Too much time on hands!

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Yesterday our local fire department did its 12 mile dice drift run on our local river. Food along the way and chances to win prizes. I had no luck but ate my share of food. For 10 bucks it was a great fundraiser and there was quite the turnout as covid made it a no go last year. 450 people shoved off over about an hour and no reported problems. Different families along the way were out watching or distributing beverages. One family had a air powered water canon and I got nailed when I came around the bend.

Here is a photo of the line at the ramp it was like that non stop and out of the 450 boats about 440 were rec-kayaks and there were 10 or less with canoes You can see my barge sitting waiting on wheels to the right of the photo. The friends we went with were working registration so we went with them as sweepers. IMG_1829.jpg
 
Came home yesterday from a week at Panama City Beach, we survived hurricane Ida. Up till Wed the were 5-8' waves. The beaches were closed till Thurs at noon. 20-30 mph winds, gusts to 50. Am in all, a great trip. 15043.jpeg0829210641.jpg
We did take our scooters and managed to put about 200 miles on them.
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Of course, Sat when we left the Gulf was perfect...
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A friend spent the week prior to Ida at Destin. She left on Saturday just missing it. Her pics confirmed what my boss at the AFETR told me, that the sand is so white it was used it to cut sugar during WWII rationing.
 
My favorite spot in the panhandle is Navarre, it's halfway between Ft Walton and Pensacola. Nice quiet small town. The bigger towns are just too congested for my taste.
 
Yesterday on French Creek and a 2-mile detour up Conneautee creek to see the beaver dam. We had a long discussion if we wanted to go around the dam it looked like some really nice paddling above. The water height change at the dam is about 18” and we wondered what the ride back would be like if that dam opened suddenly. We had 12 more miles till our takeout so we left above the dam for another day.



There was a huge Great Blue Heron sitting on the dam as we approached I was too late with the iPhone to get the perfect picture as it took off.

This was my nephews first time on the creek or in a small sit inside rec kayak. She let him borrow her OT kayak and he is now hooked talking about getting 2 boats for him and his wife. We traveled about 14-16 miles close as I can figure. When we took the car to the takeout point about 10 minute drive to do the car shuttle he said that’s it we will be done in half an hour. He got a new respect for how much a river can snake around. IMG_2161 - Copy.jpgIMG_2182.jpgIMG_2190.jpgIMG_2193 - Copy.jpgIMG_2608.jpgIMG_2611.jpg
 
Well a new way to waste time has found me. Her granddad Pap past away about 9 years ago and was an old dairy farmer when he mostly retired from farming her dad bought the farm and all the big equipment and Pap was left to dealing with the couple acres around the farm house and he bought a Cub LoBoy that’s bigger than a lawn mower and smaller than what her family calls a tractor. Her mom used it to mow around Granny, Pap’s wife place until she ran it low on coolant and it stopped. She took it to Charley to look at and he fixed it up and by that time she bought a smaller JD and really didn’t need it plus Granny told him don’t bring it back she is going to wreck it again. So Charley takes it to the steam engine grounds and uses it for 5 years to trim around the buildings. Then Granny passed away last year and Charley started asking around who wants it as it is not his and the steam engine guys didn’t want it around as it really didn’t belong to them. All her family who are real farmers said no thanks they didn’t have a need for it and We were about last on the list and have a huge quarter acre to mow and already have a JD 48” rider that is almost new and way overkill as it is. I’m planning on selling the 2500 pickup as all I have used it for in the last couple years was plowing the driveway and it needs some work I don’t feel like doing. I knew there was a snow blade and chains for the LoBoy and it sounded like more fun fixing the old tractor than an old pickup, plus it held some sentimental value for Holly as it was Pap’s last “tractor”/lawnmower.



So I got it home pulled the 60” mower deck and installed the plow, pressure washed the whole thing, bought a new battery, new rear lights, replaced a dozen missing bolts and bought a quart of Cub yellow. I likely will never put the deck on it again unless someone gives us a new house with lots of land to mow and I don’t see that happening soon.



So this will be my new winter toy for battling the northern winter snows and something to putter around with using up some of my free time.

When I get it touched up I will post a after picture.IMG_2625.jpgIMG_2626.jpg
 
If you don't want it, I'll take it. We could use another tractor at the deer lease. Does it have a PTO?
Yep it has a live PTO. I almost bought a LoBoy when I was a kid but it had the ground speed PTO and you had to be going balls to the walls to get it to mow. This setup is much better.



Looks beautiful down there. Our leaves are starting to turn and it’s archery season on white tails now. Hoping to get a little fishing in yet before it involves boring holes.

Say hi to SnoopDog for me when he comes up the beach and hands you a cold one.
 
Archery season started two weeks ago in Tennessee, haven't been yet. We did spend last Saturday bush hogging. Can't get too excited about sitting in the woods till the first frost hits. The bugs, snakes and spiders disappear then. We do have a fair amount of snakes, rattlers and cotton mouths. There's been sightings of a black bear not far from our lease. The guys next to us have a big cat on a trail cam. We've seen some big paw prints. I'm half expecting sometime soon well encounter something special.
 
Yesterday on French Creek and a 2-mile detour up Conneautee creek to see the beaver dam.
Went canoeing on Huron River north of Ann Arbor a few years ago with my high school buddy. It was fun when river was 50 - 100 feet wide and we seemed to be moving right along... portaging over log jams and around dams... ducks and geese following us... but when the river widened into a lake we didn't seem to be moving at all... just a lot of rowing...
 
...or cocaine?
 
I got the old LoBoy cleaned up have the deck off now and the plow installed with a fresh coat of Cub yellow on it and added a snow deflector to the blade making it about 6” taller. Still working on cleaning the carport so it will fit. I put new two way marker tail lights on the back from tractor supply and bought two new LED replacement headlights for the old sealed beams from the 70s. They were the 3.5” round ones. Amazon had them to me in 2 days. Wow are they nice. Half the power and I’m guessing 4 times the light. They have 16 clusters of LED in them. I would recommend them from what I know so far. IMG_2629.jpgIMG_2630.jpg
 
So long old friend.



For the last 3-4 years I have kept the old GMC 2500 around just for plowing snow. I took it off the road as feeding it was crazy expensive and now it would be even worse. With the Cub for plowing and the truck needing work it was long past time to let the old girl go.



I paid $25k for her in 2000 and now have 250,000 miles on her. That comes out to 10 cents a mile for ownership. If I don’t add in the million dollars I spent on gas, tires, repairs and insurance to mention a few. But I’m saying she doesn’t owe me anything and she needs a oil line fixed, new power steering pump, fuel line, floor replaced, emergency brake cable, wipers, plow mold board, I could go on. I put an add on CL with make an offer as is. The neighbor kid offered me $1000 and I didn’t really want to sell it to someone I know and hear him complain forever. A guy from NY state offered me 700 to the ad and I told him I had a offer of 1000 and he came back with $1050 told him come and get it or look at it and it was his for that price. He brought a mechanic with him and I started it up and they crawled around under it taking pics and texting them to someone. About an hour later he comes over with a stack of Franklins and said I’ll take it and he will be back later in the week to do the title papers and will bring his flat bed.



Makes me feel good someone will put her back to work.

Getting that out of my driveway will be amazing. IMG_2151.jpg
 
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