The Shoot The Bull Thread

[Grandpa]

Welcome back to the west.

 

[Roybrew]

Always trying to simplify. Live cheaply so you don't have to work so much. I am in Mass now but am moving back to AZ.

I hear you. Every thing is so complicated and costly. I wonder if, us as a society, have created our own monster.

So, what Arizona if I can ask?

 

[Cappy]

No doubt about it driven by greed young folk think they need 60K cars and huge expensive houses and dont realize what they could do with all that money. just like folks who spend thousands on bbq pits or half a million on rv's I just dont understand it. i bought our lil house 30+ years ago and was comfortable and happy and still am. The neighborhood has recently added several big brick mansions and the young folks ride by shaking their heads at me in the yard of our lil cottage. What they dont realize is our place has been paid for longer than most of them have been alive.

 

[MacGyver]

I broke up with my last girlfriend over her wanting a bigger house. (Well... that and some other foolish crap.) She was in a 3 bedroom house, made of the now typical particleboard and staples, that was already falling apart at the advanced age of 6 or 7 years. Sagging floors, siding coming apart, plumbing problems, etc. She had to wait for the child support check to make the mortgage and she kept going on about wanting a bigger and newer house. I told her across the road are houses about the same size she was in that were built in the 40s, when they were made of actual wood and brick - and just about half the cost. OH NO - not good enough! Newer and bigger is better.

"Chasing money will never make you happy. I gotta go."

 

[Roybrew]

Yep get back to simple things.

Canoe seat #3. Maybe my big ole hind end won't break this oak frame. I liked the looks of the last one, but I think it was wrong type of ash wood. This one is red oak, not prime wood for outdoors stuff but the canoe doesn't sit outside in the weather when I'm not using it. I'm going to make 2 for my tandem canoe. If this one breaks then I'm going to trash the other frame, and find some hickory. I stood on the rails before cutting tenon joints, and then sat on it after joining and drilling, but before sanding and staining. I'm using plastic artificial cane because natural cane will sag when wet. It takes about 8 hours to weave each seat, but I can sit and take my time with it.

 

[Simplify]

I am moving back to Phoenix. Last summer the company I worked for moved to Mexico so I decided to go back to Mass. It turned out to be a very bad decision. Some of the friends I had previously were still here but their lives had changed significantly and things were just not the same. I learned my lesson. You cannot move away for several years and then come back and expect to just reconnect with people. I have been beck here for 7 months and it has felt as if I am in a deserted ghost town.

 

[Cappy]

Stay true to your handle live for your self and what makes ya happy friends will come and go and a very precious will few will stay with ya for who you are you will be able to number them on one hand no man is blessed with more.

 

[Cappy]

On a different note I went yesterday and got a new trolling motor. It's still in the box. The ond one made over 10 yearrs and has been repaired many times finally I gave up and wnet with a new one. Now to take the old one off scavenge it for parts and install the new one. A friend is coming by to visit tomorrow and I will inlist his aide I could do it my self but sooooo much easier when ya have some one to hand ya stuff stead of climbing in and outa da boat many times. He is cheap help I pay him with supper and beer

 

[Simplify]

So many good times and happy memories are created with fishing. There is nothing quite like a day on the water.

 

[Roybrew]

One more diagonal weave and this canoe seat will be finished. The cat was helping.

 

[Simplify]

That is excellent craftwork. It is so neat to use things that you made yourself.

 

[Roybrew]

Thanks simplify. Except for glueing in some small corner pieces, I'm done with the seat. It is deeper than the existing seats, so do I have to modify or make seat brackets. Maybe this week I'll get it in and make sure it's solid before finishing the other one. I thought about moving the seat positions some (forward or back) to allow more leg room, or would that be a mistake?

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[MacGyver]

I doubt it would make much difference but just in case, and depending on how far you want to move the seats, I would check to see how the new positions might affect paddling.

 

[Roybrew]

Yes good advice, thanks. The canoe is a Madriver 15'6". I always thought the front seat was to far forward and the back seat to far back. I'm going to mount this seat in the front, and set it back about 6 inches. If everything works out with this seat, I'll be finishing the other one.

I'm wanting to build a wood strip canoe. Maybe start it this fall.

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[dinosaur]

No doubt about it driven by greed young folk think they need 60K cars and huge expensive houses and dont realize what they could do with all that money. just like folks who spend thousands on bbq pits or half a million on rv's I just dont understand it. i bought our lil house 30+ years ago and was comfortable and happy and still am. The neighborhood has recently added several big brick mansions and the young folks ride by shaking their heads at me in the yard of our lil cottage. What they dont realize is our place has been paid for longer than most of them have been alive.

I liked this post and the one immediately following it written by MacGyver. There was a fellow named Orson Bean who said the best way to be rich was to spend less than you make. He also said that he thought each generation was humiliated by the one that immediately preceded it. I've always tried to learn from things like this and I'm the happiest guy I know.

 

[Cappy]

Finally got te trolling motor on we had company so it detained me. Hate to admit it with all you crafty folks but I hadda get the shop to put it on. I tried and tried but couldnot get my arm in the inside of the bow to get a wrench to the nuts on the bolts holding it down. cost me 300$ but I just couldn't do it I figure they have a 100 lb contortionist with double jointed arms working there cause this chubby ole cajun tried hard but couldn't do it.

 

[Roybrew]

I got lucky with my trolling motor. The nuts were epoxied to the deck underneath. The new minkota had same bolt pattern as the original trolling motor. So you ready to get out and catch some fish? It's been nice here this week. I had my carbs out of sync on the johnson, so I had to get the book and figure it out. Next boat I get will have a smaller and newer motor. I just keep waiting for that old 1978 Johnson to blow all 4 pistons and rods out the side of the motor when I throw the gas to it. It's never had the power head opened or anything major done to it. I gave 2 grand for the old boat and motor about 15 years ago. It coughs, spits, sputters and kicks, but it still runs. Going to pick up Dad in 4 hours, right after work this morning, and we're going for some crappie. Get out there Cappy, and we'll compare our catch.

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[Cappy]

Mine is minkota as well but when I tried to unbolt it the bolts kept turning and not come loose. I tried its on now and I am running the motor every evening for an hour or so I hadda clean out the tank and refil with good gas and sea foam. Was gonna put it in the water today but Peg came up sick. Gonna try again Monday. We just gonna go for boat rides at first checking out the yamaha, minkota, and new home made umbrella stand dont really plan to fish much but I aint ever put a fishing boat in the water with out a fly rod so we will see.

 

[Roybrew]

That sea foam is good stuff. I hope the wife gets feeling better soon. Dad and I went out this morning. He caught a couple of cats, which took several mnutes to get in with his 10 foot crappie rod. We bagged a few nice crappie and some blue gills, which are in the freezer. Dad had some problems getting from boat to truck. At 84 his knees are worn out from a lifetime of working on concrete floors, but we had a good morning.

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[Cappy]

I have a lil step ladder I have been throwing in the back of the suv. I put it by the trailer for Peg to climb in the boat. Throw it back in the suv and back her into the water. when picking up I run go get the suv back it to the water get in the boat she gets out pulls me out sets up the ladder for me to get out. My aluminum boat has high sides and is hard on ya groin getting in it on the trailer.