Best 1000 yard group ever

[Bill]

Hang in there Jmarriott. It can get worse and can get better. I see a lot of people picking up and leaving the east and coming out here and for the most part they seem happy about it but it hasn't been easy on them. The Williston ND area is growing fast and money seems to be growing on tree's up there as the work force is also growing and the need for building is huge. There are people making double what I do just for driving water trucks to the wells that are being drilled. A friend of mine makes double what I do just to measure how much drill rod is in the ground and he only works half as much as I do. Problem I see is that sooner or later it is going to slow down and when it does these people will be leaving. No one stays in North Dakota unless they have to but their making it while the sun shines so to speak. The coal mines are slowing down since the EPA has put more restrictions on the users of coal and the mines are laying off as they loose contracts. They were supposed to be getting set up to start shipping coal to west coast for shipment to China but so far the ports they need to load it on ships are non existent and their construction is being held back. So even the guys working the Railroad are leaving as they are getting cut back. The pipeline construction from Canada to Texas is still being argued over but if that happens then it will really take off as they will want to get it built as fast as possible. Thats going to also bring in a huge number of people to do that work but let me tell you. There are a lot of rough people doing those jobs and they work hard and play harder if you understand what I mean. Not a real good place for family but again the money is huge comparatively. So no matter what your decision is there are short comings to it all. Just make good sound decisions and you will be ok.

[jmarriott]

I would not be moving the family until I knew that would be the correct thing to do for Them.

I can work anywhere in the US and overseas if I need to but I would miss out on all the excitment of what they are doing. My oldest daughter made the ALL_STARS in softball at 12 and batted almost .900 in rec league play. One strike out two thros outs at first and one in field fly calls out in 34 at bats. Now in ALl star play she is in some type of slump as she whacked the ball to senter field 4 out of 5 at bats but only one of them did not land right in the glove of the defender. The one hit she got on drove in 2 runs but was only a single. I would hate to miss her first over the fence home run. It will not be long. I have been at softball games all last weekend and thursday friday and at least today in the 100 degree heat and I am just about softball gamed out.

Now I would be into the extra nice hunting and fishing stuff and my wife thinks that is why I want to go out west. She knows I want to whack an ELK and antelope and those western coyotes would be in trouble but I can see me having a storage unit in the local ND town with a gun safe and hunting clothes stands and fishing rods. Me living in a man camp somewhere. The birds I can do with or without, I can see another addiction to feed if I hunted many pheasants.

As far as working and playing hard I am more into the woring hard part at this point of my life. Heck I still have 3 beers in the fridge from a case I bought for the superbowl. Now a good game of HOLDEM poker would be the play hard thing I would be most into. Believe me I can hold my own

I did check on the soix falls SD area for low voltage electrical contractors and I believe a trip to see gunsmoke and offer my services to these contractors might be first in line on my trip west. It will be a short trip maybe a week 2 weeks tops including SD ND WY and St louis as I have contacts with Sacks ELECTRIC and Tech Electronics in St louis. That would be four days driving and a couple of days seeking contacts and a couple days of play.

I did pick up a High Standard Duramatic with holster and extra made in 1958 for 150 dollars and it is mint. I should be able to get just under 300 for it and get to keep the gun rug for myself. The trigger sucks but it is a nice piece for being over 50 years old. IT was purchased just as trade bait or outright sale. I have to many good 22 auto's to keep a duramatic. I got it from the guy with the old winchester lever but he still thinks it is worth much more than I am going to pay for it but he is also one of the guys that got laid off in the first round of cuts so I need to call him and up my offer to 750 over the 650 I offered to begin with.

My collection of extra guns is my savings account lately. Beats money in the bank, 2 pre ban ak's, a win model 12 in 20 guage, a win red label modell 37 in 410 (Pig tail) and a mint marlin model 60 have fallen into the safe in the last year. Dad got several rem 700's and a rem 513T and 541 HB also. I have a guy who wants the pigtail 37 bad and I think I am going to let it go for tires for the truck. I like it but 410 ain't my stlye.

[Bill]

Good luck with it all and hope it all works out for you and yours.