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Post by ncsfsgm on Oct 25, 2021 16:42:19 GMT -6
FINDING GRACE
Chapter 1
The pump handle clicked off as Gil placed the squeegee back into the bucket. Throwing the paper towels into the trash can, he squeezed the handle once more, insuring the tank was full. He put the filler cap back on and took the cap off the auxiliary tank and began filling it. Sixty-five gallons of diesel would almost get him to his destination. He would probably stop around Memphis to top off. While the tank was filling, he walked around the custom-built 7 x 20 foot off-road trailer he'd had Colorado Trailers build for him, checking everything out. After checking the tarp tiedowns on the Power Wagon, he went back to the filler hose as it clicked off. Getting as much as he could, he hung the nozzle back up. Pulling the truck and trailer around to a parking space, Gil went inside the restaurant of the TA Travel Center. Oakley Kansas didn't offer much. The TA was about good as it got. He took a booth seat and pull his phone out of his shirt pocket. It was brand new and he hadn't quite figured out all the beeps and whistles yet, but he had the apps he needed. The waitress came over and took his order and poured him a cup of coffee.
Gil looked out the window at his rig, his mind drifting. He had it packed with everything from his storage unit back in Colorado Springs. During his twelve years in the Army, He spent very little of his money. He mostly ate in the mess halls, didn't drink to the extremes like some of the soldiers and basically kept to himself. A party animal he wasn't. Most of all, he saved his money. He had accumulate quite a bit and along with the money left to him by his grandfather's estate, he wouldn't need to work for a living again.
The waitress brought his dinner and Gil ate it with gusto. He had plenty of food in the trailer, but he had a craving for greasy truckstop food this evening. As he was eating, he looked at his MapQuest app. There was a rest area about 30 minutes away outside of Grainfield Kansas. Good name. What the hell else would you plant on the God-awful flat area that stretched on forever. He finished his meal, paid the bill and a generous tip, then headed into the Travel Center store. Picking up a case of spring water and a 20 pound bag of ice, he headed back out to his rig. Draining the water out of his Pelican cooler, he put the water in and dumped the ice on top. Placing the cooler back on the passenger side floorboard, Gil got back in the truck and cranked the engine. Checking carefully, he pulled out and got back on Interstate 70 for his short trip to the rest area.
Pulling into a parking space that his rig fitted in nicely, Gil took the Glock out of the console and slide it into the small of his back. Getting out, he went to grabbed a bottle of water out of the cooler, locked the truck up and went back to the trailer. Unlocking the side door, he went inside and turned on the lights and the air conditioner. The trailer was packed, but he had left an area on top of the ammo cases for a bed. A covered foam mattress topper was his bed and a poncho liner his blanket. Using a small sleeping roll as a pillow, He was quickly asleep.
The sounds of truck engines revving woke him before daylight. He got up and sat on his bed, combing his hair down with his fingers. Standing up, he turned on the light and shut off the air conditioner. Stretching, he placed the pistol back into the small of his back and made sure his shirt covered it. Stepping outside. He looked around. BMNT. Before Morning Nautical Twilight. When the French and Indians attacked. He stretched again and headed for the facilities. After doing his business and washing his face and hands, he went back to the truck and unlocked the door, grabbing another bottle of water out of the cooler. Taking out his travel backpack, Gil took out the immunity supplements he took daily and washed them down with the spring water. Pulling out his phone, he looked up restaurants in the area on TripAdvisor. There was a café about 40 minutes down the road that looked good. He cranked the truck and pulled back out on the interstate. Next stop, WaKeeney, Kansas.
Gil found a parking spot within a short walk of the café and went inside.
"Just sit anywhere Sugar!" The waitress said as he triggered the little bell above the door.
Gil picked a small table and the waitress brought over a glass of iced water, the drips od condensation already running down the sides.
"What can I get you Sweety?"
"Three eggs scrambled, grits, country ham, three tomato slices and a cup of coffee."
"I'll be right back with your coffee, Sugar."
Gil grinned and shook his head. Taking the phone out of his shirt pocket, he pulled up the Google Earth app and looked at the land again. The 400 acres on the Holston River hand been in his family for over 5 generations, or at least that's what Grandpa said. The estate once had 2800 prime acres in the area. Grandpa sat him down one time when Gil was home on leave and told him that he had it in his will to sell 2400 of the acres to a conservation group when he died, but he was saving back 400 acres for Gil. Gil had no problem with that. What would he do with even 400 acres?" When Grandpa died, Gil went home on emergency leave for the funeral. Able Gates, Grandpa's lawyer, got with Gil after the funeral and explained the will. Gil already knew what it said but listened to Mr. Gates anyway. Gil left three days later, secure in his mind that Mr. Gates would take care of everything, and flew back to Colorado.
The waitress served him his food and Gil ate quietly, studying the Google Earth image. Gil had $12,000,000 deposited in the First Community Bank in Rogersville, the closest town to the property. Another 20 million and change in SunTrust in Knoxville, and 7 million in gold that was on deposit at the SunTrust. The only reason he would work was to work on his oasis in the hills.
Gil stopped for the night at a Quality Inn in Mt. Vernon Kentucky. He was ready for something other than a whore bath in a rest area bathroom. After getting a nice long shower, he got something to eat and stopped by a wine shop and got a bottle of Merlot. He didn't drink that much, but did like to relax with a glass, or in this case, a plastic Quality Inn cup of wine. He watched a little TV for a while and turned in for the night.
The next day, he made it to Knoxville before noon and got a room for the weekend at the Embassy Suites. He took a shower and changed into fresh clothes and went out to get a good meal. After lunch, Gil went to Cabela's and Sportsman's Wearhouse and bought outdoor clothes. The few outdoor clothes he had were his cammies. He'd stick out like a sore thumb walking around his property in desert camo. When he got back to the hotel room, he pulled the tags off the clothing and put them in a laundry to be picked up by the maid and cleaned. Taking out his laptop, and logging on to the hotel WI-FI he began searching for log home builders. He took notes and addresses and went out to his rig and unhitched the trailer, removing the removable hitch and storing the hitch in the trailer. Entering the first address into his GPS, Gil began his search for a builder. It wasn't until later in the afternoon he found someone he liked. They did a turn-key operation and would even handle getting a well drilled. They quoted him a price that may have been a little inflated, but Gil didn't really care. He left his contact information and they would call to get the surveyors to the property to lay everything out.
Gil went immediately back to Cabela's and purchased a 6-man tent, Coleman camping stove, fuel, stainless steel plates and cutlery, cups, and whatever else he though he could use for a few weeks camping out. He had several cases of MREs in the trailer but bought a variety of freeze-dried meals also. Several tarps were added and soon he figured he'd better stop because his truck would be packed pretty good. He drove back to the hotel and transferred everything to the trailer. There went his bed space. Gil went to his room and began making a list of the things he had purchased and made notes of things he wanted to add before he headed up to Rogersville. Laying down on the bed, he intended on taking a short nap.
Gil woke with the morning sun shining in his eyes and a knock at the door. Jumping up, he answered the knock of the maid returning his clothes. After tipping the maid, he looked at his watch and was surprised at the time. It was almost 10:00 AM. His stomach growled. Taking some of his new clothes, he went into the bathroom and took a shower and shaved. After brushing his teeth, he began packing up everything and took his bags down and stored them in the trailer. He went back in to check out before hooking the trailer back up. Getting into the Power Wagon, and checking his watch, he had some time before Cabela's opened up, so drove to an IHOP near Cabela's to have a late breakfast.
He sat drinking coffee after eating, looking at the MapQuest route to the property. When he got there, he would stop by and see Mr. Hasty. Mr. Hasty used the bottom land along the river to grow hay. He didn't want him shooting at strangers on the land. Gil got up and paid his bill and headed to Cabela's. He purchased a larger cooler a SOLO Bonfire fire pit. On the way to Rogersville he stopped at a Fresh Market and bought dry ice and frozen foods to put into the large cooler. Finally, he headed out Interstate 40 for Rogersville.
An hour and thirty minutes later, Gil arrived at Mr. Hasty's house. Gil pulled into the farm road that went back to his property and walked over to Mr. Hasty, who was sitting out under a shade tree with a woman.
"Mr. Hasty? I'm Gil Conner."
Mr. Hasty studied him for a moment.
"You Jim Conner's Grandboy?"
"Yes Sir. I've come home."
"Well, son, it's good you got back in one piece. Your grandpaw talked about you all the time. So, you gonna build a house back there?"
"Yes Sir, I figure it will take me some time to get settled, but I'm in it for the long haul."
"Well good. Are you building on the bottom land?"
"No Sir. I've got to take a closer look, but I plan to build on that lower ridge northeast of the hay fields. I want you to keep using they hayfields. I'd rather see them used than grow wild."
"Thank you. That's about all the income Mollie and I have except for Social Security. Oh, I'm sorry, Gil, this is my wife Mollie."
"Pleased to meet you Ma'am."
"Welcome back."
"Well, you are welcome to use the hay fields. I've got some surveyors coming in this week so lay my building sites out."
"What kind of house are you building?" Mollie asked.
"A log home. It's about 2700 square feet with four bedrooms, plus I'll have a couple of garage buildings built."
"Oh my!. It's gonna be big."
"You be careful going up that road. It needs a bit of work." "Is there anyone one around here that can improve the road for me, Mr. Hasty?"
"Yeap. Gray's Construction can do it for you. You probably want to widen it a bit also. It's fine for a tractor but for anything else, it could get rough. Now that truck of yours looks like it could make it. What is that, a '49?"
"Yes Sir. It's rebuilt by a company in Wyoming. Well, I'll be up there camping for a while."
"If you need anything, come on down." Mollie said.
"Okay thanks. I'll be seeing you all later."
The drive to the hayfields was almost a mile and a half…and rough. That would be his first stop tomorrow, to see the construction and get this road improved. Parking in a clear area near a hay shed, Gil parked and unhitched the trailer. He looked around and figured this was as good a place as any and began unloading the trailer. He dropped and adjusted the trailer jacks and dropped the tailgate. Taking some boxes out and setting them aside, he slowly backed out the John Deere Gator. Checking it out, he cranked it and moved it off to the side. Next came the Rokon bike and trailer. Looking around, Gil spotted some fairly straight trees down by the river. Taking the chainsaw he had on the back of the Gator, he checked it out and started it. Assured it would work, Gil placed the chainsaw and grabbed some rope and drove the Gator down to the river. Cutting five ten foot poles, he dragged the poles back up to the trailer and started erecting a frame to lay a tarp over. He ended up building two shelters, one for the Gator and Rokon, and one to store supplies under. After storing things that could be stored under the tarp shelter, Gil rearranged the trailer and took out the tent to set up. After setting up the tent and his oversized cot, the mattress topper and a couple of tables and a chair, Gil ran an extension cord to the electrical outlet on the outside of the trailer to provide power to the tent. He checked the meter in the trailer and the solar panels on top of the trailer were charging at their max. Gil then took the Gator and chainsaw and went to the hillside and gathered firewood.
After returning, Gil unpacked the SOLO firepit and started a fire. Grabbing a lawn chair out of the trailer, he sat a poked the fire while thinking.
Getting power out here from the main road would cost him 45/$10 a linear foot. That didn't include transformer, power poles, any tree trimming they had to do, and scads of other little costs they tacked on. He was going off-grid. He was sure that there were alternative companies around Knoxville that could install a system. For what a power company charged you for running a line two miles, he could do the same with wind and solar and still wouldn't have to pay the power company for electricity.
Gil set the grill insert on the fire pit and got a couple of hotdogs out of the big cooler. Laying them on the grill, he got out a paper plate and took two buns out of the pack and got the hotdog relish and catsup out. He sat the plate and condiments on the trailer ramp and taking a pair of long tongs, rolled the hotdogs to get them cooking on the other side. He didn't have any fresh onions though. He'd make another grocery run to the Super Walmart tomorrow.
It was dark by the time he finished the hotdogs and took the last swallow out of the water bottle. He sat the empty bottle in the trailer then took the trash and threw it into the fire pit. Closing up the trailer, he went to his tent and quickly fell asleep.
Waking before sunrise, Gil got up and opened up the trailer and got out one of the three five gallon Water Bricks he had inside. Pouring a couple of gallons into a large pot, he started a fire in the fire pit and began heating the water. Taking out his percolator, he put coffee grounds in the basket and sat the coffee pot next to the pot of water and got a bottle of water and an MRE. Gil sat there slowly munching on the pound cake until the coffee perked and poured a cup. Sitting there drinking the coffee and taking small bites of the pound cake he thought about what he wanted to accomplish that day.
First, See about getting the road fixed. He'd run in at 0900 and find the company. Second, try to find an alternative energy company and get an estimate, an inspection of the site, or whatever they do. Get onions.
Gil finished the pound cake and coffee. The water was starting to steam. He took the pot of water off the fire and onto the ramp of the trailer. Taking the solar shower off the wall of the trailer, Gil filled the five gallon container with the warm water and it over to one of the tarp racks to hang. Going and getting his "GO" bag, he pulled out his toilet kit and a towel and stripped down. He wet himself down and soaped up. Rinsing off, he dried down and put on fresh clothes. Out here by himself, he could go without a bath, but when he was meeting people he didn't want to smell like a street person crawling out of a dumpster.
After asking at a gas station, he finally found Gray's Construction. A lady waited on him in the office.
"Yes, sir, how can I help you?"
"I need to talk with someone about improving a ling driveway for me."
The lady's eyes brightened.
"Just one moment please."
She went through a side door but soon returned. A minute later a man about Gil's age walked in.
"Yes sir. What can I do for you?"
"I've got about a 2 mile road through my property I need improved."
"Okay, we probably can do that. Where is this property located?"
It's off of 216 right after you pass the boat ramp. The road runs along the side of Bill Hasty's land.
"I know where that is. I know Bill. When do you need it done?"
"As soon as possible. I'll be building a home up there."
"Heck, we can start tomorrow morning then. Will you be available?
"Yes sir I will be. I'll give you my phone number and you can call me when you get there. I'm camped on the bac side of the ridge."
"That's fine. Now for two miles, it's going to cost around $20,000 dollars."
"That's fine."
"Well then, We'll see you tomorrow morning at 9:00 AM.
"Good. I'll see you then."
Gil waded through the Yoga Pant clad women and got his onions, and a bottle of wine. He splurged and got a bag of snack-size Reese's cups and hit the self-checkout. When he got back out to his camp, he turned on his phone's hotspot and turned on his computer to search for an alternative energy company in Knoxville.
He settled on PowerHouse Alternative Energy Systems and gave them a call. The man said they could come out and do a survey and see what best fit Gil's needs. They made an appointment for Wednesday and Gil gave him his GPS coordinates, since he didn't know the mailing address. When he finished the call, he got back into his truck and headed out to find the post office. He should have known, it was right on Main Street. After filling out the paperwork, they gave him his correct mailing address and a brochure telling him what height his mailbox should be, how far off the road it must be, etcetera. Gil found a mailbox, post and number stickers at Tractor Supply and purchased a post hole digger also. By that afternoon, he had an officially place to receive his tons of junk mail.
The next morning, Gil got out four empty 5gallon water cans and went down to the river and filled them up. Getting the Royal Berkey out of the trailer, he set it up on a table under the supply tarp. Filling the Berkey, he left it to filter the water and got his three liter Camelbak and headed off to look at a house site. He followed what looked like an old logging road to the top of the small ridge and started looked around the relatively flat top. The hickory and oak trees provided deep shade and his search was pleasant. He found what he thought was an ideal spot about 100 meters north on the ridge. The trees were a bit thinner here but the topsoil seemed thick. He wouldn't know until they started digging the basement. Pressing some buttons on his hand-held GPS, he recorded the location. Satisfied, he returned to his camp.
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Post by ncsfsgm on Oct 25, 2021 16:54:55 GMT -6
The drive to the hayfields was almost a mile and a half…and rough. That would be his first stop tomorrow, to see the construction company and get this road improved. Parking in a clear area near a hay shed, Gil parked and unhitched the trailer. He looked around and figured this was as good a place as any and began unloading the trailer. He dropped and adjusted the trailer jacks and dropped the tailgate. Taking some boxes out and setting them aside, he slowly backed out the John Deere Gator. Checking it out, he cranked it and moved it off to the side. Next came the Rokon bike and trailer. Looking around, Gil spotted some fairly straight trees down by the river. Taking the chainsaw he had on the back of the Gator, he checked it out and started it. Assured it would work, Gil placed the chainsaw on the back of the Gator and grabbed some rope and drove the Gator down to the river. Cutting five ten foot poles, he dragged the poles back up to the trailer and started erecting a frame to lay a tarp over. He ended up building two shelters, one for the Gator and Rokon, and one to store supplies under. After storing things that could be stored under the tarp shelter, Gil rearranged the trailer and took out the tent to set up. After setting up the tent and his oversized cot, the mattress topper and a couple of tables and a chair, Gil ran an extension cord to the electrical outlet on the outside of the trailer to provide power to the tent. He checked the meter in the trailer and the solar panels on top of the trailer were charging at their max. Gil then took the Gator and chainsaw and went to the hillside and gathered firewood.
After returning, Gil unpacked the SOLO fire pit and started a fire. Grabbing a lawn chair out of the trailer, he sat and poked the fire while thinking.
Getting power out here from the main road would cost him $5/$10 a linear foot. That didn't include transformer, power poles, any tree trimming they had to do, and scads of other little costs they tacked on. He was going off-grid. He was sure that there were alternative energy companies around Knoxville that could install a system. For what a power company charged you for running a line two miles, he could do the same with wind and solar and still wouldn't have to pay the power company for electricity.
Gil set the grill insert on the fire pit and got a couple of hotdogs out of the big cooler. Laying them on the grill, he got out a paper plate and took two buns out of the pack and got the hotdog relish and catsup out. He sat the plate and condiments on the trailer ramp and taking a pair of long tongs, rolled the hotdogs to get them cooking on the other side. He didn't have any fresh onions though. He'd make another grocery run to the Super Walmart tomorrow.
It was dark by the time he finished the hotdogs and took the last swallow out of the water bottle. He sat the empty bottle in the trailer then took the trash and threw it into the fire pit. Closing up the trailer, he went to his tent and quickly fell asleep.
Waking before sunrise, Gil got up and opened up the trailer and got out one of the three five gallon WaterBricks he had inside. Pouring a couple of gallons into a large pot, he started a fire in the fire pit and began heating the water. Taking out his percolator, he put coffee grounds in the basket and sat the coffee pot next to the pot of water and got a bottle of water and an MRE. Gil sat there slowly munching on the pound cake until the coffee perked and poured a cup. Sitting there drinking the coffee and taking small bites of the pound cake he thought about what he wanted to accomplish that day.
First, See about getting the road fixed. He'd run in at 0900 and find the company. Second, try to find an alternative energy company and get an estimate, an inspection of the site, or whatever they do. Get onions.
Gil finished the pound cake and coffee. The water was starting to steam. He took the pot of water off the fire and onto the ramp of the trailer. Taking the solar shower off the wall of the trailer, Gil filled the five gallon container with the warm water and it over to one of the tarp racks to hang. Going and getting his "GO" bag, he pulled out his toilet kit and a towel and stripped down. He wet himself down and soaped up. Rinsing off, he dried down and put on fresh clothes. Out here by himself, he could go without a bath, but when he was meeting people he didn't want to smell like a street bum crawling out of a dumpster.
After asking at a gas station, he finally found Gray's Construction. A lady waited on him in the office.
"Yes, sir, how can I help you?"
"I need to talk with someone about improving a long driveway for me."
The lady's eyes brightened.
"Just one moment please."
She went through a side door but soon returned. A minute later a man about Gil's age walked in.
"Yes sir. What can I do for you?"
"I've got about a 2 mile road through my property I need improved."
"Okay, we probably can do that. Where is this property located?"
It's off of 216 right after you pass the boat ramp. The road runs along the side of Bill Hasty's land.
"I know where that is. I know Bill. When do you need it done?"
"As soon as possible. I'll be building a home up there."
"Heck, we can start tomorrow morning then. Will you be available?
"Yes sir I will be. I'll give you my phone number and you can call me when you get there. I'm camped on the back side of the ridge."
"That's fine. Now for two miles, it's going to cost around $20,000 dollars."
"That's fine."
"Well then, We'll see you tomorrow morning at 9:00 AM.
"Good. I'll see you then."
Gil waded through the Yoga Pant clad women and got his onions, and a bottle of wine. He splurged and got a bag of snack-size Reese's cups and hit the self-checkout. When he got back out to his camp, he turned on his phone's hotspot and turned on his computer to search for an alternative energy company in Knoxville.
He settled on PowerHouse Alternative Energy Systems and gave them a call. The man said they could come out and do a survey and see what best fit Gil's needs. They made an appointment for Wednesday and Gil gave him his GPS coordinates, since he didn't know the mailing address. When he finished the call, he got back into his truck and headed out to find the post office. He should have known, it was right on Main Street. After filling out the paperwork, they gave him his correct mailing address and a brochure telling him what height his mailbox should be, how far off the road it must be, etcetera. Gil found a mailbox, post and number stickers at Tractor Supply and purchased a post hole digger also. By that afternoon, he had an official place to receive his tons of junk mail.
The next morning, Gil got out four empty 5-gallon water cans and went down to the river and filled them up. Getting the Royal Berkey out of the trailer, he set it up on a table under the supply tarp. Filling the Berkey, he left it to filter the water and got his three liter Camelbak and headed off to look for a house site. He followed what looked like an old logging road to the top of the small ridge and started looked around the relatively flat top. The hickory and oak trees provided deep shade and his search was pleasant. He found what he thought was an ideal spot about 100 meters north on the ridge. The trees were a bit thinner here but the topsoil seemed thick. He wouldn't know until they started digging the basement. Pressing some buttons on his hand-held GPS, he recorded the location. Satisfied, he returned to his camp.
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Post by ncsfsgm on Oct 25, 2021 17:05:00 GMT -6
Chapter 2
Don Gray and a convoy of trucks arrived the next morning. Gil was waiting in Bill's yard talking, when they drove up. Bill gave them permission to park their haulers in the field behind his house so they could off-load. Off came a D-6 bulldozer, a road grader and a compactor. A water tanker truck pulled in also. "Bill, is there an access to the river so we can refill the tanker."
"Yep. You can drive right down to the river but you'll have to turn around down there to get out."
"Okay, no problem. Gil you want to ride with me and we'll take a look-see at what we need to do while the men get the equipment ready?"
"By all means." Gil said.
Gil got into the truck and they slowly went up the narrow road.
"You want this thing widened out?"
"Yes. I want it so two cars can pass."
"Gotcha."
"We'll need to put a drainage culvert here." Bill said, stopping the truck.
Getting a can or orange spray paint on a wand out of the truck toolbox and sprayed long lines where the culvert should go. On the way down to the camp they stopped twice more to mark culvert locations.
"Well, this will only take about three days. It's going to run a little more than what I said because of the culvert."
"No problem." Gil said.
They drove back to where the equipment was parked and Don went over to brief his men.
"Ya got it figured out?" Bill said.
"I guess. He seems to know what he's doing." Replied Gil.
"Yep. Don Gray has built many a road through these hills. He'll do you a fine job."
Gil watched for a while the drove through the field to pass them and went back to the camp. He got his chainsaw and took the Gator back up the old road and gathered more firewood. He filled the Gator bed and took it back to camp and stacked the wood near the fire pit. The thought just hit him about extending the road to the building site. He called Don and explained the problem.
"It's not a problem. As soon as the surveyors are through we can pick the best route up to the building site."
Relieved, Gil went over to the Berkey and filled the WaterBrick he had emptied previously and filled the Berkey again.
Wednesday, Gil was up early and took the Gator up to where the roadwork had stopped the previous day. They were farther along than he would have thought. The road had been covered in gravel, sprayed with water and packed down with the compactor until it was almost like pavement. The Gator rode smoothly along the finished portion. He sat in the Gator down near the mailbox drinking coffee when the builder rep and they surveyors drove up in two 4x4 vehicles towing trailers with ATVs on them.
"Good morning Mr. Conner." The rep said. "I'm Boyd Haskell."
"Call me Gil.' Seems you found the place easy enough."
"A hope, a prayer, and GPS." Boyd grinned.
The surveyors unloaded the ATVs and mounted their equipment in special racks.
"If you will lead the way Gil?"
Boyd got into the Gator with Gil and off they went.
Gil parked on the old road close to where proposed site and walked to it using his hand-held GPS.
"Will this work?" Gil asked.
Boyd looked at his notebook to check the dimensions of the house and garage buildings.
"It should, but we'll see."
Gil picked up a bush axe and trimmed brush when need, carried extra survey stakes and did anything to help the surveyors along, even giving them drinks out of his Camelbak. By 5:00PM they were finished.
Boyd smiled as they walked back to the ATVs.
"I'll tell Brad to get the excavator up here ASAP. This looks like an easy dig."
They all rode back in trail to the main road. The third culvert pipe had been put in and most of the ride was fairly smooth. Gil stayed with them until the loaded the ATVs onto the trailers and drove away. Gil started to leave until Mollie walked out with a glass of iced tea,
"Gil. Come one in and have supper with us. I made fried chicken."
Gil stood there and drained the glass and smiled, following her into the house.
Gil followed Mollie into the house and she showed him where to wash up. When he came out of the bathroom, Bill was setting at the kitchen table. Gil took the empty seat and Mollie passed him the platter of fried chicken, then mashed potatoes, corn, green beans and a plate of cornbread. Gil sliced his wedge of cornbread and lathered it with butter.
"Don't forget the gravy, young man." Bill said. "Gravy will keep the sweat flies away."
Gil grinned and drowned his mash potatoes with gravy.
"How'd ya'll do today?" Bill asked.
Gil swallowed and took a sip of iced tea.
"We got it all surveyed. I've got to go in and cut the trees out so they can start digging the basement."
"You cut them trees about a foot above the ground, Just enough so's that digger can get a holt of them. Trim the limbs off and I'll bring my tractor up and drag them off to the side. You can buck 'em for firewood later onect they dry a while."
"Thanks Bill, I appreciate it."
Mollie topped the meal with Blackberry Cobbler. Gil stiffly got out of the chair.
"Mollie, that was better than good. If I don't go now, I won't make it back tonight."
Mollie grinned. "You go on now and get some rest. I know you're tired."
Bill chuckled. "You'll get used to it young man, before you're done.
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Post by freebirde on Oct 25, 2021 17:09:18 GMT -6
You put Cal down once instead of Gil.
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Post by ncsfsgm on Oct 25, 2021 17:15:50 GMT -6
Chapter 3
Gil woke up refreshed, albeit a little sore. He fried some bacon and scrambled a couple of eggs and toasted a couple of slices of bread on the grill insert. Finishing with a couple of cups of coffee, he heard the bulldozer and the road grader crank up. Cleaning up his breakfast pan and plate, he put everything up and drove the Gator to the noise of the equipment. They had just entered the flat and Don came out of the edge of the woods. "Where's the building site, Gil?"
"Hop in, I'll take you up."
Don crawled in and Gil drove slowly along the route he wanted.
"You want to take the road by the hay shed?" Don asked."
"Yeah, let's give Bill a smooth road to ride on."
Gil drove up the old road to a place near the building site and stopped.
"This is as far as the old road goes." Gil said.
Don studied the terrain as they walked to where the stakes stopped.
"We can build you kind of a circular drive here so the construction trucks don't have to tear up the ground turning around all the time,"
"Yeah, I'd like that." Gil said.
"Who's gonna cut the trees?" Don asked.
"I was going to do it." Gil replied.
"Let me go back and get my spray can and I'll mark the trees I need taken out. Get your saw and we can get this done quick."
Gil drove Don back to his truck then took off to get his chainsaw fuel and oiled. He put everything into the Gator and drove back up to the building site and parked behind Don's truck. Don had already begun marking trees and Gil started cutting. By the time he had finished cutting the fifteen trees Don had marked, he was soaking in sweat.
"Rough work, ain't it?" Don grinned.
"Yeah, it is." Gil said, sipping out of the Camelbak tube."
Gil heard a tractor coming so he got up and started trimming the trees. Bill came into the partial clearing to where Gil was trimming and tossed him a length of chain.
"Hook 'er up!"
Gil hooked the chain around the trimmed log and Bill started dragging it down the old road to a clear area near the camp. This went on the rest of the day until all the trees were cleared.
Gil sat on a stump, drinking from his Camelbac as Don walked up.
"Gil, I've got a chipper back at the shop I'll bring out for you to use. You can turn all these limbs into wood chips to use for mulch or whatever. You pay for the fuel though."
I'll do that Don. I was wondering what I was going to do with all these limbs."
"We can set it up on the old road and shoot them down the hill. They'll be there when you need 'em"
"Sounds good.
"Well, you need to get off that stump or Bruce is going to roll you up along with that stump with the D-6."
Gil grinned and got up, making his way slowly to the Gator.
That evening, after everyone had left, Gil donned his UDT shorts and went back down to the river. The water really refreshed him. As he was drifting along in the current, he rubbed his chin. He needed to shave. He never could stand not shaving. It just got too itchy. It might be manly to have a beard, but he guess he just wasn't manly enough to accept that narcissistic B.S.; same thing with those sleeve tattoos. He swam back to shore and dried off. Well, the trees were cleared for the drive up to the building site, The trees on the site were cleared also and ready for the builders to start digging the basement. He went back to his campsite and ate a can of Mandarin oranges before turning in for the night.
Gil woke up and stretched. The solar guy was coming today. He got up and heated water to shave. He poured some of the heated water into a dishpan and soaked a hand towel and let it soak. He got out his shaving kit and pulled out the razor, his shaving brush and a bar of soap. Taking the hot towel out of the water and squeezing some of the water out of it, he held the warm, moist towel to his face for a couple of minutes. Taking up the shaving brush, he dipped the brush and the bar of soap in the water and got a good lather. Covering his beard with the soap he picked up the razor and began removing the hair. When he was finished, he wasn't baby-butt smooth, but close. He rinsed the razor in the water and picked up the soaped razor sharpener and stroked the triple-blade razor over it for 100 strokes. His Grandpa taught him this. Grandpa swore by the RazorPit sharpener one of his friends had gotten him off of Amazon. Gil only changed the Harry's blades he got from Walmart once every three months. He had another month to go before he changed this one.
Finished saving, Gill cleaned out the dishpan and poured another cup of coffee.
At 0830, Gil heard a vehicle approaching. Soon, it appeared and Gil read the logo on the truck. It was the solar guy.
"Good morning! Are you Gil Conner?"
"Yes I am." Gil said, standing up.
"I'm Drake Simpson, with PowerHouse Alternative Energy Systems."
"Thanks for coming." Gil said.
"Okay, well where is your new home to be?"
"Up there." Gil said, pointing to the low ridgeline."
"Well, can we go take a look?"
"Sure."
Gil led him over to the Gator and drove him up to the building site.
Drake got out and walked around.
"Feel that?" Drake asked.
"That's good wind coming down that river. Also, has good access to solar energy. What is it that you want? Solar, Wind?"
"Both." Gil said. "Come with me."
Gil led him a couple of hundred feet on up the ridge.
"I want the panels and wind generator here. I'll need enough power to run woodworking machinery and a house with freezers, refrigerators and washer and dryer. The house will have four bedrooms. I want more power than I need."
"We can design just what you need. Who is your builder. We can coordinate the electrical specs with them."
"Stonemill."
When would you like it installed?" "Last week."
"Uh…very well. Let me get back to the office and write up the specs. I can email them or you can come into the office and we can discuss terms."
"Just let me know and I can come into the office."
"Very well. I'll phone you went we've had everything written up." Drake said.
"Thank you Drake. I look forward to working with you."
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Post by ncsfsgm on Oct 25, 2021 17:18:22 GMT -6
You put Cal down once instead of Gil. THat story went on for so long it was embedded in my fingers......
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Post by freebirde on Oct 25, 2021 17:25:39 GMT -6
You put Cal down once instead of Gil. THat story went on for so long it was embedded in my fingers...... That's what I thought.
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Post by gipsy on Oct 25, 2021 19:00:21 GMT -6
Cool a new guy to follow for a couple months.
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Post by bluefox2 on Oct 25, 2021 19:03:02 GMT -6
Good start sir
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Post by cavsgt on Oct 25, 2021 19:11:48 GMT -6
The start of another fantastic story. Love your way of including equipment details without making it boring like so many authors.
Thanks Phill
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Post by udwe on Oct 25, 2021 21:23:33 GMT -6
Thanks for the new story. It's good so far, but please don't kill Gil.
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Post by ncsfsgm on Oct 25, 2021 22:28:31 GMT -6
Chapter 4
Friday morning, Don and his crew were finished. Don said he’d be back to check the road out after the house construction was finished in case the big trucks tore the road a little. It was just a matter of misting and packing it again. Instead of writing a check, Gil followed him back into town and went to the bank. Gil directly transferred the funds to Don’s account. After the transaction, they headed over to McKinney's Tavern and had lunch. On the way back to the camp, Gil stopped at Walmart and stocked up on fishing gear and got a license. He was curious about what he could catch. Gil wanted to get a boat, but he’d have to go back toward Rogersville to the TVA boat ramp on the river to put a boat in the water. This was B.S.! He walked along the river to where the banks and sand shore was the lowest and did some calculations. Once he had it figured out it could be done, Gil grinned.
“There’s more than one way to skin a cat.” Grandpa used to say.
Gil checked with the builders and it would be three weeks before they would be doing anything on the property. Gil packed his “Go” bag for a week trip and stopped by the Hasty’s.
“Mollie, I’ve got to go out of town for a few days. The builders aren’t going to be doing anything for two or three weeks so no one should be messing around up there.”
“Okay Gil, we’ll keep a watch.“
Gil worked his way northwest until he hit I-75 above Corbin Kentucky. Stopping in Indianapolis that evening, he ate at restaurant near the Holiday Inn and made it an early night.
Leaving early the next morning, after a quick breakfast, Gil took I-74 out of Indianapolis to I-35 and on to Rockford Illinois, the home of Universal Hovercraft.
Gil met with Dan Fausch, sales rep, and just like he was told on the phone, they had a UH-19-XRW model with a 240 horsepower motor. It was expensive, not as much as his Power Wagon was, but it was neat and would solve his problem with the TVA. Gil paid for the hovercraft, two extra skirts, a trailer to haul it on and two day’s training. By Sunday he was on his way back to Rogersville.
Sunday afternoon, he pulled into the drive and saw Bill and Mollie sitting under the shade tree so he stopped.
“Whatcha got there?” Bill asked.
“It’s kind of a boat.” Gil said.
“Where ya gonna put it in at?” Bill asked.
“Down at the hay field.”
“There ain’t no place to put in down there!”
“Come on with me and I’ll show you.”
Bill looked at Mollie and she just shooed him. Bill got out of his chair and climbed in the truck with Gil. Gil drove down to the hay fields and stopped in the middle of the southern field. He got out and pulled the pin on the tilt trailer and took the wings off their mounts. Getting into the hovercraft he started the engines and backed the hovercraft off the trailer and pointed it toward the river. Shutting it down, Gil got out and began attaching the wings. Once they were secure he waved Bill over and got him into the hovercraft. Shutting the gull-wing doors he cranked the engines and squeezed the throttle, lifting the hovercraft and moving it forward. Taking a broad turn in the field he squeezed the throttles to fully open and sped toward a low line of bushes next to the river. Bill yelled “HEY!” as they suddenly lifted ten feet off the ground and flew right over the bushes then slowly settled down to the river. At around 3 feet the hovercraft was speeding along the river without touching the water. Gill slowed down and the hovercraft settled onto the water and he brought it to a stop, drifting slowly along. Gil looked back at Bill and he looked like he’d pissed his pants.
“What do you think Bill?”
“How in the hell did you do that?”
“I’ll explain when we get back home.”
Gil revved the throttles and turned the hovercraft around and went back to the hay field. The bank was sloping so it was easy to get up but Bill still held on with an iron grip. Once back at the trailer, Gil set the hovercraft down. Bill wobbled out and off to the side and watched as Gil took the wings off and drove the hovercraft onto the trailer. After strapping the wings on, Gil got into the Power Wagon and Bill followed. Gil dropped the trailer off at the camp and took Bill back home. When Bill walked through the back door, he was white as a sheet.
“Bill? What’s wrong?” Mollie asked.
Bill waved her off and sat down in his chair. Bill never got in the hovercraft again.
The well driller showed up on Tuesday. He was old school, which pleased Gil to no end. The man looked around, went to his truck and pulled out a dowsing rod and asked Gil where his septic drain was going, went in the opposite direction and picked his drilling location using the dowsing rod. He guided his assistant in backing the truck and positioning it. On the third day they hit water at 10 gallons per minute. The driller had to cap the well or it would have flowed all the way to the river, and it was the sweetest water you’ve ever tasted.
The excavator finally arrived and began digging the basement. There was a deep layer of good topsoil which was set aside. It was almost like it was captured in a bowl, which it was….kind of. They were able to dig down enough to have 9 foot ceilings in the basement. The concrete carpenters quickly followed and installed the foam walls to be filled with concrete. Gil was thankful Don had put in the circular road. It made it simple for the concrete trucks to pull through and unload. While the walls were setting, Gil went back to Knoxville and talked with the alternative energy people, They had gotten with the builder and worked out any changes in wiring of the house. The solar panels and wind generator would be installed the first of next week. The log cabin installers might well be able to use the power generated on site.
Gil sat that night browsing on the computer looking at the prepper sites for ideas he could use. He had the money and it was losing value every day….might as well spend it. It was too late to plant a garden this year, but he could at least prepare it for next year. He looked at pages of farming equipment to see what he could use. He was clueless. He decided to ask Mollie and Bill the next time he talked to them. He was going to need a large gun safe to put the guns in that were still stored in the trailer. Maybe two safes. He still wanted to retrieve the gold coins he had in SunTrust. If the SHTF he couldn’t just skip down to Knoxville and withdraw it from the safety deposit boxes. Well, one step at a time.
He needed to think about the future. He left the Army because he saw things going to hell. As good as the military is, that means the civ div is ten times worse. It’s best to start preparing for the worst. He kept browsing and taking notes. Before he knew it it was after midnight. Shutting down the computer, he pulled off his clothes, laid back, and was instantly asleep.
Gil's eyes snapped open and his senses tightened. He heard a faint scrubbing of something but couldn’t define exactly what the noise was. He slipped on his water shoes and a dark t-shirt and Ranger panties. With pistol in hand he slipped out of the tent. Stepping into the shadows, his head slowly swiveled left and right. The noise was coming from the river. He carefully moved along the hedgerow toward the river, keeping as silent as he could. As he neared the bank before the drop-off and the sandbar, he heard more muffled noise. Silently peeking around a bush he saw the outline of a canoe beached on the sand. Watching off to the side, the image became clearer... someone was sitting on the outside of the canoe, slumped, with one arm in the canoe. Gil rose and moved down the sloping bank and quietly walked up to the person.
“Do you need some help?” Gil said.
The person jumped up and screeched.
“NO! LEAVE ME ALONE!” Screamed what was obviously now, was a woman.
“Ma’am, it’s two o’clock in the morning. No one goes out on the river this time of morning for grins and giggles. Can I help you?”
“I had to get away. I hit something. The canoe was sinking and I had to beach it!”
“Who were you trying to get away from?”
“My stepfather.”
“Look. My name is Gil Conner. I’ve got camp set up here on my land. We could go up and I could fix us some coffee. What is your name?”
“Mm-my name is… Grace.”
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Post by ncsfsgm on Oct 26, 2021 0:33:02 GMT -6
Chapter 5
Gil slowly led her across the hay field. It was dark but Gil's night vision was pretty good. When they got to the fire pit he sat her in the lawn chair and went into his tent, bringing out a poncho liner and a headlamp. Wrapping her in the liner, he put on the headset and turned the red light on.Quickly building a fire he filled the percolator with water and the basket with coffee. Sitting the coffee pot in the grill insert, he got another lawn chair out of the trailer and two coffee cups and sat down by the fire pit. "So, where are you from?" Gil asked.
"I…I live outside of…of Rogersville."
"Coffee should be ready in a minute."
Gil got up and went back into the tent and came back out. The coffee had just perked so he poured the coffee into the two cups and handed her two Reese's Cups and a cup of coffee.
"Nothing like chocolate peanut butter cups and coffee!"
Grace gave him a faint smile and accepted the coffee and Reece's cups. She opened one of the cups and took a bite, followed by a sip of coffee.
"What are you doing out here?" Grace asked.
"I just got out of the Army. I'm having a cabin built and I'm just camping out until it is finished."
She took another bite of chocolate and stared into the fire.
"What did you do In the Army?" She said quietly.
Gil was silent for a few seconds.
"I was in Special Forces."
My father was in the 160th at Fort Campbell. He was killed in Iraq." Grace said.
"I'm sorry." Gil said.
"He loved what he did."
"I'm sure.
Gil watched as she finished the second Reese's Cup. He got up and opened the side door of the trailer and got another headlamp hanging next to the door.
"Look, here's another headlamp. Go into the tent and try to get some sleep." Gil said.
She looked up at him, startled.
"I'll be sleeping in the trailer, where I don't have to worry about you attacking me during the night." Gil said smiling.
She looked at him and got out of the chair and went to the tent. As she started to enter, she stopped and looked back at him then, stepped through the opening. Gil shook his he and stepped into the trailer and pulled out a sleeping bag and made his bed.
Only having slept 3 hours, Gil awoke with a start and got up. He stepped out of the trailer and stretched. Walking over to the fire, he trimmed some kindling from a log and rebuilt the fire. Getting out the frying pan, he put the pan on the grill insert to heat it up. Gill got the bacon from the cooler and peeled off six slices and laid them in the hot frying pan then getting out four eggs, he sat them aside for later. Gil turned the bacon and cracked the eggs in a bowl and added salt and pepper and beat them. As the bacon was close to being done, Gil got out two slices of bread and dropped them on the grill insert, removed the bacon from the pan and divided it onto plates and poured the beaten eggs into the frying pan with the bacon grease. Flipping the bread and stirring the eggs was a mindless task. The bread toasted before the eggs were done. He quickly picked up the toast and added the slices to the plates and gave the eggs one final stir them divided them between the two plates. As he finished scraping the eggs onto the plates, Grace came out of the tent.
"Breakfast is served!" Gil said, grinning.
She came over and took the offered plate and fork and set down in a lawn chair.
"Thank you." She said quietly.
Gil set a cup of coffee and a bottle of water next to her.
He took his daily supplements and began eating out of his own plate. Finishing, he took a plastic dish pan and added hot water and dish soap and cleaned his utensils. Grace quickly finished and hip-bumped him out of the way and washed her own plate and utensils. Gil grinned and went and sat on the trailer ramp, sipping on another cup of coffee. Grace sat back down in the lawn chair, sipping her coffee and staring at the fire.
"Well? What now?" Gil asked.
Grace looked over at Gil.
"What do you mean?"
"Do you want me to take you home?...or some other place?...or what?"
Tears formed in Grace's eyes. "I don't have anywhere else to go. I can't go home or my stepfather will be all over me. My Mother just ignores it as if nothing's happening."
Gil closed his eyes and snorted in disgust.
"How old are you?" Gil asked.
"I'm 18."
Gil groaned inside,
"Do you trust me?" Gil asked.
"I…I think so."
"Okay. You need clothes and stuff. I was headed to Knoxville this morning but that can wait. Let's go to Walmart and get you some essentials and we'll head to Knoxville this afternoon. Okay?"
Grace nodded.
"All right. First, let's go shove that canoe out in the water and get rid of it."
They walked down to the shore and pushed the canoe into the river and watched it drift down the shore, sinking as it drifted along. The went back to the trailer and locked everything back up. Gil took a minute to get his IWB holster on and they got into the truck and headed for Walmart.
They got out of the truck and began walking across the parking lot.
"Let's grab a cart and get you some things. You need a couple of changes of simple clothes plus underwear and any personal hygiene things you need. Now is not the time for embarrassment. If you need it….get it."
Grace picket up a pair of jeans, a pair of shorts, couple of pullover shirts a bra and a pack of panties. They went over and got her a toothbrush, toothpaste, a comb and brush, deodorant and bath gel. The also picked up a couple of towels and face cloths.
"Get shampoo." Gil said.
Grace selected shampoo and they headed for the dairy section and got more eggs, swept by and picked up another couple of packs of bacon and another loaf of bread. Gil pushed the cart to the self-checkout and ran his card. They were in and out within 20 minutes.
When they returned to the camp, Gil put on a pot of water to heat and got out the SunShower bag.
"What are you doing?" Grace asked.
"Wouldn't you like to take a shower? I'm going to set it up for you and while you are bathing I'm going to take a walk up the ridge. I'll be back in bout 45 minutes. Will that be enough time for you?"
She nodded.
When the water was warm enough, Gil filled the shower bag and hung it up for her.
"Okay, I'm leaving now. I promise not to try and look at you. I'll be back in 45 minutes."
Grace gave Gil an inquisitive look as he walked away.
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Post by ncsfsgm on Oct 26, 2021 8:38:54 GMT -6
Chapter 6
An hour later Gil walked back into camp. He went to the cooler and got out a bottle of water and checked the coffee pot. Dumping the grounds into the fire pit, he took the pot over to the WaterBrick and rinsed everything out. He replaced the guts back into the pot and set it on the inside of the trailer. Grace came out of the tent and walked over to the trailer.
"Do you want a bottle of water to take with us?"
"Yes please."
Gil got out another bottle of cold water and handed it to her.
"Well, lets go. I'd like to be back before dark."
They got into the truck and Gil headed up the ridge. The road was a thousand times better than the first time Gil traveled over it. At the main road Gil turned to go back toward Rogersville and catch 66 to I-81. Grace remained silent.
As they traveled down 66 Gil tried to start up a conversation.
"Grace, what is your last name?"
"Collins." Grace said faintly as she stared out the window.
"Grace Collins." Now that is a fine Irish name. Where are you from originally?"
"Kingsport," she answered again in the same monotone.
"Sheesh!" Thought Gil.
He reached over and turned on the CD player and scrolled through the CDs until he came to the CD of Jim McCann songs. The first song on the playlist was "Grace."
As we gather in the chapel here in old Kilmainham Gaol I think about these past few days, oh, will they say we've failed? From our school days, they have told us we must yearn for liberty Yet, all I want in this dark place is to have you here with me
Oh, Grace, just hold me in your arms and let this moment linger They'll take me out at dawn and I will die With all my love, I place this wedding ring upon your finger There won't be time to share our love for we must say good-bye
Now, I know it's hard for you, my love, to ever understand The love I bear for these brave men, my love for this dear land But when Pádhraic called me to his side down in the G.P.O., I had to leave my own sick bed, to him I had to go
Oh, Grace, just hold me in your arms and let this moment linger They'll take me out at dawn and I will die With all my love, I place this wedding ring upon your finger There won't be time to share our love for we must say good-bye Now, as the dawn is breaking, my heart is breaking, too On this May morn, as I walk out, my thoughts will be of you And I'll write some words upon the wall so everyone will know I love so much that I could see his blood upon the rose
Oh, Grace, just hold me in your arms and let this moment linger They'll take me out at dawn and I will die With all my love, I place this wedding ring upon your finger There won't be time to share our love for we must say good-bye (There won't be time to share our love for we must say good-bye.)
"That is so sad." Can you play it again?"
Gil reversed to the beginning of the song and played it again.
When the song ended, Gil turned down the volume.
"Do you know the story behind the song? Gil asked.
Grace shook her head slowly.
"Well, the song was written in 1985 about the Easter Uprising by the Irish against the British in 1916. There was a woman named Grace Gifford who met a man named Joseph Plunkett through her brother-in-law. She fell in love with Plunkett. Joseph proposed to her in 1915… the pair planned a double wedding with his sister and her fiancé, and the wedding date was set for Easter Sunday, 1916.
Joseph Plunkett was captured during the Uprising along with several other leaders and imprisoned in Dublin's Kilmainham Jail.
Grace, finding out the British were going to execute Plunkett, went to a jeweler and bought a ring. She begged the authorities to let her marry Plunkett and they finally relented. Before Plunkett's execution, Grace and Plunkett were married by Father Eugene McCarthy in the Kilmainham Jail Chapel in May of 1916, the Chapel only lit by a few prison issue candles. They shared about fifteen minutes of their married life, supervised, before he was taken out and shot."
Although Grace was relatively young when she married, but she never remarried. She died in 1969 in Dublin. If you ever take a tour of Kilmainham Jail, you'll see a plaque commemorating the executions.
Grace turned her head and looked at Gil.
"That is awful!"
"Sometimes life IS awful Grace. We have to search each day for those bright spots that make our lives on this earth bearable."
Gil took her first to REI before going to Cabela's. REI carried more "feminine" outdoor clothing than Cabela's. He had her pick out a few outfits, a pair of boots and a pair of athletic shoes and socks and a travel backpack. They headed over to Cabela's and Gil picked out a couple of more articles of clothing and a bigger cast iron frying pan and two different capacity Dutch ovens. On a second thought, he added another six person tent with an awning, a camp chair, cot, mattress a small table and two rectangular lightweight sleeping bags. Looking at Grace, he added a camper’s pillow. As they started to walk to another area, he saw a portable camping shower enclosure and added that. Grace wanted some cargo shorts and pants. All the time, Grace was never more than two steps from Gil, her eyes always scanning the people around her.
As they traveled east on I-40, Gil turned south at Kodak and headed toward Sevierville.
"Where are we going?" Grace asked
"To eat." Gil answered.
Grace was still apprehensive until Gil pulled into the parking lot of the Applewood Farmhouse Restaurant. Gil escorted her in and although it was still early for the dinner crowd, it was busy. The waitress seated them and Gil looked at the menu.
"What do you feel like?" Gil asked.
"I don't know."
Gil looked up from the menu and studied her.
"Look at me."
Grace looked at Gil.
"I want you to pick out whatever you think you'd like. I want you to enjoy this evening."
"Why?"
"Because….I don't know. It would just mean a lot to me."
Grace looked back down at the menu. When the waitress came back with their iced tea, they gave their orders.
Gil took a sip of his unsweetened tea, grimaced, then added a teaspoon of honey to it.
Grace giggled.
Gil looked at her. "Now that's a look I like. You have a beautiful smile. You should use it more."
Grace's smile broadened. The waitress brought their meals and they slowly ate, enjoying the food and company. When they left the restaurant, Gil steered them over to the gift shop and bought a quart of Apple Butter and a quart of honey, then doubled that. He'd give a jar of each to Mollie.
On the way back up 66, Grace asked if he could play some more Irish music, but something less sad.
"Lass, the Irish are a sad people, They stumble through life getting beaten down and turn to whiskey to ease their mental pains."
"I haven't seen you turn to whiskey." Grace commented.
"That's because I don't let anyone beat me down. If they try, they end up wishing they'd never attempted to. I don't quit until I'm satisfied."
They arrived back in Rogersville and Gil only made one stop to pick up more dry ice. When they turned into the drive, Gil stopped in his drive and got the quarts of Honey and Apple Butter over to the back door and knocked. Mollie opened the screen door and smiled.
"What do you have there?"
"Honey and Apple Butter. I thought you and Bill would enjoy them."
"Why thank you! Who's that in the truck.?"
"A friend. I've got to get going. I'll see you later."
"Bye."
Mollie watched as Gil jumped the road ditch and got into the truck and drove on up the drive.
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Post by fsr on Oct 26, 2021 9:03:45 GMT -6
An excellent story! I am looking forward to MOAR!
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Post by cavsgt on Oct 26, 2021 9:52:44 GMT -6
Loving it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Phill
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Post by ncsfsgm on Oct 26, 2021 11:48:28 GMT -6
Chapter 7
While they were unloading everything Gil stopped. "Crap!. I forget to get you some clothes hangers!"
"That's okay, I can fold everything so there are a minimum of wrinkles." Grace said.
Gil turned when he heard a vehicle coming down the road. It was a Sheriff's car. The car stopped at the trailer and two men got out.
The older of the men looked at Grace.
"Girl, your Daddy is lookin' for you."
"HE'S NOT MY DADDY!" Grace screamed.
"Hey, I got no problem with you keeping away from him. I'm just warning he's on the lookout for you."
The man turned to Gil and stuck out his hand.
"Hi! I'm Sheriff Will Tatum."
Gil shook his hand.
"Pleased to meet you Sheriff. I'm Gil Conner."
"So, you're Jim Conner's grandson."
"Yes Sir."
"Looks like you gonna be settlin' in."
"Yes Sir. I'm getting ready to build a cabin. I'm gonna make it my home."
"Well, welcome to Hawkins County, settled in 1775 by the grandparents of Davy Crockett."
"Thank you Sheriff."
"Well, I just stopped by to warn Grace. Henry gets a little ornery. I try to head things like this off before there's trouble. How long are you gonna keep her out here?"
"I'm not keeping her here. She's free to leave any time she wants." Gil said.
"That's good. The Sheriff took a step closer to Gil and said with a low voice:
"You take care of that girl. She's had some hard times." "Well, we'd better get goin'. Oh, Grace, just so you know, on the way out here I saw Henry and your Momma headed toward Kingsport. They'll probably be gone a while if you want to get some of your stuff out of the house."
Grace looked pleadingly at Gill. "Thank you Sheriff."
Grace came closer and stood beside Gil as they watched the Sheriff drive off.
"Gil, can we….."
"Get in the truck and let's go get your things."
Grinning, Grace jumped into the truck as Gil turned the engine over.
When they got to the house, the front door was locked. They went to the back door and the screen was unlatched but the door was locked.
"Dang it!" Grace said, and stomped her foot.
Gil looked around and seeing no one could see into the back yard, pulled out his wallet and pulled out a tension wrench and a rake and had the door unlocked in about 5 seconds. Grace looked at him wide-eyed as he pushed her through the door. Gil used his shirt tail to wipe his prints off the knob.
Grace pulled out some suitcases out of a closet and carried them into a bedroom. She selected clothes and shoes she wanted and left the rest hanging. She ran into the kitchen and came back with a box of garbage bags. She started emptying sock and underwear drawers into the bags. She put her computer into a satchel along with some framed pictures. Grace looked around to see if she had forgotten anything then lunged for another drawer and pulled out what looked like swimsuits and threw them into the second suitcase. Once she was sure she had everything she wanted, they started carrying the suitcases and bags out to the truck and put them in the bed of the truck. Grace went in one last time and came back with a framed picture of what Gil assumed was her father. She locked the door and jumped into the truck.
"Thank you, Gil. I don't feel so lost now."
Gil nodded, started the engine and pulled out onto the quiet street. A couple of blocks don, Gil saw the sign for Food City and pulled in.
"I'm going to put on a pot of Pinto Beans when we get back. I want to get some seasoning meat and some cornbread mix."
"I'll come in with you."
They grabbed a cart and wound their way through the displays and stopped in the baking area. Gil selected a couple of boxes of "Just add water" mix and threw them into the cart.
"You like that much sugar in your cornbread?" Grace asked.
Gil frowned. "Well, no, not really."
Grace took the two boxes out of the cart and replaced them with another brand.
They cut through the produce area to get to the meat and dairy section.
"What about a melon for tonight? Gil asked.
"Sure."
Gil picked out an ice box sized melon and they continued on to the meat area.
Gil picked out three a pack of shrink wrapped smoked ham hocks and placed that in the basket.
"Anything else?" Gil asked.
"We probably need to get some more bread for toast. Do you have butter?"
"Nope." Gil said, pushing the cart to the dairy area to get butter. Going by the delicatessen on the way to check out, Gil snatched a container of chicken salad and two sliced loaves of artisan bread. They went through checkout and out to the truck, placing the grocery sacks in the bed. Gil headed down main street and saw a sign for Legacy Wine and Spirits and turned left. It was only a block down. Gil jumped out and was quickly back with four bottles of wine.
"Do you want me to drive?" Grace said when he came back.
"No, why?"
"Because it's obvious that you can't drive two blocks without chasing a sign to somewhere." Grace said, grinning.
Gil scrunched up his face. "Nag….nag…nag."
When they had the food unloaded at the camp, Gil got out the Coleman stove and fueled it. He put together the pot of beans and lit the stove. Going over to when they had unloaded the purchases from Cabela's, he got the tent out and erected it next to his, placing the chair, cot, mattress and table in. Grace began moving her things out of Gil's tent into hers. Gil washed the new frying pan and set it aside, then checked the beans.
Gil's phone rang.
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Post by cavsgt on Oct 26, 2021 12:25:12 GMT -6
There always has to be a Cliff.
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Post by ncsfsgm on Oct 26, 2021 13:59:45 GMT -6
Chapter 8
"Gil? Drake Simpson. We'll be up there Monday to start installing the solar array and wind generator." "Great. What do you need from this end?"
"Just water for the concrete."
"River water do?"
"Well, yeah, it'll work. Do you have a building for the battery bank?"
"No…. not yet."
"Any 8x10 building will do. You can pick one up almost anywhere and they usually deliver."
How far away does the building need to be from the house?"
"Oh…twenty-five to fifty feet will work."
"Okay, I'll get on it."
"All right then. We'll see you Monday."
Gil put the phone back in his pocket. Grace walked over.
"What's wrong?"
"Nothing. Just thinking. I've got to go back to town, but not today. I need to get a pump put on the well, or something, I need a small storage building for the battery bank. Jesus, I don't have electricity to run the pump yet so I guess I'll need to buy a generator."
"Well, no pun intended, why don't you go see the driller and have him recommend someone for the pump. The Mechanic's Shop up on Burem Pike sells generators, if you need one, and there is a storage building place out on 11 West just past the drag strip. Is there anything else you need Sir?"
Gil glared at Grace. "Smart women are nice to have around. Smart-ass women aren't."
Grace giggled. "I turned the beans down and added a little water."
Gil finally smiled. "Okay, thanks."
The ate beans and cornbread by the fire that night, with a camping wine tumbler of wine.
"How did they get this smokey flavor. It's delicious." Grace said.
"An eight of a teaspoon of Hickory Smoke Powder." Gil replied."
"Oh-h-h-h, two bowls are all I can eat." Grace groaned.
"I'll finish them." Gil said, shoveling in more beans."
"How did you know just how much to cook without there being leftovers?"
"Years of cooking for myself."
Grace dished the remaining beans in Gil's bowl and took the pot over to wash it.
"No soap!" Gil called out.
"I've washed cast iron before, thank you." After washing and drying the pot and lid, Grace put a light coat of flax oil on the pot and lid, the wiped them down with a dry dish towel.
"Okay miss wise and wondrous, where is the nearest laundromat?"
"There's one near the Food City. Hey, why don't I go in with you in the morning and I'll do the laundry while you do your running around?"
"Sounds like a plan."
The next morning they gathered up their dirty laundry into a garbage bag and rode back to town. Gil dropped Grace off at the laundromat and went to the drilling company. When he explained what he needed they just smiled.
"You've already been billed for the pump. We were just waiting for electricity to be installed."
"Well, I've got the solar power installers coming Monday and they need water to mix concrete."
"Oh, that's no problem. I've got a 3500 watt electric start generator out in the bay you can use, no charge. We'll come out in the morning and install the pump and bring the generator."
"I appreciate it. I'll see you in the morning then."
"Relieved, Gil headed out highway 11 West. Driving past the drag strip, he began looking for the storage building place. He spotted it on the left and pulled into the lot.
A man came walking over to the truck and asked if he could be of help.
"Yes Sir. I need a storage building."
"What size?"
"Well, I was told at least an 8x10. Could I see what you have in that size and larger?"
"Sure, follow me."
The man show Gil all the larger buildings and Gil finally settled on an 8x12. They went into the office and did the paperwork and Gil paid him. The man promised delivery and leveling on Friday.
"Now Gil was really happy. All his concerns gone, he headed for the laundromat. As Gil got out of the truck, he saw a man grab Grace by the arm. Gil hurried inside and grabbed the man on a pressure point at the top of his shoulder.
"Ah-h-h-g-g-g-g-h-h!"
The man went to his knees, grabbing his left arm. Gil maintained the pressure while checking Grace.
"Are you okay? Gil asked.
"I'm fine. This is Henry."
A police car came up with its light flashing and a cop got out. Gil released the man's shoulder as the cop came through the door.
"Ma'am, are you all right?"
"Yes, this man on his knees attacked me! My boy….my friend came in and stopped him."
The cop pointed to a camera in the corner.
"Got it all on tape. Arnold was monitoring and called us as soon as he grabbed you."
The officer turned to Gil.
"What did you do to him?
"Just applied a little pressure to his Suprascapular nerves on his left shoulder. He'll be all right in a few minutes."
The officer pulled out his cuffs and cuffed Henry.
"Ma'am, do you want to press charges?"
"Yes officer."
"Okay, let me get someone else here to get your statements. Sir, thank you for not damaging him any more than you did. I hate the paperwork."
Gil grinned. The officer took Henry and sat him in the rear of the cruiser as another one pulled up. Grace and Gil wrote their statements on the folding table, signed them and handed them to the officer, who read them over.
"Superscandu…."
"Suprascapular."
"Where is that?"
Gil pointed to the officer's shoulder.
"Show me what you did."
Gil reached up and only squeezed lightly."
"DUG-G-G-R-R-R-GAH! Damn! That was like a tazer!"
"And I didn't squeeze you as hard as I did Henry. He's probably just now getting the feeling in his arm."
"I gotta learn more about this pressure point stuff," the officer said, going out to his cruiser.
Gil turned and to Grace and watched her finish folding clothes. She took two fresh garbage bags and neatly stacked their separate piles into the bags.
"Ready?" Grace asked.
Gil chuckled and grabbed the other bag. They put the clothes on the back seat.
"I saw a BBQ place down the street. Is it any good?" Gil asked.
"Very." Grace replied, grinning.
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Post by freebirde on Oct 26, 2021 14:52:03 GMT -6
Gil should have held his right hand up, thumb to the side and middle and ring fingers separated.
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Post by texican on Oct 26, 2021 15:39:03 GMT -6
He took a booth seat and pull his phone out of his shirt pocket. It was brand new and he hadn't quite figured out all the beeps and whistles yet
Yep, takes a while to learn a new phone with all of the beeps and whistles. Hate having to get a new phone which generally happens after learning all of the tricks with the old phone.
Thanks ncsfsgm for the new story.
Now Gil has a new girl friend in Grace, but an enemy in her step father when the step father discovers where Grace is which will be interesting. How many more chapter to reveal?
Texican....
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Post by gipsy on Oct 26, 2021 16:12:45 GMT -6
You had to do it. I was raised in Rockford IL.
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Post by udwe on Oct 26, 2021 16:35:50 GMT -6
Keep going, ya got me hooked!
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Post by ncsfsgm on Oct 26, 2021 17:29:23 GMT -6
Chapter 9
Gil and Grace were gathering firewood the next morning when the men came to install the well pump. They also brought along one of those fake rock fiberglass insulated well covers that covered everything completely. When they left, Gil cranked the generator and attached the water hose with a sprayer to the pump. Grace walked over to see what he was doing and Gil picked up the sprayer and gave her a good drenching. She froze in place with her mouth open. The water was ice cold. You could tell by the prominent protrusions poking from her chest. She rushed him and wrestled for the sprayer. Gil slowly let her gain control and got drenched for his efforts. She finally stopped spraying him and they stood their laughing. Gil leaned up against a tree to catch his breath. "That water is cold!"
"You're telling me!" Gil said, glancing at her chest.
"OH MY GOD!" Screamed Grace, crossing her arms over her chest and running down the hill.
Gil shook his head, chuckling and shut the generator down. He covered everything with the fiberglass cover and finished loading the Gator with the firewood. Driving back down the hill, a vision of Grace's wet shirt filled his mind.
By the time Gil finished stacking the firewood, he clothes were practically dry. He stood there looking at the Gator as Grace walked up.
"What are you doing?"
Gil turned to the voice and noticed that Grace had changed clothes.
"I was just thinking. Every day we go gather all the wood the Gator can carry. If we had a trailer I saw at Tractor Supply, we could haul enough for five days at one time."
"And…."
"Wanna take a ride?"
Grace danced around him and got into the truck.
"Come on!"
Gil slowly shook his head and got in. They soon came back with a 4.5 ft. x 7.5 ft. Utility Trailer with tilt and dump capability.
Mid-morning Friday, the utility shed arrived. Gil took the two men up to where he wanted the shed positioned and they backed the truck in and using the tilt-bed, eased the shed off the truck. Using a come-along and straps, they got the shed in position.It was jacked it up and leveled it in about 30 minutes. They even provided a small set of formed concrete steps. After Grace and Gil got through inspecting it, Gil pulled Grace back down the hill.
"Where are we going?" Grace asked.
"I've got to go pick up my boat."
"Boat? When did you get a boat?"
"Before you woke me at 2:00 AM."
"Well, where has it been?"
"It's down in Mooresburg. When I got the registration number, I wanted it painted on the boat so a sign painter did it for me. I haven't had time to pick it up."
They rode down to Mooresburg and drove up to the sign painters shop. They went inside and Gil paid the man who walked them around to the back of the shop.
"That's not a boat!" Grace said.
"That's what I told him lady." The painter said.
Gil laughed. "Well, it may not look like a boat, but I have to register it as one. Thanks Dennis."
"My pleasure."
Gil backed the truck up to the trailer and Dennis locked the ball latch and connected the wiring harness. As they towed the trailer back to the camp, Grace rode in silence.
"I've been thinking." Grace said.
Gil groaned and rubbed his neck.
Grace slapped his arm.
"No, seriously. All you call this place is 'The Camp.' You're going to have a nice cabin there and should give it a nice name."
Gil thought a few minutes.
"What would you call it?"
Grace thought a few moments. "What about 'Bluff View'?"
"Sounds good to me. 'Bluff View' it is."
"Really?"
"Yes, really."
Grace rode the rest of the way to Bluff View with a smile.
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Post by texican on Oct 26, 2021 19:29:11 GMT -6
come-aloneWhat many teenage boys do going to parties, games, etc. Texican....
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