When the Impossible suddenly becomes Possible

[Olaf Hart]

By the way guys, we have spare real estate down here and plan to hang onto it till after November..

NOW you tell me...

(I loved it there but Tassie was too far from the French chick's family for her...)

Daughter just applied for a fisheries science job down there.

Hope she is successful, happy to help out with anything...

Anomaly has some good contacts down here in that field ..

[SemiSalt]

Something reminded me that there was a time that US Social Security payments were a major source of income for the Italian economy due to the number of retirees there. I think it was during the period of high inflation in the US mid-1980s. Cost of living was much cheaper in Italy.

I dont know how the Euro affect the situation.

[LarryHoward]

Something reminded me that there was a time that US Social Security payments were a major source of income for the Italian economy due to the number of retirees there. I think it was during the period of high inflation in the US mid-1980s. Cost of living was much cheaper in Italy.

I dont know how the Euro affect the situation.

I was in Italy in 1085 when the Lira hit 2,000 to the dollar. You could live pretty high on a few $$. Same summer, inflation in Israel was so high that currency controls were in place but restaurants and shops would give you "special pricing" if you paid in USD. As I recall, street price for $$ was about 50% higher than the official, fixed exchange rate. About a month after I left, they issued the "new shekel" with a very rapid exchange for old at a fixed rate. I was left holding a couple of hundred dollars worth of old shekels that became worthless overnight as I was not in Israel at the time and foreign exchange banks would not exchange them once teh new shekel was issued.

ATMs have made foreign travel much less of an adventure.

[Jamie]

Ah, the good old days of AMEX Travelers Checks. Not sure I miss it.

[LarryHoward]

Ah, the good old days of AMEX Travelers Checks. Not sure I miss it.

I know I don’t. Only place I’ve been caught out is on Hamilton Island. WestPac has the exclusive banking concession and their ATMs don’t play well with my Navy Federal card. Shops and restaurants were happy to take the credit card but I could not get any of that funny coloured folding money there. Every other bank in Aus processed my card just fine. Just not WestPac.

[Jamie]

Ah, the good old days of AMEX Travelers Checks. Not sure I miss it.

I know I don’t. Only place I’ve been caught out is on Hamilton Island. WestPac has the exclusive banking concession and their ATMs don’t play well with my Navy Federal card. Shops and restaurants were happy to take the credit card but I could not get any of that funny coloured folding money there. Every other bank in Aus processed my card just fine. Just not WestPac.

I had a mixed relationship with them. Customs people were always trying to take them or tax them, the exchange rates varied wildly and it seemed an issue at times to find a place to take them. It wasn't as easy as it should be to replace lost ones. Once in Bermuda I didn't have much money, having spend most of it in Tenerife, and my last travelers check had gotten a bit wet. I couldn't get anywhere to cash it and AMEX wouldn't take it - The RBYC wouldn't help - in fact even with a letter of introduction they would only let me in as far the bar. I happened to mention Shorty Trimingham's name in a bank - and suddenly they could cash my personal cheque, but not the traveler's check. That was in 1990. Yeah, ATMs are great until they don't work and leave you short. Like Subic Bay or Japan. Both bad places to have no money.

[Olaf Hart]

We were caught out with delays waiting for a bank transfer in NZ in the mid seventies, lived well on $1 a day for a week in a campground in Napier...

[H B]

.......................Big garage, small house sounds right to me.

My politics might be all fucked up, but I sure as hell got this one right!

Steve

Same here. Barn, garage, small house.

Ugh. I just went slightly bigger house and no garage. But, I am with you guys. I am trying to figure out the garage part again! This 12 x 10 'shop' is not an acceptable substitute for my 460 sq ft garage I gave up..but I do like my new location.

Ajax, if you really move to Italy, that might be my chance to visit and get Laura to one of her 'bucket list' places!

[LarryHoward]

We were caught out with delays waiting for a bank transfer in NZ in the mid seventies, lived well on $1 a day for a week in a campground in Napier...

Fortunately, the shops and restaurants at Hamilton were more than happy to take my Visa card so Oatley got his bite.....We were departing and needed to pay our share of the week's provisioning cost (and Garry eats and drinks very well) so needed to leave him with cash as we headed back to Melbourne to pick up luggage and fly back to the US. Fortunately, we were spending that last night at his apartment in Reunion Tower so were able to leave an appropriate envelope for him once we got to Tullamarine and an ANZ ATM. Today, I'd just use Venmo.....

[Jamie]

Try to find a house with a barn big enough to store your boat indoors. That's my dream.

[Ajax]

HB- If you think your wife wants to visit the "ass end of nowhere" in Italy, come on out. I really think that she would rather visit Florence, Venice, Rome and Milan.

[kimbottles]

Try to find a house with a barn big enough to store your boat indoors. That's my dream.

With the mast up or down?

[Jamie]

Try to find a house with a barn big enough to store your boat indoors. That's my dream.

With the mast up or down?

Huh...good point. I assumed mast down...but you know what happens when you do that!

[Tim Ford]

IMG_4147.jpg

I fail to see why mast up or down makes any difference in storage capacity.

[BeauV]

[Olaf Hart]

Looks fine to me...

[Tigger]

Would be a different matter if that boat had a holding tank.

[Jamie]

Would be a different matter if that boat had a holding tank.

[Panope]

Mast "up" is best. More floor space that way.

[Charlie]

I like the Boldt Castle “mast up” boathouse

[Ajax]

I think that's a "yachthouse."

No, there won't be any storing of the boat at my tiny, Italian cottage. I don't think the properties I'm considering come with any appreciable amount of land.
I'll be sacrificing a 5 minute walk to my boat for a 30 minute drive to a marina.

[BeauV]

I like the Boldt Castle “mast up” boathouse

WOW!! I think I'M IN LOVE!!! Who needs a house if you have a "yacht house" like this!!!???!!!

The castle which goes with is astounding!! It also has such a sad back story.

[Charlie]

I like the Boldt Castle “mast up” boathouse

WOW!! I think I'M IN LOVE!!! Who needs a house if you have a "yacht house" like this!!!???!!!

The castle which goes with is astounding!! It also has such a sad back story.

True. We pass by every year on our way to the family cottage in Ontario. It’s a very cool area, that I’d like explore by water some day. I highly recommend the antique boat museum in Clayton NY.

[kimbottles]

I highly recommend the antique boat museum in Clayton NY.

Second the recommendation for the Boat Museum in Clayton. Really cool place (at least it was some years ago when we visited!)

[SemiSalt]

I like the Boldt Castle “mast up” boathouse

That would take up most of Blakely Harbor, n'est pas?

[kimbottles]

I like the Boldt Castle “mast up” boathouse

That would take up most of Blakely Harbor, n'est pas?

As an island? Yes, I am afraid it would!!