March 2024

 

We were picking up a few odds and ends to start landscaping our new property addition. This looked nice but at $27,000 it was out of our league. Besides, it wouldn't fit on the roof rack.

This is a great shot of our beach below our garden. Our place is literally just on the right side of the frame in this picture. Full disclosure: It is not actually a picture but a picture of a wallposter in our little town as you can see below. The buoys are for the water taxis to shuttle you to the restaurant once you anchor your boat (yacht) further out.

On an adjacent wall in town, is a wallposter of our headland and other beaches we can walk to. Our place is marked by the little black arrow on the top right. As our son would so eloquently remark "This place does not suck".

We have new neighbors who recently moved into our 'wider' neighborhood. George Clooney and his family. They join the likes of Brigitte Bardot, Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt (They recently sold their vineyard), Johnny Depp, Bono, Elton John, Tina Turner (until her passing) Kate Moss and on and on and on. Even Sylvester Stallone likes to sail here in the bay of St Tropez.

How I spend my days

Landscaping

And cooking

The project

It would be a stretch to say they are going at it like gangbusters. Patience may be a virtue, but I have never been accused of being virtuous. They got off to a great start, then disappeared for several weeks, only to return and get going again. They built a large part of the first of 3 walls that will enclose the property but had to leave sizable openings in it to allow heavy equipment in and concrete deliveries to be made.

The small patio where I will build a fire pit overlooking the pool below.

The beginning of the pool outlines that will have a projected concrete layer sprayed on it.

They are well aware of our drop dead "we are leaving' date and that any work that is not completed will come to a full stop (as well as payments) until our return in 8 months. They are motivated to meet the deadline.

Meanwhile..

For the past several years we have been happy to offer our villa for a week stay to a charitable group called Sarah's Guest House near our island in New York State. It is kind of a Ronald McDonalds house for grownups for family staying nearby with family in the hospital for catastrophic injuries or surgeries. Each year, they have an auction fundraiser with the usual restaurant meals donations, golf rounds and fruit baskets being auctioned off to raise money. 

The villa is a biggie, and it raised several thousand dollars for them. Shortly before we left California this year, we became aware of another group called 'Captive Hearts'. They deal with women who have been victimized with domestic violence, sexual or drug issues. They take them in, offering shelter, counseling, and work skills. Pretty basic stuff. We offered the villa for a week for their yearly auction, and they got a top bid of $9,500. WOW! We wish we could rent it for that. 

The second bid was for $9000. Hmmm, then I got an idea...

What if we offered the winner $500 back to match the second bidder so they would be identical. Then we offered them a week's stay also. No one would feel slighted and we could double the donation to Captive Hearts. Everyone agreed as it was for a charity that they were supporting in the first place, and the total take was $18,000. Nice!!!

And finally...

I like to end each month with a little humor. This month is different. I want to end with a You Tube link to a video showing an event that occurred during a wedding. It is the most moving thing I have ever seen at a wedding. It was a surprise to not only the bride and groom but to most people in attendance. It is worth a look below.

 

February 2024

 

Wrapping up projects in California

After plugging a leak in the hot tub, new steps were in the making.

Next was...

The kitchen window: out with the old...

In with the new

OK, so we got the must do's done and we were ready to leave for France...

Then, it happened. 

I was minding my own business, taking a relaxing in a 2 person Jacuzzi tub in our master bathroom, working out the kinks in some sore muscles, when I noticed water on the floor. Hmmm.... no water had splashed over the tub but wait! ...There was water on the floor of the bedroom also....and in the laundry room on the other side of the wall!!! What the $*&^#@ was going on??? I could not determine the source of the leak but Houston,.. we have a problem!!!

        

We were 5 days away from catching our flight to France, renting clients arriving in a few weeks and me having time to deal with this like I have a hole in my head. Still, we decide that clearly this project that we had planned for next year (removing the Jacuzzi tub and turning the area into a walk-in shower) was now an EMERGENCY and had to be pushed up to NOW!

So, with 5 days to 'we are outa-here', we tore out the tub and gutted the bathroom area and prepared it for a total remodel. Janice was in 7th heaven. Then, when we left,  the final touches were in the hands of our friend and former renter Johnny, who is a tile guy by profession to wrap it up. The irony is that we will not see the finished product until our return in 8 months.

       The start of a relaxing season in France

 

This is the property we finally bought next door to ours. No, not terribly large but it does add a 3rd ocean front lot to our property. Just big enough to add a pool and a phenomenal increase in value to what we have. When we are pushing up daisies, the kids will thank us. Besides, while it is hardly the point, most villas here have a pool and not having one is not just a downgrade of sorts but puts you in the Jed Clampet category.

How we started

And so it begins...

The next step was to dig a hole big emough to put a house in. As of this writing, this is as far as we gotten.

A mere 12 hours after our arrival, the grading got started after 12 trees had been cut and the stumps removed prior to our arrival. Next came the rock wall and the pool location traced, and the hole dug.

                

Moving a tiny pot

 The Abbey of Le Barroux 

The monastery of Le Barroux is a taditionalist Benedictine abbey located about 3 hours away from us. We first stumbled on it several years ago quite by accident and we were so impressed that this was the 3rd time we have returned. To hear the monks sing in Gregorian Latin chant is like listening to the angels. It is incredibly moving. The first time we entered the chapel the black robed, hooded monks walked in and sat in the dark church.See the Epistle https://starfireproductions.blogspot.com/2019/06/june-2019.html 

It was so eerie. At first, I thought we might have stumbled on some kind of demonic offering. Could they be getting ready for a ritualistic sacrifice? Offering a virgin to the gods?

            

No, these monks live, eat, work for the sole purpose to pray and worship. They get up for first prayer at 3:15 a.m. and meet 7 times during the day until bedtime at 8 p.m. to pray. They are self supporting with the sale of bread that they bake, and olive oil from the olive trees that they grow and press, but are solely focused on the next prayer time. They make the Muslims look like amateurs. It is for us, for all of us, that they pray.

Now, some unrelated stuff

A view of the snowcapped French Alps from our terrace today.

A French baguette. The absolute best bread in the world. I could eat these all day long. Well, actually, I do. The price ain't bad either.

The infernal subject of taxes

As long as we are on that, we might as well talk about that other unavoidable one. Death. I was reminded the other day that by the actuarial tables, I have about a year and a half to live. Really? I am not amused. Do I look like I am dying? We had better hurry to get this pool finished so I get at least one swim in. I may have to bump off some younger guys to get the averages up. I sure hope the grim reaper does his work alphabeticaly or that at the very least, he got the memo that I am bullet proof.

Every year at this time, I spend at least 3 days working on preparing our taxes. (I am now on my 4th) It is at least as bad as going to the dentist. The fact that I have to deal with 3 homes in 3 countries on two continents doesn't make matters easier. I know that you feel my pain, but seriously, I know this is our own doing, but I have to whine to someone! I say that I must prepare our taxes because our accountant takes all the numbers I provide and fills out the forms. Way above my pay grade... I had a friend who would hand his accountant a shoe box full of receipts and let him figure it out. I can now see why.

Last year's tax forms came in to over 100 pages. They call it 'tax simplification'. And I am just a little guy who is all but broke. We recently had a tax lawyer look at what we were doing and he marveled at how much of our laughably paltry income we manage to shelter (legally) and our ability to write off with our rentals (legally). He immediately spotted just how allergic we are to paying taxes (legally). Did I mention that I what I do is aggressive as all get out but legal? I rest well knowing that, if need be, I am prepared to face an audit at any time. Over the years, I have been audited only twice and came out smelling like a rose each time. I think they have just given up on me.

Yet another public education success!

January, 2024

The before we leave projects

Last season we had a real issue with our cedar hot tub here in California when we were in Europe and at the island. It developed a massive leak and we had to shut it down. Clients (guests) we had staying with us were furious and we had to compensate them for the inconvenience. Not cheap. So, when we got back, it was high on our priority list to fix the problem.

I didn't think it would be a big deal and I set off with my 'Michael's clever solutions' to the problem. When the first one did not work, I upped the anti and went to the second. When it failed, I got serious and went all the way to the third. It too was a dismal failure. I resigned myself to facing the fact that I would have to tear it out and replace it with a smaller fiberglass model. I cut out all the plumbing and was about 10 minutes away from taking a sledgehammer to the tub itself when Janice came across a YouTube video of a guy who fiber glassed everything from fish ponds to swimming pools.

Again, my lame attempt at fiber glassing had been a disaster, but I could see why it had failed. I was encouraged that I could save this sucker and have what I wanted at 1/6 if the cost of replacing it with what I did not really want. I had already spent an ungodly amount of time and effort on this already, but in for a penny, in for a pound. I spent a lot of time not only re-doing all the plumbing and sealing the interior but making a much more attractive set of stairs to get in and refinishing the exterior. Finally, I am just days away from adding water (no leaks!!!), turn on the heater and ...Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh!

Next on the last-minute projects agenda was replacing a window in the kitchen to complete the kitchen remodel. It had been ordered as soon as we landed and was promised to be delivered in early December. HA! Fat chance. It arrived days ago, and I am scrambling to get it in before we leave. Is it just me, or is this the story of my life? What happened to retiring with a rocking chair?

The plan is to at least take one day this week to drive up the beautiful coast to the town of Carmel-by-the-Sea (quintessential California) to visit the art shops and have lunch at the 'Hogs Breath Inn', which was owned by Clint Eastwood until recently. Few people know that Clint was the mayor of Carmel fom 1986 to 1988, earning $200. / month while in the middle of his film career. He was elected with 72% of the vote.

We are two weeks away from pulling up stakes and hopping over the pond where our next project awaits. We had a dozen large trees cut and stumps pulled on our new property and will get busy getting the contractor set up to start work on the pool. We know that we both work very hard for the things we have, but we never kid ourselves in not knowing that we are blessed beyond words and that ultimately have much more than we deserve.

See what's new?

No, not the door silly, the door MAT!

News you can't use

The Epistle. We report, you decide.

December, 2023

 

The project

Last month I wrote about the big kitchen reno we undertook during our season here this year. So this was the 'Black Galaxy' granite tile that came from India that we had before.

Before

Obviously, this was the during

TA -DA!

Before

During

The wine fridge replaced the trash compactor. The farm sink was a new addition.

Every time we return for our season here, there are always some substantial bits of maintenance that we must see to. Not always very showy or sexy, they still need serious attention. Every 5 years for instance, we have to get the septic tank pumped out and the Palm trees trimmed. Not my favorite idea on how to spend money but it's got to be done. Then there are concrete terraces that need re sealing, a deck that needs to be re stained and on and on and on.  We are thrilled that we have 3 acres of privacy here but man, this stuff doesn't get done on its own. We need minions to give us a break.

Our Palm trees getting a haircut.

Janice has been busy doing a little landscaping clean up.

Post 'hard labor' cocktail by the waterfall on the lower patio

We do remind ourselves of how fortunate and blessed we are to live here. I know we brag about our different locations but really, how can we not? Check this 1-minute-long video of our coastline and beaches immediately below us. Do make sure to view it full screen. We feel your pain as you will soon begin to shovel the snow out of your driveway :)

or:       https://youtu.be/AJwnqCsd3f4?si=UgQ_phBB44OQll7q

Sunset from our upper deck

Just another day in paradise. My kind of weather.

So, you thought that we were kidding when we said we were living in abject poverty. How would you like to haul your bark for landscaping in this 'Jed Clampet, Grapes of Wath' like trailer? I had to humiliate myself 5 times in getting load after load to cover over 3000 sq Ft (280 sq meters). It is not an easy life we lead.

Food for thought

The Epistle is not an advice column and Ann Landers doesn't work here. * I only started writing this years ago to keep in touch with our kids and a few friends. (*Ann Landers had a newspaper column to help people with relationship issues)

I recently viewed a TV series on very rich historical figures and was struck by how many died having passed the torch of their immensely successfull lives on to their children without having said a proper goodbye. No such luck for my kids, but what stayed with me was the importance of saying goodbye before it was too late.  I am not planning on pushing up daisies anytime soon, but we never know when we will be circling the drain.

I guess my point here is that I want to be very deliberate and aware that the people I am with (kids, friends, whatever), I might never see alive again. I am not trying to be morbid here and I am not suggesting tearful goodbyes. I guess what I am thinking is that I don't want to take for granted that there will always be a next time for them or for me. If I have something to say or to share, I better not assume I can always do it later. When they or I die, I want them to know how much I loved them because I will have TOLD them, and not in a casual way. OK, onto more pleasant subjects...

We are DONE

Done Done

no really...DONE!

I am usually quite reluctant to share something until it has happened or is done. People often talk about what they are going to do and sometimes, it just doesn't happen. Janice, on the other hand, is enthusiastic and likes to let the cat out of the bag before we have a cat or the bag. 

In August of 2022, I wrote that we had bought a property next to our villa in France and we wanted to have a pool built on it. Figuring that we had paid for it and signed the legal agreement to purchase and that our homeowners association had voted to sell it to us, we were good to go. The fact is that we only became the actual LEGAL owners (signed, sealed and delivered) just a few weeks ago. It would be impossible to list the number of delays in the procedures that we had to navigate and circumvent (or the extra fees and costs that kept being piled on and invented) to bring this to its conclusion.

This is our 3rd property purchase in France since we stated coming here 21 years ago and to date the process has been an absolute nightmare in 2 out of the 3. The roadblocks to finalizing the purchase seemed deliberate at times and our trust and confidence in not only our lawyer but the surveyor was shattered. This is a family publication so I will hold back on how I really feel about them and restrain myself to only describing them as bottom feeding, scum sucking, incompetent, bed wetting, thieving, swindlers. There now, that feels better.

I went Mario Puzo on them, but being 6000 miles away, they just blew me off and made up more reasons to delay. Getting them to act was like trying to nail Jello to a tree. French friends themselves say that their administration is breathtakingly glacial. Finally, a few friends with a little pull (one who refers to himself as my cousin), put his 2 cents in and the ball began to roll. A testament once again to the fact that its not what you know, its who you know. Oh, and and the fact that I really do need to keep my mouth shut until things are a truly a done deal. 

Would we buy another property in France? I think we will call this one good enough.

Meanwhile...

Christmas is upon us, and all of us here at the EPISTLE would like to wish you a Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukah, Mucho Batswana or whatever you celebrate at this time of the year. That is all of us including our entire staff, our writer, editor, investors, groupies and hangers on, followers, friends and family, the gardener and maintenance crew. 

I apologize if I missed anyone as I am trying to be diverse, equitable and inclusive. If you believe that I have swamp land in Florida to sell you.

November, 2023

 

Wedding Bells

No, it is not me and no, I did not show up dressed like this.

Our big event this month was to fly to Kalispell Montana, to attend our first grandson's wedding with wife Caitlin. It's been ages since we have attended a conventional wedding. This one had a serious Viking theme to it. The last one was a Scottish extravaganza.

We took advantage of the trip to visit #1 son Wesley and daughter in law Amanda and daughter Amy and grandkids in the area.

Team Rubicon (Again)

Last month I wrote a ditty in the Epistle about my deployment to Florida to respond to a hurricane disaster that had occurred there. The Epistle has the good fortune that a regular reader just so happens to be the editor of the online Thousand Island Life magazine, and was requesting to be able to reprint the story in large part in this month's edition. You know the old saying... " it's not what you know; it's who you know" so we get a lot more attention than we deserve. 

We maybe Californians as well as 'Rivierans' but after 23 years we are also regular Islanders. Anything unusual that occurs in the area or anything that a 'local' does that is a little off the wall draws the editor's and the magazine's interest. There are a number of 'snow birds' that travel to Florida in the winter as well as Floridians who spend the summer in the islands so it was thought that there would be some common interest. In any case, this month's edition of the magazine and the improved version of the story can be found by clicking HERE or on this link: https://thousandislandslife.com/team-rubicon-operation-not-forgotten-taylor-county-florida/

 10...9...8...7...

One of the really fun things about where we live is that we are only 30 miles (48Km) from the Vandenberg Air Force Base Space Launch Complex. From our deck, we can watch many of the launches of rockets, both military and civilian. A few days ago, we watched a Space X Transporter-9 Falcon 9 launch that carried 90 payloads. We check the launch schedule regularly but they are notorious for changing the times and dates on a moment's notice. Probably to keep the Russians guessing. Still, very cool when we do catch it.

Contrail of the Space X rocket launch as seen from our upper deck

Also, we are in line sight of the beach where we get to watch the whales migrate.

Other stuff

We got off to a good social start by having lots of friends over for a visit this past month. Partly because it has been a while since we have seen their smiling faces and partly because we now have to put the frivolities on pause because of our latest project. We are doing a serious reno of our kitchen with new granite countertops, a new 'farm' sink, wine fridge and window. In short, we have torn up the kitchen.

Regretfully, I am at a time in my life when anything that happened some time ago happened no more than 6 years ago, in my mind. This is our 4th kitchen reno since I built the house (6 years ago, right?) when our 44 year old daughter was 4. Hmmm...? Anyway, I know I put these counters in 10 years ago (I am trying to be more accurate) when my daughter told me she remembered me doing it when she was in high school 20 years ago. Hmmmm.....!

One of 2 (Brazilian Typhoon Bordeaux) granite slabs we got for the kitchen remodel. They are to be cut up and installed as needed. Each is 6 1/2 feet tall and 10 feet wide (2M 50 X 3M 30) Not your favorite? Bummer.

Janice's ambition and enthusiasm to have me replace, renew, upgrade, change pretty much everything and anything everywhere can be taxing (to say nothing of expensive). To be honest, she is right, and the end result is that all of our homes are pretty much as updated as can be and all look like they were recent builds. Nobody looks at this place and says..."Ugh! It is soooo 40 years old!" With any luck, we will have something to show you next month.

Meanwhile I am back on a tear to de-clutter the place. Not the inside of the house so much, but my workshop. It has been where all the magic happens in DYI, but regretfully, also been the storage place and repository for anything we don't want to keep in the house. As such, over 40 years it has accumulated a number of things that I had great ideas as to what I would do with them. Projects and what not. I am not a hoarder but I could be accused of keeping things long after I realistically should.

I had a daughter recently tell me that I will probably only live until I am 85. She clearly did not get the memo that I am bulletproof and that someday I might get old, but clearly not today. I do have to be realistic though, knowing that I am probably half way through the number of days I will be on this earth. Still, it got me thinking that the last thing I want, is to be pushing up daisies and have the kids clean out all of my saved little treasures and think "What was that crazy old fool saving all this crap for?" ( X 3 for different homes) You get emotionally attached to stuff you had plans for, but It's time to get real and move it along. The donation centers are loving me.

A new $4B Panasonic Electric Vehicle battery factory in Kansas requires so much power that the facility will need its own coal plant to run. A coal-fired power plant in Kansas that was slated for closure will remain open after all to provide needed power for... a new electric vehicle battery factory producing clean energy storage products.

No worries though, if your electric vehicle breaks down, the Tesla mechanic is on his way... as soon as he fills up. You just can't make this up.

.