It’s Been too Long

I wish I could say I’ve been so busy I haven’t had time to post but I can’t. My last post on September 6th was too long ago.

So here I am sitting in a laundry in Deland Florida posting. I got back to Hontoon Island State Park just before Thanksgiving. And true to form I was greeted by a beautiful sunrise the third day back.

Prior to my return I was working on my boat at Acosta Creek Marina. I had pulled it from the water prior to heading up to Michigan for the summer. Now I was back and found the old tub to have survived Irma with just a little mildew in the pilot house. I had been away from May until November. This was the longest I had been separated from her.

So I put a new coat of bottom paint on, stripped and oiled about three quarters of the exterior teak and waxed and buffed out the hull. Acosta Creek is one of those great little family marinas Jane and Bob were great and 2 1/2 weeks I was back in the water.

Before I got to work on the boat is was visiting Berry and Denise in Ken-tuck-ee and prior to that visiting my sister Linda in Perrysburg Ohio.

After tearing down the Michigan outpost at Springhill  and my final unsuccessful attempt to do a rocket stove pizza oven I headed to Davison Michigan for time with Sam and his brother Walter. They were wrapping up the work on Sam’s “River Rat.”

Now comes a very interesting turning point. I somewhat tired of living in a tent for 4 months and going to Camp Walter to stay in the shop.

Could not help my self. I bought an $400 18 ft trailer to turn into an aluminum tent. I gutted it and this spring I will remodel it for one occupant.

Boy now I’m exhausted.

The laundry is almost finished and I need coffee.

Special shout out to Ron whose message on the blog prompted me to catch up. I looking forward to seeing him and his lovely bride in February.

This is Dr Brad standing by on 16.Stealling a quote from the Briny Bug.

” Go simple, go small, go now!”

Chill in the Air, Leaves on the Ground

Well folks it’s been a few days over 3 months since the summer campaign to invade Michigan began. I’m starting to get a little chilly in the tent the last few days. The high the last two days was 61 degrees an the lows have busted below forty degrees a couple of times. My camp site has been upgraded over the weeks from my last post.

It has become a true outpost. I built my rocket oven and this week the last test is to make a pizza. The oven is built from scraps and I’ve sustained 350 degrees twice. I’ll post pizza pics.

I have enjoyed the camp and the beauty of the undeveloped land – 700 acres.

Gotta love it!

I had to put a new radiator in the Exploder. Thank goodness for online video instruction. I’ll probably be on the road in the next ten days or so. See some friends, visit my sister and prepare to spend all the money I saved this summer on the boat.

This summer was one in which I never needed air conditioning.

Some days I would drive as much as 20 miles on the lawnmower.

I figured I made close to 500 pounds of potato salad.

I sliced more than 900 cucumbers.

I learned how to handle a front loader.

I learned that there is much hope for the young.

Great experience, three months in a Coleman tent, camping all the way.

I did occasionally yearn for the days in graduate school taking advanced statistics, so I made this little chart.

Camping ahh graduate school yea hold my campfire I got this.

Well I would have made this post shorter if I had the time.

Dr Brad standing by on 16 and noaa hurricane tracker.

I’m a Cut Up

Well I’m doing my roll here at Springhill Camps. First few weeks have been great. There  were some temporary unpleasant experiences like living in a tent thru driving rain and high winds. That was week one. More were on the way.  The first blast was like trying to sleep with one of those mist machines blowing around in your room. Water just misting it’s way thru the tent fabric. The solution was to put a heavy tarp under the rain fly and spray the living hell out of the rest of the tent with silicone. I also used every boat line trick to secure the tent so that every gust was not the beginning of a lord I promise to change prayer.

Finished product, water, wind tight and level.

So my job has been cutting things up. I’m making 40 pounds of chicken salad by hand,slicing up a bushel of cucumbers or a case of onions. The kitchen work is harder this year because they are short staffed. I do like it because the company is great.

When I’m not cutting veggies or poultry I am cutting firewood or a bilzillion acres of grass. I got some great tools for yard work however and there is nothing like a boy and his toys.

Bat wing mower 10 foot cut

John Deere tractor and four wheel steering Bobcat

Well so it goes. I will be heading down to see my sister this week and then back up to the gypsy camp.

So to all of you around the country and all the ships at sea this is Dr Brad standing by on 16.