First Post... (Verbose)

[Jason Tuinstra]

from California! Yep, we arrived safe and sound in our new home of Lemoore, CA! PTL!!! The clouds opened up just before we got here and we’ve had nothing but great weather ever since (mid-high 70’s). The neighbors think our kids are nuts but they’ve been in the pool pretty much every day since we’ve been here. I took a dip tonight after a game of b-ball and I agree with the neighbors. My face looked pretty much like this: :eek: after I jumped in. :p

I am ecstatic to report that everything arrived without a single scratch. The morning of the move was, well, quite emotional. We quickly learned that much of what sold us on the mover wasn’t turning out to be true. Hence, we had much fear and trepidation about how things were going to arrive. But the Lord is good! We are all settled in (we’ve been here a week) and we’ve found nothing – repeat – nothing that is damaged. All the furniture that we took with us (I sold some before we left) arrived perfectly. With the delicate tapered legs of my Shaker pieces, I thought I was in for trouble. Nope! We are grateful beyond words.

We are also tremendously grateful that the ride out was blessedly uneventful and boring. For those of you from Texas – wow! What a flat state, at least the part we saw across I-40. Thankfully, what you lack in landscape, you make up for in Prime Rib :p

After we settled in a bit here, my wife and I had to go buy some domestic power tools – washer and dryer. We were ready for some clean cloths. So a lady from the church watched our children for us. When we came back, nothing looked any different. It took me about ten minutes to figure out that our disheveled box filled garage had five more boxes in it. Two were labeled “Delta,” and three were labeled “Biesemeyer.” Life went from really good, to really, really good!

We’re renting right now, so I’m debating on whether or not to put the saw together / setup my shop. I’m hoping that we’ll only be here a few months and that it will be easier to move if I keep things boxed up right now. We’ll see how long this mentality lasts.

Just a word about the delivery. The boxes came in immaculate condition. I had never ordered tools like this before so I was a bit nervous about how it was going to work out. All I can say is that I would order from WWS again in a heartbeat. And then I discovered why ABF was so careful. Check out what WWS posts on their boxes along with what ABF posts. Interesting. All I can say is that the delivery went swimmingly.

The coolest thing about where we live is that it is home to the largest Navel Air station in the USA/World. Daily we are treated to the sight and sound of brave pilots readying themselves to defend this great nation of ours! The F-18 is a way cool plane! Some nights, I'm told, they do some afterburner runs and it lights up the sky. Can't wait.

Anyway, I look forward to reading the conversations that you’ve been enjoying since I’ve been gone. It's good to be back!

[Keith Christopher]

Welcome back Jason ! Glad to hear you all arrived safely !

[Mark Singer]

Welcome my neighbor!!!

[Norman Hitt]

Hey Jason, Glad to hear that Both your Trip and the deliveries went so well. Although, your trip across Texas on I-40 was the shortest and fastest to Ca., it is also the flattest and most "Unscenic" route as well. I'm just sorry you didn't have the time to take a more circuitous route and discover some of the beautiful scenery we do have, as there are 5 distinctly different types of country/scenery in our state. We have the "Piney Woods of East Tx, then the Gulf Coast, The "Hill Country in the South central part, then the rolling plains in North central & panhandle, then finally, the Sandhills, small mountains & semidesert that all make up West Tx. Maybe sometime you will get another chance to experience it all first hand, or at least the Hill Country in the springtime, with its fantastic fields of Bluebonnets and the array of all the other wildflowers. I am happy though, that you at least got to enjoy some of our good Beef.

[Martin Shupe]

Jason, I agree with Norman. There are more interesting parts of Texas than I-40. Of course, my wife is from Borger, near Amarillo, and she likes the wide open spaces. I would have offered for you to stop by Granbury, but I saw from your track that I would be well out of your way.

As far as Lemoore is concerned, be careful where you buy your house. Although I am glad you appreciate the "sound of freedom", I don't think you will like it quite as much if you end up under the landing pattern during night FCLP's. (That's Field Carrier Landing Practice for the non Navy types on the board.) I don't know about Lemoore, since I think I have only been there once, but most Naval Air Stations have an "outlying field" for FCLP's. It is usually about 15 or 20 minutes from the main base, and located some place dark, so the pilots can use it for FCLP's. Find out where it is, and avoid buying a house anywhere near it. FCLP's are typically done at night, since that way it simulates the boat the best. Sometimes periods last well past midnight, in order to cycle every pilot in the squadron through. Of course, this will go on for 5 or 6 nights in a row.

We used to have a guy near the outlying field at Cecil, and he would call the tower every night we practiced. I am sure he was as sick of us making noise as the tower was of him calling. Of course, it didn't matter to him that the runway had been there for over 40 years, and when it was built, there was nothing but woods for miles around.

So anyway, enjoy the weather at Lemoore, and here's hoping you get your shop up and running again soon.

[Jason Tuinstra]

Martin, good to hear from you again. So far, we've had calm nights. It seems like the guys enjoy sleeping at night as much as we civilian types do. An aircraft carrier is leaving in a few days so things have been hopping during the day though.

Thanks for the head's up about the FCLP's. We might be buying a house in the next town over and avoid the whole deal. But right now me and boys are enjoying seeing some serious U.S. airpower.

Were you an F-18 pilot? I didn't realize you were ex-military.

[Chad Pater]

It is very good to hear your move went so smoothly. I was just thinking yesterday that it was about time for your "return". I don't think I'd be able to keep that new Uni boxed up though :eek: but you will probably be plenty busy with a million other things to do in the next few months, so maybe it won't be that bad.
Welcome back
Chad

[Karl Laustrup]

Glad you had a safe and BORING trip.

I know what you mean about the fighters. We used to live in the north west part of Vegas. We were just to the south of the corridor the Nellis planes used to get to the bomb/gunnery range. Awesome sight seeing every type of plane the AF flys go by. We used to get a weeks long yearly show of the T-Birds practicing. Could just watch that for hours.

Anyway, it's good hearing from you again. We'll see how long those boxes go unpacked!!! ;)

[Jeff Sudmeier]

Jason,

It is wonderful to hear that everything made it to your new home without a scratch! Great planning means great results!!

About those boxes, if you are planning just a little short move, it won't make much difference if you unpack the shop, really, it won't :)

[Randy Moore]

Well I have been wondering about you, your family and hoe the move was going. I am happy that you have settled in for the time being, until you buy your new home. I would be anxious to get the shop set up but if you think you are going to move within a few months I would be tempted to leave everything packed up. That way you don't have the hassle of doing it again. I am sure you will be busy meeting your new congregation, learning your way around town, but then you get a shipment of new equipment:D and it has the boxes still in one piece, they would have been shredded by now if they were here.

Glad you made it there safe and sound, They good Lord was watching over you.:)

[Ted Shrader]

Jason -

Glad you and your family (and your stuff) made it safely. What a great suprise to have the new saw sitting in the garage on your return from shopping.

Good luck getting settled in and enjoy the "Sound of Freedom" as they fly overhead.

Ted

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Jason....Glad you had a safe and boring trip. In our numberous moves....boring became good! Listen to Martin about the disadvantages of living near a naval air station. I lived near and worked on several for 6 years of the 8 years I was in the Navy. Quiet is good....quiet at night is even better!

[Andy Haney]

I'm also happy your trip was uneventful, but boring? Assuming the attraction is still there, you passed right by (got to see) "Cadillac Ranch" in/near Amarillo! Not everyone gets to see that. And, people in that area are fine folks (below).

A friend and I had a breakdown off I-40 many years ago between Santa Fe and Tucumcari, NM (10-15 miles out of town). It was Sunday and no garages or parts stores were open. A local from the area passed by (after a great while), stopped to check on us, and offered to help. He called several friends who (1) towed us to town, (2) assessed our mechanical situation, (3) opened the parts store for what we needed, and (4) did NOT charge us enough for the services we received! That's a fine way to treat strangers.

Congratulations on the safe new toy arrival. I like what I see on those stickers.

Andy Haney

[Tyler Howell]

What we really want to know is will the new church ladies let you take pictures of your gifted work, or are you going to have to sneaking in to the rest room for ww photo ops?:rolleyes:

Best of luck on your new adventures.

[Jim Becker]

Jason, 'glad to hear you and the family made it to the left-coast just fine...and your stuff did, too! Hopefully, your housing situation will coalesce quickly and you can think about building your shop back to functionality and get back to work on those wonderful Shaker style designs you excel at!

I did enjoy your Texas landscape observation and although the folks are correct that there are lots of wonderful things to see, your point about the beef is quite right! Excellent stuff.

[Bob Reeve]

JAson,


Welcome to the Central Valley. You arrived just in time to miss the Tule fog for the year (hopefully). The little town next to you, Hanford has a great downtown. It is a good place to live. I hope to meet you sometime as I travel there for work.

Bob

[Jason Tuinstra]

JAson,


Welcome to the Central Valley. You arrived just in time to miss the Tule fog for the year (hopefully). The little town next to you, Hanford has a great downtown. It is a good place to live. I hope to meet you sometime as I travel there for work.

Bob

Bob, thanks for the welcome. We've been to Hanford any number of times. We've looked for housing there as well. We'll see what happens. Let me know when you're going to be in town, I'd be happy to meet you sometime.

[Martin Shupe]

Martin, good to hear from you again. So far, we've had calm nights. It seems like the guys enjoy sleeping at night as much as we civilian types do. An aircraft carrier is leaving in a few days so things have been hopping during the day though.

Thanks for the head's up about the FCLP's. We might be buying a house in the next town over and avoid the whole deal. But right now me and boys are enjoying seeing some serious U.S. airpower.

Were you an F-18 pilot? I didn't realize you were ex-military.

No, just a lowly S-3B "Hoover" guy, but somebody had to do it. :o

The Viking is a great airplane, but since it does not have a pointy nose, we don't get any respect, and no one even knew what one was until the President rode out to the boat in one.


I sent you a pm via email.

[Mike Scoggins]

Jason,

Great to hear from you...and great to hear everything made it without incident. I know that's a relief for you!

I grew up in West Texas (a few hours south of I-40 near Lubbock) so I''m very familiar with it, but I'm sure the flatness can leave quite an impression for someone that's never experienced such. Anyway, there's a comedian that has a line about the flatness of West Texas that I really love. It's something like this:


"I don't want to make too much about the flatness of West Texas :confused: , but if you look off into the distance toward the horizon and look real close, you can see the back of your head!" :D :D :D

I'm sure you can't wait until you actually get to use the new Uni!

Hope everything continues to go well for you and your family as you settle in to your new assignment. May you be richly blessed!

Mike

[Jim O'Dell]

That's not fair....I moved this last summer, but I didn't get a Uni!!
Glad you had a safe trip and are getting settled in. Take the time you need to get to know the area, then the right house will be very evident.
We lived directly in the flight line, about 3 miles south of the runway, for originally Carswell AFB, and now a Joint Naval Air/Reserve Base, for 24 years here in Ft Worth. The F-16 is also built here. I've never gotten tired of watching the planes. Just wish we could get a few F-117's, or a B2 fly through every once in a while. Jim.

[Dan Gill]

Glad you made it safe and sound, Jason. I love it when God smooths the way. But I predict that saw will be unboxed before the month is up. Or maybe you can just spend a little time practicing your hand tools and small power tool skills. Either way, I'm betting that you'll post some new pics of your work soon.

By the way, I could have told you that I-40 would be flat and boring. Not entirely representative of the state, as some others have told you. But when you're driving it, that seems like the longest stretch of dull road in the world. Be sure to look up David Berry in Visalia.

God bless,
Dan

[John Miliunas]

Jason, happy to see you and yours made the trip successfully and smoothly. It's great when things actually come together nicely. A little help from the Big Guy doesn't hurt, either!:) Hope you folks enjoy your new environment and surroundings. Don't let that box sit for too long, either!:D :cool:

[Arnie Grammon]

Jason

When moving, uneventful is a good thing! God is a very good God......He wants everything to go smooth, and probably sent a few more guardian angles to protect you on the trip.

I was just wondering.......have you found a house with shop room? Sounds like you sold some of your equipment rather than packing and shipping yourself.

Tell us about the Uni......right or left tilt?.......3 hp?.......sounds like a Bies fence.

I will pray for your ministry in this new area......take a deep breath and dive right in! God didn't send those extra angels just to live a boring life in California. He's got a plan.

Arnie

[Jason Tuinstra]

Lone Star State Folks: I should clarify my Texas comment. The flatness of the state was actually very stunning. I made my comment tongue-in-cheek of course, but I can truly say that my wife and I marveled at the vastness of the open land. And to see a sky that was so massive given all the flat, open land, was quite humbling. Beauty comes in all forms, even on I-40 :D .

Arnie: The Uni is a 3 horse single phase left tilt. It also came with a free mobile base. My wife and I are looking at homes with three stall garages where I can set my shop up. And yes, God is very good!

Tyler: We don't have a church building here so I won't need to sneak anything out. But the new church ladies know what I do in my spare time and are putting together a "to-do" list. I just hope they don't ask for references from my previous church :p

Dan: We'll do! Visialia is the place to get In and Out burgers - so I'll probably make that a weekly stop :)

John: I might have to get that box open sooner rather than later. I just learned tonight that one of the indigenous critters around here is the Black Widow - Yikes!!! I hear that they like to take up residence in undisturbed places. Hmmmm.... Maybe that's a sign that I should awaken the Uni and do some disturbing of the peace? :p :D