POTD 2006 (Progress on the Crown)

[dburt]

Sharkey, I know the drill: lack of funds, or time, energy or motivation and sometimes all four! So I too put favorite projects on the back burner, and hope to get to them someday. But I am beginning to wonder if the time and the money will ever be available at the same time before I get too old to go 'fer it. I notice lately I don't have the energy and drive I had when I was 30. And other priorities crowd out the fun stuff, such as trying to make a living etc. But I have not sold my bus yet, it's a race to see if I sell it or my miltary Deuce and a half first, and I really hope the Deuce wins so I can start on the bus before I get to old and feeble to tackle it!

[Sharkey]

But I am beginning to wonder if the time and the money will ever be available at the same time before I get too old to go 'fer it. I notice lately I don't have the energy and drive I had when I was 30.

Ha! Imagine that!!

I always figured that the Crown was my "escape capsule", that is I would be able to use it to bail out from living in the city as it would enable me to purchase a "more affordable" piece of undeveloped property in a rural area.

As it turned out, due to the selling price of my former residence, and the crazy real estate market, I ended up purchasing a ~much~ more expensive property than I ever imagined I would want/could afford. The saving grace was supposed to be that I'd still have a pretty fat nest egg to invest and draw interest from, allowing me to complete the bus in the proper fashion.

Well, boom went bust, I lost about $300k on the sale of my old property, and now I can barely keep the electricity turned on. Unfortunately, the building materials place doesn't take food stamps.

Having virtually 100% of my worth tied up in a large property while I scrape by with a meager income isn't what I planned for my retirement, so it remains to be seen if I will be able to keep this place once the economy recovers. I may be better off selling it and purchasing a smaller property and then having some of the proceeds of the sale to invest/live off of, etc. If that comes to pass, the Crown is again going to be an important part of the plan.

In four years I score my pittance in Social Security payments. It won't be much, but it will be steady. I'll probably have to work until the day I die, but since I know how to get by on very little, I may do OK. I've been poor before, I've just never been old and poor....

[dburt]

I have about 5 years before I hit the big 62 and can start drawing my own meager share of Social Insecurity. I figure on working until I die, they will have to pry the hammer or welding lead out of my hand when they plant me. We had all our meager savings in our home and property, but if this market does not recover, there will be no selling this place and finding a smaller rural place and having a little left over for rough times. My grandparent used to tell me about the survival times during the "great depression" and many of us may have to resort to survival tactics before this is all over. I think of a bus, motorhome or RV as better then living in a tent if it all goes over the edge. And I always figured that diesel may be more available due to agricultural and transportation needs in a dire national emergency due to economic, natural disaster, terrorism or political "incidents". I too have been poor, but like you Sharkey I never figured to be old and poor at the same time! At lease we have a place we can grow a garden, and have a roof over our heads and a bed to sleep in. Maby that is what the "American Dream" will come down to eventually!

[MrBreeze]

OK Sharkey...Its Killing Me !!!

Do You Still Own This Crown ?? If So....Have You Done Anymore Work On It That Im Not Finding ???

You Now Know I Also Own A 1963 Crown. The EMBREE Bus #63
1963 The Year I Was Born Might Make Me Younger Than You ?? But I Just Thought It Cool..1963 And Being Unit # 63

Anyway......Im Just Interested In Your Project And Really Get Jonesing As To What Has Been Going On With Your BABY. 10-4

Thanks
JOHN
MrBreeze

[Sharkey]

No, unfortunately, poverty, combined with the demands of other projects, have prevented me from doing any further construction on the bus. I have recently received a refund on some of the taxes that I paid on the failed sale of my old property which will allow me to make some progress on the remodeling of the house here. Once that house is in a more complete state, then the contents of the bus can be moved into the house, making it possible to once again work inside the bus. Hopefully, there will be some money left over by that time to put into materials for the bus.

An interesting note, next Monday will be the 15th anniversary of my purchase of the Crown. I speculated at that time that it would be a four-year project. Man was I wrong!

[Dennis The Bus Dweller]

Well, That makes me feel a little better about not being able to get back to work on my rig but at least im back to work and making a few bucks