Owen Wisconsin 54460, and the strife you've caused !! (Milwaukee: insurance, live in)

[Homebrew]

Hi bernitt, good to hear about your style of hunting. Call me a cynic but I’ll bet there’s a fee attached to each of your years of registration for a bear tag. Smaaart government !!
I’d never have thought bear meat would be particularly enjoyable to eat, given that I perceive their diet to consist mainly of dead stuff and garbage-can pickings, but I’ll take your word for it. After all, the main diet of our yabbies (little fresh water crayfish/lobster type things) is duck poo and algae, and I REALLY like eating them !

The Whitetail deer hunt conjures up a mental picture of the ’32 Ford with a couple of deer tied over the hood or draped over the mudguards and Elmer Fudd-type guys blazing away at any movement in the bush. Was it Donald Rumsfeld who shot a hunting buddy recently ? Lovely stuff, as long as it’s not me (or you) involved, bernitt.

Congratulations on your sons’ various successes, what sort of careers are they anticipating ?

My son (22 yrs old) has deferred his university studies for a while (journalism) and is managing a Subway store in Adelaide – this at least guarantees me a cheap lunch whenever I get back home.

Our new house --- a little background first – Queenstown, Tasmania, where my wife and I are located right now, has been a mining town since the 1880’s – copper, zinc, some gold and silver, and is a fairly isolated town of maybe 3000 population nestled in a valley in some of Australia’s most rugged country. This is temperate rainforest country, hot in summer, cold and wet in winter, and while snow is rare in the town it is quite common on the mountains around the town, Mount OWEN being the most prominent. We can, apparently be iced in, black ice on the two roads leading out of town. I haven’t experienced this phenomenon yet, but it shouldn’t be too much longer, I’m told. We have to watch out for the mail truck - if he can't get into town, we can't get out !

There have been a couple of mining booms in the area, resulting in the construction of workers housing, once in the 1920’s, and again in the 1960’s I’d guess, as well as the current mining upsurge which is rapidly forcing local housing prices up.

We bought a very run-down example of the 1920’s miners cottage, typically a two-bedroom timber-framed house clad in weather-board and asbestos sheeting, with corrugated-iron roofing. These houses were usually built on a 1/8 to 1/5 acre block, some of them with quite a steep slope, and often backing onto almost vertical rainforest cliffs.

This house was continuously occupied until about five years ago, when the last occupant went to the nursing home, and has suffered some vandalism since. No problem for us, my wife and I have completed a few restorations over the years, and this place is solid, though not pretty, yet. We’re retaining the ‘twenties style but opening the place up a little – the original four rooms under the main roof have become a large lounge area with a well-equipped kitchen alcove at one end, as well as the main bedroom and an en-suite bathroom which also contains the laundry.

There was a lean-to originally built across the back of the main building which housed the toilet, back verandah and laundry – this had been demolished prior to our arrival, and offers the chance to add a decent second bedroom, a sun-room and a second toilet, as well as a covered deck area for barbeques and the occasional glass of wine while watching the mountains change color at sunset. Front of the house is on ground level, back is about 8 feet off the ground, sloping block.

At the moment we’re living amongst tools and trestles and about 2 tons of pine lining board with which we’re cladding the internal walls. This is easier than using dry-wall, more in keeping with the period of the house, and it means mum can go nuts with the nail gun and the compound saw while I look after the plumbing and wiring. Insulation batts are going into the walls and roof, and I’ve just installed a pot-belly stove in the lounge area (fire-wood is cheap here, compared with back in our Owen SA). We just getting the first bite of winter, and we’ll be ready for it.

We’ll end up with a modern comfortable little 12-square home at an affordable price, and then I’ll go back to Owen SA to finish off our other house – and that’s another story, involving shifting a complete house 130 kilometres up the road ½ a ton at a time, and reassembling it.

That’ll have to do it for now bernitt, hope I’m not boring you with tech details.

Any other home renovators and DIY-ers, please feel free to step in to compare notes.

[bernitt]

I waited so long before responding to your last post I turned into a member instead of a junior member. I have no idea how that happened.
First-my son (21 yrs old on Saturday) graduated in May for Diesel & Heavy Equipment Mechanics. He's really good at it and loves to work on trucks. Actually the trucking company that gave him a scholarship for his second year hired him and he really likes it.
Second-my son (18 yrs old) is working too but should have a better job shortly.
Third- that youngest girl (she is referred to that often) is working as a lifeguard and waitressing.
The oldest boy has been working for 10 years and has a really good job.
Not too much longer and they'll all be gone.
Your recap of housing was facinating! It sounds fantastic and something that will be so comfortable.
I also was hoping that more diyers would respond.

2 questions:
1. What do you mean you're getting the first bite of winter?
2. How did the house move go? The one in Owen SA?

[dangson]

The postal service uses a scanner that scans zip codes and from the zip code the mail is sorted. The number codes are so close and the city names match. I'm sure that is why the mail gets mixed up. I know a person that used to maintain the scanning equipment. It works very well but this is an exception. Do you home brew? I do and live about 40 miles west of Owen, Wisconsin.

[MAR1019]

Hello

I have family that live in Owen, Wisconsin. I have never been there, but I beleive the children are doing fine, one now attends UM. But what got my eye was, South Australia. I was last in your country in 1967, in the US Navy, but meet a young lady in Wellington, NZ from AU. Valaire was her name would your name be, Valaire??

Well, just memories, have a good summer we just had or first snow fall of the year about 10 inches or so.

Dale

[4-hot_wtr]

I know my spelling is bad.

Anyway I was searching for OWEN, because I recently was amazingly delighted!

I was searching for thrashing machines online, and paging throu 100s of listings when I came across a photo of one. I clicked on it to see what the make was, hoping to broaden my search. To my supprise and astonishment, it was a picture of HM Owen and his thrashing operation, on the farm that I purchased from the family. It would be his great great grandfather. I have very little history to go with the farm. What are the odds. I live in Fall City WI. About an hour west of Owen WI. Just thought I would share this little Owen experianc.

Clay

[ali&ajsmom]

Originally Posted by grayrider

I just had to reply by saying your mail problem is a good reason to get rid of these overpaid postal workers here in the usa. The USPS is not all what they say they are and the only thing they care about is their next raise on the paycheck.

how can you say that is what all of them are about. my father-in-law worked for the postal service until he retired at the end of last year and really cared for the people on his route and the people on his route really cared for him. same with some of his co-workers who some are in their 60's and 70's. Wisconsin winters are not the nicest at times but they were out there reguardless and did not complaine once. these men and women really have to put up with alot and people like you don't make it any better for them. have you even tried to say hi to you mail man or leave him a gift at christmas to show them that you appreciate the hard work that they do? also by saying that they only care about next raise and paycheck don't you? we all do it is in our nature. and how many people would say that about you?

[bernitt]

Thanks 4-hot_wtr. That is very interesting. Thanks for sharing!

[noralee]

the owen withee area is quite beautiful, if you know how to look. i was rural, north. my heart lives there still. can't wait to find my way back.

[hankejp]

That was a good thread. It was both interesting and entertaining. Online penpals.

[Capodanno79]

I grew up in Owen, WI. It's a very tiny town and unfortunately, there isn't anything very notable about it. Very simple, very quaint and very small. There is one restaurant, a drive up burger joint (not a major name, just a mom and pop place) which is open in the summer months only. The people are friendly, but very sheltered. I now live in Phoenix, Arizona but if you are looking for specific info about Owen, WI my whole family lives there or in the immediate area.

Cheers!