Our New Old Place

[Gary O']

Bought a place in town
Moved from our mountain cabin

Quite the adventure for a couple ol' geezers
Yes, we did all the moving
No help
No need

Rather shocked at how much fixers go for, after living at the cabin for almost six years

Got this place for less than $100K
(comps were going for $40-$60K five yrs ago)
Mortgage int is @ 2.7% fixed
Rather happy about that

Here's some initial pics

Gonna call this 'before' (late 2020)



It's solid
just ugly

We're exhausting our aged imaginations on how to dress this beast up without investing too much

The back yard is roomy
and fenced
That's pretty much all the positive I can think of

Oh, and our back door neighbors are rotted souls in a pioneer cemetery

When we first saw the place, I thought it was a par five hole of a golf course
Heh, talk about slow play....




First thing I did was build a screen door for the back deck






They're always a fun build


More in a bit

 

[Gary O']

The back yard is a lush carpet....of weeds
Green weeds in early spring
Brown weeds in summer
I hate mowing
So, I don't water
One day it'll all be garden anyway

Built raised beds our first summer





Filled 'em with a soil compound called '6 mix'

The beds are quite productive

 

[Gary O']

Next was a garden shed, since I turned the garage into a shop

A kinda fun little build
Except the ground here is much akin to petrified cement
Had to use a mattock to bust it up for level







Noticed a lot of town deer

Not as big as the mulies up at the cabin
but
almost as plentiful
Never seen blacktails so docile

 

[Gary O']

This was the summer of 'paint the place'

Green
'Eastern bamboo'
Whatever
it's a mild green
Beats that shade of grey

Trimmed the windows with stained wood
Don't really wish to make the place 'pop'
Just wish for something not an eyesore

I'm not unhappy with it


before paint



after paint


after wood trim

 

[Gary O']

Just finished up the cedar doors for the shop
Still have the roll up, but wanted one with a bit more eye appeal
We'll see how winter makes 'em swell and contract

 

[Gary O']

Quite pleased with how the garden shed looks in green

 

[m1west]

Question: Out of curiosity, when you decided to move back on grid from the mountain, was it the fires, too hard or something else.

 

[Gary O']

Question: Out of curiosity, when you decided to move back on grid from the mountain, was it the fires, too hard or something else.

Fires
Were a strong consideration
There were two pretty close ones, that if the winds were wrong, we'd no longer have our cabins and shop
or trees
or undergrowth
The undergrowth up there was critical
Without it, you pretty much have a dust (pumice from mt Mazama) bowl
Some folks, approx three miles from our place, meticulously removed all the undergrowth
Making it a 'park like setting'
Wasn't long before many dump beds of gravel trucks were making their way to their place
They thought a grass lawn would be nice
The sod does not survive for long up there
Heh, townies

But, yeah, fires
Even if they weren't all that near or threatening, the smoke 24/7 for days/weeks was suffocating


Hard living
I most enjoyed that the first couple years
A bit of a challenge
Long term, the chores became redundant
Hauling water is steady
and...heavy
Chopping wood was my workout
The 14 cord attested to that



I do miss that

But, after almost six years, it no longer was a challenge
Especially after building the cabins and shop
One can only take so many photos of 'the pretty snow'....for nine months of the year

Something Else
My wife's hernia and driving the 50 miles at 80mph around midnight, during deer migration, became a consideration

Yeah, there were times
But we knew that goin' in

We were quite the exemplary 70 somethings
Kept a tidy camp
Built solid but aesthetically pleasing cabins



The renegade 30 something off gridders were somewhat in awe

I think, overall, it was no longer a challenge

I do miss it from time to time

Especially the wildlife
Bear, big cats, wolves

Heh, last week my son advised me a bear got into the trash can shed
Did the usual, tear things up
Strew it all around
amble off

Built the trash can shed to keep bears out
....actually to just slow them down a bit
(Nothing keeps bears out, nothing)

I purposely designed that short shed with lightly built doors
Keep the bear from shredding the whole shed
Can't actually keep bear outa anything if they want in

 

[Gary O']

While I was playing away in the shop, my lady was canning
aaaand, made a plate of dried kale

Heh, this stuff is NOT filling
Much like eating cotton candy
'cept it tastes a whole bunch like bacon!

Dried Kale
a bit of oil ('rub all over the leaves)
put on a cookie sheet
sprinkle salt, pepper, garlic
and parmesan cheese
in oven at 170°F 'til crunchy' (approx an hour or so)

I'm planning on having it with some eggs tomorrow morn
(I'm hoping at least the eggs are real)

 

[Gary O']

Planted grapes a few months back


Harvest time!

I hauled this load onto the back deck all by myself







Guess who's gonna make some jam?!!!

 

[Gary O']

Got a bit of snow

It's so cute down here in town

My overgrown gnome, 'Woody', is in all his glory



His beard grew as the snow flew



The tiny birds are all over the feeder in their little refuge
'Course they never show when I take a pic




Had to break out the ice in the infinity pool (tuna can) of the spa




Yeah, winter can be fun in town too




I think about cabin living whenever snow arrives

there's a cabin under there somewhere


the meadow up there becomes a version of Siberia



Then I tilt back the La-Z-Boy and smile

 

[Gary O']

Heh...best laid plans.....

Got a good snow for down here in town
About half a foot





Woody seems given to the ability of becoming a do it yerself snowman









I'll be in the shop
looking out






After shoveling paths and sweeping snow off the truck and Wrangler

 

[Gary O']

Finished my project for the week

This live edge bookcase came together rather nicely
Not the usual for live edgy stuff

It's rather smallish at a tad over three feet high
I'm starting to like 'smallish'





The corners are always a challenge for live edge
This one came easy (after several hours of careful selection)

 

[Gary O']

I was wondering why the bird feeder was empty so quick

I no longer wonder

 

[Melensdad]

I stopped feeding the birds. I mean the squirrels, raccoons and deer. Not sure if the birds ever got any of the food I used to set out for them.

 

[Gary O']

I stopped feeding the birds. I mean the squirrels, raccoons and deer. Not sure if the birds ever got any of the food I used to set out for them.

Yeah, s'pose I could raise the feeder a foot or two, but it's kinda fun to see the deer strain to reach the cracked corn with their tongues

Heh, seems one is hunkered down a few yards from the feeder, chewing it's cud
waiting for breakfast

 

[Gary O']

So, today, I'm at my post, in the Walmart parking lot
Sitting in my truck
While my lady shops

Watching folks carefully backing out of their spaces
momentarily stopping....looking....or trying to look
can't see all when backing out
so, they inch their way

That's pretty much why I pull forward when I can, in order exit in forward gear

While watching, I'm trying to figure a better way

This is the typical lot



Stop at Home Depot
Pulling forward there gets sketchy when loading sheet stock and actually anything of size.....there IS the loading area (when available)


Get home
and put something together on MS-Paint

Got a bit hung up with space direction

After a couple efforts, I settled on this
It'd only work with one way lanes
They'd have to all go away from the store

The lanes could be considerably narrower
since they are one way only
so little to no reduction of spaces (I think)
I'll take a tape measure next trip to Wally World



Anybody see an issue with this design?




added thought;

My next consideration
How to dummy proof the lane direction
First thought is the beehive design

Heh, watching nature can be quite enlightening
Tiny hole in the hive for entry and exit
but
man
Ever see how fast they can ALL leave that hive?

 

[Gary O']

Mild weather
Lows in the 30s
Highs in the 40s
Feels odd in comparison to the rest of the country

Some of my little buddies are back

I'm thinking it's the bird feeder



Of course there's always one
....castigated from the flock

 

[Gary O']

Visited the high end junk shops that pedal my avian abodes
Looks like Christmas sales went well
They took all I had in stock and want more

I really don't like having to build to meet a demand
I'd rather build then drop them off, or hand out as gifts

Oh well, either way, time to butcher some wood

My latest;

Happy to keep it simple
Not so busy that the grain is hidden




The grain on this one crowns the entry
(always a desire)



I did run the root thru the roof
happy with that

 

[chowderman]

very creative!

 

[tommu56]

So, today, I'm at my post, in the Walmart parking lot
Sitting in my truck
While my lady shops

Watching folks carefully backing out of their spaces
momentarily stopping....looking....or trying to look
can't see all when backing out
so, they inch their way

That's pretty much why I pull forward when I can, in order exit in forward gear

While watching, I'm trying to figure a better way

This is the typical lot

View attachment 158650

Stop at Home Depot
Pulling forward there gets sketchy when loading sheet stock and actually anything of size.....there IS the loading area (when available)


Get home
and put something together on MS-Paint

Got a bit hung up with space direction

After a couple efforts, I settled on this
It'd only work with one way lanes
They'd have to all go away from the store

The lanes could be considerably narrower
since they are one way only
so little to no reduction of spaces (I think)
I'll take a tape measure next trip to Wally World



Anybody see an issue with this design?

View attachment 158651


added thought;

My next consideration
How to dummy proof the lane direction
First thought is the beehive design

Heh, watching nature can be quite enlightening
Tiny hole in the hive for entry and exit
but
man
Ever see how fast they can ALL leave that hive?

pottstown pa did a trial onstreet parking going from paralle to angled backing in so the drives can see up the road when pulling out of space worked fine for me i left that area but i thought it was neat.

https://www.penndot.pa.gov/RegionalOffices/district-11/PublicMeetings/Documents/SR%200018%20B59%20-%20Display%20Boards.pdf

snip below

 

[tommu56]

So, today, I'm at my post, in the Walmart parking lot
Sitting in my truck
While my lady shops

Watching folks carefully backing out of their spaces
momentarily stopping....looking....or trying to look
can't see all when backing out
so, they inch their way

That's pretty much why I pull forward when I can, in order exit in forward gear

While watching, I'm trying to figure a better way

This is the typical lot

View attachment 158650

Stop at Home Depot
Pulling forward there gets sketchy when loading sheet stock and actually anything of size.....there IS the loading area (when available)


Get home
and put something together on MS-Paint

Got a bit hung up with space direction

After a couple efforts, I settled on this
It'd only work with one way lanes
They'd have to all go away from the store

The lanes could be considerably narrower
since they are one way only
so little to no reduction of spaces (I think)
I'll take a tape measure next trip to Wally World



Anybody see an issue with this design?

View attachment 158651


added thought;

My next consideration
How to dummy proof the lane direction
First thought is the beehive design

Heh, watching nature can be quite enlightening
Tiny hole in the hive for entry and exit
but
man
Ever see how fast they can ALL leave that hive?

chevron parking is more effichent too

Parking your car at an angle could cut traffic in busy lots

Based on his analysis, a mathematician from the University of Salford says designs should favour one-way traffic and a diagonal space layout rather than a grid to optimize efficiency.

www.dailymail.co.uk

 

[Gary O']

chevron parking is more effichent too

It appears there's still that pesky having to back out...

 

[chowderman]

I so love the "stop and back in" theory.
that'll work for sure - every driver politely stops and leaves you room to back into a spot . . .

 

[Ironman]

It appears there's still that pesky having to back out...

I always back. If there isn’t any room I keep looking. Simple. Who goes out and looks what you’re backing into? Lol. Backing up accounts for a lot of insurance claims

 

[m1west]

I always back. If there isn’t any room I keep looking. Simple. Who goes out and looks what you’re backing into? Lol. Backing up accounts for a lot of insurance claims

I always look for spots where no-one is parked on the other side, then drive through to the far side to park and drive out when leaving. No backing up required. Not always possible but most of the time I can easily find one.

 

[Gary O']

I always look for spots where no-one is parked on the other side, then drive through to the far side to park and drive out when leaving. No backing up required. Not always possible but most of the time I can easily find one.

Yeah, me too......no matter how far from the store

 

[Gary O']

So, this 50 lb bag of cracked corn has been quite a hit
with my tiny feathered guys



I keep trying to get a pic of when they're jamming the feeder
but they're a bit skittish

aaaand
There's always one that hasn't quite figured
where the food actually is......

I call him my little democrat

 

[FrancSevin]

Cracked corn would not last long in our bird sanctuary. Especially with those open feeders. Our squirrel herd, yes herd, numbers beyond 20 individuals and they eat everything, especially corn.

 

[Gary O']

Cracked corn would not last long in our bird sanctuary. Especially with those open feeders. Our squirrel herd, yes herd, numbers beyond 20 individuals and they eat everything, especially corn.

Yeah, our town deer have enjoyed a snack or two

Heh, the squirrels up at the cabin were rather tenacious on the feeders