Let's visit on the Porch II (Kevin: mineral rights, homestead, quiet)

[happiness is]

I don't really have an opinion on what is a sticky. It's all up to you. Anything you decide is fine by me.

H.I.

[happiness is]

Ho, ho, ho, here's a little seasonal entrepreneur story from Bozeman.

An MSU graduate has an online store that fulfills orders for various things and has found a niche market for Santa Claus suits. From budget to high end professional, here's the skinny, so to speak:
Four Corners company finds niche market in selling Santa suits online - The Bozeman Daily Chronicle: Economy

I just looked at the close up of the staff photo in that article, and you can see the nose sticking into the photo of someone who is probably the company mascot.

H.I.

[bongo]

Originally Posted by happiness is

Ho, ho, ho, here's a little seasonal entrepreneur story from Bozeman.

An MSU graduate has an online store that fulfills orders for various things and has found a niche market for Santa Claus suits. From budget to high end professional, here's the skinny, so to speak:
Four Corners company finds niche market in selling Santa suits online - The Bozeman Daily Chronicle: Economy

I just looked at the close up of the staff photo in that article, and you can see the nose sticking into the photo of someone who is probably the company mascot.

H.I.

Too funny! Too bad they did put a santa hat on the mutt too.

[Jbechtel]

I forgot to mention this during the Thanksgiving weekend when I was over at the Quarry Bar and Grille at the Holiday Inn Helena to watch some football on Saturday. I was sitting up at the bar and a man and, I assumed his wife, in their early '50's sat next to me nicely dressed. We got to talking about football, he had a distinct Texas drawl, or accent, but well mannered and polite, and after a few beers he told me this.

He was in town for a few days to attend meetings with state officials on extending the oil patch all the way over to central Montana. He told me he worked in North Dakota, but I don't remember the company he worked for, and he said there were very few people who knew about these meetings. He said the best days for Montanans were just around the corner. Then he went on and on about the Houston Texans football team. He tried to impress me with how many of the players he'd personally met. I believed he was who he said he was, seemed to know a lot about the oil business in detail. See what happens when you buy somebody a beer!

[ElkHunter]

Originally Posted by Jbechtel

I forgot to mention this during the Thanksgiving weekend when I was over at the Quarry Bar and Grille in Helena to watch some football on Saturday. I was sitting up at the bar and a man and, I assume, his wife in their early '50's sat next to me, nicely dressed. We got to talking about football, he had a distinct Texas drawl, or accent, but well mannered and polite, and after a few beers he told me this.

He was in town for a few days to attend meetings with state officials on extending the oil patch all the way over to central Montana. He told me he worked in North Dakota, but I don't remember the company he worked for, and he said there were very few people who knew about these meetings. He said the best days for Montanans were just around the corner. Then he went on and on about the Houston Texans football team. Seemed to know all the players like he was from there. I believed he was who he said he was, seemed to know a lot about the oil business in detail.

The blueprint of the Bakken field is no secret. The thing is that they started in the sweet spot and will branch out. The field itself extends clear into Montana but is harder to get at, well's will be further apart, etc. They've made no secret about tapping the sweetspot first to get funds to go after the rest of it.

The second problem they have is that there is not enough manpower, nor equipment to tap all of it at the same time. So they'll start at Williston and work their way west as equipment and men are available.

[Jbechtel]

Originally Posted by ElkHunter

The blueprint of the Bakken field is no secret. The thing is that they started in the sweet spot and will branch out. The field itself extends clear into Montana but is harder to get at, well's will be further apart, etc. They've made no secret about tapping the sweetspot first to get funds to go after the rest of it.

The second problem they have is that there is not enough manpower, nor equipment to tap all of it at the same time. So they'll start at Williston and work their way west as equipment and men are available.

So I guess we shouldn't be buying up land around Lewistown or Roundup just quite yet!

[ElkHunter]

They stole my hat. You can't make this up, they stole my hat. I had to immediately run to town and get another one.

I had a complete santa suit. Key word, had. I donated my time to play santa for a daycare that meets after church. Spent about 30 minutes, kids loved it, can't tell you the number of times those little bastards pulled on my beard or hair to make sure it was real. When I was done, I had no hat. I got hot about half way through it so I took my hat off, put it on the chair. When I was done, surprise surprise, nobody could find my hat. So I drove into Wally World and got another one.

The City was supposed to give me a voucher to get my hair died at Wally World. Evidentally, somebody slipped somewhere and it hasn't happened. One of the City Council members called last night and asked if I was still willing to be at the party. I said, "Nope, sorry, you guys dropped the bubble." They are pissed. But they are the ones that said they would give me a voucher to have my hair and beard died white, if I'd show up at the party. Other then making them pay to have my hair died, I've never charged a dime to any group, to play santa.

[jasper12]

Why do so many men in Montana look like Santa Claus?

[ElkHunter]

Originally Posted by jasper12

Why do so many men in Montana look like Santa Claus?

Self preservation, it's to keep from freezing to death.

[Walter Greenspan]

Originally Posted by ElkHunter

The blueprint of the Bakken field is no secret. The thing is that they started in the sweet spot and will branch out. The field itself extends clear into Montana but is harder to get at, well's will be further apart, etc.

I thought that the land in North Dakota was private property but the land in Montana was federal property, or something like that.