High Tech on the Homestead

 If you've spent anytime on this blog, you know by now that we are doing the whole off-grid thing.  It's solar powered, heated by wood in the winter, cooled by sweat in the summer and filled with love all year long.  But this isn't the turn of the 20th century, and I need to do more than sit in this rocking chair reading and smoking a pipe.  It's 90 minutes, one way, to my office.  Ain't nobody got time for that!

Recent health silliness has forced everyone to work differently.  Many of us, deemed 'essential' have just kept on keepin' on.  

So for those folks, you get it.  I am able to work from this humble off-grid mountain cabin because I leverage the power of technology to bring the office to me.  And I'm not alone.  How do I know, you ask?  Because my company does it for a bunch of small and medium sized businesses in Oklahoma, Texas, Florida, Missouri and Idaho.  We provided managed IT services and IT consulting, allowing those businesses to remain connected, secure, profitable and operational, even if the cities are burning and the government is lying.  

Remote workforce?  Check.

Email Security? Check.

Tulsa, Oklahoma IT Security Consulting?  Check.

Managed IT Consulting?  Check.

Check us out.

We know how to get I.T. done.

A Day on the Illinois River

The View From Up Here

The canoe made a dull scraping sound as we pushed it into the current.  The girls had tested their life jackets and approved with large, delighted smiles as they floated effortlessly across the surface of the water.  As we prepared to shove off we were met with our first obstacle, a large downed tree about 100 feet from our launching point.  A few moments later we were blasting around it, the girls nervously crying out ‘daddy?!’ as I told them to keep their paddles up to cover their eyes.  Then it was behind us and the river opened up into miles and miles of memories.  Over the next 11 miles I watched my daughters grow from timid and fearful to relaxed and experienced.  That’s what the river does, you see.  It’s relentless push, it’s consistent power, it’s methodical, mechanical movement – all the while alive – changes everything that it touches.

My eyes drifted from the daughters in front of me, young and free, to the deeply cut valley through which we paddled with it’s rock steps and towering tree lining and I could not escape the immensity of the scene as it unfolded before me.  This same river that carved the valley now shaped my girls.  With each passing mile their smiles became more relaxed.  Like the rocks that we raced over, worn smooth by the steady hands of the river, so my girls were being changed.  Did they realize it?  Of course not, they were just having fun.  But the change was happening to them, unbeknownst to them, as they paddled along the river.  Before long they were picking lines to aim for in the water, sensing where to point the boat by the color of the water or the presence of obstructions protruding.  A few times we were spun around in the canoe to where my eldest daughter, no longer on point in the front was in the rear, facing backwards.  I called out commands, ‘spin in your seat’ or ‘paddle hard on the left’ and each time we would right the vessel and resume our march down the river. 

What these girls don’t understand, what I barely do, is that these days we spend playing on the river are sweet memories for me to cling to as we both grow older.  But they are more.  They are also solid granite foundations upon which these girls will grow, climb and reach higher than they realize today.  I love my little girls.  I must accept, however, that just like the water must push the canoe and the rocks must be smoothed by the current, they too must grow.  So I look to this partner which has flowed since long before I was born to help me raise them right.  Days on the river will turn to nights under the stars.  Time spent learning and marveling over God’s creation will turn to a deep love and appreciation for His goodness and love for us.  Those lessons, carved out together and indelibly as the river valley under the pressure of the water, will press their marks deeply into my daughters’ character.  It will shape who they are and who they become. 

But before then, there is another downed tree to navigate around.  There are more smiles to light up their faces and warm my heart.  There is more laughter to join with the singing birds and babbling water over the rocks.  There are more moments where I look at them when they don’t realize it and I thank my God that they are mine, there with me, floating down God’s river.  These moments slip away  like the water through my outstretched hands over the edge of the canoe.  I know I can’t hold that water any more than I could stop these moments.  So I cherish them, allowing them to bring joy and hope for the future while being a refreshing blessing for today.

I look ahead to see Zoe fast asleep in the middle of the boat.  Rori is back on point helping me to guide and steer.  My mind drifts back over the generations that have used this river.  It has a written history during the Civil War in America and, no doubt, generations before that in the unknown Indian histories.  How many fathers have hunted, trapped and fished these waters with their daughters?  How many families have beached their boats and laughed over lunch?  How many men have watched as their daughters became women, right before their eyes over the weeks and years spend here?  Each time I set foot in the river I am confronted anew with how overwhelmingly blessed we are to have this land.  I feel like a king as my family splashes and jumps and plays.  Only a truly rich man can take his children each week to a place like this to enjoy life together as a family like we do.  The sight of another stretch of rapids pulls my thoughts back to the task at hand.

Zoe wakes up and helps to steer us towards the center of the rapids as the canoe bounces and accelerates.  I hear one of them say “This is the best day ever, I don’t want it to end”.  Me either, I think, me either.  And again, I am richer than a man like me deserves.  In just a few days we will be on the river again.  And the week after that we plan to take the boys and mom too.  We are blessed.  We are rich.  We are doing it.  And, for that, I am eternally grateful.  I came to this river for the first time about 15 years ago.  It left it’s mark on me then.  Here’s to many, many more years enjoyed first with our children and then with theirs.  

A Homestead Birthday, Part 2 of 2

As the sunset on Friday night and I settled into my chair to rest from the work we had done I knew that folks were en route to the first family and friend camping night at our homestead.  The weather was forecast to be unseasonably warm and what had started as a guys only trip had happily grown to include no less than 4 families with 10 kids and 3 dogs.  The remoteness of our location mandates that folks meet at a prominent landmark and then caravan out to our place.  I stayed to make sure the fire was ready (and safe) and to ensure that our chairs (especially mine) were not absconded with by a band of rabbits on the run or a bear in need of home decor.  Basically, I was exhausted and needed a break.

About 7 pm I saw headlight coming up the road and the festivities officially commenced.
A good buddy and his family showed up and promptly pitched 6 hammocks for his crew plus 2 more for my older daughters. Another family arrived with their new tent.  A team effort got that baby up.  My girls set up camp for my wife and youngest son. Another buddy opted to sleep under the stars with my elder son and me, but more on that later.

With camp set the whole crew settled in around the fire.  There were burgers, steaks with peppers and onions and shrooms, hot dogs, marshmallow, chip, soft drinks and harder ones.  Kids laughed, dogs barked, adults adulted and I enjoyed what can probably be described as one of the top 10 nights of my life.  When the eating was done a guitar and harmonica kicked off some gospel singing complete with multi-part harmony.  At one point I even heard a Bon Jovi guitar riff and think a cowboy on a steel horse rode by.  The kids headed off to their respective tents or hammocks about 9 pm.  The conversation ran the gamut from classic rock bands to whether or not we would see the eclipse that night.  Cigars were passed around.  The laughter and conversation completely ignored the fact that most of these folks had never met each other.  While they were all buddies of ours they had never, in fact, met each other.

Let me stop here to tell what will go down as one of the highlight of my life.  Friday, February 10th, 2017 I slept on the floor of what will become my house.  My son and I camped out under the stars on the floor that we build a few weeks before.  I laid there listening to him softly snore and watched the moon move across the sky.  There was an eclipse scheduled but someone forgot to tell that to the moon.  It blazed all night long and provided ample illumination for my imagination.  I laid there thinking that this floor may support me until my confident, strong strides are replaced by the shuffling of elderly feet.  The 5 year old boy who slept next to me may very well walk through the door we have not yet framed and stand on this very floor to tell me that he has met 'that girl'.  It could be that my daughters' children learn to walk on that floor.  It was a moment I hope to not soon forget.  Granted, it's just a small cabin in the woods.  But I am building a family and a heritage much more than I am building a cabin.  As I drifted to sleep I was wrapped in a cloak of contentment that I am enjoying more in the last year than I even imagined possible.


The kids were up for keeps by 6 am and I could see from my position on the cabin floor that they were doing their best to eradicate the remaining marshmallows for breakfast.  We fired up the cast iron one more time and cooked up eggs, steak, sausage and tortillas.  The conversation picked up right were it left off the night before.  We covered various views on political topics including healthcare, constitutional freedom and how expectations varied based on where folks grew up.  We covered the various interpretations of the sin of Noah's son, the pros and cons of compulsory military service and the varying degrees of freedom from and dependence upon a government and how that impacts the lives of people.  Cigars returned and it was determined that 930 am is absolutely not too early for hard cider when one is camping.

I couldn't help but marvel how far the folks had traveled to find their place around our fire.  The feet gathered that day in the foothills of the Ozarks had walked in South Korea, the Philippines, Mexico, Virginia, California, Vermont, Saudi Arabia, and Germany.  We laughed and learned and bantered until 1230 when we couldn't put it off any longer.  The real world was calling and, if we were to answer her, we would have to break camp and get cleaned up.

I find myself saying this a lot now but I am richer today that I was before that camping trip.  New friendships were kindled.  Older ones put down deeper roots.  My children hosted their new friends in our woods.  When we all said our goodbyes and headed back into town I was simultaneously thrilled and exhausted.  I noted that night that our whole crew was in bed by 8 pm.  It was a full, rich
weekend spent enjoying God's creation and one of His greatest gifts of friends and family.  Monday I head back into the office to tackle computers and end users that really have no business saying they know how to use them.  But I'll do it knowing that I'm never more than an hour or so away from peace and quiet.  And if all goes well inside of the next 7 months we will be living there full-time.

Here's to hope that gives men courage to dream great things and the resolve to make those things happen.

Windows and Doors - Legal Stealing at the Auction

She'll clean up nicely!

2 days ago my bride and I woke before the sun and prepared to do battle at the monthly auction.  We suited up in thermal boots, layers of socks, pants and jackets.  The thermometer said 29 but so did the wind gusts which made for a long, cold morning.  I had hoped to find a nice exterior door and 6 windows with screens.  We set our budget (well, she set our budget and I never really confirmed or denied that I heard her) and we set off.  Now, keep in mind that I love the auction more than just about anything else involving money.  Come to think of it, it's the only time I will really spend money freely simply because it is the most clear example of supply and demand economics I have ever found.  The market really does set the rates on those wind swept fields.  If the crowd thinks something is worth $100, it sell for $100.  If they think it's worthless, it is.

I never intended to purchase windows from a 'real' store but I had checked their prices and knew nothing was happening under $150 a piece for a window or $300 for a door.  That's not happening...not after a man learns the auction way, my friends.

The first item to enter my cross hairs was the door.  We picked up a solid wood exterior door with inlaid glass, partially frosted, for $20.  I've priced this same door since then at over $400.  Sold!

Next up were the windows.  There were
6 aluminum windows in 1 lot.  I needed 6 but these were not my first choice.  The auctioneer stepped over, announced that they were selling all 6 for 'one money' and started the bidding at $10.  No one moved.  I waited for a moment and offered $2.  No one moved.  He looked at the windows and tried to rally more bids but folks has already started moving on.  It was cold, the crowd was irritated and I just bought 6 windows for $2.

About 50 feet further down the line was another set of 8 windows of a slightly higher quality.  I stepped up as the auctioneer started the bidding at $10.  Bids came in at 2, 3, 4...I capped the bidding at $7.50 each and collected 6 of the 8.  At this point I have 12 windows under my belt $47.  There were 2 more lots of windows to go.  I picked up 6 more in the next 30 minutes never paying more than $10 for any single unit.  When the dust settled...well, let's be honest, the dust never really settled, it howled all day long.  But when the bidding was done I was loading up 18 windows and a lovely exterior door for $125.

Frosted Privacy Windows

Thanks to the help of a good buddy to help me load and another good buddy that loaned me a trailer we were able to get them all home safely...almost.  I turned out that someone took exception to my bidding success and opted to deposit some tobacco spit and a large rock in 2 of the windows.  Granted, they were kind enough to do so on the lot of 6 that cost me $2 but the gesture was classy regardless of the economic impact.  The only other loss was more attributed to our less than OSHA approved tie down methods.  We we so careful.  We drove so cautiously.  We stuck to roads with minimal pot holes.  We kept it under 60 the whole way.  We were home free.  I could see the turn off to my street.  Then, casually, my buddy announces 'yup, we lost
one'.  I looked up in time to see a frame exploding into the grass along the side of the highway.  What do you do in a situation like that?  Well, we stopped to adjust the tie downs and make sure there were no police in the area.  Then we boogied home without further incident.

Crescent Accent Windows

I'll have more auction tales to regale you with down the road but I just wanted to take a minute to remind those of you thinking about taking the plunge to build your own dream cabin.  First, paying retail is for suckers and folks spending tax payers' money.  If you work hard to get your green then learn how to roll at the auction.  Even at conservative estimates I have $2,000 worth of supplies in my shed now for $120.  But the number is probably closer to $3,500.  And secondly, tie that stuff down well.  Or at least make sure no one is behind you when it decides to launch itself into the air.  Windows do not respond well to highway surfaces at 50 mph.  Who knew?

Subfloor phase 1, complete.

This weekend marked a major milestone in the off-grid cabin build.  The foundation was dug last spring.  We poured the piers and set the rebar and blocks in the fall.  We framed the subfloor last month.  As of Saturday night at sundown we have a decked subfloor on phase 1 of the cabin.  Over the next month I hope to secure doors and windows from the local auction and get the wall framing started.  

At each step in the project my wife and kids have been right there beside me.  My children have helped with digging, cement, framing and decking.  They've hammered, cut, drilled and ran a liquid nail gun.  In all of it I've loved watching their level of confidence grow.  Sunday after church they couldn't wait to get back out there.  A concert of  'this is awesome' and 'here let me help' is a sure sign that this project is working.  Folks are asking about our timeline or to see the entire project plan so I will put something together in the weeks to come.

One other thing of note.  It's been fantastic to see the friends that volunteer to help out.  I've never had to ask, folks are literally contacting me.  Buddies from church have lent their time and expertise, something that is sorely lacking on my end.  I'm grateful and humbled by their efforts to help me chase this dream.  A huge shout out to my buddy Wayne.  We met 15 years ago as broke college students.  We shared an apartment back in the days before either of us had met our wives.  That man have driven out several times...nearly a 7 hours round trip mind you, just to bust his butt all day.  This weekend's work would simply not have happened without him being there.

This first phase will include 2 lofts for temporary bedrooms until phase two is complete.  Phase 2 will effectively double our floor space and bring us over the 1,000 sq ft mark.  Stay tuned for more updates as we go.

Here's to building homes, relationship and character in kids.
Peace, ya'll.

Chainsaw + Flannel Shirt = Better Than Any Day in the Office

It's been 2 weeks since we dropped that massive tree on the homestead.  Today we braved the fog and frost, loaded up the family and headed for the hills.  I figured I would buck the limbs and then commence my counter top project, free hand, with my trusty chain saw.  Several hours in I could hear my buddy's voice in my mind.  "Kevin, you always over estimate your ability and under estimate the time this will take."  Four hours on the saw and I have at least that many more in front of me before I am ready to safely process that trunk.  Turns out I am a little less Paul Bunyon than I had hoped.  I measured it at 4.5 feet around at it's most narrow point.  It's better than 7 feet at the base.  I've got about a 12 foot run before it tapers past 4.5 feet.

I could see the grain when I cut off a side branch.  It is beautiful.  I'm calling it an Oak...others that know better feel free to correct that.  I would/will make lovely counter tops

Poulon Pro 18 Inch, Wolf Non Pro 38 Years, Glock 19 Perfection

I'm just not sure that I am the man for that job.  I will look into the cost of a local sawmill and see what they would charge, plus what I would cost in chiropractic bills to get it loaded onto a trailer.  At
this point, I have not given up totally on the concept but I did notice how nicely it served as a bench.  And that would require no heavy lifting.  We will see.

First Night On Our Land

Tuesday, August 18th, 2015

The beginnings of a driveway

Last night I slept on our land for the first time.  My bride’s brother and his buddy came out to help with some of the manual labor.  We arrived later than I had hoped but made fantastic progress once we got to it.  In approximately 1 hour they were able to clear the mouth of the drive of several large, downed logs and the bulk of the quartered logs.  They are sleeping now (611 am) but I suspect they will be awake soon.  Something about the sound of a chain saw running right outside one’s tent has a stimulating effect.

A word about last night, after the sun went down is in order.  I remember fireflies as a boy growing up in northern Ohio.  But they are other worldly here.  The night sky was literally popping with green bursts of light everywhere.  Those insects were brilliant against the backdrop of untold thousands of stars.  The nights are fantastically dark here.  So the contrast of the fireflies and the stars are breath taking.

I was awoken at 230 by the sound of something alive and moving around my tent.  It took me several minutes to find my flashlight, which seemed like an eternity with that unknown beast marauding around outside.  In the end, it managed to escape unseen.  In a related story, I was awake and covered in sweat for the next 20 minutes.  One last observation, My back is not the same as it was 10 years ago.  I woke stiff and sore.  I know exercise is in order.  Let’s see how it feels after a day of hauling saws and dragging logs.