Is it just me, or do others see the humor in some of the analysis that is going on in the media with regard to the results of the recent elections, where the Republicans have, or will, now assume the majority rule in both houses of Congress?
But let's take a look at what really happened. There were many positions in both houses that were up for re-election. The President campaigned for some Democrats who were running for election, and then there were statements in the news media, the talk show circuits, and on radio, that some Democrats running for election did not want the President campaigning for them because of his low ratings in the polls. They were trying to distance themselves from the President. They felt that if it were seen that they were in favor of the President that they would somehow lose perspective votes, because a no vote for them was a vote against the President and his policies. On the other hand there were those who felt that Congress was going nowhere, could not get anything done, and were simply fed up.
So the Republicans won the election and will assume power soon in both houses of Congress come January. As of right now, we don't know what their agenda will be.We have some preliminary indications, but what ever they pass, unless it is passed with a 2/3rds majority, the President is sure to veto it if it is not in his best interests. On the other hand if the bill is a bi-partisan bill and the Democrats vote in favor of it there should be no problem in getting it passed and becoming veto proof. However.........would the President implement the new law in the same fashion that he would if it was a new law he was in favor of?
It is so fascinating that the Democrats say that they did not win because their voters chose not to vote, and if they had voted the Democrats would have won. That's exactly right, and if the entire voting population voted Democrat they would have won too, and if those who DID vote voted Democratic instead of Republican they would have one too. HOW LUDICROUS! The Democratic party is fooling itself if they think that their apathetic vote was not sending a message to them. They need stop thinking the American voter is stupid! I am not talking about the recent MIT professor who stated on three occasions that the voters are stupid, or the fact that Nancy Pelosi denied knowing him and lied to the public about it only to be caught later in the lie. What I am talking about is their arrogance in thinking that THEY know what is best for the American people. I do not believe there is one elected official in Congress that can empathize with the lower and middle class, and how the economy affects them. The salaries they earn takes them right out of that class immediately. People are simply fed up, period!
There are three branches of government. A lot of people forget that. There is the Executive Branch where the President is the Chief Executive Officer (CEO), and when he is sworn in he takes an oath of office to uphold the United States Constitution, and the Laws of the United States. Then comes the so called "Executive Order". Which in itself is OK, as long as the order does not conflict with the current laws on the books. The President cannot make his OWN laws. He cannot choose which ones to enforce and which ones to ignore. If he does he is in violation of his oath of office and is breaking the law himself and can be charged and tried for it. This is the process of Impeachment.
According to WIKIPEDIA: "Impeachment in the United States is an expressed power of the legislature that allows for formal charges against a civil officer of government for crimes committed in office. The actual trial on those charges, and subsequent removal of an official on conviction on those charges, is separate from the act of impeachment itself." (See more here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Impeachment_in_the_United_States). In other words look at impeachment as when a Grand Jury (Congress) indicts the offender. Just because someone is impeached (as in the case of Bill Clinton)does not mean they are tried for the crimes they President Obama, then surely President Biden would do the same. And.....are you ready for "President Biden"?
Will there be a government shut down in the next two years? The founding fathers when drafting the Constitution put in there protections so NO President would EVER have the powers of a Dictator or a Monarch. The way they did this was to give all of the purse strings to the Congress. So when this is ever exercised as it was in the past during this Presidents term, it is not a bad thing, but a good thing. Yes we all know that folks were financially hurt by the shutdown, and services were certainly cut, and the folks in the executive branch did some pretty nasty things that were not necessary, like closing the war memorials to veterans, among other things, but the Executive branch could have also sat down with Congress and iron things out as they finally had to do. If Congress has NO powers in this area, as some would like, then we might as well just throw the Constitution out the window.
The arrogance of this administrations was demonstrated from the very beginning when newly elected President Obama stated to the Republicans in the oval office "WE won the election!". It was evident then that his entire term would be nothing but a battle. Some Democrats would like to make all differences with this President about race, when race has nothing to do with it. It is a difference of policy, about where the country should be, and where it is headed. When people like to point out all of this Presidents accomplishments, these were a lot of accomplishments that would have happened, no matter who was in office. Folks like to give credit to the Clinton administration of balancing the budget and economically good years. But they forget this was all put into place by President Reagan with his Reaganomics. I remember him sitting there with charts and graphs, back then, and looking at the dates these were all going to com to fruition and it was way beyond the end of his term. The Arabs and OPEC had placed oil embargoes on the US. The Arab nations wanted a minimum price for a barrel of oil, and we had to deal with it. Today, we have plenty of oil reserves, and are not worried of another embargo, and a lot of that can be directly attributed to Presidents Bush, and the things he put into place. As consumers use more and more oil throughout the world the supplies will certainly diminish and prices will continue to rise. One of the solutions to curb this is to implement the Keystone Pipeline, which will bring raw oil to the refineries we have. This will be oil from Canada, but also oil from the fields in South Dakota. The last time a refinery was built in the US was in 2008 in Wyoming with a capacity of 3000 barrels per day. This is very small considering the one in Louisiana built in 1977, which is the last time a large capacity refinery was built, will do in excess of 200000 barrels per day. So it is in the countries best interest to get the keystone pipeline built. Just this past week both houses of Congress, passed a bill Okaying the pipeline. It is now on the way to the President. Will he sign it, or put us behind the rest of the world.............Time will only tell!
Monday, November 17, 2014
Thursday, July 10, 2014
Wednesday, April 23, 2014
Paid Leave?
I just read this morning that there was a case of a police officer, who was doing "on field" security at a championship girls soccer game, and who, in his infinite wisdom when the game ended, and students ran onto the field, decided to trip them as they approached. In a couple of instances he also grabbed students by the throat.
Now I am not writing this to either chastise or condone these activities but I am writing this article to bring attention to the resultant actions that were taken because of it.
According to news reports the officer in question was placed on administrative leave with pay. Isn't that also like a reward for the action he took? I mean it's like getting a paid vacation. All too often we hear about these actions taken in the public sector where an employee does some kind of misdeed and is placed on an administrative leave with pay. We see it in the school systems with teachers, in City government with other city workers and in Federal government situations all the time.
However, in private industry this NEVER happens. The employee is simply suspended or fired, right there on the spot. Yes I will agree that in some cases the firings were unwarranted, or the employee was innocent of whatever infraction he was accused of, but the employer simply puts an end to it and lets the employe go. Right or wrong, the employer does not have to deal with it anymore.
Now if you are in a large union represented company you might have the same situation occur, and you might even get your job back and your pay back through the grievance process. But while your on suspension, your not being paid. But in the municipal sector, the employee is being paid while the investigation is going on. If the employee is proved wrong and is terminated does he have to give the money back while he was off? Just something to think about???????
Now I am not writing this to either chastise or condone these activities but I am writing this article to bring attention to the resultant actions that were taken because of it.
According to news reports the officer in question was placed on administrative leave with pay. Isn't that also like a reward for the action he took? I mean it's like getting a paid vacation. All too often we hear about these actions taken in the public sector where an employee does some kind of misdeed and is placed on an administrative leave with pay. We see it in the school systems with teachers, in City government with other city workers and in Federal government situations all the time.
However, in private industry this NEVER happens. The employee is simply suspended or fired, right there on the spot. Yes I will agree that in some cases the firings were unwarranted, or the employee was innocent of whatever infraction he was accused of, but the employer simply puts an end to it and lets the employe go. Right or wrong, the employer does not have to deal with it anymore.
Now if you are in a large union represented company you might have the same situation occur, and you might even get your job back and your pay back through the grievance process. But while your on suspension, your not being paid. But in the municipal sector, the employee is being paid while the investigation is going on. If the employee is proved wrong and is terminated does he have to give the money back while he was off? Just something to think about???????
Sunday, April 6, 2014
Politics and Blogging
Ever wonder why we have a two party system in our government? The reason we have a system as such, is because there are always going to be differences of opinion, and there needs to be a system in place to help resolve those differences. There will be on the one side, those who will have an opinion about something, and there will be an opposing view to that very same opinion.
Another point of view or way of looking at our system of rules and laws is through our process of law. Which is also basically a two part system. Whereas there are the lawmakers, who are elected to represent the people and make the "rules", and then there are the people themselves. Where the lawmakers state what the rule of law will be, and put it out for the people to follow, and then there will be the people, who are required to follow the new rule, and who either agree with it, or don't. When they don't agree they have a mediation process to resolve the differences, our court system.
The deciding factor in our governmental system when these disagreements occur is the Judicial Branch who are normally appointed for life, and will judge both sides, their positions, analyze both opinions, and then render a decision of which one we will follow as a rule of law. I am referring to the Judicial Branch of Government and not the State or Municipal level of the court system. This happens all the time in our society, and the courts make decisions on a regular basis to resolve these differences. But why does it work this way?
Well, when the forefathers who founded this country, they developed a system of rules, laws, and governing documents, such as the Constitution. The founding fathers were "learned" men, chosen by the people to represent their interests in developing this new and young country. Most, if not all, attended colleges both here and abroad, some were trained in English Law, or others got their learning here on the continent, by many means. You see in order to draft our governing documents they had to know something about the English rules of law. And in doing so they modeled our governments after the English hierarchy of government. Such as the King of England is similar to the President, but the president is not a monarch. You see, the founding fathers wanted a leader to carry the new country forward, but what they also did not want was a Monarchy, and a limited term for the new leader of our country. The law makers of England were the Parliament and the House of Lords. Our House of Representatives, and the Senate are models after that. The house of Lords were members of the Royal family, while Parliament was comprised by representatives of the people. It is Parliament who controlled the taxation and funding of the English government, similar to our own House of Representatives, who also hold the purse strings and funding of our government. For judicial matters, in England they were handled by the Kings Court, and our federal court system is modeled after that. Whereas in a Monarchy, the King himself can overrule any of his courts decisions, here in our form of government the President cannot over rule the courts decisions. The whole form of government here in the US was formed with a system of checks and balances. The only real power the President has in that area of over rule would be to grant pardons to offenders of law, but he cannot overrule or ignore any legal decisions made by the courts.
The men, who put this all together were very astute with their knowledge of law and other areas, which demonstrates why there is a difference between the educated gentleman and the common man. If you look at any one of the thirty-nine signers of the Constitution and check their biographies, you'll see clearly why the people chose them to represent them.
The two different systems that are pointed out herein, the US and England, as stated earlier, are very similar in nature. This is not to say that as a concept, either one is better than the other. But with an over powerful Monarch in place the people can be slighted, something the founding fathers surely wanted to avoid given their stare decisis' of previous rule. But when it comes to competencies, and the testing thereof, there is one branch that might be better than the other for addressing the given task at hand. This is also true when it comes to human interaction.
Now one of the first things that the founding fathers thought was so important to this newly formed document was a Bill of Rights, and some of them thought so strongly of this point that they refused to sign the new Constitution document because a bill of rights was not initially added, and was put forth later, after much debate and discussion. But when they did draft the Bill of Rights in 1789, they put as number one on their priority list (The Bill of Rights, New York 1789) the First Amendment which states as follows, and is commonly referred to as the right to freedom of speech, but it also states much more. Here is the exact wording:
"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances."
Congress shall make no law abridging the freedom of speech! What this basically means is that we, as Americans, have the right to say, write, or publish just about anything we want, whether you agree with it or not. When you disagree with it you have the right to do the same.
People have the right to their own opinions, they can write about it, they can state it, and they can publish it, period. But if you're going to disagree with something, and you make it personal, and your wrong about another individual, causing them harm, whether it be to them or their reputation or other, and it is proven in a court of law, you might be convicted or found guilty of committing an act of Libel, and you will be held responsible and accountable for it, and it could cost you dearly. There are some who use written media as a way to bully others. Presently there are many states that are enacting laws against this and a new term has been coined called "cyber bullying".
When this takes place it is one of the easiest ways to demonstrate the difference between a learned individual and one who is uninformed and in danger of committing Libel. The learned man would not use a public forum to brandish his bullying tactics. Ignorance of the law, is not a defense, and you could be charged, or sued in the courts for doing such. You need to walk a fine line when publishing your comments in a public forum.
So what is libel anyway? Libel is a published false statement that is damaging to a person's reputation; a written defamation of that person. When you say it in a public forum or write it down in a public forum, you can be held libel for it and you might have to suffer the consequences of your actions. It's a little different than slander. .
Now going back to the previous, were we stated that there were differences between the learned gentleman and the commoner, lets examine the following, because there are those who have issues with the learned person and lash out every chance they can to make that person feel inferior. It's just another form of cyber bullying. Here is an example of why we need the learned individual. If you went to the doctor because you were sick and to get a diagnosis, would you trust what the doctor says? Why? What makes him better than just looking it up on the internet? Why, you could do the research yourself, and self treat. But would that be the smart thing to do? Need some blood work? Why not do it yourself? Are you asking yourself why I am being so absurd yet? How about getting the neighbor to act as your lawyer at trial? Hey, why not bring in a big pile of law books and defend yourself? Remember the saying, only a fool has himself as his lawyer. How about medication, why not just go to the pharmacy, look at all the over the counter drugs, mix up your own concoctions and take them to relieve your ailments? Why get a prescription and use a pharmacist? Can you see where we are going here yet? We don't do those kinds of things because we trust the experts in a particular area of expertise to represent our interests to handle the matter, or treat us, or give us the proper advice.
How do we know one is an expert? How about that shingle they hang on their wall, demonstrating that they have pursued a course of study for their chosen field. Is that what most of us use as that measure of competence? People who are educated have specific areas of expertise in their fields. They studied real hard, attended schools, training etc., and learned everything they could about that subject matter. And because of those accomplishments they were awarded by a review board of their piers a Degree, Certificate, License, or Professional accreditation, which demonstrates they have completed a field of education in their specific field making them competent to practice in it. AND THEY ARE PROUD OF IT!
Now some of you might be saying, "That Degree does not prove anything". Might I point out the examples above again? Hello! Tell that to your Doctor, Lawyer, Pharmacist, Civil Engineer, Chemist, Dentist, Architect, Teacher, Accountant, Broker, Financial Adviser, etc. Keep telling yourself that it's OK if they never went to school or graduated or received their license or certificate to practice. After all it's just a piece of paper hanging on the wall. Shall I go on?
OK, lets go a little further. How about that truck driver, that carpenter, electrician, Nurse, Real Estate Broker, plumber, computer technician, computer repairman. Do they have Degrees? Some do and some do not, but for those positions, it is not a requirement to have the formal degree, but the proper training and certification and course of study, is required. And the resultant testing and licensing is the proof or award for that accomplishment.
But lets explore this further! To get a Bachelors Degree you need a minimum of 120 credit hours of study in specific areas. And the school has to be certified by the state it is located in. A three credit hour course of study is about 20 actual contact hours of classroom work. So 120 credit hours equates to about 800 hours of study. A hair dresser by contrast needs a thousand hours of contact work to be licensed. An electrician, it's a six year program of 40 contact hours for a Union worker per week to get the position of Journeyman (12 thousand contact hours), or they can go to school on their own, pass a state examination and be awarded a license to practice in that field. But it still has to be tested to prove that measure of knowledge and competency. Do you get my point yet? Just as some of us understand what it takes to "EARN" that degree and are proud of it, that non-degreed individual should also be just as proud of his accomplishments, and so should that Truck Driver who trained to get his CDL, or who just got his Hazardous-Materials endorsement. He should be just as proud. He now has increased his earnings potential. But neither of them should be trying to demonstrate any expertise when it is outside of their field. They are not trained in that area, and usually do not know what they are talking about. So when an Electrician as example speaks, we listen and we learn. When the carpenter talks, we listen and learn. We don't get personal, and contradict what the expert is saying. We don't have the training or knowledge to speak on the subject intelligently. It's kind of like building a house completely out of code because we thought we could do it better a different way, when we might not even know how to use a rafter square or other. If you do that then when it's inspected you fail, then you'll never get an occupancy permit, and will have to correct all of the errors, whereas the learned person in that field would have known how to do it right in the first place. So why? Why would you not want to listen to those who have more experience in certain matters, and why would you not want to embrace their input when it is offered. Instead some want to criticize it. But most of all why would someone want to make it maliciously personal in a public forum when they don't agree, or the person miss-speaks, or states the wrong facts and does not do it with malicious intent but does it out of being misinformed, and they are looking for clarity? Their errors are easily corrected by providing the correct information. But the unlearned one does not see this or understand it. He just talks and attacks. Why not just calmly and patiently get him aside and talk to him. Why do it in a public forum? Not much different than cyber bullying if you ask me. It is the non educated that resort to those kind of tactics, and because of that, they will make a public mistake and pay for it dearly, through the courts our founding fathers thought so seriously of putting into place.
In today's world where anyone with a computer and access to the internet, it happens all the time via blogs and other forums open to the public for reading and interactive posts. There was a recent case of a gentlemen in England who had a blog. One of his subscribers made a false statement on his blog about an individual in Canada. The blogger was sued for 50K. Because he did not retract it from his page. So the message here is you better be real careful with what you write, especially when it is in the public domain.
Sunday, July 14, 2013
Musings
I am sitting here musing about the recent verdict in the George Zimmerman vs the people of Florida case and I simply wonder. As the CNN news program is on in the background, I try to put myself in the place of George Zimmerman and then in the place of Trevon Martin.
First of all living in the State of Wisconsin, a state that has a conceal and carry law, you never know who is carrying a firearm, and who is not. Knowing this, it causes one, at least in my case, to treat situations differently, situations that might have been provoking in the past are now just dismissed. What I mean, as an example, is that when someone cuts you off in traffic, now I simply might shake my head, I don't get upset by it as I might have in the past. It causes you to think twice about any situation that could result in any kind of confrontation. No, I don't mean cowardly, but I do mean thinking about what the consequences might be, and what are the results that could happen worth it, on a principal, more so than simply walking away.
Now where I live it is a very private community. You get to know your neighbors and you get to observe over time things that are normal and things that are not. You think you know who should be there, and who should not. Now I know as a kid, we were always going places we were not supposed to be in. The golf course at night, the cemetery when it was closed, climbing to the top floor of a three flat and going through the access panel in the roof so we could jump between the building rooftops like you might see on commercials or in a movie. We would jump neighborhood fences and take strawberries, cherries, apples, and other fruits and vegetables from neighbors gardens. We'd climb up the walls of Manning Bowl to get free entrance to the stadium. We'd go to Flax Pond, and if you left your oars in your rowboat, we'd take it for a spin. We did a lot of things that might have deserved adult confrontation, and police intervention, but they were harmless and certainly mischievous indeed but teenage boredom in it's most visible example.
Have I been in a physical confrontation with another individual, well I must admit, the answer is yes. But I have never been in a situation where someone is on top of me, banging my head into the ground, trying to kill me. I can only ask this question. If you are on the ground and and being pummeled, at what point in your mind, do you fear for your life? At what point do you have so much survival instincts and adrenalin flowing that you try to stop the situation by any means that you can, your survival instincts, and if one of those solutions is to pull your gun, the gun that you have every right to carry and possess, and use it, would you? I don't think at this point of the confrontation that it matters who started it, why it was started, or who struck the first blow. The issue is does the person on the bottom fear for his life. How do you measure that? Each persons interpretation might be different. But to assess your threshold on someone else, is simply wrong.
Now try to put yourself into the head of the victim. He's walking in an area he is not supposed to be in. But he is a kid, they do that all the time, so what? But there have been issues in that area, a gated community I believe, and that is why the community initiated a neighborhood watch committee. So here I am, walking along going to the store, and I notice someone is following me. "I" would turn and ask him why he is following me, who wouldn't? Others might simply run. BUT, lets face it, teenagers think they are invincible, I did. So that is what I believe might have happened. Trevon simply turned and asked why he was being followed and then the confrontation ensues and escalates. Asking, can be in many different forms and does not mean verbal. Teenagers simply DO NOT know when to walk away. Did Zimmerman try to restrain Martin, and that's what started it? We'll never know. But I do know that if someone was following me, it wouldn't go without notice and question.
Simply put, in our system of justice, EVERYONE is presumed innocent until PROVEN guilty. If you look at the whole of the facts (where your only source of facts are through the media) you come away with Mr. Zimmerman being guilty and he must prove his innocence. But that is not the case. The prosecution must prove, BEYOND A REASONABLE DOUBT, to a jury selected by both the prosecution and the defense that Zimmerman was guilty. The jury weighed all the facts "that were presented" and found Zimmerman was not guilty "of what the charges were". We have to accept that, it is the system that we live by. The same system that let OJ Simpson go free. The process is now, that we have concluded the proceedings, the only way to make sure there might be a different outcome from this point forward would be to change the law. But even if that were to happen, there is no guarantee that a jury would vote any differently and we'd be right here where we are now.
First of all living in the State of Wisconsin, a state that has a conceal and carry law, you never know who is carrying a firearm, and who is not. Knowing this, it causes one, at least in my case, to treat situations differently, situations that might have been provoking in the past are now just dismissed. What I mean, as an example, is that when someone cuts you off in traffic, now I simply might shake my head, I don't get upset by it as I might have in the past. It causes you to think twice about any situation that could result in any kind of confrontation. No, I don't mean cowardly, but I do mean thinking about what the consequences might be, and what are the results that could happen worth it, on a principal, more so than simply walking away.
Now where I live it is a very private community. You get to know your neighbors and you get to observe over time things that are normal and things that are not. You think you know who should be there, and who should not. Now I know as a kid, we were always going places we were not supposed to be in. The golf course at night, the cemetery when it was closed, climbing to the top floor of a three flat and going through the access panel in the roof so we could jump between the building rooftops like you might see on commercials or in a movie. We would jump neighborhood fences and take strawberries, cherries, apples, and other fruits and vegetables from neighbors gardens. We'd climb up the walls of Manning Bowl to get free entrance to the stadium. We'd go to Flax Pond, and if you left your oars in your rowboat, we'd take it for a spin. We did a lot of things that might have deserved adult confrontation, and police intervention, but they were harmless and certainly mischievous indeed but teenage boredom in it's most visible example.
Have I been in a physical confrontation with another individual, well I must admit, the answer is yes. But I have never been in a situation where someone is on top of me, banging my head into the ground, trying to kill me. I can only ask this question. If you are on the ground and and being pummeled, at what point in your mind, do you fear for your life? At what point do you have so much survival instincts and adrenalin flowing that you try to stop the situation by any means that you can, your survival instincts, and if one of those solutions is to pull your gun, the gun that you have every right to carry and possess, and use it, would you? I don't think at this point of the confrontation that it matters who started it, why it was started, or who struck the first blow. The issue is does the person on the bottom fear for his life. How do you measure that? Each persons interpretation might be different. But to assess your threshold on someone else, is simply wrong.
Now try to put yourself into the head of the victim. He's walking in an area he is not supposed to be in. But he is a kid, they do that all the time, so what? But there have been issues in that area, a gated community I believe, and that is why the community initiated a neighborhood watch committee. So here I am, walking along going to the store, and I notice someone is following me. "I" would turn and ask him why he is following me, who wouldn't? Others might simply run. BUT, lets face it, teenagers think they are invincible, I did. So that is what I believe might have happened. Trevon simply turned and asked why he was being followed and then the confrontation ensues and escalates. Asking, can be in many different forms and does not mean verbal. Teenagers simply DO NOT know when to walk away. Did Zimmerman try to restrain Martin, and that's what started it? We'll never know. But I do know that if someone was following me, it wouldn't go without notice and question.
Simply put, in our system of justice, EVERYONE is presumed innocent until PROVEN guilty. If you look at the whole of the facts (where your only source of facts are through the media) you come away with Mr. Zimmerman being guilty and he must prove his innocence. But that is not the case. The prosecution must prove, BEYOND A REASONABLE DOUBT, to a jury selected by both the prosecution and the defense that Zimmerman was guilty. The jury weighed all the facts "that were presented" and found Zimmerman was not guilty "of what the charges were". We have to accept that, it is the system that we live by. The same system that let OJ Simpson go free. The process is now, that we have concluded the proceedings, the only way to make sure there might be a different outcome from this point forward would be to change the law. But even if that were to happen, there is no guarantee that a jury would vote any differently and we'd be right here where we are now.
Tuesday, January 29, 2013
What's it Like to be Snowmobiling in the Northwoods of Wisconsin
There are a lot of people who will read this blog, and although they have NEVER been snowmobiling, thinking that the cold weather is a bad thing, will still never have the opportunity to go. However, if you're well prepared, dress warmly, and take the proper precautions, your experience can be wonderful!
So here I'll try to paint you a picture of an evening of pristine conditions, great weather, and the perfect ride. But before we go, we have to get dressed in our warm snowmobiling outfits. Boots, Bib style snowmobile pants, warm jacket, the important Balaclava, safety helmet, and gloves. Once this is done, it's time to check out the sled. Just like a pilot checks out his air plane before take off, you too should check out the snowmobile before departing. Not a good idea to get stranded out in the middle of nowhere because you ran out of gas, or broke a drive belt. So, gas tank is full, spare belt is secured in it's place and a complete set of tools are tucked neatly in their carrying case. Now for additional safety, I also carry a survival kit. This is a small bag containing many essentials that might be required should the snowmobile break down and I am stranded in the middle of nowhere. What do I put into this kit? Well for starters, I have the following, survival knife, waterproof matches, Bic lighter, tow strap, hand warmers body warmers, survival blanket, small fire starter kindling, trail maps, compass, fishing kit, sewing kit, dry socks, extra gloves and a flashlight. These are just a few of the basic items you should carry. Now my sled also has a large storage rack, so I also carry extra gas, large flashlight, jump starter battery, and funnel.
When you are on the trails, gas stations are not as prevalent as there are when you are in a car, so check your trail map, plan your route, and know your sled. In other words if you only get 10 miles to the gallon, and you only have a 10 gallon tank, you better have planned on locating a gas station somewhere along the trail BEFORE you run out of gas. It's also a good idea to plan other areas along the way to stop, such as where to eat, scenic areas to stop and rest. Something to always keep in mind. If point A to point B by car is ten miles, it is, in a lot of cases, much farther by snowmobile because of the winding trails and the right of ways that the trails must traverse.
Also, there can be opportunities for overnight rides. Such as riding a hundred miles or so, staying overnight, enjoying the local area, and returning to your place of origin the next day.
So now that we're all suited up, made our safety check, fired up the sled, we're ready to go. Now in my opinion there are three kinds of snowmobile trails. A) The ones that ARE NOT on any publicy traveled roadway or trail, meaning you do not have to worry about automobile traffic. B) There are snowmobile routes that use public streets, which ARE traveled by automobiles. C) There are trails out in the woods that have logging activities going on, so there might be large trucks crossing the trails. You need to be aware of all of these.
Leaving our home at about 4:30PM the temperature is about 33 degrees. The sky is clear with a few clouds spattered about, and we are now driving on one of the local roads to pick up our companions for this trip. The road is snow covered. The previous day we had about four inches of fresh fallen snow drop on us. Dry snow, not wet. A good base of fresh powder. Now one thing that you must be very careful of when traveling on public roads is the intersections. Snowmobiles cannot stop as easily as a car can, but under snow covered conditions both are just as unsure when it comes to an emergency stop. So when you approach an intersection, slow down, look both ways, before you proceed. Also, when crossing a road way that is paved and there is no snow on it, presents an additional problem as your steering is impaired and you do not have the same control because the skis cannot bite into the pavement.
So here we are moving, gently along the winding and twisting trails, as the sun goes down and our head lights illuminate the forest floor. We're the second sled in the caravan of two, and we constantly make sure we are a safe distance behind our leader. The passenger has some driving responsibilities too. There are times when you are not alone on the trails, and other parties will approach you as oncoming traffic. In some cases the trails are very narrow. So you have to slow down. The passenger on the first sled holds up their hand with one finger to indicate to oncoming traffic that there is one sled behind them. The passenger on the last sled will hold up their fist, indicating that they are the last sled in the caravan. This is another example of practiced safety on the part of the snowmobiler.
We have been traveling for about ten miles now, and the lighting has turned from daylight to dusk. This is always an eerie time as the shadows from the forest take on additional shapes, casting doubt as to what you are looking at. It take a reactionary second to decipher what it really is. Such as is that a piece of snow on the trail, or a large rock. Are those snowmobile tracks or branches that have fallen? This slows your progress, because you have to be careful and make sure you see what you think you see.
The driver on the other hand is watching other things as well. Speed, fuel consumption, trail conditions, and most importantly, the sled in front of them. Occasionally, there will be deer in the forest, this particular night we saw a huge Buck, running through the forest, parallel to our path. Was it going to cross our path at some point? Yup, that's what happened! Fortunately, it was far enough in front of us that it was more of a beautiful sight that presenting a dangerous situation. Continuing on, there are instances of slippage on the trails. This is where you are rounding a corner, and you lose traction and control, because you have hit a patch of ice. You have to back off on the throttle and re-grab the trail and continue your turn.
Upon entering town we realized our fuel was down to a quarter of a tank, so we'll have to fill up after having our dinner. Now there are some riders who like to have a few libations with their meal, by as for myself, I prefer to wait so that my driving abilities are not impaired. There are those riders who will disagree with this position, but that is the choice they have to make for themselves. I prefer an alternate choice.
One of the great things about going to places that are frequented by other riders is the camaraderie that is developed. There are stories that are shared, current trail condition reports, and many other things that riders have in common. After dinner it was time to wam up the sleds. Did you know that today's modern sleds have such luxuries as heated hand grips for passenger and driver, heated seats, remote starters. Yup, today it is possible to be completely comfortable with your ride. Some sleds such as mine get around 20 miles per gallon, while others get much less. What this means is you'll need to make more frequent stops to refuel between destinations. After filling the tanks with gas though, it was time to start heading back. We were going to take a different route though, and we also were going to avoid crossing any of the many lakes at night. This was for a couple of reasons. 1. The trails across the lakes are not groomed. 2. During the night time you cannot necessarily tell the difference between black ice and open water. 3. Sometimes there are permanent ice fishing shacks on the ice that DO NOT have proper reflectors on their shacks to warn you they are there, and you don't see them until you are right on top of them. 4. Although there are some markers placed on the ice to indicate a safe path, they are NOT put there by the State or any reputable organization, so you travel at your own risk. This is why we avoid the lakes at night.
But tonight the conditions for travel were perfect. We were lucky enough on the way back to have had a groomer travel the same trails before us. Again we were the first to travel these newly groomed trails. We did see a herd of deer in the woods on the way back. They are quite a spectacle to see, with their winter, dark colored, coats. The moon was shining, and there was a slight cloud cover. The ride home was much quicker, mainly because it was also a lot shorter. But overall, a great ride, and a great night with great friends. We did get to put on about forty miles or so, and we all got home safe, had no problems with equipment, and stayed warm the entire way.
Want to try this experience for yourself? There are many hotels, and motels that cater to the winter visitor. Some places have packages that include a snowmobile rental in your package rate, complete with helmets. You'll have to provide your own outer clothing though. So come on up to the Northwoods of Wisconsin, try your hand at the sport of snowmobiling.......I'm sure you'll never regret it!!!
So here I'll try to paint you a picture of an evening of pristine conditions, great weather, and the perfect ride. But before we go, we have to get dressed in our warm snowmobiling outfits. Boots, Bib style snowmobile pants, warm jacket, the important Balaclava, safety helmet, and gloves. Once this is done, it's time to check out the sled. Just like a pilot checks out his air plane before take off, you too should check out the snowmobile before departing. Not a good idea to get stranded out in the middle of nowhere because you ran out of gas, or broke a drive belt. So, gas tank is full, spare belt is secured in it's place and a complete set of tools are tucked neatly in their carrying case. Now for additional safety, I also carry a survival kit. This is a small bag containing many essentials that might be required should the snowmobile break down and I am stranded in the middle of nowhere. What do I put into this kit? Well for starters, I have the following, survival knife, waterproof matches, Bic lighter, tow strap, hand warmers body warmers, survival blanket, small fire starter kindling, trail maps, compass, fishing kit, sewing kit, dry socks, extra gloves and a flashlight. These are just a few of the basic items you should carry. Now my sled also has a large storage rack, so I also carry extra gas, large flashlight, jump starter battery, and funnel.
When you are on the trails, gas stations are not as prevalent as there are when you are in a car, so check your trail map, plan your route, and know your sled. In other words if you only get 10 miles to the gallon, and you only have a 10 gallon tank, you better have planned on locating a gas station somewhere along the trail BEFORE you run out of gas. It's also a good idea to plan other areas along the way to stop, such as where to eat, scenic areas to stop and rest. Something to always keep in mind. If point A to point B by car is ten miles, it is, in a lot of cases, much farther by snowmobile because of the winding trails and the right of ways that the trails must traverse.
Also, there can be opportunities for overnight rides. Such as riding a hundred miles or so, staying overnight, enjoying the local area, and returning to your place of origin the next day.
So now that we're all suited up, made our safety check, fired up the sled, we're ready to go. Now in my opinion there are three kinds of snowmobile trails. A) The ones that ARE NOT on any publicy traveled roadway or trail, meaning you do not have to worry about automobile traffic. B) There are snowmobile routes that use public streets, which ARE traveled by automobiles. C) There are trails out in the woods that have logging activities going on, so there might be large trucks crossing the trails. You need to be aware of all of these.
Leaving our home at about 4:30PM the temperature is about 33 degrees. The sky is clear with a few clouds spattered about, and we are now driving on one of the local roads to pick up our companions for this trip. The road is snow covered. The previous day we had about four inches of fresh fallen snow drop on us. Dry snow, not wet. A good base of fresh powder. Now one thing that you must be very careful of when traveling on public roads is the intersections. Snowmobiles cannot stop as easily as a car can, but under snow covered conditions both are just as unsure when it comes to an emergency stop. So when you approach an intersection, slow down, look both ways, before you proceed. Also, when crossing a road way that is paved and there is no snow on it, presents an additional problem as your steering is impaired and you do not have the same control because the skis cannot bite into the pavement.
So here we are moving, gently along the winding and twisting trails, as the sun goes down and our head lights illuminate the forest floor. We're the second sled in the caravan of two, and we constantly make sure we are a safe distance behind our leader. The passenger has some driving responsibilities too. There are times when you are not alone on the trails, and other parties will approach you as oncoming traffic. In some cases the trails are very narrow. So you have to slow down. The passenger on the first sled holds up their hand with one finger to indicate to oncoming traffic that there is one sled behind them. The passenger on the last sled will hold up their fist, indicating that they are the last sled in the caravan. This is another example of practiced safety on the part of the snowmobiler.
We have been traveling for about ten miles now, and the lighting has turned from daylight to dusk. This is always an eerie time as the shadows from the forest take on additional shapes, casting doubt as to what you are looking at. It take a reactionary second to decipher what it really is. Such as is that a piece of snow on the trail, or a large rock. Are those snowmobile tracks or branches that have fallen? This slows your progress, because you have to be careful and make sure you see what you think you see.
The driver on the other hand is watching other things as well. Speed, fuel consumption, trail conditions, and most importantly, the sled in front of them. Occasionally, there will be deer in the forest, this particular night we saw a huge Buck, running through the forest, parallel to our path. Was it going to cross our path at some point? Yup, that's what happened! Fortunately, it was far enough in front of us that it was more of a beautiful sight that presenting a dangerous situation. Continuing on, there are instances of slippage on the trails. This is where you are rounding a corner, and you lose traction and control, because you have hit a patch of ice. You have to back off on the throttle and re-grab the trail and continue your turn.
Upon entering town we realized our fuel was down to a quarter of a tank, so we'll have to fill up after having our dinner. Now there are some riders who like to have a few libations with their meal, by as for myself, I prefer to wait so that my driving abilities are not impaired. There are those riders who will disagree with this position, but that is the choice they have to make for themselves. I prefer an alternate choice.
One of the great things about going to places that are frequented by other riders is the camaraderie that is developed. There are stories that are shared, current trail condition reports, and many other things that riders have in common. After dinner it was time to wam up the sleds. Did you know that today's modern sleds have such luxuries as heated hand grips for passenger and driver, heated seats, remote starters. Yup, today it is possible to be completely comfortable with your ride. Some sleds such as mine get around 20 miles per gallon, while others get much less. What this means is you'll need to make more frequent stops to refuel between destinations. After filling the tanks with gas though, it was time to start heading back. We were going to take a different route though, and we also were going to avoid crossing any of the many lakes at night. This was for a couple of reasons. 1. The trails across the lakes are not groomed. 2. During the night time you cannot necessarily tell the difference between black ice and open water. 3. Sometimes there are permanent ice fishing shacks on the ice that DO NOT have proper reflectors on their shacks to warn you they are there, and you don't see them until you are right on top of them. 4. Although there are some markers placed on the ice to indicate a safe path, they are NOT put there by the State or any reputable organization, so you travel at your own risk. This is why we avoid the lakes at night.
But tonight the conditions for travel were perfect. We were lucky enough on the way back to have had a groomer travel the same trails before us. Again we were the first to travel these newly groomed trails. We did see a herd of deer in the woods on the way back. They are quite a spectacle to see, with their winter, dark colored, coats. The moon was shining, and there was a slight cloud cover. The ride home was much quicker, mainly because it was also a lot shorter. But overall, a great ride, and a great night with great friends. We did get to put on about forty miles or so, and we all got home safe, had no problems with equipment, and stayed warm the entire way.
Want to try this experience for yourself? There are many hotels, and motels that cater to the winter visitor. Some places have packages that include a snowmobile rental in your package rate, complete with helmets. You'll have to provide your own outer clothing though. So come on up to the Northwoods of Wisconsin, try your hand at the sport of snowmobiling.......I'm sure you'll never regret it!!!
Saturday, October 13, 2012
Newest Project in the Northwoods
It'sbeen a long time since I have written anything on this blog, so I thought I'd bring you up to date on my latest project. Well Susie and I have succumbed to the call of the North Woods and recently bought a new Snowmobile to get around in during the winter. After all we do live in the Snowmobile capital of the world!
Presently I am in the process of winterizing all of our other toys and putting them to bed until next season. The two motor scooters all fire up fine and have been no problem at all since Jeff at Eastland Motorsports (http://www.eastlandmotorsports.com/index.htm)tuned them up, replaced a gas tank, changed gas filters and cleaned the carbs. If I take care of them right, they'll be in perfect shape for next years fun.
The fishing boat had a few hiccups recently and needed a new fuel pump. I replaced that and adjusted the carborator rich/lean mixture and it also is running fine now. Just have to remove the 18HP Evinrude I got on Ebay for $300.00, remove the seats and floor and move it outside of the garage, and cover it, so I have room for the winter toys and my truck.
Next on the list is my Motorcycle. Need to change the oil and filter, fog it, remove the battery and cover it until the spring arrives and the new riding season is on. My friend also got a bike recently, and although we haven't made any big road trips, next year is sure to have many planned.
So what's next? Well I am an avid "Craig's List" reader. Always looking for that next bargain. I thought I'd like to get another snowmobile, but I did not want to spend the money, just to have one sitting around. The new one is a "Two UP" so Susie and I can ride together, we don't really need two, but it would sure be nice to have one if we had some week-end guests during the season. To rent them for a day is about $125.00. To expensive to have my guests burden that kind of bill.
And if they bring kids with them, then we also have a sled that attaches to the back of the snowmobile for them to ride in, another great Craig's List find. From a farmer in Winnebago, IL. It had been stored in a barn for years. They said there kids ahd grown up and it had not been used for years. It was time to go and let someone else enjoy it. Got it for $250.00 cleaned it up, rebuilt the padded seats adding new pressure treated seat bottoms and backs, re-upolstered it, and it is as good as new. No kids? No problem, it also makes a good trailer for putting all of our ice fishing gear in.
I looked and looked on Craigs List. My favorite sections are the "FREE" and I especially like the Barter section. Now since I don't hunt anymore, and I had this old hunting rifle laying around, I thought I'd use it to barter and see what happened. But I had to get it back into good condition. The first thing I did was break it down separating the breech and barrel from the stock. I then removed the old finish from the metal. I used an emery cloth to sand out some cosmetic old pitting and then I cold re-blued it and polished it up. Now keep in mind that this gun is a Model 1893 Spanish Mauser. So it is pretty old, but in perfect shape. I got it from a friend more than 40 years ago by trading my Winchester Model 50 semi automatic shotgun for it. It had a Bishop Stock, which is a custom walnut stock and was never finished. I cleaned that up and put a light coat of extra virgin olive oil on it and rubbed it in for a beautiful oiled finish. It smells good too! Now we're ready for trading.
I found a guy in Iron Mountain, Michigan who had a 1993 Artic Cat Prowler 2 UP Snowmobile for trade. I saw the photos and it looked in pretty good shape. After a few texts and photos back and forth we both decided to pursue the trade further. Time for a road trip! I went to check it out and I traded the rifle for the snowmobile. Now mind you, I did not expect the snowmobile to be in perfect condition. It did start, and they threw in a stand to keep the track elevated when not in use. But it did have some issues. One of those issues was the fact that there was a problem with the electrical system. Another was that someone had cut off the luggage rack, the third was that there was a pin missing from the hood, and the forth was the hood strap was severed.
The first fix was the hood strap. I used a pipe clamp and my vise to fashion a metal sleeve. I inserted one end of the severed wire and then the other to the sleeve and using the force of the vise, I applied pressure to crimp it shut. Then I took a 20d nail and slipped it into the slot for the hood retaining pin until I could get a clevis pin that was of the right size. Now to tackle the electrical problem.
The electrical system on snowmobiles work one of two ways depending on the make, model and type. It is either a closed system, or an open system. All snowmobiles have what is known as a "kill switch" which is on the handle bars. It is for an emergency way to cut off the engine. Sometimes these switches go bad. However on mine, it is an $80.00 fix. And wouldn't you know it, my snowmobile runs on a closed system and there is an open somewhere in the electronics preventing it from starting. Yes it started when I picked it up, but that is because they bypassed the switch with a jumper and had it running. But this is not the safe way to do this. So we need to fix that first.
Now as luck would have it, when trying to start it, I broke the recoil chord. But to fix that you have to remove the resonator and the muffler to get at the bottom screw. I did that, but while I had those parts off, I decided to clean them up and give them a fresh coat of High Heat Paint. They're drying now. Today, I'll finish the job and get it all put back together tomorrow. Then I'll tackle the clouded up windshield. Instead of replacing it, I'll refurbish it with tooth paste. Yup, if you have clouded plastic, such as a head light or plastic windshield, they can be brought back to life by simply using the tooth paste as a mild abrasive and polishing compound and voila! Good as new.
The luggage rack was removed and my good friend Pat has it and will be rebuilding it using rebar as the main focus and welding it into place. We'll then replace back on the machine after painting and it will be as good, if not better and stronger, than new.
Meanwhile, I noticed on Craig's List someone had a boat trailer that they were giving away for free. Now how could I pass this up. My initial intent was to use this as the foundation of an Ice Fishing Shanty. I called and then picked it up and brought it home. It is cosmetically in disrepair, nothing that a light sanding and fresh paint would not fix. But after looking at it's construction it is not suitable for my intended purpose. But have no fear, because my good friend Al told me he was riding one of the back roads and someone had a boat leaning up against a tree and the hull had written on the bottom "FREE". Last night after going to a new restaurant "Carlin's Club Lodge" for a fish fry, we decided to check out this boat on the way back. It is a 12 foot fiberglass boat that was probably a Sears Gamefisher. The interior was completely void of any seats etc, and all of the floatation had been removed. However, we can refurbish it and make it safe and sound.
Today we'll go back with the FREE trailer and bring it back to the house, and it will be the next project in line. We'll add new Mahogany seats, Styro-foam floatation, and hull paint. We'll be on the lookout for a fixer upper outboard motor and then we'll put it back on the market next spring and sell the whole package. So far that's the plan.
There is always something to do up here in the North Woods. It's nice to be able to pick and choose the projects I work on. Some of those on the back burner? I have all of the guts from an old Fender Guitar. One of these days I am going to go out in the woods and find a nice piece of Maple and shape, sand and build a new guitar, using those parts. When I get it done, we'll have someone, other than me, that knows how to play, give it a try. Then we'll see what happens. Nice to be able to have such a variety of things to do in the retirement years. See ya for now!
Presently I am in the process of winterizing all of our other toys and putting them to bed until next season. The two motor scooters all fire up fine and have been no problem at all since Jeff at Eastland Motorsports (http://www.eastlandmotorsports.com/index.htm)tuned them up, replaced a gas tank, changed gas filters and cleaned the carbs. If I take care of them right, they'll be in perfect shape for next years fun.
The fishing boat had a few hiccups recently and needed a new fuel pump. I replaced that and adjusted the carborator rich/lean mixture and it also is running fine now. Just have to remove the 18HP Evinrude I got on Ebay for $300.00, remove the seats and floor and move it outside of the garage, and cover it, so I have room for the winter toys and my truck.
Next on the list is my Motorcycle. Need to change the oil and filter, fog it, remove the battery and cover it until the spring arrives and the new riding season is on. My friend also got a bike recently, and although we haven't made any big road trips, next year is sure to have many planned.
So what's next? Well I am an avid "Craig's List" reader. Always looking for that next bargain. I thought I'd like to get another snowmobile, but I did not want to spend the money, just to have one sitting around. The new one is a "Two UP" so Susie and I can ride together, we don't really need two, but it would sure be nice to have one if we had some week-end guests during the season. To rent them for a day is about $125.00. To expensive to have my guests burden that kind of bill.
And if they bring kids with them, then we also have a sled that attaches to the back of the snowmobile for them to ride in, another great Craig's List find. From a farmer in Winnebago, IL. It had been stored in a barn for years. They said there kids ahd grown up and it had not been used for years. It was time to go and let someone else enjoy it. Got it for $250.00 cleaned it up, rebuilt the padded seats adding new pressure treated seat bottoms and backs, re-upolstered it, and it is as good as new. No kids? No problem, it also makes a good trailer for putting all of our ice fishing gear in.
I looked and looked on Craigs List. My favorite sections are the "FREE" and I especially like the Barter section. Now since I don't hunt anymore, and I had this old hunting rifle laying around, I thought I'd use it to barter and see what happened. But I had to get it back into good condition. The first thing I did was break it down separating the breech and barrel from the stock. I then removed the old finish from the metal. I used an emery cloth to sand out some cosmetic old pitting and then I cold re-blued it and polished it up. Now keep in mind that this gun is a Model 1893 Spanish Mauser. So it is pretty old, but in perfect shape. I got it from a friend more than 40 years ago by trading my Winchester Model 50 semi automatic shotgun for it. It had a Bishop Stock, which is a custom walnut stock and was never finished. I cleaned that up and put a light coat of extra virgin olive oil on it and rubbed it in for a beautiful oiled finish. It smells good too! Now we're ready for trading.
I found a guy in Iron Mountain, Michigan who had a 1993 Artic Cat Prowler 2 UP Snowmobile for trade. I saw the photos and it looked in pretty good shape. After a few texts and photos back and forth we both decided to pursue the trade further. Time for a road trip! I went to check it out and I traded the rifle for the snowmobile. Now mind you, I did not expect the snowmobile to be in perfect condition. It did start, and they threw in a stand to keep the track elevated when not in use. But it did have some issues. One of those issues was the fact that there was a problem with the electrical system. Another was that someone had cut off the luggage rack, the third was that there was a pin missing from the hood, and the forth was the hood strap was severed.
The first fix was the hood strap. I used a pipe clamp and my vise to fashion a metal sleeve. I inserted one end of the severed wire and then the other to the sleeve and using the force of the vise, I applied pressure to crimp it shut. Then I took a 20d nail and slipped it into the slot for the hood retaining pin until I could get a clevis pin that was of the right size. Now to tackle the electrical problem.
The electrical system on snowmobiles work one of two ways depending on the make, model and type. It is either a closed system, or an open system. All snowmobiles have what is known as a "kill switch" which is on the handle bars. It is for an emergency way to cut off the engine. Sometimes these switches go bad. However on mine, it is an $80.00 fix. And wouldn't you know it, my snowmobile runs on a closed system and there is an open somewhere in the electronics preventing it from starting. Yes it started when I picked it up, but that is because they bypassed the switch with a jumper and had it running. But this is not the safe way to do this. So we need to fix that first.
Now as luck would have it, when trying to start it, I broke the recoil chord. But to fix that you have to remove the resonator and the muffler to get at the bottom screw. I did that, but while I had those parts off, I decided to clean them up and give them a fresh coat of High Heat Paint. They're drying now. Today, I'll finish the job and get it all put back together tomorrow. Then I'll tackle the clouded up windshield. Instead of replacing it, I'll refurbish it with tooth paste. Yup, if you have clouded plastic, such as a head light or plastic windshield, they can be brought back to life by simply using the tooth paste as a mild abrasive and polishing compound and voila! Good as new.
The luggage rack was removed and my good friend Pat has it and will be rebuilding it using rebar as the main focus and welding it into place. We'll then replace back on the machine after painting and it will be as good, if not better and stronger, than new.
Meanwhile, I noticed on Craig's List someone had a boat trailer that they were giving away for free. Now how could I pass this up. My initial intent was to use this as the foundation of an Ice Fishing Shanty. I called and then picked it up and brought it home. It is cosmetically in disrepair, nothing that a light sanding and fresh paint would not fix. But after looking at it's construction it is not suitable for my intended purpose. But have no fear, because my good friend Al told me he was riding one of the back roads and someone had a boat leaning up against a tree and the hull had written on the bottom "FREE". Last night after going to a new restaurant "Carlin's Club Lodge" for a fish fry, we decided to check out this boat on the way back. It is a 12 foot fiberglass boat that was probably a Sears Gamefisher. The interior was completely void of any seats etc, and all of the floatation had been removed. However, we can refurbish it and make it safe and sound.
Today we'll go back with the FREE trailer and bring it back to the house, and it will be the next project in line. We'll add new Mahogany seats, Styro-foam floatation, and hull paint. We'll be on the lookout for a fixer upper outboard motor and then we'll put it back on the market next spring and sell the whole package. So far that's the plan.
There is always something to do up here in the North Woods. It's nice to be able to pick and choose the projects I work on. Some of those on the back burner? I have all of the guts from an old Fender Guitar. One of these days I am going to go out in the woods and find a nice piece of Maple and shape, sand and build a new guitar, using those parts. When I get it done, we'll have someone, other than me, that knows how to play, give it a try. Then we'll see what happens. Nice to be able to have such a variety of things to do in the retirement years. See ya for now!
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