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Great story Joey.  On the other hand sometimes what goes around just goes.........

Several years ago I bought my father-in-law's old pop-up camper after he passed away.  None of my wife's brothers or sisters wanted it so my mother-in-law was going to give it to me but I insisted on paying her the blue-book wholesale price of $700 as she needed the money.  I spent a couple hundred more on new tires, etc as the canvas was still good and it was in decent shape. I used it a few times but it was a large pop-up and quite a load to pull up and down hills behind my little 4-cylinder Subaru, so I was thinking of selling it and use the money as a down payment on a new smaller and lighter unit.  I was camping along a local stream and was getting ready to fold it up and head home when I saw an old guy I knew try to set up a small tent at a nearby campsite.  He had recently had one leg amputated at the knee due to diabetes and was struggling with his gear.  I invited him to use my camper and he accepted.  When I went back to pick it up a few days later he was raving about how much easier it was to camp in the pop-up instead of a tent and said he was thinking about getting one. I told him mine was for sale and for him I'd let it go for $400.  He said he'd think about it as money was a little tight as he was trying to pay his doctor bills, etc.  After I pulled the camper back home I discussed it with my wife.  The old guy was a navy veteran just like my father-in-law so we decided to just give it to him in appreciation for his service.  I called him and made the offer but he was too proud to accept so I offed to trade for his old tent.  After some thought he agreed.

A couple years later I ran into him.  He used the camper to take his grand kids on a Florida vacation and thanked me again.  I'm glad he enjoyed it as a year later he passed away.

Last year I took my grand kids on a camping and rafting trip in WV.  I brought a couple tents for my daughter and her family and decided to also bring the old tent I had traded for as it had been in the garage for years and I'd never used it.  The first night we camped there was a bad rain storm.  My daughter, son-in-law and grand kids weathered it just fine in the tents i brought for them.  I had to get up in the middle of the night and crawl into my truck.  The old tent I'd traded for leaked like a sieve............

DE

Zurf is spot on about the wood combination producing a great tone.  Congrats on the new string box Roger.

DE

Good to hear that your still alive and kicking Jim.  Nice pic of that Blueridge but who's that ugly guy sittin' on the stool?

I hope that's an old pic, I can't imagine anyone from the Buckeye state wearing blue this week.

DE

I'm with Zurf on this one.  I prefer to buy one with 25K-35K miles on it and drive it until I get about 200K.  One of the reasons is I spend a lot of time on back roads driving to river access areas during raft and kayak trips.  I've never been a gear head although there a few cars from the 50's and earlier I'd like to take for a spin.

If I get a car that is too comfortable and quiet I feel like I'm just sitting on the sofa and watching TV rather than driving.  I like a little road noise and gear shifting which drives my wife crazy.  That's why I she usually drives a new one while I tool around in the old road warriors.

DE

I have several friends that have had it done and all are pleased with the results.  The only negative I've heard was from one of my close friends that does a lot of electronics work.  Before the operation he could take off his glasses and see  "up close" work very clearly.  After the surgery he had great distance vision but needed glasses for reading and work on circuit boards.  He said it was frustrating and took nearly a year for him to be comfortable with the change.

I'm currently in a race between my insurance and vision problems.  I've developed cataracts and the surgery will be completely covered by my current insurance when my vision problems reach a certain level.  In 15 months my insurance will be dropped and I'll have to go on medicare and per my optometrist I'll then have a lot of out-of-pocket expenses.  I was told last week I also need another shoulder surgery plus my right knee needs replaced as the joint is now bone-on-bone.  All this medical crap is really putting a damper on some of my planned raft trips out west.  Getting older really sucks sometimes. 

DE

Hearty congratulations!!  May you have many more years together.

DE

Arrggghhh!!! This thread is killing me.  Jen and I just got back from 2 weeks at Pensacola Beach and visiting our oldest daughter and grand kids in Gulf Breeze.  We plan to go back in February and may be there during Chordiestock.  Problem is Pensacola is still 450 miles from the Clearwater area and I don't want to miss time with my grand kids as we only see them a couple times a year.  Sure hate to miss out on all the fun with my Chordie family but blood is thicker than the liquor which will consumed at casa topdown.

DE

Hmmmm ....... "blood is thicker than liquor" sounds like a hook for a song

Oh and I suppose I also forgot to warn you about the tendency for the latest owner of the guitar to indulge in prevarication.................

That sux about the electronics Zurf.  But per Wayne Henderson (highly acclaimed builder of acoustics) in the book Clapton's Guitar: "Guitars are like vacuum cleaners -if you plug them in they suck", so I guess it sux either way.  Have you checked the wiring ?

Also sorry to hear about the vet bill for your mechanical horse.

DE

They're Martin clones.  My ROS-16 is a copy of a 1903 Martin 000 slothead.

DE

Thoughts and prayers going Gary's way from here in Ohio.

DE

I hope your group had a good time.

I've had a lot of fun on the Ocoee in years past.  The first time I yakked it in '82, my paddling buds and I were sitting below the dam waiting for the water release when a Cadillac with Texas plates pulled up and an older gentleman in a Stetson walked down to talk to us. He said "I don't know much about river running but don't you need more water to paddle those little boats?"  We explained that the dam release would begin shortly and we would have plenty of water in a short time.  We all got a big laugh out of it (including him).  Later that evening we attended the Ocoee River Festival and heard some great bluegrass music..

About 6-7 of us would strap our yaks to the roof racks and pile into an old Dodge van every spring and head south, usually hitting the Big South Fork, Emory-Obed system, Chattooga, Ocoee, French Broad and Nolichucky.  Since we only had one vehicle, each day one paddler volunteered to be the shuttle driver/camp cook, dropping off everyone at the put-ins and picking them up at the take-outs later in the day.  After the first few years I usually volunteered to be the shuttle driver on the Ocoee because it was so crowded that play boaters spent all their time dodging rafts, plus with the road running right next to the river I could spend most of the day being entertained watching the carnage from the road-side pull-offs.  Sure brings back some great memories.

DE

Congrats Derek !!

With a 14.75" depth, there may be enough room for you to squeeze your frame into that yak.

Did a lot of folks show up for the Riverfest?

DE