Our Hurricane Harvey experience

As you all know, we don't live in South East Texas anymore. We are now 2.5 hours north back in the area we grew up in, East Texas. Two days after Harvey ripped though SETX, we loaded up a few of our 150 Qt igloo coolers, 75 gallons of boat gas, diapers, baby wipes, hand sanitizer, all kinds of snacks, bread, lunchmeat, milk, soft drinks, ramen noodles, and many other things and headed south into the chaos to go help. 

We made it to Kountze TX when we hit our first road block. The water was too high for us to make it through in an F250. We had our buddy Mike launch his boat from the Lumberton side to come across Cypress creek and come get us and all of our supplies. 



Here's the same crossing in Kountze, only a week later... What a difference right?



We got into Lumberton via boat and went and dropped off much needed supplies to our friends there who were doing boat rescues. Lumberton was an island on all sides. There were no groceries or gas since everyone bought everything up before the storm. It was much needed relief to our friends.





This was 69S out of Lumberton looking toward Beaumont. We lived down there through 2 hurricanes, and never saw the water that high. Nobody alive has ever seen it that high. This was biblical shit here folks. 

We launched Mike's boat on the southside of Lumberton to try and get into Beaumont to get our God Daughter out and my wife's dad and stepmother. It was pretty much island hopping into Beaumont. The problem was that we only made it about a mile south of Lumberton before we hit another high spot and had to park the boat in the ditch by the road. We could not get any other boats to take us across into Beaumont as it was getting dark and they suspend rescue ops and boat traffic because it's too dark and dangerous. We had to pack it up for the night and come back home. 



Here's my SHLBGS working the Zello App dispatching with the Texas Navy and other Texas SAR teams to help coordinate rescue location and whatnot. She was on that damn radio for 4 days straight helping. She's amazing. We worked off and on dispatching and helping for the next several days since we could not physically be there due to work and family needing us back home. 



Here's my Marine brother Mike who helped us get in down there. He came running without hesitation to help us help others. You're the man Mike!! Semper Fi my dude. 

I have several go pro vids that are on my personal Facebook that I still need to upload to Youtube so y'all can get a good look at it. These pics really don't it justice. I'll get that done for y'all soon. It's mind blowing. 

Check that blue mark out. That was the water line on the sign. Like I said, it was like nothing anyone has ever seen before. 

Am I glad we don't have to deal with Hurricanes anymore? You're damn right. It's going to take a long time to get things back to normal down there. If you need a job and can travel, I'd get online and google work crews in the houston and gulf coast area. There's plenty to go around for a while. 

Can anyone tell me what this is?

The SHLBGS and I frequent estate sales to look of for cool shit from time to time. I saw this and had to have it. I don't know what it is, but I know it has a lamp, some sort of magnifying lens, an adjustable cheek rest that's missing a part, and a some type of card or picture holder on the end away from the lens. I was thinking some type of old eye tester / optometry tool. What say ye?

On life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, freedom and all that shit...

There's a lot happening right in front of our eyes these days that some people don't like. Hey, I get it, I do. 

Statists gonna State, am I right ? 

This entire NFL flag distraction is just that... A distraction. 

If you truly believe in the idea of Liberty, Freedom, Life, and the pursuit of happiness, all of this bullshit folks are worked up about is a non-issue. This is the people partaking in their right to protest, right to free speech, right to address and petition their government for a redress of grievances... 

I am a Former Active Duty Marine, y'all know this... I volunteered years of my youth to defend the Constitution. With that responsibility comes the acceptance of knowing that there are people out there exercising rights in ways that some may not agree with and you don't have to agree with it. You don't have to watch it. You have the freedom of choice not to if you so choose to do so. I'm not mad at anyone. More power to y'all for pursuing your rights. I'm an American, a Texan, and this is what it's all about folks. I'll do what I want with my flags, but don't expect me to cater to your opinions and demands for what I do with them either. Go do you without infringing on me. I'll sing the National Anthem. I'll put my hand over my heart while I do it. So what if you don't?

Television programming is called programming for a reason, ya dig? Know when to see the bullshit for what it is and catch the little rice grains mixed in with the rat turds when you see them. 

I played football as a youngster as well as many other sports. I really enjoyed the contact and competition. I excelled at them. Hell, I fucked off a football scholarship to Louisiana Tech two days after our last game my senior year by getting arrested for someone else's pot at school. True story. Mama wasn't happy about that one, let me tell you, but I owned it. Who knows what might have been...

As I've gotten older, I don't give a shit about who's playing who... But I'll tell you who is getting played, and that's the people wanting to force others to stand and worship a flag or be punished. What the fuck, is this North Korea? Kim Jong is that you? We see y'all and there are more and more of y'all coming out of the woodwork for the first time. They label themselves as Patriots. Real Patriots don't want to punish people observing their rights. They just don't. Like I said, you may not like it, but so what? Nobody is ever going to like everything that everybody does. The perfect world doesn't exist and nobody owes you a fucking thing. 


In the words of Harry Browne:

A Gift for My Daughter

by Harry Browne

December 25, 1966    

(This article was originally published as a syndicated newspaper column, dedicated to my 9-year-old daughter.)

It’s Christmas and I have the usual problem of deciding what to give you. I know you might enjoy many things — books, games, clothes.

But I’m very selfish. I want to give you something that will stay with you for more than a few months or years. I want to give you a gift that might remind you of me every Christmas.

If I could give you just one thing, I’d want it to be a simple truth that took me many years to learn. If you learn it now, it may enrich your life in hundreds of ways. And it may prevent you from facing many problems that have hurt people who have never learned it.

The truth is simply this:

No one owes you anything.

Significance

How could such a simple statement be important? It may not seem so, but understanding it can bless your entire life.

No one owes you anything.

It means that no one else is living for you, my child. Because no one is you. Each person is living for himself; his own happiness is all he can ever personally feel.

When you realize that no one owes you happiness or anything else, you’ll be freed from expecting what isn’t likely to be.

It means no one has to love you. If someone loves you, it’s because there’s something special about you that gives him happiness. Find out what that something special is and try to make it stronger in you, so that you’ll be loved even more.

When people do things for you, it’s because they want to — because you, in some way, give them something meaningful that makes them want to please you, not because anyone owes you anything.

No one has to like you. If your friends want to be with you, it’s not out of duty. Find out what makes others happy so they’ll want to be near you.

No one has to respect you. Some people may even be unkind to you. But once you realize that people don’t have to be good to you, and may not be good to you, you’ll learn to avoid those who would harm you. For you don’t owe them anything either.

Living your Life

No one owes you anything.

You owe it to yourself to be the best person possible. Because if you are, others will want to be with you, want to provide you with the things you want in exchange for what you’re giving to them.

Some people will choose not to be with you for reasons that have nothing to do with you. When that happens, look elsewhere for the relationships you want. Don’t make someone else’s problem your problem.

Once you learn that you must earn the love and respect of others, you’ll never expect the impossible and you won’t be disappointed. Others don’t have to share their property with you, nor their feelings or thoughts.

If they do, it’s because you’ve earned these things. And you have every reason to be proud of the love you receive, your friends’ respect, the property you’ve earned. But don’t ever take them for granted. If you do, you could lose them. They’re not yours by right; you must always earn them.

My Experience

A great burden was lifted from my shoulders the day I realized that no one owes me anything. For so long as I’d thought there were things I was entitled to, I’d been wearing myself out — physically and emotionally — trying to collect them.

No one owes me moral conduct, respect, friendship, love, courtesy, or intelligence. And once I recognized that, all my relationships became far more satisfying. I’ve focused on being with people who want to do the things I want them to do.

That understanding has served me well with friends, business associates, lovers, sales prospects, and strangers. It constantly reminds me that I can get what I want only if I can enter the other person’s world. I must try to understand how he thinks, what he believes to be important, what he wants. Only then can I appeal to someone in ways that will bring me what I want.

And only then can I tell whether I really want to be involved with someone. And I can save the important relationships for those with whom I have the most in common.

It’s not easy to sum up in a few words what has taken me years to learn. But maybe if you re-read this gift each Christmas, the meaning will become a little clearer every year.

I hope so, for I want more than anything else for you to understand this simple truth that can set you free: no one owes you anything.

Marinate on that shit for a minute... You're welcome. 

Look Up !!

Look up Friday and Saturday nights (Aug. 11 and 12) for this year's Perseid meteor shower peak.

For Northern Hemisphere observers, August is usually regarded as "meteor month," with one of the best displays of the year reaching its peak near midmonth. That display is, of course, the annual Perseid meteor shower, which is beloved by meteor enthusiasts and summer campers alike. But skywatchers beware: You will face a major obstacle in your attempt to observe this year's Perseid performance — namely, the moon. (Live in a big city? Find out how to see the Perseids from urban areas here from our sister site Active Junky.)

OP here

We'll be out on the pontoon tonight hoping to see a few !

Friday link drop

Recently, a friend of the blog over at Ammo.com turned me on Soldiers' Angels. 

Soldiers' Angels offers programs for wounded, deployed, families, and others. Most of their programs could not be possible without the support of the wonderful Angels who dedicate their time, money and talents, to the organization.

As you all know, I've always supported our Vets and Military. We should. We need to. You should too.

This organization is doing real work folks. Go check them out at the link above and pass on the word if you can. The more folks that know about this organization the better!

If you have time to read a little bit extra today, drop by Ammo.com and read some of their articles. You'll enjoy it.  https://ammo.com/articles

HOW SMARTPHONES ARE RUINING LIVES

People are having less sex and sleep since the dawn of the smartphone age, a new book by a professor of psychology claims.

More than 75 percent of teens own an iPhone, according to a recent US study, and since the 2007 launch of the iPhone rates of loneliness amongst teens have soared alongside a worrying decrease in mental wellbeing.

According to figures collated by Jean M Twenge, the number of teenagers spending time with friends nearly everyday dropped by more than 40 per cent between 2000 and 2015, with rates of loneliness subsequently soaring.

OP here 

*********************************************************************

This shit gets on my nerves. All of this fast information accessibility is ruining our relationships. We'll all be talking in memes in 10 years. Mark it. 

Forced into having fun yet again...

Another great day out on the lake... I pulled us up to the Sandbar Social Club for a little swim break and enjoyed a few Jager bombs with the guys and my smoking hot little barefoot gardening squaw. We will be shooting shotguns and a box of clays in the morning. Funday Sunday! All of this stress free living and success is starting to wear on me ya'll, but I'll manage I reckon...

Thursday Thoughts

I know it's been a while. Sorry for that. I see the Patriot circles are still at it, and most still hate each other. I hope their dick measuring contests eventually provide us with a winner. Either that, or they should just meet up and have a supervised or sanctioned scrap to get the shit over with. It's been tiring you could say and has turned a lot of people off. So there's that...

My world is really small these days. I work, shoot my M1A, fish, ride jet skis and our 22 ft Tr-toon party barge, and take care of my family. I travel all over East Texas from Texarkana to Terrell to Beaumont for work most of the time, so that's really put a damper on my posting. The traveling plus stupid blogger took their damn mobile app away from us on our cell phones too. I'm not sure that I've actually revealed to you guys and gals what I've been up to for work or not so here goes... We own and manage an ATM Services company. Currently we have 46 ATM's in service paying us 24/7. It's nice to get paid while you sleep. When you can do that, you're fucking winning friends. We do it all in regards to anything ATM. We aren't in debt to any banks, it's all our own money, machines, and labor. Sounds fun right? It is. I would drop you a link to our business page, but I don't want some of you fuckers sending me dick and dildo pics and whatever the fuck else your perverted minds can come up with. There seems to be a fascination with pornography and nudity in blogging for page hits still, so just count me out on that note. 

It's been quite fucking liberating to my soul to not be chained to a desk working for shit management and having the life and soul sucked out of me by greedy investment banker vampire squid types. No shit, at my last job as an industrial valve supplier, I was doing anywhere from 6-10 million in sales a year, making 75 grand a year with a fucking measly bonus of right about 5 grand per year. Yeah, I know, how the fuck did you eat that shit sandwich for so long Stackz? Believe me, I hated every fucking part of it, but had to do what I had to do until something better came along. You know, wife need clothes, baby need shoes and shit bruh...

So far, we've tripled in company size at just over a year of doing this. Not bad right? It all boils down to how bad you want to suffer in the beginning to get your own show up and running in order for the big payback to hit later on. We've been through the struggles of a new business and have pretty much got things sorted to where this thing runs itself. It's been a fun ride so far. Ain't no hill for steppers like us! We've done a ton of charity events, concerts, fairs, junk picking events, and just about any other mobile opportunity to make a buck you can think of. I can have a machine loaded up with a wireless modem, our atm flags/signs, and be gone in 10 minutes. We get paid by the transactions, so I promote the fuck out of it while on location. Y'all didn't know your boy looked so good in a business suit did ya? I clean up alright and mingle with the uppity fucks I loathe so much to keep food on the table. I've hung out with pompous Actors, fucked up Musicians, NFL players, Professional Poker players, a few law makers and former Politicians, Military, had pizza and a beer with Roger Clemens, and stood beside former Ravens Linebacker Ray Lewis and listened to the bullshit that comes out of his mouth. He's quite a large fellow if you've never seen him in person. And I just thought I was a big man. Some of you know me in real life, most of you never will. Those of you that I have met in real life, thanks for reaching out and making a connection. Come out to the lake, have a beer, and kick back with me sometime. You're always welcome. 

I've put off becoming a helicopter pilot until I can afford to buy my own bird. That should be a few years away at the rate we are growing our business. It can only go up from here. 

We are considering taking a stab at commercial real estate. Where we live, which is pretty remote lake side type of an environment, every thing shuts down at 9pm. That means no boat gas, no smokes, no beer, or no food until they open the next morning. You can drive 20 minutes into the next city, and even there shit closes at 10pm. We can remedy that problem. I know it. I don't want to run a store, just want to buy a building and fix it up into a store and pay someone to run it for me. 

We have 10 hens and a rooster out back. There are 4 Rhode Island Red hens, and 6 Araucana hens along with a Araucana Rooster who thinks he's the fucking man. They've been a lot of fun raising. They are just now starting to drop eggs! I hope my family likes omelettes. 

That's about all for now. I've missed being around and sharing my thoughts and opines with you folks. I've had several companies ask me since I've been on my walkabout to advertise, write, or consult with them on articles. Ain't nobody got time for that! 

Y'all take care and take care of one another. 

Much love, Stackz

They sure do

Boy, are we in for a treat...

Semper Fidelis

And this one time at Barndominium Camp

Hey folks, we're still here. Still busier than a one armed paper hanger. You can't even imagine the journey we've been on the last several months building this house. It's mind blowing the things that we've created, built, and accomplished is such little time. We started this thing in August. We expect to be done in 3 weeks. I'm tired, exhausted, and worn down to a nub. But y'all know me, I'll go until I can't go anymore. Always have. Our camp hopes that the new year is treating you all well. Remember to keep setting your goals, doing what makes you happy, and to keep chasing your dreams. Our business is continuing to do well. We plan on doubling again within the next 6 months. Let me know what you think of our progress on this place... 

All of the beams in this place came from local farms out of old farm houses, cabins, and barns. Local, Local, Local... Some of the wood goes back to the 1860's... We are covered up in barn wood. A lot of it was able to be sanded and clear coated for use as to not ruin the natural color and grain of it. Some of it was termite infested. We put old rusty red colored tin on the ceilings, one interior wall, and also threw a few 20 ft I-beams in there for aesthetics as well as structural support. There's stained cedar, rough cut cedar, blue pacific pine trim, hand axed pine, and birch all through out the house. 

We've learned a lot about putting a house together. I can say that I'll most likely die here because I don't want to do it again.  But, if I do have to do it again, I have the perfect partner to help. My smoking hot little barefoot gardening squaw is absolutely fucking amazing. She's a pro man. I was pretty much the muscle on the wood and material reclaiming and she did a ton of the refinishing. We took a 40x70 metal shop and turned it into the home of our dreams. There's just a little bit left to do like trim, hang the barn doors on tracks, and finish our interior design layout. So far so good. We've got roughly 3800 sq ft of living space now. That's plenty big for my crew to stretch out in and grow. We have 9 tons of air and 5 climate control stations. The best thing about spray foam on the exterior walls and ceilings is that when its 100 degrees outside, it's 65 inside. Same thing applies when its 30 degrees outside. I love it. This was all paid for from the sale of my old house at the original Backyarder Camp and what I was awarded from my wreck settlement. I know, strippers and cocaine had a much better ring to it, but I did the adult thing and saved myself a half million dollars on a mortgage over the next 30 years by paying cash for a house. Eat shit you fucking worthless banker bastards... 

We could not have done it without our framer Justin. We have been friends since childhood. He's on top of his game, that's for sure. You'll see him below. Pics are in no particular order, I blog on a Mac now, so I'm still getting used to it. 

Until next time, which I can't say when that'll be, be good to one another and do something positive with your lives.