Evel and the Kids

Posted on by June 7, 2019

Jenny and I were talking about crazy stuff we used to do on bicycles.

Man, I’m glad we survived them all.

Some of the time, we were being little Evel Knievels.

I wonder how many kids were either made a little tougher or damaged a little because of emulating a thrill seeker like Evel?

I know that I had some scrapes because of the crummy homemade ramps that were un-jumpable…but still….we tried to jump them….and we paid the price that any seven-year old would be willing to pay for a moment of glory.

Evel Knievel!

That was some crazy stuff.

 

Riding the Short Bus…

Posted on by June 6, 2019

The short bus.

This is a nice conversion of a “short bus”.

I like seeing the creativity that goes into converting these old buses.

Some of these folks doing the converting have some real skills.

We all need a vehicle….something to get away in.

Why not one of these old buses?

Continental Divide Trail….

Posted on by June 5, 2019

OK.

So you have these three major trails: The Appalachian….the Pacific Crest Trail….and….the Continental Divide Trail.

I know that everybody hikes the Appalachian.

I know that Reese Witherspoon hiked the Pacific Crest Trail.

But….I don’t know anybody who’s hiked the Continental Divide Trail.

What a freaking adventure that would be!

Of course, we camped out over at the Barber Rd. property and that felt like an adventure…..and the hardest thing about that was making sure the hot dogs didn’t fall off the stick.

This is something else, though.

What would it be like to do something like this?

I wonder….

Logging and a new Neighbor

Posted on by June 4, 2019

They still do a heck of a lot of logging up in the section of Idaho that our old family property is on.

Not like this, of course.

Now, it’s modern and efficient….with big chainsaws and heavy equipment to do what these guys did with crosscut saws and oxen.

When we went to visit, the logging trucks were busy going up and down the wide gravel roads.

Logging is a big industry up in the Pacific Northwest.

It’s “good wood” country.

Yesterday we got a letter from new neighbors who’d purchased some acreage that adjoins land we own in Idaho.

They wanted to know if we wanted to sell our land so their relatives could have a piece close to theirs.

I need to write to them and tell them that I can’t sell a property like that.

It’s been in my family for a long time….and its value goes beyond what a realtor could tell me it’s “worth”.

Funny how, even though we could always use the money, an asset is an asset far beyond what money it represents.

We don’t get out West often enough….but knowing that land is there gives me good feelings.

It’s a good feeling to have ties to my father and his family….and our history in the Pacific Northwest.

I guess that, when you get down to it, I’m not much of a businessman.

I wouldn’t trade that land for all the tea in China.

Riding the Rails: Northern Idaho

Posted on by June 3, 2019

Man…I love a good road trip.

How about….a good “rail trip”?

But not on a train.

We’d be riding on a thing like this….

I could motorvate or just get one of the kids to pedal like madmen.

That would be pretty darn cool.

This dude is up in Northern Idaho…..on the St. Maries Rail line.

It’s nice up there….different than North Carolina.

Not as green, for sure….but…nice.

For us to do this, I’d need a tiny rail house…and the kids would need to be strong pedalers to get a big rig moving.

Tough going up hills….but I think that they could do it.

We could do anything.

 

hard work…done fast

Posted on by June 2, 2019

“Done fast”?

Here’s a time-lapse video that shows a family building a homestead over the course of three years.

What a good job!

What a lot of work.

It’s inspiring to see something like this.

And, like the builder says in the video, you sometimes don’t know what you’re capable of until you have to do it.

This family purchased property in an area where the bank wouldn’t finance the build.

They were too far away from the power lines for the bank to take a chance on financing, so everything they did was paid for out of pocket.

In the video, the homeowner says that other homes in the area cost 150 dollars per square foot….but their build cost around 16 dollars psf.

That’s a pretty dramatic savings.

It takes a lot of planning and hard work to save that much.

This is one of the better home building videos that I’ve seen lately….no hype…straight forward.

You can see more of the family and their project on their YouTube channel….

Strad Style

Posted on by June 1, 2019

We watched this documentary last night.

It’s about a Stradivarius obsessed violin maker who lives out in the middle of nowhere in Ohio who, through a random Facebook contact, offers to build a copy of a famous Guarneri violin for a rising star Romanian soloist.

The violin maker, Daniel Houck, lives in a rambling farmhouse that is falling apart.

He’s taught himself violin making by watching YouTube videos and reading books about violins and their construction.

His life seems chaotic….unsupported and unfocused (except for his obsession with the violin)….and when he offers to build this violin, it seems that this story has the potential to end badly.

Surprisingly, the story doesn’t end badly.

That’s as much of a spoiler as I’m going to give, though.

This movie is a low-key “Rocky”…..except Daniel never gets to hit anyone in the face….so it’s not exactly like “Rocky”.

I appreciated this movie about obsession and achievement.

I didn’t expect the victory, though.

It felt like a slow-motion train wreck.

I guess that’s where most good art comes from, though…..the crazy and lost outliers who fixate over something and pursue it, even though their circumstances don’t seem to support any chance of success….making violins….or art….because they can’t help but do it….because they’re obsessed.

The train wreck that makes it to the station is a lot more interesting than the steady roller who always does the expected.

This is a crazy story….and very worth watching….especially if you have an interest in music or instrument making.

It’s a bigger story than one that’s just about making a violin, though.

Watch this.

Cheer at the end.

 

 

 

Life is Good….and….it is

Posted on by May 31, 2019

Here’s a TedTalk by one of the founders of the Life Is Good company.

It’s all about optimism and positivity.

That’s a simplistic response to the world…to be optimistic and positive.

Lately, it seems more natural to be cynical….to be jaded about the things that go on “out there”.

But…the simple things are often the true things.

We need optimism.

The fight to see the world as something good and to remain optimistic about its potential is a good fight.

It’s a fight we have to learn to sustain.

I’m reading a book that the brothers wrote about their business and views called (appropriately) “Life is Good: the Book”.

It’s (surprise) simple….and consistently optimistic.

You probably don’t change the world by wearing a t-shirt.

But….optimism is contagious….and wearing a t-shirt with a positive message wouldn’t hurt anything.

Awwwwwwwww, shoot…..

Just smile more….that gets the job done, too.

Don’t hide your head in the sand….but….smile more and plant some seeds of optimism when you can.

Optimism is the normal state….when did we get so cynical?

Weird.

Homemade Camper Van….2.6 Million Views!!

Posted on by May 30, 2019

Dude!

Man, I love seeing creativity that isn’t tied to big expenditures.

There are a lot of custom builds out in the world that cost a lot of money.

Most of them don’t show a lot of skill or creativity.

This one is different.

It’s fun to see somebody gearing up to live in his van while he goes to college….saving money….travel….all the good stuff.

Here’s another video about this guy’s experience….

There are so many ways to make it through this life.

Good job.

 

Toss Out The Ballast…..

Posted on by May 29, 2019

I might be missing something, but it looks like the guys in the video are tearing out the interior of the van so they can get it unstuck?

That’s pretty weird….but I guess it would work.

I get stuck….but don’t jettison the ballast.

It’s too hard to get it all back together.

I’m (typically) just being silly.

I don’t think these guys are that incompetent.

I like seeing good breathing protection, too.

And…if you’re going to build a Sprinter van….how much cooler is it to build a 38-year-old van than it is to go and buy one brand new?

Well…I say…….cooler.

This is one of the better van build documentaries I’ve seen.

For folks with “no experience”, I think that they did a nice job.

Smart folks…learning on the fly.

Good stuff.

I guess the guys are in Portugal.

Their website can be found at www.wildweroam.com