We've been to so many places, met so many wonderful people, and have experienced so many new and exciting things for the first time together. We have sailed, flew, drove, ran, swam, took trains, and rode in the back of pickups together. We have made it through some pretty stressful situations and adapted to unfamiliar ones. We have lived in paradise. We've lived in a camper and made that our paradise! We have tasted unique foods and have heard and danced to a variety of new and different music. We have swam with sharks and dolphins. We have taken on ten foot waves. We have played beautiful music together.
This ongoing honeymoon ROCKS!!!!!
Thursday, March 26, 2009
Sunday, March 22, 2009
it's shuffling me photos from me captions
back home to bushville
the pine island hillbiliies
sunset we saw on our return from a-boating
cruising the swamps
they dyed the whole state green for st. patty's day
what's up ladies?
(or alternate caption: "stop looking at my crotch.")
Don't blame me anyway. Ruth took it.
the boat effortlessly doing half of its job: floating
some hottie i picked up
boat still floating. Yay!
where we expect to go later to clean up our act
Some of those captions below are a couple photos off of the pictures they go with. Can you guess which captions go with which pictures? You could win...
nothing.
bonito is spanish for "kickass"
some dude we were chilling with on st. patty's day
local leprechaun
your tax dollars at work. Not even kidding, I thought it was a flare at first. Seriously though, I got a joke:
Q: why don't they send schoolteachers into space anymore?
A: BECAUSE THEY BLOW UP!
Some of the wiring menace we inherited
You guys are such followers.
Glass Jackwards here. Pine Island, KOA Kampsite.
First, congratulations to Orla and Brian, for being the first "followers" of our blog. I know some people read it, but i guess they never quite made it official. I don't know what being a follower means, but my mother told me not to be one. Then later she got kinda mad at me for being too different and asked me to fit in. Then I tried to throw it back at her, and she clarified I was not to be a "fowler," (one who goes a-birding), nor a "fouler" (one who soils theyself).
Anyway, where was I? Oh lost? Digressing? Not bloody me, matey!
Okay, here's the deal. Most of you know of our digression by this condo business, but you have to understand, they're just too good to be true. Seriously, buy for 40-50 for something that will sell for 150. Amazing. Had to do it. Got involved. Bought a condo. Waiting for it to close, and camping in the meantime. It's gutted, and as I'm sure I've mentioned, we'll be redoing the inside, right after we do my mom and Burt's condo, which is in the next building. In the the meantime, we wait to close, which could be any day now. Supposedly. The good people of KOA have a 2 week limit on tent dwellers, a department of Health regulation, which is a pretty clear discrimination against homeless people. It's basically an attempt to keep people from setting up Hoovervilles in Florida and driving the property values down. Or as they shall henceforth be known: bushvilles.
So we had planned on buying a boat for the Bahamas to run around on. maybe a junker to throw our 25 on that we borrowed from the sailboat, and we found the one we talked about, a Bonito 17 footer, vee-hull, roomy clunker. And we had them take off the engine that was on it, because we only thought we could afford the boat, which with the trailer was 400. The trailer was worth more, hot damn. But then we looked at our anemic looking little 25 on that boat, and started pricing the rigging needed to adapt it, and realized we should buy a used engine for it, and since we trusted ol' Yunior, we thought we might go through him. So after he cut all the wires on the boat to get the engine off, I drove to Miami to pick it up again, and we put the new one on. Then came the huge project of trying to figure out all of the wiring again (see photo). I thought it would be simple, but not really. I got most of it right, and had a mechanic hip me to the last one I couldn't figure out. Then I had to reinstall the linkage (sounds technical, don't it? Yeah, I know, I hardly know what that is either, but I did it, by Jove), and while I was chatting with the mechanic, he told me that the engine was a 30 inch engine, which is too big for that boat.
He told me that it would make two big roostertails on either side (see photo), and that it could be a problem. Well, we took it out today, a good way, burned a TON of gas, made the big roostertails out back, and while there, figured out why he had taken a road sign and made a splash guard in the back. Bottom line is this: tomorrow I'm going to build a frame to sit the engine on, lift it on there, rebuild the transom up higher by like 5 inches, and then put the engine back. I'll let you know how it'll go, but I'll give you a hint: piece of cake.
First, congratulations to Orla and Brian, for being the first "followers" of our blog. I know some people read it, but i guess they never quite made it official. I don't know what being a follower means, but my mother told me not to be one. Then later she got kinda mad at me for being too different and asked me to fit in. Then I tried to throw it back at her, and she clarified I was not to be a "fowler," (one who goes a-birding), nor a "fouler" (one who soils theyself).
Anyway, where was I? Oh lost? Digressing? Not bloody me, matey!
Okay, here's the deal. Most of you know of our digression by this condo business, but you have to understand, they're just too good to be true. Seriously, buy for 40-50 for something that will sell for 150. Amazing. Had to do it. Got involved. Bought a condo. Waiting for it to close, and camping in the meantime. It's gutted, and as I'm sure I've mentioned, we'll be redoing the inside, right after we do my mom and Burt's condo, which is in the next building. In the the meantime, we wait to close, which could be any day now. Supposedly. The good people of KOA have a 2 week limit on tent dwellers, a department of Health regulation, which is a pretty clear discrimination against homeless people. It's basically an attempt to keep people from setting up Hoovervilles in Florida and driving the property values down. Or as they shall henceforth be known: bushvilles.
So we had planned on buying a boat for the Bahamas to run around on. maybe a junker to throw our 25 on that we borrowed from the sailboat, and we found the one we talked about, a Bonito 17 footer, vee-hull, roomy clunker. And we had them take off the engine that was on it, because we only thought we could afford the boat, which with the trailer was 400. The trailer was worth more, hot damn. But then we looked at our anemic looking little 25 on that boat, and started pricing the rigging needed to adapt it, and realized we should buy a used engine for it, and since we trusted ol' Yunior, we thought we might go through him. So after he cut all the wires on the boat to get the engine off, I drove to Miami to pick it up again, and we put the new one on. Then came the huge project of trying to figure out all of the wiring again (see photo). I thought it would be simple, but not really. I got most of it right, and had a mechanic hip me to the last one I couldn't figure out. Then I had to reinstall the linkage (sounds technical, don't it? Yeah, I know, I hardly know what that is either, but I did it, by Jove), and while I was chatting with the mechanic, he told me that the engine was a 30 inch engine, which is too big for that boat.
He told me that it would make two big roostertails on either side (see photo), and that it could be a problem. Well, we took it out today, a good way, burned a TON of gas, made the big roostertails out back, and while there, figured out why he had taken a road sign and made a splash guard in the back. Bottom line is this: tomorrow I'm going to build a frame to sit the engine on, lift it on there, rebuild the transom up higher by like 5 inches, and then put the engine back. I'll let you know how it'll go, but I'll give you a hint: piece of cake.
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Hanging out on Pine Island
Glass Jack here.
(my friend Kevin O'Neill gave me that nickname after I got punched out at our bachelor/ette party. Glass Jaw/Glass Jack get it? I thought it was pretty funny...)
And yes, you are welcome to call me that. And anything else you find amusing... as long as I can give you one back...
Kicking it in Fort Meyers. Or Pine Island, actually. We're at a KOA campground, surrounded by usually cheerful retirees, waiting for the closings on the condos. I'm outside getting bit by mosquiters while I type this. Cash and Mickey have been to the beach twice in two days, running in the surf, chasing dreams.
Dreams of wet, bloody meat.
Actually, Mickey is more into chasing the birds, while Cash likes to catch coconuts. He's always the slow, helpless one. But we love him. He's been enjoying having a coconut thrown in the water, which he chases and tackles, and they go under and he bobs for them. If he's fortunate enough to be victorious, he then dismantles his prize on the beach after throwing it around a good bit. Clever man.
Ruth made chicken legs tonight, probably inspired by watching my chicken legs working out today. We went to the KOA gym, and actually had a pretty decent lil' workout, and had a swim in the pool and even soaked in their "hot tub." I think I know why it's called that. It was actually pretty hot and all.
What else? Mickey got loose while we were at the gym, and terrorized the place. He chewed through his rope he was tied with. Now he has a steel cable. It's about an inch in diameter. We'll see if he can break off of that one.
Talked to Javier today, and made a plan that he'd help me with the work on the condos. We have a plan, and I know he'll be great to work with. Good guy, hard worker and good eye for detail and good craftsmanship. This plan is really coming together. Hopefully Donna the Real Estate Agent will let us know of a closing in about a week, and then we'll bang that sucker out. I'm expecting 2 months, 2 weeks to finish both condos. It'll probably go faster, but don't rush me. We're going to be near the pool there, and with Javier there, I'm sure I'll find my way to some beer and maybe even taste whisky for the first time. I hear it's great. Then off to the Bahamas, or up to Michigan to finish the pumphouse and fix the bank and THEN off to the Bahamas. In the meantime, we're getting a plan together, learning what codes are, etc. I'm sure we'll learn a lot more once there that we can't till we get there. I'm incredibly excited though.
On the "social and political issues of the day" department, I was listening to the radio today while Ruth limped into the bathroom at the clubhouse, and these idiots were trying to get their listeners to believe that Obama was THE ANTICHRIST. Yeah, true story. I've always said that even though I don't believe in gods, I think there's a lot of good things that can and do come from religion. I'm glad I don't need to believe in them to see merit in those things (treating people decently, etc.), but if that helps people behave better or feel secure "God Bless 'Em," to borrow a phrase. I do think there's a MASSIVE amount of negative stuff that happens in the name of religion, maybe even most negative stuff. The rape of the earth was first. Now this. I wish I could meet the speaker so I could puke on him. Uggh.
I don't have much more news at the moment. We're going to go watch a movie on Netflix. Hopefully something heathenish. If you're a prayin' sort, pray for Ruth's paw to heal up. She's having a hard time being three-legged.
Hope you're all well, and love you much.
Jack
(my friend Kevin O'Neill gave me that nickname after I got punched out at our bachelor/ette party. Glass Jaw/Glass Jack get it? I thought it was pretty funny...)
And yes, you are welcome to call me that. And anything else you find amusing... as long as I can give you one back...
Kicking it in Fort Meyers. Or Pine Island, actually. We're at a KOA campground, surrounded by usually cheerful retirees, waiting for the closings on the condos. I'm outside getting bit by mosquiters while I type this. Cash and Mickey have been to the beach twice in two days, running in the surf, chasing dreams.
Dreams of wet, bloody meat.
Actually, Mickey is more into chasing the birds, while Cash likes to catch coconuts. He's always the slow, helpless one. But we love him. He's been enjoying having a coconut thrown in the water, which he chases and tackles, and they go under and he bobs for them. If he's fortunate enough to be victorious, he then dismantles his prize on the beach after throwing it around a good bit. Clever man.
Ruth made chicken legs tonight, probably inspired by watching my chicken legs working out today. We went to the KOA gym, and actually had a pretty decent lil' workout, and had a swim in the pool and even soaked in their "hot tub." I think I know why it's called that. It was actually pretty hot and all.
What else? Mickey got loose while we were at the gym, and terrorized the place. He chewed through his rope he was tied with. Now he has a steel cable. It's about an inch in diameter. We'll see if he can break off of that one.
Talked to Javier today, and made a plan that he'd help me with the work on the condos. We have a plan, and I know he'll be great to work with. Good guy, hard worker and good eye for detail and good craftsmanship. This plan is really coming together. Hopefully Donna the Real Estate Agent will let us know of a closing in about a week, and then we'll bang that sucker out. I'm expecting 2 months, 2 weeks to finish both condos. It'll probably go faster, but don't rush me. We're going to be near the pool there, and with Javier there, I'm sure I'll find my way to some beer and maybe even taste whisky for the first time. I hear it's great. Then off to the Bahamas, or up to Michigan to finish the pumphouse and fix the bank and THEN off to the Bahamas. In the meantime, we're getting a plan together, learning what codes are, etc. I'm sure we'll learn a lot more once there that we can't till we get there. I'm incredibly excited though.
On the "social and political issues of the day" department, I was listening to the radio today while Ruth limped into the bathroom at the clubhouse, and these idiots were trying to get their listeners to believe that Obama was THE ANTICHRIST. Yeah, true story. I've always said that even though I don't believe in gods, I think there's a lot of good things that can and do come from religion. I'm glad I don't need to believe in them to see merit in those things (treating people decently, etc.), but if that helps people behave better or feel secure "God Bless 'Em," to borrow a phrase. I do think there's a MASSIVE amount of negative stuff that happens in the name of religion, maybe even most negative stuff. The rape of the earth was first. Now this. I wish I could meet the speaker so I could puke on him. Uggh.
I don't have much more news at the moment. We're going to go watch a movie on Netflix. Hopefully something heathenish. If you're a prayin' sort, pray for Ruth's paw to heal up. She's having a hard time being three-legged.
Hope you're all well, and love you much.
Jack
Sunday, March 1, 2009
HAPPY BIRTHDAY
Glass Jack here:
...And someone else has a birthday today... she's 24... she's smart as a whip and cute as a button and smells better than strawberry stew...
HAPPY BIRTHDAY SWEETIE!!
...And someone else has a birthday today... she's 24... she's smart as a whip and cute as a button and smells better than strawberry stew...
HAPPY BIRTHDAY SWEETIE!!
Saturday, February 28, 2009
Change in plans
Jack here.
First things first: wish Becky Cooper and Mary Lee a happy birthday. We love these two like crazy.
Speaking of crazy: okay, we're crazy people. While we were down here hanging with Phyllis and Burt, we helped my Mom look for a condo to buy- something to buy to hold onto after she sold some land up north. While we were at it, we found her a steal. While we were working on that, we found a steal for ourselves. We're buying one and she's buying one that her and Burt will share. They're both gutted three bedroomers. We're going to finish those out (both) before going to the Bahamas, which might take a few months. No point in having them sitting there vacant, unused by her, and unable to be rented or put to other good use.
We have to hang the cabinets, put in carpet, sheetrock, lights, paint, trim, etc.
Man, they were giving these things away for like 30 cents on the dollar, or maybe 20, depending on what you count as their full value. We think they'll be worth way more when finished, so we might end up buying fixing and flipping ours. We'll see if we have enough cash if/when we sell the Nola house (the sale of which is funding this condo purchase).
If we keep the condo, you guys are all welcome to use and share that too. It has a pool and such, tennis courts, and is near the beach, but you'd have to drive. It should be done in a few months.
Stay tuned, and welcome to it once it's done. We expect to start work around March 9, right after the Bad Brains and Pogues shows that we're gonna catch. Mom and Burt leave March 2, and we'll be in New Orleans from then till March 5. A couple of days to repair the roof, which had a few shingles blown off last fall.
XOX yall.
Jack
First things first: wish Becky Cooper and Mary Lee a happy birthday. We love these two like crazy.
Speaking of crazy: okay, we're crazy people. While we were down here hanging with Phyllis and Burt, we helped my Mom look for a condo to buy- something to buy to hold onto after she sold some land up north. While we were at it, we found her a steal. While we were working on that, we found a steal for ourselves. We're buying one and she's buying one that her and Burt will share. They're both gutted three bedroomers. We're going to finish those out (both) before going to the Bahamas, which might take a few months. No point in having them sitting there vacant, unused by her, and unable to be rented or put to other good use.
We have to hang the cabinets, put in carpet, sheetrock, lights, paint, trim, etc.
Man, they were giving these things away for like 30 cents on the dollar, or maybe 20, depending on what you count as their full value. We think they'll be worth way more when finished, so we might end up buying fixing and flipping ours. We'll see if we have enough cash if/when we sell the Nola house (the sale of which is funding this condo purchase).
If we keep the condo, you guys are all welcome to use and share that too. It has a pool and such, tennis courts, and is near the beach, but you'd have to drive. It should be done in a few months.
Stay tuned, and welcome to it once it's done. We expect to start work around March 9, right after the Bad Brains and Pogues shows that we're gonna catch. Mom and Burt leave March 2, and we'll be in New Orleans from then till March 5. A couple of days to repair the roof, which had a few shingles blown off last fall.
XOX yall.
Jack
Saturday, February 21, 2009
Update, nothin' much
Yoyoyoyoyoyoyoyoyoyo
YO
Fat Jack here. Just giving you all an update, to tell you what's new, what's not, etc. Talking with the neighborhood ass'n. to find out exactly what can be built on the lot, and what hoops we need to jump through. Already, we find ourselves at cross purposes with the government, (the association really), who have a "no tents" and "no trailers" rule. Hmmmm... What's next, no dogs? Problematic for us gypsy folk. Found this out AFTER buying the thing, which by the way
IS COMPLETE AND FINAL. It'll take 6 months or so for all records to process and be mailed, but really, IT'S A DONE DEAL. You have a crib-er, a SPOT there now for sure.
So anyway, talking about rules, etc. Also trying to navigate with the shipping people, the customs officers to get the stuff over, and storage of these things in the meantime, and our latest thing to worry about storing:
A BOAT. Yup! We bought a 1985 fiberglass Bonito 17' speedboat. Pretty beat up, needs a gear box, some cables, and what not. We have the engine already, we brought the Mercury 25 outboard 2 stroke from this blog's patron saint Fiberglass Vengeance. Just our speed. $500 bucks for the boat and the trailer. We had it negotiated for $560, but the guy selling it was so cool- his name's Yunior, that he just told me to just give him the $500 when I was handing him the money. And he left the battery, and then gave us a tow chain. Really nice guy. I love hispanic people, man. We were there at their home, and they're clearly not rich, but he hooked us up. Everybody at his home was super nice and polite, and there were three brothers working together fixing up these boats to sell 'em. Imagine that. And I use their bathroom, and their place is immaculate. They didn't have much, but they took care of what they had. Totally clean yard out front, etc. They had a bottle of Andre champagne in this display case, if that gives an indication of monetary status, yet this guy was generous. Like the Bahamians. Give you the shirt off their back, man. For real. Funny thing about his name: he's named after his father, he said. So his dad called him Yunior, like Junior, in Spanish with the J pronounced like a Y. And it actually says Yunior on his license, not Junior. I thought that was pretty good.
The boat has a water shield on the transom made out of a highway sign that he ran over. My kinda boat. If only we could find a way to work some Liquid Nails in there, it'll be complete. I'll include some pictures for ya soon. But this way, now you'll have a way to get to Alan's Cay to see the lizards, or a way to shoot over to snorkel some wrecks when you come. Or something to fish with. And we bought tackle for fishing, and pretty much tried to stock up on everything since it's all cheaper here (like 1/2 the price). I got a bunch of big hooks to catch a shark with, and some heavy wire and all that. Believe I'm gonna stick some pictures of that shark up there when I get it. And then ya know what? It's gonna be like a Spinal Tap record:
Shark Sandwich.
We're driving over to visit Milt and Carol with my pore ol' mudder and Burt, and then we'll go to New Orleans to fix the roof, and then back to ship the stuff over and split. I'm so excited, man I could explode. We'll be going over around March 3 or so, after my Mom and Burt split.
That's it for now.
Jack out.
YO
Fat Jack here. Just giving you all an update, to tell you what's new, what's not, etc. Talking with the neighborhood ass'n. to find out exactly what can be built on the lot, and what hoops we need to jump through. Already, we find ourselves at cross purposes with the government, (the association really), who have a "no tents" and "no trailers" rule. Hmmmm... What's next, no dogs? Problematic for us gypsy folk. Found this out AFTER buying the thing, which by the way
IS COMPLETE AND FINAL. It'll take 6 months or so for all records to process and be mailed, but really, IT'S A DONE DEAL. You have a crib-er, a SPOT there now for sure.
So anyway, talking about rules, etc. Also trying to navigate with the shipping people, the customs officers to get the stuff over, and storage of these things in the meantime, and our latest thing to worry about storing:
A BOAT. Yup! We bought a 1985 fiberglass Bonito 17' speedboat. Pretty beat up, needs a gear box, some cables, and what not. We have the engine already, we brought the Mercury 25 outboard 2 stroke from this blog's patron saint Fiberglass Vengeance. Just our speed. $500 bucks for the boat and the trailer. We had it negotiated for $560, but the guy selling it was so cool- his name's Yunior, that he just told me to just give him the $500 when I was handing him the money. And he left the battery, and then gave us a tow chain. Really nice guy. I love hispanic people, man. We were there at their home, and they're clearly not rich, but he hooked us up. Everybody at his home was super nice and polite, and there were three brothers working together fixing up these boats to sell 'em. Imagine that. And I use their bathroom, and their place is immaculate. They didn't have much, but they took care of what they had. Totally clean yard out front, etc. They had a bottle of Andre champagne in this display case, if that gives an indication of monetary status, yet this guy was generous. Like the Bahamians. Give you the shirt off their back, man. For real. Funny thing about his name: he's named after his father, he said. So his dad called him Yunior, like Junior, in Spanish with the J pronounced like a Y. And it actually says Yunior on his license, not Junior. I thought that was pretty good.
The boat has a water shield on the transom made out of a highway sign that he ran over. My kinda boat. If only we could find a way to work some Liquid Nails in there, it'll be complete. I'll include some pictures for ya soon. But this way, now you'll have a way to get to Alan's Cay to see the lizards, or a way to shoot over to snorkel some wrecks when you come. Or something to fish with. And we bought tackle for fishing, and pretty much tried to stock up on everything since it's all cheaper here (like 1/2 the price). I got a bunch of big hooks to catch a shark with, and some heavy wire and all that. Believe I'm gonna stick some pictures of that shark up there when I get it. And then ya know what? It's gonna be like a Spinal Tap record:
Shark Sandwich.
We're driving over to visit Milt and Carol with my pore ol' mudder and Burt, and then we'll go to New Orleans to fix the roof, and then back to ship the stuff over and split. I'm so excited, man I could explode. We'll be going over around March 3 or so, after my Mom and Burt split.
That's it for now.
Jack out.
Sunday, February 15, 2009
Sunday, Feb 15th - A word from Rutherton
Sunday, Feb 15th
Was it a grueling trip down here? Yes. Was it insanely draining, hypnotically exhausting and at times anxiety-ridden? Yes. Were my sleep deprived nerves wracked with hallucinatory wreckage? Yes. Was it worth it? Uhhhh...does Mrs. Butterworth pack a gooey, syrupy, messy, yet oh so tasty, punch?
(um, that's an obvious "yes ma'am, Mrs. Butterworth")
So okay then. Let's talk about the facts.
Chapter 1:
It took us three days to drive down here. We spent one night in Atlanta at Pat & Claire's (and their cuties Liberty and Cyress). We arrived at 8 in the morning on Thursday after being on the road for 16 hours, caught breakfast with Phyllis and Burt and subsequently spent the day at the beach! We've already begun planning our many 'next steps' in this Bahamas house-building process. We spent the entire day Saturday repacking the trailer so that we could make room for a refrigerator, grill, wheel barrow, hot tub, and other such oldies but goodies. We slept in the bed of our truck last night. Now we are in the hotel for almost a week! Cash and Mickey are not only allowed to stay in our hotel room, but to roam around the hotel, ride in the shuttle to the beach club, hang out at the club's pool, and roam around the beach! The hotel staff, guests, and neighborhood peeps love them, as is expected.
Chapter 2:
We have a phone in our hotel bathroom. We've spent the majority of our time with Burt and Phyllis. Every day but Saturday we've gone to the beach with them after breakfast. Everyday we have breakfast together at 9AM. It's the hotel's buffet breakfast, which is super substantial. Everyday we've had lunch at the hotel beach club. Twice we've gotten takeout for dinner - once from Rotelli's pasta and once from Bru's Room sports bar. On Valentine's day we ate at a different outdoor sports bar and got ice cream at Foxy's around the corner from the hotel. Thursday through Saturday the hotel provided musical acts on the porch where all the guests drink and socialize. Today we played Dominos at the beach. Tonight we ate at an English pub called The Anchor. We are having a grand of a grand old time! It's been four days so far and it feels like we have been here for AT LEASt two weeks!
Chapter 3:
Today I rolled out of the truck and went straight for a run. Get this: I started out on Atlantic Blvd and ran the majority of the jog on Ocean Blvd where I tripped over the most fitting road-kill - a flattened fish! I passed Nassau St. (the capitol of the Bahamas), the address 1107 (where I grew up), and Brooks St (my mom's maiden name). I ran all the way to the beach club and back: a healthy four miles! Man, that felt sooo good...It's been about a month since I've ran anywhere. Yippee ki yay, right?
The ocean breeze gives me such a thrill! The beautiful weather gives me SO much energy! I put 193,000% more effort into repacking the big ol' trailer the other day than I would have done in the cold. The plants, the trees, the sun, the water, the friendly peeps - mmm mmm good is all I'm talkin' about!
This afternoon at the beach I went snorkeling by my lonesome and it was incredible! The ocean was flat as a pancake and clear as a trophy case (haha what?) ... I swam and free dove for about 20 minutes. On my way back in I suddenly noticed a fluorescent pink jelly blob right next to me on the right! It didn't have tentacles but it was definitely a jelly blob, just bobbing along under water, but close to the surface. I was NOT about to get any nearer! It was very fascinating though - it appeared to be made of rings that got smaller and smaller, just like a fingerprint. I mean, imagine a pink fluorescent fingerprint about the size of a miniature cereal box floating through the water! So just as I was trying to avoid it I looked nervously ahead and to my left there was another one!! I swam a straight line IN BETWEEN the two glowing fingerprint jelly blobs! I was concerned there may be more so I looked all around me but I did not see anything. I continued making my way to shore, a bit faster than before...
I attempted a google and wikipedia search for what I had seen in the water today, but I did not come up with anything quite like I had seen. The closest match I could find are a type called Jelly Combs. I will post a drawing I made of what I had seen in the water as well as some google images that are the closest I could find to what I had seen...
This week holds many errands, planning, preparing, and hanging out in between!
True love is in the air!
Peace outie for nowie,
Ruth
P.S. Today I met a girl my age named Ruth...Bringin' it back baby! Bringin' it back!
Was it a grueling trip down here? Yes. Was it insanely draining, hypnotically exhausting and at times anxiety-ridden? Yes. Were my sleep deprived nerves wracked with hallucinatory wreckage? Yes. Was it worth it? Uhhhh...does Mrs. Butterworth pack a gooey, syrupy, messy, yet oh so tasty, punch?
(um, that's an obvious "yes ma'am, Mrs. Butterworth")
So okay then. Let's talk about the facts.
Chapter 1:
It took us three days to drive down here. We spent one night in Atlanta at Pat & Claire's (and their cuties Liberty and Cyress). We arrived at 8 in the morning on Thursday after being on the road for 16 hours, caught breakfast with Phyllis and Burt and subsequently spent the day at the beach! We've already begun planning our many 'next steps' in this Bahamas house-building process. We spent the entire day Saturday repacking the trailer so that we could make room for a refrigerator, grill, wheel barrow, hot tub, and other such oldies but goodies. We slept in the bed of our truck last night. Now we are in the hotel for almost a week! Cash and Mickey are not only allowed to stay in our hotel room, but to roam around the hotel, ride in the shuttle to the beach club, hang out at the club's pool, and roam around the beach! The hotel staff, guests, and neighborhood peeps love them, as is expected.
Chapter 2:
We have a phone in our hotel bathroom. We've spent the majority of our time with Burt and Phyllis. Every day but Saturday we've gone to the beach with them after breakfast. Everyday we have breakfast together at 9AM. It's the hotel's buffet breakfast, which is super substantial. Everyday we've had lunch at the hotel beach club. Twice we've gotten takeout for dinner - once from Rotelli's pasta and once from Bru's Room sports bar. On Valentine's day we ate at a different outdoor sports bar and got ice cream at Foxy's around the corner from the hotel. Thursday through Saturday the hotel provided musical acts on the porch where all the guests drink and socialize. Today we played Dominos at the beach. Tonight we ate at an English pub called The Anchor. We are having a grand of a grand old time! It's been four days so far and it feels like we have been here for AT LEASt two weeks!
Chapter 3:
Today I rolled out of the truck and went straight for a run. Get this: I started out on Atlantic Blvd and ran the majority of the jog on Ocean Blvd where I tripped over the most fitting road-kill - a flattened fish! I passed Nassau St. (the capitol of the Bahamas), the address 1107 (where I grew up), and Brooks St (my mom's maiden name). I ran all the way to the beach club and back: a healthy four miles! Man, that felt sooo good...It's been about a month since I've ran anywhere. Yippee ki yay, right?
The ocean breeze gives me such a thrill! The beautiful weather gives me SO much energy! I put 193,000% more effort into repacking the big ol' trailer the other day than I would have done in the cold. The plants, the trees, the sun, the water, the friendly peeps - mmm mmm good is all I'm talkin' about!
This afternoon at the beach I went snorkeling by my lonesome and it was incredible! The ocean was flat as a pancake and clear as a trophy case (haha what?) ... I swam and free dove for about 20 minutes. On my way back in I suddenly noticed a fluorescent pink jelly blob right next to me on the right! It didn't have tentacles but it was definitely a jelly blob, just bobbing along under water, but close to the surface. I was NOT about to get any nearer! It was very fascinating though - it appeared to be made of rings that got smaller and smaller, just like a fingerprint. I mean, imagine a pink fluorescent fingerprint about the size of a miniature cereal box floating through the water! So just as I was trying to avoid it I looked nervously ahead and to my left there was another one!! I swam a straight line IN BETWEEN the two glowing fingerprint jelly blobs! I was concerned there may be more so I looked all around me but I did not see anything. I continued making my way to shore, a bit faster than before...
I attempted a google and wikipedia search for what I had seen in the water today, but I did not come up with anything quite like I had seen. The closest match I could find are a type called Jelly Combs. I will post a drawing I made of what I had seen in the water as well as some google images that are the closest I could find to what I had seen...
This week holds many errands, planning, preparing, and hanging out in between!
True love is in the air!
Peace outie for nowie,
Ruth
P.S. Today I met a girl my age named Ruth...Bringin' it back baby! Bringin' it back!
Thursday, January 29, 2009
Travel troubel
Jack here.
Okay, a few problems. First, the truck radiator (yeah, the new one. yeah, the THIRD ONE) is leaking. I talked to a cat that knew what he was talking about, and he said that after we replaced #1 in New Orleans, the person doing it probably didnt take the little rubber feet off of the old one, and put them on the second one before putting it in. That's true, because when that one started to leak, I replaced it myself with a third one, and there were no rubber feet on #2 when I took it out, so I didn't think to put them on #3 before putting it in. I think it's stopped leaking (put some stop-leak crap type in there), but I'm going to take it out and put some rubber under it when we get to Farmington. I would have done it up north, but I've been working outside pretty much all day every day, and I'm getting pretty bloody sick of snow, cold things, and working without gloves on because It's tough to handle small things with 'em on. It's been between 0 and 10 most days, and colder at night. We decided to take the hot tub after all, so breaking that down was a pain, since the cover over it had leaked, and it had filled partially with what used to be water, and now was very stiff water. We broke all the ice up with a mallet and log splitting wedge, and emptied it by hand. Ah, soaking wet again, and freezing ass. Yikes.
But those aren't even the BIG problem. Just as I was driving south tonight, and texting Ruth that "all is swell," I crossed some railroad tracks and felt a clunk and looked in the rearview to see the trailer separate from the truck. The clamp that bites down on the ball had given up. Luckily, I was turning a corner, going slow, and on a side road. The trailer just went to the side, and nothing broken, except the tow chains, the lock holding them on, and the coupling. The wiring disconnected itself luckily. So now, we're in Kalkaska at the Econolodge, just after getting busted for sneaking the dogs in, and after going out to find some griznub. We got the suspicious looks from the locals, the ominous silence when we went in the pub, the wordless pointing when we asked where we could get food. Everything but tumbleweed blowing by and and some old codger saying "we don't take KINDly to strangers in these parts. SPECially YANKees!"
But we're making progress. It's snowed about 4 inches tonight, but we're warm, the dogs are back in the truck with a space heater running inside, our bellies full of Italian foodage, and a couple of Netflixes to kill the time tonight. Could be worse.
In case anybody doesn't know the agenda, it's from here to Farmington, then Kalamazoo, then New Orleans to fix the roof, pick up tools, barbeques, all that rot, and then on to Florida to chill with my Mom and Burt for a month or so before sending the new pickup and trailer fulla tools across by boat to get started clearing the lot, hooking up utilities, pouring footings, etc. We'll come back when it's warm. In the meantime, feel free to come visit us. We'll be on the vacant lot in a huge tent, drinking water out of jerry jugs, but we'll be happy.
Come join us.
Jack
We're on our way...
Okay, a few problems. First, the truck radiator (yeah, the new one. yeah, the THIRD ONE) is leaking. I talked to a cat that knew what he was talking about, and he said that after we replaced #1 in New Orleans, the person doing it probably didnt take the little rubber feet off of the old one, and put them on the second one before putting it in. That's true, because when that one started to leak, I replaced it myself with a third one, and there were no rubber feet on #2 when I took it out, so I didn't think to put them on #3 before putting it in. I think it's stopped leaking (put some stop-leak crap type in there), but I'm going to take it out and put some rubber under it when we get to Farmington. I would have done it up north, but I've been working outside pretty much all day every day, and I'm getting pretty bloody sick of snow, cold things, and working without gloves on because It's tough to handle small things with 'em on. It's been between 0 and 10 most days, and colder at night. We decided to take the hot tub after all, so breaking that down was a pain, since the cover over it had leaked, and it had filled partially with what used to be water, and now was very stiff water. We broke all the ice up with a mallet and log splitting wedge, and emptied it by hand. Ah, soaking wet again, and freezing ass. Yikes.
But those aren't even the BIG problem. Just as I was driving south tonight, and texting Ruth that "all is swell," I crossed some railroad tracks and felt a clunk and looked in the rearview to see the trailer separate from the truck. The clamp that bites down on the ball had given up. Luckily, I was turning a corner, going slow, and on a side road. The trailer just went to the side, and nothing broken, except the tow chains, the lock holding them on, and the coupling. The wiring disconnected itself luckily. So now, we're in Kalkaska at the Econolodge, just after getting busted for sneaking the dogs in, and after going out to find some griznub. We got the suspicious looks from the locals, the ominous silence when we went in the pub, the wordless pointing when we asked where we could get food. Everything but tumbleweed blowing by and and some old codger saying "we don't take KINDly to strangers in these parts. SPECially YANKees!"
But we're making progress. It's snowed about 4 inches tonight, but we're warm, the dogs are back in the truck with a space heater running inside, our bellies full of Italian foodage, and a couple of Netflixes to kill the time tonight. Could be worse.
In case anybody doesn't know the agenda, it's from here to Farmington, then Kalamazoo, then New Orleans to fix the roof, pick up tools, barbeques, all that rot, and then on to Florida to chill with my Mom and Burt for a month or so before sending the new pickup and trailer fulla tools across by boat to get started clearing the lot, hooking up utilities, pouring footings, etc. We'll come back when it's warm. In the meantime, feel free to come visit us. We'll be on the vacant lot in a huge tent, drinking water out of jerry jugs, but we'll be happy.
Come join us.
Jack
We're on our way...
Saturday, January 24, 2009
Bad news
Okay, I just ripped the back off of the aluminum boat. Yup, I just went over to it, hooked a tie down to it, and tied the other end to the truck and eased it out from under the snow. That all worked fine, but apparently it snagged on something and then RIIIIIIP. Yup, the back of the boat came right off. At least it wasn't the Mary L., my grandmother's boat that my Dad got for her. I did have them mixed up in my head, which was under which snow mound, but I dragged that one free first, and I guess it was of better quality. Good purchase, Pop. The other one was the much despised one that my Aunt gave my Mom, that had a totally rounded bottom, and had a tendency to be unpredictable (what's up with the rounded bottoms? I'm catching a trend here...)
Now my wife on the other hand, has a rounded bottom that has certainly been remarked upon, but she's pretty consistent. In fact, she's right as rain. Hat's off to you, Ruthie. And to your behind. And to Jean and Curtis: Nice work. Unlike me and my bony arsed English relatives, my kids will have a place to sit down, thanks to you.
I took what I thought were two claritin, and I think they were xanax, because I had them in a pepper jar because I lost the container. I can't remember, I've had them for years. My claritin were way out in the truck (yes, WAY out there- it's farther when it's cold out) and I took the wrong two and wasted a good hunk of the day laying there staring at what I think was a moth.
The rest of the day was spent outside, working on the trailer, or other out-type stuff, in the snow and the cold. It was pretty much just like the Shining, except for the nice, warm, cozy indoor parts.
Now my wife on the other hand, has a rounded bottom that has certainly been remarked upon, but she's pretty consistent. In fact, she's right as rain. Hat's off to you, Ruthie. And to your behind. And to Jean and Curtis: Nice work. Unlike me and my bony arsed English relatives, my kids will have a place to sit down, thanks to you.
I took what I thought were two claritin, and I think they were xanax, because I had them in a pepper jar because I lost the container. I can't remember, I've had them for years. My claritin were way out in the truck (yes, WAY out there- it's farther when it's cold out) and I took the wrong two and wasted a good hunk of the day laying there staring at what I think was a moth.
The rest of the day was spent outside, working on the trailer, or other out-type stuff, in the snow and the cold. It was pretty much just like the Shining, except for the nice, warm, cozy indoor parts.
Howdy, Dudies.
Jackl here.
Well, another day shot. What did we do today? Bought wood to build out the trailer we bought to make it enclosed. Cleaned in the garage, organized and sorted some stuff to go to the Bahamas. What did we do yesterday? Drove here, unpacked, plowed, tried to keep warm. What are we doing tomorrow? Same shit. Trying to get the garage to warm up, if I'm going to be in there for lengths of time. Trying to get vehicles dug out after getting them stuck. Hauling water from the grocery store. Trying not to freeze your butt off literally when you go crap out in the snow.
It's fun though, in a way. There's a lot to do, and no real deadline exactly, but we're trying to be ready to go to Florida/New Orleans the same time Phyllis and Burt go. We want to make sure we're thorough, and don't miss anything, because once we get down there and things are REALLY hard to get, and we're working we'll be saying "man, I should have brought earplugs for when I'm working around these tools" or
an extra tape measure
a trowel
should have packed the bearings on the trailer again
brought a better dog line
a boat
more nails
a jack to lift something heavy
a whatever
etc. etc. etc.
I like to plan though, and anticipate. I think I'm pretty decent at it. (By the way, know anybody else who announced Barack Obama's winning presidential bid in 2004? Yup, I said that, the first time I heard him speak, before he was done. I'm very proud of that. I said I've never heard of him before, but that man WILL be president, mark my words. I don't make predictions often, but I did say that- it seemed inevitable, inevitable because of how he is, and inevitable based on what George Bush was doing wrong- kind of a "game-theory" concept, I guess. Anyway, enough bragging. I was proud of that though, like I said...)
But getting ready is a lot like preparing for the trip in the boat, trying to anticipate needs you won't have for several months, and trying to imagine every eventuality, but at least with this, we know somewhat what we're getting into.
The main unknowns at this point are things like how expensive concrete will be to pour there, and if we should switch to a wood story. So that affects what tools we can bring. And should we bring the hot tub? Is there room? Well, that depends on how high the trailer is allowed to be for shipping. And what about those tools? Everything new toolwise is taxed at 45%, so what are they going to tax me on an old tool? One that looks new but isn't? Should I spray paint all my stuff to make it look old? Scratch it up a bit? It's a big issue, because we're taking a few grand worth of tools. We're going to try to snag this extra rowboat outta here. It was given to my Mom by my Aunt, and it's incredibly unstable as a rowboat, due to a round bottom. (correlation with round bottoms indicating instability? This should be explored...) I figure if we throw the mercury 25 on it, it won't tip anywhere, sideways anyway. I just hope that's not too much weight for the thing on the back end. I had a dream about that last night. Am I the most boring guy in the world or what? Wow, how dull. Not as good as the one I had the other day when I woke up talking about "Jawbone Concentrate."
So we have to fix the truck again. The NEW radiator leaks now (this is #3), and so the "bought a bad radiator" theory for #2 is out, and leaves "the dumb mechanic that put in the second one took out the rubber footing that it sits on, and the metal ends up making a hole in the radiators" as a second theory. I just got done putting in the third one. That sucks, but I'll do it when we come back.
I have two more windows to put in the pumphouse before we go. One is glass block, so that will be some doing, especially in this weather. Maybe I'll do that when we come back too. Like the bank in front of the boathouse. There's some thought that maybe I should fly back in the spring and work on that. We'll see.
Before we leave though, I have to winterize the pumphouse, build the trailer into an enclosed trailer, figure out what to do about the bumper on the new truck (the trailer stuck in the snow and then the tongue pulled the ball around 90 degrees until it broke free. Hmmmm...
Then winterize the truck, put it up on blocks, cover the boat, and get a bunch of stuff ready.
Anyway, boring blog, I know. Sorry about that. It's just what's on the old brain these days. Planning for landing at the new crib, and getting started.
Clearing the lot
Pitching the tent
Building a tool shed (where all good construction projects start, a la Shady Rest)
Getting the water and electric hooked up
Digging a septic field
Grading the lot
Pouring a foundation
Building concrete walls on top of that, or wood?
We'll see how far we get.
So bored people, this is the latest. Trying to plan to pack for a place where bringing stuff in is really difficult.
Stay tuned
Jack
Well, another day shot. What did we do today? Bought wood to build out the trailer we bought to make it enclosed. Cleaned in the garage, organized and sorted some stuff to go to the Bahamas. What did we do yesterday? Drove here, unpacked, plowed, tried to keep warm. What are we doing tomorrow? Same shit. Trying to get the garage to warm up, if I'm going to be in there for lengths of time. Trying to get vehicles dug out after getting them stuck. Hauling water from the grocery store. Trying not to freeze your butt off literally when you go crap out in the snow.
It's fun though, in a way. There's a lot to do, and no real deadline exactly, but we're trying to be ready to go to Florida/New Orleans the same time Phyllis and Burt go. We want to make sure we're thorough, and don't miss anything, because once we get down there and things are REALLY hard to get, and we're working we'll be saying "man, I should have brought earplugs for when I'm working around these tools" or
an extra tape measure
a trowel
should have packed the bearings on the trailer again
brought a better dog line
a boat
more nails
a jack to lift something heavy
a whatever
etc. etc. etc.
I like to plan though, and anticipate. I think I'm pretty decent at it. (By the way, know anybody else who announced Barack Obama's winning presidential bid in 2004? Yup, I said that, the first time I heard him speak, before he was done. I'm very proud of that. I said I've never heard of him before, but that man WILL be president, mark my words. I don't make predictions often, but I did say that- it seemed inevitable, inevitable because of how he is, and inevitable based on what George Bush was doing wrong- kind of a "game-theory" concept, I guess. Anyway, enough bragging. I was proud of that though, like I said...)
But getting ready is a lot like preparing for the trip in the boat, trying to anticipate needs you won't have for several months, and trying to imagine every eventuality, but at least with this, we know somewhat what we're getting into.
The main unknowns at this point are things like how expensive concrete will be to pour there, and if we should switch to a wood story. So that affects what tools we can bring. And should we bring the hot tub? Is there room? Well, that depends on how high the trailer is allowed to be for shipping. And what about those tools? Everything new toolwise is taxed at 45%, so what are they going to tax me on an old tool? One that looks new but isn't? Should I spray paint all my stuff to make it look old? Scratch it up a bit? It's a big issue, because we're taking a few grand worth of tools. We're going to try to snag this extra rowboat outta here. It was given to my Mom by my Aunt, and it's incredibly unstable as a rowboat, due to a round bottom. (correlation with round bottoms indicating instability? This should be explored...) I figure if we throw the mercury 25 on it, it won't tip anywhere, sideways anyway. I just hope that's not too much weight for the thing on the back end. I had a dream about that last night. Am I the most boring guy in the world or what? Wow, how dull. Not as good as the one I had the other day when I woke up talking about "Jawbone Concentrate."
So we have to fix the truck again. The NEW radiator leaks now (this is #3), and so the "bought a bad radiator" theory for #2 is out, and leaves "the dumb mechanic that put in the second one took out the rubber footing that it sits on, and the metal ends up making a hole in the radiators" as a second theory. I just got done putting in the third one. That sucks, but I'll do it when we come back.
I have two more windows to put in the pumphouse before we go. One is glass block, so that will be some doing, especially in this weather. Maybe I'll do that when we come back too. Like the bank in front of the boathouse. There's some thought that maybe I should fly back in the spring and work on that. We'll see.
Before we leave though, I have to winterize the pumphouse, build the trailer into an enclosed trailer, figure out what to do about the bumper on the new truck (the trailer stuck in the snow and then the tongue pulled the ball around 90 degrees until it broke free. Hmmmm...
Then winterize the truck, put it up on blocks, cover the boat, and get a bunch of stuff ready.
Anyway, boring blog, I know. Sorry about that. It's just what's on the old brain these days. Planning for landing at the new crib, and getting started.
Clearing the lot
Pitching the tent
Building a tool shed (where all good construction projects start, a la Shady Rest)
Getting the water and electric hooked up
Digging a septic field
Grading the lot
Pouring a foundation
Building concrete walls on top of that, or wood?
We'll see how far we get.
So bored people, this is the latest. Trying to plan to pack for a place where bringing stuff in is really difficult.
Stay tuned
Jack
Friday, January 23, 2009
Ruthhhhhhh 1/23/2009
It's so crazy being here up north amidst the freezing cold, howling winds, and beautiful bright white snow - only to be sitting at the computer looking for places to stay while we hang out in Florida next month. I'm staring at pictures of the ocean, beaches, and the bright sun, all while the icy cold winds whip around outside...ahh this is exciting!
It's really nice up here though! Jack and I both wish we were able to stay up here a bit longer. The pumphouse is nice and cozy. It's spacious, warm, and incredibly comfortable! After a long day of enduring the harsh cold, trudging through snow that comes up to my knees, or driving through the slippery slush, it's sooooo nice to come back to this warm little hut, melt into the soft couch with a DVD and some homemade toaster-oven style pizza!
Jack really pimped this place up with the entertainment center and pantry shelves he made, the baseboard heater, and the phat ladder he built that stands sturdy, just like a staircase, leading up to the loft. (Ohhh the loft is soooo comfortable! I love sleeping up there! I love reading with the little lamps that cast a soothing glow about the room!) There's an endless list of incredible things Jack did to make this place so awesome! From the beautiful Brazilian Cherry wood floors he installed to the big ceiling fan that churns the warm air around the room; from the soft, dramatic lighting (including rope lights on dimmers!) to the new plumbing, insulation, and windows that make the place more fuctional. He is the man! I am so lucky to be able to enjoy such a nice place! I'm so grateful to Phyllis as well for letting us enjoy it! I can't wait until she sees the finished product!
Well now that I've got all that off my chest I can go back to looking for campgrounds and rentals in Florida. Happy January!
It's really nice up here though! Jack and I both wish we were able to stay up here a bit longer. The pumphouse is nice and cozy. It's spacious, warm, and incredibly comfortable! After a long day of enduring the harsh cold, trudging through snow that comes up to my knees, or driving through the slippery slush, it's sooooo nice to come back to this warm little hut, melt into the soft couch with a DVD and some homemade toaster-oven style pizza!
Jack really pimped this place up with the entertainment center and pantry shelves he made, the baseboard heater, and the phat ladder he built that stands sturdy, just like a staircase, leading up to the loft. (Ohhh the loft is soooo comfortable! I love sleeping up there! I love reading with the little lamps that cast a soothing glow about the room!) There's an endless list of incredible things Jack did to make this place so awesome! From the beautiful Brazilian Cherry wood floors he installed to the big ceiling fan that churns the warm air around the room; from the soft, dramatic lighting (including rope lights on dimmers!) to the new plumbing, insulation, and windows that make the place more fuctional. He is the man! I am so lucky to be able to enjoy such a nice place! I'm so grateful to Phyllis as well for letting us enjoy it! I can't wait until she sees the finished product!
Well now that I've got all that off my chest I can go back to looking for campgrounds and rentals in Florida. Happy January!
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
Takin' ideas for the Bahamian Crizzle
Jack here.
Yo:
Feel free to email me some ideas y'all. I got some great ones from Jean, Michele, Curtis, Shannon, Madeline, Phyllis, David, and a few from a few other folks. We're going to work 'em in there the best we can, and in the meantime, keep 'em coming.
I've been busy designing stuff, a solar water heater, reusable concrete forms, and basically methodology and tools to get from a-z. Some of this is just to plan ahead, some of it needs to be understood/known now so that we can proceed and know what materials we'll be using so we know what tools to bring, etc. As I get further into the nuts and bolts of design, I've come up with the following:
Regular windows with wooden borders, in the even of a hurricane, precut plywood squares can be screwed to 'em.
Probably going to go with concrete walls, though I have been investigating block walls and wood walls (screwed and glued) as well. Though all three would be hurricane wind-proof if constructed right (triangulating corners, screws not nails, glue at all contact points, heavy sheathing, bolting wood structure to rafters as well as foundation, etc.) I'm checking into import taxes, shipping charges, how many blocks would be needed (2631), how many 80 pound bags of concrete needed (2928), how many linear feet of 2x6 needed (I forget), and after all that, I'm thinking at this point that it should be made of poured concrete, with rebar inside.
The design I have so far is a ten foot high first basement (30x40), and a fifteen foot high second floor of the same size. Well, maybe the main floor will extend ten or twenty feet further to allow for a patio walkout on the main floor. The roof will be flat, built from wooden trusses with a rubberoid coating painted white to accomodate the hot tub on the roof. The basement will be split down the middle by a main I-beam on posts to allow for 2x10 joists between the basement and first floor, and the roof will be made from trusses, 24" thick, 16" on center, that I'll make on site. The plumbing and electrical will be run through the walls before they're poured. The main floor would have no interior walls, except maybe a bathroom/shower. Thus the huge trusses on the roof- to have the strength for 40 pounds per square foot without interior supporting walls. Just one huge room with a kitchen on one end, a patio on the other end, basically wider than it is longer, to take advangage of the predominant north winds through the many windows to the north, and to blow through to the many windows and doorwalls facing south to the view of the water.
The big epiphany I had for today was this: when we make the concrete forms, if I coat them in something sticky like tar and lay them flat, I can sprinkle leaves on them, and then when the concrete is poured there will be leaf imprints all over them. That would be pretty cool in itself, but I was thinking that I could paint the leaves green and then roll the wall white, and if I do it lightly, then we would end up with green leaves all over a white wall.
The other one was that we put a gutter all around the house, we can have it feed a cistern that slowly drains into a perforated tube that runs through a garden for permanent irrigation with little ongoing work.
I've been pricing labor, rebar, and concrete down there, and minimum concrete trip charges, etc., so I can know how much of it we need to form at a time. I've also been getting ahold of utility companies so that we can have the utilities on soon after we get there.
I think we'll be getting a satellite for internet. We'll also have city water, propane we buy by the tank, electric stove, washing machine, clothesline for a dryer, a septic field for sewer, a bar on the roof, 4 garage bays in the basement to hold a fishing boat, weight room, music room, whatever, plus storage.
Things we have include a lot of tools, a fishing boat to fish with, the outboard for our fishing boat, cement mixer, welders, chainsaws, etc.
Things we need include: a boat with a deep vee design (longer is better for waves) for running between islands, scaffolding 20 feet high, 2 way radios, pruners, a bicycle, a ladder, a mop, an electric fence for the dogs, seeds for fruit trees and vegetables you want us to plant so they'll be ready when you get there, and who knows what else. If you have some scaffolding laying around, or if you see a hot deal on one of those items, let us know.
Yo:
Feel free to email me some ideas y'all. I got some great ones from Jean, Michele, Curtis, Shannon, Madeline, Phyllis, David, and a few from a few other folks. We're going to work 'em in there the best we can, and in the meantime, keep 'em coming.
I've been busy designing stuff, a solar water heater, reusable concrete forms, and basically methodology and tools to get from a-z. Some of this is just to plan ahead, some of it needs to be understood/known now so that we can proceed and know what materials we'll be using so we know what tools to bring, etc. As I get further into the nuts and bolts of design, I've come up with the following:
Regular windows with wooden borders, in the even of a hurricane, precut plywood squares can be screwed to 'em.
Probably going to go with concrete walls, though I have been investigating block walls and wood walls (screwed and glued) as well. Though all three would be hurricane wind-proof if constructed right (triangulating corners, screws not nails, glue at all contact points, heavy sheathing, bolting wood structure to rafters as well as foundation, etc.) I'm checking into import taxes, shipping charges, how many blocks would be needed (2631), how many 80 pound bags of concrete needed (2928), how many linear feet of 2x6 needed (I forget), and after all that, I'm thinking at this point that it should be made of poured concrete, with rebar inside.
The design I have so far is a ten foot high first basement (30x40), and a fifteen foot high second floor of the same size. Well, maybe the main floor will extend ten or twenty feet further to allow for a patio walkout on the main floor. The roof will be flat, built from wooden trusses with a rubberoid coating painted white to accomodate the hot tub on the roof. The basement will be split down the middle by a main I-beam on posts to allow for 2x10 joists between the basement and first floor, and the roof will be made from trusses, 24" thick, 16" on center, that I'll make on site. The plumbing and electrical will be run through the walls before they're poured. The main floor would have no interior walls, except maybe a bathroom/shower. Thus the huge trusses on the roof- to have the strength for 40 pounds per square foot without interior supporting walls. Just one huge room with a kitchen on one end, a patio on the other end, basically wider than it is longer, to take advangage of the predominant north winds through the many windows to the north, and to blow through to the many windows and doorwalls facing south to the view of the water.
The big epiphany I had for today was this: when we make the concrete forms, if I coat them in something sticky like tar and lay them flat, I can sprinkle leaves on them, and then when the concrete is poured there will be leaf imprints all over them. That would be pretty cool in itself, but I was thinking that I could paint the leaves green and then roll the wall white, and if I do it lightly, then we would end up with green leaves all over a white wall.
The other one was that we put a gutter all around the house, we can have it feed a cistern that slowly drains into a perforated tube that runs through a garden for permanent irrigation with little ongoing work.
I've been pricing labor, rebar, and concrete down there, and minimum concrete trip charges, etc., so I can know how much of it we need to form at a time. I've also been getting ahold of utility companies so that we can have the utilities on soon after we get there.
I think we'll be getting a satellite for internet. We'll also have city water, propane we buy by the tank, electric stove, washing machine, clothesline for a dryer, a septic field for sewer, a bar on the roof, 4 garage bays in the basement to hold a fishing boat, weight room, music room, whatever, plus storage.
Things we have include a lot of tools, a fishing boat to fish with, the outboard for our fishing boat, cement mixer, welders, chainsaws, etc.
Things we need include: a boat with a deep vee design (longer is better for waves) for running between islands, scaffolding 20 feet high, 2 way radios, pruners, a bicycle, a ladder, a mop, an electric fence for the dogs, seeds for fruit trees and vegetables you want us to plant so they'll be ready when you get there, and who knows what else. If you have some scaffolding laying around, or if you see a hot deal on one of those items, let us know.
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