Went to Wal Mart

And saw this in the parking lot.

The Process

So here is how the diving process goes.  Load up truck and drive to access.

Slap gear together and make sure you look like you just woke up.

Get gear on, boots, weight belt, BC, tank etc.

Add Fins, flag, lobster bag, goggles and tickle stick.

Walk

Way out in the middle you can see my flag.

Scrambled Egg

Visited a new Cafe and ran into these people.  We spent the whole morning listening to some guy ramble on about the Titanic.  It rained and we took our food inside, benedicts all around.

Not into seafood

Maggie wanted nothing to do with the lobsters.  Not sure why, they were pretty stinky.

As close as she would get

Mansions of Madness

I think I've had one too many horrors.  The girls would never admit it, but they had loads of fun.  Mansions is a pretty intense horror RPG game, worth the set up.

Happy Birthday LIBA!!!

Meet Yan and Liba, Marcela's parents from Australia.  We had a fantastic get together at "The Mansion" celebrating Liba's birthday. 

Tis the Season

So far lobster season has been successful.  Half of a tank and three lobsters makes for a pretty good morning.  I call the big one BITEY.

DIVDAY!

As part of our "Retire Early or Keep Working" mantra we have changed our overall investment philosophy.  Buy low and never plan on selling.  It is more of a Buffett approach.  Search out quality companies that pay out reliably increasing dividends (Dividend Aristocrats).  So far all of this years picks have earned an average of 16% and that is not counting the 5% - 16% dividend payout.  As part of this new investment strategy we get to celebrate a "Dividend Day" every other week or so.  Hasbro was this months DivDay! 

This strategy will be filed under Pillar I.  The ultimate goal is to one day have the dividend income equal or surpass the working income.

Herby Herb Herb

The herb garden is coming around.  So far we have Dill, Parsley, Cilantro and tons of Basil.  I will have to make room for veggie transplants in the next week or so.  I'm thinking of putting some in containers and tilling a few in the ground.  Pretty soon I'll have to trade in my John Deere stock for an actual tractor.

I will file this in the the Pillar III category.  Ultimate short term goal is to make a completely home-made pizza. 

That cat

Keats knows how to party.

Butler Bakery

Round 3 of the Baguettes.  Took a few to work and they were well received.  Super tasty stuff however the shape is still a little off.  I will probably need to invest in a baguette pan for best results. 

For those keeping track this would fall into Pillar III of making things rather than buying.

Angel Trumpet

Our angel trumpet is on it's second bloom which will be it's first bloom in the new home.  Apparently the flowers are used as a hallucinogenic drug and Alea is worried that neighborhood youth may try to get high in the front yard.  I'm not too worried.

Hmmmmm.

I thought the dog wasn't allowed on the couch?

Cukes!

I planted Cucumbers less than four days ago.  I am completely unprepared for transplantation but it needs to happen soon.  This little project will tie in with pillar II and III of my retirement scheme.  I will start off by saving money on produce by growing some veggies, however I will have paid for the seeds.  The goal is to save some seeds from this little harvest to roll over into the next which will satisfy pillar III.  I suppose I could eventually have a never ending circle of veggies once I am up and running. 

I will need some tips on collecting and preparing seeds, if anyone out there is versed in the trade.

Leaning a bit to the right.

Retirement Rant/ 3 Pillars

Everyone should know by now that I have devoted a great deal of study time to the notion of Early Retirement or Extreme Retirement.  My overall plans are to be retired in ten years or less.  It sounds crazy, but it can be done.  I have read tons of blogs, books, articles, etc., each with their own systems in place to achieve such a goal.  I have boiled them all down to three basic categories or pillars if you will.  No matter how debt laden you are these pillars need to be a focal point in all of life's transactions.

The 3 Pillars of Early retirement (Financial Freedom, Financial Independence)

I. Passive Income / Making money without working (e.g. Dividends, stocks, CD's)

II. Parsimony / Not spending money (e.g. Frugality, Stoicism, being a cheap-o)

III. Sustainability / Not needing money to begin with (e.g. Making things, Ebay, Growing)


All three of these categories will put you in the scope of some form of financial independence.  It is up to you to choose how quickly you want it.  So far I have been working on all three in no particular order.  From dividend investing to bread making it all adds up in the end.

I will probably dedicate future blog postings to our committment to the 3 Pillars and our ultimate goal of not needing a job for income.

Jungle Status

We have spent a great deal of time this summer attacking the jungle in the backyard.  Under the canopy a pathos (money plant) had completely overrun the ground.  An in depth Internet search revealed that there is almost no sure-fire way to kill it, so hand to hand combat was needed.  As of today it is about 80% gone.  The ultimate plan is to get a garden going as well as a fire-pit.

Trees untrimmed.  The green underneath is about a foot an a half of pathos plant.

This is after four or five hauls.

I found two sprinklers hiding under there.

Backyard Update

Here is the backyard shower area.  It has come a long way since we moved in.  We transplanted the Gumbo-Limbo tree for the final time at the beginning of the year.  At first all of the leaves died off and I was quite worried he wouldn't make it (I've had him since he was a stick).  I was unsure about the heavy clay deposits where we had placed him.  Our foxtail palm died in the same spot, but I don't think it was all that healthy to begin with.  After about two weeks or so it came back to life and has been growing ever since.

Almost done, we still want to update the shower a bit.

The Gumbo Limbo was not happy.

This was when we first moved in.

School

Here is where I work.  I have consolidated it all down to one desk and a plastic crate.

Wonderful Whites

I am proud to present the newest addition to the blogging empire http://thewhitesbackyardfarm.blogspot.com/!  You may recognize Karen and the kids from some of my earlier Kayaking posts in June.  They have started raising chickens in the backyard and will soon be entering the realm of alpaca farming.  Check them out and spread the love.

Troy, Karen, Tye, Max and Jack crushing some nachos at Epcot.

Sort of Like New

Everyone at work laughed at me when I said I needed a ride to the Mercedez dealership to get my truck fixed.  Who's laughing now? 

Puppynormal Activity

They're coming for you Barbara!

Zombie Puppies!
Magpie, Toby, Odin and Buddy.

Butler Farms

We have a goal of becoming more self sufficient (making bread, cheese, etc.).  First step is the herb garden.  So far we have dill, cilantro and basil coming through.  Not sure why the rosemary, oregano and lavender are being stubborn.  Next step veggies.

Not sure why these are sideways?

Transform

Here is the newest views of the front of the house. 

Who Cut the Cheese

I attempted to make some cheese the other day.  Apparently making mozzarella and ricotta go hand in hand.  It all went pretty smoothly on the ricotta end but the mozzarella turned out to be more of a queso blanco, still tastes good.  The only way to make it fool proof is to find a way to get fresh unpasteurized milk, if anyone knows where to get it please let me know. 

Back to School

The dream is dead.  Summer is over.  Back to the grind.  I will have to change the mantra of the blog as we are summer'n no more.  Thanks to all of you that made this summer possible!

Don't you worry, this does not signal the end of the blog.  I made Cheese!

Transformers

Front Planter Bed before after and half-way.

Before

We transplanted the Angel Trumpet and Plumeria

Just add mulch

The MULCH MACHINE

Only $23 for a truckload of mulch, not bad.  The landscaping is getting a few final touches.  Over the next few days I'll be posting some yard pics.  Hopefully it won't be too boring.