Tuesday, August 9, 2022

 Although it isn't really going to change anything at this point, I do wish this contractor would have told me all the things he has to do in order to build a park, for I didn't know about a couple of these phases that cost a boatload of money.  I'm at 43 grand owed for what they have done up until now, which doesn't include the 12 grand already paid to clear the trees, 5 grand for the pedestals and whatever else I'm forgetting.  Oh, $3,200 for the water tap.  

I might have thought twice about even doing all of this or would have at least thought about alternate methods of funding if I had known these extra costs.  I'm not upset or anything, it just would have been good to know.  This contractor knows what he's doing but he's not a real good communicator.  He's pretty much full blooded redneck and in some ways that's good and in others, a bit lacking.  

Anyway.  They are allegedly coming tomorrow morning - which isn't that long from now lol, I just got home from Brownsville and it's almost 11:00 pm - to build the office building. I say allegedly because there is a 54% chance of rain tomorrow and tho we really do need the rain? I don't need it to happen tomorrow.  This dude asked me for information to get a loan on this project - I didn't want to spend even more of my cash that needs to go to finishing up the septic and gravel - and he didn't expect me to get the loan because I am "from out of state".  He is based in Louisiana, I'm in Texas.  

I wondered what difference that would make, who cares what state I'm in and he's in?  Maybe some obscure rules I don't know about.  So, about half and hour later he calls back and says I'm the first one that he was ever able to get through a loan for out of state/Texas.  I had informed him I have good credit?  What's the big deal?  Anyway, the only down payment is the first month's payment and that's only $219.  

I hope they don't report it to the credit bureaus, I don't need it and it may actually hurt my chances for getting another personal loan of the size I may end up needing.  It's only a year's worth of payments and it's over and done with.  This is a far cry from anything else I found anywhere.  Rest assured, I made lots of phone calls, texts and facebook inquiries plus visiting places that sell them.  I held out so long because I balked at the cost of a shell of a building with nothing but flooring installed inside. I'll have to add electric, water and sewer plus drywall, fixtures and whatever I want in there.  

Is that a do it yourself project, you ask? It could be if I had the time for it, I know how to do all of that stuff.  I may not be an expert but I can put out a decent end-result.  Well, I've never laid granite tile on floors, that's what I would like for the bathroom/shower.  The problem? All the spare time - I don't have! 

Yet, to pay someone will be in the thousands of dollars range just for the labor.  So I dunno yet.  I just want it there and get that portion of it out of the way.  I want one bathroom with a decent shower, a washer-dryer set, a soda machine and probably a candy/junk food vending machine.  And a locked room for the wifi equipment.  I will put a cord or two of pre-packaged firewood out front of it with a camera on it and guests can buy it on the credit card they will have on file.  I wouldn't mind putting an ice machine in there, but I think that a bit much for only 14 lots worth of people.  There will be cameras with a view of the entrance and anything outside. I dunno if it's kosher to put a camera inside, but I'd like to be able to see the vending machines and the door to the locked room for the equipment.  The laundry room will be enclosed and have a key pad lock.  Guests that want to use it will simply pay an extra fee at the registration online and get the code.  

It's a thing of convenience more than a thing of money making. I just want, for now, the machines to be able to pay for themselves.  Vending machines may or may not be a good idea, who knows, but I will buy them outright and stock them myself.  

The advice coming to me from a few sides is to rent out to long term.  I may do that if it looks as tho my hope of having overnighters and several-dayer's coming and going doesn't work out.  It may be that the only way to work it without having a full time staff is to have long term until I can expand the park and be able to quit my job.  Then I can be there daily and run the place.  Right now? I'm trying to automate most of this, hence the reason I want security cameras wherever it's prudent to have them.  You go into a Walmart and you'll see more cameras on the ceiling than you do at a casino.  Convenience stores - really all kinds of places both public and private have cameras everywhere.  

I'm just saying that for the people that think that is a bad thing.  It's not a bad thing when you aren't there. I want to be able to see what's going on in "public" areas. I don't want a view of the lots and the people on them, that would be freaky. But I do want a view of the driveway and whoever is coming and going.  

Anyway, I guess I best be off to bed.  I don't know what time they are going to call telling me they are coming. The guy said "around 10".  What if it rains? I wondered, he knows about the rain but that's not stopping him?  I need to get that trailer and 4 wheeler off that hill. I'm going to try to drag the whole setup out of there with my SUV.  I really need some help with it, but James will be at work and a few other people are also going to be at work. Other than calling a tow truck to winch it out of there (which is a possibility), I have to try to do it myself.  My SUV is large and heavy, I have no concerns about that trailer pulling that thing down the hill, but I need to be able to see what's going on behind me.  

I guess my bad, but I haven't really spent a lot of energy trying to make new friends in this area.  I know a few people but not that many, really.  I have lots of friends, they just don't live anywhere near here.  Even more of them dying off : (  People I have known for decades, just going away. I know it's the normal cycle of life, but it seems odd so many of them in such a short period of time?  Yet, one of my best friends is almost 90, you couldn't tell it by listening to him.  His mind is sharp and he's still pretty agile for his age.  

I only threw that in there because if I had invested the time and energy to make more friends, I could just call someone to come help me.  I mean, the 7 year old isn't going to be able to help me with any of that. He loves going over there, but yea, the best he's going to be able to do is record it on video.  I'm home so late I don't even know what's going on with anyone tomorrow. But, rest assured, with cooler temps, Addler is going over there with me : )  

Regardless, I'm going to hook the strap to the trailer and to the hitch on my SUV and try to pull it straight back.  The 4 wheeler is the loose goose here, what will it do? Stay straight or try to stray sideways?  It doesn't have to go a long way to get to a level area where I can drop the trailer and pull the 4 wheeler off of it and hook the SUV back up to it. 

If it's raining or the ground is wet, I am not taking it down that hill. It will have to wait until  the ground dries up.  It's pretty steep and my SUV is not a 4 wheel drive.  I can just see the tow bill of having to pull the thing out from the bottom of that hill. It's at least 200 feet down.  Oh! Well the other thought I had was to take that quick crete off of the trailer - it's 800 pounds worth - and see if the 4 wheeler will back it up without all that weight on there.  It was trying to push it back, it just couldn't do it.  No wait, it's almost 1,000 pounds worth.  I bet if I took that stuff off of there the 4 wheeler could get back up or even go down the hill without my feeling like I'm risking my life lol.

Anyway, g'nite. 


 Friday late-morning Typical morning when there is no work.  It was, I should say, until the new guy called.  "There's nothing wron...