next donut! ... I'm just gonna REAAAALLLY enjoy that donut... and the Hot Cup of COFFEE with it's evil caffiene! :-)
So...
We had a meet with another realtor yesterday... and I think we decided the second one is the right choice... a lot more upbeat... and I think aggressive when it comes to marketing... a good thing in the current market! So... today I'll get a little more 'polishing' done outside, while the weather is holding, and ASAP we'll be back on the market....
This gal really doesn't see any strong reason to wait at this point... Yeah, as it warms up and things are greening up it will improve in appearance... but according to her, she closed sales on several places just after christmas! She thinks people are really starting to look around here... she's real busy... so why wait and miss the people that are looking right now?
That's OK with me... I'm ready to move on... so it's in to town to pick up a St. Joe! :-)
Don't Worry... Be Happy! :-)
Take Good Care
Brian
March 16, 2008 06:32 - It Ain't Spring Yet!
Yesterday, it was about 28 degrees when I fired up Slick and rode off to conquer the Ranch Store world... today it's 31... so you'd figure I'd be riding again this morning, right?
Wrong!
It's snowing... and contrary to what you might have heard... snow tires for a motorcycle have yet to be perfected. They do have 'em for ICE ... nasty things have spikes something like an inch or two long! Some crazy buggers actually race motorcycles on frozen solid lakes! You don't want to be leading the race... and fall down...
Ouch! You'd end up looking a lot like a leaking screen door...
... but they ain't got SNOW tires for guys reeeeeally wanting to ride :-) leastways not that I've seen.
I expect... if they had 'em... I might could get silly enough to try 'em! ... I do intend to stock up on electric motorcycle underwear for next winter... even down on the desert... where I INTEND to be! next winter... it gets a little chilly...
The snow is actually welcome... We need a little moisture here to shine up the pasture ground surrounding the house... I want it looking nice when all the hordes of buyers come a runnin' as soon as we get back on the market :-)
Over west they're something like 175% or more of normal for the winter... the ski towns are even complaining, all the snow is hurting business... Huh? Go figure...
But here... though we're not hurting... it's a little dry now... better earlier in the season... a mite dry now so the weather is actually a good thing... even if I can't put Slick on the road...
I enjoy the looks I get from folks... it would appear that some people can't believe anyone is foolish enough to climb on a scooter at 20 something degrees :-) ... I may not be foolish enough... but I'm dang sure dumb enough! :-)
And spring is just a week or so away... supposed to be the 21st of March ain't it? I won't complain, not one little bit, when it gets here.
Seems like that movie where the guy gets up every day and it's the same day... I forget how many springs it's been now... since we decided to sell out... pack up... and make miles... 2? 3? Hopefully... THIS spring is THE spring! Never had any idea we'd need so much time to deal with gettin' gone...
It'll sure be a sweet day when the sun finally rises on us, in our first... not comin' back for a good long while, camp! :-)
I'll be back...
Take Good Care
Brian
March 18, 2008 07:11 - RV Boondocking Purists!
I may have found an RV Boondocking couple to top 'em all! I've never met 'em... but put 'em in the 'road friends' category just the same... seemed like a proper place.
Was just wandering around the net last night and found Thea and John... Thing is... they're about 8,000 miles or so away! .... They're Dutch!
The horse power that pulls their rig, if I say so myself, is juuuuust a mite different than what I've got hooked up to the Eagle!... There's exactly TWO of 'em! Yep... they built/renovated themselves a horsedrawn caravan, and are touring Europe in it.
How's that for pickin' a rig that fits their way of goin' ?
It's something I've fantasized about doin' here... for a long time... never got up the gumption to do it though! They
may have got me to thinkin' on it again! ... wonder how many horses it would take to pull a 30' fiver! :-) .... Hmmm.... maybe that Budweiser 40 head hitch!...
THAT would be genuine Cowboy, Awsome! :-)
Now... their english is a bit rough at times... so cut 'em some slack... 'cause the life they're sharing is AWSOME!
I'd have to say that they speak english a whole lot better than I talk Dutch!... considerin' that I can't talk their lingo
at all!
... and since we're considerin' things... there's some considerable times, I don't write english too good neither! :-)
Their attitudes and goals sound so much like ours... it's pretty awsome... and I'll bet we can learn a lot from their ... 3 mph! way of going :-) Heck... they even have George and Tioga beat for goin' slow!
It's kind of wild... they're talkin' about a lot of the identical same things we do! Night camps, makin' a living, even
holding up traffic on the road! :-)
I've only read a half dozen pages... but plan on some more!
You might check em out at slow express journey.
A bunch of mulch is getting delivered today... as soon as the mud dries up enough so they can get into their yard... and mine... we sign our contract on Wednessday... and then it's on to some serious w-a-i-t-i-n-g! :-)
Spring is just down the road... Thursday! ... I think...
The sun is shinin', the road is nearly clear, hope is alive... Sweet!
You all take good care.
Brian
March 19, 2008 08:25 - I can Bearly tell this story!
My closest friend forwarded this story to me... and I had to pass it along here...
Seems a Bear was crossing this bridge up in Donner pass last September... and a couple of cars spooked the poor Lil' Bruin... so he jumped over the side... OOPS!
Somehow he mircaculously managed to catch himself on the concrete as he sailed past, and pulled himself up to 'relative' safety...
So... as the story went... he couldn't figure out what to do so he took a nap!... well, the state fellas couldn't figure out what to do with him late on that day... so they came back the next day to rescue him... and there he was... still there and sleeping...
So they erected a net under him...
Then... to get Ol' Smoky into the net... they tranquilized him... and he fell into the net...
All they had to do then was lower him down to the bottom... where he finally woke up... and walked out of the net!
Pretty cool huh?... bet not too many of us have seen such a spectacle on our RV Boondocking circles!
They said the moral of the story was... when things look really bad, sometimes the answer is: Go Take A Nap!
and... if you do see a Bear on a bridge... give the poor bugger a BRAKE! :-) ... I wonder if Bears wet themselves? :-) ... or... if you would hear: "Mooooommmmmmy!" in 'Bear Talk' when he was hangin' there! :-)
On other things.... the mulch is down... the realtor lady will be here at noon for us to sign our contract... gonna pick up St. Joe today... the weather is gorgeous this morning... nigh on to bike weather EVERY day now!
One more time it's By God GOOD! to be ALIVE! Yes sirree!
Take Good Care!
Brian
March 20, 2008 07:33 - Well... spring has sprung!
I'm hoping the wind will be a little calmer this day then it was yesterday...
Though I told you the "Mulch is down"... I actually have about 1/4 of it to do yet... thought I'd have it done... but the wind came on so hard... there was no way I was gonna throw out mulch... and have it stay around long enough to shine the place up!... It's fairly calm now... and I'm hopin' it will stay that way long enough to get it in place.
.... otherwise been doing some heavy hauling for spring clean up... as well as repairing the damage done by our 'aborted buyers' last season... filling in holes their dogs dug... smoothing out ruts THEY made driving around on pasture ground! Sheesh!
It's warming up though... the grass is starting to green up... I've got the signs to set for the realtor... she left them yesterday and I'll set 'em this morning.... I just didn't feel like fightin' the wind yesterday!... It's definiteyl springtime in the rockies! :-)
I'm all amped up.... Again!... happens every spring... It used to be because calves and colts were hittin' the ground... now it's 'cause I have all sorts of anticipations of the coming summer!... Freedom Road!
There's visions of Yellowstone, Glacier, Banff.... the Alcan.... a King Salmon on the Russian River and a Halibut bigger than I am! :-)
It's so close I can smell it... yet so far... I'm so itchy to be on the way, I wiggle when I sit!... just take a deep breath... look at my list of chores to do... and TRY to get one or two checked off... but it's hard to accomplish much when you're day dreamin' of the sound of the river runnin' by as you fight a 40 lb Salmon! :-)
Well... I better quit twisting my head into knots and go do something constructive... wiggle wiggle wiggle...! :-)
... that's a sight for your imagination ain't it? A bowlegged lil' baldheaded, pussgut... wiggling all over as he wobbles around... :-) giggling, cussin' and throwin' mulch into the wind! :-)
You can't help but grin in the springtime... can you? The sun is shining, the air is fresh... there is all sorts of promise... and if I don't do something dumb... it will all happen.... all I have to do is keep to the 'plan'... have faith... and keep a hold on the little bit of patience I have left!
Take Good Care
Brian
March 22, 2008 06:04 - Solar System Warranty Only Took a bit over Two Weeks...
I'd sent the monitor for the Solar Charge Controller back to Xantrex something over two weeks ago... after almost 10 days I called to find out where the replacement was...
The techs response was... OOPS! :-)
It took a few calls to get to the point where they were going to R&R the monitor... when I'd called back the last time, I spoke to a different tech who apparently punched 'somehthing' into the computer on my 'case' that confused things.
They both talked with heavy accents... Pakastani or from India I suspect... and I hear with 'artillery ears'... that's 'Vet' for ... can't hear $@#% ! :-) ... so between the two... I've no idea what the 'confusion' was.
When I called back last week... I talked to the original Tech who caught the OOPS! and got a monitor on the way... alls well that ends well... Plugged it in... and the total system is now back to normal... it wouldn't have been a terrible burden if we were settin' in the bush with the rig right now... as, monitored with the inverter remote... the system has been producing as per normal.... just coudn't watch it real close.... yadda yadda yadda... right? :-)
The only thing that struck me as entertaining on the whole deal, was the box they shipped the new monitor in. For a piece of electronics little more than the size of a deck of cards... they sent it in a box you could use for guest quarters for a fat, cat! :-) ... I'm thinking of keeping it for an 'addition' on the fiver! :-)
I think maybe there's some spring fever in folks other than just me... traffic on the blog has been picking up a mite quicker the past week... I'm guessin' it's people lookin' toward their summer travels.
I've been tuning up our landscaping, for the seems-to-be never ending effort to... cause this house to belong to somebody else! There's a rocky patch of dirt on the east side that's about the first view of the house, as you pull in the drive... We'd concentrated our efforts on the other side... where we 'live'...
I thought maybe we should shine up some of that 'first impression' view... so I've been runnin' a tiller through it to scarf up the ground so I might throw some praire grass seed down there, and with a touch of irrigatin', give it a mite nicer look...
Between the wind the past week and the rocks... I'd just as soon NOT! I've got eye sockets full of Colorado grit after hanging on to a Buckin' Tiller, in the breeze, for a few hours... I swear... put a saddle on that thing and it would dump the finest, World Champion, Buckaroo!
It's one of those 'cheapies' where the tines rotate same direction as the wheels... They spin along till they hit a rock, and then the thing jumps 6 inches into the air... comes down on the tines and takes off a runnin'! ... with me, flappin' on the handlebar like a flag!
All you can do is throw your feet up forward, get a good grip, and try to bulldog that dirt rippin' beast into submission!
Well... I've done all the... scarfin'... on that ground I'm gonna! If it won't look good enough for folks... ain't my problem :-) ... I'm finished with 'Buckin' tillers' !
So... for a gentler pursuit... I'll climb on Slick this morning... it's warmed up to about 28 degrees; and thunder down to the ranch store to take care of folks who need some last minute bolts, corral panels, and the always necessary rat bait... before the Easter Holiday... which I also have to work.... Boo Hoo! Poor, Poor, lil' twisted buster....
Why's ever' body always pickin' on me? ;-)
Hope the sun is shinin' where you are... It's actually just fine where I'm holed up... windy or not!
Take Good Care
Brian
March 25, 2008 07:57 - New Day... Same Ol' $%@#!
Yesterdays ride was just a little chillyer ...( how the heck do you spell... chill - y - er?)... than it's been... mostly It's been right on 30 and climbing when I straddle that motorcycle and thunder off...
OK... a Yamaha don't thunder... more like a deep .... Hummmmmmm! :-)
Anyway... yesterday... at 25 degrees it was a mite cooler... funny how in the twentys... two or three degrees is a big deal... but you just don't notice much of a difference between 78 and 82... curious...
By the time I got to the store my fingers were askin': " Are we there yet?" good thing it's only 17 miles and not 23... ain't it nice how we can put such a value on small things :-)
The ride was made much more pleasurable by the twangin' in my cheek... the $800 tooth I had installed last July has gone on the fritz... ARRRGGH! For all the dinero I've poured into my mouth the past five years or so it should shine like the crown jewels!
Instead... it's more like a Yugo junk yard... have you ever pushed a rope?... that's about how I feel when I go to the dentist... which is where I get to spend my afternoon today... gettin' the last repair... repaired...
I feel kind of like the guy racin' for the finish line... and pieces and parts of his car are fallin' off... just before he gets to the finish line... all four wheels flop off, and the wreck slides to a screechin' stop... inches before he would cross the line...
Seems to me like I'm in that race... I can see the mountains... which looked glorious this morning I might add... I'm pushin' hard to get there... RV Boondocking in the high country that feeds my soul... for as long as I have left... but things keep holdin' me up; while pieces and parts are fallin' off and turnin' to mush faster than I can fix 'em... :-)
Pretty soon you're gonna see a peg legged, puss gutted, bald headed, toothless,Ol' mute, draggin' himself along, with his one good hand, layin' on a skateboard... mumblin' to himself: "It's just 'round the next bend... just 'round the next bend...." :-)
... pretty picture ain't it? :-)
Like I said the mountains were awsome this morning... There were dark clouds hangin' low over the northern end... lookin' all stormy and ominous... but just on the southern end... the sun was hitting the snow covered, high peaks... looked kind of like diamonds layin' in a bed of black velvet...
...I just admired the view over a hot cup of fresh coffee... then got out a roll of duct tape and went to wrappin' up the rest of the 'pieces' tryin' to fall off! :-)
If you see any unclaimed 'parts' layin' around on your travels... just push 'em over to the side of the road... I'll pick up what I can use as I roll by... eventually!
Later!
Take Good Care
Brian
March 28, 2008 07:25 - Ideas bouncing around in my Brain pan... like a BB in the Super Dome
At least there's plenty of room to turn around in there!
A whole lot of nuthin' goin' on... I may have some attributes... if I look really hard... and am kind of generous with myself... but Patience don't seem to be one of 'em...
This season ... that space in between winter and spring,,, the 'mud' season... is one of those that drags for me...
Day before yesterday, it was pretty much 70 degrees... here's Big Red Yesterday Morning when I got up...
Later in the afternoon, though windy, it still got up into the fifties... so... pick a weather an' stick with it already! :-) You ever try to plant flowers when it's doin' this kind of stuff every other day? .... Hmmm .... Snow Peas maybe? :-)
Otherwise... sunrise is one of my favorite times... it's quiet... the air is fresh and plenty of promise for the day...
a view to the west, a couple mornings ago, that stirs my hitch itch just a little...
I don't think the pic does it justice... it was a pretty awsome thing standing on the deck... just as the sun was coming up... the moon was going down... made me ache for the High Country... and that brings me back to one of the attributes I am lacking more and more these days... patience! :-)
Dentist must need a new car... I have a choice... $$$ for his new hot rod... and I get to eat steak... or... just gum a bowl of oatmeal... and go to Alaska... hmmm.... oatmeal would save $$$ for diesel too... wouldn't it? :-)
I've also... with all this time to turn things over in that increasingly empty skull... decided I miss my Leather tooling too much... so I put that tiny lil' grey thing back to work and I think I've come up with a tool storage 'system' for my Leather Craft tools... that will actually fit into the rig... I should oughta have that done up in another week or so...
The problem with the last 'evolution' of my tool case was that it was about 3' tall... and the storage compartment I need it to go in... is maybe 2'... right on the ball that day weren't I? :-) ... DOH!
I thought maybe it could stand against a wall inside... but that was going to be just to 'cluttered'... at least with us inside too... so I finally conjured a way... I think... to put them in a usable way... into a standard type tool box, with drawers... I only have to concoct a drawer 'liner' I like to keep the tools from rattling all over and into each other as we 'rattle' down the road... have that thought out to...
But now I'm running into a couple of other things I lack at the moment... ambition and dinero! :-) Boo Hoo.... If it weren't for bad luck... I'd have no luck at all... Boo Hoo ... poor poor me! :-)
March 30, 2008 06:35 - A New Record!
It's official... Goin' RV Boondocking hit a new high yesterday! I get to toot my own whistle!
Last night sometime the Visitor count for the site went over 6,000 for the first time in a month! and two more days of countin' yet to go for the month! Ol' George and Tioga are still whuppin' my butt, :-) but they make a good pair to follow! The wages I make from the google adverts are doin' the best ever too... again, far behind Ol' George, but growin'... March 2008 is a pretty good month.... all Thanks to You Folks..... So..... Many Thanks!
This may be a good month, but the weather is still hard to keep track of... One more time, it hit nearly 70 yesterday afternoon... got up this morning and there's a 1/2 inch of snow on the ground and still snowin'. Springtime in the Rockies... If you get bored easy, no worries... the weather will change quick enough to keep up with you.
Got foolish the other day and started lookin' at maps again... a fella with a terminal case of hitch itch... SHOULD NOT... agitate it by lookin' at them things!... only makes the rash worse :-)
It is time for me to be on the trail, by God! This just may be the longest period of time I've struggled against an 'obstacle' in my whole durn life... never had any idea, that for us, it would be this big an ordeal.... It's sure going to make the cake that much more sweeter when I finally get it out of the 'oven'!
Whatever, I am confident, that this time, this spring, will be my 'delverance'... hmmm.... I think I may just stay out of the southeast this year... :-) Those 'agitating' maps of Alaska really have my attention anyway... one foot in front of the other and we'll get there... If I have to walk!...
Of course... as slow as I walk these days... I'd have to live to be 97 to have any hope of actually gettin' there :-)
Well... the Ranch Store awaits me this snowy March mornin' so off I go... enjoy your day, where ever you are... and whatever the weather... after all... it's the only 30th of March 2008 you're ever gonna have!
Take Good Care
Brian
