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Upper Peninsula Michigan and Auction Win Outcomes

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I was up in Wisconsin and the UP (upper peninsula) in Michigan. It was a lot of driving after launching/landing in Appleton WI. I got an item off the bucket list by driving across the "Mighty Mac". Altough it was built in the late '50s. It is still the longest suspension span in the Northern hemisphere. It is a crazy long bridge with a crazy long suspension span. It was good to see the bridge in context of the seemingly endless forests of Northern Wisconsin and Michigan. The culture in the two haves of Michigan are noticibly different as you might expect. Great time meeting with folks both in WI and MI. The tractor I won in auction, seems to have paid off. This time I beat the odds. It was a really good deal. I have the "no-key, non-running, may have hydraulic problems, unknown hours" -auction win, running well with minimal cost and time. I have some more tweaks, maintenance and minor fixes but the major risks are gone.
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We continue to be amazed at the number and variety of rainbows we have seen on the farm and in recent times. We have seen more rainbows in the last couple of years than we have our whole lives. When we visited Bryce Canyon we saw a great rainbow on the way into the park (near the airport) and when we left (the next day) we saw another one at the exit to the park. That experience freaked us out a little bit. I saw and filmed sundogs, and other absolutely great rainbows. (most available on this server). This rainbow pic was this evening while the seven chickens were walking around the yard getting bugs, the llamas were grooving on the scene and the big orange cat "Tioga" was on the barn roof surveying all the work he had to do.
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I am relaxing today. Saturday was a long day (Following a long Friday afternoon and evening). Being the co-chair for the Toastmasters conference took quite a bit out of me. I was running from 6:00 AM past 10:00 at night all with a suit on in a social gathering/public speaking setting. I emceed the award ceremony luncheon for the deputy mayor of Binghamton; it went well, I was speaking and leading all day and all night. The hotel bill indicated that the 150 Toastmasters must have had a good time as well. It all adds up, dinners, lunches, breakfasts, snacks, speech contests, educational presentations, and all the other stuff. We spent more than we originally planned, but we made more as well. We have to finish paying the bills, reporting the finances and basically cleaning up. They gave me a nice plaque for my efforts. I was glad it rained all day Saturday; I didn't mind being stuck inside all day. Overall it was a good experience and good project management training. Most people avo...
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“Hard work without talent is a shame, but talent without hard work is a tragedy.” – Robert Half, entrepreneur
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Life around the Farm and all the other hobbies!

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Spring has sprung in Berkshire. The weather was great Saturday. I riggged up a tractor back-blade on the tractor and it has become a formatible dozer. We took the llamas for nice hike outback. The woods were as beautiful as expected; the buds are getting green and you can still see through the woods. Nothing is hidden by the leaves as it will be in a few months. I got some more sand for the garden and will be turning that in soon. The chickens have been having a great time picking bugs from around the house and letting us have their eggs. I went for a very nice plane ride a few days ago in a Cessna 172. The weather was near perfect. It was possibly one of my best flights ever. My interst in aviation is hightened lately; I was just reading about the DeHaviland Twin Otter aircraft. I am expecting to get a ride in one of these this year. They are 20 seat twin torboprops (Approx. 580 HP each) with a 12,000 lb takeoff weight. They seem to be very rugged and versatile. They are non-presuri...
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American West and Grand Canyon

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What a great trip! I have hundreds of photos. I am sorting thru them. I took a lot more photos than I expected. I have too much to say here. It was quite an adventure from a lot of angles. Denver was a great experience. We stayed no more than one night in a particular place. Our travels took us through the following cities, towns, parks or places: Buffalo NY Minneapolis MN Las Vegas NV Henderson NV Lake Mead NV Hoover Dam NV Kingman AZ Historic RT 66 (Hackberry, Truxton, Peach spring, Seligman) AZ Williams AZ South Rim Grand Canyon AZ Desert View AZ Tusayan Ruins AZ Cameron AZ The Gap AZ Cedar Ridge AZ Bitter Spring AZ Antelope Pass AZ Page AZ Glen Canyon Dam AZ Lake Powell AZ Marble Canyon AZ Lees Ferry AZ Soap Creek AZ Jacob Lake AZ Fredonia AZ Pips Springs National Monument AZ Colorado City AZ Hurricane UT Cedar City UT Mountain pass near Brian Head UT Bryce Canyon UT Mt. Carmel UT Mesquite NV Primm NV Denver CO Detroit MI "You think you had a hard day?"...
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This morning we had some snow. It stuck to the trees and was quite attractive. Click pic for video
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Well, I am back from Florida. It was good seeing my Brother, Sister and Sister-in-law Mary. My Sister lives about 3 hrs from my Brother in Jacksonville. James and Mary live in Brooksville. They enjoy the warm weather. I have to admit it was awful nice being outside enjoying the bird songs. Mary, Cathy and I walked and gathered trash along the roadside in the neighborhood. That was kind of fun. We must have gathered about 8 bags. It is somewhat amazing what lurks in the grass. James and I went for a bike ride on a bike path that runs through the woods. We rode 13 miles. It was all paved and I understand they have many more miles to ride as you like. That is fun. I do like bicycling. I ran quite a bit when I was down there as well. That felt good too. My feet have had to make an adjustment to the extra activity. This weekend I am watching tapes on how to gamble and win (lessen house odds) in preparation for our trip out to Las Vegas next week. I am also concentrating on work for the up...
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