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Spaulding Smails

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Everything posted by Spaulding Smails

  1. I can remember circa 2005 when Texas was a solid #2 in that list doing the run rates and extrapolating that we'd pass Michigan around 2020. That didn't work out so well.
  2. Your place? Or corporate setup?
  3. Subscribed. We're considering a house along the coast in the next few years. I agree with @Brew that this decision really depends on what you want out of the property. If you want to show up once a month, drive a four-wheeler and shoot .22s, and build a campfire, but otherwise have a "lock and leave" setup, this may not be the right decision. If you enjoy working on projects (especially if you're buying something that needs work), and you like to tinker with tractors, build shit, etc, then hell yes! Go for it. From our perspective, we're going to look for a stand-alone house, potentially even doing new construction. I have a special needs kiddo, so we have some specific requirements for him that can be tough to achieve in a condo setting. Referencing the Smithville / Winchester area specifically, my uncle, his brother and his dad bought 85 acres about 10 years ago in that same area. All three of them live in the Richmond / Rosenberg area, so it's not a bad commute. Already had a nice house, pond and barn. The three of them get along great, and they (cumulatively) still use it constantly. Heck, they've bought two tracts of adjoining property since then and now have about 150 acres. Here's the caveat. My uncle has three kids, two in HS and one in college. He's up there MAYBE twice a year at this point. If this was his and only his, it would've been sold within two years of purchase. But, his dad and his brother are up there damn near every weekend. They're now running cattle, and constantly working on projects up there. His dad is retired, and his brother works a flexible schedule with both of his daughters are out of the house, so there's plenty of time to handle all the chores around there. One con... About two years in when my uncle's brother and dad were still working quite a bit and none of them had as much free time to get up there, they hired a local kid (late teens) to help around the place. Good kid, worked hard when they were up there. He'd help with the cows, fixing fences, etc. They trusted him, and started having him take care of things while they were gone as well. He ended up falling in with a REALLY rough crowd and got talked into hosting a multi-day party / bender at my uncle's place. End result was being robbed of all electronics, guns, tractors, equipment, tools, etc. Longer story to go along with it, but they literally caught them dousing the exterior of the house in gasoline and were less than 10 min from him putting a match to it and burning it to the ground. So, if you do outsource help, consider that can be a rough area and good help is always hard to come by.
  4. We've typically leveraged our points on beach-type trips. Not sure how it's recovered from the hurricane in 2018, but we stayed at the Autograph Collection on Scrub Island in BVI and it was awesome. That was six years ago. Did Playa Largo (also Autograph Collection) two years ago in Key West and it was nice. We're considering French Leave Resort in The Bahamas this year. Most of our Marriott point trips (with the exception of BVI) have been leveraged in conjunction with Southwest points, so we tend to stick near those locations, and I don't have much to offer outside of those areas. I accrue a significant amount of points, but not a "shit ton", so I've always tried to find point values and avoided splurging on Ritz / St Regis properties.
  5. That's awesome. Shingles should be super easy. Possibly put down some felt paper first with a slap stapler if you have one. Cedar shingles should be pretty easy to install and will be a nice touch. Send more pics as you continue working on it!
  6. @Okie State that's very cool! Construction looking very nice as well. You're doing a good job. What are you doing to cover the plywood? Roofing material or just siding material? We built something very similar for my business partner's kids last Christmas. We put it up on legs about 4', added a railing and put wall on the back side. We just did siding material on the exteriors of the A-frame. They loved it.
  7. Two great days on the water this weekend. First day was a TON of birds but all super early. Finished with a four-man limit in about an hour. Day two was a bit slower at a different pond. Birds shut off after about 45 minutes, but still a good hunt. Ended up with 18 birds between the four of us.
  8. I know. I tend to err on the side of over-abundance.
  9. Change it to Carta Blanca, bring some homemade corn tortillas, and you have yourself a deal.
  10. Bump. @ChampKind, I'm cooking next weekend for 'bout 75 people. Probably 50 adults and 25 kids. We're doing cabrito. I have two 13-15 lb on order. Picking them up Friday. My Argentinian buddy and I are cooking over open coals with iron crosses. I'm planning on supplementing with brisket, chicken and sausage under the premise that probably half of the crowd will steer away from cabrito. I'm thinking 4 briskets, a dozen whole chickens quartered and another 20 lb of venison sausage. We'll have a BIG pot of pinto beans and plenty of other sides too. Seem about right?
  11. 213 orders in 2019. Issues on two of them. Both ordered by my wife. Both bullshit Chinese crap. Otherwise flawless service. We probably over-use it.
  12. That's a great deer. Where are you hunting? I'm guessing San Saba county.
  13. That app is pretty good for sure. I'm in the same boat. I don't necessarily plan around moon phases, but I pay attention to them when I'm headed out or when I'm on the fence about a trip. For example, we have a full moon this Saturday. I was thinking of running to the ranch for a quick trip Saturday, back home early Sunday. When I was reminded of the moon phase, I decided to scrap it. Doesn't help that my dad sat in a blind last night and didn't see much movement. Rut still hasn't kicked off in Kimble Co from what we've seen.
  14. So true. I've been to more than my share of Lutheran funerals in Seguin, TX that prominently featured this delicacy.
  15. Not so sure about that. I've been around hunting dogs for most of my life, and some of the best bird dogs I've seen found the occasional skunk. One of the best pointers I ever hunted with in South Texas got sprayed twice in the same day. And, before you reply... yes, I'm defending my dog. And no, I don't think he's a dumbass. This is my fifth lab to own and first one to ever be hit by a skunk, but still the smartest dog I've ever personally owned. I'm not saying he's a world-class field trial champion, but he's not a shovel-head either.
  16. I can't disagree. He's a heck of a bird dog, and he's been snake trained, but he's just too damn nosy. I was wondering this weekend if anyone offers "skunk proofing". I'd love to de-funk a skunk, put him in a cage, turn my dog loose with his shock collar and "educate" him on not getting close to a skunk.
  17. Could not agree with this more. My oldest is incredibly bright. Consummate over-achiever and off the charts from a GT perspective. My middle son is severely developmentally and physically delayed. He'll always been in our care, and can't assimilate much in mainstream classrooms. My youngest (daughter) is sharp but not "gifted and talented" and will probably be the most successful one in the family, but that's a different topic. We moved a few years ago for a number of reasons, but finding a school district that could meet the needs of all three kids, despite their completely different trajectories, was the biggest driver. As a parent, I think you have to know when to push the schools and when to back off. For my oldest son, we've told him to fend for himself (see post above). For my middle son, we've had to claw and fight to get him the resources he needs, and although our current school district is light years ahead of our previous school district, we've still had to fight to communicate his specific needs, battling typical barriers, and coordinating with doctors and therapists to ensure he has a consistent approach that gives him the best opportunity to succeed however that is eventually defined. Our previous school district kind of scratched their head and said, "we're just not sure what to do with him". The current school district sets goals (however seemingly minor they may be) and ensures a consistent approach towards his care and education. But, even with a defined strategy, you encounter individuals who aren't on the same page, and when you're dealing with a special needs kiddo, you've got to fight for them every step along the way. I think that advocating for your children is the right one in this instance. We advocate for our two "typical" kids by giving them the resources they need to fight their own battles. We advocate for our special needs son by strapping on armor and going to the front lines to fight for him.
  18. @Al_4_ISU public school. 6th grade athletic prep class. I was somewhat shocked (and pleased) to hear about it as well.
  19. Anyone ever use one of these? Installed an old walk-in cooler last year and the condenser (which was 20+ years old) took a shit. Thinking of going this route as a replacement. Primarily because I can install it myself. https://www.storeitcold.com
  20. Bingo. My son had his first dose of middle school punishment a few weeks ago. They had to spend a full period of OFIs (Opportunity for Improvement... which is an awesome term by the way). That mean running lines, push ups, planks, etc. It whooped his ass. It was the result of other kids raising hell in the locker room. Everyone that was in there was punished. He was lamenting the punishment to me that evening. I told him to get used to it. It won't be the last time you have to pay the price for others' actions. The one moral we've always harped on in that respect is "don't put yourself in a bad situation". Sometimes you can control that, other times you can't, but you always have to be prepared to face the consequences, whatever they may be. And, if you don't want to run gassers anymore, but a boot in someone else's ass so your whole team doesn't pay the price for their shit-headedness.
  21. Yessir.
  22. Booked Telluride over spring break for the family. Staying slopeside at a house in Mountain Village. We haven't been to Telluride in almost a decade. Last few trips have been Breckenridge and Vail. This will be the first time that we're going to drive instead of fly. Coming that way from Austin area. Definitely going to break it up into two days of travel both directions. Any thoughts of the best route? I'm spitballing here, but I was planning on trying to make it through Big Spring / Roswell to Albuquerque on the way there. Then, come back through Clovis to Lubbock on the way back. Trying to front-load the drive to make the second day more manageable in both directions. Planning on using Marriott points for those hotel stays along the way which is why I'm using Albuquerque and Lubbock as our overnights. Any other suggestions?
  23. Same here. They pay "brand ambassadors" to pimp their gear. And, they have purposefully steered towards people that they feel embody more than just being an outdoorsman. If you watch their YouTube videos, they seek out people like JT Van Zandt for reasons far beyond just being a good fisherman. One can argue the value of the product or the success of the marketing strategy, but they have stuck with their philosophy of being more than just a cooler.
  24. I'm admittedly a Yeti snob. Prior to the IPO, I had an "in" to employee pricing, and since then, I still get a pretty decent discount. I have far more Yeti coolers, drinkware an swag than I should. But, I just don't get this V-series cooler. I'm sure it holds ice like a champ, but my two big hang ups are: -How is that exterior going to hold up over time? My rambler is dinted and dinged from drops and bumps. What is a cooler going to look like after I accidentally swing it into my tow hitch or a half cord of firewood in the back of my truck slides and hits it? -Isn't it going to be hot as shit in the Texas sun? I wouldn't want to sit on that thing in shorts when it's been in the August sun all day.
  25. Pulled a few interesting pics from the cameras last weekend. [/url]
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