Author Topic: Home, home on the range...  (Read 995 times)

Offline Ripsnort

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Home, home on the range...
« on: November 14, 2017, 08:10:47 AM »
Yeah, the song was written with Kansas in mind, but it's applicable to me in 18 months.

A lot of you guys don't know me because I've been out of the game since roughly 2011. I've been stalking HT and Pyro and their game development since they broke out of Air Warrior as players. :)

I am retiring in June 2018 from my company after hiring in 1979. 32 weeks left!!!  Wife is going to follow me in retirement 9 months later (She'll be 55)

We were married at my Stepfathers cabin in Ennis, MT in 1990 and worked our tulips off saving money. Our two boys are now adults, and they didn't get everything their friends got as kids like snowmobiles, dirt bikes, etc but they both had 529 College Savings plan money when they graduated and both have a great work ethic!

We sold 30 acres in Ennis, MT we had bought for retirement when we were younger, sold it 15 years later due to the political climate on the Land Owners Association. Let's just say the politics shifted away from the promotion of hunting and fishing due to Sierra club members on the board.

For 10 years we kept looking for property to replace ours we sold, and we found it on a recent trip visiting a friend at Lakeside, MT, on Flathead lake.

We purchased 6 acres that the bank had just listed as a foreclosure the day we arrived so literally this land found us!

It is a gated development with large parcels of land, paved roads that are plowed in the winter, and the land has electricity, high speed internet, but it does need a well, which is going to be about $30k to drill 800 feet into a large known reservoir down below fed by Flathead lake. It has its own air strip so those of you that fly are welcome to fly in and spend a week-end. :)

We start cutting the driveway and clearing the building sight next April of 2018, well goes in May/June o 2018 too. Then we'll park out 5th wheel on the building sight. The following April of 2019, wife retires and we start the build of the house.

We've narrowed down our choices for a home design. It must be 2500 sq feet by HOA architecture committee and we're okay with that. 

Wife plans to work part time at the local Nursing school as an instructor once we're moved, after we sell our home here in WA state. Yep, winters have snow and it's cold. We love 4 seasons and hate hot weather.

Some photos of the land, the home design photoshopped in by me.  Finally going home to MT! (My extended family has lived in MT since 1978 and it's been my hunting grounds for 4 decades)















« Last Edit: November 14, 2017, 08:15:34 AM by Ripsnort »

Offline Oldman731

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Re: Home, home on the range...
« Reply #1 on: November 14, 2017, 08:31:00 AM »
We purchased 6 acres


Wow.  You and Colmbo lead the Welcome to Paradise contest.  Congrats!

Your airport is private use, so you need to make friends with the owners:

https://www.aopa.org/airports/MT03

- oldman

Offline oboe

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Re: Home, home on the range...
« Reply #2 on: November 14, 2017, 09:44:38 AM »
Looks gorgeous, Rip!   Best wishes on your upcoming retirement!

I hope you find your way back into AH with some your new free time.


Offline Ripsnort

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Re: Home, home on the range...
« Reply #3 on: November 14, 2017, 10:00:22 AM »

Wow.  You and Colmbo lead the Welcome to Paradise contest.  Congrats!

Your airport is private use, so you need to make friends with the owners:

https://www.aopa.org/airports/MT03

- oldman
Oldman, I am the owner. :) I pay HOA dues for use of that airstrip. We (landowners) all do.

Offline Ripsnort

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Re: Home, home on the range...
« Reply #4 on: November 14, 2017, 10:01:41 AM »
I suspect I will oboe!
Thanks fellas.
Once I get settled in I'll start looking for a new stick. Then I'll be your buzz bait!

Offline DaddyAce

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Re: Home, home on the range...
« Reply #5 on: November 14, 2017, 09:11:47 PM »
Looks like a great place Rip!  I have many fond memories catching fish, hiking and hunting that area.  I caught a lot of Kokanee, Lake trout, Bulls, Lake Whitefish and Westslope Cutthroat in that lake.   I hope you like cherries, with all the nearby cherry orchards.   I lived at Yellow Bay for 5 years.  Welcome back to Montana!  Lots of monster whitetails near your new stomping grounds!    :aok

Congrats on the retirement!

-DaddyAce

Offline Curval

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Re: Home, home on the range...
« Reply #6 on: November 15, 2017, 05:19:54 AM »
Looks fantastic Rip!
Some will fall in love with life and drink it from a fountain that is pouring like an avalanche coming down the mountain

Offline nooby52

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Re: Home, home on the range...
« Reply #7 on: November 15, 2017, 11:46:17 AM »
"Ripsnort". I remember that name. Congrat's on your upcoming retirement. Beautiful spot you've picked out, there. I'm retiring at the end of this year...only 21 working days left for me after today. I look forward to running across you in FSO.  :cheers:

Flying as "South52" for VF-17 Jolly Rogers
17 Squadron - The Hardest Day Battle of Britain
204 Kokutai - Target Rabaul
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Offline Hajo

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Re: Home, home on the range...
« Reply #8 on: November 15, 2017, 12:42:46 PM »
Rip welcome to the club!  After many years of work and tied to it you now get your own time.

congrats!  Retirement is a blast.  And yes Montana is a great state.
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Offline Vulcan

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Re: Home, home on the range...
« Reply #9 on: November 15, 2017, 12:55:34 PM »
Wow that's awesome.

Offline Kanth

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Re: Home, home on the range...
« Reply #10 on: November 15, 2017, 12:59:11 PM »
Really Gorgeous place!!!  :aok

I just vacationed in Whitefish this year for the first time. Would love to live out there. I'm super jealous!!!  :D
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Offline Wolfala

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Re: Home, home on the range...
« Reply #11 on: November 16, 2017, 08:40:33 AM »
Hot dang that's gorgeous. If you can put up with having a Cirrus there in the summer then it might just happen.


the best cure for "wife ack" is to deploy chaff:    $...$$....$....$$$.....$ .....$$$.....$ ....$$

Offline Ripsnort

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Re: Home, home on the range...
« Reply #12 on: November 16, 2017, 10:59:00 AM »
Your always welcome with Wolfala!
Give us 2019 to get things in order, and bet on it in 2020.
I'll check into the HOA to find out what it costs to keep wheels on ground for a couple nights. They have hangars but they're leased by the month.

Offline Wolfala

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Re: Home, home on the range...
« Reply #13 on: November 16, 2017, 11:21:09 AM »
 Not a problem.  I'm doing mountain training up that way in about two weeks and again in February with clients before I head back overseas.  2019 is plenty of time


the best cure for "wife ack" is to deploy chaff:    $...$$....$....$$$.....$ .....$$$.....$ ....$$

Offline Brooke

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Re: Home, home on the range...
« Reply #14 on: November 16, 2017, 11:11:38 PM »
Beautiful!  :aok