If not brothers, they at least have to be cousins.

Got the heat and AC finished up in the big garage. I ended up with a split-system, four heads, all remote controlled Carrier stuff. That should make for a real comfortable setting now.

If I have feelings, they might be hurt.

Feelings? What the hell are they? Like when I smash my hand and it feels hurt?

Been down here for a couple of weeks. Third trip this Winter. Beautiful weather, going home to a foot of snow. I am really comfortable down here. I got another 1000 feet of fence done, 3 gates, put down 10 6" posts in the ground with the hand post hole diggers. I'll tell you whut, those things are hard on a 62 year old guy. Did all of it by myself. My Brother that usally helps me was in Michigan for a little over a week, so it was me alone here. The garage is a grat place to be. I do need more lighting over my work bench, so that will be the project when I come back down. Kathy and Andrea came down 3 weeks ago and bought most of the furniture, so the place is looking good. I got a few of the blinds hung, not all though because they lied about the delivery date. Livin the dream, have shot more firearms down here than I have at home in years.

Sounds like you are having fun with a lot of work mixed in .

Sounds great Tony, I am envious about the target shooting. I can't recall the last time I did that. (Several months ago I'd guess)

Yep, was having a great time. It's so neat to just open the door and start shooting. I sure have missed that. Got home and had to plow a foot of snow. I hate snow.

Hey all, just got home from a month down there. We went down for a 10 day trip, but ended up spending the whole month. Crummy weather here in Michigan was a good reason to stay. Man, I didn't want to come back.
We built a second floor in the garage, above the office, bathroom, and my work station. It's 10x 40, so it's like having another room. Built a staircase for it too.
Had a great time, until about 2AM Sunday. Smacked a big deer on I-75 in Sydney Ohio with the new van. I'll be surprised if the insurance company doesn't total it. Made for a long night and last couple of hundred miles getting home. I had a friend come pick me, the wife, 2 dogs, a cat and a ton of cargo up and bring us home.

Glad you are aright. Sounds like the place coming right along.

Sorry to hear about the van/deer collision but glad you all were not hurt .

Thanks Ray. The place is pretty much done now. Only need to paint the exterior doors to the wifes color liking. I have the shop all set up for working. I have been looking for a good American made parts washer. Ouch. They want over a thousand bucks for the one at McMaster-Carr. It is the only all American one that I can find. May have to bite the bullet and get it.

Thanks John. I have to start the process of dealing with Auto-Owners today. I want any repairs, if they don't total it, done here at home, not in Ohio. From what I have been told by the agent so far, I have to pay to get the Van back here or go get it myself. I would have thought the insurance co would cover that. We shall see. The I-75 interstate is ALL torn up in Ohio. I can't believe they tear up over 30 miles at a time. It would seem like a 5 mile stretch at a time would be a hell of a lot better. Going through Cincinnati is an absolute nightmare. Northern Ohio is just about impossible to drive with all the trucks hogging the lanes. The truck drivers of today are not the same caliber they were some years back. They are so inconsiderate, I don't see how a bunch of them don't get shot out there.
When we were gone, I had the County Sherriff's Dept, the local Township PD, the local Parks Dept, and some of my neighbors keep an eye on my place. Had the alarms set and we have some cameras that we can watch on the phone and computer. I'm real gun-shy after the criminals broke in and stole my shit. Anyways, today I am making donut runs to a few places as a show of thanks. We were able to see the cops checking things out on the phone and computer. The flashlights would send an alert. Some of this techno-shit is pretty cool.
The battery was low in my 2012 Chevy pickup. Original one, so it looks like it needs replaced now. So far that's the only thing I've found after being gone a month. Not too bad.

Insurance companies only want to tow a vehicle to the closest qualified repair facility. Beyond that you get to pay. Can you get it on a car hauler trailer?

I absolutely hate driving through Ohio, especially Dayton and Cinci. It's a little farther but we take I-69 to Indianapolis then I-65 south. Less truck traffic than I-75 and I don't have to drive a motorhome towing a car through Cinci or Atlanta.

Hey, you have to disconnect the battery if you're going to leave it for that long. All the electronics in newer vehicles will drain the battery in a month. I tried using a 2 amp battery maintainer on our 2013 car. After awhile it would say defective battery because of all the drain. Had to disconnect the battery then hook up the battery maintainer and all was good.

Hey Hank, You are correct on the towing. I'm waiting to hear from the adjuster on the body shop where the van is now. They have been in business for 60 years, so that is a good sign. They also use only genuine GM parts. One thing that really concerns me is the 4 wheel drive set-up. The display showed something about it being broken. Also it overheated the engine getting if off the highway.

When you take 65 south, where do you get back on 75? I wiil try something different in the fall when we go back down.

I didn't think that a month on the battery would drain it. We don't disconnect battery on the new Camaro all winter and it starts right up. Same with Kathy's Cadillac SUV thing. It started right up yesterday. I was thinking that because the truck is 4 years old now, it is time for a new battery?

Those pesky deer! That's similar to how my old truck met it's demise.

Glad you are OK.

Is this the van you are still driving? I thought they told you not to drive that around town anymore.

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Glad you guys are ok and you are enjoying the new digs.

Tony, you can take I-65 to Nashville then I-74 to Chattanooga and pick up I-75 there. We stay on I-65 all the way to Montgomery, Al. Then US 231 through Dothan, Al. and down to I-10. When going all the way to south of Miami it adds around 100 miles to a 1400 mile trip. In the motorhome towing a car it just seems to be a nicer route and worth the 100 miles. In a car, well that's different. All I can say is try it once and see what you think.

You can also take I-77 from OH, through the mountains in West Virginia. Nice ride in a car but not a motorhome. It also puts you on the east side of Fl on I-95. Not so good if you're going to Ocala.

I'll look into that route Hank. I'm going to try and figure out a way around Atlanta too. Thanks.

I285 will take you round and round and round Atlanta ,dont think thats what you had in mind . No good way around Atlanta that I know of ,just try to pass through real late ,like 2 AM .Atlanta traffic sux and Im going there tomorrow and Thursday for Dr visits .

John, my brother travels to and through Atlanta a lot. He says the bypass is just as bad as 75, so I haven't tried that route. Good luck at the Docs.

If you stay on I-65 to Montgomery you won't go anywhere near Atlanta. You can continue on I-65 to I-10 in the panhandle or take US 231 south-east to I-10. US231 is a 2 and 4 lane highway through rural areas and a few smaller cities, towns. I like that portion of the trip. Different scenery and most of it has very little traffic, a very relaxing drive compared to the interstate. A little slower than the interstate but I can't go 80 in the motorhome anyway.

Nothing in the Atlanta area for roads is good especially with the road construction from I 575 on to I 75 and i285 is truck clogged all the time .Going thru Alabama is definitely your best bet around Atlanta .

Thanks guys. I'll give that route a try next time I go down there.

Well, I've been down here for a week. I drove I75 again, but changed my plan of attack. Left at 8 am and drove until just inside the Georgia border. Slept in the van until around 2 AM, then headed out. Hit Atlanta around 3:30,was hardly any traffic. Best trip through Atlanta ever. I don't like night driving, but it wasn't THAT bad. All I did was run over a dead deer, unlike my last trip where I smacked the one on I75 in Ohio at about 73 MPH.

I bought some more property that is connected to mine. Have a total of 33 acres here now. Weather has been great. Got everything brush-hogged down that needed it. Have a batch of cows coming this morning. Can't wait to see how the dogs are going to react to them.

Hope to spend the whole Winter down here.

You past within 5 miles of my house. I am near the I 275 75 interchange in ky.

Glad to know that you are enjoying the fruits of your labor Tony.

Enjoy your time there.

If I ever go back to Michigan, I'll honk and holler at ya when I go trough there!

Thanks guys. I REALLY am liking it down here. There are a million things that I want to get done, and I'm not in any hurry to get them done. From here on in, it's only about making the place better.

The guy brought two cows over yesterday morning. We stayed with them for a half hour or so, then went to his ranch about a half mile away. The damn cows jumped the fence and went back home!

We all know fences don't work, you need to put up a wall!

Glad you're enjoying the place. I'm stuck here cleaning up leaves. Been working on it for days and still not done.

I'm really glad my friends are happy while I'm back here in Michigan working and paying for all the entitlements that you all enjoy.

On the bright side we got our Jeep back from SEMA today that has the Hell Cat motor in it that we put all of our new Jeep product on and I got to drive it...all I can say is WOW what a ride. It's for sale for 100k if anyone is looking for a new ride.

Here is a pick. WWW.buywebasto.com. And some jeep products if anyone is looking.

Ric, tell me about that Jeep. I can't see the picture, there is a page full of ads.Can you show just a picture?

And keep up the good work. I need to buy more fence and gates.

Here are both Jeeps we took to SEMA, they both have Hemi's with the green one have a the Hell Cat Hemi. We bought them and had nothing but the best put on both of them for SEMA and our marketing campaign on out new Jeep aftermarket line. I can't remember if I told you but I retired from TRW and now work for a company called WEBASTO Thermo and comfort division where we supply heating cooling systems and electric sunroofs for the aftermarket and now into Jeep Aftermarket. It is based in here in Fenton. The ads you were seeing was our online Catalog and the people in the ads I work with. I'm thinking of buying a Jeep now so when I retire full time I have a fun vehicle for Arizonia.

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Jeeps look mean. Did you go to SEMA?

Not this year, I don't know the product line up yet. I went the last 2 years for TRW and it's a lot of work but a lot of fun. I will be there again next year for Webasto.

So we stopped at Tony's on the way down here. Spent a nice day with him and Kathy. They've got quite a spread. You've seen all the pics, well it looks that good and even better in person. Tony took us for a tour of the property on his quad. He's cleared trails all around the place. Very interesting, cypress swamp, higher ground, a little bit of everything. He's cleared a nice spot on the river bank. Nice place to just sit, maybe throw a line in the water. So anyway, it's quite impressive.

Tony, Kathy, thanks for the hospitality. It was good seeing you two.

Glad you were here Hank. I even got Hank to help dig some of the palmetto roots out of the ground. Now I'm on a mission to kill all this miserable poison ivy. That shit is everywhere. I couldn't see it when it was dormant, but man, it's like a horror movie now. Almost every tree along the river and almost every tree in the swamp has it. Looks like it's going to be a long fight.

Hey Hank, I hit a major goal yesterday. I have ALL the palmetto roots dug up from the bullet trap to the north fence. Every day I have spent at least two hours digging and cutting since you were here. The guy down the road has enough firewood to last him for a long time now. The roots will burn for a long time. We had some in the campfire that burned for two days. I've also got all the trees cut down for the additional fencing. I'm a little over 20 pounds lighter that I was when I got down here.

Tony, you're a mad man! Guys, let me tell you, Tony get's something going and there's no stopping him until it's done. Ric knows what I mean. He had a large area with palmetto roots every where. 7 am he's out there with a reciprocating saw and shovel cutting them and digging them up. I can't believe all the work he's done there. Clearing property, cutting trails through the woods, putting up fencing for the cows. BTW, had any more cows escape? Get the poison ivy under control? You need to sit down and enjoy what you have there Tony.