1-24-2014 update

I havent posted in along time. Life hasa way of keeping you busy. This will be short cause its not easy to type on my tablet. Im still in michigan. Still have the shop although its more of a hobby now. The business plans I had for it fell apart but I kept the building and am trying to build up a customer base.

I got engaged and then finally had a youngin of my own. A beautiful baby girl names Alexis Grace White. She fills my life with joy and excitement every day. Im a stay at home dad which is great. Tina my soon to be wife works and I raise the baby. We have known each other for over 15 years. It took her some time to realize we should be together. I knew it all along. Lol.

Ive done some good trades lately and will have to post about them later. Ive switched gears some on the direction I want to go in life. Ive turned toward getting a home, growing a garden, and raising a family. I still have apassion on living as simple as I can. More so for the financial aspects.  If I can live without the need for me to work 9-5 then that frees me up to pursue my other passions. Currently im relying on my disability to get me through but if the system fails I want to be able to still provide. I will always figure out a way. First I need a home with some land and then I can build my empire.

Back in Michigan

I finally found some time to sit down and post. Ive been back for about 2 weeks now and im just finding the time. The first week here i had my brothers 4 kids so that took all my time looking after them. This week ive started getting the new shop up and running. On the todo list first is a new cement floor, which the land owner has agreed to pay for. I have submitted a bid of my own to do the work. Now its just a waiting game to see if he takes my bid or farms it out to someone else. The shop will have to be cleaned out, which will take the better part of a day to do and then the work will begin.

Once the floor is finished i can start getting the shop set up as i see fit. Moving all my tools in and getting orginized will probally take a few days aswell. Then it will be time to get to work and start making some money.

My internet is really slow out here in the sticks where im staying and im too far from the house i guess to pick up the wireless signal. I brought my Aunts labtop out right next to my computer and it get ok signal so i think i may get a new wireless card. The one i have was a real pain to get to work with windows7 anyways so that may be part of the problem.

So my post will be few untill i get better signal and somthing to post about.

View from inside.

I took some pics the other morning of my view from inside the fithwheel. As my view out the windows will once again be changing in just a couple days, what better time to share.













After previewing these pics it was funny to realize that i was logged into my blog when i took these for my blog. lol

Long Vacation

I haven't posted in awhile because there's been nothing to post about. But today I made up my mind, or rather it was made for me that i will 100% be moving back to Michigan. Ive been toying with the idea for a few weeks. There's work for me up there, and the work down here just isn't happening. I discussed my plans with the neighbor lady and figured either she would pony up some work and id stay or id go ahead with my plans to move back north. To my utter surprise there was a third option that i had not foreseen and that was she would get pissed and tell me to leave.

So come April 1st hell or high water, I'm getting outta hear. It will suck to go back north just when the weather is consistently getting warmer. Today it was 83 which made me realize one thing. This trailer will be like an oven this summer. I'm going to have to find some place with some shade to park under or i just may cook in here even with AC.

Sunday report

Today was a great day. I was up and about in just jeans and a tshirt at 7:30 am. The rain that we got through the night has made a nice mud hole just outside my door on the fithwheel once again. but the dogs are being smart and hanging out under the awning.

I went to my brothers for dinner. Even through Jason and Maria where not there there, we still had an excellent dinner. Roast with carrots, tatters, onions, garilic, salid, with all the fixings of mushrooms, cheese, tomatotes, bacon bits. the works. it was a very enjoyeable meal. .

After dinner i got a call on some work back in Michigan. I was told to call when i get home so i did as i was told and got his voice mail at a little past 8:30 so i let him know i was calling back and now the ball is back in his court. guess ill hear form him in the morning. Im considering heading back to the same old shit ive been doing all my life. I know i can make some money up there. And i cant sell anything from down here. somthing has got to give. Im giving it untill the end of the month. I will have a choice set in stone by then. If i stay down here, there is the fear of the unknown. the suprise of whats going to happen next, and the people that ill meet along the way.

If i head back north i may be able to make a few coin but at the end of the day its all the same old shit that i just left behind. there is a since of familaritly there. knowing where and how to get things done. There are reasons that i left the first time. those things have not been taken care of. so id be pretty much be walking right back into what i left behind.;

so now i got to make the big decision on weither or not to move back to michigan.

Its getting warmer

Thats right its getting warmer down here. Which doesent mean that im getting anything else done on the house. I still dont have the supplys to finish makeing it liveable. I found out that the work that was supposed to be comeing my way isent. But when one door closes another opens. Now the neighbor lady wants me to take the radio out of her car and see if i can fix the trunk. I also been talking to the neighbor about a garden this year. And after bringing it up with the neighbor lady i was told that the guy im replacing (JC) and her dad where the only ones to get the old tractor to run. So took a short look today at it. WTF i dont know shit about tractors. Im not a farmer. I have no idea how to plow a fucking field. But wait, ive always been able to figure out how to drive things. Ive driven off road dump trucks with 8ft. tires that dont actually turn, the frame pivots in the middle as well as frontend loaders that did the same. From dozers to forklifts to semi's, when it came down to it i figured it out very quickly. So it looks like very soon i will be reporting on the adventures of garding. I'll get some pics of the old ass tractor. I looked for a name but couldnt find one. What i do know is its really freakin old.

I did manage to get the snow plow mount cut off the bronco and boy it sure handles different. It turns REALLY EASY. Like so easy that you can over steer. The front end is back up where it sould be and my brother came over and we ripped all the wireing for the plow out. it looks sooo much cleaner under the hood now. Next order of buisness for it is a muffler. I didnt care about it when i was in Elkhart but i also wasent driving it on the streets anymore either.

I FINALLY TOOK A SHOWER!!!!

That's right, for the first time since Ive left Indiana I have taken a shower in my own place. Now don't go thinking Ive been stinking the place up, until today Ive been limited to baths, or on Sundays when I go to my brothers house I have taken a shower at his house a few times but that's not the same as taking one in your own place. The RV does have a shower and it is big enough but I'm not taking a cold shower.

I actually need one after all the work I did today. I ripped what was left of the rotted floor where the fridge would go and shured it up with new 2x6's underneath and new plywood and then installed some tile squares to match the rest of the floor. However in using the tile i have now left myself with another problem. There is no tile in front of the stove. I didn't notice this before using all but 2 of the tiles. There is some there tile that i can use so it just may look a little odd but it will work. That is if I don't just cover it all with laminate wood floor that I found in what I refer to as the "parts trailer".

I also installed a new ceiling fan in the kitchen. I was hoping to finally be able to walk in the door at night and be able to flip on a light without having to walk over and use the light above the sink. But as I got into putting the fan up I found out that the switch that controls the fan is on the other side of the room. So much for that idea. But now i have a nice new ceiling fan and light. It actually is a really nice fan. It came with its own switch that controls the speed and direction of the fan as well as a dimmer switch for the light. This was another find from the parts trailer. I have been given permission to use what ever I find in the trailer so its been fun digging through it for little goodies.

With the weather being in the 70's the last week Ive actually got a lot done. Earlier in the week I repaired the sill plate on the back door of the RV. It was so rotted that it was actually turning to dirt. Nothing I haven't had to deal with before. I took the sill off, removed all the rotted wood from under it and replaced it with a piece of 2x2, again from the parts trailer. Then while I was at it I decided to see why the front door was screwed shut. I was told it was cause the door wouldn't shut but after removing the 2 screws the only thing i could find wrong was that the lock was busted so the key wouldn't unlock it from outside. That was an easy fix as I just swapped handles with the back door as I don't use the handle lock in the back, it has a dead bolt. So now I can open both doors and get some fresh air coming in. After tackling the doors I felt a little empowered and figured I give the awning a go. The spring was never set after being replaced some years ago and the previous owner just rolled it up by hand. Well as soon as I flipped the lever to "open" it sprung all the way open as if the spring was wound backwards. This didn't surprise me as the awning itself was rolled up backwards too. So after getting it unrolled I then had to clean all the dirt and leaves off. I then took the end cap off and gave it about 8 turns and rolled it back up the right way. It still wasn't going up by itself but now it was in the proper position. Then it was as simple as winding it about 10 more turns and were in business. There is no pull cord so I have to get up on a ladder and unroll it part way by hand until I can reach it from the ground. Next project will be to find something to use as a pull strap. I may just order one.

I also put a coat of primer on the bathroom walls and ceiling this week too. I still have the rest of the trailer to do but that will have to wait  till i get some more supplies. The ceiling still could use another coat of primer or paint and I would like to use the light blue paint I got from my brother on the walls. But for the most part the bathroom is done. So now to get the rest of the place up to par and then I can decide if i want to move in the trailer or stay in the RV. Haven't made my mind up yet.

The cold has come again

Jack Frost has reached out to us once again. My hose from the house to the RV is frozen once again. This is not the first time this has happened, I'm prepared with water jugs filled just for this. So far the water in the house has not frozen. which is a big surprise because there is no heat in there. So if push comes to shove I just walk into the house and get what ever water I need. I have gotten used to going into the house for water. I have been going in every few days and filling jugs with hot water so that I can do the dishes.  I have not tried to repair the water heater in the RV yet so I'm glad that the water heater in the house works. Ive been using the bathroom in the house more and more now that I got the tub surround done. But I haven't been able to take a shower, just baths. The shower hose that was in there before is broken and I'm awaiting a replacement.

I'm ready to start at least priming the walls. Even though some are not secured properly, (they move when you push one them) I'm to the point that i don't care anymore. When i first came here i didn't even want to walk through the trailer, but as time goes on i get used to it. I don't know if its the fact that I've cleaned it up a lot or I'm just tired of being in the small RV with the dogs. The carpets don't seem too bad anymore, the walls just need some paint, the kitchen I will give you needs some work but I could make do. What was I expecting a mansion on a hill? Ive got a good thing going here and Its about time I start to live up to my end.

With my brother due back home in a week I feel I have been one lazy s.o.b. I should of had this place done by now. I know how to do the work and if I were contracted to do this job and my workers were taking this long i would fire there asses in a heart beat. I'm just being lazy. I need to get off my ass and do something. I could make this place awesome if i just put forth the effort. Ive turned places that were in worse shape into very comfortably homes before.

Another Cold Day With A Warm Attitude

Not much has been happing around here. Been raining off and on for the last week and now as I sit here typing this its 22 deg. out. I went down yesterday to the local social security office and transfered everthing down here. So I guess im going to make a go of it down here. I was very pleased with the service down here. The workers were very friendly, not like Indiana, were they treat you like a criminal. Every time i had to go to or talk to anyone at the office in IN, they acted like it was just a bother for them to do anything. Its there fricking job for fucks sake. Then your put on with another person, because Indiana, in there wisdome privitized everthing so you have to talk with another person, who is always in a worse mood than the last. They act like you just pulled them away from a sunny beach sipping a frozen drink out of a cocconut shell, to move a frozen couch up 10 flights of stairs.

Not down here, I was greated with a smile, and when called apon for an interview it was "Sir, right this way" as they held the door for you. I imedietly looked around the corner for some one waiting in ambush to kick me in the man bag. But no, as i walked down the hallway i was greeted with "So how has you day been?" and i reply out of instinct "Oh just fine." Then as we enter the office this woman turns and says, "Hi, Im Mary and Ill be helping you today. Please have a seat. Ill be back in just a sec."

I was in shock. Waited for the beast to pounce out of the shadows but all I saw was pictures of her smiling kids.  Art work adorned the walls as masterpieces. And as an artist myself I seen some potental hanging on the walls. One piece caught my eye, ive done them my self in school. fold a piece of paper like a pizza and each slice is simillar but not the same as the one next, and the complete opposite. It was a very well done piece and I enjoyed it very much, it made me remember of the pieces that are hanging in my moms stairwell from when i was in art classes.

Mary returned and we went down to the buisness at hand untill she reilized i didnt need to reapply i just need to call soc. sec. and change my address and everthing would change over. AWSOME. She them gave a piece of paper with the number i need to call. And she then walked me out the door. As I walked through the door she was holding open she said. "Have a nice day". I was shocked at the service. But the day wasent over. As I was pulling out of the parking lot my cell rings, "James, its Mary, you havent left yet did you? I looked in the parking lot and didint see you." she says
"No no im just to the street, what is it." I answered. I was actually pulling onto the street.
" You have to talk to another person for your food stamps, ill let them know your comming back in."

Well it took me a few mins to find another parking spot and then walk back in. As I reach the window the lady behind the counter looks at me and asks "You James?"
"Yes, they just" was all i could get out before i was cut off.
"Yea there waiting for you have a seat and ill let them know your out here."

I only waited a few more min before i was called back. Again she held the door for me, as i walked past she showed me to her office and again said "Please have a seat."
Ok these people are really starting to impress me.
"My name is Kim and ill help you go over this application, feel free to ask any question at anytime, ok."
We went throught the application that i had just filled out and even found a way to make a few jokes in there as well. I started to forget were i was at for a min there. That was untill i had to sign some papers. There was more converstation, even a few laughs, and then it was over. As got up I was looking for the the guy that would come in and drill me to "Make sure im telling the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth." but he wasnt there.

Kim walked me to the door but this time i beat her to it and held it open for her, "Well thank you kind sir" was the response i got. As i walked out the door i was in such awe that it could actually be peacefull that I was kind of floating. I reached my truck with a smile still on my face.

It was a good day.

Insight into the future

So ive been following this blog for about a month now click clack gorilla. Through this site i have found a new found respect for what others consider trash. I have always been one to reuse things, not so much for the "green" aspect of it but more for the fact that if i can make it then i dont have to buy it. Over the years I have found many uses for things that most would simply throw away. Call this hoarding or being a pack rat if you must but with the little income i have i must make it stretch as far as i can. I can remember as a young child going to the local college and digging through the dumpsters at the end of the year finding all kinds of things that were just thrown out. Some where along the line i lost touch with those roots.

In this blog you will read about a young woman living in a "wagenplatz" an intentional community of  people "squatters" who live together on a piece of land in a variety of wheeled dwellings. She writes about life in such a community and her, Dumpster Dive of the week. She brings a new meaning to Recycle. Go ahead dont be scared, check out that dumpster in the back alley, you never know what you may find.

Dumpster Diving

Yesterday day was a pretty good day. Had dinner with the fam. and did some laundry. I filled myself on burgers and they were good. My neice also pointed out that there was some stuff sitting out to the curb down back alley, so we took us a walk and discovered a nice suade sectional couch and a bunch of of other stuff in totes. So we went back to the house grabbed the truck and a few extra hands and loaded up the truck. Actually we had to make two trips. It was a pretty good score...

sectional couch - is missing on seat cushion
Palm3c - data orginazer
electic beard and hair trimmer
at least 5 bags of unopened chocolatey carmel cruch popcorn from the scouts
3 pairs of combat boots
2 pairs like new tenis shoes
2 sets of surrond sound speakers
some cloths

There was some more stuff i just cant think of it all. All in all it was a pretty good score for FREE.

I havent got much more done on the trailer. The tub surrond is all but done, just have to put the faucet handles on yet. I took the starter out of the Ford the other day but couldnt make it work again. Im going to take it out one more time and see if maybe its the solenoid. If not then ill be saving up for a new starter.

TheSurvivalistBlog.net

Ive been following this survival blog blog for several years now The Survivalist Blog. His name is M.D. Creekmore. He has bought a RV, parked it on a junk piece of land, and is living the life that he feels is the best way for him to live. Sound familar? Following is blog i have learned alot of what it takes to live off grid in a rv. All I am lacking in following in his foot steps is the piece of land. Which is what im looking for now. He has made a very nice site, nice enough that he is able to keep his reader base coming back. He also reviews alot of survival gear that many find very helpful. I have taken alot from his site and put it to work for me, aswell as sharing it with my family and friends. So for those of you reading this, if you are wondering where i started with the path i have chosen, read up on Mr. Creekmore and you will understand exactly where im going with all this. Even if you dont want to buy a trailer and find some remote spot in the woods to survive, there is enough information on his site to get you started toward the direction that you need, that we all need to follow. That direction is to simplify our lives and enjoy them more. Building our food stores and preparing of for the world that is to come, even if it never comes. Will only make your life that much eaiser as your sitting back knowing that YOU have what you need to survive no matter what happens.

Few things Ive learned

Ive learned a few things in the last few weeks:

1. Dogs have a very good internal clock. And they know when your lieing. They know that i wont let them out till 9. Every morning at a few mins past 9 they wake me up wanting out. If its after 9 and i try to tell them its to early they know im lieing and will not stop till i let them out.

2. Measure twice, cut once. Yes i knew this already but i managed to drill the holes for the new tub surround 1 inch to high.

3. You wont know that your roof leaks till it rains.

4. Anything that can go wrong, will go wrong, if you dont take steps to prevent it from going wrong.

5. Hot water is AWSOME! life can be so much eaiser when you have easy access to hot water. Either i need to fix my water heater or get a solar shower bag so i can take a hot shower in the rv. Trucker showers get old really quick.

Out with the nasty

Jason and I took this couch out of the trailer before he left for CAX. I have no idea how the guy got it in the trailer but we had to bust it up a little bit to get it out. So what do you do with a couch thats really nasty and has the arms busted off? You burn that sucker and relize how fast these suckers go up in flames. I lit both ends with a propane torch then put it away in the trailer. When I turned around this is what it looked like. Less than 5 min. from the time I lit it.

When it rains

Well if putting $200 into the truck didn't hurt my pocket book enough today i managed to dent it even further. I sold my tv last summer and bought a 23in. computer monitor. My plan was to get a new video card for my computer to better run the new monitor, then get a tv tuner so i would have tv again. As normal its all about money, or the lack of it.

Today when i went to power up my computer my monitor came on for about 20 min. then went blank. I started to fear the worst. This happened with my moms computer a few years ago. I turned the power off but it didn't come back on. So i did a hard reboot. It still didn't come back on. After messing with the connections i figured out that it was all hooked up good. I let it set and had some lunch. After which i tried the computer again. it booted up normal, ran for about 10 mins, then a message pops up at the bottom with some numbers that looked kind of familiar. I googled the message and sure enough it was a video card error. Just like my laptop. So i take a trip to a local computer shop and after talking to the guy we figured it was my stock video card crapping out. he didn't have any in stock so i head over to best buy to see what they have. As i stood there looking at the high priced cards i start to get sick. There's no way i can fork out over $150 for a video card. then a sales clerk comes over to "help" after telling him what i needed and i couldn't pay high dollar he asks what type of slot i got. oh boy i have no idea, but let me pull out my phone at take a look. i was smart enough to take a pic of my mother board. he says hold on he thinks hes got what i need in the back. here we go, i figure hes gonna walk out with a $200 card and say that's all they got.

After about 10 min. he walks back out with a card and says its $69.99. still more than i can afford but i do some numbers in my head and i think i can swing it. i do have the funds in the bank right now but I'm supposed to use them to pay my mom back $200 i borrowed for my fifth wheel payment. ill explain that later. so i walk out of the store with a new VisionTek Radeon HD 4350 HD Video HDMI 7.1 Audio with 512mb DDR2 memory. Very nice card indeed. but now Ive got to figure out how I'm gonna pay mom back.

Back at the trailer i tear the box open like a kid at Christmas pull the cover off my computer and get my nice new card installed in a matter of mins. all hook up and the cover back on i give her a try. She booted up, i dropped in the cd and installed the drivers. after a reboot my screen was all jacked up. My icons were huge i played with the settings for a few mins and just couldn't get it figured out. so i give a call to tech support and we narrowed it down to my VGA cable. its got to be the cable. it must of got pinched or something. so i head out to walmart this time, to try and find a cable. after an hour in walmart with the sales clerk looking too we could not find a cable so i ended up getting a HDMI cable. If you have ever bought one you know there made of freakin gold. $27.99 for a dang 6ft. cable. what a ripoff. so back home i go. feeling just a bit sicker than i did before.

New cable plugged in and wham bam thank you mam my computer is back to normal. well, so i thought. when i went to enter my password i couldn't get my wireless keyboard to connect. i tried new batteries that i took out of my headlamp and it still wouldn't connect. now I'm getting pissed and damn near smashed the freakin thing. another trip to walmart for a keyboard. i walked past them twice before the sales clerk pointed them out. i got the cheapest one they had with a cord. $19.99. i got to say it is a nice keyboard though. Microsoft comfort curve. so what the hell I'm already in the hole might as well pick up some new AAA batteries too. if by chance they work ill take the new keyboard back.

Again back home, new batteries didn't do the trick so out with the p.o.s. keyboard and in with the new. works like a dream. Now I'm back up and running. Hurray. I sat down with my check book and added all the new purchases in and, FUCK!  i spent $150 today. WTF am i to do now. no way in hell can i come up with that right now. The month is half over, I'm flat ass broke and i don't have any idea how I'm gonna make any money. So i guess mom will just have to get pissed but i wont be able to pay her back till next month. Even then it will kill me next month too. so i hope the new land lady wants to get the work she pointed out the other day done cause i need a paycheck.

Ok so now to explain the money i owe mom. you see i sold the church pew at a auction just before i left. but they only cut checks on the 1st and 15th. so i had $93.50 coming to me on the 1st. i left a deposit slip with mom so she could deposit the money in my account for me when the check came in. With having to put so much into the truck i had to wait on this deposit to make the fifth wheel payment. It was 2 weeks almost before the check came, mom was coming down here and just figured that she would just bring it with her not knowing i was waiting on it. so i asked her if she could go make the payment for me before she left and i would pay her back when she got here and i could cash the check. I have to start an acct. with a new bank cause my branch isn't around here. Well it didn't get done while she was here for 2 days so i still owe her. That should be a fun call to make. 

Took some pics of the trailer



Life so far

I have been posting on the trailer and the truck so much that i have left out the rv. As of  tonight, the rv is holding up better by far than the motorhome did. there are a few problems

1. The toilet wont stop running. hooked up to city water this could fill my black tank fast. simple fix was to just turn the water off to the toilet. i use the sink to add a little water after flushing. the shower head works well to clean the bowl of anything left too.

2. The water heater was froze solid, and in the process of unfreezing it i put my head up my own ass and lit the burner to "help" thaw it. all that did was melt the insulation on the top of the water heater. i figured it wasent a huge deal i would just have to only light it just before use. WRONG. after my brother soaked himself trying to get the drain plug back in and me half soaking myself.  i have added the water heater to the DOA list.

3. The furnace would not get hot enough to blow warm air. that was a simple fix in indiana, i just replaced it with a used unit. cost of $22. plus i still have the unit from the motorhome. but this new to me one seems to work flawless. knock on wood.

4. Front widow frame will need some majoy repairs this summer. also the side window in the front is broken. ill just patch it better than what was done.

5. Rear roof vent is broke. it wont stay down. the worm gear housing is comming apart. temp fix with vice grips is working so far. bathroom one looks like its on its way to doing the same thing.

6. Floor is rotted around the rear door steps. this will be an expensive fix. i may end up just reinventing how they mount and mounting them to the frame. just need some scrap steel.

7. The range vent fan doesnt work and the light is going soon.

Like i said, most things are minor. stuff that i expected. my biggest problem to date is the fact that i havent got the rv exactly level. its still a little high in the front but i cant lower it any further and the back is to low to get the jacks under it. so it bounces alot.

tomarrow after fixing the brakes again on the damn truck, this time the passanger caliper, i will be able to back under the rv and take the concrete blocks out from under the front legs so i can level it better.


Side note. a begal showed up this morning. tank was the first out the door and i didnt get him hooked to the cable before he went over to say high. im not worried about him and was able to get lady on the cable before she got out the door. but she ran right over and all three were sniffing each other. i went back in and let them deal with each other. to my suprise they all three were playing before long. he is very friendly, and followed me around all day. i probally screwed up and gave him some food but he looked like he hadnt ate in a few days as i could start to see his ribs. i had to stop him every time from going in the camper and the trailer. every step i took outside he was right there at my heals. even when i was working on the brakes of the truck he layed down next to me. i even had to get him out of the truck when i left the door open for just a sec. he was still out there when i let them out a few hours ago. hes got a collar but no tags. i really hope he finds his home by morning. i really cant afford to feed another dog. if he is still around tomarrow ill ask around to see if the girls know who he belongs to.  I put my dogs food inside all day but left there water bucket outside. so he has water and he did eat. im just too much of a dog lover to see him starve.

I HAVE POWER

I fianlly have power at the pole. no more running the generator to charge my batteries. the above pic is of the day i arived. notice the snow on the roof. this was taken after most of the snow melted. when we first pulled in the ground was covered.

Ok so now that i have power the fun should begin. Found out that my brother will be leaving sat. morning for cali for atleast a month, so that leaves me with the duty of fixing this place up by myself. this should be fun. i was hopeing to have some help. or at least some one to supervise. guess it will be just me and the dogs.

1-3-11

Still no power, i tried to call the power company today and there were closed for the holiday. dont they know people need power.

My brother and his buddy came over this morning to check out the truck and wouldnt you know it, it fired right up. So me and the dogs headed over to his house to work on his buddys car. after a few hours, the welding is mostly done of the car, most of its primered, i got a load of laundry done, ate dinner and headed back to my trailer. on the way home i stopped and put some fuel in the truck and then stopped and picked up some this on my shopping list from dollar general. tommarow i want to head over to harbor freight and check a few things out. as well as call the damn power company and try to get some lights turned one in this damn place.

Its cold tonight, 28F. right now. ill shut the water off tonight. hopefully i got enough propane to get me through the night. one bottle is empty and the other two are a little left in them. ill take at least the empty one in tommarow and get it filled.

1-2-11

Yesterday i came out to the trailer and was invited to an oyster feast. Today i was invited to fried chicken, cabbage, chicken and pasta somthing (my guess was chicken and homemade noodle sheets, it was good) and black eyed peas. i could really get used to this down home cooking. in the past i would pass this kind of thing up but as im starting a new adventure in life i took the leap and had a wonderfull meal. Just say yes.  thats my motto now.

I didnt get anything done today. still running on battery and generator power. the woman that owns the property and the mother of shela (the sister) and amanda (the trailer owner), i will just refer to her as momma offered to loan me the money for the deposit to have the power turned on. dont know if i like the idea of that as it will mean me paying the deposit, after paying her back of course. if i have to pay the deposit then that means im here for a year. im not trying to put roots down. and i like the idea of being able to pack up and leave if tshtf. but i guess there could be worse places to be stuck.

1-1-11 First post from inside the camper

I think its going to be hard to keep track of how many days im here. so for now on ill just use the date for progress reports.

As i sit here typing this im sitting at my computer in the camper. I still dont have shore power so im running the generator to charge my battery up for tonight. i made my first dinner, tuna noodle cassarole, in the camper. Tank and Lady are sleeping on the floor right next to me. The weather was in the 70's today so i came out to the trailer to get some things cleaned up in here. i guess its time to put to use the things ive learned from reading other blogs of people living off grid. Harbor freight has a little 800 watt generator for $110 right now that i would love to pick up. it would work great for charging the batteries and not burn much fuel. i dont know how much i could run off of it but im going to look into it. i could probally sell my snapper and get the small 800 watt, and 45 watt solar kit and be on my way to being off grid for good. but i cant run my welder off such a small generator so i cant sell the snapper.

After dinner i realized i didnt have any dish soap, so i woke the dogs and loaded them in the truck to head to walmart, which is just down the road. wouldnt you know it but the damn starter decieded to go out on the truck. this shit aint funny anymore. i cant afford $200 for a new fuckin starter. i just put over $100 into the brakes. so the next few days will be fun trying to find the warranty for the starter that Bob replaced 3-4 years ago. that is if there is one.

So the first day of the New Year is starting out with a bang.

Day 4

well its day 4 and im still crashing on my brothers couch. there still isent any power at the trailer. i did manage to get the brakes fixed on my truck after replaceing the drivers side caliper, and new front brakes. both sides were worn bad but the drivers side was down to metal. cost me $10 at O'reilleys to have each rotor turned. i hope this set lasts alot longer than the other set did. ive had nothing but problems with the brakes on this truck.

the woman who owns the trailer that im supposed to be moving into is not showing much signs of wanting to get things going. im starting to get a little pissed. the power was supposed to be turned on all ready and i really cant do anything without power. this whole move isent starting out good at all.

Made it to NC

well i finally arrived in jacksonville. the weather on the way down was horable. most of the way through the mountains it was snowing. i didnt have to much trouble with traction, not with the weight of the fifthweel and all the crap that i had loaded in it. we arrived in jacksonville to find more snow on the ground then we had in elkhart. after a short nap at my brothers we headed out to see the property. the power was shut off so i had to stay the night at my brothers.

day two hasent faired much better. the brakes on my truck are grinding pretty bad and it wouldnt start this morning. i forgot to plug it in last night and killed the battery trying to start it. its going to cost $150 deposit that i dont have. i didnt bring my rv battery cause i was using it in the bronco. so i have no power and no heat. untill i can get some power out there i cant do anything. i cant afford to buy new batteries either. so for now im stuck at my brothers till i can get power. the trailer is in really rough shape and is going to take alot of work to get it livable

The Next Adventure

With recent changes in my life, i have once again decieded to hit the road. this time ive picked up a 31 foot fifth wheel. No bartering on this one. I worked a deal with a close family friend to make payments on it. I dare say i got a good deal. It pulled great on the way home, and to my, and the last owner, suprise the brakes even work. I do how ever need to figure out why the brakes only work when i manually use the brake controler in the truck.

The front had two single beds like the motorhome did and i have already combined them to make a full size bed. i will be putting my matress from the house in there when the time comes to hit the road. the rear of the rv had a full size bed that i have pulled out and am in the process of building a work bench across the back. I wont be hauling my trailer behind me anymore. I would like to build a small 5 ft. or so deck off the back that could hold my genny and motorcycle. that will have to wait till spring though. It has already started to snow here and im not laying in the snow and welding a deck on the back. Ill just have to leave the bike here in Indiana for now, and come back for it when the weather warm.

My goal is to be out of here by the New Year, and in order for that to happen ive got to finish the bench in the back, transfer all my tools from the trailer to the fifth wheel, plum in a water tank (remove by p.o.) and water pump, and install a more realible source of heat. Until i get the fifth wheel paid off (4 months) it will be tight trying to figure out where i will park at. I wont have the money for and a rv park. I havent figured out exactly how im going to do this yet but some how, some way, it will happen.

I will also be taking both of my dogs with me this time. So that just adds to the head ache. Dont get me wrong I love my dogs, but having two Saint Bernards the the rv with me is going to limit the places i can stay at.

Well thats the plan for now. plans always change, but we wont know to what, until it happens.

94 Mitsubishi 3000GT SL

Another trade. Suprised? I think not. This time I got a deal. Traded the 79 gmc aka. Big Red even up for the car. So far Ive gotten the better of the deal. The owner of the car was a 18 year old kid and it shows. I spent the first two days cleaning the dang thing out. It needed new front tires, but i managed to trade an air compessor that i got for free, for two Firestone Firehawks SZ50 EP RFT. $318 per tire. i think i made a good trade. next thing it needed was a iac valve. $95 from advance auto, $30 for oil and filter, and next will be brakes. it needs them bad but i dont have the money as of yet for brakes. it needs a few other things like a new divers window motor, glove box, and a few other small things but over all this is a nice car. ive already replaced the busted radio with another one, it wont play cd's but at least the radio works for now, along with both front speakers. not sure about the backs as they removed the stock wires to run pre-outs for an amp.

    The GT sports a removable glass sun roof. which is cool. hehe. the exhaust is a bit loud for my taste but its in like new shape so ill live with it. i think i could easly sell this car for $5000 but for now i would like to keep it as it is much better on gas than my ford. Ill see how it handles the snow. hopefully i can drive it this winter unless the snow is too bad then ill just have to switch to the ford.

Headache Rack

Ive been toying with the idea lately of building something out of the left over steel from the motorhome. Well after months of thought, i finally figured it out. It came to me after loading a load of scrap metal and a piece hit the back window of the truck. thank god it didnt break but it gave me the idea of a headache rack. I looked at several designs and after seeing the price tags i was sure i could make my own.

What i ended up with is a custom fit rack that is exactly what i wanted. it doesent extend out past the cab and still allows me to open the back window to allow my dog to get in the bed. I will evently mount lights in the top for added visablity at night when im backing up or when i just need more light in the bed.

350 Rebuild

I picked up a used 350 thats going to need rebuilt to go into the 79. Well that is if i ever make it that far, lol.

This is were im at so far, most of the tear down is complete. Its not the best engine ive ever gotten but its got the guts to be a nice engine. The fun will begin when i get the money to start ordering parts, like a new cam, bearings, having the heads rebuilt. As with all my projects this will be a true budget build.

video-2010-06-16-305blowby

One bench done

Been working on all kinds of projects. I got one bench done. Now I just hope it sells quick.

I knew i wouldnt be able to just let the new truck sit in the yard. Ive spent the last couple days working on small things. Today I built a new battery box for it, lowered the rear of the cab by almost an inch and replaced the front core support lift blocks. What was there was a joke, so i ripped it out and fabbed up a couple 3" blocks. Now the front bumper doesent look crooked. I also tore the dash out (every gm i have ever had ive had to take the dash out) fixed a few burnt bulbs and found that the line on the back of the circut for the fuel gauge is burnt. but someone already added a new wire to the tank to replace it. the guage was reading way past full so my next step is to drop the tank and check the sending unit. ill wait to do that till after a trip to the junk yard, so i will have a replacement sending unit ready. One of the KC lights glass is broke so i put the broke one in the middle, so if/ when it burns out it will be the middle one. Checked and fill both the front and rear axles. I will do a comple oil change before i make it a daily driver.

The other day while testing the 4 wheel drive i found out that one of the front lockouts is broke. They dont sell the spicer brand anymore so ill be switching to warn or milemarkers before winter. When I go to change the lockouts ill pull the front axles and wheel bearings and repack or replace them then. An oil change is on my to do list but that will have to wait till i get some $$$ which is always an issue.

Last night I stained the first bench. It came out really good. Tonight i put on the first coat of clear, wow, it looks great. Ive been leaving the bench to work on at night so it gives it time to dry over night, and its eaiser to work on it at night than anything else.

Well thats about it for this post.

Another new toy.

Here we go again. I just traded off my 63 for a 79 chevy pickup. its got a 355 with a 2 barrel holly and 4 speed w/ granny gear. Sitting on 36" tires. This new truck is all ready for the road. the guy drove it here from south bend. It needs some tlc but not as near as much as the 63 did. The biggest thing with this truck is I CAN DRIVE IT. I cant say that about all the deals ive done. So here we go, another summer of multiple projects. I wonder buy the end of the year how much i will get done. So far i got the camper to finish, i started working on the dodge again, I'm still working on the benches, and now on top off all that i got this latest truck. But there is nothing i have to do right now to this truck. so i can focus on the other projects. I think the dodge will get put back together after replaceing the fan bearing. I dont have the money right now for the fan clutch which is all i need yet for it. i can drive it if i have to without a fan. I really need to get to work on the camper, I may need to live in it for a while and that cant happen in the shape its in now.

FREE

I just love getting stuff for free. I was cruising the local Craislist and came accross an add for free church pews 16ft. From the pics i could see that at least the back of them were made of solid wood and would have many uses. When i first emailed the person i was told that they were all spoken for. Then the next day i got an email saying that one person backed out and I could have one after all. So Sat. I drove to Niles to pick one up and what would you know, i managed to get two. The plan is to cut them down to about 6ft. benches and sell them for a couple hundred a piece. the left over wood im going to use to recover the counter in the camper, and the table too. They are extremely heavy but i managed to unload them myself and already got one tore down. If i get my but in gear this should be a quick little project that will bring in all profit. Yea!

Lego Dock for Droid

I was bored  last week so i dug out my old legos and build a dock for my phone. Forget spending $30 at the store to buy one when i can build one for free. Now at night all i have to do is drop my phone down into the dock and it doubles as an alarm clock. I use an app called One Nightstand. Its so much dimmer than the stock media dock app that comes pre installed in the phone.

Shawn's Motorcycle Service & Repair

I am happy to post that my step-brother has started up his own motorcycle repair shop. He has been working in the industry for years now and is now stepping out on his own. I will defently be sending some work his way. Visit him on Facebook

New (to me) Camper Renovation

Well ive finally gotten around to getting some work done on the camper. Its a `74 KZ inc Sportsmen. Picked it up for $100 last fall and now its finally warm enough to get out there and get some work done on her.

She isent too bad from the outside. A few new lights and a few patches in the roof, (which i did before the snow started to fall) is all she will really need. That is on the outside that is.

Once i got inside i seen the rotted paneling right away but hoped it was just minor damage, but after the motorhome i knew better. Once i got the paneling tore out that there is extensive water damage to all four corners. The rear is going to be the most problems. I cant just rip the rear out without tearing all the siding off the outside jut to get to the rear Damage. Its hard to see in the pics but the rear header that goes from side to side is completly rotted out. The paneling pretty much fell out as i started to get to work on her.

The front is just as bad as the rear but will be much eaiser to fix. Thats because i plan on redesigning the front completely. I want to change the curve in the front. The curve does give more room to move about in the bunk area but it will act like a sail going down the freeway. The plan is to go straight from the top of the front window to just in front of the side windows. This will be much eaiser to get new paneling in there and should help deflect the wind better than it is now

The overall setup is pretty simple. Thats the way i want to keep it. What you see as a fridge is actually just an old school ice box. I would like to replace that with 3 way fridge when i get the funds. The stove is just a two burner which is just fine for now, again with more funds id like to get a flush mount stove and sink with covers so when not in use would make a nice counter top. If i can get my hands on some good wood id love to make a butcher block counter top. There was just an add on craigslist for somthing like 32 square foot of oak flooring that id like to get for $20. but that will have to wait for now. at least till i get the rest of the camper in working order.

Im going to ditch the old fiberglass insulation and us the blue foam that i used in the moterhome to cover the windows. if i cut it to fit tight it should give me better R value than anything else. Plus i have it on had so the price is right.