Batboat Rebuild; June 2011

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On June 5th I started on filling and sanding down the hundreds of holes in the top deck.

I used InterLux Watertite Epoxy Filler to fill the holes.  Its great stuff.

 The deck was pockmarked with hundreds of holes!  Had to fill them all in!
 I also drilled out a hole I patched up.  Turned out that I need it after all to pass cables through.

Now that the dash was done I fit in the steering wheel I ordered in January from Mooneyes. It is the only blue metal flake steering wheel on the market that is a very close substitue for the Covico wheel originally used in the Batboats I and II.

On the 18th I started to laminate the sides of the air scoops to the deck.  I think they were made from 1/4 inch exterior grade plywood.



I roughed up the sides with my grinder to give the polyester resin / woodflower mixture more surface to adhere to then clamped the air scoop sides to the boat.


Fiberglass was laminated on the insides to give more strength.



On the 22nd of June I fit the inside and top of the air scoop to see how it looked. (seen below) The top is part of the cardboard pattern and the inside wall is 1/4 inch plywood.

Michigan Governor's 2010 Executive Budget

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Message from the Director, Bob Emerson

As Director of the Office of the State Budget, I would like to invite you to explore and make use of the many areas of our Web site. The State Budget Office is responsible for coordinating all aspects of the state budget including development of the Executive Budget recommendation, presentation of the budget to the Legislature and implementation of the budget after enactment. The Office also supervises and manages the collection and dissemination of educational data through the Center for Educational Performance and Information.

I am committed to providing comprehensive and useful information regarding the state budget and responsibilities of this office. I hope you find what you are looking for within our Web site.

**Governor Granholm's 2010 Executive Budget Addresses Structural Deficit, Protects Families
**Fiscal Year 2010 Executive Budget

Michigan Treasury

The Tax Saver's Credit Toolkit

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A new resource from AARP—a Retirement Made Simpler partner—has been developed for HR professionals to help employees make the most of the Saver's Credit—a federal income tax credit of up to $1,000. Toolkit materials include intranet content, an e-mail message, materials for open enrollment packets, FAQs and more.

Click on either the Automatic 401(k) or Traditional Defined Contribution Plan Toolkit below to learn more about how you can help eligible employees claim this valuable tax credit.............

Retirement Made Simpler

Fund your next project! Deadline August 12

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Applications are available online: http://artmeetsearth.org/sundaysoup.html Sunday Soup: Sunday, August 21 at The Good Work Collective, 417 S. Union St., Traverse City Welcome to Sunday Soup, an open source, community driven, micro-granting program to support the creation of new art in our region. Artists of any age, any discipline and from anywhere in the ten-county area may apply. The applications are collected and juried by ISLAND (Institute for Sustainable Living, Art & Natural Design) and the best projects are selected to present to the Sunday Soup community. Once a month, folks gather at Porterhouse Productions’ new all arts gallery and community space, The Good Work Collective in Traverse City, and donate $5 to $20 for a delicious meal of local soup, salad and bread, while enjoying three to five short presentations by the selected artists. Each presentation will be a 5-minute, informative and entertaining explanation of the proposed art project. After the presentations, the community will drop their soup spoons into a voting bucket for their favorite project—and at the end of the night, the project with the most spoons takes home 100% of the cash brought in at the door. Let’s fund local artists with local money! Brought to you by: The Good Work Collective, ISLAND, OASIS and Porterhouse Productions With Support from: The Cooks' House, Oryana, Pleasanton Brick Oven Bakery, Tandem Ciders, Traverse City Wine & Art Festival Sunday Soup is on Facebook! Like us!

Fiber Arts Workshop

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Shanna Robinson, teacher at North Central Michigan College, and ISLAND Hill House artist in residence Katie Vota lead last weekend's Fiber Arts Workshop at the Dhaseleer Events Barn.

The indigo dyed fabrics and yarns hanging to dry

Katie helping Brad dye his overalls
We had a great time!
Yarn from Stonehedge Fiber Mill soaking in dye made from locally harvested plants
Shanna putting yarn in the pot to soak
You can read about Katie's experiences at the Hill House on her blog, A Different Space. Katie is on her way to Peru on a Fullbright Scholarship to work with local communities in fiber arts.

We're hiring!

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Institute for Sustainable Living, Art & Natural Design (ISLAND)

Position: Events Assistant

Overview: The new ISLAND Events Assistant position supports the work of the Events Coordinator. The position is responsible for a wide variety of activities related to events and workshops to support ISLAND’s mission. ISLAND hosts over 100 workshops and events each year, designed to build community and self-reliance skills and provide cultural experiences for the community. Examples include the green world (growing shiitakes, organic gardening, animal husbandry, raising bees), the real home ec (cheese making, fermenting, brewing, canning), tinkering (welding, cordwood building, carpentry), and arts and music (concerts, film series, book binding).

Time commitment: Averages 32 hours per week. Flexibility in schedule and willingness to work some evenings and weekends is a must. Position runs from January to November 2012 (the position after November 2012 is contingent on funding).

Location: The ISLAND office is located in Bellaire, Michigan. Events and workshops are held throughout northwest lower Michigan. The Events Assistant will both telecommute and work from the ISLAND office.

Salary: $10 per hour. Some benefits, like paid days off, are available after six months of employment. As much as we’d like to, we are unable to offer health benefits at this time.

Main Job Tasks & Responsibilities

• Planning, managing, executing and evaluating events and workshops
• Work closely with the Events Coordinator

Education & Experience

• Bachelors degree or equivalent work experience
• Knowledge of and passion for ISLAND’s mission
• Basic knowledge of non-profit structure
• Proficient in email, word processing and spreadsheet programs (i.e., Google Docs or Microsoft Office)
• Prior experience working in a team environment
• Prior experience organizing events

Key Competencies & Requirements

• Ability to plan, organize and meet deadlines

• A reliable car/method of transportation is necessary for travel to events and workshops
• Must have reliable and regular access to email, a personal computer and a cell phone
• Excellent attention to detail
• Excellent oral, written and interpersonal communication skills
• Ability to thrive in and be highly productive in a self-directed work environment

Application Instructions: Interested candidates should submit the following application materials via email to Amanda Kik, Co-Director, at amanda@artmeetsearth.org:

• Cover letter
• Resume
• List of references

Applications materials received by November 11, 2011 will receive first review and preference for first round interviews. Position will remain open until filled by the right candidate.

For more information about ISLAND, visit www.artmeetsearth.org.

Should you buy foreclosed homes by approaching a bank?

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Herb Strather just wrote a great post about finding deals in the REO market.

And I'd like to add to his point on approaching the banks to get these deals...
Here was my response:

---

I'm glad you posted this Herb. I'm not into spamming boards. But there are many qualified Real Estate Owned realtors who specialize in these type of properties. We get a listing of these homes from the lenders themselves. The advantage of working with a REO realtor instead of just with the bank is:

• The realtor knows more about the communities and locations of these homes
  
• A realtor can answer questions with a level of objectivity
  
• A realtor knows what has been selling in the neighborhood and has volumes of information on comparables(often called COMPS)
  
• One can build a relationship with a realtor who can look out for properties that meet your specifications.
  
• A realtor can give you an opportunity to see more homes.
  

These are only a few reasons you should seek the help of a professional realtor when buying Real Estate Owned properties.

Thanks,
Willie
http://www.redcarpetkeimwillcooperate.com