Tractor Portability

[gerard]

Having no kids of my own maybe I should stay quiet on this subject but having been one (a kid), raised in NYC and now moved to the country, I have seen both negatives and positives to both. I think I grew up too quick in the city (was taking the subway and bus to 9th grade in Brooklyn while I lived in Queens) I now live in the country and wonder what it would have been like to grow up in a small town where everyone knew everyones else for the last 20 years. I think it would have been nice. You don't get the sense of community in the city that you do in the country. Easy decision for us 'cause kids aren't in the picture at the moment. If that changed I'd be in the same pickle you are Harv but I THINK I'd opt for the country. (Not much use for my 'bota back on the subways!!

 

[scruffy]

JimMoore, Harv,
Sorry bout that guys! I was just extolling the virtues of computer versus lemonade squeezing WEB-TV keyboards to Chip, and the method to post a picture once you had the pic stored to your storage medium.
Needed a quick handy pic, and that is the one I found first.
Still a cute pic anyway!

 

[RobertN]

Harv,
The company my wife and I work for will instal a DSL for people who log into work, given justification. My wife has justification, but we have no carriers here /w3tcompact/icons/frown.gif We are so close to town, and yet so far away.

If you do cut a landing pad, remember to do something for dust. In the Fire business, it is not unusual to pull a hoseline and sprinkler a LZ to keep the dust down, both for the pilot and those around the LZ.

RobertN in Shingle Springs Calif

 

[Harv]

RobertN -

I think it's just a matter of time before high-speed connectivity comes to our little foothill communities. It might just be that we wind up using some sort of satellite communication. Hope it happens soon.

As for helicopters landing on my property, I probably wouldn't have thought about the dust issue until the first time it happened. /w3tcompact/icons/tongue.gif A sprinkler setup is a great idea.

So far I'm not even sure a proper landing site can be established. One of my chopper pilot buddies said that a simple rule of thumb is to stand at the center of the proposed target area and carefully look in all directions. While looking up at an angle of 10 degrees, you should be able to see clear sky all the way around.

With the amount of trees and hills around here I don't think I can meet that criterion anywhere on my 42 acres. Plan B is to drive him out from the neareset airport (probably Amador) and let him scout the property himself. Apparently there are exceptions to the rule-of-thumb test, but it comes down to the pilot's experience and judgement.

So far this project is just a "fun notion". /w3tcompact/icons/crazy.gif

Hey! If we ever get that far, it would be fun to see just how far away you are "as the crow flys". Do you have a place to land a 'copter?

 

[Bird]

<font color=blue>Re: it's just a matter of time before high-speed connectivity comes to our little . . . communities.</font color=blue>

Here, too, Harv. We have a new phone company that bought out a bunch of GTE's rural exchanges, and they sent out letters about all the great things they intend to do. And I'm sure they will, too, but not likely to happen in my lifetime.

I don't have a helicopter "pad" at my place, but there'd sure be no trouble landing right in the middle of my pasture./w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

Bird

 

[ERNIEB]

How about a hot air balloon instead? When I first moved out here, on my leisure days I got in the habit of spending the mornings sitting around drinking coffee in my boxer shorts. We're so isolated out here that if I needed to run outdoors for some reason, I just slipped on a pair of flip-flops and out I'd go. One morning I went out to get something out of the truck, and I hear this strange noise, that seemed to be coming from above. I look up and sure enough it's a balloon just a little above tree top level. /w3tcompact/icons/shocked.gif To make matters worse that morning I had on the pair with smiley faces/w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif. I was looking up at the people in the baloon and they were looking down at me/w3tcompact/icons/blush.gif. They may have cracked up later, but at the time they were absolutely straight faced. I just nonchalantly strolled back into the house, like it was an everyday thing. Later I found out that some outfit gives balloon rides out in our area. Oh well, at least I didn't have on the pair with the big red hearts.
ErnieB

 

[Harv]

ErnieB -

Be thankful it was a balloon. If it had been a helicopter, the prop wash might have reduced your team of smiley faces to a single vertical smile. /w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif

 

[ERNIEB]

So true. But thanks to a little vacation Uncle Sugar sent me on back in 70, I've got a keen ear for the sound of a helicopter from a good distance. It be hard for one to sneak up on me.
ErnieB

 

[Harv]

ErnieB -

If you're talking about the vacation I think you are, I will not only not sneak up on you with a helicopter, but I think I owe you a debt of thanks. /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

 

[gordon]

Ditto on the debt of thanks to not only Ernie but to all that have served and that is an understatement!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Gordon

 

[jgh]

11/13

I have to go to bed (it's late in the east), but Harv, where did you get tha new thingamajig, the crying face?! You been holding out on us, Buddy?

/w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

Jim

 

[Harv]

Jim -

If you have your own space on a server somewhere you can reference your own doodles as I occassionally do.

It's best to just use the nice set of faces that Muhammad provides, but sometimes I just can't help myself.

 

[glennmac]

I've been trying to catch up and just noticed that this thread deserves the award for the most substantial twists and turns. Didn't it start with a picture of Grumpy, who is no longer with us.

No time for my genetic longwindedness, so here are some quick reactions:

Scruffy, do not move to Illinois from the west coast unless absolutely necessary for your financial and family well being. The west coast is god's country. Good move to sell Grumpy for a very fair price under your present circumstances.

Country over city, on all counts. That is, if we talking about city-urban. City-suburban is somewhat better for life and family than the truly urban, but is still inferior to country. (By country, I assume we are not talking about something really remote, like the north slope of Alaska.)

I was born and raised in NYC. Have moved my principal residence 20 times in my life all over the country (some listed in my profile). Most of the time I lived in suburbs.
Went to two universities in NYC, one in Boston area, and one in Tallahassee. Spent summers in country and live in "accessible country" now. (Nothing in Connecticut is too far from urban amenities.)

There is NO reason that would motivate me to live or raise a family in a large city. To me, it is all negative. A nice suburb is far superior. Country life within reasonable striking distance of a medium city is the best on all counts. The reasons have been given by others. I will emphasize the real sense of community in small areas.

I have often regretted leaving Tallahassee. Had I stayed there instead of going to Harvard and then on to a country-hopping corporate life, I am absolutely positive I would have been far wealthier, own far more land, have fewer debts, and -- more importantly -- have far more real life friends, colleagues and community involvements.

One of the truest things that was ever said to me is that: It is better to be a big fish in a small pond than a small fish in a big pond. And the "betterness" is in many dimensions. In a large city, unless you are a celebrity, you have no sense of being in a pond or of even being a fish.

Children under 8 take moves fairly easy. 12 to 18 years of age, it becomes more traumatic to them but is still doable.

Summary: better to be raised and live in the country, leaving the big city for visits, trips and college schooling experiences.

Sorry, I guess my DNA prevailed after all.

 

[scruffy]

GlennMac,
We've pretty much crossed off moving east. It's just not what we want. Spent 5 years traveling (mostly midwest, but 1.5 years in Georgia), and all the family is here on the west coast, to include 7 grand-daughters.
Grumpy was originally purchased as a hobby type investment, knowing that I could easily recover my costs when, and if, I wanted to sell. Well, it just seemed the prudent thing to do, even though I really didn't want to. Another, will make its appearance when the timing is right, as I enjoy the outdoors, tractor work, and above all, puddling around.

I am constantly searching the job market, and consistantly being driven nuts by the telephone. So far, nothing has struck the right bells and whistles, and I am being picky.
It has to be right for us, as well as the prospective employer. I've had some lucrative offers, and the firms where quite good, but the locations left things to be desired.
We have a nice location at the moment, close to city, but out in the country, and in the L.A. / Orange county area, that takes some doing!
Time, and the 'Feller Upstairs' will provide the answer to 'what and where' down the road.