Nothing new on the Montello front here. We're just working, trying to get things caught up from my no job hiatus. We are anxious as ever to get out there and we've talked and considered making the move with less money than we originally planned for. It will work either way, just be a little more difficult and take longer to get movin' once we're there if we have less money. We both think it may be worth it, though.
The other idea we had is to find a foreclosure home for cheap, buy it, and flip within the next year. If we plan that out, we could make the money we need quickly. It would also feed my desire to have a project going. I get antsy if I don't have something to build or fix up. We're loving the progress that
Geoff & Ellen are making. They are such an inspiration! I honestly couldn't picture their earthbag house turning out the way it has. I was actually a bit skeptical but they're pulling it off and it's gonna be a castle! Of course, they need to get that little one trained up and workin' for them. :)
I hope everyone is doing okay. Keep posting everyone, we ARE reading!
This weekend we joined my parents in Louisville, KY for the annual Abbey Road on the River festival. It is the largest Beatles festival in the world. Even bigger than Liverpool's! My parents have gone 5 years in a row now which is all of them. It was awesome. There's 60 bands and 5 stages. From Thursday night to Monday afternoon they play from noon to 2am. There's plenty of peace, love, food, drink, and fun. Here's just a sample of pics:
my parents
Here's a few of our favorite bands there
Sunday night they had a 'White Album' show and played the entire 2 album set...
They also have THE best Jimmy Hendrix performer in the world there (looks, sounds, skills)
UPDATE 04/23/11: After spending the fall and winter season thinking about gardening and our global bucket project I've come to a couple conclusions. They work...but best for tight spaces as they're intended. 1 thing I would do differently is some sort of trellis on one side of the bucket stretching upward instead of a cage. It would help the plant do what is does best...GROW UP^. It would be much easier to tie it off properly and be less stressful on the plant.
Well here it is..."Rizzo" in her full glory! I have to say that the
Global Buckets are the real deal. This plant grew fast and big. Drinks a gallon of water a day! Tomato plants normally take 75 days or more to produce tomatoes. We have at least a dozen growing and half of those will be ready within the week! Can't wait, the first one I am eating like an apple! Here are some pics (the first 2 are a couple weeks old and the last 2 are from today):
couple weeks ago
TODAY
Well, the Bestop soft top came in yesterday and I got a head start. I was going to wait and do it at my parents this weekend with my dad, bro-in-law, and nephew but I have 0 patience. :) So the top brackets are the most difficult part (IMO) and for me it was murder! The 2 sections that you are suppose to put together were not cut properly and they were NOT going to go together without alterations. So...I stopped where I was yesterday and then went to The Home Depot and got some metal files and screws. I spent the next 4 hours filing and forcing the brackets together. I feel like I do after the first day of working out after a year of being lazy. Also, the back window piece was missing the zipper slider on the top zipper so I had to call Bestop AGAIN and have them send me a new window. All that said, it was worth it afterwards...
p.s. It has also been running a little off since I had the exhaust work done so I had Jen pick up some new spark plug wires on her way home and that fixed it! Runnin' like a champ now! I'm so proud. If only it got better gas mileage :P
Here's what happens if you let an exhaust problem get bigger. Even more so, if you get a crack in the manifold and don't know about it. The last 2 owners definitely made the mistake that cost me. :( Everything is good now though! I'm surprised the thing would start much less run.
NOTICE THE ELECTRODES...OR LACK THERE OF! (Burnt to a crisp)
Well, of course, I started having some issues with the Jeep. We already knew it needed a new muffler & tailpipe. My last post I changed the spark plugs. It was definitely running better after that and the fuel cleaner. I took it to Meineke today to get the muffler/tailpipe/donut gasket done. Went to lunch, then went back over there to check on it and they showed me the large crack in my exhaust manifold!!! That turned a $200 problem into a $600 problem. Good thing is, that should be it with engine repair for awhile at least. We can get to work on the body and accessories. I am glad that they noticed the crack. I'm sure most mechanics would overlook something like that and then worse things would happen later.
I am also ordering the new top tonight! It's a Bestop soft top and JCWhitney is having 20% off through today. Jen and I are moving in July. We are trying to cut our expenses down and by moving we will be saving about $500 a month easily. We are trying to set ourselves a goal of 1 year so lookout Montello!
Well, we got us a Jeep! She's got character. It needs some minor work but it runs fine. I plan to spend a little money and get it whipped into shape. We can't wait to drive it in Montello! Here are some pics Jennifer took today while we were at my parents working on it. She is an artist with her iphone camera! My dad helped me do a little tune up on her, she does need more though.
Also, check out the cool, old military gas tank my dad brought home for me. It's gonna be a major decoration for the Jeep. Everyone reading please vote for the color to paint it after I clean it up. Your choices are: Standard gas glossy red or Military matte green. Please leave your vote in a comment.
