8/17/08 Captain Jack's Repossession Repo Cruise to PC thru TPC #4

[captaincrash]

Hope everyones Sunday is going well.......Just got home from Germany...So i'm still gettin used to DSL...........and a 6 hour time zone change !!!

Having roller coaster fevers with my daughter - an hour ago it was 101.5-101.9 --- now it's 100-99.5. Plus she has sniffles but otherwise shes' in good spirits. I wonder whether this is the end of it or.... not?

And on the Yosemite stay ... I decided to forego staying INSIDE the park and choose to go with a RELIABLE option just outside the lower main gate. We went with the Yosemite View Lodge (pictured above from he Merced River) - supposedly a secret Best Western property. It ran us slightly less at $125 for thier LAST room available. We've got a river-view room, micro kitchenette (pictured) , spa tub, heated indoor pool with indoor and outdoor jacuzzi tubs. Plus it's the closest hotel to the Yosemite west gate and 40 minutes to the valley floor... as opposed to being ON the valley floor. Surprisingly, my spouse suggested it'd be fine to stay at ne of the nicer hotels like the Awanee if we could get one of thier promo rates - like that was gonna happen at this point.

We had been waiting on about a dozen familes who were considering joining us - so we tried to line up houses to rent or were considering the condo complex as that still had several units available to rent at this late stage. However, it seems a majority of families have withdrawn and the last couple remaining families onthe fence are still on the fence. SO we decided to committ for what was best just for us at this last minute .. well ... with 3 weeks to go it's the last minute in my opinion.

At any rate - the Tripadvisor reports were mixed and seemed to be faked backstabbing gestures with the Yosemite West condo complex - and with 43 entries there were only a few generally neutral entries which I trusted. Compared to this - the prospect of staying 40 minutes away instead of 20 minutes off the valley floor seemed tolerable considering that the Yosemite View Lodge had 290 Trip Advisor entries with this volume ranking it a solid 4 of 5 stars - and there sem to be countless balanced entries with photos - plus many glowing entries with candid looking photos. AND it was about $75 cheaper! How could I pass this one up, eh? Besides - the heated indoor pool (below) and jacuzzi was a clincher with the swimming inclinations of my family!

The only thing is we'll NOT be able to upgrade to a rented house as we might have with the other management companies if we had gone with the Yosemite West Condos. Thus - if one of the fence sitting families joins us then we'll not be able to merge into a house - and our hotel is now sold out - unless a cancellation emerges just in time for a last minute Charlie committment to come.

At any rate, I am reasonably pleased with this choice - and the only thing is we'll be pretty far from Badger pass for skiing - I figure it'll be about an hour away each way - which is still tolerable. But then again, skiing is not the primary reason for going. I can only hope to capture sights likethose just above and below here - snow and uncrowded roads and memorable vistas are what I am seeking for the family.

 

[captaincrash]

hehe....I knew what it was, just wanted to through out some odd ball answers

 

[allshookup]

I alluded to this in chat last night...feel free to skip this post...

RANT WARNING

Well, so far DH and I (maybe) are going on TOAL. The kids, notsomuch. I now know why Passports are being processed so fast. NO ONE IS PAYING ANY FREEKING ATTENTION.

For the kids, we got their old passports back with a letter stating that they are too far away from the expiration date (2012) to renew them. Ummm, we aren’t renewing these passports, that’s why we had to fill out (and pay for) an application for a new passport. The best part…no birth certificates! They not only cashed our check, but kept the kids birth certificates! DH called “customer no service” as Clark Howard would say and got the run around. We have to apply again…using the same forms we just used…and we have to pay again…and apply for a refund that we may or may not get from the first time…and of course the $25/per fee we paid at the post office is not refundable since they did their part…AAAAARRRRGGGGHHHHH!

So basically we have to do the exact same thing we just did and hope for a different result...and pay for it!

We are going to get back on the phone before we do any of this, but regardless, this whole thing is ridiculous.

OK rant over, thanks for listening, carry on.

Wow M, I wonder how many checks they'll keep before they get it right?

Thought this might be of some interest!!! This is a peep show.

OMG that is disgusting! I am shocked & appalled!!!

Having roller coaster fevers with my daughter - an hour ago it was 101.5-101.9 --- now it's 100-99.5. Plus she has sniffles but otherwise shes' in good spirits. I wonder whether this is the end of it or.... not?

And on the Yosemite stay ... I decided to forego staying INSIDE the park and choose to go with a RELIABLE option just outside the lower main gate. We went with the Yosemite View Lodge (pictured above from he Merced River) - supposedly a secret Best Western property. It ran us slightly less at $125 for thier LAST room available. We've got a river-view room, micro kitchenette (pictured) , spa tub, heated indoor pool with indoor and outdoor jacuzzi tubs. Plus it's the closest hotel to the Yosemite west gate and 40 minutes to the valley floor... as opposed to being ON the valley floor. Surprisingly, my spouse suggested it'd be fine to stay at ne of the nicer hotels like the Awanee if we could get one of thier promo rates - like that was gonna happen at this point.

At any rate - the Tripadvisor reports were mixed and seemed to be faked backstabbing gestures with the Yosemite West condo complex - and with 43 entries there were only a few generally neutral entries which I trusted. Compared to this - the prospect of staying 40 minutes away instead of 20 minutes off the valley floor seemed tolerable considering that the Yosemite View Lodge had 290 Trip Advisor entries with this volume ranking it a solid 4 of 5 stars - and there sem to be countless balanced entries with photos - plus many glowing entries with candid looking photos. AND it was about $75 cheaper! How could I pass this one up, eh? Besides - the heated indoor pool (below) and jacuzzi was a clincher with the swimming inclinations of my family!

Looks beautiful Crash! I hope you have a fantastic time!

 

[justmestace]

TroubleMAKER indeed!​

​

Do ya think if they get it done by August we could set it up on the Secret Deck 7 verandah?

I can see where you two would be GREAT role models for my delinquent...I mean DS.

 

[justmestace]

From a Yahoo group:

How awesome would that be? I had read you could mail in entries, and I thought "Yeah, like that would work"...I thought they probably tossed any mail-ins. Wow.

 

[justmestace]

Help me girls! What would you think if I had my dress cut down to more of a column/straight skirt? I have to bring it in for alterations anyway and I thought I'd play with the photo to see what it would look like. Doesn't look so much like a prom dress.

Well, it would make it more "slimming".....the straighter the line, the thinner you look. Just harder to walk in.

 

[justmestace]

Hanging out and waiting for my booking to open on DCL for the June cruise. I got Megan & Dave's things done at the 105 day mark....first time that I've not had concierge for myself. Luckily, I only have 2 excursions I want to book, and no spa. I added myself to their Palo Brunch and Tea. (I'm paying for it, they can share!)

 

[justmestace]

My parents are on yet another cruise and I stupidly offered to keep their dog while they were gone.
Very, very sweet dog but he is blind and very old. This means that he runs into everything and he has to go outside every 2 hours- 24 hours a day!!! It has only been 2 days and I am already in a coma.
We put much thought in the best place to put him but my house is a landmine. I have no clue how I am going to be able to cope when I start working tomorrow. My Mom swore he would just sleep all day in his bed- ha! Lie #1
Secondly she said he does not make any noise at night. Lie # 2. I realized there was a reason they started keeping him in their pantry- all the way across the house lately.
Next Sunday seems very far away.
I cannot imagine what I am going to do next year when they go on their "cruise around the world" for 4 months. I am sure I will end up in the funny farm.
God love this dog. He is a dachsand and I think around 15. They adopted him from a neighbor that could not afford to give him proper care 5 years ago.
He is blind due to a stroke so unfortunately there is not a surgery or medicine to help him.

Since the poor dog is so old, you may not have to worry about "next year".
You could try putting a "doggie diaper" on him at night....at least you might get some sleep that way. They sell them at PetsMart.

 

[Lil' Grumpy]

just.."almost"...for all that beggin? , .






...pbager...your such a sweetie. she from dayshift,
and its hard to support such a lost..., [ before knowing they're
her cousins...i saw their pics in the paper. thinking, they both
had the same hair do's..so i thought...that was going to a
terrible situation to deal with for the family. ], at work...she
told me, what is so hard..to accept....,is her being so young..
and never having any kids....or meeting anyone...special..all
things we take for advantage. that hit home...of all the
common dreams..we have for our children.

 

[paulasillars]

I've always wanted to do a cruise around the Hawaiian islands. We went to Ohau and Maui for our honeymoon and had a blast.
Our cat Reebok used to sit on our luggage whenever we pulled it out to pack
Can't wait to hear what you think of the cruise.

I just keep telling myself to not compare to DCL - we are going to be very open minded and be determined to enjoy ourselves anyway.

 

[paulasillars]

Um,excuse me Tom.....how do you pronounce the 4th place on your list?

Its pronounced Pooh-ket - I've seen someone around town with it as a personalised license plate, I'm guessing they pronounce it a different way though

 

[paulasillars]

This sounds like such fun! That is... the land deal AND the Hawaiian Cruise. I've often mused what we'd have to do in order to put a house on a spread of vacant land... and the considerations for water wells, utility hook ups, zoning, permit/construction requirements have always left me wondering how I could evaluate the VALUE of a potential purchase. As I am mostly interested in the FINAL utility of a stretch of land... as opposed to holding for the returns.

The people we are buying from have to install the well and provide power and phone services to the boundary and all fencing. They also have to deal with the council on the zoning and permits for the subdivision. All we have to do it pay for it decide what to do with the land while we pay the mortgage.

The bank said there shouldn't be any problems getting the loan approved so looks like we are a good to go.

Exciting and a little scary though. We've been mortgage free for a while now so I don't look forward to going back down that path again but I think long term its a good idea.

 

[radioclash2]

YUM - Now I want a WAWA hoagie. They are just not the same out here in CA as they were in Philly. Granted we have 2 cheesesteak places that get Amaroso Rolls here for their cheesesteaks. One is right next to my office. I try only to treat myself 1x a month.

Amoroso rolls? What more could you ask for?
The only thing I miss while on vacation is my Wawa Coffee.

 

[radioclash2]

Do ya think if they get it done by August we could set it up on the Secret Deck 7 verandah?

I was wondering the same thing, Mike.

 

[radioclash2]

Help me girls! What would you think if I had my dress cut down to more of a column/straight skirt? I have to bring it in for alterations anyway and I thought I'd play with the photo to see what it would look like. Doesn't look so much like a prom dress.

Debi, It looks good cut straight.

 

[captaincrash]

The people we are buying from have to install the well and provide power and phone services to the boundary and all fencing. They also have to deal with the council on the zoning and permits for the subdivision. All we have to do it pay for it decide what to do with the land while we pay the mortgage.

The bank said there shouldn't be any problems getting the loan approved so looks like we are a good to go.

Exciting and a little scary though. We've been mortgage free for a while now so I don't look forward to going back down that path again but I think long term its a good idea.

We'd use a good real estate attorney to review the contracts in this case - and I'd obtain engineer reports certifying the performance of the wells, plus probably insist on soil engineer reports as to the suitability of the pad for construction and site. I get leery in THINKING about what the sellers position is... IE, what has been the holding period of the seller ... are they of what nature ... a large corp or some individual who just inherited it and knows little of RE investing, land value, trends, and even the simple history of his/her familys' holding on that particular tract.

I've had friends buy into several hundred acres intent on subdividing and reselling. Themere act of subdivision is a huge BOON for the owner... in general.

Also, while you're not building on it - does your land offer any grazing value to any farmers? you could generate a little revenue off your otherwise non-performing land if you could lease grazing rights, eh? In the USA, there are lucerative benefits for engaging in farm activity on your land. I once read of how the property taxes are recalculated on an anchient methodology that protects a farmer against normal property tax... and so modern day businesses and savvy individuals have been exploiting this loop hole where it remains open... and assuch it was cited how a 40 million dollar hotel resort was paying an insulting fraction of thier land / structure valuation in property taxesbecausethey kept a handfu of cattle conspiciously on their property... where obviously the primary purpose of thier land was C1-2 or 3 (commercial) but it was zoned agricultural with the handful of cattle to maintain the technical qualification of the property as agricultural - in name alone.

As such... i maintain a steady curiosity in undeveloped land. One day I might do a similar thing. I've been known on occassion to buy those home plan magazines to look over the floor plans for ideas and so on.... even though I currently hold no vacant land that is suitable for a residential home for my taste.

So - how far off the nearest significant population center is this tract you're buying? Does it have any significant elevation of views as a result? If so - I've heard that building a home at the top is NOT a good idea if winds are prevailant any significant amount of the year. it has something to do with the wind velocity and dust / wind erosion you're exposed to with a home at the top. As such some i've spoken to mentioned they wouldhave been far wiser if they had sited the home just short of the top of a hill ... odd, eh? I figure this depends upon the frequency and INENSITY of the winds at your hilly site.

At any rate, I just checked my daughters' temperature and she measures perfectly normal! Also her skin temps seem normal too. WoooHooo! Maybe if this is true in the morning then her weekend illness is at an end!!!!

Time fer me ta slip away into the realm of shadowy rest ... blissful dream and wispy mystery. TTFN ...

 

[captaincrash]

I was wondering the same thing, Mike.

Well... this sounds like FUN! What do you think of these 2 designs presented here.. http://www.moonshine-still.com/page2.htm

Or what about this design: http://homedistiller.org/designs.htm

http://homedistiller.org/image/mini_explained.jpg

​

If we cut a few of the "crew" in we might get away with operating this for the entire voyage... but I was thinking of settingit up on secret veranda deck 8 - it's smaller les popular and might be securable if we leave a phoney "closed" sign up semi-permanently.

And now ... just to set things striaight... remember....

I'm just hanging around here lurking ... thus, I'm stil the INNOCENT one here Mike...​

 

[captaincrash]

I just keep telling myself to not compare to DCL - we are going to be very open minded and be determined to enjoy ourselves anyway.

Paula,

If ya REALLLLLLY wanna experience an "OPEN MINDED" cruise vacation... then you must sail Costa. Now THAT is a FAR CRY from what we get on Disney. The costa kids clubs were the most horrible ones imaginable and the dining was comparatively unvaried and .. well.. different. However, Costa was also the CHEAPEST 7 nite sailing we've ever taken on a realtively new and large ship - and it visited a series of excellent cruise ports too! So go figure how it must have been to qualify as one of my most OPEN MINDED experiences in cruise travel!

OK.....for the 3rd time .. I'm going to turn in now...​

 

[sk8ingmom]

grumblegrumble Monday grumblegrumble

 

[LITTLEKID58]

GM

Presently 51 going up to 74 here in Sunny Central Florida.

and prayers to everyone who is going to need it today

aboard to all the newbies

Happy Birthday and Anniversary to all we have missed

Have a great Monday......