a change of course...

[Tom Reed]

Wise move Bob. I've built the big dream house on the 77ac of land off-grid and the whole bit. But I'm paying almost 1/2 the cost of your house in taxes every year plus a mortgage payment. 

[M61hops]

I think you made a wise choice Bob, good luck with the moveing in!  I've thought of moving to an area where I could buy something just like your new place.  I live in Northern California and even though property prices in the town where I live have dropped over 50% in the last few years a place like the one you just bought would cost about $150,000!  If I wanted to build a house like yours, or even just a 1 car garage, I would have to pay about $20,000 in fees for permits!  What you've done would make sense for me and probably several other board members also!    Leland

[NevadaBlue]

I think you made a great choice! I know what you mean about the old body and new projects. I'm involved in about 3 major projects here and I am VERY slow now. My back doesn't want to do what my mind says I should be able to do.
I'll be watching your project as it progresses. Have fun and keep us posted please.

[Chris]

Bob,

I have a picture of a road sign somewhere. We took the picture at a intersection in England several years ago. The junction up the road was more like a Y than a X. The sign was a warning "Changing priorities ahead"!

Where I live, and I am very lucky to have found what I have, at a very reasonable price back in the late 1990's is 4.5 acres 120 feet of beach with the property rising up to about 60 feet above high water. My house is on a cliff about 45 feet above high water. The location is reasonably issolated. Our best local friends are about 7 miles up the road.
We have no grid power, marginal ground water (Too much salt). There is a home just below me. The owners from Atlanta have not been down for 3 years? or so.

My wife, 5 dogs and two cats and I have loved this issolation.


The property just next to me came on the market. 3 acres. I was able to contact some of my other  best friends, One from Canada ( Bruce penisular Ontario) and the other from Nassau (Bahamas) and we where able to scroung up enough money to purchase the 3 acres. We have not closed yet. We hope before Xmas.

I am very excited about having neighbours that I know and like. Both of my friends are very handy. My Canadian buddy is an excellant mechanic. Mostly motor cycles and out boards.
The other from Nassau, an eye doctor is very handy with wood working.
I am really looking forward to neighbours now.
I am over 60 now and just don't have the get up and go as I used to. My wife less than me.
When something goes wrong, it is good to have help around.

Bob, good luck with your "Changing priorities"
You have been a great inspration to all of us. I am thinking Changfa, but I love my Lister.

All the best

Chris Roberts
Schooner Bay
Abaco
Bahamas

[AdeV]

Chris,

Here ya go:

[Chris]

That's not it but close.
Chris

[mobile_bob]

thanks Guys for all the encouragement and kind words, you all are the best!

this has been an incredibly difficult decision  to make, giving up ones dream after having given up on so
many to support a family gets tougher and tougher to do it seems,

especially accepting ones limitations as we get older.

i guess i always knew i wasn't bullet proof, but finding out i am not even BB gun proof has been an eye opener.

planning a career change at the same time, and a relocation back to the town of my youth all combine to a somewhat
surreal experience.

at least the wife is cool with the prospect, she seems to like the looks of the place, so in the end that will be one hurdle
i am glad not to have to deal with.  from experience when a wife isn't on board with a move, a guy is doomed from the start.

now to refocus on things such as how to eek out a living in small town usa, i figure my income to come from varied sources rather
than any single job,, mainly because there really isn't any jobs around that i know of.  that hasn't stopped me in the past, when there is no job i seem to find a way to put myself into business and create my own job.

this is going to be interesting i am sure

the way this all looks to play out, i should be moving there by next fall. i got to thinking about it we moved there to that small town when i was a child exactly 50 years ago next fall, and exactly 2 city blocks away.

kinda weird when you think about it

bob g

[billswan]

Bob

With your skills, if you want to open a fix it shop I predict after the word gets out you will be so busy you will have no personal time. After you get established hire some young needy soul to work under you as a sort of apprentice and stick him or her with the harder work and you can just do the more enjoyable stuff that comes your way.

Reminds me of a fellow that moved to a local town and retired there because his wife inherited a house there.
Turns out he was a mason and after he poured his own drive way all of a sudden he had more work than he wanted as the area was concrete worker deficient. Now about 7 years later he has a summer crew that puts in almost anything concrete. He hires young unskilled shall we say wayward souls and gives them some work and they learn some construction skills. He is the brains and he sits on a bench beside the project and tells these young guys what to do. He is in his upper 70's but he says he just can't sit still in the summer unless he has a fishing pole in his hand. And fishing just costs it don't pay the bills.  By gosh I just remembered this guys name is bobcat bob, because when he is not sitting on his bench he is in his bobcat skid loader getting the site ready for concrete. All the concrete that has been poured on my farm since he came to town has been poured by bobcat Bob. Come to think of it that is in excess of 45000$.

So my guess is you will be just fine in rural Kansas.

Billswan


Billswan

[SHIPCHIEF]

Bob;
One of my school buds lives in Springfield Oregon. His 'stepson' moved away after highschool, and never could make anything of himself. Finally he moved back in and my bud worked him around the property trying to get him to learn how to work. Then one day he aprenticed to the local 'handy man'. That changed everything, now 'Bubba' gets it!! That handy guy can do anything in housing and construction, so Bubba is getting a full education plus mentoring about character and commitment.
I always worked a traditional payroll job, so watching this whole process was an eye opener for me too. I guess I just didn't see it before. Now I recognize these people all over the place, and not just yard crews.
It's going to be the economic backbone of the country as well slog thru this recession / depression, whatever.
You have what it takes.
Scott

[SHIPCHIEF]

Bob;
I was just looking at the pictures of your place again.
I think you have an Amateur Radio antenna mast there by the garage door?
A technical guy like you should be into Ham Radio. With back up generators on hand, every day would be a Field Day.
Ham Radio is also a form of Emergency Preparedness. It's always a community asset to have a Ham Radio station.
Also, if your health is going down, you can still reach out to people all over the world by radio. 
My Brother has been a Ham operator sinse Jr High. I'm just getting started @ 55 yrs young.
Scott

[mobile_bob]

there is some debate whether it was a ham antenna tower, or a tv antenna tower

either way, i think i can see it being a ham antenna at some point in the my future

that is unless i get an itch to mount a wind gen up there?

probably not, i don't like heights at all

bob g

[mobile_bob]

it just keeps gettin better and better, i found out today that there is a three phase line less than a block away!

i know the lineman personally, so i think i can get him to run it down to my place without too much hassle.

never thought i would ever have three phase unless i generated it myself.

maybe every dog "does" have his day?

bob g

[cschuerm]

Congrats on the new place Bob and welcome to tornado alley!
We all already knew you were a wise man, so the wise decision comes as no surprise.
You have several gear-head e-friends in Oklahoma, so just wave the flag when you need help bringing the new place (usually you'd say "on-line" here, but I think "off-line" is more appropriate for this crowd).
I'm jealous you have 3-phase available!  I inquired about it for my place and was quoted over a million dollars by the utility co!!!

cheers,
Chris

[AdeV]

Hey Bob, are you sure you don't want to trade that garage?

It's in a lovely village, honest!

You will be spoilt with 3-phase, it opens up a whole new world of machine tools... I have no idea how I'd survive without it myself...

[mobile_bob]

actually i had planned for generation of 3phase, i got an stc12 three phase head that i have set aside for that duty.

so far i have several machines that either require three phase or a rotary/static inverter.

1- southbend heavy 10 lathe
1- leblond 19x60 rapid production lathe
1- brown and sharpe horizontal mill
1- 50amp linde plasma cutter
1- 300amp union carbide mig welder

and now that i might have reason to believe i can get the 3phase line into the property, i will be looking for more 3phase equipment.

yes it does open up a whole new world of surplus and less expensive equipment if you got the power to run it.

btw, as nice as the shack in england looks, sorry no trades!



bob g