I bought a house in Lake City

[The Chairman]

Hi Pete, I'd love it, but as far as my diving goes, it would be serious overkill and being a 2016 way out of my price range. I've budgeted 10K for a dive-vehicle, which puts me in the 8+ year old white minivan class.

Michael

Yeah, this being the XLT and towing package, I'm asking $30K.

 

[michael-fisch]

I've been back in Germany for the last 3 weeks. Had a radiologist nuke the bone spurs in my right heel (I'll have to have it redone starting in 5 weeks), my dentist is now busy arranging to cap 14 of my teeth before I return in May.
Spent a small fortune buying new furniture for the house. Rented another garage for 2 months in order to have a place to store shipping cartons, storage tanks and furniture. So far it's about a third full, but my Man Cave (diving gear storage garage) is just barely starting to look a bit less full. Casted 200kg of P-Weights n V-Weights for a local dive shop that finally understood that when I leave there ain't gonna be no more new weights from me. Over the next month I'll cast at least another 300kg for them. Started to contact shippers in order to rent and get a 20' container shipped from Germany to Lake City at a decent price. Still gotta contact the German retirement office for my pension and my vet so the cat has all the paperwork needed to accompany me.
Also gotta complete my old Cave (NSS/CDS) to Cave CCR (IANTD) upgrade.

Michael

 

[michael-fisch]

Right now I'm upset. A week ago I ordered and paid for 3 IKEA Poäng Leather chairs. Ikea promptly delivered them to DHL, where they haven't moved for the last week. It looks like DHL is either working part-time in Dorsten or they can't find their a** with both hands and a shovel. They lost my furniture and I hope that they refund me or find and deliver the shipment before everything goes via container to the US. I really wanted those chairs!
The dive gear storage garage is starting to look a little bit emptier but still has 10x 50L 300bar tanks, 7 AL80s, 6 AL40s, a D12, D8 thin, D7 vintage, vintage steel 72 (marked USD and Rene), 3 rebreathers and a compressor in it, along with tool cabinets, workbenches, drillpress, big old vise and a lot of other stuff. I guess it's now only half full. Then I'll have to start packing clothing, momentos, and the rest of the stuff that I want to ship to Lake City. Since the sorb that I like is much cheaper here, I'll also order 600Kg of it for delivery in 2-3 weeks.

Michael

 

[michael-fisch]

I'm no longer upset. DHL finally shipped my IKEA shipment from Dorsten to Speyer after letting it sit unmoved in Dorsten for a week. It got to Speyer at 03:46 this morning, and I should have it today or at latest tomorrow.

Michael

 

[michael-fisch]

DHL let me know that they loaded my IKEA shipment on the wrong truck, and I'll have it at least a day later because of that.
First the package sits in a DHL sorting center in Dorsten from 18 to 24 Feb before being shipped to Speyer, now in Speyer it ends up on tha wrong delivery truck and cannot be delivered today.
I know it's carnival, but even drunks are expected to do better work than this

Michael

 

[rddvet]

DHL let me know that they loaded my IKEA shipment on the wrong truck, and I'll have it at least a day later because of that.
First the package sits in a DHL sorting center in Dorsten from 18 to 24 Feb before being shipped to Speyer, now in Speyer it ends up on tha wrong delivery truck and cannot be delivered today.
I know it's carnival, but even drunks are expected to do better work than this

Michael

theres carnival in germany?

 

[Caveeagle]

Welcome to the neighborhood! I’m jealous of your low taxes up in Lake City! I ended up buying my property in Alachua County, and taxes are pretty bad.

I have fond memories of Fasching and my time living in Germany.

I love hearing about you guys setting up your gas mixing stations. I have a perfect spot picked out in my barn. For now, getting fills locally is just too damn convenient. Maybe someday...

safe travels!

 

[michael-fisch]

Welcome to the neighborhood! I’m jealous of your low taxes up in Lake City! I ended up buying my property in Alachua County, and taxes are pretty bad.

Not a problem, just make sure that your property/home is worth less than the homesteader's exemption ($25000) and register it as your primary residence.
Otherwise buy a home either in Gilchrist or Colombia counties because of the low property taxes.

Michael

 

[michael-fisch]

In a few months I'll be posting pictures of my Garage / Fill Station. Right now the only thing in there is a brand new split level 12000 btu AC unit from Daikin.

Michael

 

[Catito]

22 years after becoming a certified cave diver, I finally bought a house on a very quiet street in Lake City, Columbia County, Florida! 3 badrooms, livingroom, diningroom, kitchen, 2 baths, - w A/C, double garage and a quarter acre of yard.
So far I've had new shingles put on the roof, a split-lever Daikin A/C put in the garage with extra 220V and 110V outlets (for the dive gear n tools), the water oaks cut back so they no longer overhang the roof, 16" of insulation blown into the attic and replaced every 110V outlet with new.
Bought some furniture; leather couch set, diningroom table with 4 chairs, a new waterbed, washer n dryer and some odds and ends.
Now I'm back in Germany and will be busy retiring, arranging to ship all my dive gear and household goods to Florida and flying to my new home with "Kater", my 12 year old 17lb cat.
When I get back to Lake City in May, I'll need to buy a used minivan, replace my 220V household goods with 110V gear, buy some yard tools, a new shed for the yard and finish furnishing the house, after installing my mini mixed gas fillstation in the garage (Bauer Junior II, 10x 50L 300bar tanks full of Ar He and O2, multiple digital transfer hoses n fittings, Divesoft analyser, and VIP+ tester. Then buy a State Parks annual pass, and maybe pay Ginnie the $400 that they want for an annual pass. After I get a gas contract set up, I'll also need to buy a masterline electric O2 booster (anybody got a used one, O2 clean, for sale cheap?) so that I can continue to have and use 300Bar O2 with my rebreathers.
I'm a mile from Publix and DiveRite, on a quiet street with nice neighbors and I love it!

Michael

Well ok! If you get bored in LC, travel down to Gainesville. Good luck to you.