Jump to content

Spaulding Smails

Legacy Members
  • Posts

    973
  • Joined

  • Last visited

Posts posted by Spaulding Smails

  1. 11 hours ago, UT_OB1 said:

    1989? Was 7 F in Houston. I was a kid but remember it well
    https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/December_1989_United_States_cold_wave#Texas

    I went deer hunting with my dad at his friend's lease in Lampasas during that cold snap.  Two things I vividly remember:

    -Making homemade sternos out of lighter fluid and a roll of toilet paper in a coffee can.

    -Going to grab my dad's beer for him while he was quartering a doe.  It was frozen solid after sitting on the table for less than an hour.  

  2. 1 hour ago, 'stache said:

    I know for a fact I’d take a small business risk if I had that cushion. I had hoped to have some good years but it hasn’t panned out and i’m probably gonna pass “entrepreneur” start up age soon. Like someone said, it’s the generic lottery. It really shapes my politics, especially when there is disingenuous talk about “boot straps” and “personal responsibility.” Get fucked, that’s not how the real world works.

    You nailed it.  Having that fall-back plan is what would've been nice.  I took the entrepreneurial plunge in my early 30s with three kids and some savings.  It sucked.  It was (and still is) stressful, and I zapped my savings and put a halt on retirement investment during some peak earning years.  But, I would've done it MUCH sooner if I would've had a big trust fund to fall back on.

    I'm in a very unique situation with my kids.  I have a special needs son, so our entire long-term financial strategy is centered around making sure he has what he needs in life.  I'd love to retire, but that'll be secondary to having financial security for him.  My other two kids know it, and are OK with it (at least for now).  As such, we've already set up a trust for our family and a special needs trust for him.  If anyone has a special needs kiddo, I'd HIGHLY recommend doing it.  Unfortunately, a special needs individual either needs to have a ton of money in the bank or none at all.  We're early in the process, but the long-term financial implications of having a trust create the ability for them to have financial support without disqualification for state funding.

    Long term, in the event we're set up financially, I'd love to give my other two kids that cushion in the form of support to start a business.  Personally, I'd rather make them grind it out early to figure out how to pay their phone bill and their streaming services or drive a shitty car and skip fancy dinners and big bar tabs for a while.  I did that, and I truly feel like it gave me more budgeting discipline and a better overall financial foundation that I've since leveraged with some moderate success.  Once they prove that they can operate with financial discipline, I'd love to support them via an investment if they have the desire to craft a sound business plan that I could support where a traditional lender may pass.  That may be a business venture or a rental house or whatever, but that's the kind of stuff I think they could grow from rather than become dependent on.  

    • Hook 'Em 3
    • Like 5
  3. This is a really interesting topic that I think is becoming more common in recent years.  And, I don't think it's binary by any stretch.  And, you don't always know the entirety of the circumstances.  For me, it's more of a function of how the parents and the children act.  Are they humble?  Are they generous?  Do they stay grounded?

    I have three examples of varying degrees that kind of illustrate my perspective.  For the record, my folks were squarely in the middle-class when I was growing up but did well later in life.  I've never taken a dime from them.  Including paying cash for my first vehicle at 16 after mowing yards for 3+ years and paying my way through college with help from scholarships.  

    #1 - My BIL.  36 years old.  My in-laws are not wealthy, but are both retired.  He still has them pay his phone bill, cable, car insurance, and they provide him with free child care.  He's always driven vehicles that they've given him.  And, I know they made the 20% down payment when he bought his first house about five years ago.  This one's more about his bad life decisions and my MIL being an enabler.

    #2 - My buddy from HS.  His dad owned a mid-sized company that blew up right after we graduated HS.  He and his three siblings absolutely lived off the teet for the entirety of their 20s.  I remember him coming over when I moved into my second house in my mid 20s.  Built a nice custom home.  We got into a semi argument because he was convinced my parents bought the house for me.  He confided that his parents bought all four kids' houses for them.  But, to the credit of all four kids, it appears that they're somewhat independent and doing well now.  The two daughters married successful guys, and the two sons now run the business and have actually continued to grow it while their dad has completely retired.  To me, this one was more of the slingshot effect instead of continued dependence.

    #3 - My current friend.  We met about 10 years ago.  He's a few years older than me.  Our kids are the same age.  Lives in a nice house, but both he and his wife do well.  No extravagant vacations, no crazy toys.  Just normal folks.  A few years ago, we were sitting around a fire and talking about our parents getting older, wills, estates, etc.  I had never met his dad.  Come to find out, he has a fairly significant trust fund.  He said he used / abused it in his 20s, but when his son was born, he made a goal not to touch it.  He wanted to be independence.  He said it gave him the cushion to be independent and take chances in starting a new business.  Credit to him for being humble, but he probably wouldn't be where he is if he didn't have the comfort of that fallback.  

    So, to summarize, in my mind it's more about the person than the funds.  You can have douchebags who get their phone paid for and you can have amazing people that you'd never know had millions with their name on it sitting in the bank.  

    • Hook 'Em 7
    • Like 1
  4. 20 hours ago, dieucla98 said:

    Witnessed my 3rd hole in one a few days ago - #2 at Great Hills (one of my own + two others). 128 yards, 54 degree, tight draw, land, spin left - boom. First one ever for this dude and then he proceeded to shoot a 32 on that 9. Was fun to watch!

    Best of all, we're playing $1/point Las Vegas and he's on my team. I par the hole so we score a 13. Other team goes 3 + 5 but birdie flips the digits and eagle doubles so they get a 106. Netted $93 on just that hole plus all the free drinks after. Shot a 91 on the day and did not give a fuck.

    My business partner is a member out there and made an albatross on #1 a few months ago.  He proceeded to shoot a 34 on the front.  Sent me the scorecard where he mis-added and wrote a 35 in absolute chicken scratch.  I still give him shit for that.  If I had a freaking 2 on a par 5 with a 34 for 9 holes, it would be in my best penmanship and I'd make damn sure the total was accurate.

  5. My master plumber on staff is team no-drip.  We install frost-free spigots on all new construction, but he still recommends protecting those.  

    What he does suggest dripping when it gets down into the single digits or stays below freezing for more than 48 hours is hot water through any interior fixture mounted on an exterior wall and opening up cabinets beneath them where possible.  I didn't have any burst pipes in '21, but I did have three bathrooms where water wouldn't run because the pipes were frozen solid.  And that's with 1" insulation on all PEX plus spray-foam insulation on 2x6 exterior walls.  Neither of that matters when you're 4+ days with no power and the temperature inside the house gets down to the mid-40s.  

    The reason we had such carnage in '21 was compounded by the power outages.  Exterior mounted tankless water heaters don't do very well when they don't have power to keep from freezing.  And, once they're frozen, it's cost prohibitive to make repairs, so that means a full replacement.

  6. If you get bored, go back and look at the original list of items prohibited from being sold on certain days.  The one that always stuck out to me was pots and pans.  WTF?  How did that ever get passed into law?  Is there such thing as a kitchen implement teetotaler?

    The two big ones that I think are still in place are alcohol on Sundays / holidays and car dealerships not being open on both a Saturday and a Sunday.  Unless that last one has been repealed.  

    I got shot down by a convenience store clerk September 1.  Forgot to load my cooler the night before, and tried to buy a sixer of Lone Star at 6 AM on the way to the field for opening day of dove season.  Nope.  

  7. I've been to the ranch ONCE since hunting season started.  Was absolutely slammed at work throughout November.  Follow that up with a nasty staph infection for my middle son that's lead to now week 3 in the hospital for him.  Hoping to get there over New Years' weekend.  Even though the freezer is full from an axis this spring and an elk this fall, I'm Jonesing bad.

    • Hook 'Em 1
    • Like 4
  8. First opportunity to check the freeze tolerance of the new house.  I'm extremely happy that I ran a separate loop for water to the hose bibs.  Turn a valve, let them drain, and I'm done.  No more spigot covers.  

    I just need to hang a heat lamp next to my water pump and softener, and I should be good to go.  Hopefully...

    • Like 1
  9. First cold snap of the year, my wife always makes pot roast with a side of green beans, mashed potatoes and homemade rolls.  Night two, we have leftovers via an open-faced roast sandwich over toasted white bread with melted provolone and white sauce (bechamel) drizzled over the top.  I equate both to "old-school American comfort food".  The other night, my son said that would be his last meal if he had a choice.  

    • Hook 'Em 1
    • Like 1
  10. On 11/6/2022 at 7:56 PM, fluff said:

    What is everyone’s goto, everyday boot? Red Wings got rid of my trusty ole frat boot model with the short heel, so I am looking for something new, or I get the red wings with the taller heel. During the winter I wear boots 75% of the time and looking for something like a red wing that will break in well and last a while. 

    Any thoughts are appreciated.

    I wear Ariat most days.  I think I've cycled through these about every 18 months.  Rubber sole which works well given that I'm in construction.  

    https://www.ariat.com/SPORT_HERDSMAN_M_FOO.html?dwvar_SPORT__HERDSMAN__M__FOO_width=D_Medium

    And, I can now vouch for Alvie's.  Got my first pair a few weeks ago.  Good price.  Great service.  Good looking boots.  Owner is a super solid guy and a Texas State grad.

    https://www.alvies.com/

  11. 1 hour ago, hookemATL said:

    Thanks again for all the contributions. One other side question:  if I get everything deboned and cubed/etc, how long is too long to wait to get the meat turned into sausage/etc?  Roasts/back straps/larger full pieces I assume I can freeze as long as they are packaged properly (butcher/Saran or vacuum?), but should the sausage/jerky/burger makings stay unfrozen and processed quickly ish?  Trying to schedule a processing party and want to know what kind of runway I have. 

    I usually skin and hang my meat for 3-5 days.  We're fortunate that we have a walk-in at the ranch.  After deboning, I vacuum seal everything in the 15"x18" bags and throw it in the freezer.  The WT was from last January, Axis was from April and Elk was from October.  All the meat was great.  No freezer burn.  I pull everything out and let it get just barely thawed before we start cutting the muscles apart, removing silverskin and cubing.  And, I make sure it stays super cold throughout the whole process.

    Like @Reagan1k said, I think you can leave it for a pretty good chunk of time if kept cold and dry.  So, if you shoot a deer and you're going to process two weekends later, I think you're good.  I'd freeze it in vacuum seal bags if you're going to wait any longer than that.  

    • Hook 'Em 1
  12. 23 hours ago, hookemATL said:

    I am taking my first run at butchering/processing whatever deer I bag this year.  Have field dressed and quarted previously (and removed backstraps) but never taken it all the way through the process.  Not looking for anything fancy as an end product, just some sausage, jerky, steaks, and I guess stew/burger meat.  As a noob, I am looking for any of the basic tips or tools/etc. that will help make this a success.  I know there are a lot of off the shelf options when it comes to jerky/sausage kits etc., but I am hoping to tap into the collective culinary knowledge of surly's greatest wild game bouchers/bouchère.

    @Anastasis put together a really nice summary.  This hits close to home as we just did over 300 lb of whitetail, axis and elk sausages this weekend (and still have some elk left over).  A few tips that I've learned over the years in addition to what @Anastasis noted.

    -Get a group of people.  Kind of like making tamales, it's a lot more fun when you turn it into a social event.  If you're doing it solo, keep it manageable.  300 lb between my wife and I sucked and took all day Saturday, all day Sunday, and most of the evenings Monday and Tuesday to get everything packaged and vacuum sealed.

    -Buy the good shit.  Spend as much as you can on the grinder.  Get lots of lug tubs.  You'll need more than you think.  

    -Be diligent with trimming silverskin, removing tendons, etc.  IMO, it makes a huge difference on the quality of the sausage.  So much better when you don't have a big chunk of gristle or a wad of silverskin ruining a bite.  I think I'm going to buy one of these before next year.

    https://www.lemproducts.com/product/silverskin-knife-kit/meat-slicers

    -Keep everything VERY cold.  It's safer and the meat grinds so much better when it's almost frozen.  Clean your grinder parts between grinds, dry it and throw it in the freezer.  The friction will heat it up quickly, and when the fat gets warm it will start to gum up the grinder blade.

    -Add ice water when you stuff into casings.  We do one cup per 5 lb and that seems to be about right.  It'll make it slide through the casing much easier.  

    -Try different seasonings to dial in the flavor.  Keep a skillet nearby and make a little patty to try before you call it done.  We tweaked damn near every run in some form or fashion.  More salt here.  More pepper, there.  

    -Vary the sausage you make.  This year we did pan, Italian, Greek and chorizo (pic below).  We'll do boudain, andouille, regular smoked and jalapeno cheddar smoked later this winter.  We did nothing but smoked sausage at first, and got tired of it after a while.  We bought half a steer as well this summer, so we're set for at least a year on hamburger and sausage.  We won't have to buy a single link of sausage or a single pound of ground.  It's nice to get some variety out of the same meat.

    -Make sure you have a system set up to hang the links.  Cold smoking is awesome, but if you do the other varieties, you need to have a rack to hang them cold so the casings can dry out some.  We use our garage beer fridge and I rigged up some S-hooks to hang them in there.  

     

      spacer.png

    • Hook 'Em 4
    • Like 3
  13. 11 minutes ago, fattyflattie said:

    I use them for everything i have to get on paper. Usually at ~50 yds. I’m a big take my time guy on rings/scopes.  Lap everything.  Proper torque on everything.  Your gun being properly torqued all around, including stock, but certainly based and rings, is hugely important in repeatable accuracy.   I shoot in before every season but haven’t had to adjust anything in several years (I hope I didn’t just jinx myself, shooting in on Thursday this week). But my rifles also are hard cased until I get to the blind, they don’t ride in racks in the truck.
     

    several years ago I talked my buddy into checking his rifle right before he left on a mule deer hunt.  Just work and life had him short on time.  He was something like 14” high at 100,  iirc. Maybe 12, something of the sort.  Got it dialed in.  He ended up killing his first mulie that trip, which was a monster.  He still mentions it, with a little thank you. 

    I bought a similar bore sight laser setup after the first snafu with the mount.  Got it dialed in and torqued down with very repeatable accuracy.  To your point about that consistency, I've been shooting the same Savage 270 with a Leopold 3.5x10 and Winchester 130 grain rounds for WT hunting since 1998, and I've had to re-sight the scope exactly zero times.  Always drives tacks.  I (incorrectly) assumed that would be the case here.  The guides seemed apathetic about shooting the day we arrived, so I didn't press the issue to check my zero before we hunted, but should have.

    • Hook 'Em 2
  14. 10 hours ago, 686 said:

    Great write up @Spaulding Smails , thanks for sharing and great pics! That was a nice bull your partner got! Sucks about your scope - what cartridge and scope are you shooting if you don’t mind?

    Do you think your elevation turret could have been turned a full revolution and you didn’t notice? That, or leaving the scope dialed up for some potential shot and forgetting to turn it back to zero is a fear of mine.

    I bought a rifle and scope specifically for this hunt.  I was shooting a Browning X-Bolt 300 WinMag with a Swarovski X5i 5-25x56 scope and Federal 180 grain Nosler AccuBond rounds.  Here's the scoop on the scope.  I bought it at Cabela's and had them mount it.  The first time I took it to the range, I couldn't even get it on the paper at 50 yds.  I had it dialed all the way to the left and was still right of the target.  I took it back, and the "head gunsmith" there told me the first guy put it on the wrong rings.  After that, it was driving tacks.  I shot it at the range twice and at the ranch twice.  Had the elevation turret dialed in with the pre-set markers at 100/200/300.

    I chalked the miss up originally to the elevation turret.  I had it set at 300 yds and didn't adjust it down for the 240 yd shot, and even though that should've only adjusted a few inches, it was my only guess.  And, I had it back to my 100 yd zero for the cow shot.  Now, after being off by 18" at 120 yds, I'm thinking there's something else going on.  MAYBE, I hit it while hunting early in the trip.  But, the rifle was secure in a good case during our travels, and I don't recall anything out of the ordinary from an impact standpoint.  

    If I find out it's something with the mounts, I'll be pretty pissed at Cabela's and sternly worded letter will ensue.  I should have some time this weekend to dig into it further.  

    • Hook 'Em 1
    • Like 1
  15. @Hornbeliever year one went well.  We really didn't do much.  We check the hives once a month or so.  We're fortunate to have a creek about 100 yds from the hives (on a neighbor's property), but we supplement with a little water trough nearby as well.  The beekeeper was adamant that we needed water nearby.  The hives seem to be building, and we see TONS of bees milling around the lantana by our house.  Much more than before the hives were there, so that's a good sign.

    The beekeeper said maybe honey next year.  Probably year three before we see good production.

    @High Plains Drifter it wasn't cheap.  I think around $6K for 8 hives and 8 colonies (which is the minimum we needed to qualify for ag exemption).  Year two is like $1,000.  Much cheaper than what the property tax bill would've been (Hays County).  The other, less involved options, were a bit cheaper, but we didn't want to risk it.  Our property is a new tract carved out of a larger tract that had full ag exemption for cattle and hay, so we were able to put bees on immediately and avoid any waiting period before taking advantage of the exemption.

    • Hook 'Em 2
  16. Posted primarily so I can follow.  Didn't realize this thread existed.  Thanks @Hornbeliever.  

    We got our bees this spring for Ag exempt purposes.  We looked at a few different options, and went with this one.  Year one, bees are delivered and maintained by the supplier.  They're basically "under warranty".  Year two, they teach us how to maintain the bees.  Year three, we're on our own.  

    • Hook 'Em 1
  17. 7 hours ago, PantsTent said:

    Replying to all:  "Please do not reply to all!" 

     

    Equally as bad is when someone DOES NOT reply all when it's inferred or even requested.

    There's an architect we work with who is notorious for this.  It's actually gotten us into a bind before regarding updated plan sets.

    <Project Manager copies whole team plus the owner plus the designer plus the engineer>

    Mr. Smith-

    Great meeting today!  Please send over the updated plans to the group when the revisions are made.  Thanks!

    -Project Manager

    Next day, he sends the plans to my PM and nobody else "here you go!".  If the PM notices it wasn't a "reply all", he'll forward them to the group.  But, there's been times where it's assumed that Mr. Smith is a normally functioning adult and has mastered the art of disseminating information via the reply all feature.  Nope.  Every damn time.  Even if "please reply all" is noted in the email.  It's insane.  

    • Hook 'Em 1
    • Haha 1
  18. 2 hours ago, deadshank said:

    Say it ain’t so. 

    Yup.  Unfortunately, it's true.  I was driving tacks at 300 yds before I left.  Shot and missed a 240 yd shot.  Shooting circumstances were less than ideal, so I chalked it up to the Indian not the arrow.  The last night of the hunt, I shot the cow at 120 yds.  Spine shot her.  Thrice.  Finally walked up and put one in the head to get her down.  First three shots were all within a 6" radius through the spine.  I was aiming for the lungs.  I was 18" high at 120 yds, so 3' high on the 240 yd shot.  To add insult to injury, I blew big holes in both backstraps.  

    I need to do some forensics this week.  Either the scope got bumped somehow, or I have something up with the mounts.  Regardless, it suuuuuuuckkkkked and I'm still kicking myself.   More details when I can upload pictures and post them.

    • Like 1
    • Rage+1 3
  19. Will post an elk hunt recap later this week or over the weekend, but here's the Cliffs Notes:

    -Northern New Mexico is stunning.

    -Free range elk hunting is bad ass, and I will be back.

    -Check your zero before you hunt so you don't shoot and miss at a bull.  Oof.

    -A cow tastes the same as a bull.

    -Deboning and prepping elk meat takes much longer than a whitetail. 

    • Hook 'Em 3
    • Like 3
    • Rage+1 1
  20. After several years of traditional amp setup with a combo of in-wall / bookshelf / outdoor speakers all controlled via Control 4, I'm officially on the Sonos train.  Ditched DirecTV as well for YouTubeTV / Netflix / Amazon Prime Video.  Only downfall there is no Astros during the regular season.

    We're almost roughed in at our new house.  Just had to run power for a few locations and two short runs for the wired speakers from the amp.  Otherwise, all wireless / WiFi.  Going with:

    LIVING:  Arc + Sub + (2) Five

    KITCHEN:  Wired in-ceiling + Amp in attic

    GAME ROOM:  Arc + Sub

    BACK PATIO:  (2) Outdoor 

    FRONT PATIO:  (2) Outdoor

    OFFICE:  Move

    GYM:  Move

    GARAGE:  Move

    GUEST HOUSE:  Move

    MASTER:  Move

    • Hook 'Em 2
    • Like 2
×
×
  • Create New...