This Old Dean House - Sideyard Plans
I teamed up with AI to design an outdoor space in our side yard area (off our kitchen). I told it all the stuff I wanted, and it came up with a pretty decent starter plan. Then I went outside to stake it all out. After that, I waited for Emily to get home to see if she liked everything. Spoiler Alert: She did not like it all...but she did like most! So, we now have a sideyard plan!
6 Years Later - 100K RV Tow Truck Review - Ready For Another One?
It’s been almost a year since we went RV’ing. Since the last trip, my tow vehicle (2019 RAM 1500) crossed over 100,000 miles (and the certified pre-owned warranty expired). I needed to decide what to do about that.
• Our Tow Truck (What We Started With)
• What Has It Costs Us So Far?
• Buy A New Truck OR Keep The Old One?!?
• What Will A New (Or Slightly Used) Truck Cost?
• What About Keeping Mine With Extended Warranty?
• What Did I Choose (New / Keep / Keep w/Extended Warranty)?
• Getting Ready For The Next 60k+!
• What Has The Truck Costs Me Over 6 Years?
• Why Did I Keep My Existing Truck?
Pickett SP and Big South Fork REDUX (Jamestown, TN) - Deano's TN Favorites!
Gran's Memorial Day Trip! We headed to revisit two of our favorite places in TN (this time with more family). REDUX! We headed up to Jamestown, TN, and hit Pickett CCC Memorial State Park and Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area (Twin Arches) again. We saw cool caves, cool arches, climbed ladders, and revisited the spot where Emily broke her toes (a few years ago).
BEFORE and AFTER - Den Remodel - This Old Dean House
It could have just been some drywall patching and a little paint. It wasn't. Foundation damage, ceiling damage, and a whole-house plumbing repipe turned what should have been an easy room into a darn big project. I think we moved in and out of the Den four different times over many months as we lived through the renovation. Regardless, it wound up being the first room that we fully completed in This Old Dean House!
White Sands National Park and White Sands Missile Range
Emmaline left us to head back home, leaving two grown adults on their own in the desert. So we did what any responsible (?!?) adults would do in that situation...went sand sledding! After that, I obtained a top-secret security clearance to access a missile testing facility. Lets! Go!
"Emergency" Mulching - This Old Dean House
This was the most challenging house project we've undertaken so far. But I liked it the most. The area near the street is still a mess, but it is much better than it was. I put this emergency to bed with my trusty shovel and some back-breaking work. Whoever put gravel in this area is not a friend of mine anymore!
This Old Dean House - Outdoor Renovation List
We've been doing inside renovations for several months, but when the weather warmed up, I got to thinking about all the outside projects/renovations. I'd rather be outside than inside almost always. I go from 1) there isn't that much to do to 2) I'm so overwhelmed I'm crippled really quickly. LOL Emily and I don't agree on everything, but whoever works the hardest with the shovel wins. The good thing is I have the rest of my years to "putter" on all these outdoor projects. We'll see how it turns out.
Big Bend National Park - Rio Grande Village, Boquillas Canyon & Hot Springs
On our final day in Big Bend National Park, we headed over to the eastern side of the park. We stopped at the park's visitor center (movie) and hiked on Dugout Well Trail before heading over to Rio Grande Village. Once there, we headed to Boquillas Canyon. I wanted to ride a canoe and donkey over to Mexico, but the girls did not want to do that, and the border was closed anyway. Deano = SAD! Instead, we hiked the Boquillas Canyon Trail. It was hot, so why not drive down a small (did I say small) gravel road and visit the Hot Springs area (hot x2)!
Saylor is doing what DOES makes sense in a world that DOESN’T make sense (at times).
Valuations (equity and bond) are based on future cash flows (not balance sheet strength). This is kinda asinine, BTW.
Same in real life. If I go to a bank and ask for a mortgage they qualify me based on my income (future cash flows) and credit score. The banker does not give a crap about my assets (balance sheet). I know, because I’ve asked. I could have $2 million in stocks and a $25k income and I’d not qualify for a $400k mortgage because my income is too low. Even though I could pay off the loan 5 times with assets I own.
If my income was higher and I had zero in stocks they’d make the loan. What?!?
It is literally the dumbest model on earth. It makes no sense in the real world. I’d much rather loan money to someone that I know has enormous assets than someone who doesn’t. Who wouldn’t!?!? Evidently banks. 😂
I could get a loan another way but that is convoluted and not the way the housing market works. Why is this market so dumb?
Stock and bond valuations work the same way. Companies get no real credit for a solid balance sheet. It is all based on earnings/cash flow.
Saylor is building a balance sheet. He is getting no credit for it (by the Wall Street Bros). Issue financial asset, use proceeds to buy Bitcoin, increase balance sheet power, rinse repeat.
Wall Street Bros just call it a Ponzi scheme or say he is increasing risks by “leveraging” his balance sheet (even though he isn’t) and cite his operating cash flows as unable to service the debt.
Never mind he can cover his debt service for many, many years from assets he has on his balance sheet (which have real value in the real world...and are likely going to appreciate).
Common sense would say this makes much more sense than trying to figure out how much money he might have come in at some point. He has the assets NOW…ALREADY.
What he is doing makes sense in the real world. It doesn’t make sense in their world.
I guess we’ll see how it plays out. I know what I think. 🤔
Long $MSTR
Long Bitcoin
Long Saylor
Big Bend National Park - Chisos Basin and Lost Mine Trail
It was hike day in Big Bend National Park for us. For various reasons, we didn't do the South Rim Trail (sad face emoji) as I planned. We wound up doing the Lost Mine Trail. It could not have been too much worse. It was the perfect hike. It also saved us about 10 miles of hiking. Regardless, the Chisos Basin is a very pretty mountain system. Sometimes, less is more!
Big Bend National Park - Ross Maxwell Scenic Drive & Santa Elena Canyon
This was one of my favorite days at Big Bend National Park. The Ross Maxwell Scenic Drive was beautiful. It had lots of stops for exploring/hiking. I was so busy taking in the sights that I even did a full face plant on one hike. Emmaline and Emily throughly enjoyed that! We ended the day at Santa Elena Canyon for a very interesting hike along the Rio Grande. What a beautiful, scenic day! Hmm, maybe that is why it is called the Ross Maxwell Scenic Drive?!? Deano = Smart!
Getting To Big Bend NP - Terlingua, TX
We were heading down to Big Bend National Park, and it was a haul! I'd never been to West Texas. There is A LOT of open space...OPEN...A LOT. Emmaline was going on the trip with us, and I'd tried every way possible to talk her out of coming. I was worried about the "remoteness" not being her cup of tea (or Emily's either, for that matter). When we finally made it to our destination in Terlingua, TX, I was surprised by how much fun we had. From leaving the house at 2AM, to staying in a yurt in the middle of the desert, long waits for food, and long waits for gas...it was A LOT. But it was the perfect home base for our visit. Sometimes getting there is half the fun!
Got a little 'light landscaping' planned for the 4th of July holiday weekend. #hot #johndeere
Finally...Window Treatments - This Old Dean House
The window treatments that were in the house when we moved in had seen better days. It was the first thing I wanted to update (because it had crack house vibes). Also, I don't want to be walking around half-naked with people looking in at me. Emily said we had to wait until almost everything else was done. She was right to wait. I've never been so excited for a window to be covered in all my days!
Biking Carriage Trails @ Acadia National Park
So. Much. Fun! I was somewhat skeptical of the e-bike. "I don't NEED an e-bike!" Well...I didn't NEED it, but I WANTED it! I quickly got used to the electric assist on the bikes we rented. We covered 30+ miles on the Carriage Trails around Acadia National Park. It was fall, the leaves were beautiful, and there was a nip in the air. It made for a very enjoyable day of exploring all around the park.
Acadia NP - Hiking (Climbing) Beehive
Utterly Terrifying! LOL We've done plenty of hiking in our days. I use the word 'hiking' VERY loosely. This 'hike' would barely classify as such. There was definitely some climbing on this one. Some very disturbing climbing. But as with many things...we are glad we did it! Probably won't do it again...but glad we DID (past tense) it!
Acadia National Park - Ocean Path & Cadillac Mountain
We started off our visit at Acadia National Park by driving around the park loop road. We explored the Ocean Path. We timed the tide coming into Thunder Hole perfectly. The same tide almost got us at Sand Beach. We had a date (and time) to get up Cadillac Mountain, so we headed up from sea level and took in the panoramic views. Then we headed back down to the Ocean Path and explored Otter Point. We wrapped up at the very pretty Jordan Pond to preview some of the trip's later activities. From seashore to mountaintops, all in one day.
Visiting Maine's Lighthouses
We hit 5 lighthouses while wandering around Maine. My favorite visit was a sunset lighthouse visit at Bass Harbor Head (near Acadia NP). Ironically, this was also my least favorite parking lot of all the lighthouses! Many had the same idea we had. My favorite lighthouse in the whole state was Portland Head. All were worth the visit, however.
Traveling Maine's Highway 1 (Bar Harbor, Portland, Kennebunkport, Ogunquit)
We hit Maine to visit Acadia NP, but visited several towns along the coast (along Highway 1) while we were there. We saw lots of cool towns, hiked many beautiful coastlines, and visited tons of lighthouses. We saw Portland on the way in and out, stayed in Bar Harbor for a few days, and hit Ogunquit while staying one night in Kennebunkport.
