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Post by rockpickerforever on May 18, 2019 21:55:01 GMT -5
Well, no one can accuse you of not doing what you set your mind to.  40 years of wanting is a lot of want. LOL! How's the commute? I had a gal in the mountains long ago. Friends with cabins visited for many years. Spent a lot of time up there Tela. Commute is easy at 2.5 hours. it is about 12F cooler up there. Plus more snow ! I had to look up a location named on your map to see that your "home away from home" will still be in the state of GA. You've done without a getaway camp for sometime now, about time you replace you Florida mansion. A relief to know you don't have to be moving all your rocks, glass, remaining plants biz, fire pit stock and biz (or did you sell that?). Now just a bit of work to make your new camp exactly how you want it. (Will you have an outdoor commode like at the old FL camp? Lol.) |
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Post by MsAli on May 18, 2019 23:02:44 GMT -5
It's been so cool to see all of your progress and your excitement over it.
Just beware of the turkeys
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Post by hummingbirdstones on May 18, 2019 23:22:57 GMT -5
Congrats on your new spread, jamesp! Looks like a great spot to get away -- it's beautiful. Please post progress pics so we can watch your magic happen. |
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Post by orrum on May 19, 2019 5:31:47 GMT -5
Great job Jim!!! Transition from a Web toed swamp cracker to a Appalachian hillbilly!!! What a sight to see and meet!!!
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jamesp
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Post by jamesp on May 19, 2019 5:42:52 GMT -5
Are you financing this with the burgeoning carnivorous plant business??? Next thing you know you'll be out hunting ginseng and truffles up in the holler. The fire pits will be the last business in my life Randy. I have a plan for the pit biz I should share. I don't want to grow it. 300+ pits/year at an average 15 hours/week is perfect for me. Barely a 6 digit net. Net is about 40% of gross, math is easy. However if an aggressive someone improved the SEO/marketing then sales of a 1000 to 2000 or more per year should be easy to do. Plan is to sell business at half market value to an aggressive buyer that will build it and ask back 5% of his gross for 10 years. A bit of a twist. Last month an RV resort placed an initial order of 50 units keeping me too busy with another 300 as sites are constructed. More than I want to fool with. Ginseng ? Time to go hunting that thar ginseng if it will bring youth and virility back, eliminate aches and pains. And an eye on mountain real estate in this area, namely raw land. Land is cheap up there, but the builders are expensive charging 150/sq ft !. Strange arrangement. A racket ? Why buy land if you have to pay $150,000 for a tiny 1000 sq ft cabin ? So I rented the excavator and paid to have it delivered from Atlanta. Guessing I will catch hell for my mass land alterations. I sent the building dept. photos of the grading. They sent "Stop what you are doing and contact us regarding the property". Looks like trouble he he. I'll build my own damn cabin for $50/sq ft. Lol, property is in Union County. Named Union due to the large settlement of(ha ha) carpet baggers after the war. You watch, bet I end up hiring a lawyer to get the(possibly crooked) building inspectors off my back. Sensing that the building department is in cahoots with these high dollar builders. Dealt with this crap down in Florida(another carpet bagger destination). |
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jamesp
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Post by jamesp on May 19, 2019 6:02:38 GMT -5
Great job Jim!!! Transition from a Web toed swamp cracker to a Appalachian hillbilly!!! What a sight to see and meet!!! Tired of Florida heat and mosquitos Bill. Time to switch alter ego's ! Dahlonega is closest grocery at 16 miles south over the mountains. 45 minutes by windy paved road Hwy 60 on the ridge. Or 25 minutes over the big mountain on 6 miles of gravel and then 10 miles straight pavement. Converting Tundra truck with lift kit and 33 inch off road tires, winch, etc. |
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jamesp
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Post by jamesp on May 19, 2019 6:33:01 GMT -5
Congrats on your new spread, jamesp! Looks like a great spot to get away -- it's beautiful. Please post progress pics so we can watch your magic happen. The road my lot is on dead ends 1/2 mile to this waterfall Robin. A nice walk. Rarely a person seen at this hidden treasure, this bunch is local folks. 200 yards upstream is another fall of this magnitude, 300 yards further yet another. Named Canada Creek, the dominate creek in this micro valley draining US Forest land so it is clean water. Served for power generation and mills, old settlements along it's bottoms, lots of history related to it. Better to get you some photos when no visitors are present.  |
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Post by fernwood on May 19, 2019 6:34:32 GMT -5
Find that Ginseng. I was hunting it at age 5. Good stuff.
In WI, any land alterations within 1000' of a "navigable waterway" must receive prior approval from Zoning. Silt fences and the like are "deployed". Grading slope must be directed away from the water. The navigable word is used to the extreme. If a kayak will float during Spring snow melt, then the body of water is navigable. Had that happen to me. There was a tiny creek behind some cabins I owned. The creek was about 2' wide and 6" to 1' deep most of the year. Sometimes there was only a trickle of water there. Run off from a 5 acre swamp. In the Spring, the creek was often 25' wide and 3' deep in places. Of course, this extreme only lasted for a couple of days with warm temps.
Yes, the Navigable Waterways person brought his kayak during the Spring thaw. Yes, it floated.
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jamesp
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Post by jamesp on May 19, 2019 7:09:17 GMT -5
It's been so cool to see all of your progress and your excitement over it. Just beware of the turkeys Apparently turkeys have an affinity for sweet Alison. The mother turkey never came back to her nest there at the building site. Hated to run her off. Perhaps I should have collected her 15 eggs for omelets ? Would they be like chicken eggs ? We had African Geese and we cooked their eggs. They were the best. Big too with large yokes. |
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snuffy
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Post by snuffy on May 19, 2019 7:16:03 GMT -5
Hey Jim.I have my Granpa's old whiskey still that he used back in the 1920's.Jugs too. Would fit well up there.Enjoy the new surroundings.
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Post by HankRocks on May 19, 2019 7:30:12 GMT -5
jamesp I suspect that the descendants of the original Carpetbaggers in that area are still plying the trade.
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jamesp
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Post by jamesp on May 19, 2019 7:42:39 GMT -5
Find that Ginseng. I was hunting it at age 5. Good stuff. In WI, any land alterations within 1000' of a "navigable waterway" must receive prior approval from Zoning. Silt fences and the like are "deployed". Grading slope must be directed away from the water. The navigable word is used to the extreme. If a kayak will float during Spring snow melt, then the body of water is navigable. Had that happen to me. There was a tiny creek behind some cabins I owned. The creek was about 2' wide and 6" to 1' deep most of the year. Sometimes there was only a trickle of water there. Run off from a 5 acre swamp. In the Spring, the creek was often 25' wide and 3' deep in places. Of course, this extreme only lasted for a couple of days with warm temps. Yes, the Navigable Waterways person brought his kayak during the Spring thaw. Yes, it floated. The navigable thing will never happen on this creek Lisa. However it flows out of the ground about 120 feet from my site. Gotta stay 100 feet from it. After a fast 2 inch rain it did not change flow noticeably, that was a big surprise. No run-off !! The drainage area is covered with an unusual absorptive heavy surface mulch. I have neither flood plain nor wetlands adjacent to creek so I can backfill. But technically no heavy equipment tracks/tires within 25 feet of creek bank edge so I used the long reach of the track excavator to reach out and dump back fill close to creek. Cutting it close.. Silt fence is going in regardless of the rules to keep 2 downstream neighbors and building office happy. A show of responsibility basically. The big navigable river close to my home has 2500' buffer rules similar to those you mention. Like 70% clearing on 0 to 5% slope, 40% on 6 to 10% slope, 20% on 11 to 20%, and no tree cutting on slopes greater than 21%. Grading direction restrictions, impermeable surface limitations, distance from river's edge, minimum building densities, etc. Flood plain can be cleared and farmed if you have AG zoning. Few bother to build in that zone. Makes a great natural undisturbed forest. |
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jamesp
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Post by jamesp on May 19, 2019 7:55:57 GMT -5
I had a gal in the mountains long ago. Friends with cabins visited for many years. Spent a lot of time up there Tela. Commute is easy at 2.5 hours. it is about 12F cooler up there. Plus more snow ! I had to look up a location named on your map to see that your "home away from home" will still be in the state of GA. You've done without a getaway camp for sometime now, about time you replace you Florida mansion. A relief to know you don't have to be moving all your rocks, glass, remaining plants biz, fire pit stock and biz (or did you sell that?). Now just a bit of work to make your new camp exactly how you want it. (Will you have an outdoor commode like at the old FL camp? Lol.) Looking forward to 2.5 hours verses 7 hours drive time Jean. More and shorter visits suits me. Yep, this time in Georgia but those mountains are like being in a foreign land. Way different from the piedmont down here in Atlanta. The effects of the mountains creating travel barriers has a profound impact on accessibility. In the old days people often stayed in their own little valley. The mountains may not be very tall but they darn sure limit foot traffic due to steepness. Many steep mountains and many settleable farmable valleys defined a way of life in Appalachia. Not much has changed. The hard wood forests are mostly past 100 years in age making for a beautiful wooded paradise. Trees can be staggered vertically and sloped land holds many more trees due to increased surface area not to mention increased sun exposure for good growing conditions. There is a small mountain in this valley that was developed for about 100 cabins. Only about 35 lots could be built on easily due to severe slopes. But the funny thing was the paved roads the developer installed. So steep that my front wheel drive Honda sedan would spin the tries climbing them. That was a first. |
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Post by MsAli on May 19, 2019 7:57:56 GMT -5
It's been so cool to see all of your progress and your excitement over it. Just beware of the turkeys Apparently turkeys have an affinity for sweet Alison. The mother turkey never came back to her nest there at the building site. Hated to run her off. Perhaps I should have collected her 15 eggs for omelets ? Would they be like chicken eggs ? We had African Geese and we cooked their eggs. They were the best. Big too with large yokes. I'm surprised she didnt come back, they usually defend that nest like crazy, but they are odd creatures and get spooked easily Wild Turkey eggs are not bad eating. Kind of like geese. |
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Post by captbob on May 19, 2019 8:04:05 GMT -5
Looking like you found yourself a nice chunk of land up there. Off to a good start. Congratulations! You say that as if it is a good thing. eeek! Fewer mosquitoes sounds nice though... Better to ask for forgiveness than permission? You going to have to put in septic tank there? What about water and electricity? Had kinda figured your next land grab would be in south Georgia on a coral rich bed of ground. I've considered looking for such. Figure one could yield a nice side income on coral rich ground. Lookin' forward to further installments on your new adventure.
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jamesp
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Post by jamesp on May 19, 2019 8:08:49 GMT -5
Where we live it gets real hot and humid, too. We like to take the bridge tunnel over to the Eastern Shore of VA. A 20 mile car ride and the temps drop by about 15 degree or better. And, there is a nice breeze coming off the ocean. It's really nice and peaceful over there. We always say we'd like to retire there. Inland on the eastern seaboard is a big change from the ocean breezes Tela. 5 miles can be all the difference. That ocean is a paradise to live close to if one can afford it. Many are aware of the beauty of the beach and unfortunately the population density increases along with the traffic. Guessing you are well aware. Retirement plans are becoming a concern for many of us. In my case I decided to have an accessible small 2nd home. That could serve for retirement. Taxes and living is cheap at this location. NO hospital care though... Figured it is time to bite the bullet and make a move while able. Some friends are at a point where they are not sure about dealing with there direction at retirement. I say don't wait too much longer. |
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Post by captbob on May 19, 2019 8:09:21 GMT -5
How about picking up a deal on a small RV to use there until you have property upgrades?
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jamesp
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Post by jamesp on May 19, 2019 8:45:09 GMT -5
Looking like you found yourself a nice chunk of land up there. Off to a good start. Congratulations! You say that as if it is a good thing. eeek! Fewer mosquitoes sounds nice though... Better to ask for forgiveness than permission? You going to have to put in septic tank there? What about water and electricity? Had kinda figured your next land grab would be in south Georgia on a coral rich bed of ground. I've considered looking for such. Figure one could yield a nice side income on coral rich ground. Lookin' forward to further installments on your new adventure. Yep to septic/well/electricity Bob. Septic first, meeting soil engineer for perc test to get septic located - is first step. All legal. As far as lots on the Withlacochee ? Don't bother looking much, most land is in giant parcels except this little hard to find subdivision jewel on Peppermint Trail with small lots right on the river. Had an opportunity to buy a 200' x 200' lot right on the river for $60,000 a long while back. Sorry I did not buy it. Heavenly spot. Go to HWY 31 at river crossing, follow red lines. The white line splitting the map is the Georgia/Florida boundary. Your strict Florida wardens never go here so you have freedom to do most any collecting of coral. Georgia is very much liberal about allowing collecting.  |
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jamesp
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Post by jamesp on May 19, 2019 8:50:32 GMT -5
How about picking up a deal on a small RV to use there until you have property upgrades? Been getting a motel in Dahlonega. Driving back and forth 16 miles. May get a camper soon, great idea. Dahlonega is a happening little tourist town with great places to eat out. Good enough for time being. |
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Post by captbob on May 19, 2019 9:03:27 GMT -5
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40 years of wanting is a lot of want. LOL! How's the commute?
