NorthGeorgiaWX

These are some before pictures of the front "yard". First, a few things about living here in Big Canoe.
You can't have a regular yard here, meaning, you can't have a grass front yard. I love it, no grass to cut for me! The POA (our HOA) has to approve all the projects like this, and we had to get a variance for the Right of Way for the top wall.  The POA was very helpful, and gracious for allowing us to redesign the front in a manner that helps them and us. For them, it keeps their road from washing away, and for us, it keeps our bank from washing away.  In this post, I'll try to explain why we decided to change the area in front of the house. 
The pictures probably make the drive look wider and shallower than it is, so they are a little deceiving. The drive is a semi-circle, and this is the entrance that we normally come in from. The only problem here is the stairs and handrail that was about to fall down. One thing you can't tell in these pictures, is how high the road is compared to the bottom of driveway. This entrance is not as shallow as the camera makes it look, and this is the shallow side of the drive. The bigger problems happen as we move toward the right in the picture.

 
First, the weather station was only sitting there temporarily! One of the primary reasons for doing the renovation was to get more parking/turn around space. The problem here is the space from that garage door, to the wall. It's sometimes an issue backing out of the garage, especially if we park the SUV against the wall, and pulling back in requires getting right up against the wall, and making a wide swing toward the door. It's very tight and the wife doesn't want to do it, so her car parks on the other side of the garage. Also, if multiple cars pull in, the lead car has to leave first so others can get out, so the extra parking space will be nice. That existing boulder wall (that has already been torn down) will be replaced by the lower of the two new retaining walls, and it will be pulled back in 3-4 feet. 

 
 
This picture gives you a better idea of the slope of the bank. Also notice that the road slopes up about 4-5 feet from this end of the drive where I'm taking the picture from, to the other end of the drive. The other reason for the walls, is to keep the road from washing down into our yard, and to keep the bank from eroding. Many of the plants that were originally planted, haven't survived, so what was left were a bunch of scraggly plants. The area between the road and the top wall will be landscaped, and the 8 feet between the top wall and lower wall will be landscaped, and that is where the water feature is going. You see this better as things start to take shape. 

 
In this image, you can start to see the slope at the other end of the drive. Unfortunately, the drive slopes can't be changed, but we're use to it. There are a few people that come to visit that get a little freaked out with this steep part, because it is about a 30% slope. 🙂 The upper retaining wall will be 8 feet from the white line at the edge of the road, and those shrubs have already been removed. That's in the next post. 

 
The plants in front of the house will be removed and replaced by new ones, so that area will look very different as well. 

 
In the next post I'll show what they accomplished in the first two days of work. Prior to the destruction of the bank, we had four trees taken down, and will probably have to take one more.  We will be replacing those with trees that are friendlier to retaining walls, and I think those might be some Japanese Maples. I would show the plan, but we've had to change it and I don't have the updated copy yet. 
 

These are some before pictures of the front "yard". First, a few things about living here in Big Canoe.
You can't have a regular yard here, meaning, you can't have a grass front yard. I love it, no grass to cut for me! The POA (our HOA) has to approve all the projects like this, and we had to get a variance for the Right of Way for the top wall.  The POA was very helpful, and gracious for allowing us to redesign the front in a manner that helps them and us. For them, it keeps their road from washing away, and for us, it keeps our bank from washing away.  In this post, I'll try to explain why we decided to change the area in front of the house. 
The pictures probably make the drive look wider and shallower than it is, so they are a little deceiving. The drive is a semi-circle, and this is the entrance that we normally come in from. The only problem here is the stairs and handrail that was about to fall down. One thing you can't tell in these pictures, is how high the road is compared to the bottom of driveway. This entrance is not as shallow as the camera makes it look, and this is the shallow side of the drive. The bigger problems happen as we move toward the right in the picture.

 
First, the weather station was only sitting there temporarily! One of the primary reasons for doing the renovation was to get more parking/turn around space. The problem here is the space from that garage door, to the wall. It's sometimes an issue backing out of the garage, especially if we park the SUV against the wall, and pulling back in requires getting right up against the wall, and making a wide swing toward the door. It's very tight and the wife doesn't want to do it, so her car parks on the other side of the garage. Also, if multiple cars pull in, the lead car has to leave first so others can get out, so the extra parking space will be nice. That existing boulder wall (that has already been torn down) will be replaced by the lower of the two new retaining walls, and it will be pulled back in 3-4 feet. 

 
 
This picture gives you a better idea of the slope of the bank. Also notice that the road slopes up about 4-5 feet from this end of the drive where I'm taking the picture from, to the other end of the drive. The other reason for the walls, is to keep the road from washing down into our yard, and to keep the bank from eroding. Many of the plants that were originally planted, haven't survived, so what was left were a bunch of scraggly plants. The area between the road and the top wall will be landscaped, and the 8 feet between the top wall and lower wall will be landscaped, and that is where the water feature is going. You see this better as things start to take shape. 

 
In this image, you can start to see the slope at the other end of the drive. Unfortunately, the drive slopes can't be changed, but we're use to it. There are a few people that come to visit that get a little freaked out with this steep part, because it is about a 30% slope. 🙂 The upper retaining wall will be 8 feet from the white line at the edge of the road, and those shrubs have already been removed. That's in the next post. 

 
The plants in front of the house will be removed and replaced by new ones, so that area will look very different as well. 

 
In the next post I'll show what they accomplished in the first two days of work. Prior to the destruction of the bank, we had four trees taken down, and will probably have to take one more.  We will be replacing those with trees that are friendlier to retaining walls, and I think those might be some Japanese Maples. I would show the plan, but we've had to change it and I don't have the updated copy yet. 
 

We just got back from the looper gathering at Wheeler State Park over in Alabama, and what an amazing event. So much information, so many beautiful boats (all types), and some of the nicest people that you could ever meet. Many people that were there are in the planning stages, but others are in progress, and others are Gold and Platinum loopers (gold is twice, platinum is more than twice). There were numerous seminars about all aspects of doing the loop, from wind and weather, anchoring, buying a boat, navigation, and many others. There were also sections where experienced loopers shared detailed information about different sections of the loop. I attended two of those, the first was from just north of Clearwater Florida to Miami, and the other was about going to the Bahamas. Really, really good information. People also shared the tools they use for navigation and how to share the location so others can track the path of the boat. There were vendors as well as boat brokers, boating insurance, and other boat related services. There are were also captains that will train you and help bring you boat back to your home port, which is a service we will absolutely use. 
But probably the best part of the vent, was the Loop Crawls. Every afternoon around 4, we got to go down to the docks and explore all the different boats, inside and out. There aren't many places where you can actually get on 40 boats, and not just any boat, but boats that are actually doing the loop right now. One boat just started the loop 2 days ago. 🙂 Here are a few of the other boats. I should have taken a picture of each boat.






 

 
We think we found a boat that would be suitable for extended traveling for us. Because there are so many types of boats doing the loop, there is no "perfect" boat. Whatever your personal requirements are determine what boat you choose. Obviously, the wife's likes and wants will play a big part in what boat we get, and it needs to be spacious on the inside, not only for us, but for any guest that would like to travel with us, and it should have the basic creature comforts that you might have at home. 
What we found was this boat, and it's a 2007 Cruiser 455 Express Motor Yacht. This boat is not for sale (we we tried to steal it from them), but it is currently 2500 miles into the loop. The owners, Peter and Kim Squier were very gracious in allowing us to climb all over their boat and explain all of the features to us. 


 
The specs for this boat are:
Length: 45'6" Draft: 3'3" Beam: 15'4" Fuel Capacity: 500 gals. Water Capacity: 140 gals. Waste Capacity: 100 gals. From Powerboat
 
Here's a look at a Cruiser 455
 
I took some pictures, but I discovered after the fact that some of them were blurry, but here are some the show what the video didn't.
It does have a combo washer/dryer. 

 
This is the forward stateroom, and it's very roomy.

Forward head. It has a standup shower. 

 
Two smaller berths next to the washer/dryer.

 
Eating area.

 
Headed down to the Master bedroom.

 
Master

 
Master shower

 

 
Yes... it has a tub. 🙂 

 
Queen bed

 
Cockpit area behind  the upper cockpit.

 
Looking down inside the cabin.

 
The boat has bow and stern thrusters, and they can be controlled with a handheld remote control. The throttle and steering can also be controlled with a handheld remote. 

 
This is looking from the slightly lower rear cockpit, toward the front. This top area has heat and air conditioning. At the bottom of the picture is a refrigerator/freezer. On top of the hardtop are three solar panels that provide 1400 watts of solar power for charging batteries. It also has AIS, radar, sonar, GPS, and a full set of Navionics equipment.

 
I now have Custis Stokes and Associates to help me find one that will suit our needs, so we'll see what they can come up with! If this boats were for sell, I would certainly buy it. 
This was on a different boat, but a really nice dinghy.

Finally, the paint is done! They will come back after the first of the year to touch up any areas I might find, but otherwise it's done. I'm extremely happy with the way it turned out. 
I'm still waiting on the vanity and sink to arrive and the blinds (they will be black) for the windows have been ordered and should arrive the second week of January. I have found a new toolbox to replace the old red one I have. I needed a small workspace in addition to the storage for tools, and this box fits the bill. I think I'll stain the wood on the top to something darker but otherwise, this will work perfect

 
I still have more to put on the walls, but I need to think that out before I make a bunch of holes. 
 








 
Next post:
 

Ever since we were down in the Keys, I've had this desire to get back on the water. My fun on the water started when I was 7 years old and continued through high school. My dad had been a fighter pilot in the Air Force and weather was an important thing to know when flying. So when he put me in charge of keeping track of the weather, I handled that job until I left for college. We went through three boats before I went off to college and missed the rest of the fun, but during the time I was there, we traveled up and down the Cumberland River to Lake Barkley and Kentucky Lake, and brought his third boat down from Holland Michigan, where it was made (Chris Craft), all the way back to Nashville. My love for the water was solidly entrenched in me and despite all of these years being on dry land, it's something that doesn't ever really go away.
Boat #1 - No Name - 17 foot Chris Craft
I was probably in the 3nd or 4th grade when this picture was taken. I lived in Paris Tennessee when I was in the 2nd through 4th grade and my dad kept this boat at the Paris Landing Marina on Kentucky Lake. I don't remember a lot about this boat except for the time me and my dad took it out to drain some water out that had accumulated after some rain. To do that you had to get up on plane and then open a plug that was located near the lower rear of the boat. Easy enough. Except that the lake was REALLY rough (the lake is almost two miles across at that point) and I was driving while my dad pulled the plug. I was pretty young to be doing that and I remember that it scared the crap out of me. 🙂 But I did get to spend 2-3 years on Kentucky Lake as a kid, and that was the start to my boating fun.

 
Boat #2 - BobaRue - 32 foot Burns Craft
We moved back to Nashville and we had the first boat there for a short time before my dad bought this boat. It was a 32 foot Burns Craft houseboat and he spec'd out everything on the boat. I remember going to the factory and looking at all the boats they were building, and listening to my parents go over all the options etc. It was a boat that I spent a lot of years on. We kept this boat at Old Hickory Marina and ran it up and down the Cumberland River to Lake Barkley and Kentucky Lake. To do that you end up going through several locks, and being a kid, I loved the adventure! 
The boat was pretty nice. It used twin Mercruiser 302 cubic inch gas engines that made 215 hp each, and the boat would get up and go! It was great traveling around in all kinds of weather, and we even took it out when it was snowing! Awesome experience! My sister and I slept in the forward cabin, and that cabin had the little window that you see on the side of the hull. 



 
Boat #3 - Moonraker - 41 Foot Chris Craft
This was a step up from the house boat and was a much more capable boat in rougher water. My dad bought this boat brand new (he had it built) from Chris Craft in Holland Michigan. My dad, the owner of the marina that we were going to keep it at, and myself, flew from Nashville to Michigan to pick it up and sail it back to the home marina. The plan was to bring the boat down lake Michigan to Chicago, and then through the locks to the Chicago Sanitary Ship Canal where we passed directly through downtown Chicago, At some point past Chicago it becomes the Illinois River, so you continue south to the Mississippi River. Head downstream until you get to the Ohio River and hang a left to head toward Paducah Kentucky. At that point you have two choices to get back to Nashville, get on the Tennessee River and go through the locks at Kentucky Dam, or continue a few miles further and get on the Cumberland River and go through the locks at Barkley Dam. Either way will get you back to Nashville since Kentucky Lake and Barkley Lake are connected by a narrow canal. Kentucky Lake is fed by the Tennessee River and Barkley Lake is fed by the Cumberland River.  Once you're on the Cumberland River you pass through the locks at Cheatham Dam before arriving in Nashville. We continued past the downtown area toward Old Hickory Lake where the boat would be docked. The last lock is at Old Hickory Dam where you make a 60 foot rise to get to the lake. 

 
The trip was fairly uneventful except for the first 3 days. Lake Michigan is always full of surprises and on this trip that was no exception. We headed south toward Chicago from Holland which is on the east side of the lake. After traveling about an hour or so under pretty nice conditions, the weather took a turn for the worse and the waves got larger and larger. They ended up being so large, that when you were in the trough of the wave, you couldn't see over the top of the next wave. Look at the picture above and you can see how high I am off the water and you start to get an idea of what we were facing. The other issue with waves on Lake Michigan is that the wave period is very short meaning not a lot of distance from crest to crest. Combine the short wave period with the wave height, and we ended up getting the props out of the water when we crested the wave peaks. We finally got close enough to find a place to take shelter, and it ended up being the docks for the ore carriers. They allowed us to stay until the lake calmed down, but that took three days. In the meantime, they were not letting any of the ore carriers leave either. 

 
Once we passed through most of the Chicago area, we stopped to spent the night at a small dock on the Illinois River. At some point someone from the other side of the river started taking pot shots at us using a pellet gun. Chicago is NOT my favorite place and I don't care if I ever see it again. But I will have to do it one more time.... and I will talk about that soon.
 


 
Boat #4 - Eastwind - 53 Foot Chris Craft 
I don't know much about this boat as I was off in college and working. I don't think my dad had this one for long, and I don't have many pictures. I believe this was taken before they bought it.

 
Boat #4 - Silver Cloud - 65 Foot Hatteras 
I never got to spend much time on this boat either. I was living about 8-9 hours away (they lived in Venice Florida) and was working, so I couldn't come down as often as I would have liked. My parents took this boat on part of the "Great Loop", leaving from Venice Florida and travelled all the way to Maryland and Chesapeake Bay. Unfortunately, I wasn't on that trip but sure would have loved to have been there. All of these boats don't mean a lot to most people, and you probably wonder why I have shared this with you.

 
When we were down in Key West and we took that sunset cruise, I walked up to the bow of the boat and stood for a while. The sound of the water, the warm wind, and the feeling of freedom flowed all over me and brought back all of the of memories of being on boats. There is just something magical about it that I can't even describe. 
A few months ago I discovered a site that was discussing a boat trip called the "Great Loop",  so I started reading about what that was all about. 
"Loopers cruise the 6,000-mile Great Loop route aboard their own boats completing a circumnavigation of the eastern U.S. and part of Canada via mostly protected inland waterways. The Great Loop route follows the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway, the Chesapeake Bay, and the New York Canals northwards, goes across the Great Lakes, south on the Inland Rivers, and then east Gulf Coast to complete the Loop."
Here's a basic map of the loop. There are alternate routes in some areas, and lots of places to enjoy side trips along the way. 

 
The loop has been done in as little as 6 weeks and as long as 12 years, but generally it takes people a year or so to complete the entire route. There is no timeframe for completion. However, there are certain times of the year when you need to be on specific sections of the loop. During the winter, you need to be down south as most of the marinas and facilities are closed on the northern part of the loop. So you do the northern part during the summer and the southern part during the winter. People generally do the loop counterclockwise as that direction keeps you from having to sail upstream against the strongest currents, so you're doing the downhill portion from Chicago to the Gulf in the spring and up the east coast in the fall. Maybe... Weather, side trips, trips back to the house for a little break, all dictate the timing of where you will be at any specific time. 

Some people take extended side trips off of the main route. For example if you are in Florida during the winter, you might as well head over to the Bahamas to spend a little time there, or around the Tennessee area, I would explore the Cumberland and Tennessee Rivers as far as they go. Once you get up to New York, some people head up to the seaport towns of New England. It's all about what you want out of the trip.
So.... Amy and I have decided to start looking for a boat so we can participate in this big adventure! There are some size restrictions for boats that want to make the loop, and it all comes down to the draft of the boat, both water draft and air draft. A lot of the time you'll be traveling on the intercoastal waterway as well as some shallow offshore areas and canals. A boat for the loop needs to have 5 feet or less of draft in order to keep from hitting the bottom and/or tearing up props. The out of water height (air draft) is just as important, as there are some fixed bridges that are pretty low, so you generally want a boat that is less than 17 feet high out of water, although there are alternate routes that allow you to go a little higher. Many boats have mast and antennas that fold down for those situations, but it's critical to know the exact height of the boat for this trip. The boat will probably be int he 40-50 foot range.
Otherwise, get whatever boat you'll feel comfortable in for an extended amount of time. The boat doesn't have to be fast since in most areas you can't go fast anyway.  It needs to have at least 250 mile range since there is a stretch or two with no place to stop for fuel, and with diesel engines that is not a problem. Diesel engines are a must as well as the latest electronics (navigation, radar, radios, beacons, auto pilot). A good solid dinghy is a must as well as bow and stern thrusters, the capability of enclosing the fly bridge and aft deck, walk around beds in the main cabin, cat walks down the side of the boat, as well as other miscellaneous things that I'm sure I'll have to add. I would love to have a Great Harbor 37 or 47, so I may start my search with that in mind. Can't wait to get started!
I now belong to the Great Loop Association, and they have a ton of resources for making this journey. This site will answer any questions you might have about the loop.
AGLCA | Homepage
WWW.GREATLOOP.ORG  
Here is an article from some loopers about traveling through the "Dismal Swamp" that I thought was pretty cool.
Great Dismal Swamp – For Many Moons
MINDFULMARY.ORG We're here! I've been looking forward to this for a long time, having heard about it for decades. We had to time it right to arrive at the southern lock at opening time, since the two locks that book-end the canal open on a schedule. We traveled in a parade of three boats...a Nordic Tug…

Ever since we were down in the Keys, I've had this desire to get back on the water. My fun on the water started when I was 7 years old and continued through high school. My dad had been a fighter pilot in the Air Force and weather was an important thing to know when flying. So when he put me in charge of keeping track of the weather, I handled that job until I left for college. We went through three boats before I went off to college and missed the rest of the fun, but during the time I was there, we traveled up and down the Cumberland River to Lake Barkley and Kentucky Lake, and brought his third boat down from Holland Michigan, where it was made (Chris Craft), all the way back to Nashville. My love for the water was solidly entrenched in me and despite all of these years being on dry land, it's something that doesn't ever really go away.
Boat #1 - No Name - 17 foot Chris Craft
I was probably in the 3nd or 4th grade when this picture was taken. I lived in Paris Tennessee when I was in the 2nd through 4th grade and my dad kept this boat at the Paris Landing Marina on Kentucky Lake. I don't remember a lot about this boat except for the time me and my dad took it out to drain some water out that had accumulated after some rain. To do that you had to get up on plane and then open a plug that was located near the lower rear of the boat. Easy enough. Except that the lake was REALLY rough (the lake is almost two miles across at that point) and I was driving while my dad pulled the plug. I was pretty young to be doing that and I remember that it scared the crap out of me. 🙂 But I did get to spend 2-3 years on Kentucky Lake as a kid, and that was the start to my boating fun.

 
Boat #2 - BobaRue - 32 foot Burns Craft
We moved back to Nashville and we had the first boat there for a short time before my dad bought this boat. It was a 32 foot Burns Craft houseboat and he spec'd out everything on the boat. I remember going to the factory and looking at all the boats they were building, and listening to my parents go over all the options etc. It was a boat that I spent a lot of years on. We kept this boat at Old Hickory Marina and ran it up and down the Cumberland River to Lake Barkley and Kentucky Lake. To do that you end up going through several locks, and being a kid, I loved the adventure! 
The boat was pretty nice. It used twin Mercruiser 302 cubic inch gas engines that made 215 hp each, and the boat would get up and go! It was great traveling around in all kinds of weather, and we even took it out when it was snowing! Awesome experience! My sister and I slept in the forward cabin, and that cabin had the little window that you see on the side of the hull. 



 
Boat #3 - Moonraker - 41 Foot Chris Craft
This was a step up from the house boat and was a much more capable boat in rougher water. My dad bought this boat brand new (he had it built) from Chris Craft in Holland Michigan. My dad, the owner of the marina that we were going to keep it at, and myself, flew from Nashville to Michigan to pick it up and sail it back to the home marina. The plan was to bring the boat down lake Michigan to Chicago, and then through the locks to the Chicago Sanitary Ship Canal where we passed directly through downtown Chicago, At some point past Chicago it becomes the Illinois River, so you continue south to the Mississippi River. Head downstream until you get to the Ohio River and hang a left to head toward Paducah Kentucky. At that point you have two choices to get back to Nashville, get on the Tennessee River and go through the locks at Kentucky Dam, or continue a few miles further and get on the Cumberland River and go through the locks at Barkley Dam. Either way will get you back to Nashville since Kentucky Lake and Barkley Lake are connected by a narrow canal. Kentucky Lake is fed by the Tennessee River and Barkley Lake is fed by the Cumberland River.  Once you're on the Cumberland River you pass through the locks at Cheatham Dam before arriving in Nashville. We continued past the downtown area toward Old Hickory Lake where the boat would be docked. The last lock is at Old Hickory Dam where you make a 60 foot rise to get to the lake. 

 
The trip was fairly uneventful except for the first 3 days. Lake Michigan is always full of surprises and on this trip that was no exception. We headed south toward Chicago from Holland which is on the east side of the lake. After traveling about an hour or so under pretty nice conditions, the weather took a turn for the worse and the waves got larger and larger. They ended up being so large, that when you were in the trough of the wave, you couldn't see over the top of the next wave. Look at the picture above and you can see how high I am off the water and you start to get an idea of what we were facing. The other issue with waves on Lake Michigan is that the wave period is very short meaning not a lot of distance from crest to crest. Combine the short wave period with the wave height, and we ended up getting the props out of the water when we crested the wave peaks. We finally got close enough to find a place to take shelter, and it ended up being the docks for the ore carriers. They allowed us to stay until the lake calmed down, but that took three days. In the meantime, they were not letting any of the ore carriers leave either. 

 
Once we passed through most of the Chicago area, we stopped to spent the night at a small dock on the Illinois River. At some point someone from the other side of the river started taking pot shots at us using a pellet gun. Chicago is NOT my favorite place and I don't care if I ever see it again. But I will have to do it one more time.... and I will talk about that soon.
 


 
Boat #4 - Eastwind - 53 Foot Chris Craft 
I don't know much about this boat as I was off in college and working. I don't think my dad had this one for long, and I don't have many pictures. I believe this was taken before they bought it.

 
Boat #4 - Silver Cloud - 65 Foot Hatteras 
I never got to spend much time on this boat either. I was living about 8-9 hours away (they lived in Venice Florida) and was working, so I couldn't come down as often as I would have liked. My parents took this boat on part of the "Great Loop", leaving from Venice Florida and travelled all the way to Maryland and Chesapeake Bay. Unfortunately, I wasn't on that trip but sure would have loved to have been there. All of these boats don't mean a lot to most people, and you probably wonder why I have shared this with you.

 
When we were down in Key West and we took that sunset cruise, I walked up to the bow of the boat and stood for a while. The sound of the water, the warm wind, and the feeling of freedom flowed all over me and brought back all of the of memories of being on boats. There is just something magical about it that I can't even describe. 
A few months ago I discovered a site that was discussing a boat trip called the "Great Loop",  so I started reading about what that was all about. 
"Loopers cruise the 6,000-mile Great Loop route aboard their own boats completing a circumnavigation of the eastern U.S. and part of Canada via mostly protected inland waterways. The Great Loop route follows the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway, the Chesapeake Bay, and the New York Canals northwards, goes across the Great Lakes, south on the Inland Rivers, and then east Gulf Coast to complete the Loop."
Here's a basic map of the loop. There are alternate routes in some areas, and lots of places to enjoy side trips along the way. 

 
The loop has been done in as little as 6 weeks and as long as 12 years, but generally it takes people a year or so to complete the entire route. There is no timeframe for completion. However, there are certain times of the year when you need to be on specific sections of the loop. During the winter, you need to be down south as most of the marinas and facilities are closed on the northern part of the loop. So you do the northern part during the summer and the southern part during the winter. People generally do the loop counterclockwise as that direction keeps you from having to sail upstream against the strongest currents, so you're doing the downhill portion from Chicago to the Gulf in the spring and up the east coast in the fall. Maybe... Weather, side trips, trips back to the house for a little break, all dictate the timing of where you will be at any specific time. 

Some people take extended side trips off of the main route. For example if you are in Florida during the winter, you might as well head over to the Bahamas to spend a little time there, or around the Tennessee area, I would explore the Cumberland and Tennessee Rivers as far as they go. Once you get up to New York, some people head up to the seaport towns of New England. It's all about what you want out of the trip.
So.... Amy and I have decided to start looking for a boat so we can participate in this big adventure! There are some size restrictions for boats that want to make the loop, and it all comes down to the draft of the boat, both water draft and air draft. A lot of the time you'll be traveling on the intercoastal waterway as well as some shallow offshore areas and canals. A boat for the loop needs to have 5 feet or less of draft in order to keep from hitting the bottom and/or tearing up props. The out of water height (air draft) is just as important, as there are some fixed bridges that are pretty low, so you generally want a boat that is less than 17 feet high out of water, although there are alternate routes that allow you to go a little higher. Many boats have mast and antennas that fold down for those situations, but it's critical to know the exact height of the boat for this trip. The boat will probably be int he 40-50 foot range.
Otherwise, get whatever boat you'll feel comfortable in for an extended amount of time. The boat doesn't have to be fast since in most areas you can't go fast anyway.  It needs to have at least 250 mile range since there is a stretch or two with no place to stop for fuel, and with diesel engines that is not a problem. Diesel engines are a must as well as the latest electronics (navigation, radar, radios, beacons, auto pilot). A good solid dinghy is a must as well as bow and stern thrusters, the capability of enclosing the fly bridge and aft deck, walk around beds in the main cabin, cat walks down the side of the boat, as well as other miscellaneous things that I'm sure I'll have to add. I would love to have a Great Harbor 37 or 47, so I may start my search with that in mind. Can't wait to get started!
I now belong to the Great Loop Association, and they have a ton of resources for making this journey. This site will answer any questions you might have about the loop.
AGLCA | Homepage
WWW.GREATLOOP.ORG  
Here is an article from some loopers about traveling through the "Dismal Swamp" that I thought was pretty cool.
Great Dismal Swamp – For Many Moons
MINDFULMARY.ORG We're here! I've been looking forward to this for a long time, having heard about it for decades. We had to time it right to arrive at the southern lock at opening time, since the two locks that book-end the canal open on a schedule. We traveled in a parade of three boats...a Nordic Tug…

Ever since we were down in the Keys, I've had this desire to get back on the water. My fun on the water started when I was 7 years old and continued through high school. My dad had been a fighter pilot in the Air Force and weather was an important thing to know when flying. So when he put me in charge of keeping track of the weather, I handled that job until I left for college. We went through three boats before I went off to college and missed the rest of the fun, but during the time I was there, we traveled up and down the Cumberland River to Lake Barkley and Kentucky Lake, and brought his third boat down from Holland Michigan, where it was made (Chris Craft), all the way back to Nashville. My love for the water was solidly entrenched in me and despite all of these years being on dry land, it's something that doesn't ever really go away.
Boat #1 - No Name - 17 foot Chris Craft
I was probably in the 3nd or 4th grade when this picture was taken. I lived in Paris Tennessee when I was in the 2nd through 4th grade and my dad kept this boat at the Paris Landing Marina on Kentucky Lake. I don't remember a lot about this boat except for the time me and my dad took it out to drain some water out that had accumulated after some rain. To do that you had to get up on plane and then open a plug that was located near the lower rear of the boat. Easy enough. Except that the lake was REALLY rough (the lake is almost two miles across at that point) and I was driving while my dad pulled the plug. I was pretty young to be doing that and I remember that it scared the crap out of me. 🙂 But I did get to spend 2-3 years on Kentucky Lake as a kid, and that was the start to my boating fun.

 
Boat #2 - BobaRue - 32 foot Burns Craft
We moved back to Nashville and we had the first boat there for a short time before my dad bought this boat. It was a 32 foot Burns Craft houseboat and he spec'd out everything on the boat. I remember going to the factory and looking at all the boats they were building, and listening to my parents go over all the options etc. It was a boat that I spent a lot of years on. We kept this boat at Old Hickory Marina and ran it up and down the Cumberland River to Lake Barkley and Kentucky Lake. To do that you end up going through several locks, and being a kid, I loved the adventure! 
The boat was pretty nice. It used twin Mercruiser 302 cubic inch gas engines that made 215 hp each, and the boat would get up and go! It was great traveling around in all kinds of weather, and we even took it out when it was snowing! Awesome experience! My sister and I slept in the forward cabin, and that cabin had the little window that you see on the side of the hull. 



 
Boat #3 - Moonraker - 41 Foot Chris Craft
This was a step up from the house boat and was a much more capable boat in rougher water. My dad bought this boat brand new (he had it built) from Chris Craft in Holland Michigan. My dad, the owner of the marina that we were going to keep it at, and myself, flew from Nashville to Michigan to pick it up and sail it back to the home marina. The plan was to bring the boat down lake Michigan to Chicago, and then through the locks to the Chicago Sanitary Ship Canal where we passed directly through downtown Chicago, At some point past Chicago it becomes the Illinois River, so you continue south to the Mississippi River. Head downstream until you get to the Ohio River and hang a left to head toward Paducah Kentucky. At that point you have two choices to get back to Nashville, get on the Tennessee River and go through the locks at Kentucky Dam, or continue a few miles further and get on the Cumberland River and go through the locks at Barkley Dam. Either way will get you back to Nashville since Kentucky Lake and Barkley Lake are connected by a narrow canal. Kentucky Lake is fed by the Tennessee River and Barkley Lake is fed by the Cumberland River.  Once you're on the Cumberland River you pass through the locks at Cheatham Dam before arriving in Nashville. We continued past the downtown area toward Old Hickory Lake where the boat would be docked. The last lock is at Old Hickory Dam where you make a 60 foot rise to get to the lake. 

 
The trip was fairly uneventful except for the first 3 days. Lake Michigan is always full of surprises and on this trip that was no exception. We headed south toward Chicago from Holland which is on the east side of the lake. After traveling about an hour or so under pretty nice conditions, the weather took a turn for the worse and the waves got larger and larger. They ended up being so large, that when you were in the trough of the wave, you couldn't see over the top of the next wave. Look at the picture above and you can see how high I am off the water and you start to get an idea of what we were facing. The other issue with waves on Lake Michigan is that the wave period is very short meaning not a lot of distance from crest to crest. Combine the short wave period with the wave height, and we ended up getting the props out of the water when we crested the wave peaks. We finally got close enough to find a place to take shelter, and it ended up being the docks for the ore carriers. They allowed us to stay until the lake calmed down, but that took three days. In the meantime, they were not letting any of the ore carriers leave either. 

 
Once we passed through most of the Chicago area, we stopped to spent the night at a small dock on the Illinois River. At some point someone from the other side of the river started taking pot shots at us using a pellet gun. Chicago is NOT my favorite place and I don't care if I ever see it again. But I will have to do it one more time.... and I will talk about that soon.
 


 
Boat #4 - Eastwind - 53 Foot Chris Craft 
I don't know much about this boat as I was off in college and working. I don't think my dad had this one for long, and I don't have many pictures. I believe this was taken before they bought it.

 
Boat #4 - Silver Cloud - 65 Foot Hatteras 
I never got to spend much time on this boat either. I was living about 8-9 hours away (they lived in Venice Florida) and was working, so I couldn't come down as often as I would have liked. My parents took this boat on part of the "Great Loop", leaving from Venice Florida and travelled all the way to Maryland and Chesapeake Bay. Unfortunately, I wasn't on that trip but sure would have loved to have been there. All of these boats don't mean a lot to most people, and you probably wonder why I have shared this with you.

 
When we were down in Key West and we took that sunset cruise, I walked up to the bow of the boat and stood for a while. The sound of the water, the warm wind, and the feeling of freedom flowed all over me and brought back all of the of memories of being on boats. There is just something magical about it that I can't even describe. 
A few months ago I discovered a site that was discussing a boat trip called the "Great Loop",  so I started reading about what that was all about. 
"Loopers cruise the 6,000-mile Great Loop route aboard their own boats completing a circumnavigation of the eastern U.S. and part of Canada via mostly protected inland waterways. The Great Loop route follows the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway, the Chesapeake Bay, and the New York Canals northwards, goes across the Great Lakes, south on the Inland Rivers, and then east Gulf Coast to complete the Loop."
Here's a basic map of the loop. There are alternate routes in some areas, and lots of places to enjoy side trips along the way. 

 
The loop has been done in as little as 6 weeks and as long as 12 years, but generally it takes people a year or so to complete the entire route. There is no timeframe for completion. However, there are certain times of the year when you need to be on specific sections of the loop. During the winter, you need to be down south as most of the marinas and facilities are closed on the northern part of the loop. So you do the northern part during the summer and the southern part during the winter. People generally do the loop counterclockwise as that direction keeps you from having to sail upstream against the strongest currents, so you're doing the downhill portion from Chicago to the Gulf in the spring and up the east coast in the fall. Maybe... Weather, side trips, trips back to the house for a little break, all dictate the timing of where you will be at any specific time. 

Some people take extended side trips off of the main route. For example if you are in Florida during the winter, you might as well head over to the Bahamas to spend a little time there, or around the Tennessee area, I would explore the Cumberland and Tennessee Rivers as far as they go. Once you get up to New York, some people head up to the seaport towns of New England. It's all about what you want out of the trip.
So.... Amy and I have decided to start looking for a boat so we can participate in this big adventure! There are some size restrictions for boats that want to make the loop, and it all comes down to the draft of the boat, both water draft and air draft. A lot of the time you'll be traveling on the intercoastal waterway as well as some shallow offshore areas and canals. A boat for the loop needs to have 5 feet or less of draft in order to keep from hitting the bottom and/or tearing up props. The out of water height (air draft) is just as important, as there are some fixed bridges that are pretty low, so you generally want a boat that is less than 17 feet high out of water, although there are alternate routes that allow you to go a little higher. Many boats have mast and antennas that fold down for those situations, but it's critical to know the exact height of the boat for this trip. The boat will probably be int he 40-50 foot range.
Otherwise, get whatever boat you'll feel comfortable in for an extended amount of time. The boat doesn't have to be fast since in most areas you can't go fast anyway.  It needs to have at least 250 mile range since there is a stretch or two with no place to stop for fuel, and with diesel engines that is not a problem. Diesel engines are a must as well as the latest electronics (navigation, radar, radios, beacons, auto pilot). A good solid dinghy is a must as well as bow and stern thrusters, the capability of enclosing the fly bridge and aft deck, walk around beds in the main cabin, cat walks down the side of the boat, as well as other miscellaneous things that I'm sure I'll have to add. I would love to have a Great Harbor 37 or 47, so I may start my search with that in mind. Can't wait to get started!
I now belong to the Great Loop Association, and they have a ton of resources for making this journey. This site will answer any questions you might have about the loop.
AGLCA | Homepage
WWW.GREATLOOP.ORG  
Here is an article from some loopers about traveling through the "Dismal Swamp" that I thought was pretty cool.
Great Dismal Swamp – For Many Moons
MINDFULMARY.ORG We're here! I've been looking forward to this for a long time, having heard about it for decades. We had to time it right to arrive at the southern lock at opening time, since the two locks that book-end the canal open on a schedule. We traveled in a parade of three boats...a Nordic Tug…

Ever since we were down in the Keys, I've had this desire to get back on the water. My fun on the water started when I was 7 years old and continued through high school. My dad had been a fighter pilot in the Air Force and weather was an important thing to know when flying. So when he put me in charge of keeping track of the weather, I handled that job until I left for college. We went through three boats before I went off to college and missed the rest of the fun, but during the time I was there, we traveled up and down the Cumberland River to Lake Barkley and Kentucky Lake, and brought his third boat down from Holland Michigan, where it was made (Chris Craft), all the way back to Nashville. My love for the water was solidly entrenched in me and despite all of these years being on dry land, it's something that doesn't ever really go away.
Boat #1 - No Name - 17 foot Chris Craft
I was probably in the 3nd or 4th grade when this picture was taken. I lived in Paris Tennessee when I was in the 2nd through 4th grade and my dad kept this boat at the Paris Landing Marina on Kentucky Lake. I don't remember a lot about this boat except for the time me and my dad took it out to drain some water out that had accumulated after some rain. To do that you had to get up on plane and then open a plug that was located near the lower rear of the boat. Easy enough. Except that the lake was REALLY rough (the lake is almost two miles across at that point) and I was driving while my dad pulled the plug. I was pretty young to be doing that and I remember that it scared the crap out of me. 🙂 But I did get to spend 2-3 years on Kentucky Lake as a kid, and that was the start to my boating fun.

 
Boat #2 - BobaRue - 32 foot Burns Craft
We moved back to Nashville and we had the first boat there for a short time before my dad bought this boat. It was a 32 foot Burns Craft houseboat and he spec'd out everything on the boat. I remember going to the factory and looking at all the boats they were building, and listening to my parents go over all the options etc. It was a boat that I spent a lot of years on. We kept this boat at Old Hickory Marina and ran it up and down the Cumberland River to Lake Barkley and Kentucky Lake. To do that you end up going through several locks, and being a kid, I loved the adventure! 
The boat was pretty nice. It used twin Mercruiser 302 cubic inch gas engines that made 215 hp each, and the boat would get up and go! It was great traveling around in all kinds of weather, and we even took it out when it was snowing! Awesome experience! My sister and I slept in the forward cabin, and that cabin had the little window that you see on the side of the hull. 



 
Boat #3 - Moonraker - 41 Foot Chris Craft
This was a step up from the house boat and was a much more capable boat in rougher water. My dad bought this boat brand new (he had it built) from Chris Craft in Holland Michigan. My dad, the owner of the marina that we were going to keep it at, and myself, flew from Nashville to Michigan to pick it up and sail it back to the home marina. The plan was to bring the boat down lake Michigan to Chicago, and then through the locks to the Chicago Sanitary Ship Canal where we passed directly through downtown Chicago, At some point past Chicago it becomes the Illinois River, so you continue south to the Mississippi River. Head downstream until you get to the Ohio River and hang a left to head toward Paducah Kentucky. At that point you have two choices to get back to Nashville, get on the Tennessee River and go through the locks at Kentucky Dam, or continue a few miles further and get on the Cumberland River and go through the locks at Barkley Dam. Either way will get you back to Nashville since Kentucky Lake and Barkley Lake are connected by a narrow canal. Kentucky Lake is fed by the Tennessee River and Barkley Lake is fed by the Cumberland River.  Once you're on the Cumberland River you pass through the locks at Cheatham Dam before arriving in Nashville. We continued past the downtown area toward Old Hickory Lake where the boat would be docked. The last lock is at Old Hickory Dam where you make a 60 foot rise to get to the lake. 

 
The trip was fairly uneventful except for the first 3 days. Lake Michigan is always full of surprises and on this trip that was no exception. We headed south toward Chicago from Holland which is on the east side of the lake. After traveling about an hour or so under pretty nice conditions, the weather took a turn for the worse and the waves got larger and larger. They ended up being so large, that when you were in the trough of the wave, you couldn't see over the top of the next wave. Look at the picture above and you can see how high I am off the water and you start to get an idea of what we were facing. The other issue with waves on Lake Michigan is that the wave period is very short meaning not a lot of distance from crest to crest. Combine the short wave period with the wave height, and we ended up getting the props out of the water when we crested the wave peaks. We finally got close enough to find a place to take shelter, and it ended up being the docks for the ore carriers. They allowed us to stay until the lake calmed down, but that took three days. In the meantime, they were not letting any of the ore carriers leave either. 

 
Once we passed through most of the Chicago area, we stopped to spent the night at a small dock on the Illinois River. At some point someone from the other side of the river started taking pot shots at us using a pellet gun. Chicago is NOT my favorite place and I don't care if I ever see it again. But I will have to do it one more time.... and I will talk about that soon.
 


 
Boat #4 - Eastwind - 53 Foot Chris Craft 
I don't know much about this boat as I was off in college and working. I don't think my dad had this one for long, and I don't have many pictures. I believe this was taken before they bought it.

 
Boat #4 - Silver Cloud - 65 Foot Hatteras 
I never got to spend much time on this boat either. I was living about 8-9 hours away (they lived in Venice Florida) and was working, so I couldn't come down as often as I would have liked. My parents took this boat on part of the "Great Loop", leaving from Venice Florida and travelled all the way to Maryland and Chesapeake Bay. Unfortunately, I wasn't on that trip but sure would have loved to have been there. All of these boats don't mean a lot to most people, and you probably wonder why I have shared this with you.

 
When we were down in Key West and we took that sunset cruise, I walked up to the bow of the boat and stood for a while. The sound of the water, the warm wind, and the feeling of freedom flowed all over me and brought back all of the of memories of being on boats. There is just something magical about it that I can't even describe. 
A few months ago I discovered a site that was discussing a boat trip called the "Great Loop",  so I started reading about what that was all about. 
"Loopers cruise the 6,000-mile Great Loop route aboard their own boats completing a circumnavigation of the eastern U.S. and part of Canada via mostly protected inland waterways. The Great Loop route follows the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway, the Chesapeake Bay, and the New York Canals northwards, goes across the Great Lakes, south on the Inland Rivers, and then east Gulf Coast to complete the Loop."
Here's a basic map of the loop. There are alternate routes in some areas, and lots of places to enjoy side trips along the way. 

 
The loop has been done in as little as 6 weeks and as long as 12 years, but generally it takes people a year or so to complete the entire route. There is no timeframe for completion. However, there are certain times of the year when you need to be on specific sections of the loop. During the winter, you need to be down south as most of the marinas and facilities are closed on the northern part of the loop. So you do the northern part during the summer and the southern part during the winter. People generally do the loop counterclockwise as that direction keeps you from having to sail upstream against the strongest currents, so you're doing the downhill portion from Chicago to the Gulf in the spring and up the east coast in the fall. Maybe... Weather, side trips, trips back to the house for a little break, all dictate the timing of where you will be at any specific time. 

Some people take extended side trips off of the main route. For example if you are in Florida during the winter, you might as well head over to the Bahamas to spend a little time there, or around the Tennessee area, I would explore the Cumberland and Tennessee Rivers as far as they go. Once you get up to New York, some people head up to the seaport towns of New England. It's all about what you want out of the trip.
So.... Amy and I have decided to start looking for a boat so we can participate in this big adventure! There are some size restrictions for boats that want to make the loop, and it all comes down to the draft of the boat, both water draft and air draft. A lot of the time you'll be traveling on the intercoastal waterway as well as some shallow offshore areas and canals. A boat for the loop needs to have 5 feet or less of draft in order to keep from hitting the bottom and/or tearing up props. The out of water height (air draft) is just as important, as there are some fixed bridges that are pretty low, so you generally want a boat that is less than 17 feet high out of water, although there are alternate routes that allow you to go a little higher. Many boats have mast and antennas that fold down for those situations, but it's critical to know the exact height of the boat for this trip. The boat will probably be int he 40-50 foot range.
Otherwise, get whatever boat you'll feel comfortable in for an extended amount of time. The boat doesn't have to be fast since in most areas you can't go fast anyway.  It needs to have at least 250 mile range since there is a stretch or two with no place to stop for fuel, and with diesel engines that is not a problem. Diesel engines are a must as well as the latest electronics (navigation, radar, radios, beacons, auto pilot). A good solid dinghy is a must as well as bow and stern thrusters, the capability of enclosing the fly bridge and aft deck, walk around beds in the main cabin, cat walks down the side of the boat, as well as other miscellaneous things that I'm sure I'll have to add. I would love to have a Great Harbor 37 or 47, so I may start my search with that in mind. Can't wait to get started!
I now belong to the Great Loop Association, and they have a ton of resources for making this journey. This site will answer any questions you might have about the loop.
AGLCA | Homepage
WWW.GREATLOOP.ORG  
Here is an article from some loopers about traveling through the "Dismal Swamp" that I thought was pretty cool.
Great Dismal Swamp – For Many Moons
MINDFULMARY.ORG We're here! I've been looking forward to this for a long time, having heard about it for decades. We had to time it right to arrive at the southern lock at opening time, since the two locks that book-end the canal open on a schedule. We traveled in a parade of three boats...a Nordic Tug…

If changes are made, the latest changes will appears here. 
Last Update: 01/23/23
2016 Obsession Red Sedan

Xtreme-DI high pressure fuel pump Xtreme-DI fuel cam ZZP valve springs Deatschwerks DW400 low pressure fuel pump JMS Voltage Increaser for low pressure fuel pump Renick Performance charge pipes with Synapse bypass valves Renick Performance cold air intake GM throttle body for LFX motor Renick Performance vacuum tank  Renick Performance downpipes Vibrant 4” resonator with custom 4” single mid pipe Turbobay turbo's with custom designed inlets ZZP rear trailing arms  Carlyle rear toe bars Renick Performance RP 556 wheels, 19x9.5 and 19x11 Renick Performance Swift springs Michelin PS4S tires, 275/30-19 and 305/30-19 ZZP Flex fuel sensor  Renick Performance carbon fiber mirror covers AEM Wideband Sensor Stainless brake lines Porterfield R4S pads and Motul 600 brake fluid Renick Performance blacked out grills and emblems Roof wrap GTechniq's Crystal Serum Ultra ceramic treatment Tuned by Justin Schmidt  
2017 Phantom Gray Coupe

Aric Miller HPFP DSX Flex Fuel Sensor AEM Wideband Sensor Xtreme-DI low pressure fuel pump Renick Performance downpipes Renick Performance cold air intake ZZP rear trailing arms  Renick Performance RP 556 and RP 416 wheels, 19x9.5 and 19x11 Michelin PS4S and Yokohama AD08 tires, 275/30-19 and 305/30-19  Renick Performance sway bars SPL adjustable end links Stainless brake lines Porterfield R4S pads and Motul 600 brake fluid Renick Performance blacked out grills and emblems Eibach springs GTechniq's Crystal Serum Ultra ceramic treatment Tuned by Justin Schmidt

It's done! The final finishing touches were completed yesterday and other than adding/moving things on the walls, there is nothing left to do.
The vanity and sink installation was basically the last item to complete. Glenn came over yesterday and got everything hooked up and working.  You can see the spigot on the left side of the vanity and that's my hot water connection for washing the cars. 

 
The other item that he did, we install the hose reel for the air compressor. This went in the small closet that is behind the vanity and was mounted to the floor. 

 
You can see the hose sticking out of the wall. It's self retracting and can lock into place, so I can drag it all over the garage to air up tires and then give it a tug and it retracts back into the wall.

 
 
I'll make one final post where I can thank all of the people that helped to make it all possible. In the meantime, here's a link to all of the pictures from start to finish.
Garage Makeover - Google Photos
PHOTOS.APP.GOO.GL 195 new items added to shared album

Still waiting on the paint touch ups but most people wouldn't notice. We managed to get some more pictures on the wall, installed the new blinds on the windows and doors, and I got the new toolbox to replace my old red one. I added a rubber mat to the top of it to protect the finish. Other than the vanity and sink, I think we're just about done. 

 

 

 

 
 

 
Next post:
 

I drove down to Atlanta Motor Speedway yesterday to participate in a SCCA autocross. I've had a 4 year sabbatical from driving and wasn't sure how well everything would come back to me. Instead of driving one of our cars, I decided I'd jump back in the last car I autocrossed and give it a try again. I drove this car for about 6 years before my break and got pretty good in it, managing 4 3rd place finishes at the National Championships. But it's a very difficult car to drive and and I was a little apprehensive getting back in it after an extended layoff. The wheelbase of the car is only 80", so it's very short. Being short, it has a very low polar moment of inertia meaning it doesn't take much to make it spin. Throw in 350 whp/380 ft lbs of torque in a car that weighs 1760 lbs with me in it and you have a really big handful. 

 
But yesterday didn't go to well, and it wasn't because of me. 🙂 They have made lots of changes to the car. They have totally reworked the suspension, retuned the engine, and removed the electric power steering. All great. BUT... this car relies on a ton of mechanical grip to go fast, and without it, you might as well be driving on ice. 
Two of us were driving the car yesterday and both us have had a lot of seat time in the car, and we both had issues. Come to find out, we were running on one year old, 40 run Hoosier slicks, that had the grip of a Flintstone rock tire. We both spun the car, Rick doing it twice. We had ZERO traction all day. To top that off, we discovered that the front tires were corded. So we literally had no traction. Keep in mind, to put that power to the ground and corner at 1.8 g's, we run 14" wide Formula Atlantic qualifying rear tires that generate a ton of grip. But once those tires get hard, you might as well be on rocks.
So... this was my 4th run and I managed to do it correctly. You can hear the blow off valve as I have to lift to keep the back tires from spinning (no... to keep the car from spinning).
 
If you'd like to see a good spin, I did one not far from the start on my 2nd run. 🙂 This run was a total disaster as I also missed a couple of gates (you don't get a time, it's called a DNF).
 
It was a fun day, but the car is capable of going much faster, and hopefully I can get back in it soon with some good tires on it.

Things are progressing, although never as fast as I'd want it to. 
The room is a struggle to work with since one side has large glass windows and the other side is open with a bar, stairs, and a hallway. There are large bedrooms on each end of the media room so the room can't be expanded those directions. 

 
They did a modal review of the room and initially placed the subwoofers in these locations. THe subwoofer where the arrow from from was not going to work in that position as it would have to stick out in the floor. My suggestion

 
In the bar area where I drew the red box is an ice maker that no longer works and is too expensive to fix. It made 60 lbs of ice a day so it's not a little icemaker. 🙂 WE have plans on removing that and adding shelves, but it would be a great place for that subwoofer to go and it would be hidden. We can add black fabric panels in place of the wood panels that you currently see.

 
The original modal graph looked like this. Notice all of the peaks.

 
After their original placement it looked like this. Much smoother. Again, the room is far from ideal. We will be using acoustic panels extensively in order to help with the room acoustics, and the rest will be managed during the final Trinnov calibration.

Done with appearance items for a while! Thanks to James Renick for many of the items on both the cars. We couldn't be more pleased with how they turned out. 
There is always more to do though... the fun never stops. 🙂 
The wife's car now gets:
Cue update so she can get Android Auto New RE-alignment. Yes, to fix the current one AEM wideband/XDI translator/plugs install Justin Schmidt tune to replace the Trifecta tune I'll have them service the diff/trans/anything else that needs service when it's in for the Cue update... it has 56k miles My car needs:
Have to replace the Tapout Stage 2 LPFP that is supposedly a DW400... we'll see but I don't think it is.  I have a new XDI LPFP pump waiting to go in. Install Renick CAI and new plugs To the dyno to see how well Justin has done 🙂  After the dyno I see I need more power, we'll install a fuel cam. Not much left to do now! Here is a link to more of the pictures that I took today: 
ATS-V Appearance Items Done - Google Photos
PHOTOS.APP.GOO.GL 25 new photos added to shared album




 

There are all kinds of home theater rooms with as many different styles as there are people, but I'm not sure I like the term "home theater" for the room that we're going to create, because "theater" is not the primary reason for the room. I love music, doesn't matter what kind, as long as it's good music. 🙂 But more importantly, one thing that makes all the music better is a good sound system. With that in mind, the room will be designed around the best "sound" that I'm willing to pay, and trust me, you can spend a LOT more than I am. The video/"theater" portion of the room is secondary for me but it shouldn't disappoint even the best movie enthusiast. 
This will not be what most people picture as a home theater room. I've been in some rooms that had great sound and video, big home theater chairs, the whole thing, but the rooms had no personality, no life. You felt like you were in a padded room and we knew that wasn't what we were looking for. 
  
... A room that looks more like an old "lounge" than a modern home theater room. Our goal is to have a warm, inviting place to go to watch a movie, listen to music, watch TV, have a drink with people, or just read a book. 
To understand what we're dealing with, I have some pictures below of the current room. Everything you see in the room was put there until we could turn it into a media room. The room is more like an open space as, it is open on the right side of the room, and on the opposite side you have three large picture windows. The struggle is real. Obviously it's not ideal for sound but it is what it is. I had thought about enclosing it some but the wife nixed that idea pretty quickly, and I don't disagree with that, and I'll show the reason in a minute. 
What you see in this image will be the front of the room. The TV helps to put the size in better perspective as it is 85". Everything within the yellow outline is going to be removed and replaced with dark wood cabinets and shelves. The ceiling and back wall sheet rock will be removed, so pretty much the entire room except for the existing hardwood floors will be gutted, and even those will be covered by carpet. 

 
This is looking toward the open part of the room. You can start to see why we don't wan to close it in. When you come down the stairs, the room opens up to the three picture windows. Plus when you're at the bar, if the media room was closed in you couldn't see anything. 

 
These are pictures taken before we bought the house, but you can get an idea of the view out of the windows and why we don't want to block that.


 
I've collected a lot of images of rooms that resembled what our thoughts were for our room. None are exact matches by any stretch of the imagination, but different bits and pieces will be used to come up with our own design. 
In these images, the dark wood cabinetry is more what I'm thinking instead of that awful looking off white that is in the room now. The TV will be built in as I doubt anyone would ever splurge to try to put in one larger than 85". To go larger you're looking at $60k for a 98" Sony. I don't think so... But I am considering adding a projector with a screen I can drop down out of the ceiling in front of the TV when we want to watch a movie, and I'm considering that option. 



 
Once we get rolling on the plan I'll have more to share about the actual room design as there will be LOTS of small steps along the way. 

There are all kinds of home theater rooms with as many different styles as there are people, but I'm not sure I like the term "home theater" for the room that we're going to create, because "theater" is not the primary reason for the room. I love music, doesn't matter what kind, as long as it's good music. 🙂 But more importantly, one thing that makes all the music better is a good sound system. With that in mind, the room will be designed around the best "sound" that I'm willing to pay, and trust me, you can spend a LOT more than I am. The video/"theater" portion of the room is secondary for me but it shouldn't disappoint even the best movie enthusiast. 
This will not be what most people picture as a home theater room. I've been in some rooms that had great sound and video, big home theater chairs, the whole thing, but the rooms had no personality, no life. You felt like you were in a padded room and we knew that wasn't what we were looking for. 
  
... A room that looks more like an old "lounge" than a modern home theater room. Our goal is to have a warm, inviting place to go to watch a movie, listen to music, watch TV, have a drink with people, or just read a book. 
To understand what we're dealing with, I have some pictures below of the current room. Everything you see in the room was put there until we could turn it into a media room. The room is more like an open space as, it is open on the right side of the room, and on the opposite side you have three large picture windows. The struggle is real. Obviously it's not ideal for sound but it is what it is. I had thought about enclosing it some but the wife nixed that idea pretty quickly, and I don't disagree with that, and I'll show the reason in a minute. 
What you see in this image will be the front of the room. The TV helps to put the size in better perspective as it is 85". Everything within the yellow outline is going to be removed and replaced with dark wood cabinets and shelves. The ceiling and back wall sheet rock will be removed, so pretty much the entire room except for the existing hardwood floors will be gutted, and even those will be covered by carpet. 

 
This is looking toward the open part of the room. You can start to see why we don't wan to close it in. When you come down the stairs, the room opens up to the three picture windows. Plus when you're at the bar, if the media room was closed in you couldn't see anything. 

 
These are pictures taken before we bought the house, but you can get an idea of the view out of the windows and why we don't want to block that.


 
I've collected a lot of images of rooms that resembled what our thoughts were for our room. None are exact matches by any stretch of the imagination, but different bits and pieces will be used to come up with our own design. 
In these images, the dark wood cabinetry is more what I'm thinking instead of that awful looking off white that is in the room now. The TV will be built in as I doubt anyone would ever splurge to try to put in one larger than 85". To go larger you're looking at $60k for a 98" Sony. I don't think so... But I am considering adding a projector with a screen I can drop down out of the ceiling in front of the TV when we want to watch a movie, and I'm considering that option. 



 
Once we get rolling on the plan I'll have more to share about the actual room design as there will be LOTS of small steps along the way. 

The car we bought for my wife isn't quite as nice as the one i drive. And it's not that it's not nice, it's just that it's one year older and has 53,000 miles on it, so the exterior could use a little bit of a facelift. I would like for hers to look as good as the other car, so I decided it was time for a few changes.
I ordered some new wheels for the car, and they are exactly the same wheels as I have on my V, Renick Performance RP556 in gloss black. These are the max wheel and tire sizes that can be stuffed in the wheel well of these cars. On mine I put 265/30-19 Michelin PS4S tires on the front, but on the new fronts I'm going with 275's. I plan on putting the new front wheels with the 275 tires on my car, and my front wheels with the 265 tires on the front of her car. There could be a touch of rubbing on really tight turns on mine after the swap, but I can live with that. 

 
The nose of her car is a little sand blasted from it's time down in Florida, the front is a little pitted and the hood paint doesn't quite match, so we need to get all of that fixed. 


 
Several items will be replaced or fixed. I've ordered these new upper and lower grills in gloss black to replace the ones that are currently on the car. Changing to black wheels only leaves the grills and a little strip on the back bumper in chrome, so those needed to be replaced at the same time as the wheels. Since the front bumper cover has to come off to replace the grills, while the cover is off, I'm going to have the cover and hood repainted. It should be easy and cheaper since the cover and hood will be off the car, no taping of the car is required.  EDIT 01/09/21): We've now decided to wrap the car instead of having it painted. It will be cheaper to do that than paint the hood and the bumper. 
At some point I'll replace the pitted windshield and have a protective film applied to it and possibly replace the carbon fiber splitter in the front. After everything is done we'll get a ceramic treatment on the whole car.  While the car is at the dealer/body shop having the grills and paint done, I'm going to have them update the Cue system to add Android Auto. This car came with Apple Carplay but not Android Auto, but a it is only a software update to add. My 2017 came with both. 

 
As far as I know, the only other changes to this car will be a new Trifecta corn tune on the car and Swift lowering springs which are sitting in the garage. The engine has all the go fast parts that are needed, so no changes to the hardware are necessary. With the right tune using E70, this car will make the power you see in the graphs below. The car that made those numbers has EXACTLY the same engine components as the wife's car. Corrected or uncorrected, it will be making a boatload of horsepower, and should easily push the car to a high 9 second 1/4 mile at full weight. At 700 rwhp, it means the motor is making almost 800 hp at the crank.
The dip in the power starting around 3k rpm is intentional for the dyno runs as they pullout timing to keep the engine from knocking. For whatever reason, the engine wants to knock only on the dyno at that rpm, and has something to do with the load in high gear, it's not there on the street or track.
Corrected

 
Uncorrected

01/21/23 - Updated a few sections, mostly the mod section. For more updates and changes see the additional blog posts. 
Well.... my wife really needed a nicer car as hers was getting old and she has been a Cadillac girl since she had her 2001 Cadillac SLS in Obsession Red. So.... we found one a little newer in the color she likes. 🙂
This is the newest addition to the family... a 2016 ATS-V sedan. 🙂 Yes, another ATS-V.  

 
This one is a little special though. It looks pretty unassuming doesn't it? Just your normal Cadillac if you didn't know any better. But if you thought you might like to have a little run against it, you had better come loaded for bear. This car was originally built to be the fastest ATS-V in the country, but that isn't our goal for it now. The times below were done before the turbo's were replaced with a couple that should be good for 700 whp. As it sits right now, and running on E85, this car makes approximately 700 hp at the wheels... and that's a lot more than my car makes. The guy that owned it said he liked to mess with Hellcats and this is a V6. 🙂These next two image are a little old now, there are at least multiple ATS-V's in the 9's so the target keeps moving. These highlighted numbers were recorded before the new turbos and before the next tune I'll throw at it. 


 
The car has the following modifications:
Xtreme-DI high pressure fuel pump Xtreme-DI fuel cam ZZP valve springs Deatschwerks DW400 low pressure fuel pump JMS Voltage Increaser for low pressure fuel pump Renick Performance charge pipes with Synapse bypass valves Renick Performance cold air intake GM throttle body from LFX motor Renick Performance vacuum tank  Renick Performance downpipes Vibrant 4” resonator with custom 4” single mid pipe Turbobay turbo's with custom designed inlets ZZP rear trailing arms  Carlyle rear toe bars Renick Performance RP 556 wheels, 19x9.5 and 19x11 Renick Performance Swift springs Michelin PS4S tires, 275/30-19 and 305/30-19 ZZP Flex fuel sensor  Renick Performance carbon fiber mirror covers GM Morello Red carbon fiber interior trim Tuned by Justin Schmidt Sounds like this car will be a good 1/2 and 1/4 mile car. 🙂 A car with the EXACT same mods (including the TurboBay turbo's) running on E70 made this power, so hopefully this is what it's making now. I talked to the guy, they had to tune it down on the street because it is breaking the tires loose at 100 mph. The bump dip in the curve is where they pull out power for the dyno in high gear, apparently the computer doesn't like something at that RPM range on the dyno.


 
It still handles like mine does, it had the same identical suspension and wheels and tires before I upgraded mine. Actually the tires on this car are the Michelin Pilot Sport 4S tires which I'll be putting I have on my car. I have new wheels ordered so she'll have the exact same wheel/tire setup in a few weeks (changed). I'm considering getting some Yokohama ADVAN Neova AD08 R tires (200 treadwear) to go on my car.  So I'll mount the new front tires on her new wheels and then put those on my car, the my wheels and front tires on her car, and then take the Michelins on my rear wheels and put those on the new rear wheels for her car, and take the new rear tires and put those on my rears. Confused yet? Since I want to autocross this year, I want the 200 treadwear tires on my car. I should wear them out before it gets cold next fall, and I'll put something else on them.
Once I've had time to play with it, I'll post some more information. 🙂 In the meantime, here are some pictures I took with both (or all three at times) Caddy's. 
Here's a link to a few more pictures. We will be getting the hood repainted since it got a little sandblasted making high speed runs in Florida. 🙂 
https://photos.app.goo.gl/b3tentypc9yQE8Wf8



 

Good morning!
I guess you heard the rain moving through during the overnight hours, it is now pushed southeast of Lincoln and today to should a relatively dry day to kick off the ProSolo!
This is a combined radar/water vapor loop, and the numbers are dewpoints. Much drier air is moving into southeast Nebraska and today should feel great. About 15 seconds into the loop I switch from dewpoint to temperatures.

Lincoln Friday AM.mp4  
The NWS hour by hour forecast looks great for today, but tomorrow may be damp at times. 
 

 
As far as next week goes, no major rainfall in the forecast for now. You guys may luck out...
 
So nothing today that should interfere with the competition. Go fast, have fun!

After the fiasco from yesterday, we have decided to skip the stop in Philly to see Independence Hall, and I think that decision proved to be a wise one.

Also... if you travel and use Google Maps... just know that the drive times you see is probably not going to be the time you actually spend on the road. Obviously Google doesn't know how many times you're gonna stop, and it doesn't know how fast you'll travel among other things. 

The bridge you see in the picture above is one of many on the Merritt Parkway in Connecticut. Each bridge is a little different, but each one is very fancy. Those were kinda cool.

Today we end up in Shelton Connecticut at a Hampton Inn. (EDIT: this was a GREAT place to stay). Tomorrow... onward through the fog!  
View the full article
 

EDIT: This RSS import really messes with the blog post. This is a better link: http://blog.northgeorgiawx.com/new-england-trip/day-3-saturday-we-arrive   We made it! We arrived in West Yarmouth about 4:30 pm on Saturday.  Along the way we stopped to visit two lighthouses in Rhode Island and eat a lobster roll. 🙂
I've added a few pictures and a couple of videos below. Most were taken at the two lighthouses or on the way to them. Oh... and my lobster roll. 🙂 You can't forget the lobster roll. 

We're just getting started so I'll have lots more pictures and videos. Now is when it starts getting good!                                     Here are a couple of videos I took on the ride, and both of these are from the Beavertail Lighthouse. I'll have more later. This first video is from the dash cam and the second video was taken using my S7 with polarizing filter.   
View the full article
 

January 23, 1780 
The coldest day of the coldest month of record in the northeastern U.S. A British Army thermometer in New York City registered a reading of 16 degrees below zero. During that infamous hard winter the harbor was frozen solid for five weeks, and the port was cut off from sea supply. (David Ludlum) 

January 23, 1971 
The temperature at Prospect Creek, AK, plunged to 80 degrees below zero, the coldest reading of record for the United States. (David Ludlum) 

January 23, 1987 
Strong winds ushered bitterly cold air into the north central U.S., and produced snow squalls in the Great Lakes Region. Snowfall totals in northwest Lower Michigan ranged up to 17 inches in Leelanau County. Wind chill temperatures reached 70 degrees below zero at Sault Ste Marie MI and Hibbing MN. (National Weather Summary) (Storm Data) 

January 23, 1988 
Northeastern Colorado experienced its most severe windstorm in years. A wind gust to 92 mph was recorded at Boulder CO before the anemometer blew away, and in the mountains, a wind gust to 120 mph was reported at Mines Peak. The high winds blew down a partially constructed viaduct east of Boulder, as nine un-anchored concrete girders, each weighing forty-five tons, were blown off their supports. (National Weather Summary) (Storm Data) 

January 23, 1989 
Low pressure brought heavy snow to Wyoming, with 18 inches reported at the Shoshone National Forest, and 17 inches in the Yellowstone Park area. Gunnison CO, with a low of 19 degrees below zero, was the cold spot in the nation for the twelfth day in a row. (National Weather Summary) (Storm Data) 

January 23, 1990 
A Pacific cold front brought strong and gusty winds to the northwestern U.S. Winds in southeastern Idaho gusted to 62 mph at Burley. Strong winds also prevailed along the eastern slopes of the northern and central Rockies. Winds in Wyoming gusted to 74 mph in Goshen County. (National Weather Summary) (Storm Data)

January 23, 2003
A strong arctic cold front sent temperatures plummeting across north and central Georgia. As the cold front moved through, temperatures dropped into the 20's during the day and into the teens by evening accompanied with northwest winds of 25 to 35 MPH with higher gusts. By midnight several locations across north Georgia were already below 10°F. This front also brought light snow resulting in 1 to 2 inches across north Georgia.

Data courtesy of WeatherForYou         Snow Cover Analysis
              WPC 72 Hour Snow Forecast
         
View the full article
 

This is the part I hate. Sitting... waiting... Yes, we know the pattern is changing, but everyone wants to see concrete evidence, they want to see a big snowstorm barreling toward us like a giant avalanche. I know because that's what I want.  But I (we) have to be patient. We've had our 60 days of cold, 30 days of warmth, so it's now time for our 60 days of cold again. Winter is knocking on the doorstep, no question about it. But until the models can get it all figured out... we wait for our storms.
I have a lot of pictures of me when I was younger and growing up in Nashville,  playing in the snow, and maybe that is one reason I love snow so much. I remember going out and staying out until your feet were frozen. You would come back in, throw the clothes in a dryer, eat something, throw the clothes back on and head back out.  They were great times. I remember one snow that was so large, that we blocked off the top of the hill where we would sled with a big berm of snow so no one could drive through. The mailman wasn't happy with us. 
 These early pictures had to have been taken when I was about 5 years old, so around 1960. I don't remember the snow back then other than from these pictures and only remember this house from these pictures. 



 
But I do remember the snows we had when I was in the 6th grade on up. Listen to Bastardi talk about the winter's of the 60's, and you'll understand the snows I grew up with. Those snows brought so many great memories. And we're not talking little snows, I'm talking BIG snows. Take a look.
I'm sure everyone has some favorite childhood memories and pictures of snow, so feel free to share them here. 


 
My sister

 
My mom

 
"The Big Dipper"

 
Me on the back of the sled with my tongue sticking out, Robert Hagstrom driving. He went on to write "The Warren Buffet Way"
https://www.thriftbooks.com/w/the-warren-buffett-way-investment-strategies-of-the-worlds-greatest-investor_robert-g-hagstrom_bill-miller/251273/?mkwid=sGAAUWCGY|dc&pcrid=70112890512&pkw=&pmt=&plc=&pgrid=21326630352&ptaid=pla-485630667792&gclid=Cj0KCQiAvebhBRD5ARIsAIQUmnn86fJPe0goaigXQctAbBdXcTHbQI_er1CH2b-Z3fKSsTj3G_d8oN8aAqIoEALw_wcB#isbn=0471177504&idiq=1535729





 

This is the part I hate. Sitting... waiting... Yes, we know the pattern is changing, but everyone wants to see concrete evidence, they want to see a big snowstorm barreling toward us like a giant avalanche. I know because that's what I want.  But I (we) have to be patient. We've had our 60 days of cold, 30 days of warmth, so it's now time for our 60 days of cold again. Winter is knocking on the doorstep, no question about it. But until the models can get it all figured out... we wait for our storms.
I have a lot of pictures of me when I was younger and growing up in Nashville,  playing in the snow, and maybe that is one reason I love snow so much. I remember going out and staying out until your feet were frozen. You would come back in, throw the clothes in a dryer, eat something, throw the clothes back on and head back out.  They were great times. I remember one snow that was so large, that we blocked off the top of the hill where we would sled with a big berm of snow so no one could drive through. The mailman wasn't happy with us. 
 These early pictures had to have been taken when I was about 5 years old, so around 1960. I don't remember the snow back then other than from these pictures and only remember this house from these pictures. 



 
But I do remember the snows we had when I was in the 6th grade on up. Listen to Bastardi talk about the winter's of the 60's, and you'll understand the snows I grew up with. Those snows brought so many great memories. And we're not talking little snows, I'm talking BIG snows. Take a look.
I'm sure everyone has some favorite childhood memories and pictures of snow, so feel free to share them here. 


 
My sister

 
My mom

 
"The Big Dipper"

 
Me on the back of the sled with my tongue sticking out, Robert Hagstrom driving. He went on to write "The Warren Buffet Way"
https://www.thriftbooks.com/w/the-warren-buffett-way-investment-strategies-of-the-worlds-greatest-investor_robert-g-hagstrom_bill-miller/251273/?mkwid=sGAAUWCGY|dc&pcrid=70112890512&pkw=&pmt=&plc=&pgrid=21326630352&ptaid=pla-485630667792&gclid=Cj0KCQiAvebhBRD5ARIsAIQUmnn86fJPe0goaigXQctAbBdXcTHbQI_er1CH2b-Z3fKSsTj3G_d8oN8aAqIoEALw_wcB#isbn=0471177504&idiq=1535729





 

This is the part I hate. Sitting... waiting... Yes, we know the pattern is changing, but everyone wants to see concrete evidence, they want to see a big snowstorm barreling toward us like a giant avalanche. I know because that's what I want.  But I (we) have to be patient. We've had our 60 days of cold, 30 days of warmth, so it's now time for our 60 days of cold again. Winter is knocking on the doorstep, no question about it. But until the models can get it all figured out... we wait for our storms.
I have a lot of pictures of me when I was younger and growing up in Nashville,  playing in the snow, and maybe that is one reason I love snow so much. I remember going out and staying out until your feet were frozen. You would come back in, throw the clothes in a dryer, eat something, throw the clothes back on and head back out.  They were great times. I remember one snow that was so large, that we blocked off the top of the hill where we would sled with a big berm of snow so no one could drive through. The mailman wasn't happy with us. 
 These early pictures had to have been taken when I was about 5 years old, so around 1960. I don't remember the snow back then other than from these pictures and only remember this house from these pictures. 



 
But I do remember the snows we had when I was in the 6th grade on up. Listen to Bastardi talk about the winter's of the 60's, and you'll understand the snows I grew up with. Those snows brought so many great memories. And we're not talking little snows, I'm talking BIG snows. Take a look.
I'm sure everyone has some favorite childhood memories and pictures of snow, so feel free to share them here. 


 
My sister

 
My mom

 
"The Big Dipper"

 
Me on the back of the sled with my tongue sticking out, Robert Hagstrom driving. He went on to write "The Warren Buffet Way"
https://www.thriftbooks.com/w/the-warren-buffett-way-investment-strategies-of-the-worlds-greatest-investor_robert-g-hagstrom_bill-miller/251273/?mkwid=sGAAUWCGY|dc&pcrid=70112890512&pkw=&pmt=&plc=&pgrid=21326630352&ptaid=pla-485630667792&gclid=Cj0KCQiAvebhBRD5ARIsAIQUmnn86fJPe0goaigXQctAbBdXcTHbQI_er1CH2b-Z3fKSsTj3G_d8oN8aAqIoEALw_wcB#isbn=0471177504&idiq=1535729





 

This is the part I hate. Sitting... waiting... Yes, we know the pattern is changing, but everyone wants to see concrete evidence, they want to see a big snowstorm barreling toward us like a giant avalanche. I know because that's what I want.  But I (we) have to be patient. We've had our 60 days of cold, 30 days of warmth, so it's now time for our 60 days of cold again. Winter is knocking on the doorstep, no question about it. But until the models can get it all figured out... we wait for our storms.
I have a lot of pictures of me when I was younger and growing up in Nashville,  playing in the snow, and maybe that is one reason I love snow so much. I remember going out and staying out until your feet were frozen. You would come back in, throw the clothes in a dryer, eat something, throw the clothes back on and head back out.  They were great times. I remember one snow that was so large, that we blocked off the top of the hill where we would sled with a big berm of snow so no one could drive through. The mailman wasn't happy with us. 
 These early pictures had to have been taken when I was about 5 years old, so around 1960. I don't remember the snow back then other than from these pictures and only remember this house from these pictures. 



 
But I do remember the snows we had when I was in the 6th grade on up. Listen to Bastardi talk about the winter's of the 60's, and you'll understand the snows I grew up with. Those snows brought so many great memories. And we're not talking little snows, I'm talking BIG snows. Take a look.
I'm sure everyone has some favorite childhood memories and pictures of snow, so feel free to share them here. 


 
My sister

 
My mom

 
"The Big Dipper"

 
Me on the back of the sled with my tongue sticking out, Robert Hagstrom driving. He went on to write "The Warren Buffet Way"
https://www.thriftbooks.com/w/the-warren-buffett-way-investment-strategies-of-the-worlds-greatest-investor_robert-g-hagstrom_bill-miller/251273/?mkwid=sGAAUWCGY|dc&pcrid=70112890512&pkw=&pmt=&plc=&pgrid=21326630352&ptaid=pla-485630667792&gclid=Cj0KCQiAvebhBRD5ARIsAIQUmnn86fJPe0goaigXQctAbBdXcTHbQI_er1CH2b-Z3fKSsTj3G_d8oN8aAqIoEALw_wcB#isbn=0471177504&idiq=1535729





 

This is the part I hate. Sitting... waiting... Yes, we know the pattern is changing, but everyone wants to see concrete evidence, they want to see a big snowstorm barreling toward us like a giant avalanche. I know because that's what I want.  But I (we) have to be patient. We've had our 60 days of cold, 30 days of warmth, so it's now time for our 60 days of cold again. Winter is knocking on the doorstep, no question about it. But until the models can get it all figured out... we wait for our storms.
I have a lot of pictures of me when I was younger and growing up in Nashville,  playing in the snow, and maybe that is one reason I love snow so much. I remember going out and staying out until your feet were frozen. You would come back in, throw the clothes in a dryer, eat something, throw the clothes back on and head back out.  They were great times. I remember one snow that was so large, that we blocked off the top of the hill where we would sled with a big berm of snow so no one could drive through. The mailman wasn't happy with us. 
 These early pictures had to have been taken when I was about 5 years old, so around 1960. I don't remember the snow back then other than from these pictures and only remember this house from these pictures. 



 
But I do remember the snows we had when I was in the 6th grade on up. Listen to Bastardi talk about the winter's of the 60's, and you'll understand the snows I grew up with. Those snows brought so many great memories. And we're not talking little snows, I'm talking BIG snows. Take a look.
I'm sure everyone has some favorite childhood memories and pictures of snow, so feel free to share them here. 


 
My sister

 
My mom

 
"The Big Dipper"

 
Me on the back of the sled with my tongue sticking out, Robert Hagstrom driving. He went on to write "The Warren Buffet Way"
https://www.thriftbooks.com/w/the-warren-buffett-way-investment-strategies-of-the-worlds-greatest-investor_robert-g-hagstrom_bill-miller/251273/?mkwid=sGAAUWCGY|dc&pcrid=70112890512&pkw=&pmt=&plc=&pgrid=21326630352&ptaid=pla-485630667792&gclid=Cj0KCQiAvebhBRD5ARIsAIQUmnn86fJPe0goaigXQctAbBdXcTHbQI_er1CH2b-Z3fKSsTj3G_d8oN8aAqIoEALw_wcB#isbn=0471177504&idiq=1535729