Grass seed planted in doggy park is coming up nicely.  I was spartan on the spreading because I wanted to see if it would stick or just flow off down the hill and end up in a bunch at the bottom.  For the most part, it stuck. So, I will be spreading much heavier application - just as soon as I have my energy back.

No, the electrician didn't come and now it's been 13 days since the power company installed the poles - and - I texted him about finishing the project.  I just contacted the main contractor and let him know - since all of this was through him - that if his electrician doesn't show by friday I will be attempting to find another electrician that will come out and do the job.  

The main contractor and the electrician have their own businesses, they should understand the need for getting things done in a timely manner.  Apparently they don't care or are just aloof.  It's gotten to the point of ridiculousness.  The main contractor - amazingly - contacted me back 2 minutes later and said "I will let him know".  I imagine this electrician will brush it off and basically tell me to go **** myself, that's the attitude I've gotten from him since after he installed the utilities for the individual site hookups.  

IF I do business with this main contractor again, it will not be with the usage of this electrician.  There are other, just-as-competent electricians in town with high marks and reputations that can also do the job.  

It's just a bit disappointing I can't get this guy to come out and finish the job.  

Well that was fast.  The main contractor must have said "something" to this dude because all of a sudden, I have a text message from him saying that he is "fixin' to go run the power lines".  I have to stick a cattle prod up their @$$ apparently to get them to do anything.  On high voltage setting.  Excuse the French in this post, but this stuff went beyond the "I'm starting to get pissed off" stage weeks ago.  

No power = no operation running.  No thanks.  Whatever it costs, it costs, get the damn s*** done, please and thank you.  

That will leave the gravel install and then I can really turn up the heat and get this thing going.  I have an intended start date for December 1st.  Later than I wanted, but that is what I am shooting for.  It's going to be awfully difficult to go back to work in December, my finances will be getting low - unless I really get a good amount of revenue stream coming in - I'm not sure I'm going to go back to work this year or wait until after the New Year.  

I've tightened up the money purse even more, just buying needed things - that's mostly for the house and eating and the dog and stuff.  Fuel for the vehicle.  If I need a tool out there, then yes I'll buy it if I absolutely need it. Otherwise, it's just the regular, recurring monthly bills and I'm getting rid of more of that as well.  Small stuff, but it adds up.  

My credit score is low now and I can't get a loan without high interest rate.  I knew that was coming.  After I get a job, I will apply for enough of a loan to get my credit usage down to below 10%. That will shoot my credit score back up so that later on next year, I can apply for a large business loan.  For now? I'm just going to let it stay low and probably use even more credit to get things started. Such as the down payment for the insurance and the initial start up fee for the campground software.  

I wish I could put the gravel for the main driveway on hold, but it's an absolute necessity.  It's just something I have to do without even thinking twice about it, especially after looking at it again today. However, I don't need as much gravel as I thought. There are stretches where apparently the gas company came in and dumped some random gravel.  But, it's going to be 2 grand worth regardless.  

Maybe a little more if I really want to do some parking for boondocking. I'm wishy-washy on that.  That's probably a couple of truckloads.  Just spread it out, mark the lots and that's it. No hookups of any kind, just a parking space.  I don't know the demand for such things in this area.  That would probably only apply to travelers coming through and moving on the next day or possibly people that just don't want to pay full lot prices and can deal with having to find a place to dump their holding tanks.  If I do it, I want 4 spaces and see what happens.  It will be included on the reservation site, everything is going through the website and I intend on having as near as automated park as I can have.  

I'd still charge them $20 per night to park there.  

Laundry facility - even just one of each machine - greatly concerns me.  Many people want that particular amenity or they won't come to your place.  Thousands of dollars I really don't have atm.  I have to figure this out and somehow get this done - sooner than later.  

I dunno, I'm just riding along with the tide on this one. The first customers just texted me asking if I was still on track for the middle of November.  Uhhh, I might be!  Lol I can't say for sure until that gravel is installed. 

If I lose them, I lose them. I wasn't looking anyway, they just happened along.  

Well, more research today after I got some things done. 

 Feeling rather hellish this morning, I had to force myself out of bed and at least take a shower to try and get to feeling well enough to take a 30 minute phone call concerning park insurance. I am definitely doing price comparison shopping with this one.  The first one is 3k per year, I'm hoping that can come down - a little or a lot, but something. 

The phone call is in 20 minutes.  Then tomorrow another phone call with a campground reservation software company - basically it's software that allows customers to pick dates, pay for them etc etc etc.  It isn't accounting, either, but the one I'm speaking with tomorrow can upload to quickbooks without any manual inputting which is a huge plus. 

I doubt the gravel will be done this week and iffy for next week as well.  Just when I want to get it done, boom!  It starts raining.  It rained 2 nights ago with the weather report saying there was only a 4% chance.  Not at my house, either, over at the property, which is only 4 miles away. Weather patterns can be quite strange.  

So, about the time the dirt is drying out, we will get to Friday with a 74% chance of rain. And then, with the weekend to dry out, we get more rain on Monday.  

Onto other things.  A simple 15X15 platform made out of 2X6 lumber will cost around $600.  So, it would take 24 nightly rentals to pay that back.  ROI or Return On Investment.  It is worth it?  Not now.  I have a place set aside for tent camping and yes, I did a poll on an RV site. Most people don't care if it's on a slope, as long as it's on/near the top of the hill, not the bottom. 

Of course.  2 other spots are going to have to have platforms, it's that or get a dozer and level it out and then have to build a block wall.  Yup, a platform will be cheaper - much cheaper and easier - than all of that with a dozer.  But I'm figuring around $600 per platform so I have an idea of what I will be getting myself into.  

I think a group campground, after thinking about it, is out of the question.  That large area would be better served with a fancy glamping setup.  Too much logistics in trying to figure out how to get a bunch of people down there and get their equipment down there for a large campground setting.  Build a 30X30 platform instead, put a large (huge) canvas tent on the platform, put appropriate furnishings and amenities in it, walaah.  Yup, almost impossible right now. Glamping necessarily means electricity and that would mean running a line for about.....1,500 feet.  It would cost literally thousands of dollars just to run the electrical line back in there at the cost underground power line is running right now. 

Likely I will build a large platform back there, use it for tent camping and then upgrade it further down the line.  

Unfortunately, I have a problem with the main driveway - that the gas company is supposed to maintain - that I will have no choice but to shell out the bucks and fix myself.  There is a 10 foot long area where water builds up on the wrong side of the driveway - meaning it just pools there and erodes the driveway instead of flowing downhill.  If I had only thought about this when I had the machine...

I could have brought a bunch of dirt over, build it up and then when they bring the gravel, divert some of it to that area.  The entire length of it needs a 2 inch layer of fresh gravel dumped as well.  

It's about 2k to have it shipped and dumped, not including spreading it, which I would do myself with a $280 per 24 hour period machine I can rent.  Why not do the rest of the park too? Because I have no experience with this stuff and it will be far easier to spread over an existing driveway than starting from scratch. 

Just off the phone.  The insurance provider asked a plethora of questions.  I have very few amenities so it made the application process easy and simple. He didn't even ask about dogs or walking trails - so I brought them up. He said yes, that's included under your liability protection already.  Great! The other company asked a lot of questions about both, but particularly the dog situation.  It's a granted that many if not most parks allow dogs. That's because lots of campers ... bring their dogs with them! I used to when I was camping.  Full-timers especially have pets with them.  

Ok, the price? No idea. He said he'd have a quote for me next week.  

I doubt I will do any more insurance quotes.  2 is enough, to be able to compare prices. I'm almost set to pick a campground software package as well.  Just need to get on the phone with these people and get some specifics.  

That leaves Quickbooks. Yes, I know I was going to start on it the other day, but I didn't.  I'm trying to work through all of this desk stuff - stuff I greatly dislike but will grow to "love" and embrace.  

That leaves buying stuff.  Minimal...stuff.  Finances are getting down there and it's really time to get this thing up and running.  

All I can say is...I'm trying.  Doing my best, applying myself to learning a lot of new things and attempting to get this thing going - soon, please.  

Meanwhile, I figure I'll need 105,000 pounds of gravel for the existing driveway.  Sounds like a lot but that's only 7 truckloads give or take.  It's money I don't want to spend but do I have any choice? People driving in 100, 200 and more K rigs are not going to want to be driving them over half-assed driveway conditions. Not that every rig that comes in is going to be that pricey, but those are the ones that bring in more money.  

The biggest thing that needs to happen right now is the gravel, because after that - immediately after that - I have to spread the grass seed and start watering it. Yea, pain in the @$$. I'll be spending a lot of time just trying to get that done.  And I still need a riding mower to cut all of that grass.  The grass, gag.  I need that gravel in!

Oh well.

Off to the property. Whether I plan on doing work over there or not, I'm over there pretty  much every day just making sure everything is intact and that no-one has been fooling with anything.  

G'day