09.29.26 Fall has arrived, hit the dump, scored at the thrift store, and a night early....

     Fall officially arrived in the Lowcountry last week. It's like somebody turned off the humidity switch and now the days are just glorious. Fifty degrees in the morning with highs in the upper 80's during the peak during the day. The big thing is you don't sweat just walking around. While the leaves don't change like they do in the northeast they do decorate for fall down here like I used to up in New Jersey. Somehow our fall wreath made it down here intact so I hung it up and it just looks good. One thing about downsizing, you only need a taste to be reminded what season you're in. Back "home" I would have searched through the attic for all things fall and spread them out inside and out of the house, with more things still tucked away, probably never to be seen again. Simple. Quick. Easy.

     One thing different down here is how Jasper County handles garbage and recycling. They have multiple centers where you can come and drop-off your daily garbage, construction debris, recycling, and just about anything else, included the dreaded used oil, tires, chemicals, and even paint.

     So Theresa and I loaded up the cut-offs from the fence and took advantage of their Southern hospitality. Back home I would have either had to pay for a dumpster or stored it in the yard and added in to those bins supplied by Waste Management, adding a little each week until it's gone. There's a constant flow there between people dropping stuff off and trucks switching out empty containers with the full ones. Finding this was a nice surprise. 

     We're heading back to New Jersey on Thursday checking off a couple of boxes. We have three weddings, want to visit with family, and have to close down Cape May down for the year. Two of the weddings are "Black Tie", and I won't even go into my thoughts on that, but, I can say that attire requirement adds a lot of stress to attendees, like me. For me, it would be like having a pool party and putting on the invitation, "Bikinis only", or "BMI's less than 25" required. 

     When we were downsizing back home the closets weren't spared from the edit. I gave away lots of clothes, including a tuxedo I had purchased from Kohls's years ago. Down here I dug through the bins and boxes and found a suit, but it was more midnight blue with black in it, which, I've learned, would be a fashion faux pas, and a violation. So it was off to find a black suit. And you know where I was getting that.

    The Bargain Box is Hilton Head Island's oldest thrift store. If you look above it's open and people have to wait their turn to get inside. It's kind of like how an Estate Sale is run. Sometimes, I was told, there's 50-100 people in line, so we joined in and waited our turn. 

     It took about 30 minutes for us to get inside. As soon as I walked in I saw the below sign which just brightened my day. The rack was full of suit jackets but only a few with matching pants. 

As I moved the jackets from left to right I stopped at a black pin striped jacket, and there were pants hanging with them. While I felt like I had found the mother lode, Theresa was less then impressed, most likely wishing we were at the Men's Warehouse or Jos. A Banks. So off to the dressing room I went. 

    With a little taken off the legs this will be just fine. I might have to withhold eating and drinking until Saturday but it will work and I will blend in nicely on the dimely lit dance floor. You know, the one I'll be cutting across to get to the bathroom.  

     For six bucks I added a pair of Bostonians and for two bucks each a black tie, well there you go, and a pair of dress socks. The only bummer was I had to got to TJ Max for a shirt, which is brand new, and set me back $16. So for $36 I am now outfitted properly and should make it past the fashion police at these two shin-dings. 

     But the real score at the thrift store came as I searched for those black shoes. Out of the corner of my eye I spotted a pair of Korker wading boots, ones that had the BOA lacing system built in. 

     And the price tag on those.....$7.00, and they were size 11. New these boots would set you back about $200. So the day just kept getting better. 

     After wrapping up the suit search we hit Hudson's for lunch. While we were at the bar my phone pinged that I had an incoming text. It was Julio, the used car salesman, who was bringing me up to date on the current pick up situation. 

     Their detail guy was hard at work doing what used car lot detailers do, make things look better then they really are. Theresa is on the fence on this one, and I don't blame her. To me, this is like that feeling you get when you are waiting to pick up a new puppy from a breeder. Or more correctly, a pro sports team waiting for the physical results for a player you are about to make a big trade for. Well today, the truck is off to see the Doctor, so we'll see how that goes. 

     We stopped by for a quick visit. Theresa didn't know about the text and when we rolled in she said, "They better have cleaned that thing up". I breathed a sigh of relief when I saw her sitting there drying out in all her newly shampooed and Armor All'ed glory. 

     They say if you put lipstick on a pig in the end it's still a pig, but, this swine does look good on the outside. But truthfully, I'm nervous as hell. First, that's she's a solid truck, or not, two, it's a good deal, and three, and most important, that something doesn't go sideways after we buy it and Theresa will have that to hang over for head for the rest of my life. 

     When we were at dinner the other night one of the guys belongs to a basketball league in Sun City. I've been looking to get into something physical so right there I joined up and signed in for this weeks game. So while looking in the garage for that suit that I thought I had I dug out my old kicks and shorts to get ready. I haven't had them on, nor played basketball, in well over 10 years. But at least I didn't have to go back to the thrift store for an outfit. 

     After a quick power nap Theresa woke me up and said it was time to go, that was at 548 with a 6 o'clock start. That didn't leave me much time to stretch out and shoot around. But when we arrived we both realized we were a day early, thankfully. But I did try everything on and grabbed a basketball to at least try to remember how to dribble. It's telling that I parked myself under the First Aid station with an AED nearby. 

     So I was in some kind of work out outfit and why let an opportunity go to waste. It's been a long, long time, probably 12 years, since I was doing two a days at the YMCA in Red Bank. How bad could it be? So I first jumped on the reclining bike before heading over to the stair master, where I did a 10 story climb. 

     After that I entered the gym, which is a mix of free weights and machines. I basically knew my way around and did a little test run at each station just to feel like I still had it. One thing I noticed, besides being older and a little weaker, is how stiff I am. They say if you don't move it you lose it, and that is definitely true. You can move around all day but if you don't push, or test, the limits of mobility and strength, then the muscle memory is gone, and mine has come and went. 

     I used a solid bar that they use in class to try and stretch, and it hurt. Touching my toes? Out of the question for now. It hurt at my hip joints and the muscles, or what should be muscles, in my legs. Yes, watching my diet as of late, and walking Luke around the neighbor hood is good, but I have to start moving, with a purpose. 

Todays a big day. Truck stuff during the day before hitting center court for a six o'clock tip off. I just hope the truck isn't running on life support and neither will I after some friendly ball with the Sun City fellas tonight. Deep down in this body I still have some muscles and some kind of b-ball game.

09.28.26 Water, water, everywhere....

     Well if I wanted to catch a true King Tide down here in the Lowcountry I think I did it. It was this September's Harvest Moon that was one of the biggest tides of the year. Couple it with some constant, but not like the northeast if getting, north to northeast winds, and the water was way up. 

     It's been a bit since I have gone fishin' in the dark. Well, actually it wasn't fishing but it was getting down to the flat before the water rushed in. With high tide say around 10 I arrived 

and was on the mud by 7 am. When I got to my spot I had the moon behind me and first light in front of me. It's funny how lit up it can be when you turn around when the sun has the west lit up, but then how dark it is when you're looking east as the sun rises. 

     Something I noticed was the difference in the mud and the flat as I walked around before the tide rolled in. Usually I am covered in mortar-like mud as I walk around. But yesterday, at least here, it was different. The mud, or ground, was more compact, and easier to walk around in.

     I don't know if it's because of the moon tide that moves loose detris, silt, and mud from the upper layer and puts them somewhere else, or is it just more compacted? Not sure. Down here that's like forgetting your fly rod. I'm thinking it might be because it's due to the cooler temperatures and gentler sun. When it's like sun is beating down like we're near the equator it dries everything out on a low tide, creates splits and fissures, and then the water fills in and makes it sloppy. So my legs weren't covered in mud but they were in no-see-ums as I rushed and forgot to apply bug spray. 

     Soon the water started to fill in but I didn't seen a tailing nothing, in fact there was less life than I had seen in the past. And then it just flooded, like higher than I've seen in the dozen times I've been at this spot. One thing I can also say that on a big tide everything that can be picked up and pushed to the banks does, which makes the first 20 feet full of reeds and anything that floats. 

      I knew my window was shut so I headed back to my truck. I met a few fly guys who had got some intel that this was a good spot. We kind of ran some thoughts between us and they had learned the ebb tide was good, but I don't know about that. For me, I would think the fish come up on the flood, hungry, and do their best chewing up until the high tide, and then retreat as the water recedes. Yes, they could set up in the fingers or channels as the bait gets flushed out, but that's in deeper water that is hard to access while on foot. 

     As I headed out I thought there must be tailing redfish somewhere so I passed home and drove towards Beaufort. Not only was I looking for fish I wanted to see what big tides looked like there. 

     Well you can see I couldn't get very far. There was water everywhere and driving down along the bridge was out of the question. To compare look at the image below and where the water is, that's a picture from a few weeks ago. 

     On that day I think I parked way up, and it was most likely shortly after I sunk the Suburban in a large hole that always seems to hold water. Below I just added my truck stop the picture so you can see just how floody the flood tide gets in this spot. 

     There was a touch of wind but it was flat enough where you could see if any redfish were tailing or a crab fart. I saw nothing, no birds, no crabs, no fish. And I also didn't see any boats out there, and like usual, no one out on foot.

     Above is one of my favorite places to walk and wade that was completely under water. I watched for awhile looking down from the bridge thinking I would see redfish swimming along or coming up and over the bar.... nope, nada, nothing. So, my day, as far as fishing, was no casts made, but I'm glad I went and learned even more about the places I've fished over the last month. 

     And of course I had to pass "the truck" on the way home. I know, enough already. But with us heading back to New Jersey on Thursday either this is going to happen or it's not. 

     Today she gets a good spa treatment from the detailer and tomorrow a visit to the mechanic where she'll be put up on the lift and taken for a test drive from someone that's in the know. All this over a 16 year old pick up that is past it's prime. I can't wait for it to be over no matter which way things go. 

     And then I saw on Facebook a post from a dealer in Hilton Head. They were congratulating Adonis from Beaufort who just purchased a new 2026 Silverado 2500 HD. That's a lot of truck and has a price tag of about $60,000. 

     I don't know what Adonis does for a living but either way, buying or leasing, those payment have to be well over $600 a month. So when the dealership posts, "Enjoy the new ride", I think they should have said, "Good luck with the payments". If he leased it this truck will be one of those that will show up in a few years with 60,000 miles and a price tag of $45,000. And that's why I'm looking, and grateful I found, the truck I'm obsessing over. 

     With Theresa out for her Sunday search for a good church I took it upon myself to swing back over to the trailer park and pick up those Hardie boards that I found posted on Marketplace.  

     They've been out there for awhile but for $40 I'll take my chances. A 5/4 x 12 x12 board runs $70 brand new, and I scored three of those, plus three 1 x12 x12, which go for $48 each.  He threw in door trim and a couple of pieces of other stuff. 

     I'm glad I did this move without Theresa because she was out the minute we rolled into the guys driveway on Saturday. After the seller and I loaded them in the waft of moisture filled the Suburban so I just took it all to The Fly Barn, cleaned them off, and stacked them with wood between them to air out. This isn't wood, but concrete fiber, so they should be fine. Hey, these aren't for our house, and I hope to find more stuff on Marketplace, just maybe ones that hadn't been out in the elements for so long. 

And while I hate to use the Suburban as a transport vehicle, most of these Hardie products come in 12 foot lengths, ones that I will have a hard time fitting in the 5'6" bed on the new truck. It's all part of my Master plan, a plan, like so many, that Theresa is sick of hearing about and living through. Saving money is saving money, especially on stupid stuff like siding for The Fly Barn. 

09.27.26 Things are ugly up north and a Fly Barn free Saturday...

     It's just another nor-easter. A bad storm where low pressure from the south meets high pressure from the north. Add air flow along the Gulf Stream with strong Northeast winds and precipitation and things can go sideways pretty quick. And then there's the timing. If it hits on a moon tide then that's where the flooding comes in. The intersection where it's usually the worst is around the tri-state area, and then a little north into New England and south to the Mid-Atlantic states. 

     We've all seen the pictures and videos of what this storm has done, and will continue to do, throughout today. Above is the usual kind of picture from Sea Bright that happens with each storm. I thought after Sandy the towns that sit on barrier spits, where the ocean is on one side and the bay or river on the other, would rethink their position and make adjustments. But they mostly just rebuilt with some homes and businesses just raised in hopes of being higher than the next storm. Well, that didn't work out that well. 

     And there's no names for these nor' easters, they usually go by the dates they happen. The World World Meteorological Organization, or WMO, only names tropical storms and hurricanes. Sandy, which hit in October 2012, was named because it met criteria as a hurricane or tropical cyclone. There's no doubt this storm will have caused hundreds of millions of dollars of damage to homes, business, and vehicles. Add to that the beach erosion, and the cost of the last replenishment, and then the next one, and it's just throwing money out into the ocean. 

      I took a day off from working at The Fly Barn. That left me with some time to visit Julio and the Silverado over at the used car lot. I think they think that my idea is to beat them down with visits so they just tell me take the truck and finally leave them alone. 

     I grabbed the keys from Julio and took it for a 40 minute test drive. I drove it on the local streets and on the highway. I even took it off road to test the four wheel high and low. I don't what more I can do to expose it's flaws. My goal was to watch the oil pressure gauge. This model Silverado has an Active Fuel Management (AFM) system built in and one of the early signs it's bad is fluctuations in the oil pressure, but I didn't see any. A tire monitor light came on, but I can live with that.

     I then checked the glove box for the codes for this truck to make sure it's a true Z71 which means a better tow and suspension package. It was there. So more things going good for it. The decision will be made after it goes up on the lift, and after a scanner reads the vehicle history, and a mechanic gives it a thumbs up or down. 

     And while there's all this attention to the Silverado there sits the Suburban. She must feel like when old dog owners visit with a puppy, like there's my replacement, great. One thing I decided 

was to pull her off of Marketplace. Why sell it? Why beat up the high mileage pick up with around the town and to the store mileage? Besides, it's hard to fit 12-foot wood in a 5'6" bed. The Suburban can handle those long Hardie trim boards just fine. Besides over the three days I had it listed only 393 people clicked on it and I only got a handful of inquiries. I thought people would have jumped on it, maybe that not selling is a sign from the Chevy Gods. 

     So she watched yesterday as I got down and crawled underneath to do yet another inspection. This time I checked out the running boards, or steps, which are basically being help on by a thread. Those aren't usually made with any type of heavy construction, and they routinely rust out, even when there's no rust on the body. 

     They'll have to be replaced so Theresa, and or my Mom, can easily get in and out of it. It's got some lift and I'll need them as well so I don't drag my ass across the corner of the driver's seat which kills the padding and seat cover. So I might expect to hear, "Now more money...", well you know me. 

     I've already hit Marketplace and found a rust free pair in chrome for $40, and they're right around the corner. I've been back and forth with the seller and he said he'll even help me put them on. Not bad for a pair of twenty dollar bills. 

     This morning I'm going to catch the full "Harvest Moon" flood tide and see if I can finally find, and maybe even catch, one of these tailing redfish. If I don't get it done today, then surely I'm in the wrong spots at the wrong times. But one day I'll be dialed in, but at this pace I'll be doing it with a walker. 

09.26.26 Compliant, and cautious...

     Back at The Fly Barn for more. One thing that's for sure is that fall has arrived in the Lowcountry, at least this week. I woke up this morning to, believe it or not, a chilly 61 degrees. 

     I know it has a lot to do with the Northeast winds coming from the storm that's hitting New Jersey as I write. The last I heard it was going to hit Ocean County, with of course, heavy rain along the Delaware River in Titusville. People are either thinking this will be another Sandy or just a storm with some beach erosion. Like I'm said earlier this week, I think it's going to be bad for a lot of people. 

    Yesterday was go-time to cut the side fence down. I was a little nervous because once it was cut down it is what is it is, there's no adding height to it. It would change the look, and the view that the neighbors would have everyday. 

     It all went as planned and the fence's new height sits around 48 inches which is in compliance with the Town's requirements. It also changed the view the neighbors have, now looking more residential, in my mind, rather than a storage yard, or a place where a serial killer, or a hoarder, hides things.

     In the end I just straight cut the height and may revisit possibly cutting the tops for that scalloped look. But that'll be for another time. Inside the yard looks like a yard and is ready for Luke to run free, a space to practice casting with a fly rod, or a place to have a killer party. At some point I'll have to construct a fire pit, get some Adirondack chairs, and hang some yard lights.

     The only things I have left are to cut down the large and small gates that give access to the yard. There's a small fence section, above, that needs to be cut down and I think I'll tackle that when I re-side the house with Hardie Board and batten. That big old air conditioner, which no doubt has Legionnaire's disease in it, will get removed and in its place maybe a mini-split or a wall unit for some consistent climate control inside. 

     Above is the new view we have of our neighborhood. I think we have definitely improved the corner and added value to this place. In the end it'll be a good investment, I just wish the "house" was a tad bigger. It's a cross between a tiny house and a studio, one where a single person could live, or definitely where a buddy or guest could stay for a while. 

     I am going to try and stay focused and complete one thing before moving onto the next, but my brain doesn't usually allow that. Above is one of two 12 foot sections of rotted boards that will get the board and batten. On the flip side of one is an old farmhouse sink that I'm getting rid of which will clean the place up a bit. I wish I just had a dumpster and a delivery of all the Hardie products I need to just bang it out and get it done in one shot. But I'm doing pretty good taking things to the dump in the Suburban and buying a piece or two of material at a time from Lowe's or Grayco. But soon I'll need to buy those 4 x 8 or 4 x 12 sheets of Hardie Board, one's I don't want to load into the Suburban. If I only had that pick-up truck... I know, enough already. But this continuing saga is interesting to somebody out there as yesterday 14,978 people checked in to read the blog. 

     And then on the way home I had to pull in and see about the pick-up. Not the big monster with the bad radiator, but the one with high miles and recently replaced transmission. In the end I guess it'll come down to the lesser of two evils. 

     I know I'm driving Theresa, and Julio the salesman, nuts, and yesterday I did more of the same. I purchased a code reader off Amazon and plugged it in. I ran the truck, checked the fluids, and inspected every inch inside and out. As Julio and I were sitting in the cab Theresa called and opened with, "Don't even think about it...."

     But earlier in the day when she was picking up her dress for the upcoming weddings she sent me a text, "... Clearview Automotive from the seamstresses husband". Now that to me is a mixed message. But I took it as if you are going to continue this insanity at least have a mechanic look it over. So I called and made an appointment and at 11 am on Tuesday it'll be up on the lift. If the owner of the lot was trying to pull a fast one he would have said no, but he was like go ahead take it. 

     So buying a used car from a car lot, it's gut wrenching. Just look at what happened with the Duramax the other day when the radiator let loose. It's kind of like adopting a dog from the pound. "Oh, he's great with kids and other dogs......", until he bites little Johnny or tears up the neighbors poodle. Sometimes th pond will take them back, used car lots, yeah not so much. So I did what I could just short of tearing the engine and transmission apart, I went detective mode, and getting the VIN number was my starting point. 

     I broke down each number in the VIN to make sure I knew what make and model I was really looking at. She was born in Mexico in 2010, had the better engine, and was four wheel drive. It has the Z71 package which is better for off-roading, you know I like that,

and is better for towing. That gave me a starting point to work from. Then I hemmed and hawed about spending the $49.95 and running a CarFax report. In the end I just had to and learned 

some things from there as well. It was originally sold in Jacksonville, Florida in 2010, and then over the years had stops in Georgia and South Carolina, where she is now. There's been two previous owners. There's been no accidents and there's no salvage title. I also ran it through the GM VIN database and that just confirmed the specs on the original build at the plant in Silao, Mexico. That 26 million square foot plant builds most of GM's trucks and is located pretty much dead center in Mexico.

     So what to do if the mechanic gives it a decent bill of health on Tuesday? It's 16 years old. Has 205,000 miles on the engine and body. The rebuilt transmission has 140,000 miles with a 3,000/3 month warranty. My early thought is take the Suburban off Marketplace and keep it as my daily driver since I own it and it's low mileage and good, and keep the truck for work, fishing, and towing. Doing that will reduce the daily driver use on a high mileage pick up and give me the opportunity to live in two worlds like I like to, one in the bubble of Sun City and the other in The Fly Barn. I've noticed during my life I always needed to have an alternative life going on, there must be something mental about that. It's kinda like Clark Kent or Superman, or David Berkowitz to the Son of Sam.... Relax, I'm no serial killer.