Had they just waited!

Forsyth MO. - Taneycomo Terrace Condos - Last May 31, a hail storm hit roof shingles that had been installed due to a hail event that had happened earlier. Had the Board of Managers used a little common sense and waited for that spring season to pass, the complex would have saved over 200K in additional insurance claims. The out of pocket costs to condo owners exceeded $1500 each. This is an example of very poor management decisions.

We have a fire pit! Now what we need....

Yes! And, we need a wastebasket too!

Forsyth MO. - Earlier this year a group of outdoor minded men and women apparently got together and pooled some money for an proper outdoor fire pit. A great place for people to get together and enjoy the spirit of community that only a good fire pit can instill. But now that we have one, it got me to thinking....

Units like this can be had for $124

For not too much more money, one or more standard park in ground charcoal grills could be installed so that food could be properly prepared. Next we need some form of furniture in the form of benches and tables that would not lend themselves to theft. Add a small canopy and you'd have yourself self one hell of a great spot for out door groups that could work all year long, but which would be especially nice in the fall! Just a thought!

One afterthought concerning that recent concrete pour - 'Concrete does not dry, it cures. A 28 day cure is generally specified. It is desirable to keep the surface of the concrete wet or damp after it initially sets up in order to prevent 'dryout' which ends the curing process and limits its final strength!'

An update: After the rains of late April, the fire pit flooded and the firewood floated away.... a comment on these times?

A Chinese hamburger?

Forsyth MO. - Chinese hamburger? Not really. I meant to say I ordered a hamburger and fires at restaurant called the Chinese Mexican Burrito, a sort of you can get anything you want kind of joint located on Hwy 160. I tried to get them to add 'Pancakes' to their sign, but they refused!

Surprisingly, to me, the hamburger was pretty decent as were the crinkle cut French fries! My meal arrived hot with soft buns, sort of the way I like my women! My only objection was that I felt their prices were a little on the high side. Still, this venue is generally crowded right around lunch time, so I'd suggest you try and arrive early!

Taneycomo Terrace features a crack maintenance team!

Damage to bridge structure done by a truck!

 After living at Taneycomo Terrace Condominiums for a year now, I have to admit to being impressed with maintenance staff that is comprised of two individuals; Craig and Chris! I've found their response to most of my work order requests to be prompt with the work done of only the highest professional grade! Sure, some requests could not be done as fast as I would have liked, but I realized that with over a 150 condo units not to mention boat docks, pools and grounds, these two guys have a lot on their plates!

Craig puts on the finishing touches!

Kudos on some great work, guys!

D's Auto - Complete Auto Service and Repair!

Owner Dennis Renteria

Forsyth MO. - Dennis Renteria, owner of D's Auto recently opened for business performing oil changes, engine work, transmissions and brakes not to mention preventative maintenance work. All this work is performed at 180 Kelly Ave in Forsyth Mo. at affordable prices!

It's great to know that getting your oil changed can still be done right in town. When I stopped by, Dennis and his crew were busy with numerous customers. While I was there, a customer by the name of Debbie, had traveled all the way from Branson West, where she works as a lead at Silver Dollar City, just to get an opinion about a problem she was having with her auto. That told me a lot!  Please give Dennis a call at 417-230-6090 to schedule an appointment any time 8-5PM Monday through Friday! You can also email Dennis at DennisRay2117@Gmail.com! I plan to get my next oil change done at this venue and will plan to do a followup report at that time!

Critique: The Tire Crew LLC in Forsyth Mo!

Forsyth MO. – Every so often in ones life, I've run into exceptional individuals working at improbable occupations. When I look back over the years at my experiences with auto repair facilities, I've generally walked away disappointed for one reason or another. That business sector has been often populated by practitioners that could best be described as somewhat shady. That was definitely not the case at the Tire Crew located at 13149 Hwy 160 just to the north of Forsyth Missouri! The owner, Don Goodman who is ex-military, runs a very 'tight ship'. I felt I was treated very promptly and in a professional manner.

While waiting for an oil change, I was impressed with the amount of activity going on. Mr. Goodman was on the phone with a local parts supplier who had promised that a part would be there early Monday, but which was not. When he discovered that there was another duplicate part over in Branson West, he dispatched his daughter in law, Heather, to go fetch it for two customers who were there waiting patiently at the facility for that part to repair their vehicle. I found that sort of 'get it done' attitude to be rather impressive.

The Tire Crew does just about everything right, be it new tires, oil changes, brakes, exhaust systems, batteries or just about whatever needs to be done. They even have a towing service and can pick up a customer when their vehicle is ready to go! Add that to the fact that their invoices are itemized with fair pricing and I think I will be a customer of theirs for years to come! The Tire Crew shop can be reached at 417-546-7435!

Update: December 2016 - I went to the Tire Crew for an oil change and was handled in a very professional manner! Don Goodman was there, working hard as was usual for him. This service company has always been busy (a good sign) and they offer full automotive care. 

So, you can go this way.... for a while! Opps! No, you can't!

Forsyth MO. – That government owned gate that sits atop Baker Street hill and which leads down in the the federally owned River Run Park is once again open! But wait! It'll be open for just three weeks or until about the middle part of July when the Corps of Engineers have said they will once again lock it up due to 'construction' concerns. That's what I was told by a person that called them up on the phone... only he was lied to as they never did unlock that fk'ing gate. Perhaps the 'construction project' had been moved ahead, I wondered.

But, just what sort of construction would require the closing of a 300 foot segment of a county road that many residents of the Valley View Village community use to get to both the park and Highway 76 on their way to and from work? Was the entire park also to be closed?

That thought brought all sorts of questions to mind. You see, the trouble is that some agencies such as the Corps seems to have trouble corresponding to the common people on a regular basis, in my opinion. I did check their Recreation.gov site and discovered that they were still taking reservations all the way out into August! So, I was forced to assume that the park wouldn't be closed, just that short segment of street.

Wait! Maybe it had something to do with the Powersite Sewer Project. After all, they will be digging up the entire area for the installation of a new sewer. No, I called and they said that they too were trying to have access to the same road segment. Well, I thought, what about the bridge the runs over Bull Shoals? I had read somewhere that it was going to be replaced, with work starting just about this time. Nope, a call to MoDot put that idea to rest also.   So, the mystery deepens....

Forsyth's puzzling water billing practice!

Forsyth MO – After recently moving from the outskirts of a small town in southwest Missouri to a location inside the city limits, I found that there were some new things to get used to....

Take my water/sewage bill, for instance. Apparently, even though city personnel do routinely read the meters, they don't actually record them on a consumers bill, preferring to estimated the amounts instead. OK, let me repeat that. They go to all the trouble of reading each meter (I've watched them) and then the City sends out a bill with what looks like a guesstimate! How do I know this. My meter reading always end up in even amounts! Hey guys and gals! If you're gonna guess at the readings, why did the City Fathers spend perhaps hundreds of thousands of dollars to install accurate meters in the first place?

Maybe this practice will catch on with the local power co-op. They could send out an electric bill for a 'ballpark amount' of what they think you used and then you, the consumer could, send them a check on what you think you 'should' pay them... based on a really good personal estimate of course!

Update: Shortly after posting this, I received a new billing that seemed to reflect an accurate reading. Boy! Talk about a fast reaction!

Plane removed from icy Bull Shoals waters!

FORSYTH, Mo. – Remarkably, only minor injuries are reported in a plane crash in Bull Shoals Lake near Shadow Rock Park in Forsyth.

The pilot and passenger were able to escape from the plane and swim to safety after the aircraft emergency landed at approximately 7:45 p.m. Friday, January 3rd.

Billy Rader is the public information officer for the Forsyth Fire Department…

The Federal Aviation Administration is conducting an investigation into the cause of the crash. The identities of the men have not yet been released. However, the Highway Patrol says the men are from Texas, and the aircraft is a 1960s Piper 6 single-engine.

Other responding agencies included Taney County Ambulance District, Central Taney County Fire Protection District, Taney County Sheriff’s Office and the Highway Patrol Water Division. [Article posted by Sam Clanton].
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The plane was successfully removed a week later on Friday, January the 10th by a crew of six and appeared to be in good overall condition other than so cosmetic damage around the lower portion of the engine cowling.

By 3:00 PM - the ill-fated plane had had its wings removed and was loaded on a flatbed bound for parts unknown. I sure hope this 1960 relic of a time bygone flies again soon!

Looking back at 1960; some fun facts!

Yearly Inflation Rate USA 1.46% 
 
The average cost of new house was $12,700.00!

More! The average monthly rent was $98.00!  The cost of a gallon of gas was 25 cents! The average cost of a new car $2,600.00! 

Where, oh where, did we go wrong?

The cost of veggies at the local grocery – October 2013!

Thank goodness that my eight or so pepper plants are motoring right along late in the season and are still producing some fine banana, bell and long red cayenne peppers! And, while the harvest has not ever been overwhelming, it has been steady enough to service my stir fries and salads.

I feel blessed to have at that one vegetable (which I use frequently at a cheap cost), because the other guys I buy at the local grocery – well, that's not so much the case. Here is a sampling of the cost of some of the vegetables as of the day of this post:

Bell peppers $0.89 each

Carrots $0.99 1 lb bag

Celery $1.49 1 lb pkg

Lettuce $1.79 Iceberg or head lettuce – no reason given for the high cost

Onions $1.49 per lb

Potatoes 2.99 5 lb sack

Here's a post I did earlier in the year in January, 2013 that lists some of the prices back then. Thankfully, the cost of gas is currently down some, now at 3.129 a gallon for unleaded. I fear that this lower cost, however, is more due to the terrible economy and the shutdown of the government than anything else. Everywhere, all across the nation people are blaming one side or the other or both for the shutdown. (For my part, I'm certain this was a Democratic Party and far left engineered deal that was spear-headed by a very evil and despicable President Obama). [Forsythkid]

Local parks and access roads shut down!

The Corp of Engineers apparently have received instructions to close off access to River Run Park effective in 24 hours. This park (and presumably parks like it across the US), are being closed because Obama & friends want to send everyone a clear message that if you mess with him he's going to mess with you. In  my opinion, this is just the tip of a movement by the President to eventually shut down America!